Fausta's Blog

American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture

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Roger Waters OKs Iranian anthem, blows it on Gaza

Roger Waters Approves Reworked Pink Floyd ‘Anthem’

ROGER WATERS has applauded a Canadian band for reworking the PINK FLOYD classic ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL to use as a political anthem for Iranian youth.

Rockers Blurred Vision, founded by two exiled Iranian brothers, changed Waters’ lyrics to protest against the strict Islamic laws in Iran, where rock music is outlawed. In a reference to high-ranking religious clerics, the refrain was adapted to “Hey, Ayatollah, leave those kids alone!”

And Waters insists he is pleased with their efforts, insisting the band has been crucial in “the resistance to a regime that is both repressive and brutal”.

Roger couldn’t leave well alone and conflated Iran with Gaza:

He says, “I applaud and support the resistance of Palestinian children in Gaza and the West Bank to the repressive and brutal occupation they endure.”

I wonder if Roger will be doing any CD signings at the Mall in Gaza

Here’s the original Pink Floyd version of Another Brick In the Wall,

Here’s the stirring Blurred Vision version,

Also visit Blurred Vision’s Facebook page.

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Meet you at the mall… in Gaza?

Tom Gross of Mideast Dispatch posts photos of the new mall opening in Gaza. Yes, Gaza, the same Gaza that Hamas claims is under siege, lacks electricity and can not get building supplies. Click on the photo above for more photos.

Maayana Miskin reports (emphasis added),

While Hamas continues to complain that Gaza lacks building materials, a luxury mall in Gaza City held its grand opening over the weekend. Among the goods on sale are Israeli men’s clothing, and items from Turkey, France, and the United States.
…
Gross, who has previously posted pictures of fancy restaurants, shops filled with goods, and even an Olympic-size swimming pool during the “Israeli siege,” pointed out that Gaza enjoys a higher standard of living than Turkey, which recently sent citizens on a flotilla to Gaza in violation of an Israeli naval blockade of Hamas. Noting that life expectancy and literacy rates are higher in Gaza than in Turkey, while infant mortality rates are lower, he asked, “Have they considered that perhaps the humanitarian flotillas ought to be going in the other direction, towards Turkey?”

They ought to, but that wouldn’t fit the propaganda, would it?

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Hamas founder’s son decries Islamic ‘god of hate’

Hamas founder’s son decries Islamic ‘god of hate’

The son of one of the founders of Hamas is turning his back not only on the organization that now controls Gaza, but the religion that so animates the followers of the group his father helped create.

Speaking on Wednesday night to the Endowment for Middle East Truth, a pro-Israel organization that focuses on radical Islam in education and media, Mosab Hassan Yousef said, “The god of Islam is the god of hate.”

Mr. Yousef’s father, Sheikh Hassan Yousef, is a leading imam within Hamas, a group that seeks to impose Islamic law throughout the territory it considers Palestine, land that also encompasses the modern state of Israel.

The younger Mr. Yousef came to the United States in 2007, but only sought publicity after the publication of his memoir, “The Son of Hamas,” this year.

His book details the harrowing story of his recruitment by Israel’s Shin Bet, the country’s domestic intelligence and security service. At the dinner, the man who recruited and mentored Mr. Yousef when the Imam’s son was undercover for Israel, revealed his identity to the public for the first time.

About the existence of Israel,

He also said that the greatest problem facing his fellow Palestinians was the religion of Islam.

“They want to destroy Israel while they worship the God that is really their enemy every day,” he said. “There is no denying that they are worshiping their greatest enemy every day while they are looking for enemies.”

He continued, “What would happen if Israel just disappeared from the map? There is no Israel anymore. Would there be peace in the Middle East? Palestinians would kill each other, I guarantee you.”

This guy either has cajones [sic] of Titanium, and/or he’s crazy like a fox and willing to sacrifice his life to prove the point.

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Insane: Obama Administration to Support Anti-Israel Resolution at UN Next Week

If this is the case, it is indeed insane:
Bill Kristol at the Weekly Standard reports Sources: Obama Administration to Support Anti-Israel Resolution at UN Next Week

THE WEEKLY STANDARD has learned that senior Obama administration officials have been telling foreign governments that the administration intends to support an effort next week at the United Nations to set up an independent commission, under UN auspices, to investigate Israel’s behavior in the Gaza flotilla incident. The White House has apparently shrugged off concerns from elsewhere in the U.S. government that a) this is an extraordinary singling out of Israel, since all kinds of much worse incidents happen around the world without spurring UN investigations; b) that the investigation will be one-sided, focusing entirely on Israeli behavior and not on Turkey or on Hamas; and c) that this sets a terrible precedent for outside investigations of incidents involving U.S. troops or intelligence operatives as we conduct our own war on terror.

And who’s responsible for this decision?

While UN Ambassador Susan Rice is reported to have played an important role in pushing for U.S. support of a UN investigation, the decision is, one official stressed, of course the president’s. The government of Israel has been consulting with the U.S. government on its own Israeli investigative panel, to be led by a retired supreme court justice, that would include respected international participants, including one from the U.S. But the Obama administration is reportedly saying that such a “kosher panel” is not good enough to satisfy the international community, or the Obama White House.

The Lid:

Apparently the President does not care

a) this is an extraordinary singling out of Israel, since all kinds of much worse incidents happen around the world without spurring UN investigations.

b) that the investigation will be one-sided, focusing entirely on Israeli behavior and not on Turkey or on Hamas.

c) that this sets a terrible precedent for outside investigations of incidents involving U.S. troops or intelligence operatives as we conduct our own war on terror.

Power Line:

Kristol’s report comes just as Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has informed Israel’s representatives the world over that there were never any humanitarian supplies or equipment aboard the Mavi Marmara, where Israeli commandos were ambushed by armed mercenaries posing as peace activists. Of related interest are the videotaped statements of two Mavi Marmara crew members showing that preparations for a violent confrontation with IDF forces were put in motion about two hours before the boarding began, when the Israeli Navy hailed the ship and told it to halt; according to the statements, the atmosphere aboard the Mavi Marmara; IHH operatives on the main deck were cutting the ship’s railings with metal disks they had brought with them into lengths suitable to be used as clubs.

This decision will have repercussions well beyond Israel. Expect a lot of fallout from it – including in our hemisphere.

UPDATE
Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion:

White House denies Kristol flotilla investigation claim, to which Jennifer Rubin responds:

The response is telling, and not only for its gratuitous nastiness. First, the administration plainly thinks it’s achieved a grand success by toning down the UN resolution and downgrading it to a statement. And it lets on that, once again, some “compromise” is under consideration. Moreover, it only denies that the UN will not debate the resolution “next week.”What is missing is any determination to rule out an international investigation. Indeed, it advances the notion that an Israeli investigation would not be “credible.” No mention is made of, and there seems to be no interest in, investigating Turkey or the terrorists.

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The three trends, and the Gaza flotilla VIDEO

As you can see from the headlines this morning, the “aid” flotilla heading to Gaza was intercepted by the IDF navy. The Israel Project reports that the flotilla

which was trying to reach Gaza was organized by IHH (Insani Yardim Vakfi – “humanitarian relief fund”), a Turkish aid foundation which has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, and Free Gaza, which describes itself as a human rights group.

The IHH has known links to global jihadi networks, openly supports Iran-backed Hamas and maintains close ties with the Muslim Brotherhood movement, a global umbrella Islamic organization of which Hamas is a branch, as well as mujahideen groups in Afghanistan

Egypt also supports the flotilla, in spite of actually blockading Gaza with a border fence.

This is how things developed this morning,

Here’s video of the attack:


From the Israeli Foreign Office report,

he Israel Navy requested the ships to redirect toward Ashdod where they would be able to unload their aid material which would then be transferred over land after undergoing security inspections.
During the interception of the ships, the demonstrators onboard attacked the IDF naval personnel with live fire and light weaponry including knives and clubs. Additionally one of the weapons used was grabbed from an IDF soldier. The demonstrators had clearly prepared their weapons in advance for this specific purpose.
As a result of this life-threatening and violent activity, naval forces employed riot dispersal means, including live fire.
According to initial reports, these events resulted in over ten deaths among the demonstrators and numerous injured; in addition, more than four naval personnel were injured, some from gunfire and some from various other weapons. Two of the soldiers are moderately wounded and the remainder sustained light injuries. All of the injured, Israelis and foreigners are currently being evacuated by helicopter to hospitals in Israel.

The bigger issue, however, is America’s leadership crisis.

Richard Fernandez explains,

Relations between Washington and Israel were already at near historic lows. Now it looks like we ain’t seen nothing yet. But the immediate headlines should not obscure the 3 trends which are driving up tensions in the region and threaten to drive them up further. The first is Iran’s continuing search for a nuclear weapon, a development which Israel views as near existential threat. The second is the buildup of Hezbollah missiles which can reach all the major Israeli population from launching sites Lebanon.  And the third are the unintended consequences of President Obama’s diplomacy which has resulted in the singling out of Israel’s undeclared nuclear arsenal at the month long Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty conference in New York. Like a circular-running torpedo it managed to miss its every intended target — missing North Korea and Iran — while hitting Israel.
…
Together those three developments — the shadow of the Iranian nukes, the missiles of Hezbollah and the loss of American support — may have fostered a regional perception that Israel is vulnerable. Certainly the flotilla organizers could not have been insensible to the rising pressure on Israel and were determined to exploit it, nor was it lost on the IDF that if they showed weakness in the face of the flotilla there would be more to follow. In one sense the flotilla put to sea on the perceived political tides and were met by IDF elements sailing on the contrary currents. The result was a clash inconsequential in itself, but not in the sparks that it may generate.

Yet President Obama thinks that

Let’s face it: this has been the toughest year and a half since any year and a half since the 1930s.

Well, watching the news this morning, it would not be unrealistic to say that things are going to get a lot tougher.

UPDATE
Comparison: Liberal Reaction Vs. Conservative Reaction To The Israel/Flotilla Story

The Lid has a timeline.

———————————–

Please note there will be no podcast this morning.

Post re-edited to add omitted material

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Listening to the Israel Project’s conference call with Israel’s Ambassador to the United States

Sallai Meridor, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, is holding a conference call sponsored by The Israel Project. Here are a few of his remarks,
“One in every ten Israelis is under direct attack” from the Hamas missiles. “In only six months the number of Israelis under attack tripled.”

“The [Israeli] effort is focused on terrorists, trying to minimize damage to innocent people”.
Sixty-three trucks yesterday and ninety trucks today go into Gaza for humanitarian aid.

“Gaza is an arm of the octupus centered in Iran…Gaza is in many ways a Taliban state on the border of Israel”.

How does killing 300 Palestinians promote the cause of peace in the region? “Does killing terrorists advance the cause of peace in the region? Absolutely yes. When we are successful the chances for peace in the region will be higher, and people in the region will have more hope.”

As he spoke he was told that Hamas rockets had reached Beersheba.

“Only if we stand together, supporting each other, determined to prevail over this”, we can win.

Obama administration: “I don’t have an answer on the position of the incoming administration, I can only tell you what I heard when I accompanied Pres. elect Obama on his visit to Israel, he made his position very clear, stating that Hamas needs to accept the 3 principles: recognize Israel, stop terrorism and abide by previous commitments.” The Ambassador also quoted Obama’s reply on if his family was under attack he’d do anything to stop it.

“We want to live in peace and security and dignity next to a Palestinian neighbor who also wants to live in peace and security and dignity.”

Iran’s involvement, & Iranian nuclear threat: “What you see in Gaza is Iranian made: funded, led by Iran, training either in Iran or by Hizbollah, missiles are Iranian made & supplied. Iran is a terrible octupus with proxies in the region. The largest exporter of terror in the region and beyond the region, and moving ahead with a nuclear bomb. If there’s a nightmare, is the day when there’s this unsacred marriage between terror and nuclear. They’re fast-forwarding to that.”

2:34
“If world leadership is resourceful and doesn’t want to repeat the mistakes of the thirties, it has to act today. There is a chance because the Iranian regime, if it sees its nuclear program as a liability, it might change its mind, since oil at $40/bb is not the same as at $140, but it will take an immediate world action.”

“Terror is a threat that is global, crosses international borders, and if it goes global, the worst threat.”

“The challenge to us is to be together, be determined, promote our values, and not be deterred by terrori

Military action is necessary but not enough: “we need prevention, deterrence, and defense.”

“Education for peace is something we went over after Oslo in all the textbooks. We dealt with the challenge and continue so that this light of hope won’t ever die. And as much as we do, there’s always more to do. THe more you’re attacked, the more you have to invest in your children so that they continue to believe in the values you believe.” “Dealing with terror today is very painful but killing hope in the future by teaching children to hate Americans, and moderates, and Jews and Israelis, kills the hope for better days.”

Reaction to Ban Ki Moon’s statement on overreaction: The ambassador doesn’t react directly to anyone’s statement, but asks “everyone to put yourself in the same position. Think about your daughter, your parents, think about that happening to you day after day, year after year. Ask what would I do if it were my children.”

I’ll post a link to the transcript later today.

UPDATE
What YouTube Doesn’t Want You to See, plus link to the IDF YouTube channel.

MP3 audio of the call.

UPDATE
Welcome, EU Referendum readers. Please visit often.

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The wrong approach: Palestinian statehood and compensation

Bush: Palestinian statehood and compensation are solution to refugee issue

“I believe we need to look to the establishment of a Palestinian state and new international mechanisms, including compensation, to resolve the refugee issue,” said Bush, in a statement summing up two days of meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Bush arrived in Israel for a three-day on Wednesday.

“There should be an end to the occupation that began in 1967,” continued Bush. “The agreement must establish Palestine as a homeland for the Palestinian people, just as Israel is a homeland for the Jewish people.”

In today’s news, this is how the news was received:
Ramallah demo brands Bush ‘war criminal’

Thousands protest in Gaza against “vampire” Bush

and via Gateway Pundit, the American International School in the Gaza Strip got bombed.

Have Fatah, Hamas or Hizbollah changed their stripes?

Then making a Palestinian state and paying compensation will accomplish nothing.
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