P.A. ANTI-SEMITES GET A FREE PASS FROM U.S. STATE DEPT.

PA Anti-Semites Get a Free Pass from the State Department - Rafael Medoff (National Review)
The State Department conspicuously omitted the Palestinian Authority from its March 13 report on anti-Semitism around the world.    The report did note that Hamas, which rules Gaza, treats the anti-Semitic Protocols of the Elders of Zion as fact, denies the Holocaust, and broadcasts hateful TV shows aimed at children.

But the PA under Mahmoud Abbas, which controls the West Bank, managed to escape blame for the anti-Semitism that it promotes with no less energy.   The American Jewish Committee released a study showing the PA's schoolbooks characterize Jews in "hateful" and "derogatory" language, cite the Protocols of the Elders of Zion as a legitimate source of historical information, and omit any mention of the Holocaust.  The State Department report did mention that in the 1990s, Holocaust denial became commonplace in popular media in the PA - without any acknowledgment that most of the "popular media" is government-controlled.

U.S.: P.A. FAILS IN FIGHT AGAINST TERROR

U.S.: PA Fails in Fight Against Terror - Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff and Yuval Azoulay
The American officers responsible for monitoring Israeli and Palestinian compliance with the road map peace plan, headed by Gen. William Fraser, say the PA security services occasionally arrest members of Islamic terror organizations, but they do not follow up with the other steps in the "chain of prevention": interrogations, arrests of additional operatives, indictments and trials. Trials generally take place only if the PA is under external pressure. (Ha'aretz)

SADDAM COLLECTED INFO FROM P.A. ON TARGETS IN ISRAEL

Saddam Collected Information from PA on Potential Targets in Israel - Amir Oren
Saddam Hussein's intelligence service collected information on dozens of sites in Israel, including airports, other transportation centers, as well as scientific and religious centers that were thought to be potential targets for attacks. Among the sources providing intelligence to Saddam's regime was Force 17, the security force of Yasser Arafat, which planned and carried out attacks against Israeli targets from its Ramallah headquarters. This information emerged following the release of documents captured during the American invasion in 2003. The captured documents also detail a 2001 plan to release jailed Iraqis if they agreed to volunteer to carry out attacks on Israeli targets. (Ha'aretz)

SEE ALSO: Indyk was Hussein's target (JTA)
A former U.S. ambassador to Israel was targeted for assassination by the Saddam Hussein regime, according to top-secret Iraqi documents.

Martin Indyk, an Australian-bred Jew, was listed in a U.S. Institute for Defense Analyses report released this week by the Pentagon on the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.

The Pentagon said the paper provides “strong evidence” of the links between Saddam’s regime and global terrorism.

Indyk, who served two separate diplomatic terms in Tel Aviv, is mentioned in a letter to Baghdad from terrorist leaders in the Gaza Strip. The suggestion to “eliminate” Indyk was based on his apparent involvement in cooperative activities between Israelis and Palestinians.

An Australian newspaper reported Saturday that Indyk, a native of Britain, was unaware of the plot but said the letter was written on June 30, 2001 -- his last day as U.S. ambassador to Israel.

MURDERERS OF ISRAELI HIKERS ESCAPE FROM P.A. PRISON

Murderers of Israeli Hikers Escape from PA Prison
The Palestinian terrorists who murdered Israeli hikers Ahikam Amihai and David Rubin near Hebron in December have escaped from their PA prison cells, Israel Army Radio reported Tuesday. (Jerusalem Post)

TORTURE IN RAMALLAH

Torture in Ramallah

DAVID HAZONY -(CONTENTIONS)

Among Israelis, Hamas has a reputation for honesty alongside its brutality. Unlike the PA, Hamas doesn’t hide its intentions, nor does it hide its resentment of other Arab groups. So we should take it seriously when Hamas declares that Palestinian Authority prisons are “worse than Israeli occupation prisons with regards to prisoners’ rights.” This, in the wake of the death of a 44-year-old Hamas preacher in a Ramallah prison, just a week after the PA arrested him. According to the report on Ynet,

The Hamas movement received some support from a report by one of the main human rights organizations in the Palestinian Territories, A-Damir – a group that specializes in defending the rights of prisoners. The organization noted that it appears that Barghouti was tortured in a Palestinian intelligence service base and added that the PA group refuse to allow Barghouti to continue medical treatment at a hospital in spite of doctors’ recommendations.

Now, I really do believe that Hamas is an evil organization, and that its preachings of terror and violence are a serious threat. But one has to wonder why we have not heard more about conditions in Palestinian prisons, and whether international human rights organizations, which spill so much ink in addressing American and Israeli prisons, will take a serious look at what happens in places where there is no “occupation.”

PALIS GLORIFY DIMONA SUICIDE BOMBERS

A Palestinian boy distributes sweets and flowers to people in the southern Gaza Strip after a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up in southern Israel February 4, 2008. A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up and police shot dead his accomplice in an attack in a shopping centre in southern Israel on Monday that killed at least one Israeli, emergency services said. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA)

PA glorifies Dimona terrorists (JPost)
The terrorists who perpetrated Monday's suicide bombing in Dimona were glorified in three newspapers controlled by the Palestinian Authority, including the official Al-Hayat al-Jadida which is controlled by PA President Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian Media Watch reported Wednesday.

"The perpetrators of the operation died as shahids ... an Israeli was killed and eleven were wounded in the Dimona operation," Al-Hayat al-Jadida reported on February 5.

The Palestinian dailies Al-Iyam and Al-Quds also defined the bombers as glorious martyrs, or shahids.

The Palestinian media's description of the terrorists as shahids, granting them Islam's highest honor, clearly contradicts Abbas's condemnation of the terror attack.

According to Islam, a shahid is a person who dies a "holy death" for allah and is conceived as a hero and role model in Palestinian society, specifically for Palestinian youths.

Also described as shahids in the Palestinian media were two Palestinians who attempted to murder Israelis in Kfar Etzyon's Makor Haim High School several weeks ago.

Although terrorists have always been defined as shahids in Palestinian society, the latest report is particularly disturbing since it demonstrates that while Israel and the PA are attempting to renew peace negotiations, the PA is continuing to honor terrorists.

ISRAELI HIKERS' KILLER WAS FROM P.A. SECURITY FORCE

Israeli Hikers' Killer Was from PA Security Force - Yaakov Katz (Jerusalem Post)
The terrorists who gunned down David Rubin and Ahikam Amihai, who were hiking near Hebron on Friday, are both PA workers, and one is a member of the PA security forces, the Israel Security Agency revealed Tuesday. Ali Dandis, 24, a Fatah operative, worked as a clerk at the Sharia courts in Hebron, while Amar Taha, 26, was a member of the PA National Security Force. Security officials said the attack was premeditated and that the terrorists' goal had been to kill the hikers and steal their weapons. Last month, Ido Zoldan was gunned down in the West Bank by Palestinian terrorists who turned out to be members of the PA security forces.

See also Israeli Minister: PA Will Be Tested in Punishment It Gives Attackers (Jerusalem Post)

P.A. NEGOTIATOR'S BODYGUARD WAS TANZIM TERRORIST

PA Negotiator's Bodyguard Was Tanzim Terrorist (IDF Spokesperson/IMRA)
During an arrest operation Thursday in Beituniya, west of Ramallah in the West Bank, a wanted member of the Tanzim terrorist organization, Muatsam Rafik Salah Sarif, was killed after he opened fire at IDF forces. Sarif, who was also a member of the Palestinian security services and served as one of the bodyguards of PA negotiator Ahmed Qurea, was recently involved in transporting weapons to terror operatives in Ramallah.

PALI LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL: CONCESSIONS = TREASON

PLC passes law to make any concessions on J’lem illegal. (JPost)
The Hamas-dominated Palestinian Legislative Council Thursday passed a law that makes any concessions on Jerusalem illegal. The law, which was approved by first reading, also defines such concessions as a crime of high treason.

Presented by Hamas legislator Ahmed Abu Halbiyeh on behalf of two parliamentary committees - the Judicial Committee and the Committee for Jerusalem Affairs, the law is expected to pass in second and third readings in the coming days.

The PLC session was boycotted by many members of the rival Fatah faction in protest against Hamas’s violent takeover of the Gaza Strip last June. However, many Fatah legislators have made it known that they too support the law, which states that Jerusalem is a Palestinian, Arab and Islamic city and that it is totally forbidden to give up or conduct negotiations about any part of the city.

According to the law, anyone who violates the law would be prosecuted as a traitor.

HITLER: HERO OF THE PALESTINIANS

Hitler – Hero of "Voice of Palestine" contest (PMW)
Winner who guesses "Hitler" - wins 600 Shekel
Hitler's military victories cited in detail;
Holocaust is not a part of Hitler's history

"His golden year was 1940, when his armies invaded Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Holland, and Belgium and defeated France ... By mid 1942, his country controlled the largest land area in Europe… He refused to surrender and continued to fight for two more years, but, his bitter end came in the spring of 1945 when he took his own life…. Who is he?"
[From Voice of Palestine radio contest, Nov. 27, 2007]

Introduction:

This text is just part of the official Palestinian radio Ramadan quiz that was rebroadcast this past week, whose hero was Hitler. The full broadcast presents Hitler heroically, detailing his 2 Medals' of Honor in World War 1, his rise to power, his launching of World War 2 and specifies country after country that he conquered. His victories in 1940 are coined "his golden year", while his defeat and death are coined: "his bitter end."

Not surprisingly, though citing his victories and "bitter" fall in great detail, the Holocaust is not mentioned. This is consistent with Palestinian education in general which erases the Holocaust from history. See recent full PMW report and bulletin on new 12th grade Palestinian history schoolbook, in which many pages are dedicated to the history of World War 2 and even to Nazi racism, but neither Jews nor the Holocaust are mentioned.

Admiration of Hitler in the Palestinian Authority

It may be surprising to Western observers to see official Palestinian radio presenting Hitler heroically. But it is important to understand that the revulsion of Hitler expected in the West is not true in Palestinian society. Palestinians can be found who are named "Hitler" as a first name: Hitler Salah [Al Hayat Al Jadida (Fatah), Sept. 28, 2005], Hitler Abu-Alrab [Al Hayat Al Jadida (Fatah), Jan. 27, 2005], Hitler Mahmud Abu-Libda [Al Hayat Al Jadida (Fatah), Dec.18, 2000.] Articles have appeared in both Fatah and Hamas newspapers which demonstrate Hitler's admired status.

The following is the full text of the "Voice of Palestine" contest in which guessing Hitler's name will win a prize of 600 Shekel, followed by a selection of past articles from both Fatah and Hamas newspapers that have demonstrate Hitler's admired status.

Voice of Palestine – official Palestinian Authority radio, Nov. 27, 2007

"Dear listeners, welcome to the 20th session of the Ramadan Educational Quiz."
[Guess the unknown person -the correct answer is "Hitler"- editor]
"He was a leader and politician, born in 1889 in Braunau, Austria.
He served in the German army during the First World War, was wounded in service and awarded two Medals of Honor.
He joined a small right-wing party in Munich and became the head of this party without a struggle within two years.
In 1923, he attempted to execute a coup but failed. He was arrested, imprisoned and released after serving a year in prison.
In 1933 he became his country’s Chancellor, and used the state's mechanisms to crush his political opponents.
He earned his popularity by succeeding to lower unemployment rates and to generate an economic recovery in his country. Later he prepared his country for the Second World War.
His golden year was 1940, when his armies invaded Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Holland, and Belgium and defeated France in June 1940.
That year Britain managed to withstand the attacks of his Air Force and he missed the victory over Britain.
His armies conquered Greece and Yugoslavia in 1941.
That year he violated the non-belligerency treaty and attacked Russia. His armies took control of vast Soviet areas.
His armies were defeated in Stalingrad.
He declared war on the United States in 1941. By mid 1942, his country controlled the largest land area in Europe and large parts of North Africa.
The turning point of the war occurred late in 1942, when his forces were defeated in the Battle of Al-Alamein.
He refused to surrender and continued to fight for two more years, but, his bitter end came in the spring of 1945 when he took his own life, and his country surrendered a week later. Who is he?
Answers should be sent to the address: Ramallah … Voice of Palestine, Division of Program [Development], Ramadan [Trivia] Quiz…the first prize is 600 NIS."

PMW Archives:
Admiration of Hitler in the Palestinian Authority newspapers

A Palestinian newspaper chronicled with pride the ways in which different foreign leaders singled out the Palestinians as examples of ideal revolutionaries. The first leader cited for praising the Palestinians was Adolf Hitler:

"Adolf Hitler, while exciting the Germans of the Sudetenland - the Sudetenland is a German province that the Allies had annexed to Czechoslovakia after the First World War - told them in his broadcasts: Look at what the Palestinian revolutionaries are doing to Great Britain!!" [Al-Rissala (Hamas Weekly), May 18, 2006]

This phenomenon of Palestinians being named after Hitler, cited above, was explained in an article in the official Palestinian Authority daily praising the rewriting of history and the doing of "justice" to Hitler:

"Even Adolf Hitler, who after the fall of Nazi Germany turned into a political horror for most of the writers and artists, during the last decades has started to return himself to his part of the picture. There are some in Britain who defended Hitler and tried to do justice for him. There are elderly people, among them Arabs, who still carry the name Hitler since their fathers, who were charmed by him, linked them [their children] with his name." [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida (Fatah), April 13, 2000]

One article explained the phenomenon of naming Palestinians after admired foreign leaders - such as Napoleon and the Nazi General Rommel:

"Sometimes parents name their children with foreign names, due to the father's admiration to a foreign personality. This is the source of the names: Rommel [famous Nazi General] and Napoleon." [Al-Ayyam, November 15, 2001 "Woman's Voice" supplement.]

The admiration for Hitler is consistent with the status of Mein Kampf, which a PA daily cited as a book on the best sellers' list.
[Al Hayat Al Jadida (Fatah), Sept. 2, 1999].

A contributing factor to this admiration may be the history of the Hitler - Arab alliance during World War 2. The Arab leader in British Palestine, the Mufti Haj Amin al-Husseini, was actively allied with Hitler. The numerous meetings between the Mufti and Hitler are well documented.

Finally, the PA daily published an interview with an elderly Lebanese which described the man's professed friendship with Hitler, as well as his pride in fighting for Hitler: And whereas this is a personal account whose historical accuracy is not important, what is significant is the positive, even proud attitude about his friendship with Hitler, that is being expressed so routinely.

Interview with Sheikh Ali Hussain Abu-Ibrahim, a Palestinian resident of Lebanon who claims he is 116 years old:

"Question: What are the important events in your life that left the biggest impression?
Answer: The first was the Hitler event. I met him in Jerusalem in one of the Turkish Army camps, and the friendship between us was very tight. At the time I was a sergeant while Hitler was a simple private. The relationship between us tightened even more once Turkey entered the war together with Germany. The second event was when I participated [with the Nazi army] in entering France and conquering it. I was in charge of the cannon that shelled Paris, which had an active influence on the fall of the French capital and its conquest without any notable resistance. Hitler congratulated me on this shelling and its consequences… As an artillery officer I took part in many operations against the English and France, until the end of the Second World-War …"
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida (Fatah), May 12, 2003.]

Clearly, the name Hitler does not have the stigma in PA society that it has in the West. Indeed, not only the Hamas daily, but the Fatah controlled PA dailies as well, have written in favorable tones about Hitler. To some Palestinians the man and his name are sources of admiration.

PALI POLICE BEHIND TERROR ATTACK

Palestinian police behind last week's terror attack (JPost)
Palestinian policemen were behind the shooting attack last week which killed Ido Zoldan, a 29-year-old father of two from the settlement of Shavei Shomron, the IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) revealed Sunday night.

Zoldan was killed last Monday night - the day before the Annapolis summit began - when shots were fired at his car as he drove past the Palestinian village of al-Punduk.

The three members of the cell were Palestinian policemen and members of the Palestinian National Security Force, in which Israel and the United States have been investing as part of the international effort to strengthen Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah government.

Defense officials said the weapon used in the attack had not been supplied to the Palestinians by Israel since it did not belong to the official Palestinian security forces. The officials said, however, that the IDF expected the political echelon to rethink its policy of strengthening Abbas in light of the fact that his policemen were involved in terrorism.

The day after the attack, acting on intelligence, IDF soldiers and Shin Bet operatives raided the village of Kfar Kadum, near al-Pundak and arrested Daper Barham and Abdullah Barahm, both 22-year-old Palestinian policemen and Fatah members. The third suspect, Fadi Jama, also a policeman, was in Palestinian Police custody.

During their interrogation, the two confessed their involvement in the attack and handed over the weapon used in the shooting to the Shin Bet. They said they had parked their car on the side of the road and waited for an Israeli car to pass by. Once Zoldan's car appeared, they merged onto the road, passed him, and opened fire. They told their interrogators that they decided to carry out the attack to "scare settlers."

E.U. ANNUAL AID TO P.A. SURPASSES $1 BILLION

EU Annual Aid to PA Surpasses $1 Billion - Rasheed Hilal (IMEMC-PA)
PA Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr. Ahmad Subuh on Wednesday announced that the EU had donated aid to the PA over the past year totaling $1,080 million. He said the amount had increased significantly from last year's $980 million and the previous year's $880 million.

No Aid to PA Without Performance - Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Shelley Berkley (Jerusalem Post)

• Mahmoud Abbas has repeatedly pledged to stop terrorism without making good on his word. Meanwhile, foreign aid to Abbas has entered Hamas' coffers. The U.S. has spent, and continues to spend, millions of dollars to help Abbas implement reforms aimed at eradicating incitement, providing security assistance to Palestinian entities, and promoting accountability and transparency of government institutions.
  
• Despite these efforts, Abbas and his corrupt Fatah party failed miserably at curbing terrorism and implementing government reforms. Yet, the U.S. counsels patience and offers further aid. This only encourages a culture of victimhood and unaccountability among the Palestinians, a culture feeding terror and perpetuating and deepening the present conflict. Therefore, the Administration's recent proposal to hand Abbas hundreds of millions in additional funding is simply wrong.
  
• Instead of disbursing millions to Palestinian leaders in the hope they will change their ways, we must link each disbursement of funds to tangible progress, consistent with the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act, in purging from its security services individuals with ties to terrorism, dismantling all terrorist infrastructure within its jurisdiction, and fully cooperating with Israel's security services.
  

P.A. CELEBRATES 9/11

Palestinian Authority celebrates 9-11 terror attacks (PMW)
The Palestinian Authority continues a long tradition of celebrating the 2001 World Trade Center terror attacks by publishing cartoons in its official daily that glorify Osama Bin Laden and the attacks, or mock the suffering of the U.S. This year's cartoon shows Bin Laden smiling while making the “V” for victory sign with two fingers in the shape of the burning Twin Towers. The PA daily that published the cartoon, Al Hayat Al Jadida, is owned by the PA and controlled by the office of Mahmoud Abbas. The only text on this cartoon is "Exclusive to Al Hayat Al Jadida," which means it was prepared specifically for the official Palestinian Authority daily.

The Palestinian Authority has a long history of celebrating the 9-11 terror. The world was shocked by televised scenes of Palestinians celebrating the attacks in the streets the day they took place. A December 2005 poll found that "65% of Palestinians support(ed) Al Qaeda actions in the USA and Europe.” (Fafo – Institute for Applied International Studies – Norway. Survey Dec. 22, 2005).

HERE'S ONE OF THE MANY OFFENSIVE CARTOONS AT THE LINK:

MONEY POURS INTO P.A.

PA Received $130 Million in January - Mu Xuequan (Xinhua-China)
The PA has received $130 million in January, including tax revenues of $100 million transferred by Israel on Jan. 19 and a $30 million donation from the United Arab Emirates, Rafik al-Hussini, chief of Abbas' office, said Saturday. He also said Qatar has promised $220 million.

See also Bush Approves Transfer of $86 Million to Abbas (Jerusalem Post)
President George Bush approved transferring $86 million to strengthen the security forces headed by PA Chairman Abbas, Israel Radio reported Wednesday.

PALI F.M.: "ISRAEL SHOULD MOVE TO CANADA"

Palestinian FM: "Israel Should Move to Canada" - (Al-Bawaba-Jordan)
"One large Islamic nation should be established in the Middle East, and where will Israel go? It should go to Canada. There is much open territory there in which a Jewish state should be established," said Palestinian Foreign Minster Mahmoud A-Zahar in a recent interview with Canada's Globe and Mail.

INT'L AID TO PALIS UP SINCE HAMAS WIN

International Aid to Palestinians Up Since Hamas Win - Aimee Rhodes (Jerusalem Post)
International aid to the Palestinians increased by nearly 10 percent following Hamas' election victory, despite the reassessment of donor programs, UN under-secretary general for political affairs Ibrahim Gambari told the UN Security Council on Thursday. Humanitarian assistance alone had doubled since 2004.

Russia opposes Hamas embargo (JTA)
Russia called for the Western aid embargo against the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority to be lifted. Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov, whose country is among the Quartet of foreign mediators in the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, said Tuesday that the issue would be raised during a Feb. 2 meeting of the forum.

“Russia has always opposed the blockade, and we count on the Quartet listening to our point of view,” Saltanov told Russia’s Interfax news agency.

The embargo was imposed after Hamas swept Palestinian Authority legislative elections last year in a bid to press the radical Islamist group into recognizing Israel, accepting past peace deals and renouncing terrorism.

But Russia showed early signs of breaking with its Quartet partners — the United States, European Union and United Nations — when it hosted senior Hamas politicians in Moscow.

ISLAMIC JIHAD TERRORIST CANDIDATE FOR P.A. SECURITY CHIEF

Islamic Jihad terrorist candidate for new PA 'Interior Minister' (JNW)
A leading candidate for the Palestinian Authority's new Interior Minister - the official in charge of the PA security forces - is a former member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad who has spent 14 years in Israeli jails for terrorism.

This is according to sources close to Hamas quoted in The Jerusalem Post Tuesday.

Khader Abbas, current commander of the anti-drug police in the Gaza Strip, could be the "neutral" individual placed in this sensitive post in line with an agreement reached Sunday between Fatah and PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in Damascus.

If appointed, the once-dedicated terrorist would be the man Israel would look to to keep fellow "Palestinians" from doing what he himself made a life out of doing: attacking Jews.