Category Archives: Israel

Blog links

Now that three (or more?) blogs have me in their blogrolls, according to Technorati, I want to list them and recommend them to y’all as interesting places to visit because the proprietors are able writers with interesting turns of mind.

Top of the list, because he was the first, is Simply Jews, an Israeli satirist who goes by the nom de plume of Snoopy the Goon. His pose as an Elder of Zion, a director of the alleged Jewish conspiracy to rule the world, is pretty funny, if you like that sort of thing as I do. Next up is another satirist who uses a nom de blog, New Yorker Akaky Bashmachkin, at The Passing Parade. If his name doesn’t immediately remind you of something literary, do a Google on it. And, most recently, there is Deborah, of The Thought Mill, a Russian feminist with a Western view of life.

Among others who have linked to posts of mine, at one time or another, are the venerable Instapundit, Navy veteran Crazy Politico’s Rantings, the graphics-crazy Good Richard’s Alamanc, and Murky View, a Canadian blogger who recently decided (on the strength of one post at Instapundit) that I am "disconnected from reality." Given the opportunity, I would dispute that, of course. All are worth your time. 

Coup d’etat in Lebanon

AP’s version is inside the crowd, with views of armed police and troops, but no Hez militia in sight.

"Hundreds of thousands of protesters from Hezbollah and its pro-Syrian allies massed Friday in downtown Beirut seeking to force the resignation of Western-backed Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, who was holed up in his office ringed by hundreds of police and combat troops."

Pajamas Media’s Michael J. Totten had no trouble finding the militia or other context.

"The Hizbullah militia has laid siege to the government building, trapping the prime minister and cabinet ministers inside. Roadblocks were set up by Hizbullah members in what can only be described as coup d’etat…Saudi King had to intervene through his ambassador, to ‘partially’ remove the siege.

"Hizbullah ‘tents’ are still on the roads, isolating the government building. The Saudi king phoned the cabinet and spoke to all ministers one by one, affirming his support. The only countries NOT supporting this government are Syria and Iran.’

AP gets one strategic point clear: Bush considers Lebanon a central front in the war. It is, indeed.

First, stablize Iraq

Leave Iraq in chaos and watch the enemy follow us home, Gen. John Abizaid tells Harvard audience.

"We have not failed yet and we will not fail if we all understand what we have to do. If we can stay together nothing can stop us and we can make the world a better place."

Via Instapundit 

Still fleeing Iran

Snoopy the Goon links to our piece on Zahra Kamalfar, the Iranian woman, and her two children who Pajamas Media and others say is living in the Moscow airport, unable to find asylum while trying to avoid deportation back to Iran where she says she was jailed for protesting the government. Iranian officials, unsurprisingly, have not confirmed her story.

Snoop did a Web search on her and found contradictory info, including that the MSM had, up to that point, ignored the story. He seemed to find that meaningful (although he noted that European MSM has good reason not to anger the Russians who supply their natural gas for heating), and perhaps it is, but I found the Pajamas reporting impressive enough.

Pajamas, meanwhile, has linked to a CNN report from Moscow on the saga, which provides at least some extra verification that they are there–although Pajamas had done a pretty good job of that already. In any case, for the MSM version, go to the CNN report at Pajamas.

UPDATE  Snoop, who reads Russian, has now found a Russian news outlet also confirming the family’s plight, so he’s now convinced. 

UN abets the Jihadis

The sins of the dictator’s club are manifest. What’s being overlooked is just who they actually help.

"When was the last time the UN sat down to condemn any of the 20-plus Muslim countries that practice wonderful social phenomena like: fostering terrorism; teaching and preaching hatred and racism; recruitment and brainwashing of children as suicide bombers; violence against women; and repression of legitimate democratic expression by civilians? The list could go on, but maybe we should ask this question a slightly different way: When was the first time the UN sat down to condemn such a country? The answer is, of course, never."

Nazi’s descendant apologizes

A moving tale in Ynet News of a Nazi’s grandson who came to Israel to apologize to concentration camp survivors.

"Parkircher, a single factory worker, told the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper that his grandfather has passed away while he was still very young. Years later he found a photograph of his grandfather wearing an SS uniform and started asking questions. His grandmother told him about his grandfathers’ service at the camp. Parkircher decided that he would seek out the camp survivors and ask for their forgiveness on behalf of his grandfather."

Sputtering Middle East fuse

While the Dems and Reps mull the election changes, and Rumsfeld cleans out his desk, Syria, Iran and Hez could be getting ready to move.

From Snoopy the Goon: "Alarming news from Lebanon (was) not unexpected: for months various Western sources predicted an attempt by Hezbollah and its Syrian and Iranian sponsors to take over the government. And now it has started to happen."

You would expect them to go after Lebanon, as they have contributed to the problems in Iraq. But then there’s the supposed leaks from the Baker group’s alleged plan to turn Iraq over to Syria and Iran. It better not be true. If it’s even close to accurate, and W goes along with it, he’d better find someplace else besides Texas to retire. Far, far away. 

Via SimplyJews