During a visit with Lebanese officials, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas officially affirms the right of Palestinians to return to their traditional homeland in Israel.

On a related note, I’m officially affirming my right to drink amaretto stone sours while driving 100 MPH on the Kennedy Expressway while doing lines of coke off my dashboard.

What’s that you say? Nothing I say actually means shit? Maybe Abbas and I have more in common than I thought.

Abbas said all Palestinians should have the right to return home.

When it comes to armed Palestinian factions, however, Abbas said he supports any decisions the Lebanese government makes on how to deal with militants outside refugee camps.

Abbas spoke to reporters Thursday in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut.

About 400,000 Palestinian refugees and their descendants live in a dozen refugee camps in Lebanon, which were set up when Israel was created in 1948.

Many Lebanese also oppose the permanent resettlement of Palestinian refugees, fearing they would tip the country’s delicate sectarian balance.

Glad that problem’s taken care of.  Now where’s my refill?

Popularity: 2% [?]

….absolutely nothing besides ungratefulness:

Muhammas Hussein was waiting for his nephew Fayez, who has been jailed for five years. “It’s hard to say we are happy,” he said. “It’s true we are satisfied with Fayez’s release, but it’s hard to say that this move is even a drop in the sea, because it’s much less.

“What are 200 prisoners out of more than 10,000? I don’t know how they can talk about a gesture? What gesture? Where is the gesture?”

This is exactly why peace negotiations are describe as far from possible.

Did I mention that two of the Palestinian men released today were serving life sentences for murder?

Said al-Atba was convicted for his part in a 1977 explosion in Petah Tikva’s market that killed Russian immigrant Tzila Galili, 54, who had made aliya four years earlier. The longest-held Palestinian prisoner, Atba had been convicted of bomb-making, planting explosives, illegal military training and membership in a illegal organization.

Muhammad Abu Ali had been jailed for life for the fatal shooting of 20-year-old yeshiva student Joshua Saloma, a newly arrived Danish immigrant, in Hebron in 1980. He was later convicted of killing a Palestinian in jail whom he had accused of collaborating with Israel.

I can’t see how any of the prisioner releases will be worthwhile in the end.  As long as Hamas is in control of Palestine, peace negotians will never conclude and Olmert will continue to go down in history as the most damning Israeli Prime Minister ever.

Popularity: 3% [?]

The newly anointed Democratic VP hopeful Joe Biden conducted an interview in 2007 with “Shalom TV”, a mainstream Jewish cable television network:

During the interview conducted by the Jewish ‘Shalom TV’ Biden said, “I am a Zionist. You don’t have to be a Jew to be a Zionist.” He also revealed that his son is married to a Jewish woman, of the Berger family from Delaware, and that he had participated in a Passover Seder at their house.

Biden presented himself as a friend to Israel, which he referred to as the US’ greatest Middle East ally.

“Imagine our circumstance in the world were there no Israel. How many battleships would there be? How many troops would be stationed?” he asked.

He also called comments about Israel’s connection to the war in Iraq “insulting”, explaining that “if tomorrow, peace broke out between Israelis and Palestinians, does anybody think there wouldn’t be a full-blown war in Iraq?”

Obama’s choice in a veep is more calculating than I suspected. Does this mean they actually have a chance with the Jewish vote?

Don’t count on it:

In any case, with Obama a risk on Israel and untested in matters of national security and foreign policy, and with the Republicans offering John McCain, a long time strong supporter of the US-Israel relationship and a man, whose entire career provides a definition of the words “tested” and “experienced”, it is no wonder that those Jews who choose this year to finally vote Republican will have a lot more company than they might have in the past.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Don’t all countries want their children to have swastika tattoos? I miss the days of candy cigarettes and toy machine guns. Now you want to deprive me of my swastikas?

Parents who bought candies for their children at the Super-Pharm drugstore chain in Tel Aviv were surprised to discover swastika-decorated tattoo stickers inside.

The sweets came from Holland but received a hechsher (a kosher approval) from the Chief Rabbinate and have a Super-Pharm sticker on their wrapping. Children who bought the raspberry-flavored sour stick candies received tattoos inside, some of which were imprinted with swastikas and skulls.

As mentioned, these are imported candies, but the packaging promises in Hebrew that a gift can be found inside.

….and they received a kosher approval stamp from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel!

The ultimate faux pas?

Popularity: 5% [?]

Two men get married. Two men have a child.  Two men divorce.  One of the men kidnaps the child and flees to Israel?  (Insert record scratch here.)

The first ever kidnapping of a gay married couple’s child happened just a few weeks ago in New York.  In a unusual turn of events,  the estranged ex-husband dragged the kid all the way to Israel.

The father and child were found in Jerusalem five days ago and the child returned to his (other) father in New York.  Strangely, the news made little splash in either American or Israeli news sources:

Israeli police found 23-month-old Jedidiah Hyett-Glazer in Jerusalem and returned him to his legal father, Josh Glazer, of Manhattan.

“It’s the most wonderful feeling in the world to have him back,” Glazer said by phone from Israel. “I was really so happy to see he was OK and well. He was a little dirty and hadn’t been bathed, but none of that mattered.

Glazer’s ex-partner, Eric Hyett, was not immediately arrested. Authorities in Israel were still mulling whether to take him into custody and return him to New York to face charges of custodial interference, said Glazer’s lawyer, Sam Ferrara.

That’s it?  The man stole a baby and took him to Israel and they’re still “mulling” over taking him into custody?  What are the legal boundries in a situation like this?  Are there restrictions on the Israeli police from arresting Americans?  If so, does anyone else see a major gaping bull-shit loop hole here that needs plugging?

Popularity: 3% [?]

It sends a message to capture even more Israeli soldiers.

When Olmert decided to exchange several high profile Lebanese prisoners for two deceased Israeli soldiers, I was shocked.  His heart was in the right place but we’re not dealing with the usual suspects here.  It reveals the Israeli Achilles’ heal.  At the end of August, Olmert will do it again but this time releasing 150 Palestinian prisoners.

This news item from Palestine is EXACTLY why I think Olmert’s decision is fatally wrong:

PRC rehearses kidnapping of IDF soldier

The Salah al-Din Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), conducted an exercise in Beit Hanoun on Saturday in which it rehearsed a raid of an IDF base and the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier.

PRC spokesman Abu Abir told Ynet that the drill was aimed at sending a message that “if the Israelis don’t resolve the Palestinian prisoners issue soon and contemplate attacking Gaza, the Palestinian resistance is prepared to not only defend the Strip but also take the initiative and kidnap more soldiers who will never see the light of day unless a prisoner exchange deal is signed.”

It’s a veritable gold mine for the Palestinians.  Capture Israeli soldiers and be rewarded.

To ad insult to injury, the PRC spokesman added:

According to Abu Abir, some 50 PRC members took part in the drill, adding that the gunmen who portrayed the kidnapped IDF soldier “looked very much like Gilad Shalit”.

You’re poking the lion with that one, Mr. Abir.

Popularity: 3% [?]

A letter written by one of three Palestinian Fulbright students who had their U.S. student visas canceled last week was printed in the San Diego Union-Tribune yesterday.

Fidaa Abed, who was anticipating a Masters Degree in Computer Science from UC San Diego, writes:

Last week, I landed in Washington, D.C., brimming with optimism. Upon arrival, I was whisked into a separate room. An American official informed me that he had just received information about me that he could not reveal. However, it required him to put me on the next plane home. I was shocked. And I was taken aback at the cruelty of snatching away my educational dreams at the last possible moment.

I’d like to mention that four other Gaza Fulbright students passed their security clearances and are currently studying in the United States.  Why Fidaa Abed didn’t pass still hasn’t been revealed but it should be noted that it wasn’t a blanket decision to block ALL of the Palestinian Fulbright scholars from attending American universities.

Who does Mr. Abed blame?

Israel tightened economic restrictions in 2006 following the election victory of Hamas. Hoping to weaken Hamas, Israel has gradually tightened restrictions on freedom of goods and people from the Gaza Strip to the outside world, maintaining a near total blockade on some 1.5 million Palestinian civilians for more than a year.

Thankfully, I have received support from people around the world. Journalists have wanted to hear my story. The American officials who saw me in Amman and Jerusalem upon my return were friendly and seemed embarrassed by my predicament.

Despite my treatment, I know that most Americans are kind people who mean well. What happened to me runs contrary to the good will exhibited by the American people. Israeli policies that relegate Palestinians in Gaza to prison-like conditions and Palestinians in the West Bank to an apartheid-like existence do not advance the cause of peace. The United States should use its tremendous sway with Israel to advance the cause of freedom and equal rights for Palestinians and Israelis alike.

According to Mr. Abed, the United States is under the thumb of Israel and the reason he was declined a visa was simply because Israel didn’t like the glisten in his eyes.

Stop pulling at my heart strings, fella.  The truth will be revealed all in due time.

Continue reading complete letter here.

Popularity: 9% [?]

…. or more specifically, blames one Israeli. But of course, the Arab world has problems distinguishing between singular and plural; one jooo means all jooos.  What a shock.

In a speech marking the two-year anniversary of the Second Lebanon War, Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah mocked Israel’s political and military leadership.

“The entire front line of the army’s brass stepped down because of the war. Gal Hirsch, who was defeated in Lebanon, went to Georgia and they too lost because of him,” laughed Nasrallah.

Hirsch, a brigadier-general in the reserves, served as commander of the IDF’s Galilee Division during the war and resigned in its wake. In recent years he consulted the Georgian army on the establishment of elite units and rearmament, and gave various courses in the fields of combat intelligence and fighting in built-up areas.

If Hirsch is to blame for whispering sweet nothings into the ear of Georgia’s commanders, then the United States is the blame for it too.  Remember the photo of the Georgian army decked out in spiffy American army uniforms?  Hell, the Dept. of Defense created it’s own “Georgian Training and Equipment Program“.  Me thinks more than one hand is in the Georgian pot, Mr. Nasrallah.

Plus, let’s not ignore that Russia’s military far out numbers Georgia… and most importantly, Russia has a far more advanced vodka supply line than both the Israelis and Americans combined. Za Vas!

Popularity: 3% [?]

The United States has placed pressure (for some time now) on Israeli authorities to supply body armor to Palestinian Authority security forces. The P.A., led by Mahmoud Abbas, has enjoyed U.S. support over the other ruling terrorist parties, Hamas and Fatah.

Israel has acceded to a long-standing United States request to allow Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces to wear flak jackets, but has rejected a model that would include stronger body armor that can repel fire from M-16 rifles. The IDF has feared that advanced flak jackets will fall into the hands of terrorists, who previously have obtained thousands of rifles Israel gave to the PA and then used them to attack Israelis.

Maybe it reads as deliberately cruel to western nations for Israel to intentionally supply body armor vests that won’t stop a bullet from an Israeli rifle.  But it’s a fair compromise when considering…..

“They’re getting the same flak jackets that police get in the United States,” an official told Reuters News Agency. “The protection they are receiving from these vests is adequate to the task.” They are strong enough to defend against Kalashnikovs, the Soviet-designed rifles commonly used in the PA.

It’s perfectly logical to assume that these vests will eventually make their way to terrorists opperating in Gaza and the West Bank.  It seems idiotic that Israel should (essentially) supply body armor that will be used against them.

UPDATE: I initially failed to notice that the body armor for the Palestinian Authority was paid for by U.S tax payers. That tastes pretty good in your mouth, doesn’t it?

The United States is paying for body armor, giving them to the Palestinian Authority who will in turn “lose” them to terrorists which will eventually be commissioned against Israel.    Left hand, let me introduce you to right hand.

Popularity: 5% [?]

…or is there something us little people don’t know?

First order of business are the weapons Israel had previously been supplying to Georgia. There’s no hush-hush operation about this. Israel is a leading exporter of weapons to many countries, including Georgia. The International Herald Tribune reported that Israel halted sales of defensive weapons last week after Russia and Georgia bumped heads.

What it god’s name is Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili blathering about then?

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili denied on Wednesday night that Israel has suspended its military aid to the country. “I haven’t heard anything about that, and I haven’t had time to think about that issue for some days,” he told Haaretz.

Saakashvili said he is aware of problems with supplying the pilotless drones that his army ordered from Israeli companies, but not of the stopping of any other shipments of military aid.

He hasn’t had time to think about if his military is receiving supplies or not??

Regarding Israelies who fled from Georgia after Russia invaded:

“We have two Israeli cabinet ministers, one deals with war [Defense Minister David Kezerashvili], and the other with negotiations [State Minister for Territorial Integration Temur Yakobashvili], and that is the Israeli involvement here: Both war and peace are in the hands of Israeli Jews.”

Yakobashvili is actually not an Israeli citizen.

What does Yaobashvili (the non-Israeli, Israeli) have to say about the halt of Israeli military supplies?

Yakobashvili blasted Israel’s decision to suspend defense aid to Georgia: “Israel did it at the Russians’ behest. It aided the terrorists, the Russians. It’s a disgrace. I don’t know what it received in return, I only see that Hezbollah continues to get Russian arms, and plenty of it.”

“Israel should protect the interests it has here,” he continued. “There are many Israeli businesspeople who invested money, and a country should protect its citizens’ investments.“

I’m sorry but I gotta pull the reigns in on this one.  Because Israel stopped military aid to Georgia, they’re subsequently supporting a terrorist organization….  Russia?  He just poured Hezbollah and Russia into the same group.  Believe me, I’m no fan of Russia either, but how far does the ‘terrorism rhetoric’ have to go before it simply becomes a blanket word for all militaristic aggression?

Not to mention, pulling Israel into a war for the reason of a few million dollars of investment is irrational and irresponsible considering the consequences.

What about the United States?

During the briefing, Saakashvili noted that he is in constant contact with U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. He promised that U.S. warships would be docking in Georgian ports within a few days to make sure they remain open.

I hate to break it to ya buddy but:

…the Pentagon denied a suggestion by Mikheil Saakashvili, the Georgian president, that the US military would take control of the country’s seaports and airports.

Geoff Morrell, a Pentagon press secretary, said on Wednesday that “we do not need nor do we intend to take over any air or seaports in order to deliver humanitarian assistance to those caught in this conflict”.

“It is simply not a requirement of this mission and it is not something we are seeking to do.”

Don’t hold your breath for those warships.

Popularity: 4% [?]