Love of the Land: There's more to learn about terrorism via Bin Laden's personal example than most realize

There's more to learn about terrorism via Bin Laden's personal example than most realize

Arnold/Malki Roth
This Ongoing War
06 May '11



http://thisongoingwar.blogspot.com/2011/05/6-may-11-theres-more-to-learn-about.html

When the Palestinian-Arab journalist Khaled Abu Toameh addresses the subject of terrorism and the terrorists, readers can generally be assured of common sense insights that they will find elsewhere only rarely.

So much nonsense and double-talk about terrorism has been purveyed by journalists, analysts and politicians, that insight is about the last thing a rational consumer of news and analysis can expect to find.

Abu Toameh published an article called 'Muslim Terror Leaders Send Anyone But Their Own Family Members To Murder "Infidels"' earlier today. Here's how it starts:

Those who say they were surprised that Osama bin Laden had been leading a relatively comfortable life in his mansion in an affluent suburb in Pakistan obviously don't know anything about the leaders of Islamic terror groups. The fact that bin Laden was surrounded by women and children also should not come as a surprise to anyone -- nor should the reports that his men and he used some of the women as "human shields" during the US military raid on his compound..


In this regard, bin Laden was doing what many other Muslim terror operatives used to do in Afghanistan, Iraq and the West Bank and Gaza Strip: These operatives are good at sending anyone but their own family members to murder "infidels," "apostates" and any Arab or Muslim who dares to stand up to them. Bin Laden chose to live a good life surrounded by women, children and couriers who provided him with everything he needed. Like the rest of the terror leaders, bin Laden never sent any of his sons on jihad missions. He always made sure that his wives and sons and daughters stayed safe and happy.

Abu Toameh's general observations are especially true of the Palestinian Arab leadership, and in particular that part of which has driven the terror war against Jews and Israel for the last several generations.

Near the end of the piece he writes:

"This is the nature of the coward Muslim terror leaders; they do not hesitate to hide behind women and children and often choose to live in mansions instead of joining their men in the caves and mountains."

Please read Abu Toameh's entire article. It will take you no more than two minutes.

The people he describes here truly are cowards. So too are the analysts and commentators who, far from the danger and threat, relentlessly rip into Israelis who are conducting an existential war of self-defence against an enemy who see pizza restaurants, school yards and buses as their battlefield.


Love of the Land: There's more to learn about terrorism via Bin Laden's personal example than most realize

RubinReports: Palestinians: Poll Shows Overwhelming Support for Islamism

Palestinians: Poll Shows Overwhelming Support for Islamism

This article is http://pajamasmedia.com/barryrubin/2011/05/08/342/ in PajamasMedia. The full text is published here for your convenience.

Please be subscriber 22,065 (daily reader 39,665). Put email address in upper right-hand box: http://www.rubinreports.blogspot.com


We need your contribution. Tax-deductible donation by PayPal or credit card: click Donate button: http://www.rubinreports.blogspot.com. Checks: "American Friends of IDC.” “For GLORIA Center” on memo line. Mail: American Friends of IDC, 116 East 16th St., 11th Fl., NY, NY 10003.


By Barry Rubin

I’m always a bit wary of using public opinion polls in the Middle East because much depends on the day the poll is done; the way questions are worded; and the fact that in authoritarian societies ruled by dictatorial regimes people don't necessarily speak their mind.

In this poll, by Near East Consulting, there are some peculiar results that make it appear skewed toward Fatah and against Hamas. This may have to do with the fears of those polled. It is revealing that—I don’t think I’ve ever seen this before—the official Fatah-controlled Palestinian press agency, Wafa, distributed a story on the poll because it fits with their political line.

But that fact makes the following two points all the more remarkable, even shocking compared to past, comparable polls:

--Asked to give their primary personal identity, 57 percent said Muslim; 21 percent, Palestinian; 19 percent, human beings; and only 5 percent said Arab.

This says something important about the steep decline in Arab nationalism but brings into question Fatah-style Palestinian nationalism, too. One can see oneself primarily as a Muslim and still support Fatah and the Palestinian Authority, but this upward trend also indicates of the growth of thinking likely to lead people toward backing Hamas in future.

--Asked what government system they preferred in future, about 40 percent said they want an Islamic caliphate. In addition, 24 percent seek a system like those in Arab countries, and only 12 percent prefer one like that in European countries.

While defining what an “Arab system” means is ambiguous, it is reasonable to presume that means an Arab nationalist dictatorship since at this moment virtually no Arab country is a democracy.

When asked whether they support Fatah or Hamas the results are so overwhelmingly pro-Fatah as to make one suspicious. It is safer for someone living in a dictatorship to discuss general principles rather than oppose that government in conversation with outsiders. Yet, again, one would expect a Fatah supporter to highlight a Palestinian or Arab identity rather than a Muslim one.
What this poll, and other indications, suggests to me is that the potential constituency for Islamism (Hamas) is at least 40 percent, for Palestinian nationalism (Fatah, Palestinian Authority) just over 20 percent, and for democracy about 12 percent. Most of those who expressed no opinion would probably support the PA to give it an election victory but that cannot be assumed.

Note that there is no real organized moderate democratic party in the entire Palestinian political spectrum. The findings remind us of just how small the base is for any modern democratic state in the sense that is understand not only in the West but also in much of Asia, Africa, and the Latin America.

Remember that in most of the rest of the Third World, even where dictatorship exists, a moderate democratic state is a popular aspiration. It may not be what people have but it is what the majority wants. This really doesn't seem to be true in the Middle East.

These figures also imply that Hamas is more likely to recruit current Fatah supporters than vice-versa.

There are hints here of what would happen in completely free elections in a future Palestinian state. They do not incline Israel—or anyone with good sense—to rush to support the creation of such a state, especially now that Fatah and Hamas are once again united.

Barry Rubin is director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center, editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal, and a featured columnist at PajamasMedia http://pajamasmedia.com/barryrubin/ His latest books are The Israel-Arab Reader (seventh edition), The Long War for Freedom: The Arab Struggle for Democracy in the Middle East (Wiley), and The Truth About Syria (Palgrave-Macmillan). The website of the GLORIA Center is http://www.gloria-center.org/. His PajamaMedia columns are mirrored and other articles available at http://www.rubinreports.blogspot.com/.

RubinReports: Palestinians: Poll Shows Overwhelming Support for Islamism

RubinReports: Syria: Killing Americans, Murdering Syrians, Allied with al-Qaida. It’s a No-Brainer: The Regime Must Go

Syria: Killing Americans, Murdering Syrians, Allied with al-Qaida. It’s a No-Brainer: The Regime Must Go

This article is published on PajamasMedia. The text is presented here for your convenience.


Please be subscriber 22,058 (daily reader 39,668). Put email address in upper right-hand box: http://www.rubinreports.blogspot.com

We need your contribution. Tax-deductible donation by PayPal or credit card: click Donate button: http://www.rubinreports.blogspot.com. Checks: "American Friends of IDC.” “For GLORIA Center” on memo line. Mail: American Friends of IDC, 116 East 16th St., 11th Fl., NY, NY 10003.

By Barry Rubin

I merely transcribe the lead paragraph in today’s (May 7) Washington Post:

“Syrian troops used heavy machine guns and artillery to quell anti-government demonstrations in the key city of Homs on Friday in a sharp escalation of their crackdown against regime opponents, as tens of thousands of Syrians again defied the threat of bullets and tanks to take to the streets around the country.”

The article goes on to report “pitched battles in several neighborhoods” and 24 deaths due to firing into unarmed crowds of peaceful demonstrators.

What does the White House say? It “condemns and deplores” the violence, mass arrests, and human rights violations. It threatens to “adjust” U.S. policy toward Syria and issues sanctions against a handful of those directly involved in the violence. And it talks vaguely of a “strong” response and urges the Syrian dictatorship to make reforms.

This policy is a national disgrace. I have no doubt that the Obama Administration’s behavior toward the uprising in Syria and Iran will in future be strongly condemned. The exquisite sensitivity toward America’s enemies compared to the harsh treatment of its friends must come to an end.

Aside from everything else consider one simple point that is publicly known beyond any question:

Syria’s government has allied itself and helps in every way the Iraqi terrorists who have killed hundreds of Americans. And those terrorists belong to al-Qaida. Remember them? The group until recently headed by Usama bin Laden that carried out the September 11 attacks. This is also the strongest and most significant remaining al-Qaida member group.

There is no excuse for President Obama not to utter six simple words: The Assad dictatorship must go now.

Barry Rubin is director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center, editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal, and a featured columnist at PajamasMedia http://pajamasmedia.com/barryrubin/ His latest books are The Israel-Arab Reader (seventh edition), The Long War for Freedom: The Arab Struggle for Democracy in the Middle East (Wiley), and The Truth About Syria (Palgrave-Macmillan). The website of the GLORIA Center is http://www.gloria-center.org/. His PajamaMedia columns are mirrored and other articles available at http://www.rubinreports.blogspot.com/.

RubinReports: Syria: Killing Americans, Murdering Syrians, Allied with al-Qaida. It’s a No-Brainer: The Regime Must Go

RubinReports: A Detailed Account of President Obama's Great Accomplishment in Killing Usama bin Laden

A Detailed Account of President Obama's Great Accomplishment in Killing Usama bin Laden

This article is published in PajamasMedia. The full text is published here for your convenience.

By Barry Rubin

Military Officer: Mr. President, on the basis of hard work and intelligence-gathering over the last nine years we now know where bin Laden is. We believe we can kill him and get our men out again safely without causing many--if any--civilian casualties. Do we have your approval for the operation?

Obama: Let me think about it.

Obama (sixteen hours later): OK, go ahead.

I know many people will think the above account doesn't give the president enough credit. But as a corrective to many of the inflated accounts being offered in which the president is receiving--and taking--full credit for the operation, I think it is reasonable.

Moreover, I think there is no way that Obama could have said "no" and was quite aware that if he did not give the go-ahead sooner or later the news would have leaked out and he would have looked very bad indeed. There would have been a huge political cost.

Even if the team had failed to kill or capture bin Ladin, been wiped out, or killed civilians inadvertently, the domestic popular support for getting bin Laden is so great that no one would have faulted Obama for trying. Obama would have been given credit even by his opponents and would have received sympathy for taking a tough decision and feeling remorse for the suffering incurred on others.

This was simply not a difficult or courageous decision to make. And that's an hone
st and accurate assessment--not a merely cynical one--even if one contrary to the general conventional wisdom reactions. The president made the right decision but any other outcome was quite unlikely.

It isn't that Obama hasn't made some tough or arguably courageous foreign policy decisions--the Afghan policy, the Libyan intervention, not to do more against the Syrian dictatorship, demanding the immediate downfall of the Egyptian regime, etc.--the problem is that all of those decisions were wrong ones.

All of the credit should belong to the career military and intelligence people who gathered the information, made the assessments, put together the operation's plan--if anything had gone wrong they, not Obama, would have been fired--and risked their lives to make this happen.


RubinReports: A Detailed Account of President Obama's Great Accomplishment in Killing Usama bin Laden

RubinReports: U.S. Policy Toward Palestinian Authority-Hamas Deal: Any Change Coming?

U.S. Policy Toward Palestinian Authority-Hamas Deal: Any Change Coming?

This article is published on my blog at PajamasMedia. The text is reprinted here for your convenience.

By Barry Rubin

Here's Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the Hamas-Palestinian Authority deal:

"We obviously are aware of the announcement in Cairo yesterday. There are many steps that have yet to be undertaken in order to implement the agreement. And we are going to be carefully assessing what this actually means, because there are a number of different potential meanings to it, both on paper and in practice.

"We’ve made it very clear that we cannot support any government that consists of Hamas unless and until Hamas adopts the Quartet principles....So we’re going to wait and make our assessment as we actually see what unfolds from this moment on."

Translation of paragraph one: I'd rather not deal with it now because we can hope the deal will fall through and then we won't have to do anything at all.

Translation of paragraph two: This is badly worded by her since the phrase "government that consists of Hamas" makes no sense. Presumably she meant a government that includes Hamas. Having said this, she warns that the U.S. government won't support such a coalition regime unless Hamas renounces violence and recognizes Israel. That change in U.S. policy would be a major development.

But note two parallel situations:

--Egypt, President Barack Obama has said he would support the Muslim Brotherhood in the government.

--Lebanon, the Obama Administration has apparently accepted Hizballah as part of Lebanon's government with minor reservations like not meeting with Hizballah ministers..

So why is Hamas different? Partly it is only the result of pro-Israel congressional and public opinion that restrains the administration.

I predict that it won't get to the point of a coalition government. This deal is just propaganda for presenting a unilateral declaration to the UN from a united Palestinian front. Neither side wants free elections to be held, according to the agreement, in May 2012.

Yet while Clinton's statement has generally been reported as a strong stance that's not exactly so. If, for example, Hamas nominates ministers who are not proven members of the group (which is what they are saying they'll do) or cooperates with the Palestinian Authority in anything short of an actual coalition government, Clinton's warning would not be triggered. The same is true if Hamas finds some language that pretends to accept the Quartet conditions.

Clinton also signals a hesitation to act now by talking about waiting to see what happens. This stance leaves loopholes in which Hamas can be strengthened and legitimized while the United States does nothing. In short, this is not at all a strong U.S. stance but actually means little. The PA can easily believe that it would lose nothing in terms of U.S. or European support by partnering with Hamas.

But if there is a coalition regime and the U.S. government backs down, accepts it, continues aid, makes fostering talks with Israel a top priority, and putting the main onus on Israel for a lack of progress, that would be a very profound betrayal.

RubinReports: U.S. Policy Toward Palestinian Authority-Hamas Deal: Any Change Coming?

Bin Laden's One Mistake

Bin Laden's One Mistake

by Shmuel Sackett

Manhigut Yehudit International Director

May 8, 2011

One thing made Osama bin Laden public enemy #1. One thing made him a target for America's hit squad. One thing – and only one thing – made his assassination justified and praised by world leaders. He didn't just kill Jews.

Had he limited his terrorism to Jews only, he would not have been targeted. The same world leaders who today take great pride in his death would have celebrated his life. He would not have been killed by President Obama; he would have dined with him.

He would have been invited to the United Nations. He would have had a worldwide speaking tour. He would have won the Nobel peace prize.

Think I'm crazy? Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the President of Iran. His resume includes much more than just politics. He and his Persian mentors ordered Hezbollah to bomb the Jewish Community of Argentina in the 90s and killed hundreds of Jews. He has stated – time and again – that he wants to destroy Israel. He wants to kill the 6,000,000 Jews (interesting number) who live here and he is feverishly working to build a bomb that will do just that.

Has he been targeted? Is this animal on anyone's "hit list"? Actually, just the opposite is true. He recently spoke in the UN. He was a guest speaker in Columbia University. Why? Because he is only interested in killing Jews.

Khaled Mashaal is the leader of Hamas. Hamas is a sworn enemy of Israel. It has killed and maimed thousands of Jews since the “peace process” came about. It has fired over 5,000 missiles into Israel, aiming for Jewish homes and hoping to kill Jewish children.

Has he been targeted? Is this beast on anyone's "hit list"? Actually, just the opposite is true. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently invited Mashaal to Moscow. Former US President Jimmy Carter has embraced Mashaal and considers him a “partner for peace”. Why? Because he is only interested in killing Jews.

Yasser Arafat was the leader of the PLO for almost four decades. He has more innocent blood on his hands than bin Laden. Yet this murderer was a guest at the Clinton White House more than any other world leader! He spoke in the UN. He was accepted around the world as a leader and spoke in over 30 countries. He won the Nobel Peace Prize. Why? Because he was only interested in killing Jews. [And his successor Mahmoud Abbas is as much of a Jew-murderer as him.]

Although I can go on, I will give just one final example: Adolf Hitler. The world knew about his plans for the Jews as early as 1933. The world knew about Kristallnacht back in November of 1938, and of the concentration camps shortly thereafter. Yet the entire world called this monster “Herr” Hitler. They gave him respect. They recognized him as a leader. All that changed when Hitler invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. From that point on he became an enemy. Why? Because until that day he was only interested in killing Jews.

Osama bin Laden violated the golden rule: In addition to killing just Jews, he also killed non-Jews. That is why he was targeted and for no other reason!

The message to Jews – and the State of Israel - is very clear. Learn to defend yourself. Learn to take revenge yourself. The world will not help you with Iran, Hamas or the PLO/PA.

Ahmadinejad, Abbas & Mashaal will not make the same mistake as Bin Laden. They will continue to be accepted and embraced by the world. Understand this, accept this and deal with this.

"We have no one on whom to rely, other than our Father in Heaven". May today's Jewish leaders – and the brave warriors of the IDF – engrave this on their hearts. And may they – very soon - do to these terrorists exactly what was done to Bin Laden.

It' s Good To Be Back

Well, with all troubles gone, (at least it seems so), I think I'm able to resume my blog.
So from now on I'm back "on business", he,he,he.
See you around !!!