… for the Tel Aviv nightclub terror attack? Well, everybody, if we are to believe this Haaretz report - and I have no reason to doubt it.
Defense sources had told Haaretz that the bomber, Abdullah Badran, a resident of the West Bank town of Deir al Ghusun, had connections to Fatah and Islamic Jihad agents in the Tul Karm region as well as with Hezbollah. Palestinian security officials issued a similar assessment.
Of course, the differences between Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad have always been difficult to discern. They are more about nomenclature given their mutual policy, which is simply psychotic religious murder almost certain to deny Palestinians a state forever. But the target this time, more than the Israelis themselves, seems to be the new Palestinian Authority, personified for the moment by Mahmoud Abbas. The ball is very much in his court and evidently our government is urging the Israelis to give him a chance. How long this will last is obviously unclear. Debka is reporting the stockpiling of heavy weapons by the PA, which violates existing accords and seems to me monumentally stupid from the PA’s point of view, unless they intend to use them on their own extremists. If they start to turn them on the Israelis, I predict in short order most Palestinians will find themselves east of the Jordan River and likely to remain there.
UPDATE: Captain’s Quarters takes a different view. Ed Morrissey seems to believe that Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad can actually be differentiated in an ultimate sense. I respectfully disagree. I believe they share personnel, goals, information, everything, and take credit in the most elusive way possible. What is Al Qaeda, after all, but the fungible name of the old Muslim Brotherhood? There are new ones every day. It goes on.
Of course the most important development may be this:
The bomber’s family announced by loudspeaker that Mr. Badran had carried out a “martyrdom operation.”
But the mood in his West Bank village was subdued and without celebration, as has often been the case with such attacks, Reuters reported.
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25 Comments
1. Mike_Nargizian:lol… nothing’s changed. Like the Pali speaker I saw said he told his Israeli friends in 1993 -
“those weapons will NEVER be used against Palestinians, they will only be used to kill Jews”
Even if you’re naiive enough to believe anything the Capo compulsive liar Saeb Ereket says or that Abbas actually ‘wants’ to put down the “”extremists”" (assuming they’re different than Fatah, lol!) he can’t do it… by doing it, he assures he is a GONER…….. buhhhhhhh byyyyyyye
So this charade continues… I only have hope that Sharon has not been neutered by the charismatic and intelligent front of Condi Rice while James Baker and gang as well as W Sr. figure out ways to sell out Israel, keep their Saudi dealers/pals satiated, and hold the knives to slice up Israel at bay.
The only possible benefit from this charade of sacrificing Israeli kids to blood on the pavement (as long as their not your relatives, eh… hurts the Pali cause, my a**) is to finish the fence, secure all of Jerusalem, Northern Samaria and let the Palis stew in their own fin mess and fix it themselves…… ie.. Civil War.
This isn’t going anyplace else… anyone who actually thinks the Pali population is more moderate than Al Asqua “militants” or Islamic Jihad, didn’t listen to Abbas’s speeches during his election campaign..
Israeli hawks get elected by becoming moderate, Pali terrorists get elected by remaining extremists.
Mike
Feb 26, 2005 - 10:48 am 2. Carol_Herman:Too many wet dreamers in that “religion of peace,” if you ask me. And, Arik Sharon does have a strategy. It’s to let George Bush do the work necessary in the Mideast, which involves convincing the arabs that this issue isn’t about Israel. Assad, on the other hand, needs to get America off his back. Come on Roger, if you were writing a page turner would you handle it differently? Right now, Abbas is being given the stage where everyone pretty much assumes he’s not going to be very different from Arafat. (But Arafat was LOSING stature. Losing favor. And, you’re betting the ranch that Abbas wants an exit? Like Saddam’s? Or Hariri’s? You’re saying that Assad feels no heat?) When the moves are finally made they’re going to have to involve making sure the palestinians know if they choose the horse ARAFAT provided they’ll end up “east of the jordan river.” But the palestinians are pawns. Jordan doesn’t want them. Lebanon doesn’t want them. Assad might as well strap bomb belts on all of them, if all he’s doing now is using them as cannon fodder. Major religions in the past have lost their faithful when God doesn’t come down and give them victories on the fields of battle. Time is on Bush’s side. Arik’s side. And, Condi’s side. To go to war, now, has to be CRUSHING. And, the stage isn’t set yet! Let alone what great commander fights when the bait is set by his enemy?
Feb 26, 2005 - 11:02 am 3. Terrye:Mike:
Condi Rice did not blow those people up, the crazy s.o.b. of a suicide bomber did. When I read your post and the posts of people like Harry and see the money being sent to the PA by the self serving Europeans and remember those people in the occupied territories dancing in the streets when the WTC fell I wonder if they put something in the drinking water over there.
This American is getting tired of the whole damn thing. The other day some young settler was threatening to kill Sharon meanwhile the Pal schools are treaching their young that suicide bombers are martyrs.
So fine. To hell with the peace process… go after each other until the streets run red with the blood of young people. See where that gets any of you.
Feb 26, 2005 - 11:02 am 4. Mike_Nargizian:This is a perfect example (Terrye’s reply) of how the Israelis lose if they get murdered or if they act to stop the murder…. watch this…
the reaction is a beautiful orchestration for the Palis no matter what…
Terrye -
A) I like Condi Rice, and I think she’s pretty stunning to for a 53 yr old woman.
B) That bomber didn’t kill them alone, all the terror gangs did, don’t fin kid yourself.
NO its called the Arab television, mosques, elementary schools, commercials THE CULTURE…. and its been going on a lot longer than just the last 10 years of the PLO there all over the MEast.
Wait, you just heard that they’re teaching them their martyrs? Where have you been for the last 15 years? In La la land? And we all know how equivalent the two above are, lol!
THERE YOU HAVE IT…. dead Israeli kids with their body parts on the sidewalk and rooftops blocks away, and to hell “with both of them”
And notice how she says “where it gets any of YOU… YOU meaning not her she’s different than others here.
And a striking thing -
The Palis are miles from being anywhere near a peaceful regognition… the Israelis aren’t…
But due to this fact and the fact that Israeli kids need to become part of the cement while we “cheer” for this moderate Abu Mazen to “hold down the bad guys” well Terrye says the hell with both of them, let them kill “each other”…
Because Al Asqua, Hamas and Islamic Jihad are = to the Israeli gov’t
and the Pali population is = to Israeli population…
Feb 26, 2005 - 11:22 am 5. Mike_Nargizian:For a sad example of “peace mongering” and serious cognitive dissonance… read the comments by Jonathan in his post here (Head Heeb) and read my reply to him there as well.
http://headheeb.blogmosis.com/archives/027751.html
Feb 26, 2005 - 11:25 am 6. neo-neocon:Does anyone doubt for a moment that we live in “interesting times”?
Feb 26, 2005 - 11:28 am 7. Terrye:Mike:
Fine kill them all.
Just go ahead and do it.
All my life I have supported Israel. I really resent hearing someone like Condi Rice being blamed for this insanity.
Feb 26, 2005 - 11:45 am 8. Terrye:And by the way, the list of countries that have consistently supported Israel is pretty damn short Mike.
In fact I can only think of one country and Condi Rice just happens to be the Secretary of State of that country.
Feb 26, 2005 - 11:50 am 9. Terrye:And nobody said Israel should not or could not defend itself.
Feb 26, 2005 - 12:05 pm 10. Coisty:Mike_Nargizian - You imply that the US is not a strong ally (remember Jonathan Pollard?) of Israel’s despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Think of the contrast between how the US dealt with the poor Serbs when they tried to crush Islamic terrorists and its friendly policy toward Israel. Many of Israel’s biggest supporters in the US even supported attacking the beleaguered Serb Christians with Bill Kristol eloquently called on the government to “crush Serb skulls”. Even Europe hasn’t been as bad to Israel as it was to Yugoslavia. If I’m not mistaken most of Israel’s trade even today is with the “anti-Semitic” Europeans. So the Israelis ought to be grateful to have an ally like the US, a country that doesn’t need the headaches that come with its friendship with the unpopular Jewish state. It’s too bad many of Israel’s American supporters have a habit of aggravating those who are generally pro-Israel by demanding there be no light between Washington and the Likud Party.
Feb 26, 2005 - 1:40 pm 11. Terrye:Coisty:
I remember the pictures of dead people burned to cinders in the villages pillaged by those poor Serbs.
It seems that was a religious ethnic conflict as well.
Sometimes I get the feeling we just can not win for losing.
Feb 26, 2005 - 1:56 pm 12. Lola:Well, now Israel is pointing the fingers at Syria. This is going to get very interesting . . .
Feb 26, 2005 - 3:19 pm 13. Terrye:I think Syria has a death wish.
Feb 26, 2005 - 3:38 pm 14. M. Simon:It has been my opinion for several years that Sharon’s plan was to put the Palis in a position to start a really big shooting war and then run them out of the territories.
It looks as if the plan is on target.
Feb 26, 2005 - 3:52 pm 15. Mike_Nargizian:I’m not a regular commenter here or anywhere else so I don’t know the score on who’s of sound mind and who’s in the Twilight Zone… perhaps others here could clarify.
TERRYE -
MOONbat alert on 3?
COISTY -
Moonbat #2 don’t put words in my mouth so you can fight a strawman…
TWILIGHT ZONE music playing…… getting louder…
Getting louder……. louder… doo doo doo
BLARING….
Headphones please… and some garlic…
Feb 26, 2005 - 4:21 pm 16. Roger:Mike, your tone is not appreciated on this blog. Make your arguments respectfully or don’t bother. Calling others Moonbats is not very pursuasive anyway. Thank you.
Feb 26, 2005 - 4:49 pm 17. Mike_Nargizian:Yes understood Roger, must remain pc…
I made a simple assessment of the situation. And was answered with illogical hyperhysteria and strawman irrational answers.
So just a recap of the enlightened discussion if you will -
Feb 26, 2005 - 5:21 pm 18. photoncourier.blogspot.com:This kind of thing make me very nervous about the prospect of the PA having control of a seaport. An airport is bad enough, but a seaport is even more dangerous in terms of what can be brought through it.
Feb 26, 2005 - 5:25 pm 19. ganzo azul:Michael Barone has another article this evening, Minds are changing where he writes of “tipping points.” Coupled with Charles Johnson linking to this article, Palestinians Angry Over Tel Aviv Attack, maybe, just maybe.
The one to watch in the months leading up to the May parliamentary elections in Lebanon is Hezbollah. We’re truly tipping if Nasrallah can learn to sing a new tune and drop his Death to Israel, Death to America rap.
Feb 26, 2005 - 6:39 pm 20. Terrye:Mike:
What do you want?
I said I am a supporter of Israel and always have been. This is not some new thing for me. Whatever my other politics have been I have always supported the right of Israel to exist in peace and security. I think the fence is a good idea.
I said the US has been a far more consistent ally to Israel than anyone else. Any argument there? If all we cared about was Saudi Arabia, like you said, we could have made them happy by abandoning Israel years ago.
I said that it was not fair to blame Condi Rice for an attack on innocent Israelis.
I think the children need to have a chance at a better future and that means peace.
So don’t come on here with an attitude and say that Sharon has been neutered by Condi Rice and get pissy about the response you get.
Feb 26, 2005 - 8:03 pm 21. Mike_Nargizian:A) I’m not pissy about anything.
B) I never asked you to nor cared if you per say ’support’ Israel.
I gave my assessment of the situation which hasn’t changed… and noted that I’ve seen moderate Palis speak in the US, (under the radar for their health) confirm and then some my intuitions.
My opinion of you hasn’t changed not that I have a definitive formed one nor care to either.
My recapping your ‘wonderful’ commentary wasn’t to ‘defend’ myself, like I could care, but more to demonstrate a point.
I don’t pay much attention to commenting as I don’t have the time anymore typically.
And here is what I said -
Followed by -
Feb 26, 2005 - 10:33 pm 22. Mike_Nargizian:Per Gazno -
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20050227/ap_on_re_mi_ea/angry_palestinians
One conclusion from that article assuming its accurate, the West Bank is still a semi-police PLO state.
1) The PLO had far more ability to control things prior as Sharon and Israel always said. If they didn’t hang banners it wasn’t bcs they didn’t want to.
2) If the Pali population was truly against this at ‘this time’, its only due to 1 person… His name is Ariel Sharon and no thanks to Solana and the clowns in the EU.
3) The potential path here seems to be painting Syria more and more from Iraq and the Territories. Bush has positioned Lebanon, Egypt, and the PLO to abandon them. Iraqis are going to become ever more enraged with them as more and more evidence surfaces of Syrian involvement in murdering Iraqis.
SYRIA IS ON DC’S RADAR….
Maybe there is justice in the world after all.
Feb 26, 2005 - 10:48 pm 23. Mike_Nargizian:I meant the PLO is a police state meaning ‘information’ is still highly controlled so I would take something from particularly Reuters with a grain of salt… is what I meant.
Feb 26, 2005 - 10:50 pm 24. Mike_Nargizian:While I’m here read Ocean Guy’s prescient post.
http://www.oceanguy.us/archives/2005_02.php#001176
Feb 26, 2005 - 10:58 pm 25. Terrye:Mike:
No… you blamed the peace process for the bombing and you made it plain that in your estmation if the US had been a stronger supporter of Israel and had not cared about oil or whatever, Sharon could have taken care of the bad people. So I said fine kill them all. If you really beleive that it is the peace process that is to blame for this then go get the bad guys.
If that is all there is to it, why hasn’t this been resolved in the last five decades?
You are picking a fight with someone who wishes you no harm. That kind of thing will help the terrorists far more than it will help Israel.
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:24 am