Actual Study Disputes CAIR-Bears Mearsheimer and Walt

At The Corner, Michael Rubin asks How Important is the Israel Lobby?

And the answer falls short of what CAIR Bears Mearsheimer and Walt claim:

In the academy today, politics of research are more important than the supporting evidence. John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt became academic pop stars when they used the internet to research and produce, under Harvard’s banner, a polemic blaming the Israel Lobby for skewing American policy away from Washington’s natural interests.

Now David Verbeeten has done research, not on internet blog, but rather in libraries and archives (imagine that!), and looked at U.S. policy going back to the Eisenhower administration. He shows how the White House and State Department played realpolitik and sought to align U.S. policy with the more numerous and oil-rich Arab states but, over time, successive administrations learned the hard way that Israel was a truer ally.

What’s really sad is that people will take a second mortgage to send their kids to Harvard or Chicago and, so long as their politics are correct for the academy, professors needn’t bother to do their homework.

Technorati Tag: Israel and Israel Lobby and Mearsheimer and Walt.

One Moderate Arab

From an OpEd in Tuesday's New York Post by Emilio Karim Dabul, a freelance writer and PR consultant living in New Jersey--and Arab Muslim.

WELL, here it is, five years late, but here just the same: an apology from an Arab-American for 9/11. No, I didn't help organize the killers or contribute in any way to their terrible cause. However, I was one of millions of Arab-Americans who did the unspeakable on 9/11: nothing.

The only time I raised my voice in protest against these men who killed thousands of innocents in the name of Allah was behind closed doors, among the safety of friends and family. I did at one point write a very vitriolic essay condemning their actions, but fear of becoming another Salman Rushdie kept me from ever trying to publish it.

Well, I'm sick of saying the truth only in private - that Arabs around the world, including Arab-Americans like myself, need to start holding our own culture accountable for the insane, violent actions that our extremists have perpetrated on the world at large.

Yes, our extremists and our culture.

Every single 9/11 hijacker was Arab and a Muslim. The apologists (including President Bush) tried to reassure us that 9/11 had nothing to do with Islam, but was a twisting of a great and noble religion. With all due respect, read the Koran, Mr. President. There's enough there for someone of extreme tendencies to find their way to a global jihad.

There's also enough there for someone of a different mindset to find a path to enlightenment and peace. Still, Rushdie had it right back in 2001: This does have to do with Islam.

A moderate Moslem is not someone who rejects violence because it is not working, but because it is wrong.

And he doesn't have to reject Islam in order to do that.

Technorati Tag: Islam and 9/11.

My Daughter Is Hardboiled, Even When Things Are Sunny-Side Up

My daughter is recovering from a bad few weeks.

o One week she wakes up with a bad stomach-ache. I stayed home from work for the day and she was fine the next day.

o The following week she woke up with 102 temperature. Two days later, Motzei Shabbos, she woke up with 104. That was the Motzei Shabbos that I was working on Haveil Havalim.
That Shabbos was also her birthday.

o The week after that, last week--on the first day of school--she spent half of the day in the Emergency Room. We got a call from the school that her nose was gushing blood and they could not stop it. At the hospital they called in a specialist and everything worked out fine without having to cauterize. [My daughter still thinks the scariest thing a doctor can do is give you a shot--she can now go on thinking that for a while]

Now we are back to our usual rhythm...

When we got home from school today, I asked my daughter if she wanted eggs. Being newly 7 and more independent, she went to the refrigerator and took out a baggie with hard boiled eggs in it. She carefully shelled them--then handed them to me.

And informed me that she wanted her eggs sunny-side up.

Apparently she got her cooking gene from me.
But at least things are back to normal.

Baruch HaShem.

Technorati Tag: Israel.

Khatami Provides The Logic For US To Attack Iran

James Taranto at The Best of the Web connects the dots between the logic of Hezbollah attacking Israel....and the US attacking Iran, thanks to former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami:

Khatami: Thumbs Up on Attacking Iran
"On the eve of the fifth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami condemned Osama bin Laden and suicide bombing but also defended groups such as Hezbollah for what he characterized as resistance against Israeli colonialism," the Associated Press reports from Harvard, where Khatami spoke last night.

But wait a minute. Hezbollah is from Lebanon, a country from which Israel withdrew in 2000. The only place Israel can be said to be practicing "colonialism" is in the West Bank, a Palestinian area.

Khatami's argument, then, is that it is legitimate for party A (in this case Hezbollah) to attack party B (Israel) because of Party B's conflict with Party C (the Palestinians).

By this reasoning, it would be acceptable for America to attack Iran because of Iran's threats against Israel.

Of course by that logic, the US could start off with Hezbollah itself.

Technorati Tag: Israel and Khatami.

Growing Number Of Palestinian Arabs Favor Terrorism

According to the Jerusalem Post, more Palestinians Arabs approve of terrorism

The latest public opinion poll in the Palestinian Authority territories shows that some 61 percent of Palestinians support "military operations" inside Israel compared with only 32% who reject such attacks.

The poll, conducted by the Center for Opinion Polls and Survey Studies at An-Najah University in Nablus, covered some 1,360 Palestinians whose age group is above 18. Its margin of error is about 3%.

Although the center did not specify the nature of the "military operations," many Palestinians interpret the term as a reference to suicide bombings inside Israeli cities.

This is the first poll in several years that shows growing support among Palestinians for launching terror attacks inside Israel. The results reflect an increased trend of radicalism among the Palestinian public.

Previous polls conducted by different Palestinian organizations showed that a majority of Palestinians would like to see such attacks restricted only to the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The latest poll, too, indicated that over 62% of the Palestinians support concentrating the "resistance" within these territories.

Yet, while 42.5% of those surveyed rejected the launching of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel, 36% said they were opposed to such attacks only "because they hurt the Palestinian cause."

According to the poll, 36% of the Palestinians believe that "the best form of resistance that best serves the Palestinian cause is the armed struggle against Israel."

By contrast, only 13% said they prefer to see a "diplomatic struggle" against Israel through peaceful means. [emphasis added]

If 36% say they are opposed to firing rockets from Gaza only "because they hurt the Palestinian cause"--does that qualify them as Arab moderates?

The 36% of the Palestinians who believe that "the best form of resistance that best serves the Palestinian cause is the armed struggle against Israel"--what are they basing themselves on?

What non-violent means have they recently ever tried?

Technorati Tag: Israel and Palestinians and Terrorism and Gaza.

Video: The Moslem Reaction to 9-11

MEMRI has put together an online video entitled The Arab and Iranian Reaction to 911: 5 Years Later, showing the Moslem reaction to the 911 attack.

Powerline has the 'teaser' for the video here.

There are many things to remember on the anniversary of 9-11.

This is one of them.

Technorati Tag: 9-11 and Moslems and Iran.

Human Rights Watch and Red Cross on Kidnapped Israeli Soldiers: zzzzzzzzzzzz...

Israel Matzav notes how the Red Cross has yet to be able to visit Israel's kidnapped soldiers--nor has it raised a stink over it either.

Arutz Sheva asked the ICRC some questions:

Asked what public pressure the ICRC is exerting in order to get to see the three, the spokesperson noted the issuance of several press statements expressing the organization's concern over the plight of the abducted soldiers.

The last such press announcement was issued on August 9, stating that ICRC president Jacob Kelenberger had arrived in Israel and would discuss with Israeli officials "the humanitarian situation in northern Israel and in Lebanon, access to those in need, and the fate of captured soldiers and other people detained in connection with the conflict." [emphasis added]

...In response to the claim that no announcement on the matter had been issued in a month, and that the captives' issue seemed always to be buried among other issues, Yechezkel-Oron said, "The official announcements do not reflect the extent of our activity on the matter. There are behind-the-scenes contacts being made all the time. We are not a military organization, and we cannot force them."

Arutz-7 then asked why the ICRC does not hold a special press conference to declare that Hamas and Hizbullah refuse to allow visits to the captives. "Would this not keep the matter in the public eye, be the subject of newspaper articles, and force the world community to take note?" she was asked. The spokesperson responded that the ICRC and its demands had been mentioned in recent media articles regarding the captives.

Here isw an example of an ICRC press release, with the issue of Shalit's kidnapping buried among other issues. Maybe part of the problem is the Red Cross' sense of priorities. Take a look at this press release they put out on July 13:

ICRC gravely concerned about humanitarian situation in Gaza
Geneva (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is alarmed about the deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip.

The continuing escalation of violence, with military operations taking place in highly populated areas, has serious consequences for the civilian population.

Over the past two weeks, Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip have led to the deaths of dozens of people and the wounding of many more, among them a large number of civilians. In one single incident on 12 July, nine family members – including children – were killed in their home by an air strike in Gaza City. In some cases, people living near operations have been unable to leave their homes for several days.

The ICRC has urged and continues to urge Israel to respect the rules of international humanitarian law. In particular, in the conduct of hostilities, Israel must take all precautions to spare civilian life and property. It must also ensure that the wounded have access to medical facilities.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is continuing to deteriorate. The strike on Gaza's only power plant on 28 June reduced the power supply in the Strip by half, with direct and indirect effects on the population. Hospitals and a large part of the water and wastewater systems now depend on generators that consume considerable amounts of fuel, which is also in short supply owing to recurrent closures of the Strip. Furthermore, the strict controls imposed on the passage of basic items into the Strip have exacerbated the difficulties faced by residents, who were already living in precarious conditions. Under international humanitarian law, Israel is responsible for meeting the basic needs of the population, which include food, medical supplies and means of shelter.

As a further consequence of the ongoing situation in the Gaza Strip, hundreds of Palestinians have been stranded on the Egyptian side of the Rafah terminal, two of whom have reportedly died. The material and psychological conditions in which these people live are deteriorating day by day and no solution to their plight has been found by the parties concerned. The ICRC has already offered its services to facilitate their passage into the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, together with the Egyptian Red Crescent, it is providing the affected people with assistance.

The ICRC is seriously concerned about the consequences of the repeated launching of rockets from the Gaza Strip against the civilian population in Israel. These attacks, which have wounded several people, are indiscriminate and thus prohibited by international humanitarian law.

Finally, the ICRC urges those detaining IDF corporal Gilad Shalit to treat him humanely and allow him to contact his family. It has informed all the parties that it stands ready to provide its services.

The Red Cross' 'humanitarian concern' places Shalit last as a priority. One wonders if ICRC's "behind the scenes" efforts are as buried as their casual reference to Shalit in their news release.

Arutz Sheva gives links for contacting the ICRC:

The ICRC can be emailed as follows:
The Washington office
The Geneva office
The Tel Aviv office

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has not exactly been banging the drums either about the kidnapped soldiers.

Part of the problem may be their contradictory message. On the one hand they have news releases that claim:

Since June 25, Palestinian armed groups have abducted and killed an Israeli settler in the West Bank and are currently holding Israeli soldier Corporal Gilad Shalit hostage, whom they have offered to release in exchange for some of the Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. A hostage is a person held in the power of an adversary in order to obtain specific actions, such as the release of prisoners, from the other party to the conflict. Holding persons as hostages and the summary execution of anyone held captive are war crimes. [emphasis added]

Clearing, the reference to the holding of hostages as a war crime is referring to Shalit.

But on July 26, in an open letter to Ahmadinejad, HRW helpfully writes:

On July 12, Hezbollah launched an attack on Israeli positions, killing three Israeli soldiers and capturing two. The targeting and capture of enemy soldiers is allowed under international humanitarian law. However captured combatants in all circumstances must be treated humanely.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nassrallah stated that Hezbollah will use the captured soldiers to negotiate the release of Palestinian, Lebanese and other Arab prisoners from Israel. The use of captives who are no longer involved in the conflict for this purpose constitutes hostage-taking. Hostage-taking as part of an armed conflict is strictly forbidden under international law, by both common Article 3 and customary international law, and is a war crime. [emphasis added]

So HRW wants Ahmadinejad to know that kidnapping the soldiers was OK, up to the point of demanding prisoners in return.

Questions:

So according to HRW, even though there was no state of war between Lebanon and Israel, it is OK for Hezbollah to attack Israel and create the conflict under which the soldier they set out to kidnap becomes an enemy soldier? How nice of them to send a letter to Ahmadinejad giving their seal of approval for the actions of his proxie.

But what about when the group doing the kidnapping is acting independently of the country which it inhabits? Or is HRW saying that Hezbollah attacked Israel on the authority of the Lebanese government? Is HRW claiming that Israel and Lebanon were enemies before the attack?

How about Human Rights Watch?

Note that like ICRC, HRW also never came out with an independent news release about the kidnapping of Goldwasser and Regev. Their first release addresses the issue of Israel's reaction to the kidnapping.

Likewise, the first HRW press release in response to the June 25 kidnapping of Shalit came on June 29, in response to Israel's destruction of the power station.

Where is the outcry?
Human Rights Watch can be contacted here.

Technorati Tag: Israel and HRW and Human Rights Watch and Red Cross and ICRC and Shalit and Goldwasser and Regev.

Haveil Havalim #86 Is Up

This week, Soccer Dad--father of a newborn daughter--is hosting this weeks Haveil Havlim #86.

He will be updating HH in the course of the day.

Current categories are:

• Israel
• Hezbollah
• Life in General
• 9/11
• Iran
• Judaism
• Antisemitism
• Media Bias

You can submit one or two of your best Israel or Judaism related posts to dhgerstman at hotmail dot com.

If you'd like to host an upcoming edition you can e-mail Soccer Dad at the same address.

You can also submit entries to Haveil Havalim using either Conservative Cat's submission form or the submission form at BlogCarnival.

Listed at the Truth Laid Bear Ubercarnival.

Technorati Tags: Blog carnivals, haveil havalim, Israel, Judaism.

Families Of Kidnapped Persian Jews Sue Khatami In US Court

On his trip to the US, Khatami may not have got a tee-shirt, but he did get a summons.

From Yahoo News

Families Of Kidnapped Persian Jews Sue Khatami In US Court

Law suit alleges visiting Iranian implemented anti-Semitic policy of torture and imprisonment

NEW YORK, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Seven Jewish-Iranian families have filed suit in an American federal court against former President Mohammad Khatami over charges that he is responsible for the kidnapping and torture of their missing family members. The families, currently residing in Los Angeles and Israel, contend that Khatami instituted the policy of imprisoning their relatives without trials and refusing to provide them any information concerning their whereabouts. The Jews were arrested on different occasions during the years 1994 through 1997, as they sought to leave Iran across its border with Pakistan.

On Friday evening copies of the complaint and summons were served on Khatami at a reception in Arlington, Virginia hosted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Khatami has twenty days to file an answer denying the allegations or default the case.

The plaintiffs, who are not U.S. citizens, brought the suit under special laws - the Alien Torts Act and the Torture Victims Protection Act - which permit foreigners to sue their tormentors for torture and kidnapping in American courts. The lawsuit filed in the New York District Court is being represented by attorneys Robert Tolchin of New York, Nitsana Darshan-Leitner of Jerusalem and Pooya Dayanim of Los Angeles. The plaintiffs are seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in damages against Khatami for his role in the on-going disappearance of their loved ones.

Since the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979, millions of Iranian citizens have sought to escape from the Islamic regime. In normal circumstances when Muslim citizens are arrested attempting to leave without official permission, the established punishment is a small fine or a short jail term. However, in the instances where Jewish citizens have been similarly arrested, the Islamic government has instituted much harsher penalties. The Plaintiffs allege that Khatami has singled out the Jewish community and authorized the policy of secretly imprisoning the Jews indefinitely.

Over the years, the Jewish families have received reports from other former prisoners and guards that the missing Jews are alive and being held in different prisons. In the case of the Tehrani family of Los Angeles, a former Muslim neighbor has sworn out an affidavit testifying that he has seen their missing son, Babak Tehrani, in a Tehran prison two years after his disappearance.

"These Persian Jewish families are seeking to bring Khatami before an American court for his involvement in the torture and imprisonment of their loved ones in Iran," stated the families' attorney Nitsana-Darshan-Leitner, "It is shocking that the State Department would grant this anti-Semitic criminal a travel visa instead of joining with the families in the struggle to bring him to justice. The court case will establish that these missing Jews are indeed still alive in Iranian prisons and that the former President violated international law with his policy of arrests and torture which targeted the Jewish community."

Technorati Tag: Iran and Khatami and Darshan-Leitner.

Smooth Stone Is One Of 2,996

There is a special website honoring the victims of 9/11: 2,996: Honoring the 9/11 Victims

2,996 is a tribute to the victims of 9/11.

On September 11, 2006, 2,996 volunteer bloggers
will join together for a tribute to the victims of 9/11.
Each person will pay tribute to a single victim.

We will honor them by remembering their lives,
and not by remembering their murderers.

The one blogger that I know of who is participating in this is Smooth Stone, who has written a tribute to Welles Remy Crowther. Please take a moment to read the tribute.

There is a complete list of all the blogs participating here

Technorati Tag: 9/11.