IRAN: HARRY POTTER MOVIE IS A ZIONIST PLOT TO PROMOTE DEVIL WORSHIP!
by David Lev (IsraelNationalNews)

If you thought the Harry Potter series was an innocent children’s fantasy story, you’re wrong, an Iranian movie producer says: In reality, the Harry Potter books and movies are part of a “Zionist plot” to “spread their poison.” With its emphasis on witches, warlocks, and wonders, he says, the Harry Potter series “serves to spread the dark and evil essence of Zionism and its goals.”

In a series of accusations that sound ridiculous to those raised in the West, Iran’s Irinn TV channel produced a documentary that purports to show how the various elements of the Potter story – the use of magic, the struggle against the Dark Lord, and other themes – essentially reflect the tenets and goals of Zionism (read: Judaism), and encourage innocent people around the world to support those goals.

“Propaganda for purity of blood and race, one of the principles of global Zionism, is openly portrayed and emphasized in the second Harry Potter film,” the film’s narrator says, referring to the obsession of the film’s villain, Voldemort, with pure bloodlines – symbolic of the Jews’ parochial attitude to non-Jewish nations. “If we add this film to the other pieces of the puzzle – the beliefs depicted in the other propaganda and political products of the “Ziono-Hollywoodists,” the Satanic features of this inhumane movement will become more evident.”

In addition to the blood theme, the series alludes to the Jewish desire to rule the world, says a prominent Iranian film critic quoted in the movie. “The Zionists support Harry Potter because he is the promised Messiah,” Sa’id Mostaghasi says. “As you can see, he has the same traits and wants to defeat a dark force, which in this film is depicted as Voldemort. In the sixth episode, there is even mention of the War of Armageddon.”

Perhaps worst of all, the documentary says, is the series’ attempts to influence innocent Christians and Muslims to worship the devil, as the Jews do. “The creation of new stories, based on mythical themes leading to witchcraft and devil worship, has always been a tool used by contemporary Zionists, and is once again being used by them… targeting innocent children and youth” to join them in their Satanic ways.”

The Iranians are apparently the first to make the three-way connection between Harry Potter, the Devil, and Jews, although they did not invent the two strands that make up that connection; Christian Europe has for nearly a millenium portrayed the Jews as the representative of the Devil on earth, while modern-day Christian evangelicals preachers have railed against Harry Potter because of its magic and fantasy related themes – although there have been a number of commentators across the spectrum of Christianity, including evangelicals and Catholics, who have rallied to the series’ defense. Thus, while the Focus on the Family group has said that the Potter books contain some positive messages, “they are packaged in a medium – witchcraft – that is directly denounced in Scripture,” evangelical author Connie Neal has written.

That the Iranians would connect the devil theme to the Jews is not surprising at all, given that Christians have been doing this for much of their own history. In his seminal work on the subject, “The Devil and the Jews,” author Joshua Trachteberg laid out a sordid history of European anti-Semitism, which showed that much of Christian anti-Semitism over the past 1,000 years stems from a fear – and suspicion – that the Jews were working with the Devil to destroy Christianity.

“How is it that the Jews can be hated for being Communists and capitalists – at the same time,” asks Trachtenberg, as he explores some of the most ridiculous beliefs that Christians have had about Jews: that they poison wells, desecrate the “host” (the wafer representing Jesus in Catholic ritual), and destroy morality, among many other sins. In his work, published in 1943, Trachtenberg builds a persuasive case that Christians have seen Jews as allies of the Devil, working against them, and that those vestigial beliefs are still around today – for example, in the accusation that Hollywood (which everyone knows is “controlled by the Jews”) spreads moral perversion and unpatriotic attics.

Thus, it didn’t take much for Iran to pick up on these themes in its battle against Israel and the Jews, says history researcher Morris Cohen. “Those themes were out there for the taking, so it makes sense that they would use them against Israel.” The Islamic world, he said, is much more vehement in its condemnation of Harry Potter than the Christian world: In 2002, the books were banned in schools across the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on the grounds that its themes were contrary to Islamic values; in 2007, police in Karachi, Pakistan discovered and defused a car bomb located outside a shopping center where the final Harry Potter novel was scheduled to go on sale that day; and of course, Iran has harped on the Jewish connection to the sorcery themes in the books, saying that “Zionists had spent billions of dollars” on it in order to encourage devil worship, as described above.

The Jewish attitude to Harry Potter, it should be noted, has been a bit more varied. While some rabbis, especially in the hareidi-religious community, have spoken against the series, few have pointed to its emphasis on magic as the reason – and are more likely to lump it together with other popular culture phenomena that can draw the attention of children away from Torah study.

However, there are a fair number of rabbis and Jewish authors who have made deep analyses of the books and movies, and have found what they say are many parallels to Jewish philosophy and thought, with themes such as the power of good over evil, the importance of loyalty and friendship, and the value of doing right vs. the value of preserving light. In an article on Aish.com, for example, author Shira Albertson says that Harry “has to find the inner strength to act with independence and conviction,” reflecting Hillel’s famous saying, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me?”

While one would expect Judaism to be as vociferously opposed to Harry Potter as Christians and Muslims are – after all, magic and sorcery are capital crimes in the Torah – one reason that the Jewish attitude towards Harry Potter is more relaxed may be because of the way Jews practice the Torah. “Jews are used to interpreting the Written Law through the lens of the Oral Law, and thus don’t necessarily automatically jump on things that appear ‘suspicious’ on the surface,” Rabbi Chaim Shapiro of New York told Israel National News. “For example, the death penalty is mentioned numerous times in the Torah for a wide array of sins, but the Talmud tells us that a Court of Jewish Law that killed too frequently – even once in 70 years – was condemned. The Oral Law obviates many of these penalties, so it makes sense that rabbis would look beyond the surface on the Harry Potter issue as well.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Many of these Iranian accusations were also used by the Nazis and Adolph Hitler – viewpoints that were a part of what led to the Holocaust. In our opinion, the Harry Potter series does more damaqe than good, and presents an inaccurate picture of Biblical teaching concerning the presence and influence of the demonic world.)

HAMAS CAPTURES, TORTURES AFRICAN MIGRANTS IN SINAI!
by Ryan Jones (Israel Today News)

It has been known for some time that the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas is operating in the Egyptian Sinai. But Israel is not the only victim of this development. African migrants and refugees seeking asylum in Israel have reportedly been captured and grossly ill treated by the Palestinian militants.
The Italian-based human rights organization EveryOne reported at the weekend that it had petitioned the Egyptian government to intervene and save the lives of 250 Eritrean refugees who were taken by Hamas operatives in Sinai earlier this month.

The Eritreans were reportedly making their way to Israel when they came across Hamas men in the desert. The Palestinians offered to smuggle them into Israel for a payment of $2,000, but instead took them to a holding facility outside the Sinai-Gaza border town of Rafah.

The Africans have been kept in abysmal conditions. What’s worse, EveryOne reported that eight of the migrants were murdered and four others disappeared. All of them are believed to be victims of organ harvesting and trafficking. About 100 of the Africans have been moved to another facility purportedly in preparation to have their organs harvested, too.

A statement released by EveryOne said that the women and children among the African captives are regularly beaten and raped, and many are contemplating suicide.

Israel itself is hotly debating what to do about the massive influx of African migrants to the country over the past decade. There are roughly 30,000 illegal African migrants living in Israel. They constitute about 4 percent of the entire population of Tel Aviv, where most of the migrants reside.

Earlier this month, Israel sent several planeloads of migrants back to their countries of origin, but local human rights groups have blocked the deportation of many on the grounds that their lives would be put in danger by returning to Africa.

Many Israelis are sympathetic toward the plight of the Africans entering their country, and believe that Jewish history compels them to lend a helping hand and provide safe haven. But many Israelis also fear that such an influx of foreign non-Jewish migrants could eventually disrupt the demographic balance in the country, as well as adversely affect Israel’s economy.

ORLEV: PUBLISH COMPTROLLER’S REPORT ON WAQF’S ACTIVITIES ON THE TEMPLE MOUNT!
by Elad Benari (Arutz Sheva News)

According to MK Zevulun Orlev (The Jewish Home), the contents of a recent report by the State Comptroller which outlines the destruction of antiquities on the Temple Mount by the Waqf should be made public.

Speaking to Arutz Sheva’s daily Hebrew journal, Orlev responded to comments made last week by MK Otniel Schneller (Kadima), who heads an internal Knesset committee whose task is to decide if and what to publish of the State Comptroller’s report. The report was written approximately six months ago, but until now it has not yet been determined which sections of it, if at all, would be made public.

Schneller told Arutz Sheva last week that most of the shortcomings regarding Israel’s ineffectiveness in dealing with the Waqf’s excavations on the Temple Mount have been corrected. As such, Schneller said that he believes that most of the report should not be published as such a publication could damage Israel’s international standing.

However, Orlev, who was one of the members of the same committee and who has read the entire contents of the report, disagrees with Schneller and said that he believes that there is no reason to hide any of the report’s findings.

“This report is of outmost importance,” said Orlev. “It touches upon the most holy place for us. It’s a hard report. Although the committee has not yet decided what part of it will be published, the facts are known to the public. The Waqf makes every effort to undermine the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount.”

Evidence has surfaced that the Waqf has taken control of the Temple Mount over the past ten years, conducting illegal digs and building mosques in the area.

In fact, Dr. Gabi Barkai, senior lecturer at Bar Ilan University and recipient of the Jerusalem Prize for Archaeology, recently told Arutz Sheva that “Some years ago they took 400 truckloads of dirt from the Temple Mount and dumped it into the Kidron Valley – totally illegally. This is dirt that is filled with Jewish history from many periods: the Canaanites, the First Temple, the period of the return to Zion [from Babylonia], the Second Temple, including the Hashmonaim period and King Herod, and up to now.”

Barkai also said that the Muslims clearly have the goal of detaching Israel from its past and Holy Temple connections: “They wish to undermine Jewish ownership and bonds to the Temple Mount. They’ve built a giant mosque there in Solomon’s Stables [under the Temple Mount] and another one nearby – but aside from that, they have an ideological goal which is even making inroads to naïve circles in the West, and it is called ‘Holy Temple denial.’ They act as if there never was a Holy Temple. This is very very grave.”

Jewish residents in the area have confirmed Barkai’s statements and have reported that Waqf works are taking place ‘under cover’. They said that despite attempts by the Waqf to conceal the work, it is not hard to see what is happening on the Temple Mount.

“I thought that we should reveal as much as possible of what is happening on the Temple Mount,” said Orlev, who reiterated his position that the only passages in the report that should not be made public are those which relate to the measures taken by the police and the state to prevent the continued destruction by the Waqf. “The State Comptroller has also mentioned the importance of the report. It would be appropriate for the whole world to be made aware of the level of vulnerability on the Temple Mount.”

Regarding the question of the possible risk to Israel’s status in the world following the publication of the various parts of the report, Orlev said that he believes that the exact opposite would happen and that making the report public would strengthen Israel’s status, as it would reveal “the criminal acts of the Waqf on the Temple Mount. It will not hurt but rather help us. Archaeology is a global science and everyone knows that there are certain things which should not be touched. We could use this report as leverage in our favor.”

WORLD INCHES CLOSER TO RECOGNIZING “PALESTINE”
by Ryan Jones (Israel Today News)

Israel was shocked to learn on Monday that Britain is seriously considering upgrading the status of the Palestinian Authority delegation in London to that of an official diplomatic mission, putting it basically on par with the delegations of sovereign states.

The news, which was first reported by Israel’s Ynet news portal, was especially surprising considering that Britain’s current conservative government is viewed as generally pro-Israel.

Britain is not the first European country to recognize Palestinian delegations as diplomatic missions. France, Spain and Portugal have all already done so.
Israel fears that the next step for the Europeans is to officially recognize “Palestine” as an independent state outside the framework of an Israeli-Palestinian final status peace agreement. Most of South America has already gone so far as to officially recognize “Palestine.”

The Palestinian Authority is playing off this worrying trend and is threatening to seek official UN recognition for a unilateral declaration of independence if Israel does not meet all its demands.

If European Union powerhouses like Britain and France recognize a Palestinian state, the Palestinians are likely to have all the backing they need in the UN, forcing the hands of both Israel and the US, which is currently still opposed to the unilateral establishment of a Palestinian state.

The situation has reached this point because the Palestinians have managed to successfully reverse reality and paint Israel as a non-compliant peace partner. With the international community so anxious to conclude a final status peace deal (even if it doesn’t lead to genuine peace), it is ready to give the Palestinians what they want, with or without Israel.

(EDITOR’s NOTE: The movement of the European Union toward the recognition of “PALESTINE” without peace negotiations taking place is another indication of how close we are to the fulfillment of the prophecy in Daniel 9. May God give us all wisdom. It is time to stand firmly and without compromise for the integrity and commitment of Israel to the everlasting covenant of God Himself, Who has given the LAND (and more than Israel presently has!) to the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.)

ISRAELI DIPLOMAT “AMBUSHED” BY NY TIMES STAFF!
Israel Today Staff

The New York Times, flagship of the liberal American media, has never been a friend of the Jewish state. But the newspaper’s aversion to Israel turned to open hostility this month when its top editors ambushed and tore into an unsuspecting senior official from the Israeli Consulate in New York City.
The Israeli official was invited by the Times editors, among them rabid columnist Thomas Friedman, to meet with them at their office. Being a veteran at dealing with the American media, the official assumed the invitation was for a friendly discussion and perhaps an interview regarding the peace process and other matters of importance to Israel.

The Israeli had no idea he was being invited for what he described as a lynch.
As the meeting started, the Times editors – most of them Jews, and one of them a former Israeli – began to attack the Israeli diplomat, and refused to give him even a moment to respond. They blamed Israel for everything, the diplomat told Israel Today.

The Times editors insisted the breakdown of the peace process was Israel’s fault, that the lack of peace was Israel’s fault, and were adamant that Israel had given nothing to the Palestinians. They accused Israel of being an extremist and racist state, and blasted the diplomat for Israel’s “ill-treatment” of President Barack Obama.

In short, the Times staff informed the Israeli in no uncertain terms that they were sick of his country.

The diplomat told us he was shocked by the attack. He tried to respond, but the Times editors were not interested in hearing his arguments. “I asked them,” said the diplomat, “We haven’t given the Palestinians anything? How can you say that? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu broke with his party platform and implemented a 10-month Jewish building freeze, and what did we get in return? More Palestinian refusal to negotiate.”

According to the Israeli, the Times editors responded: “Yes, yes. Of course you are going to start telling us about how Israel’s security needs are not being met. You just don’t get it that we are sick of hearing about that.”

There is little doubt that this ambush was led by Friedman, whose hostility toward Israel in his recent columns has surprised even his liberal friends in the Jewish state.

In recent articles, Friedman has accused Israel of being a spoiled child, crazy and extremist. He insisted that the US stop being Israel’s “enabler,” and pointed out that the rest of the world is fully on the side of the Palestinians, so why not America?

Wrote Friedman in one of his columns: “Israel, when America – which has given you billions over the past 50 years and defended you in the international arena – asks you to stop building settlements for three months in order to jump start peace talks, there is only one correct answer, and that is ‘yes, whatever you say.’”

(Editor’s Note: The shameful actions of NY Times editors once again reveals their anti-Israel and anti-Biblical attitudes. Their arrogance and refusal to understand the situation Israel faces is the worst kind of journalism and reminds all of us why the NY Times is not wanted or needed in our country! Where is the Biblical understanding in all of this? The answer is obvious – they care nothing about the Biblical everlasting covenant nor the history of Israel – in reality, they are fighting God and His Word on a regular basis! May the LORD GOD of Israel open their eyes soon to the truth!)

GOOD TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY
Luke 2:1-14

The word “joy” is found 165 times in the Bible. It is one of the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22) Notice the following:

1. The PRAISE at creation – Job 38:7

2. The PRESENCE of the Lord – Psalm 16:11; Jude 24

3. The POWER of His Word – Psalm 126:5-6; Jeremiah 15:16; John 15:11

4. The PLACE where He dwells – Psalm 48:1-2, 8; 137:6

5. The PROMISE of return – Isaiah 35:10; 51:11; 55:10-13

6. The PLAN of His salvation – Habakkuk 3:18; Zephaniah 3:17; Luke 15:7, 10; Romans 15:13

7. The PRAYERS of His people – John 16:24

8. The PROPHET named John – Luke 1:14, 44

9. The PROPHECY of the Star – Numbers 24:17; Matthew 2:2, 10-11

10.The PURPOSE of His birth – Luke 2:10-14

(Editor’s Note: Please feel free to download and use these notes for your church, fellowship group, or family and friends who gather for your Christmas celebrations!)

EU GRANTS 10-YR DUTY-FREE STATIS TO PA AGRO PRODUCTS!
by Chana Ya’ar (IsraelNationalNews)

The European Union has given the PA in Judea, Samaria and Gaza a 10-year duty-free import trade status.

Palestinian Authority business owners in Judea, Samaria and Gaza will be able to sell fresh produce, oils and fish products in the European Union at an attractive price.

The deal, signed Wednesday, will allow PA farmers to export their goods in Europe duty-free for up to 10 years, with a review and possible extension after the first five years, according to a report posted on the EuroMed website.

According to data released by the European Union, the agreement won’t amount to much at this point. Last year’s exports to the EU were primarily soy and sunflower seeds, oils and early potato shipments. The entire lot came to a total of 6.1 million euros, around $8 million. In exchange, the EU exported some 50.5 million euros’ worth of goods to the PA.

Under the current Interim Association Agreement, PA farmers are already able to market their industrial goods and industrial products, duty-free, in the EU markets. The new agreement was specifically mapped out to include agricultural and fishery products under the framework of the Barcelona Process, with negotiations conducted in accordance with the Euro-Mediterranean Roadmap for Agriculture (Rabat roadmap).

Reuters reports that the EU issued a statement saying it expects exports from the PA to further expand as the economy develops. What the EU’s executive commission does not want, however, and what it bluntly said it was deeply concerned about, is the potential export of Jewish goods from the same areas.

“We are aware that the true origin is a potential problem, so we shall be watching that closely,” said Roger Waite, spokesman for the Commission.

The European Union has made no bones about the fact that it opposes Israel’s presence in Judea and Samaria, and is deeply committed to ending Jewish construction in those regions.

According to the ENPI (European Neighbourhood Partnership Instrument) Information Center, PA Arabs are “extremely positive about their relations with the European Union, and have a strong appreciation of EU projects. There is also a marked desire for even more support.”

Data gleaned from a survey conducted by the Opinion Polling and Research Project (OPPOL) to “generate better information about awareness, understanding and perception of the EU and the role it plays in the occupied Palestinian territory.”

Within the body of document, the text of the survey report refers repeatedly to “Palestine” when discussing the findings of the study conducted in the Palestinian Authority areas.

In one section, the text actually refers outright to the entity as a country, thus already conferring upon it a political status that does not appear even to be close to being achieved by diplomatic negotiations.

A tiny caveat on the right margin apologetically claims, “This publication does not represent the official view of the EC (European Commission) or the EU Institutions. The EC accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to its content.” Nevertheless, the entire document and the three-year survey effort that produced the report was funded by the European Union.

Among respondents, 92 percent said that relations between the PA and the EU are good or fairly good, 86 percent said “the territory has benefited from EU policies in the country,” and 76 percent agreed that relations are good.

The report also noted a significant disparity between the PA leadership and the grassroots population in the two groups’ perceptions of the EU’s involvement.

While only 49 percent of the PA general public felt the EU involvement in the PA is appropriate, 89 percent of its leadership supported the EU in that role. Similarly, the report said 54 percent of the general public said it believed the EU could help “bring peace and stability to the country,” but 83 percent of “opinion leaders” held that belief as well.

The ENPI is the main financial mechanism through which assistance is granted to the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) Partner Countries, as well as Russia. ENPI South grants funds to the Palestinian Authority as well as to Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria and Tunisia.

IDF BEEFS UP TANKS IN GAZA AS TERRORISTS IMPROVE WEAPONS!
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu (Arutz Sheva)

The IDF is deploying the Trophy “Windbreaking” defense system on its tanks in the Gaza Belt in the wake of the use of more advanced and precise anti-tank missiles by terrorists in Hamas-controlled Gaza.

The IDF revealed the change in defenses shortly before terrorists lightly wounded a young woman Tuesday morning in a missile attack near a kindergarten on a kibbutz farm.

Terrorists have escalated Kassam rocket and mortar shell strikes on civilians and soldiers over the past week, but IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi says he does not think Hamas is trying to draw Israel into a repeat of the Operation Cast Lead counterterrorist campaign that began two years ago this month.

He revealed on Tuesday that Gaza terrorists for the first have fired the relatively long-range Coronet missile that was used against Hizbullah in the Second Lebanon War in 2006. The missile hit an IDF tank last week, causing damage but no injuries to the tank crew inside.

Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee that beefed-up defenses will help deter terrorists from drawing Israel into a sharp escalation of violence.

The Trophy system is designed to protect IDF tanks from anti-tank missiles and has been used in a training exercise, with soldiers remaining in their tanks for extended periods of time. The system enables soldiers to neutralize anti-tank missiles at different ranges and can operate in all weather conditions.

It was developed after the Second Lebanon War, in which Hizbullah surprised the IDF with the use of advanced Russian anti-tank missiles smuggled into Lebanon from Syria.

“The system will significantly reduce the effects of the anti-tank missiles during the next conflict,” explained Brig.-Gen. Haggai Yehezkel, a tank division commander. “By the end of the year, the system will be widely disseminated.” Another system has also been introduced, delivering to soldiers “a real-time image of the force in battle.” The commander explained, “Now we can see when the enemy hits us and we hit them. It is a real-time simulation.”

The IDF had planned to hold a live test of the Trophy Windbreaking system on Wednesday, with a live missile fired at a tank manned by officers. However, the test will be conducted without explosives. It will employ a dummy round that cannot injure the soldiers or even seriously damage a tank.

Parents of fallen soldiers have protested the exercise and asked Chief of Staff Ashkenazi to cancel the demonstration.

WHAT IS REALLY DESTROYING THE CHANCE FOR PEACE?
by Khaled Abu Toameh

It is sad and abhorrent to see how many Arabs have rejoiced over the big forest fire in Northern Israel, calling it a “divine punishment” for Israelis and wishing that the blaze would spread to destroy all Jews.

The messages of hate are the result of decades of incitement against Israel and Jews in the Arab media and mosques throughout the Arab and Islamic world.

The comments serve as a reminder that many people in the Arab and Islamic countries still have not come to terms with Israel’s right to exist in this part of the world. Even worse, many of the talkbacks show that many Arabs and Muslims would welcome another Holocaust.

These reactions were posted on Web sites of major Arab media outlets, such as the popular Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya TV networks, and the Saudi-owned Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.

What is troubling is that these repugnant comments appeared on Web sites that are not necessarily associated with radical Islam. Al-Arabiya and Asharq Al-Awsat are owned by members of the Saudi royal family, which, ironically, has been frequently targeted by Muslim fundamentalist groups like Al-Qaeda.

The overwhelming majority of talkbacks that appeared on the Web sites of these three powerful media organizations in the past few days showed how many Arabs and Muslim continue to dream about the destruction of Israel.
True, some readers and viewers did not join in the “celebration” of the fire that killed more than 40 people and destroyed hundreds of thousands of trees. Some even expressed sympathy with Israel, and some even criticized Arabs and Muslims who rejoiced over the fire.

But these “positive” comments reflected the opinion of a tiny minority. For example, out of 123 comments posted on one of the Web sites, less than 15 seemed to be rational.

The hateful postings did not only come from Arab and Islamic countries and the Palestinian Authority-controlled territories, but also from Arabs living in North America, Australia, Sweden and Europe.

Ahmed Abdallah from Australia wrote the following comment on Al-Jazeera’s Web site: “O’ God, how generous you are! Bring happiness to the heart of every Palestinian mother who lost her son or whose son is in prison.”

Writing from Berlin, Germany, a reader who identified himself as Sarrawi commented: “Thank God and 1,000 congratulations for the death of 42 Israelis. O’ God, give us more!”

From the UK, Zuheir Dabbagh wrote: “Thank God, we bring the good news to the Muslims that the land has gotten rid of 40 criminals.”

Arabs who agreed to help Israel put out the fire also came under attack. The Palestinian Authority leadership and the Egyptian and Jordanian governments were strongly denounced as “traitors” for sending firefighters to Israel.

What is also worrying about the thousands of comments is that many Arabs and Muslims see Israel’s appeal for international assistance in putting out the fire as a sign of weakness.

Many of those who expressed joy over the fire urged Iran, Hizbullah and Hamas to seize the “golden opportunity” and try to eliminate Israel for once and for all. Others wrote that if Israel cannot handle a fire, there is no reason to believe that it could win in any war.

There is good reason to believe that the anti-Israel and anti-Jewish attitudes expressed in these comments reflect the views of many Arabs and Muslims. With attitudes like these, it is hard to see how real peace can be achieved in the Middle East in the near future. Unless this incitement stops, the prospects of moving forward with the “peace process” between Israelis and Arabs are as bleak as ever.

PALESTINIAN OFFICIAL SAYS NEW INTIFIDA UNDERWAY AS MORTARS HIT SOUTH! by Ryan Jones (Israel Today News)

A leading member of the Palestinian parliament on Sunday declared that the various parties and movements (read: terrorist organizations) that make up the legislative body have decided to launch a new intifada, or uprising, against Israel.

“The decision to return to intifada has been taken and at present the problem is the method of practice,” lawmaker Khalida Jarrar told Iran’s Fars News.
Most Palestinian groups advocate open violence against Israeli Jews. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and many in his ruling Fatah faction justify the use of terrorist violence, but prefer a more strategic and subtle approach in order to maintain plausible deniability. As such, they publicly call for civil disobedience, while PA mosques, schools and television encourage young Palestinians to actually engage in violence.

Evidence of this decision by the Palestinian groups has been seen in the rising number of terrorist attacks of late. On Sunday evening Palestinians operating out of the Gaza Strip fired four mortar shells at communities in southern Israel. There were no reports of damage or injuries.

On Saturday night, Israeli aircraft attacked and eliminated a five-man Palestinian terrorist cell just as they were preparing to fire rockets into southern Israel.

Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riad Al-Maliki, whose government does not control Gaza, condemned the Israeli strike as an “attack against our people” in remarks to Voice of Palestine radio. He ignored the fact that the five men were preparing to launch rockets at Israeli civilians.