Saturday, February 28, 2009

Spanish war crimes probe against Israeli officials to go on (Haaretz)

While senior Israeli officials were being trial over 2002 bombing in Gaza, do we have any case on random Qassams rockets being launched into Israel territory even after the cease fire?

Spanish war crimes probe against Israeli officials to go on
(27-2-2009)-A Spanish court announced a decision on Friday to go ahead with a much publicized investigation against senior Israeli officials over alleged war crimes.

Last month, Spanish judge Fernando Andreu launched the investigation against seven current or former Israeli officials, over a 2002 bombing in Gaza that killed top Hamas militant Salah Shehadeh and 14 other people, including nine children.

The investigation includes former defense minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, and former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Dan Halutz, who served as the commander of the Israel Air Force at the time of the targeted assassination of Shehadeh, along with five other Israeli officials.

The judge initially launched the investigation under a doctrine that allows prosecution in Spain, and other European countries, to reach far beyond national borders in cases of torture or war crimes. The universal jurisdiction ruling sparked outrage in Israel and elsewhere.

Subsequently, Spanish Foreign Minister said that Spain would act to amend the legislation that granted Andreu the authority to launch the investigation, promising Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni that he would take action to prevent such moves in the future.

According to Spanish judicial sources, Andreu decided to continue with investigation after reading material handed over to Spain by Israel's Foreign Ministry, indicating that Israel is not investigating the incident.

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Friday, February 27, 2009

Heart-aching Images - When will this stops?

I was forwarded with a lot images on Israel cruelty in Gaza oppression. While seeing this heart-aching pictures, I was eagerly to know Israel side of the destructions that were damaged by the rockets & suicide bombers. They say pictures speak a thousand words… When is this going to stop?








Israel's Phosphorus attack






Suicide Bombing in Jerusalem by Palestinian



















Israel phosphorus attack by Israel















Suicide bomber in one of the cafe in Israel



















The aftermath of Phosphorus attack by Israel













The attack of suicide bomber in Israel-Palatin













The aftermath of Phosphorus attack by Israel










The Palestinian gunmen shooting attack in Library of a rabbinical seminary in Jerusalem
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Thursday, February 26, 2009

Astal calls for supporting resistance to stop judaization schemes in Jerusalem

Religion is still widely used as the key to marginalize human being into group as well as being used to ignite flame among conflict victims. When will this going to end? When both parties are ready to compromise? I urged all the Leaders who has the power to influence to do the RIGHT thing…think about future & not primitive way of surviving. Guns, battles are yesterday’s game not today’s or tomorrow’s. It’s about time to wake up...Now who say this is Not about religion?

KHAN YOUNIS, (25/02/2009 - 12:52 PM)-- Dr. Younis Al-Astal, a prominent Hamas leader, stated Tuesday that the best guarantee to stop the judaization of Jerusalem is to develop the potentials of the Palestinian resistance and supply it with advanced weapons in order to be able to retaliate more effectively to the Israeli crimes.

He made these comments during a massive rally organized by the Hamas Movement yesterday in Khan Younis in solidarity with the Aqsa Mosque and in protest at the Israeli blasphemous remaks made about Prophet Jesus Christ and his mother.

Dr. Astal underlined that the Israeli violations in occupied Jerusalem are the consequences of the Oslo accord and the subsequent agreements, saying that these agreements recruited the PA to be a security guard for the Israeli occupation.

The Hamas leader warned that the Israeli focus on the Bustan area in the Silwan neighborhood near the Buraq wall is intended for digging more tunnels under the Aqsa Mosque in order to undermine its foundations.

He deplored the international community for talking about the Gaza tunnels used to supply Gaza with food while ignoring the tunnels established under the Aqsa Mosque.

In the same context, the Hamas-affiliated lawmakers in the West Bank strongly condemned Tuesday Israel's arbitrary practices in Jerusalem and its decision to expel Jerusalemites from their homes as a prelude to demolishing them.

The lawmakers highlighted that the Palestinian people who were displaced a long time ago became aware of the Zionist schemes and will never allow Israel to transfer them again.

They underlined that Israel's racist practices in Jerusalem confirmed the falsity of its claims that it seeks peace, adding that since the first peace agreements with Israel, settlement activities had kept doubling and tens of thousands of Palestinians had been jailed in full view of the whole world.

The MPs noted that the policy of negotiations proved its failure and provided an adequate cover for Israel to persist in its schemes, while sounding before the world as if it seeks peace.

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Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Tun Dr. Mahathir Intervention Transcript in Cairo(2006)

Being forwarded this by a friend on Malaysia's former PM (Tun Dr. Mahathir) bold comments on the issues involving Israel & condemning US Bush on his leadership.

Former Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohammad Proposes a Jewish State in Texas and Declares: A Person Like President Bush Should Never Lead a Powerful Country
Following are excerpts from an interiew with Former Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohammad, which aired on New TV on February 15, 2006:

Interviewer: We are here in Cairo and we have to ask you first of all because your visit here is about a tribunal that judges George Bush, Tony Blair, and Sharon. Why did you bother yourself to come here and... you are a politician... to be as a lawyer or in the head of this tribunal?

Mahathir Mohammad: I think this trial is important because there needs to be a lot of publicity regarding the crimes committed by these three people. So far they have been able to get away, literally, with murder, but nobody seems to pass any judgment on them. So we think that this trial would enable the public – the people here – to make a decision on their behavior presently.

Interviewer: What are the main characters, the main... Why did you choose these three people? And is it a real court?

Mahathir Mohammad: It's... The charge was made by the Egyptian lawyers. They decided to have this court. This court is... Of course it's not the normal, official court. It is a court of the people, so to speak.

Interviewer: What do you think that the reaction would be? Do you think that George Bush is aware of this court?

Mahathir Mohammad: Well he's incapable of noticing anything. But still, we need to have our say.

Interviewer: What are the results that you expect?

Mahathir Mohammad: Well, as one of the judges of course I'm not supposed to pass judgment until the evidences are finished, so I think so far, of course, we have heard the prosecution's case. We have not heard the defense. So when we hear the defense, we'll make a decision.

Interviewer: They accused you that you are an anti-Semite. So are you the enemy of the United States or an anti-Semite?

Mahathir Mohammad: They always like to label people as being anti-Semitic, so that even if you do and say innocent things you are supposed to be unfair. But other people are subject to criticism, subject to condemnation – including the Muslims. Now if you can condemn the Muslims – as terrorists, for example – why is it that when the Jews do something that is wrong, that is criminal, we cannot say anything? Why is it that they are supposed to be exempted from normal opinions of people?

Mahathir Mohammad: Ahmadinejad asked for the elimination of Israel, but Israel has actually eliminated Palestine. Israel doesn't allow the Palestinian state to exist. It is really called the Palestinian Authority. Now if Israel can insist that Palestine does not exist, why cannot some other person say that Israel shouldn't exist? Or if it wants to exist, it should exist in Europe, [from] where the Zionists came? Or in America? How about giving a little bit of Texas to make the State of Israel?

Interviewer: What do you think about George Bush and his behavior in the Arab world... and he wins the election, he is re-elected again? What do you think about the policy of the Bush administration also?

Mahathir Mohammad: Well, Bush is a very aggressive person, and he has no hesitation about using military power to achieve his objective. If thousands of people are killed – that's too bad. 500,000 children in Lebanon were killed, in this...

Interviewer: In Iraq.

Mahathir Mohammad: In Iraq, were killed... That's all right, as long as they achieve their objective. Such a person should never lead a powerful nation. It's very dangerous, because he's going to use military means to achieve his objective. He's going to kill people in order to achieve his objective.

Interviewer: You said once that the reelection of President Bush will cause sufferings for Muslims in the world. How can we stop this?

Mahathir Mohammad: The only thing, the only way to stop this is to ask the American people... There are a lot of very decent American people. Unfortunately, they are not too knowledgeable about the rest of the world. We have to inform them [about] the kind of damage that is being done by their leader, Bush, and they should not vote for a man who obviously told an open lie. He lied about the weapons of mass destruction, and yet he was able to win the election. It is very disappointing. It shows that a lot of Americans are not knowledgeable about what is being done by their leader. So we have a need to explain to the American people that this... We are not against America, we are just against the policies of certain governments. So Americans should choose their leaders very carefully.

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Tuesday, February 24, 2009

US to donate $900 million in aid to Gaza (Reuters)

As most world leaders condemning US on their government support in Israel-Gaza aggression, it seems they might be some other explanations for their stance or do they simply see the things that we do not see?
$900 Million donation aid to Gaza is a big figure & why do they want to do that? “Destroy” something & then spend money to build something? Looks weird to me…


US to donate $900 million in aid to Gaza
State Department official says money for reconstruction of Strip will be transferred via UN; money meant to help strengthen Palestinian Authority, will not go to Hamas, official says

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton plans to announce a $900 million pledge of US aid for Gaza and the Palestinian Authority at a donors' meeting in Egypt next week, a State Department official said on Monday.

The money, which needs US congressional approval, will be distributed through UN and other bodies and not via Hamas, which rules Gaza, said one official.

This money is for Gaza and to help strengthen the Palestinian Authority. It is not going to go to Hamas," said the official, who asked not to be named.

The March 2 donors conference in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh resort aims to raise humanitarian and rebuilding funds for Gaza after Israel's offensive at the end of last year.

Preliminary estimates put the damage in Hamas-run Gaza after Israel's offensive at nearly $2 billion.

Clinton's bid to get "substantial" funds could face an uphill battle in Congress where requests for Gaza will likely meet resistance as Hamas continues to rule there and the US focus is on its own souring economy.

In December, the former Bush administration said it would give $85 million to the UN agency giving aid to Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

The United States wants the Palestinian Authority, under the leadership of President Mahmoud Abbas, to play a central role in the reconstruction effort in Gaza, hoping this will increase its influence in the Hamas stronghold. Washington is also putting pressure on other donors to bolster the Palestinian Authority.

"We call on donor countries to focus their pledges to meet the Palestinian Authority's priorities, including budget support, and on projects that can be funded through the Palestinian Authority and other existing, trusted mechanisms," said the State Department official.

The quartet of Middle East mediators are expected to meet on the sidelines of the Egyptian conference where they will work on strategy on Gaza, US officials said.

"We will also emphasize the importance of laying the conditions for successful negotiations toward the two-state solution and an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict," the State Department official said of discussions in Sharm el-Sheikh.

Egypt will be Clinton's first stop on a trip expected to include Israel and the West Bank – a public demonstration of the Obama administration's promise to make Arab-Israeli peacemaking a foreign policy priority.

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Monday, February 23, 2009

Jews was in Malaysia?

Heard from a friend that Penang-Malaysia used to have Jewish community centuries ago & while doing some googlings found here with post with pictures on Jewish cemetery in Jalan Zainal Abidin (Zainal Abidin Street). Not clear if there is still any alive Jewish living in Malaysia but again we are all human-being, who cares about what religion you believed in... Will go pay a visit there next time in my trip to North.

The Penang Jews (Syed Imran: Tuesday, March 06, 2007)
On my last trip to Penang, I decided to re-visit Jahudi Road (now Jalan Zainal Abidin) where you can find a Jewish Cemetery. Jahudi Road is located between Burma Road and MaCalister Road, a 10-minute walk from the towering Komtar (Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak). I failed to understand why the local authorities changed its name to Jalan Zainal Abidin. What is wrong with Jahudi Road or Jalan Yahudi for that matter?

Many Malaysians and for that matter Penangites, do not know the existence of this cemetery or the fact that there was once a Jewish community in Penang.

The Penang Jews consisted mainly of Oriental Jews, the majority of whom were Baghdadi Jews (from Baghdad, Iraq) as well as European and Central Asian Jews and a handful of Chinese Jews, yes Chinese Jews, from Kaifeng. The Kaifeng Jews fled their Chinese homeland mainly during the Communist take over of mainland China in 1949.

The first known Jew to settle in Penang was believed to have been Ezekiel Menasseh who migrated from Baghdad in 1800s. Menasseh remained the only Jew in British Malaya for 30 years, and he continued to observe Jewish holidays. After World War I, more Jews began to settle in Malaya. Then during World War II, the Jewish community was evacuated by the British military to Singapore, fearing Japanese imprisonment and ill-treatment. By 1963, only 20 Jewish families remained in Malaysia including former RTM orchestra conductor Gus Styne.

Penang's only synagogue closed down in 1976 because it "could no longer muster the requisite 10 male above the age of 12 needed to perform religious ceremonies".

The descendants of Penang Jews can be found in Singapore (such as ex late Chief Minister David Marshall, a Baghdadi Jew), in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States.

The Jewish Cemetery in Penang is believed to be the oldest single Jewish cemetery in Malaysia, if not South-East Asia. The oldest tombstone is dated 1805 and the most recent being 1976, that of a teacher's college lecturer.

It is the only cemetery established solely for the once small and thriving Jewish community although there may be a few Jewish graves in other non-Jewish cemeteries such as the Protestant cemetery (Farquhar Street) and the Catholic cemetery (Kelawai Road).

The Jewish cemetery in Penang also has one of the largest number of Jewish graves interned in one specific area, numbering 70 graves. The cemetery is well-kept and clean compared to most other cemeteries in Penang.

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Sunday, February 22, 2009

The Chedet Sequel: Hanan-2

The debate between Hanan vs. Tun Dr. Mahathir continues with more intellectual elements & focused on the issue rather than emotional synonyms. 2 main key issues still remain: (1) Who has the RIGHT ownership for Palestine? (2)Can both Palestinian & Israel people agreed with both RIGHTs to exist & agreed to peace truce for self-determination? Although most of the comments agreed that this is not a religious war but personally I do felt otherwise...How about YOU?

To ease the reading, I'd compiled the latest debates into below format:
Black font: Tun Dr. Mahathir in Chedet
Blue Font: Hanan's reply


HANAN 2 (By Dr. Mahathir Mohamad on February 19, 2009 7:01 PM )

By Hanan on February 22, 2009 6:15 AM
Dear Dr. Mahathir,
Salam Alaikum, Shalom and Grace – שלום וברכה.
As I promised, I’m back with my views about the issues you raised. No matter what are the arguments we have, I’m satisfied just for the fact that we have a cyber dialog than “shooting” each other. This is much more meaningful. It is probably very hard to convince each other, but I’m optimistic that we are on a way for a better future.

Before I’ll step into the depth of my comments, I would like to have a small preface.

I think we (Palestinians and Israelis) must try to make are compromising efforts in a positive approach instead a negative approach. This means that every side should think in terms “what can I give to the other side in order to achieve peace” instead “what can I get form the other side to live in peace”.

This is a kind of thinking out of the box. This approach was never tried. Why is the approach so different? What means to give something to the other side? It means that you are generous. It means you want to forgive. It means you burry hatred and has sympathy to the other side. It happens exactly when someone is donating. Everyone likes to donate more than being the one who gets the donation. Let’s try to give presents instead grabbing them. This can build a mutual “chemistry” during the negotiations that can ease the way for a solution.

To make that happen it is required to be even braver than deciding upon war. I know that it is against the herd logic and like swimming against the stream. Maybe it is even naive and some may think it is a total stupidity. On the other hand nobody can proof any results with a negative approach.

Dear Dr. Mahathir, It will be interesting to know what you think about the “positive approach” of compromising. Maybe you had some experience in such similar cases during your many years of experience in politics.
================================================================================================================ Here are my comments about the issues you raised in your last post (your text is added as an easy reference to have it on hand):
Dear Hanan,
1. I think I cannot convince you on anything simply because your perception of things is not based on logic or reason but merely on your strong belief that you are always right, even if the whole world says you are wrong.
Hanan:
Dear Dr. Mahathir, I’m the first person to admit if I’m wrong. I already did it a few times during my “short” life. But for that I need to understand that I’m wrong. Such an understanding is not a kind of convincing by someone from outside but a self-convincing action. I’m really reading deeply what you are writing, internalizing the information whatever it is, “doing my homework” and trying to understand you. At least we both are investing the time to read each other’s comments which is a huge step forward.
Dear Dr. Mahathir, on the other hand it is hard to convince you about the simple rights of Jews to have their own independent state on the land that was belonging them thousands years ago. Why should Muslims have so many independent Islamic republic and kingdoms and a single independent Jewish state on such small area is a big deal?


2. Jews have lived with Muslims in Muslim countries for centuries without any serious problem.
Hanan:
May be it is true but not 100% of all the facts. Yes, in some cases Jewish life flourished under Muslim governing, but it was centuries ago at the beginning of Islam and during its spreading. Let me provide some Jewish life under Muslims governing and among Muslims. Living of Jews in Muslim countries must not be related to the Israeli-Palestinian problem; not by time and not by location. This is according to what Muslims claim as their justice and fairness to minorities including Jews. Here is a “brief” summary about the problems/riots against Jews in different countries which I collected to enlighten the knowledge of all:

Syria –
Jews have lived in this land since biblical times and the community’s history is intertwined with the history of Jews in the land of Israel. Jewish population increased significantly after the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492. Throughout the generations, the main Jewish communities were to be found in Damascus and Aleppo.

In 1943, the Jewish community of Syria had 30,000 members. This population was mainly distributed between Aleppo, where 17,000 Jews lived and Damascus, which had a Jewish population of 11,000.

In 1945, in an attempt to thwart efforts to establish a Jewish homeland, the government restricted emigration to Israel, and Jewish property was burned and looted. Anti-Jewish pogroms erupted in Aleppo in 1947, stimulating 7,000 of the town’s 10,000 Jews to flee in terror. The government then froze Jewish bank accounts and confiscated their property.

Shortly after the founding of Israel, as reported in the New York Times on May 16, 1948: “In Syria a policy of economic discrimination is in effect against Jews. ‘Virtually all’ Jewish civil servants in the employ of the Syrian Government have been discharged. Freedom of movement has been ‘practically abolished.’ Special frontier posts have been established to control movements of Jews.”

In 1949, banks were instructed to freeze the accounts of Jews and all their assets were expropriated. Over the course of subsequent tears, the continuing pattern of political and economic strangulation ultimately caused a total of 15,000 Jews to leave Syria, 10,000 of which emigrated to the U.S.A. and another 5,000 to Israel.

Iraq –
In June 1941, the Mufti-inspired, pro-Nazi coup of Rashid Ali sparked rioting and a pogrom in Baghdad. Armed Iraqi mobs murdered 180 Jews and wounded almost 1,000.

Additional outbreaks of anti-Jewish rioting occurred between 1946-1949. After the establishment of Israel in 1948, Zionism became a capital crime.

In 1950, Iraqi Jews were permitted to leave the country within a year provided they forfeited their citizenship. A year later, however, the property of Jews who emigrated was frozen and economic restrictions were placed on Jews who chose to remain in the country. From 1949 to 1951, 104,000 Jews were evacuated from Iraq in Operations Ezra and Nehemiah; another 20,000 were smuggled out through Iran. Thus a community that had reached a peak of some 150,000 in 1947 dwindled to a mere 6,000 after 1951.

In 1952, Iraq’s government barred Jews from emigrating. With the rise of competing Ba’ath factions in 1963, additional restrictions were placed on the remaining Iraqi Jews. The sale of property was forbidden and all Jews were forced to carry yellow identity cards. Persecutions continued, especially after the Six-Day War in 1967, when many of the remaining 3,000 Jews were arrested and dismissed from their jobs. Around that period, more repressive measures were imposed: Jewish property was expropriated; Jewish bank accounts were frozen; Jews were dismissed from public posts; businesses were shut; trading permits were cancelled; telephones were disconnected. Jews were placed under house arrest for long periods of time or restricted to the cities.

Persecution was at its worst at the end of 1968. Scores were jailed upon the discovery of an alleged local “spy ring” composed of Jewish businessmen. Fourteen men-eleven of them Jews-were sentenced to death in staged trials and, on January 27, 1969, were hanged in the public squares of Baghdad; others died of torture (Judith Miller and Laurie Mylroie, “Saddam Hussein and the Crisis in the Gulf”, p. 34).

In response to international pressure, the Baghdad government quietly allowed most of the remaining Jews to emigrate in the early 1970’s, even while leaving other restrictions in force. In 1973, most of Iraq’s remaining Jews were too old to leave and they were pressured by the government to turn over title, without compensation, to more than $200 million worth of Jewish community property (New York Times, February 18, 1973).

Today, approximately 61 Jews are left in Baghdad. A once flourishing Jewish community in Iraq has thus been extinguished (Associated Press, March 28, 1998).

Discriminatory Decrees and Violations of Human Rights
(Intended merely as a sampling and not an exhaustive compilation)

The first piece of legislation enacted that violated the rights of Jews was the 1948 amendment 12 to the 1938 supplement 13 to the Penal Code of Baghdad. The Baghdad Penal Code set out the provision regarding communism, anarchy and immorality in section 89A(1). The section generally prohibits the publication of anything that incites the spread of hatred, abuse of the government or the integrity of the people. This amendment, enacted in 1948, added “Zionism” to communism, anarchism and immorality, the propagation of which constituted an offence punishable by seven years imprisonment and/or a fine.

In an article that appeared in the New York Times on May 16, 1948, it was reported that: “In Iraq no Jew is permitted to leave the country unless he deposits £5,000 ($20,000) with the Government to guarantee his return. No foreign Jew is allowed to enter Iraq even in transit.”

Law No. 1 of 1950, entitled “Supplement to Ordinance Cancelling Iraqi Nationality,” in fact deprived Jews of their Iraqi nationality. Section 1 stipulated that “the Council of Ministers may cancel the Iraqi nationality of the Iraqi Jew who willingly desires to leave Iraq...” (official Iraqi English translation).

Law No. 5 of 1951 entitled “A law for the Supervision and Administration of the Property of Jews who have Forfeited Iraqi Nationality” also deprived them of their property. Section 2(a) “freezes” Jewish property.

There were a series of laws that subsequently expanded on the confiscation of assets and property of Jews who “forfeited Iraqi nationality”. These included Law No. 12 of 1951 16 and the attached Law No. 64 of 1967 (relating to ownership of shares in commercial companies) and Law No. 10 of 1968 (relating to banking restrictions).

Libya-
The establishment of the State of Israel led many Jews to leave the country. In June 1948, protesting the founding of the Jewish state, rioters murdered another 12 Jews and destroyed 280 Jewish homes. Although emigration was illegal, more than 3,000 Jews succeeded to leave to Israel. When the British legalized emigration in 1949, and in the years immediately preceding Libyan independence in 1951, hostile demonstrations and riots against Jews brought about the departure of some 30,000 Jews who fled the country up to, and after the point when Libya was granted independence and membership in the Arab League in 1951 (Norman Stillman, The Jews of Arab Lands in Modern Times).

Egypt-
In the 1940’s, with the rise of Egyptian nationalism and the Zionist movement’s efforts to create a Jewish homeland in adjoining Israel, anti-Jewish activities began in earnest. In 1945, riots erupted – ten Jews were killed; 350 injured, and a synagogue, a Jewish hospital, and an old-age home were burned down. After the success of the Zionist movement in establishing the State of Israel, between June and November of 1948, violence and repressive measures by the Government and Egyptians began in earnest. Bombs were set off in the Jewish Quarter, killing more than 70 Jews and wounded nearly 200. Rioting over the next few months resulted in many more Jewish deaths. 2,000 Jews were arrested and many had their property confiscated.


In 1956, the Egyptian government used the Sinai Campaign as a pretext to order almost 25,000 Egyptian Jews to leave the country and confiscated their property. They were allowed to take only one suitcase and a small sum of cash, and forced to sign declarations “donating” their property to the Egyptian government. Approximately 1,000 more Jews were sent to prisons and detention camps. On November 23, 1956, a proclamation signed by the Minister of Religious Affairs, and read aloud in mosques throughout Egypt, declared that “all Jews are Zionists and enemies of the state,” and promised that they would be soon expelled (AP, November 26 and 29 1956; New York World Telegram).

By 1957, the Jewish population of Egypt had fallen to 15,000. In 1967, after the Six-Day War, there was a renewed wave of persecution, and the community dropped to 2,500. By the 1970s, after the remaining Jews were given permission to leave the country, the community dwindled to a few families.

Jewish rights were finally restored in 1979 after President Anwar Sadat signed the Camp David Accords with Israel. Only then was the community allowed to establish ties with Israel and with world Jewry. Nearly all the estimated 200 Jews left in Egypt are elderly and the once proud and flourishing Jewish community is on the verge of extinction.

Discriminatory Decrees and Violations of Human Rights
(Intended merely as a sampling and not an exhaustive compilation)
The first Nationality Code was promulgated by Egypt on May 26, 1926. Entitled to Egyptian nationality were only those who “belonged racially to the majority of the population of a country whose language is Arabic or whose religion is Islam.”
This provision served as the official pretext for expelling many Jews from Egypt.

On July 29, 1947, an amendment was introduced to the Egyptian Companies Law which made it mandatory for at least 75% of the administrative employees of a company to be Egyptian nationals and 90% of employees in general. This resulted in the dismissal and loss of livelihood for many Jews since only 15% of them had been granted Egyptian citizenship.

A mass departure of Jews was sparked when Egypt passed an amendment in 1956 to the original Egyptian Nationality Law of 1926. Article 1 of the Law of November 22, 1956, stipulated that “Zionists” were barred from being Egyptian nationals.
Article 18 of the 1956 law asserted that “Egyptian nationality may be declared forfeited by order of the Ministry of Interior in the case of persons classified as Zionists.” Moreover, the term “Zionist” was never defined, leaving Egyptian authorities free to interpret as broadly as they pleased.

Provision both in the 1956 and 1958 laws permitted the government to take away citizenship of any Egyptian Jew absent from UAR territory for more than six consecutive months. That this provision is aimed exclusively at Jews is shown by the fact that the lists of denaturalized persons published time and again by the Official Journal contains Jewish names only, despite the fact that there were many non-Jewish Egyptians who stayed abroad for over six months.

Economic Discrimination and Strangulation
(Intended as a sampling and not an exhaustive compilation)

Law No. 26 of 1952 obligated all corporations to employ certain prescribed percentages of “Egyptians.” A great number of Jewish salaried employees lost their jobs, and could not obtain similar ones, because they did not belong to the category of Jews with Egyptian nationality.

Between November 1-20 1956, official records reveal that by a series of sequestration orders issued under Military Proclamation No. 4, the property of many hundreds of Jews in Egypt was taken from their owners and turned over to Egyptian administrators.
Proclamation No. 4 was carried into effect almost exclusively against Jews; and though a number of Copts and Moslems were also interned, their assets were never sequestered.

Of the published lists of 486 persons and firms whose properties were seized under Military Proclamation No. 4, at least 95 per cent of them are Jews. The names of persons and firms affected by this measure represented the bulk of the economic substance of Egyptian Jewry, the largest and most important enterprises and the main sustenance, through voluntary contributions, of Jewish religious, educational, social and welfare institutions in Egypt.

In addition to the vast sequestration of property and other discriminatory treatment, Directive No. 189 issued under the authority of Military Proclamation No. 4, authorized the Director General of the Sequestering Agency to deduct from the assets belonging to interned persons, 10% of the value of the sequestered property, presumably to cover the costs of administration. Hence, without regard to the question of whether a property is legally sequestered, the Jews of Egypt were being taxed to pay for the machinery or improper sequestration and withholding.

The Jews leaving Egypt were subjected to additional deprivations and inconveniences. A regulation was established which only authorized Jews leaving Egypt to take with them travellers checks or other international exchange documents up to a value of 100 pounds sterling per capita. The Bank of Egypt provided Jews leaving the country with instruments specifically drawn on Egyptian accounts in Britain and France, when Egyptian authorities knew well that those accounts were blocked in reciprocation for the Egyptian blocking of British and French assets in Egypt and was not freely negotiable abroad.

Morocco-
By 1948, this ancient Jewish community, the largest in North Africa, numbered 265,000. In June 1948, after the establishment of the State of Israel, bloody riots in Oujda and Djerada killed 44 Jews and wounded scores more. That same year, an unofficial economic boycott was instigated against Moroccan Jews.

Immigration to Israel started upon the initiative of small groups who arrived at the time of Israel’s independence. However, the waves of mass immigration, which brought a total of more than 250,000 Moroccan Jews to Israel, were prompted by anti-Jewish measures carried out in response to the establishment of the State of Israel. On June 4, 1949, riots broke out in northern Morocco killing and injuring dozens of Jews. Shortly afterwards, the Jews began to leave.

During the two-year period between 1955 and 1957 alone, over 70,000 Moroccan Jews arrived in Israel. In 1956, Morocco declared its independence, Jewish immigration to Israel was suspended and by 1959, Zionist activities became illegal in Morocco. During these years more than 30,000 Jews left for France and the Americas. In 1963, the ban on emigration to Israel was lifted bringing another 100,000 to her shores.

Today, the Jewish community of Morocco has dwindled to about 2% of its original size. Of the 17,000 Jews that remain, two-thirds live in Casablanca.

Algeria-
In 1934, Muslims incited by events in Nazi Germany, rampaged in Constantine killing 25 Jews and injuring many more. Before 1962, there were 60 Jewish communities, each maintaining their own rabbis, synagogues and educational institutions. After being granted independence in 1962, the Algerian government harassed the Jewish community and deprived Jews of their economic rights. As a result, almost 130,000 Algerian Jews immigrated to France and, since 1948, 25,681 Algerian Jews have immigrated to Israel.

Algeria's independence from France was the key event in the final uprooting of the Jewish community. As a result of the desire of Algeria and Algerians to join in the wave of Pan-Arab nationalism that was sweeping North Africa, Jews no longer felt welcome after the French departure. The Algerian Nationality Code of 1963 made this clear by granting Algerian nationality as a right only to those inhabitants whose fathers and paternal grandfathers had Muslim personal status in Algeria. 24 In other words, although the National Liberation Front in Algeria was known for its slogan "A Democratic Secular State"; it adhered to strictly religious criteria in granting nationality, thereby entrenching anti-Israel and anti-Jewish bias in the country.

Tunisia-
The first documented evidence of Jews living in what is today Tunisia dates back to 200 CE.

After the Arab conquest of Tunisia in the 7th century, Jews lived under satisfactory conditions, despite discriminatory measures such as a poll tax.

In 1948, the Tunisian Jewish community had numbered 105,000, with 65,000 living in Tunis alone.

After Tunisia gained independence in 1956, a series of anti-Jewish government decrees were promulgated. In 1958, Tunisia’s Jewish Community Council was abolished by the government and ancient synagogues, cemeteries and Jewish quarters were destroyed for “urban renewal.”

Similar to the conditions for Jews in Algeria, the rise of Tunisian nationalism led to anti-Jewish legislation and in 1961 caused Jews to leave in great numbers. The increasingly unstable situation caused more than 40,000 Tunisian Jews to immigrate to Israel. By 1967, the country’s Jewish population had shrunk to 20,000.

During the six-day war, Jews were attacked by rioting Arab mobs, and synagogues and shops were burned. The government denounced the violence and appealed to the Jewish population to stay, but did not bar them from leaving. Subsequently, 7,000 Jews immigrated to France.

Even as late as 1982, there were attacks on Jews in the towns of Zarzis and Ben Guardane. Today an estimated 2,000 Jews remain in Tunisia.

Yemen-
The Jews of Yemen have various legends relating to their coming to that country, the most wide-spread of which states that they arrived there before the destruction of the First Temple (587 BCE). The first historical evidence of their existence in Yemen dates from the third century.

Jews had begun to leave Yemen in the 1880s, when some 2,500 had made their way to Jerusalem and Jaffa. But it was after World War I, when Yemen became independent, that anti-Jewish feeling in that country made emigration imperative. Anti-Semitic laws, which had lain dormant for years were revived (e.g. Jews were not permitted to walk on pavements – or to ride horses). In court, a Jew’s evidence was not accepted against that of a Moslem.
In 1922, the government of Yemen reintroduced an ancient Islamic law requiring that Jewish orphans under age 12 be forcibly converted to Islam. When a Jew decided to emigrate, he had to leave all his property. In spite of this, between 1923 and 1945 a total of 17,000 Yemenite Jews left and immigrated to Palestine.

After the Second World War, thousands of more Yemenite Jews wanted to come to Palestine, but the British Mandate’s White Paper was still in force and those who left Yemen ended up in crowded slums in Aden, where serious riots broke out in 1947 after the United Nations decided on partition. Many Jews were killed, and the Jewish quarter was burned to the ground. It was not until September 1948 that the British authorities in Aden allowed the refugees to proceed to Israel.

In 1947, after the partition vote, Muslim rioters engaged in a bloody pogrom in Aden that killed 82 Jews and destroyed hundreds of Jewish homes. The Jewish community of Aden, numbering 8,000 in 1948, was forced to flee. By 1959 over 3,000 arrived in Israel. Many fled to the U.S.A. and England. Today there are no Jews left in Aden.

Around the time of Israel’s founding, Yemen’s Jewish community was economically paralyzed, as most of the Jewish stores and businesses were destroyed. This increasingly perilous situation led to the emigration of virtually the entire Yemenite Jewish community - almost 50,000 - between June 1949 and September 1950 in Operation “Magic Carpet.” A smaller, continuous migration was allowed to continue into 1962, when a civil war put an abrupt halt to any further Jewish exodus.

It is another example of the displacement of an entire Jewish community from its ancient roots in the Arab countries. It is estimated, there are about 1,000 Jews in Yemen today. They are held as hostages, and are kept in dire conditions and not allowed to leave.

Dear Dr. Mahathir, as an intelligent, educated and experienced persona, can you justify the actions above that were against Jews? Those few facts are proving that the conflict is Islam-Jewish while using the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as an excuse to mask the religious conflict.

I must admit I couldn’t find much about the Jewish community in Malaysia. As far as I know, that community disappeared in the late 60’s after the independence of Malaysia (Hari Merdeka). I really don’t know why the Jews left Malaysia. Why did they immigrate to Singapore? It is really a mystery for me. I’ll be very glad if you can provide me (privately if you like) some more information from your knowledge and documents you have been exposed to during your service as PM.

Do you think that Muslims are discriminated under the Zionist governing? Are the Israeli Arabs discriminated more that the minorities in Malaysia under the NEP and quota. Why should a Malaysian Chinese pay full price for some assets while the Malay (Muslims) has a discount? Why should a Chinese student spend a fortune to study in Singapore, Australia, England or US while the Malay students have their privilege to study in the country universities under the quota law? In Israel we don’t have that discrimination however we still need to improve. Why a Zionist hospital that was build from Zionist donation, established a Mosque for the Muslim patients and visitors? Zionists are the Arabs and Palestinians enemy, then how can it be? We don’t have the Dhimmi for our “second class” minorities like Muslims tend to have in history. Is this proving that Zionism equals racism? Believe me that Israeli Arabs are living in much better conditions than any Jew under a Muslim government in the past and present time. It will be good for you to have a visit to Israel and explore it in your own eyes to establish your objective opinion. I hope that this time, if you come, they will let you in easily.

We are still not 100% perfect as same as other Muslim countries including Malaysia are not perfect dealing with minorities. We can and must improve.
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3. On the other hand in Europe, Jews were persecuted. Every now and again there would be pogroms when the Europeans would massacre Jews. The Holocaust did not happen in Muslim countries. Muslims may discriminate against Jews but did not massacre them.
Hanan:
As far as I know prophet Mohammed massacred the Jewish tribe Banu Quraiza. Why did he that? Why did he accept massacring all surrendering men that were already fettered? Where is the mercy of the prophet upon surrendering prisoners?

On December 30, 1066 (9 Tevet 4827), a Muslim mob stormed the royal palace in Granada, which was at that time in al-Andalus, assassinated Jewish vizier Joseph ibn Naghrela and massacred most of the Jewish population of the city. Assuming that vizier was a culprit of evil, why should those Muslim massacre almost all Jews of Granada? If there is a single Muslim terrorist among a group, should we kill the whole group?

Islam and Muslims are not purified of evil mistakes, but Muslims are failing to admit that.

You said Muslims may discriminate Jews. Why do you say “may”? This is because you refuse to be convinced that Muslims are practicing discrimination according to their faith and Quran. Jews discrimination by Muslims is not racism? Muslims discrimination economically by NEP of the Malaysian minorities is not racism? When a minister says that the Malaysian Chinese are “guests” in Malaysia while they are Malaysian born for at least several generations, is not racism?

The destiny of Jews and other religious minorities in Muslim countries is similar and depending very much the “good will” of the government at the particular time. There is a time minorities are flourishing and times they are depressed. There are some minorities that are flourishing despite depression like Jews during their living in the Diaspora.
I know that those words are hard to accept, but those are facts.
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4. But now you are fighting the largely Muslim Palestinians. It cannot be because of religious differences or the killing of Jews living among them. It must be because you have taken their land and expelled them from their homeland. It is therefore not a religious war. But of course as you seek sympathizers from among the non-Muslims, the Palestinians seek sympathizers among the Muslims. That still does not make the war a religious war.
Hanan:
May be it is you and many others who say that it is a territorial war. But when you ask the Palestinians and particularly Hamas, they claim it is a holy war for the Muslim land of Palestine which is a Waqf asset.

From where Jews spread over Europe, Asia and Africa before Islam was even born? Did they arrive from the moon? Did they arrive from another planet? Don’t you think that they were living in one place before they arrived to their new places? Where was that place?

What is more wondering is the “generosity” of Muslims that knew that the Land of Israel was once Jewish, but when they conquered that land they didn’t even think to tell the Jews: “Oh Jews, come back to your home from where you have been expelled by force. There are no Romans anymore. You may come back to your homes and live your life in your homeland”.

The Quran says:
"To Moses We [Allah] gave nine clear signs. Ask the Israelites how he [Moses] first appeared amongst them. Pharoah said to him: 'Moses, I can see that you are bewitched.' 'You know full well,' he [Moses] replied, 'that none but the Lord of the heavens and the earth has revealed these visible signs. Pharoah, you are doomed.'"
"Pharoah sought to scare them [the Israelites] out of the land [of Israel]: but We [Allah] drowned him [Pharoah] together with all who were with him. Then We [Allah] said to the Israelites: 'Dwell in this land [the Land of Israel]. When the promise of the hereafter [End of Days] comes to be fulfilled, We [Allah] shall assemble you [the Israelites] all together [in the Land of Israel]."
"We [Allah] have revealed the Qur'an with the truth, and with the truth it has come down. We have sent you [Muhammed] forth only to proclaim good news and to give warning."
[Qur'an, "Night Journey," chapter 17:100-104].

So how is it that you say it is not belonging also to the Jews? It is not written that this land belongs to Muslims or Palestinians.

Are you convinced that the Land of Israel or even parts of it is belonging to the Jews as same or even more than belongs to the Palestinians?
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5. Whether you speak Hebrew or not is not relevant. Lots of people who are not English speak English. They don't belong to England. For centuries you could speak Hebrew but remained Germans, British, French, Russians etc.
Hanan:
Dear Dr. Mahathir. You are trying to interpret and twist facts. What you say has no relevance to the facts that the roots of Hebrew are from the Land of Israel and a language used by the Children of Israel all along the history. Even some present Jews are not speaking Hebrew in the Diaspora, it doesn’t mean their roots are not in the Land of Israel.

Australia, New Zealand is English speaking countries. From where is that language coming? Aren’t the roots from England? The origins of people of those countries (colonialists, not natives) were English.

I know that many Palestinians are living now in America, Canada, England and many other countries for at least two generations or even more. They speak the native language whatever it is and maybe also Arabic. Why do they call themselves Palestinians and claim the rights to return to Palestine while the Jews must remain the citizens of those same countries?
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6. Lots of Jews cannot speak Hebrew but they are still Jews. Merely being able to speak Hebrew does not entitle you to claim Palestine.
Hanan:
Of course the language is not the only thing. Furthermore, how many times is Jerusalem mentioned in the Quran by its name “Jerusalem” (without any interpretations, like Al-Quds)? How many times are mentioned the word “Jerusalem” as pure as I wrote it in our holy Bible and praying books? I’ll leave the counting for who really bothers to find out. Furthermore, towards where is a Muslim facing while praying? Is it towards Jerusalem? When a Jew is praying, he is facing towards Jerusalem. Have you asked yourself why? It is because the Jewish roots are in Jerusalem and the Promised Land of Israel.

You call a specific place in Jerusalem “Bait-Al-Maqdis”. What does it mean? Isn’t it the Jewish “Beit Hamikdash” – the Holy Temple where Jews were practicing their faith during their independent kingdoms? What Muslims did is strived to wipe of that fact by building a Mosque exactly on that place.

I’m sorry dear Dr. Mahathir; you cannot convince me with distorted historical facts. You may try something else.

Israel belongs to the Jews whatever anyone may think, like or dislike that fact. On the other hand, Palestinians have the rights to live here with equal rights just because the fact they have been here for centuries. We respect that right. This is our compromise of that land.
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7. The Jews had lived in Europe for centuries. They identify themselves with their domicile. They fought the wars of these countries often against other Jews living in enemy countries.
Hanan:
What does it prove? Do you know that in the Israeli Army we have Muslim soldiers and these soldiers are fighting against other Muslims in the so called the Jewish army. Your claim has nothing to do with the conflict.
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8. These countries are their homeland. So why should they take Palestinian land to make their own country? They could take any of the European countries as their own country. The United States of America should offer one of its states as Israel.
Hanan:
In this case, I would say that all Palestinian refugees worldwide are second, third, fourth or more generation are the citizens of their new countries and cannot claim the return rights. Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and all other countries shall offer them the place. Would you accept that? Are the Palestinians accepting that?
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9. As to history, the Malays had occupied a lot of land in Southeast Asia since time immemorial. Today much of our land has become part of neighboring countries, having been conquered or because of treaties entered into by the British. We should really go to war to regain our land especially as there are Malays living there.
Hanan:
I’m trying to understand what this has to do with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Let me put my analogy understanding of that. The fact is that at the moment a few million of Jews are living in Israel. Why should Palestinians go to war to regain the land just because a minority of Arabs is living in Israel?
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10. But we want to live in peace with our neighbours. So we accept the borders drawn by the colonialists.
Hanan:
Thank you for that Dr. Mahathir. You cannot imagine how our desire to live in peace with our neighbors is. So why shouldn’t the Palestinians and Israelis accept any compromise plan they decide upon through a dialog? Can you help them to draft that agreement? If you can do it (I’m not counted as I’m functionless), I can assure you that you are the next Muslim and first Malaysian to be proudly awarding the Nobel Prize of Peace. I’ll be the first to clap hands and bless you (I mean it, read my lips).
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11. You may say it is a joke to believe the Philistines are the forebears of the Palestinians. But what may be a joke to you is a serious belief of much of the non-Jewish world.
Hanan:
Dear Dr. Mahathir, you may find information about Philistines here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philistia
http://www.bga.nl/en/articles/filist1.html
http://www.biblemysteries.com/lectures/philistines.htm
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12. We did not have a Jewish representative at our conference. But I am sure when you have a conference in Israel you did not have Muslim representatives either.
Hanan:
It is not more then I would like to use a correct definition of facts while you said: “The participants at the forum represented all races, belonging to all religions” and now you are saying that no Jews were invited. I would replace the word “all” with the word “some” or “many”. The reason is due to future history aspects. There will be someone who may read that information in 100 year later and may think that Jews were invited to that conference.

In addition I would recommend you to read this article about a conference of a Jewish organization in Australia where Muslims attended: http://www.ajn.com.au/news/news.asp?pgID=2583.
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13. I can sympathise over the killings of the Jews. But show me pictures of total destruction of Israeli towns and villages. Show me the effect of the primitive Hamas rockets on the Israeli people. Compare them with the effects of your bombs, rockets, shells, chemical weapons you used on the Gazans. When did Hamas blockade you and starve Israeli people and deprive them of medical attention. Did Hamas build a wall to separate Israelis from other Israelis including from family members? Did Hamas build settlements in Israel?
Hanan:
Dear Dr. Mahathir, have you seen pictures of destruction of lives? About what are you talking? Are you talking about destruction of buildings? Is this the important thing? Aren’t the peoples’ lost lives, Palestinians and Israelis more important? We can forgive our enemy for destroying our houses, damaging our assets, but how can we deal the same with lost lives?

Of course our bombs are more precise and less statistical. Would you like us to bomb our enemy with statistical shells or rockets? Then you’ll say actually the same, that we are killing innocent civilians with non precise weapons.

Thanks God Hamas is not yet blockading us. Sorry to be a bit “aggressive” but our enemy Hamas is saying that its aim is to wipe off Israel and kill the Jews. Hams means it and is doing it without any mercy. Should we support them steel and iron so they can produce more of their rockets? Hamas banished all international border passages inspectors and created there a chaos so they will be able to smuggle more destructive weapons in order to fight against Israel. This cannot be accepted by any mean. The Hamas ideology is well known and nursing from the most radical Islam. Gazans elected Hamas knowing well their charter and the fundamental radicalism. So if they are feeling punished, it is because of Hamas.

Why isn’t any blockade on the West Bank or East Jerusalem? Palestinians there have their needed supplies without any problem.

The fence (wall in your terminology) is a passive defense mean against terror. May be you forgot the suicide bombers within Israeli buses and malls prior the fence was built. It is proven statistically that those suicide bombing is now almost not existing because of that fence. When peace will come, I can assure you that the fence will not be a barrier between both peoples. A fence can be built and removed easily when the time will come. Lost lives of a suicide bombing cannot return. What is the worth of so called separated families because of that fence if it saves even a single innocent person from death? But assuming that a dead person is a Jew, it cannot be more important than Palestinian family members can greet each other a “good morning”. A Palestinian “good morning greeting” is much more valuable than a life of a Jew.
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14. This idea of out-terrorising the terrorists, of massive retaliation on a scale that horrifies the whole world will not work.
Hanan:
Dr. Mahathir, this is not massive retaliation. Just think if we would want to do that massive retaliation couldn’t we burn Gaza in a few hours? Why don’t we complete what you claim as massive retaliation? This means that what you say is a mistakenly fact. We are not so evil thinking to revenge the whole population because of terrorism. The revenge is more popular among Muslims. Palestinians are always claiming their revenge upon Israeli military activities. And what they do is mainly terrorizing Israeli civilians.

Terrorizing civilians is not horrifying? Can the Palestinian terror work? Can Muslims terror work? May be we should let them continue with their terror, sit and ask them to continue with more terror since this is not horrifying the world and may work better. It will achieve better “to cast terror in their hearts”.
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15. Our people who went to Gaza were amazed at the attitude of the people there. Even after the deaths of so many of them, the deaths of their children and babies; even after their towns have been flattened, their schools and hospitals destroyed, they show no fear. Every one of them expects to die at any time because of your attacks but they would never surrender. When asked they simply said it is their land and they would defend it to the last. Even an Arab Christian priest was determined to stay on in Gaza. Those of their children who survive will prepare themselves to defend their land like their parents. Your attacks fail to terrify them or to force them to submit. You only succeed in instilling greater hatred of Israel and the Israelis.
Hanan:
Your people who went to Gaza saw just one side of the picture and arrived there with a biased opinion. Yes, this is a sad story of killed people and flattened infrastructure. By providing this fact without addressing the root cause, someone would think that Israel is playing war for fun. We don’t ask them to surrender. We don’t want them to die. We want them to live in dignity and to let us live without the daily terror.

Unfortunately the hatred is increasing on both sides. This is because people are thinking wrong and react with anger. It is Hamas who imprisoned the population to suffer because of their radical Islam-Politics against Israel and the Jews. As same the Jews will not surrender and fight for our rights to live here till the last person.

There are three options of a solution. (1)The Palestinians shall wipe the Jews from the land or (2) the Israelis shall wipe the Palestinians from the land or (3) both sides must find a solution to live side by side and compromise. Not recognizing one side rights to exist on that land like Hamas is doing is disabling the third option of compromising. That’s the simple logic that no one can accept if he wants to survive.
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16. When it was pointed out to them that they are no match for the Israeli forces and their weapons of mass destruction, when it was pointed out that their rockets were primitive and cannot compare with the destructiveness of Israeli rockets, they were not disheartened. The Israeli attacks simply strengthened their resolve to go on fighting. The Israeli idea to out-terrorise them has not worked and I believe it would not work.

Hanan:
Dear Dr. Mahathir, this method of resistance was tried out for so many years and did not solve anything but more bitterness. This is an attitude of hopeless people. Palestinians should not be hopeless. As an engineer, when I discover that my solution of a problem is not working, I try some other approach to solve it. When a system is having a short circuit and the fuse is blown, maybe I’ll try to replace the fuse once, twice, even ten times. But the fuse is still blowing. I need a different approach and address a better solution instead replacing the fuses. Maybe I’ll increase its value but it still blows. Can I increase that value endless? I may damage the system. Then I need to think out of the box and find another approach to solve the problem.

The Palestinians are trying along many years to replace the fuses and it blows time after time. They even increased its value and they didn’t gain any solution but frustration all along the way. A new approach to solve the problem is required. A violent resistance – terror is not the way. Let’s not push each other to the wall and meet in the center of the room to speak. This is a different approach in my point of view. Let’s brainstorm and do something for the next generations.
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17. Your arguments simply confirm my belief that the Jews have the same degree of hatred for the Palestinians, despite the fact that you suffer less than them.
Hanan:
I would not try to measure which side hates more. Definitely, there is hatred between the peoples. The root cause of that hatred lies in front of both sides. It is not based on personal haltered but national one. As a national hatred it is pointed only and only to the peoples politicians and religion clerics. Demonizing people is not done by the humble citizens; it is done by politicians whatever the reason is. I think if the politicians and clerics would describe a different approach to solve the problem it may work with the humble people as well.
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18. The war has degenerated into a feud between Palestinians and Israelis. The Palestinians know they cannot win the war but that simply heightened their hatred for Israelis. They will nevertheless try to kill Jews, even if that will intensify Jewish hatred for the Palestinians. And you will retaliate with many times greater ferocity because you cannot force them to their knees. Their resistance simply increase your anger and hatred of them.
Hanan:
Dear Dr. Mahathir, you are right. This looks like an endless bloody wheel that spins faster and faster. We must join forces to stop that wheel. Believe me, honestly, the last thing I want is more killing and dead people on both sides. Don’t think I have no mercy for the innocent Palestinians. But I have the same mercy for my own people who are suffering as well. The approach of the Palestinians, Israeli and the Muslim world should change. All forces must join to bring a new vision of hope to both peoples. Those many years of violence didn’t provide any constructive solution, but pain and more pain. We can make it!
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19. We have come to an impasse. If Israel is bent on occupying Palestinian land, on building Jewish settlements, on building Berlin walls and on sanctions and blockade, the Palestinians will continue their futile attacks. Arabs will die, maybe 10 for every one Jew. But with the hatred for Jews which they harbour, that is a worthwhile sacrifice. And Jews will kill more Arabs to express their hatred. And so it will go on as it had gone for 60 years, as it will go on for another 60 years or more.
Hanan:
Dear Dr. Mahathir. Before the fence was built and the blockade on Gaza didn’t the Palestinians do their futile attacks? Didn’t we suffer their terror? It looks like this is their way to solve their problems. The hatred is increasing and it is to blame the Palestinians as same as the Israelis if to be fair in judgment.

Saying that the war may continue another 60 years or more using the same strategy is proving that you are or militant (which I prefer not to believe) or hopeless of a solution (which must not be). A wise man like you, as a leader you cannot afford yourself to be hopeless. I would encourage you to think over the situation again and again and try to find the light at the end of the tunnel. It must not continue for another 60 years of violence and sorrow.
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20. Dear Hanan, tell your Government to compromise.
Hanan:
My government is ready to compromise. They always demonstrated it as by the pulling back from Gaza and letting the Palestinians start a new page without terror. When we occupied Gaza they terrorized and claimed that this is the reason. We pulled back and they continued their terror.
Compromising must be a demand on both sides. What did we get from the Palestinians for our previous compromising?
Dear Dr. Mahathir, I’ll ask you something. Please, kindly go to your government which you know very well and ask them to compromise and establish diplomatic relations with Israel. This should be very easy for you since Israel has no border conflict with Malaysia and your position is much stronger on your government than mine on my government.
After you do this, I’ll go to my government and tell them to compromise more (based on the terror to be stopped). This will be a sign for me that the Muslim world has a different approach and really seeks for peace.
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Let me end my comments with a personal poem I wrote (which you are probably familiar with, but the other readers are not yet familiar).

A Wish for Brotherhood

Once upon a time we were brothers,
So were our mothers and fathers.
So were our grandfathers, grandmothers.
Can't we have something that gathers?

Why should hate spread more than love?
Why to shoot down the peaceful dove?
Why to use the killing bloody sword
Instead a meaningful loving word?

Can't we join our forces to unite?
Can’t we spread love instead to fight?
Our common to bloom and prosper,
The hate will eliminate and defer.

Let our bright sun to rise and shine,
Salute peace and raise a toast of wine.
Build for our kids playing yards
And not bloody gloomy graveyards.

Let's then be sisters and brothers,
Even our colors differs the others.
Let our hands strongly embrace and bundle,
Then on earth peace will role and handle.

Hanan© 04-12-2003


May God bless you with Salam, Shalom.

Hanan, Jewish and an Israeli Zionist.







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