Decoupling Iran and the Palestinians

In a fascinating article in the WSJ, entitled "Iran's Democratic Moment", we see a clear trend of protesters starting to demand an "Iranian Republic" not an "Islamic Republic."

The most interesting part of the article wasn't so much that the movement wants an Iranian Republic, but that they are clearly decoupling anti-Israel rhetoric and support for Palestinians from Iranian independence.

On Jerusalem Day, Sept. 18, officially intended to express anti-Semitism, the opposition showed that Iranians have no hostility toward Jews or Israel. One popular slogan was "Neither Hamas nor Hezbollah! I give my life for Iran!" Another was "Forget about Palestine! Think about our Iran!"

Most significantly, the movement that started as a protest against the alleged rigging of the election that gave a second term to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been evolving. The crowds' initial slogan was "Where Is My Vote?" and the movement's accidental leaders, including former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, tried hard to keep the protest confined to demands such as a recount of the votes and, ultimately, a runoff in accordance with the law.

The slogans of the protestors are no longer about election fraud. Today they include "Death to the Dictator," "Freedom Now," and "Iranian Republic, Not Islamic Republic!" One slogan is a direct message to President Barack Obama: "Obama, Are You With Us or With Them?"

It is crucial for the USA to reject Iranian opposition leaders to the current regimes as possible options. The Iranian protesters for democracy do not view them as viable alternatives.

In short, the protestors no longer regard the present regime as the legitimate government of the country.

Both Mr. Mousavi and Ayatollah Mahdi Karroubi, another defeated presidential candidate, tried to prevent attacks on the "Supreme Guide" Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the hope of eventually making a deal with him. As part of such a deal, they promised to defend the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, according to sources close to the opposition. The crowds have rejected that by shouting: "Abandon uranium enrichment! Do something about the poor!"

They clearly reject Iran's nuclear program, which is good for Israel.

President Obama should be supporting the protest movement, though the US has a poor record on such support, if one uses Tiananmen Square protests as a litmus test of what to expect.

Even more important -- President Obama should realize that linkage of the Palestinian issue with Iran's nuclear program doesn't serve anyone's interest, except that of Ahmadinejad.

Visiting Israel?
Learn to Shoot at Caliber-3 with top Israeli Anti-Terror Experts!

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

Ahmadinejad the Jew?

Heard this tidbit tonight while enjoying a simchat beit ha'shoeva -- a small get-together with friends in their sukka, and then found my inbox inundated with email from people about the same story (thanks everyone for the info!)

The UK Daily Telegraph broke the story today:

A photograph of the Iranian president holding up his identity card during elections in March 2008 clearly shows his family has Jewish roots.

A close-up of the document reveals he was previously known as Sabourjian – a Jewish name meaning cloth weaver.

The short note scrawled on the card suggests his family changed its name to Ahmadinejad when they converted to embrace Islam after his birth.

The Sabourjians traditionally hail from Aradan, Mr Ahmadinejad's birthplace, and the name derives from "weaver of the Sabour", the name for the Jewish Tallit shawl in Persia. The name is even on the list of reserved names for Iranian Jews compiled by Iran's Ministry of the Interior.

Experts last night suggested Mr Ahmadinejad's track record for hate-filled attacks on Jews could be an overcompensation to hide his past.

There are many "overcompensation" type stories in the past; one that comes to mind is about the Arabs of Tzurif near Gush Etzion, who killed the "Lamed Heh" 35 Haganah soldiers to provided reinforcements to the besieged Gush Etzion communities in 1948. After killing the soldiers, the Tzurif Arabs mutilated the bodies of the soldiers so badly, it was impossible to identify them.

Some say that the hatred towards Jews harbored by Tzurif was an overcompensation for their Jewish roots, and they have to prove themselves as not being loyal. I have heard that on the old homes in Tzurif you can even see mezuza indentations.

So...is Ahmadinejad a Jew? Other than being an historical oddity, I don't find it of much relevance. He's a madman, leading a country threatening to destroy Israel.

hat-tips; Julie, 2Big2Fail, Israel W, and others...


Visiting Israel?
Learn to Shoot at Caliber-3 with top Israeli Anti-Terror Experts!

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

Attack on Iran: A few grains of sand remain in the hourglass

A few grains of sand remain in the hourglass before Israel will be forced to step up to the plate, and deal with Iran's nuclear capability. It appears the United States has failed to get past the mindset of "diplomacy" as Iran races ahead to finalize the final pieces to create a deliverable nuclear weapon.

The weekend Iranian announcement of a uranium enrichment centrifuge facility built underground near the city of Qom (photos here and reports here) is accompanied by taunts from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that Tehran's announcement was "a blow for Western powers", according to Iranian news agency ILNA.

NPR and ABC News offer the following excuses why the US won't attack the facility:

One: The goal of the U.S. government is not to close this one facility at Qom, but rather to convince the Iranian government to end their nuclear weapons ambitions writ large.

Second: Bombing the facility might only make the Iranians more determined, whereas if Western intelligence agencies catch them violating their agreements every time they cheat -- and this is the third time since 2002 -- the Iranians may conclude, ultimately, that any aspirations for a nuclear weapon are futile.

Point one is a long term goal. Unfortunately, Israel doesn't have the luxury of waiting for diplomacy to fail to convince Iran of ending their quest for nuclear weapons. Iran is literally days to weeks from creating their first bomb.

Point two originates from the failure of Western culture to understand the Middle Eastern mindset. While bombing the facility will definitely annoy the Iranians, it will prevent them from bombing Israel. A few more strikes on their facilities will get them to conclude on their own that maybe a nuclear option isn't in their best interests.

Iran is starting tomorrow, the"Great Prophet 4" 3-4 rocket drill for medium and long range rockets, capable of hitting Israel and Europe. Is it a coincidence that this "exercise" is being conducted in the time frame of Yom Kippur?

My prediction is that Israel will be required to act within an immediate time frame to prevent Iran from succeeding in creating nuclear weapons.

The world will condemn Israel making the Goldstone report look like child's play.

Yet anyone who doesn't relish the idea of nuclear weapons being in the hands of madmen will breathe a sigh of relief.

We'll do the dirty work, get blamed, save our skins, and get lambasted in the court of world opinion.

Its a much better legacy for our children, than no legacy at all.

Visiting Israel?
Learn to Shoot at Caliber-3 with top Israeli Anti-Terror Experts!

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

America Hates: Columbia University

See Columbia University alum Aliza Davidovit, who said that she can no longer keep her diploma hanging on her wall in good conscience. Watch her rip it apart:


It was a beautiful day for a protest today on the Upper Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City, as hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people gathered to protest the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as he spoke at Columbia University.

See it all at Steg's blog over here!

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael

Interviewing the Enemy

Columbia University has no problem hosting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, heck, they wish they could host Hitler as well! (see above video)

Israel's IDF Radio, Reshet Bet, and TV channels drool for every opportunity to interview a Hamas, Fatah, or Jihad terrorist spokesmen, and start their interviews politely with "Good Morning" and ensure to end every interview with "Shalom."

The comparison to "Lemmings" comes to mind (from Wiki)

On occasion, and particularly in the case of the Norway lemmings in Scandinavia, large migrating groups will reach a cliff overlooking the ocean. They will stop until the urge to press on causes them to jump off the cliff and start swimming, sometimes to exhaustion and death. Lemmings are also often pushed into the sea as more and more lemmings arrive at the shore. [6]

Awarding invitations to terrorists to spew their venom provides them with legitimacy; it's an abuse of democracy at best, and suicidal naivete at worst.

See the NY Post's "A Terrorist for Tea" by John Podhoretz

September 21, 2007 -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to address a forum at Columbia University on Monday; school President Lee Bollinger promises to ask tough questions. - News item

BOLLINGER: Mr. President, you say the Holocaust didn't happen. That's very hurtful. Don't you know that hurts people's feelings?

Ahmadinejad: The truth hurts, Bollinger. I hosted a conference at which it was conclusively demonstrated that 6 million Jews actually escaped Nazi Germany by journeying over the Alps into Switzerland, singing "Climb Ev'ry Mountain."

B: That was the Von Trapp family in "The Sound of Music"! And that was Austria, not Germany! And the Von Trapps weren't even Jewish!

A: For someone who claims the Holocaust happened, you seem to know a great deal about the escape plans, Bollinger.

B: Oooh! You make me so mad I might actually venture an opinion about something!

A: This is my narrative, Bollinger. You have your narrative. Everyone has a narrative. What is truth to me might not be truth to you. Haven't you read your Derrida? The Ayatollah brought us back a copy from his exile in Paris.

B: And what about saying you are going to wipe Israel off the map?

A: What about it?

B: Well . . . that's not very nice, is it?

A: Actually, I was once very pro-Israel.

B: You were?

A: Yes, I was. Until I read the works of a Columbia professor named Edward Said.

B: Really, that is absolutely . . .

A: It was reading Said that convinced me Israel was an apartheid nation guilty of monstrous crimes and, therefore, that it should cease to exist. Well, now I am in a position to give aid to that cause. What kind of person would I be if I failed to heed the guidance provided by a respected Columbia professor?

B: Now wait a . . .

A: He was very august, wasn't he, Edward Said? I mean, you even have a professorship named after Edward Said here at Columbia. Oh, who's that I see in the front row? It's the Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies here at Columbia, Mr. Rashid Khalidi!

Khalidi: Not now, Mahmoud. I'll Skype you later.

B: I can understand your anger at Israel's treatment of the Palestinians, Mr. President, but surely 5 million Israelis shouldn't be wiped off the map.

A: Why not? After all, at your sister school, Barnard College, you are in the process of granting tenure to Nadia Abu El-Haj, who has written a book that proves there was no ancient Jewish kingdom in Israel. Her work has had a great deal of influence on me. After all, if there is no Jewish claim on the land dating back to the time before Christ, there really is no reason for Israel to be where it is, right, Bollinger?

B: I have no say over Barnard tenure decisions, Mr. President, but I must say that there are some questions about the quality of her scholarship because she does not take account of the archaeological evidence.

A: That is uncalled for. Ms. El-Haj says in her own book that she rejects your "positivist commitment to scientific method," Bollinger. She has a narrative. A narrative, Bollinger! So shut your pie hole.

B: Now about your state support of terrorism . . .

A: What is terrorism, Bollinger? I take my wisdom from another newly tenured professor here at Columbia, Mr. Joseph Massad. You remember him. He's the one who Jewish students claimed had intimidated them in his classes.

B: That was never conclusively . . .

A: Right here on this campus, he called Israel a "racist state" and then said: "Every racist state should be destroyed." I don't know why you are upset with me, Bollinger - I'm learning so much from people who are paid by your institution!

B: Wait, let me check my list of very tough questions for a second . . .

A: Sorry, our time is up, Bollinger. You promised to give me a lift to Ground Zero.

B: I did no such . . .

A: Just kidding!

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael