My Views on News

Former US president has met the Hamas leader Khaled Mashal despite opposition from the Bush administration and the Israel. The meeting took place under tight security in the Syrian capital Damascus where reporters were not allowed.

Mr. Carter is on a tour of the Middle East for finding solutions of Israel-Palestinian conflict. He has also met the Syrian President Bashar-ul-Asad. Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. I think that the opposition is unjustified. No solution can be found without taking on board all stakeholders in the conflict.

Hamas has public support and it cannot be ignored if a solution is to be found. I think that Hamas should be engaged in talks and Mr. Carter has made a right move by meeting its leader.

The Russians are trying to increase their influence in the Middle East. Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas has visited Moscow and has called for a Middle East peace conference in Russia. He has said that the Moscow conference should be held as soon as possible in order speed up the slow peace talks with Israel.

I think that the Russian influence will provide a counterbalance in the Middle East. The Russians are acting in order to claim their lost power. They are now beginning to assert themselves in world affairs and I think that in the coming days the Russian influence in the region will increase all the more.

Despite this, I think that the Arab Israel conflict will not be solved even there is absence of sincere efforts on the part of big powers. The people of Palestine must also act to bring peace in the region. It must be realized that Israel is a reality which cannot be obliterated.  

According to news report the Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrullah has vowed for the destruction of Israel and has also said that it was destined to disappear.

I think that Israel is a hard reality which the leaders of the Arab World must realize. They must also realize that they lack the power to undo Israel. Israel has unmatched firepower and has the open backing of the United States. It is a wishful thinking that Israel is destined to disappear. I do not see any such thing even in the remote future.

It would be better to find out ways of peaceful co-existance. I do not mean to say that I support Israel in whatever it is doing. I want the Muslim world to be united. Unity is their only option for survival in the present world.

The Middle East Times has reported that the escalating rhetoric between the feuding politicians of Beirut proved too much for the Arab League chief who has been trying to broker a deal to arrive at a settlement.

It is unfortunate indeed that the political crisis in Lebanon has not been resolved so far and we don’t see any amicable solution in the near future. The election to the office of the president which fell vacant after the pro-Syrian president Emile Lahoud stepped down in November 2007. The presidential election has been postponed thirteen times as the politicians continue to fight over cabinet representation.

The entire Muslim world is plagued with internecine disputes which are a hindrance to peace and prosperity. I fail to understand that why is it so that we Muslims are not being able to solve such petty disputes. The Muslims in general and their leaders in particular must realize that they must show unity and rise above petty political disputes and think for the betterment of our people.

According to press reports a least one million people have been killed so far in Iraq after the US forces invaded to find the weapons of mass destruction. How many more people will be killed  before it will be realized that enough is enough. It was claimed that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and that Saddam Hussain could use them against western interests. When nothing was found after hectic search it was shamelessly told that the intelligence reports were deliberately falsified in order to find a pretext to attack Iraq.

Saddam was a despot, he was a cruel leader. I do not deny this. I think he has been outdone in cruelty and tyranny. Innocent people are being killed and their blood does not lie heavy on the world consciene. If only the Muslims could realize that their survival is hidden in thier unity.

You can see that a surety bind is very important piece of paper. You should approach companies who are qualified to write bonds and has good reputation in the market.

Bryant Surety Bonds can assist you with your bonding needs including clients with good credit or bad credit. They know the bonding companies in the market and have established good contacts with them. Their experience and qualified staff can your bid, payment, and performance bond requirements. These bond professionals will take into consideration all of your coverage needs and help you to control and eliminate losses. They will also ensure that you remain an attractive risk to insurers and receive the most competitive premiums available.

They will make sure make sure your surety has a quality rating. The quality rating counts when your deal with the federal contracts.

They specialize in a variety of surety bonds including mortgage bond and bad credit surety bond .

They have put online line application forms of commonly requested surety bonds to facilitate their clients.

This is a sponsored review.

via Reuters:

The United States said on Monday it was confident its planned Middle East conference will launch Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations and that both sides will agree on a joint document to be presented there.

U.S. President George W. Bush is expected to host the meeting at Annapolis, Maryland, probably on November 27, that will kick off an attempt to revive Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking before he leaves office in January 2009.

 

A meeting is a group of important persons who can simple do nothing but together can decide that nothing can be don.  

Arab World two most undemocratic countries have asked UN nuclear watchdog to pass a resolution condemning Israel for possessing nuclear weapons. They insist that the Jewish state does have such weapons and is a danger to peace and stability in the Middle East.

Instead of wasting time in confrontation with the Jewish states, Egypt and Syria should try to bring reforms in their country. Israel is not a threat to the Middle East. This dictators use Israel as a pretext to prolong their rule.

By Thomas Daly

02 August, 2007
Countercurrents.org

House Members: Ackerman, Berkley, Berman, Cantor, Cohen, Davis, Emanuel, Engel, Filner, Frank, Giffords, Harmin, Hodes, Israel, Kagen, Klein, Lantos, Levin, Lowey, Nadler, Rothman, Schakowsky, Schiff, Schwartz, Sherman, Wassermann Schultz, Waxman, Weiner, & Yarmuth

Members of the Senate: Boxer, Cardin, Coleman, Feingold, Feinstein, Kohl, Lautenberg, Levin, Lieberman, Sanders, Schumer, Specter, & Wyden

Honorable Members of the House and Senate

Out of 525 members in the House, 30 of you, 5.7 percent, are of Jewish heritage.

Out of 100 members of the Senate, 13 of you, 13 percent, are of Jewish heritage.

You hold the key to world peace in your hands and I urge you to act now to bring about the needed changes to accomplish this goal. Throughout the Middle East there is one, and only one prominent problem which affects the entire region. The resolution to this problem will bring peace to the region and greatly enhance worldwide peace efforts. The problem is the ongoing, unresolved Israeli/Palestinian Conflict.

This conflict has lasted for almost 50 years and much of the blame for not resolving the conflict rests in the hands of the American government. Influenced by powerful lobbies the American government has always taken a decidedly one-sided approach to the conflict. (Info about Jewish and Arab Lobbies see:
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/
jsource/US-Israel/lobby.html). The result of this one-sided view is obvious to anyone who will take the time to actually look at the situation. Led by a relative handful of Zionist (see: http://www.mideastweb.org/zionism.htm), generations of Israeli governments have continued to occupy and oppress the Palestinians. Armed by the U.S., the Israelis are able to reek havoc upon the Palestinians on a daily basis. Rather than return to the 1967 boundaries, the Israelis have continued to occupy more and more of Palestine's land. In addition, they are in the process of building huge walls to further isolate and separate the Palestinians.

Largely at the insistence of the U.S. Government, the Palestinians held democratic elections. However neither the U.S. nor Israel were willing to accept those elections. Nor were they willing to even hold dialog with the winning Palestinian party. Now a cleverly orchestrated wedge has been driven between differing factions of the Palestinians which will undoubtedly lead to more land grabs by Israel.

None of this is to say that the Palestinians are blameless. In their efforts to resist the Israeli encroachments, Palestinians have committed many unspeakable atrocities. Their suicide bombers have extracted and alarming toll upon largely innocent Israeli citizens. Their actions are always labeled as terror by the U.S. and Israel while equally alarming atrocities committed by Israeli troops upon largely innocent Palestinians are always labeled as defensive moves.

The unending occupation of Palestine and the failure of the Israelis to negotiate a real and lasting peace has brought, and will continue to bring, hostile relations toward Israel by much of the free world, especially the countries of the Middle East. (See http://www.mideastweb.org/briefhistory.htm). Travel anywhere in the Middle East and nearly every citizen will tell you there will be no peace unless and until Israel recognizes Palestine and withdraws to the 1967 borders. The Arab League has had a peace plan in place (see: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/
jsource/Peace/arabplan.html) since 2002 which has been largely ignored by the George Bush led American Government and the Israelis. Today, that plan has been resurrected and emissaries from several Arab countries have recently visited Israel. Secretary of State Rice is currently shuttling around the region in an effort to stimulate the dialog. (see: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/888657.html). There is serious talk now about a Regional Peace Conference sponsored by the U.S. It is important that the Conference be held and, it is equally important, that all countries in the region be included.

You, members of the House and Senate and influential leaders of the American Jewish Community, have an important role to play and the time to assume your role is now. You must look at what is happening in the entire world and explore worldwide attitudes about what is driving the anti-American and anti-Israel campaigns. These sentiments are caused by the Israeli occupation of Palestine, the disastrous war in Iraq, the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the calls for democracy and then the rejection of democratically elected governments, the refusal to even talk with Iran and Syria, the labeling of Hamas and Hezbollah only as “terrorists”, and many other events which have only served to embolden Muslim fanatics. Rather than stem “terrorism” the actions of America have only fanned the flames. Hatred of America grows daily.

While Israel is an important part of the overall equation, it is not the only factor which should influence your opinions and your votes. There are active groups within Israel who are urging their government to make peace and settle the Palestinian conflict. Their voices are growing, but are largely unreported in the U.S. press. You, the American Jewish Leaders, must set aside much of your old personal views and prejudices, many of them generated by influential American lobbyist, and look more closely at the entire region and the entire world and then use your substantial influence to bring about a permanent solution of the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict. Peace in Israel and Palestine will go a long way toward bringing peace to the entire world. Peace in Israel and Palestine will greatly help in diminishing the influence of radical Muslim groups who use the conflict as their primary call to arms.

Throughout American history Jews have played a vital part in numerous causes. Many of the freedoms Americans enjoy, such as rights to vote, civil rights, and labor rights were all brought about by the assistance of dedicated and hard working American Jews. I urge you to take your places in history now by leading the American government in achieving a permanent peace settlement in Israel and Palestine.

Sincerely in peace,
Thomas Daly

ALMOST SIX YEARS after September 11, 2001, and more than four years since the beginning of the U.S.-led intervention in Iraq, the American government and media have begun to admit something every informed and honest Muslim in the world has known all along. That is: the "Sunni insurgency" in Iraq, as well as 9/11 and certain acts of extremist Sunni violence inside Iraq before then, are consequences of the official status of the ultra-fundamentalist Wahhabi sect in Saudi Arabia, Iraq's southern neighbor. Saudi Wahhabi clerics have preached and recruited for terror in Iraq; Saudi money has sustained it; the largest number of those who have carried out suicide bombings north of the Saudi-Iraqi border have been Saudi citizens.

Does this sound obvious and familiar? Perhaps to regular readers of THE WEEKLY STANDARD and THE DAILY STANDARD , which have reported frequently on the Saudi connection to terror in the Iraq war since the phenomenon first appeared. But the truth is finally seeping out elsewhere. On Friday, July 27, the Washington Post and the New York Times reported on the links between Saudi Arabia and the Wahhabi terror in Iraq, employing their usual cautious and polite language when dealing with the desert kingdom. The Post ran a Reuters rewrite of the Times reportage, casting the problem in terms of Saudi distrust for the Shia-led Iraqi administration of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and the resulting difficulties facing Condoleezza Rice and Robert Gates as they visit the Saudis this week. Seven paragraphs down, the story quoted the Times about the real issue: "the Saudis had offered financial support to Sunni groups in Iraq and U.S. officials were increasingly concerned about its close Arab ally's 'counterproductive' role in Iraq."

"Counterproductive" is a euphemism for Saudi state subsidies to Wahhabi clerics who demand the genocide of Shia Muslims, urge young men to go north and sacrifice themselves to that end, and preach eulogies after their deaths. It is also a diplomatic way to describe the official Saudi policy of ignoring financial contributions by rich Saudi citizens to support Wahhabi terror in Iraq. Others might call such behavior acts of war rather than merely "counterproductive."

The Times itself, in an article by Helene Cooper, further noted, "Of an estimated 60 to 80 foreign fighters who enter Iraq each month, American military and intelligence officials say that nearly half are coming from Saudi Arabia and that the Saudis have not done enough to stem the flow." Administration officials, the paper reported "spoke on the condition of anonymity because they believed that openly criticizing Saudi Arabia would further alienate the Saudi royal family." Then came the bald truth: "the majority of suicide bombers in Iraq are from Saudi Arabia [and] about 40 percent of all foreign fighters are Saudi. Officials said that while most of the foreign fighters came to Iraq to become suicide bombers, others arrived as bomb makers, snipers, logisticians and financiers."

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal has "revealed" information about the Al Rajhi Bank, one of the kingdom's main financiers of Wahhabism, most of which has been available in print for several years. The "fresh" disclosures include the role of the Al Rajhi Bank in facilitating Saudi extremist operations. But the Journal admits that the Al Rajhi name appeared on a document many Westerners were loath to take seriously, the "Golden Chain" roster of al Qaeda donors seized by Bosnian authorities in Sarajevo, and handed over to the U.S. government in 2002.

Yet even the Journal seems not to have noticed that the Al Rajhi financial system's Suleiman Abdul Al-Aziz Al Rajhi also created the SAAR Foundation, an object of the federal raid known as GreenQuest, which struck a nest of Islamist entities in Northern Virginia in 2002.

Why has there been so little media interest in the role of Saudi money and influence in Iraq and elsewhere? The best explanation is media cooperation with the official U.S. preference for the "quiet, behind-the-scenes influence" that one administration after another has defaulted to in dealing with Saudi problems, and which the Saudis exploit to continue their deceptive ways.

Saudis and Iraqis, even with own imperfect media, are much better informed. Here is what they have been reading.

* On July 25, the Saudi newspaper Al-Watan reported on 61 Saudis held in Iraqi jails. The inferred charge was terrorism.

* The day before, Al-Watan described an uproar over Saudi clerics advocating the destruction of Shia holy sites in Iraq. According to Iraqi sources, the Wahhabis have specifically called for the destruction of the shrines of Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, in Karbala, and of Caliph Ali, the prophet's son-in-law, in Najaf--the two most sacred Shia sites. As also reported in Iraqi media, students at the Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, located in Riyadh and known as the "terrorist factory," have organized activist groups and sent members streaming north to join the onslaught on Iraqi Shias.

* On July 17, the Grand Mufti or chief Islamic cleric of the Saudi kingdom, Abd al-Aziz Al Ash-Shaykh, cautioned Saudis not to go to Iraq to engage in terror, and said that "those who mislead young Muslims, calling them to jihad, refuse to send their own sons to participate in the same conflict."

* On July 16, the Saudi daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat quoted the comment of Prince Nayef, the Saudi interior minister who wriggles like an eel on this issue, that Saudis lured to participate in the Iraq terror are "brainwashed teenagers." The same day, the Saudi daily Al-Hayat interviewed U.S. Treasury undersecretary Stuart Levey, who argued that financing terror in Iraq is no different from contributing to al Qaeda elsewhere.

* And the day before that, on July 15, the Wahhabi website Al-Sahat posted a list of Saudi terrorists recently killed in Iraq, with names, addresses, and dates and places of their demise.

This, too, is merely the beginning of a long inventory of such information reported in the Muslim world. Nobody can say the Saudis, Iraqis, and other Muslims do not know who organizes and supports the Wahhabi terror in Iraq.

None of the recent "revelations" should come as a suprise to anyone. In 2002, THE WEEKLY STANDARD reported on the Al Rajhi financial network and terrorism; in 2003 on the Saudi injection of Wahhabi radicals into Iraq, including Saudi media publicity about their deaths in defense of Saddam Hussein and on Saudi involvement in combat against the U.S.-led coalition at Falluja; in 2004 on general Saudi support for terror in Iraq, and yet more on the Saudi involvement in the fight for Falluja.

One question remains: How many more American and Coalition soldiers, as well as innocent Iraqis, will be killed before the Saudis are compelled to end their support for terrorism in Iraq?

Stephen Schwartz is a frequent contributor to THE WEEKLY STANDARD.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates today start a key Middle East mission to seek Arab support for the Iraqi government and also discuss weapons sales to regional allies.

The secretaries of state and defense are making their trip at a time when America’s credibility in the Mideast has plummeted. The United States has failed to stabilize Iraq, destroy al-Qaida, pacify Lebanon, isolate Syria or bolster moderate Palestinians.

So far, U.S. support for Israel’s ill-fated war in Lebanon and its efforts to undermine radical groups such as Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon have borne little fruit. Along with its support for autocrats such as Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, such actions have undercut U.S. claims that it is championing Muslim democracy.

U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said at a news briefing in Washington on July 27 that a primary objective of the tour is to seek Arab support for Iraq.

They hope to persuade Iraq’s neighbors to help stabilize the country, to counter Iran’s growing ambitions and to try to get real movement on peace between Israel and the Palestinians. There is also an overarching aim: to reassure worried allies in the Middle East that despite its troubles in Iraq, the United States remains committed to the region.

In my opinion Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates face a tough assignment. Because Gulf states - particularly Saudi Arabia - have started to get nervous about Tehran's increasing influence in the Persian Gulf region.

Source : Munaeem's Blog 

via Munaeem's Blog : 

Pakistan is a nuclear power and its nuclear weapons are not aimed at the United States. Its nuclear weapons are largely a deterrent against any Indian adventure.

Why is the United States restless about Pakistan’s Islamic identity?

Prior to the 2002 general elections, the Islamists could not muster more than 5 percent of the votes. But the situation changed in 2002 the Islamic alliance Muttahida Majils e-Amal (MMA) won 60 seats and became an influential kingmaker in Pakistan politics.

Such a possibility heightens US anxiety. An Islamist leader, who is more likely to follow an anti-US policy, may offer resistance to US policy in Afghanistan.

The proliferation of nuclear weapons will pose a major threat to US hegemonic designs and neutralize Israel's military dominance in West Asia.

In short, it poses a major threat to US security interests. So denuclearizing Pakistan is one of the national interest objectives of the United States.

via Dawn : 

MORE of meaningless rhetoric poured forth from Mr Tony Blair’s lips as he arrived in the Middle East on Tuesday on his first visit after being named the Quartet’s envoy. As is typical of all western diplomats when they speak about the Arab-Israeli conflict, the former British prime minister merely beat about the bush when he discovered a “moment of opportunity” and a “sense of possibility” for … for nothing. Here is what the longest serving Labour prime minister had to say: “whether that sense of possibility can be translated into something, that is something that needs to be worked at and thought about over time”… Brilliant diplomatese! What he simply could not utter was the truth — that Israel should withdraw from the occupied territories so that a Palestinian state could come into being. If he were to say that, Israel’s doors would be closed on him forever. More of the rhetoric: “I am just trying to have a sense of what’s happening here…” This is from a leader who was actively involved in Middle Eastern affairs for his long 10 years in office and who in January 2003 called a conference in London to find a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Now, in his post-prime ministerial days, he is “trying to have a sense of what’s happening here…”

In his heart of hearts, Mr Blair must be a happy man, for the brief given to him by the Quartet does not entrust him with the task of doing anything concrete. The brief itself is a vegetable. It asks Mr Blair to concentrate his efforts on the occupied territories’ economic development, governance and institution building — but mention of the real issue is at stake. As chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat wondered, how can one speak of economic development and institution building while “the settlements, the wall, the denial of movement, the obstacles, and the road blocks are eating up the whole idea of a Palestinian state? Let’s be realistic.” That is where Mr Erakat is wrong. Mr Blair’s brief does not authorise him to be realistic.

Mr Blair is not alone: besides Israel and the pro-Israeli lobby in America and Europe, the Quartet is behind him. His job is to obfuscate the Palestinian question with non-issues. The process of sidetracking the real issue began in Yasser Arafat’s time. For instance, one of the tricks for bypassing the real issue was to ask Arafat to have a prime minister and reform the Palestinian Authority. He did both, but there was no progress on the question of Israel’s withdrawal. Now again Mr Blair will concentrate on ‘institution building’ at a time when the Palestinians themselves have gladdened their enemy’s heart by fighting a civil war and turning the West Bank and Gaza into two warring cantons. Israel could not be happier. Clearly, it is futile to expect Mr Blair or the Quartet to do anything substantive, when between them Hamas and Fatah have scuttled the Palestinian cause. Irrespective of how the US, the European Union and Israel view Hamas, both President Mahmoud Abbas and Mr Ismail Haniye have acted very irrationally. President Abbas has received fulsome praise from America and the EU, and aid has started flowing in, but that is not going to take him and the Palestinian people any closer to the goal of liberation of the Israeli-occupied territories and living in freedom and dignity in their own areas.

via Seatle Times :

via Munaeem's Blog :

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the region as the new envoy for the "Quartet" of Mideast mediators hoping to add new momentum to fledgling peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians.

Blair arrives at a time when the Palestinian uprising has fizzled out and Israel has indicated its readiness to work with the new Palestinian leadership after seven years of stalemate.

But critics say. How can the man who brought havoc to Iraq/refused to condemn Israel last summer/rode shotgun with Bush for so long etc, possibly be a plausible peacemaker now?

THE 22-member Arab League will send envoys on a historic first
mission to Israel this week to discuss a sweeping Arab peace initiative.
Foreign Ministers of Jordan and Egypt would be leading the delegation that is
expected to exchange views with Israeli leadership on the Arab peace plan.
Given the fact that officially the Arab League has all along been hostile
towards Israel because of latter's atrocious policies and stubborn attitude, the
planned visit of the delegation indicates softening of AL's stand towards Tel
Aviv. Some observers believe that it amounts to beginning of a journey that may
lead to ultimate recognition of the Jewish State. It would, however, be too early
to draw any conclusion and things would become clear after discussions between AL delegation and Israeli leaders.

This is a major Arab departure from their stated osition and shows flexibility and sincerity of the Arab world for resolution of he longstanding dispute in the Middle East. Arabs demonstrated similar lexibility in the past as well and elements of the peace plan unfolded by Saudi rabia way back in 2002 rested on the premise of land for peace but Israel utrightly rejected it. In March this year, leaders of the Arab world again threw heir weight behind the Saudi-proposed plan but Israelis are not yet ready to ccede to the demands for complete vacation of Arab lands occupied in 1967 and esettlement of Palestinian refugees. Under these circumstances, no breakthrough s expected at the forthcoming talks especially when an important party - Hamas - s being sidelined. Anyhow, the visit of the Arab League delegation would be a ajor diplomatic boost to Israel but it is to be seen if the new level of ngagement brings any relief for Palestinians.

The Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, one of Syria's most virulent critics, has alleged that Fatah al-Islam is a 'Syria's proxy,' while the exiled Abd al-Halim Khaddam, a former Syrian vice-president who now heads an opposition movement dedicated to the overthrow of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, has stated categorically that 'Syria is responsible.'

Proof, however, is lacking. Interrogation of captured members of Fatah al-Islam might yield some evidence of a Syrian connection but, for the moment at least, the evidence seems to point in quite another direction.

"Sponsored Post"

 If you are a collector of high-end and luxury watches or an individual who requires a strap that creates individuality then you should visit www.watchband.biz is the ideal site for you.

They offer a wide selection of genuine, high quality replacement straps. They ranges available include HIRSCH and other premium brands. HIRSCH Artisanal leather watch bands are handcrafted

They sell following types of HIRSCH replacement straps:

The quality of their leather Watch Straps is exemplary, the colors are gorgeous, the skin is beautiful and they are priced realistically. All leather watchbands are Sauna-Tested and Water-Resistant. Some straps come with HIRSCH No Allergy System.

They offer the finest Alligator, Crocodile, Lizard and Leather watch bands and straps.

They are also a reliable source of metal link bracelets. These bracelets are nickel-free and abrasion resistance. Breitling, Rolex und Tag Heuer lovers will find a fine selection of stainless steel bracelets for their watches

Their products assuredly meet all of the requirements for which one could wish; their customer service is also truly exceptional and personal - which one would expect but which is very difficult to find anywhere today.

via conflictsforum :

 Is the Bush administration violating the law in an effort to provoke a Palestinian civil war?

Deputy National Security Advisor, Elliott Abrams — who Newsweek recently described as “the last neocon standing” — has had it about for some months now that the U.S. is not only not interested in dealing with Hamas, it is working to ensure its failure. In the immediate aftermath of the Hamas elections, last January, Abrams greeted a group of Palestinian businessmen in his White House office with talk of a “hard coup” against the newly-elected Hamas government — the violent overthrow of their leadership with arms supplied by the United States. While the businessmen were shocked, Abrams was adamant — the U.S. had to support Fatah with guns, ammunition and training, so that they could fight Hamas for control of the Palestinian government.

While those closest to him now concede the Abrams’ words were issued in a moment of frustration, the “hard coup” talk was hardly just talk. Over the last twelve months, the United States has supplied guns, ammunition and training to Palestinian Fatah activists to take on Hamas in the streets of Gaza and the West Bank. A large number of Fatah activists have been trained and “graduated” from two camps — one in Ramallah and one in Jericho. The supplies of rifles and ammunition, which started as a mere trickle, has now become a torrent (Haaretz reports the U.S. has designated an astounding $86.4 million for Abu Mazen’s security detail), and while the program has gone largely without notice in the American press, it is openly talked about and commented on in the Arab media — and in Israel. Thousands of rifles and bullets have been poring into Gaza and the West Bank from Egypt and Jordan, the administration’s designated allies in the program.

Hamid al-Ali has been linked with forming al-Qaeda cells in Kuwait and supplying financial and ideological support for al-Qaeda across the Middle East. His communiqué forms one of a growing number of collective attempts by the global jihad movement to undermine Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as al-Qaeda attempts to gain a foothold in Gaza.

 In a statement posted on an al-Qaeda internet forum, al-Ali unleashed a torrent of anti-Semitic statements, saying, "There is no nation on earth, and in the history of humanity, that is more deceitful, and false and fraudulent... than the Jewish nation."

 "They have lied about God... and the messengers, and his angels, and have committed only sins," he added.

 Reiterating Hamas rhetoric, al-Ali declared, "The Jews do everything to head towards one goal, the Judaization of Jerusalem and the obliterate of its Islamic features, especially the al-Aqsa Mosque, to build their temple."

 "It is known that the Zionist entity has today reached its weakest form," al-Ali said, adding: "They are tired, divided, and dispersed, and they are weak and torn... they will never be able to stop the Islamic tide exploding on them, (and that) they incurred the wrath of Allah Almighty."

 "For this we say to our people in Palestine, the Islamic Jihad is the only way out of the crisis, you have no other," al-Ali concluded.

Jews are not divided. Arabs are divided. Don't call it a Islamic Jihad. Call it a Arab Jihad.

A few examples may suffice. During the troubles in Lebanon in the 1970s and '80s, there were many attacks on American installations and individuals--notably the attack on the Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983, followed by a prompt withdrawal, and a whole series of kidnappings of Americans, both official and private, as well as of Europeans. There was only one attack on Soviet citizens, when one diplomat was killed and several others kidnapped. The Soviet response through their local agents was swift, and directed against the family of the leader of the kidnappers. The kidnapped Russians were promptly released, and after that there were no attacks on Soviet citizens or installations throughout the period of the Lebanese troubles.

Most remarkable of all was the response of the Arab and other Muslim countries to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979. Washington's handling of the Tehran hostage crisis assured the Soviets that they had nothing to fear from the U.S. They already knew that they need not worry about the Arab and other Muslim governments. The Soviets already ruled--or misruled--half a dozen Muslim countries in Asia, without arousing any opposition or criticism. Initially, their decision and action to invade and conquer Afghanistan and install a puppet regime in Kabul went almost unresisted. After weeks of debate, the U.N. General Assembly finally was persuaded to pass a resolution "strongly deploring the recent armed intervention in Afghanistan." The words "condemn" and "aggression" were not used, and the source of the "intervention" was not named. Even this anodyne resolution was too much for some of the Arab states. South Yemen voted no; Algeria and Syria abstained; Libya was absent; the nonvoting PLO observer to the Assembly even made a speech defending the Soviets.

One might have expected that the recently established Organization of the Islamic Conference would take a tougher line. It did not. After a month of negotiation and manipulation, the organization finally held a meeting in Pakistan to discuss the Afghan question. Two of the Arab states, South Yemen and Syria, boycotted the meeting. The representative of the PLO, a full member of this organization, was present, but abstained from voting on a resolution critical of the Soviet action; the Libyan delegate went further, and used this occasion to denounce the U.S.

The Muslim willingness to submit to Soviet authority, though widespread, was not unanimous. The Afghan people, who had successfully defied the British Empire in its prime, found a way to resist the Soviet invaders. An organization known as the Taliban (literally, "the students") began to organize resistance and even guerilla warfare against the Soviet occupiers and their puppets. For this, they were able to attract some support from the Muslim world--some grants of money, and growing numbers of volunteers to fight in the Holy War against the infidel conqueror. Notable among these was a group led by a Saudi of Yemeni origin called Osama bin Laden.

To accomplish their purpose, they did not disdain to turn to the U.S. for help, which they got. In the Muslim perception there has been, since the time of the Prophet, an ongoing struggle between the two world religions, Christendom and Islam, for the privilege and opportunity to bring salvation to the rest of humankind, removing whatever obstacles there might be in their path. For a long time, the main enemy was seen, with some plausibility, as being the West, and some Muslims were, naturally enough, willing to accept what help they could get against that enemy. This explains the widespread support in the Arab countries and in some other places first for the Third Reich and, after its collapse, for the Soviet Union. These were the main enemies of the West, and therefore natural allies.

Now the situation had changed. The more immediate, more dangerous enemy was the Soviet Union, already ruling a number of Muslim countries, and daily increasing its influence and presence in others. It was therefore natural to seek and accept American help. As Osama bin Laden explained, in this final phase of the millennial struggle, the world of the unbelievers was divided between two superpowers. The first task was to deal with the more deadly and more dangerous of the two, the Soviet Union. After that, dealing with the pampered and degenerate Americans would be easy.

We in the Western world see the defeat and collapse of the Soviet Union as a Western, more specifically an American, victory in the Cold War. For Osama bin Laden and his followers, it was a Muslim victory in a jihad, and, given the circumstances, this perception does not lack plausibility.

Stage One of the jihad was to drive the infidels from the lands of Islam; Stage Two--to bring the war into the enemy camp, and the attacks of 9/11 were clearly intended to be the opening salvo of this stage. The response to 9/11, so completely out of accord with previous American practice, came as a shock, and it is noteworthy that there has been no successful attack on American soil since then. The U.S. actions in Afghanistan and in Iraq indicated that there had been a major change in the U.S., and that some revision of their assessment, and of the policies based on that assessment, was necessary.

More recent developments, and notably the public discourse inside the U.S., are persuading increasing numbers of Islamist radicals that their first assessment was correct after all, and that they need only to press a little harder to achieve final victory. It is not yet clear whether they are right or wrong in this view. If they are right, the consequences--both for Islam and for America--will be deep, wide and lasting.

Mr. Lewis, professor emeritus at Princeton, is the author, most recently, of "From Babel to Dragomans: Interpreting the Middle East" (Oxford University Press, 2004).

• Main
• archives
• Albums
• Links

• credit card debt
• UK strips Mugabe of knighthood
• Do you need help in you essay writing?
• Bolton: Israel will strike Iran if Obama is elected
• Fire Casinos
• Ringtones Factory
• Home improvement loans
• Drug charge against Muhammad Asif dropped
• US drone fires missile in Pakistan
• Are you looking for pure soy candles?
• Business Loans
• Senator Barack Obama supports Israel
• Womens bathing suits
• BackgammonMasters.com wants to set a record of ‘farthest backgammon dice toss.
• Holdem Radar Free Texas Holdem Calculator
• Mothers Day Jewelry
• UK Property Listing Site
• Compare LifeLock and Debix
• Carter meets Hamas leader Khaled Mashal
• Russia to hold ME peace conference
• Online Flower Shop
• Commentary: Israel says removed 50 W.Bank dirt roadblocks
• Reduce your debt burden
• Unlocked cell phones and accessories
• Mont Tremblant vacation resort

• Reviews [21]
• General [232]
• Israel [89]
• Syria [9]
• Pakistan [31]
• Middle East Crisis [117]
• Palestine [50]
• Lebanon [18]
• Saudi Arabia [4]
• Jordon [4]
• Saudi Arabia [18]
• Iraq [99]
• Iran [46]
• Turkey [2]
• Sudan [0]
• Afghanistan [4]
• Egypt [17]

• RSS 2.0