Al-Qaeda looking to out-jihad Hamas
Hamas Islamists ruling Gaza are being challenged: In recent weeks, al-Qaeda-inspired Palestinian groups have stepped up their ongoing anti-Hamas campaign, launching bombing attacks on Hamas security men and offices.
According to Reuters and AP reports, sources close to Salafi groups said uber-fundamentalists set off three bombs in the Beach refugee camp last week near the heavily guarded home of Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. The bombs were intended to convince Haniyeh to stop trying to arrest members of the anti-Hamas groups. Interestingly, the wire services reported that the bombs were placed by sympathizers among Haniyeh’s own guards. And, earlier this week, someone placed a bomb under the car of a top Hamas police officer in Gaza.
The attacks have been going on for months: In January, a bomb destroyed a senior security official’s jeep in Gaza. Last month, a senior Hamas commander in Rafah escaped injury in a bomb blast. The Salafis told wire services that the two officers were involved in “killing and torturing” Islamist fighters, which probably means that they were involved in Hamas’ clamp-down on the groups.
While “Salafi” may not be a familiar term to most Americans, it’s the branch of Islam that is commonly referred to as “Wahhabi” — frequently identified with Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. Interestingly, the tensions between the two groups seems to stem from the Salafi criticism that Hamas is too moderate. Apparently, re-introducing crucifixion as a legal penalty and raining thousands of missiles onto Israeli civilians don’t count for much.
Like we’ve said before, it pays to remember that Israel lives in one nasty neighborhood.
Comments (0) »Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 3:53 PM | Stand For Israel
British colonel sees “dark forces” arrayed against Israel, thanks Jewish state for life-saving work
Col. Richard Kemp
As the UN and other zealous critics of the Jewish state continue to condemn her for defending herself against the terrorists who seek her annihilation, the former commander of British forces in Afghanistan is praising Israel for her contributions to the war on global terror and harshly criticizing the “dark forces” motivating those who unfairly target Israel.
Col. Richard Kemp told a London audience that the media often is exploited by “dark forces” who want to harm Israel. He also praised Israel for pioneering military technology and tactics that he said had been “invaluable” in combatting Afghan suicide bombers. In fact, he said, the Israeli tactics form the basis of official British army guidelines used by soldiers on the ground there.
Remarking on the unusual amount of criticism lobbed at Israel, Kemp said that–even though there are tremendous similarities between the IDF and British forces, UK soldiers did not have to deal with the same amount of criticism from the international community:
“When we go into battle we do not get the same knee-jerk, almost Pavlovian response from many, many elements of the international media and international groups, humanitarian groups and other international groups such as the United Nations which should know better… of utter automatic condemnation. We don’t have to put up with that.”
As usual, a small group of British Jews who oppose Israeli actions in Gaza protested outside the hotel where Kemp spoke.
Comments (2) »Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 at 9:15 AM | Stand For Israel
Israeli war victims go after Iran for $1 billion
What will this flag of Hezbollah turn into if Israeli war victims are able to cut off the the source of Hezbollah's funding and military assistance: Iran.
Eighty five Israelis who were wounded in Second Lebanon War are going after Iran in American courts since, they say, without Iran’s support, Hezbollah would never have been able to spark the war that injured them, UPI reports.
The claimants have filed legal suit in the US against Iran’s central bank and Iranian commercial banks for a total of $1 billion.
The group’s lead attorney told reporters:
“The central bank of Iran and the Saderat Bank are the chief monetary pipelines from Iran to Hezbollah … Without these funds, Hezbollah would not have been able to build and maintain its infrastructure, to train the terrorists in its ranks, or carry out massive rocket fire at Israel.
“These banks act freely and knowingly aid terrorism. They are responsible for the damages incurred on the civilians in these attacks.”
The suit is based in part on a 2007 U.S. Treasury finding the Saderat Bank knowingly transferred funds for terrorist activities to Hezbollah from 2001 to 2006 in London.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah went on Lebanese television to declare that the terrorist group plans on hitting Tel Aviv and Ben-Gurion Airport.
Comments (1) »Thursday, February 18th, 2010 at 3:41 PM | Stand For Israel
Authorities say bomb that killed 9 in India probably intended for Jewish center nearby
Indian intelligence has said that it is a probability that a bomb that killed 9 and wounded 53 people at a cafe in Pune, India, on Saturday was meant to be detonated at the local Chabad House, located several dozen meters from the site of the blast. Police say a bomb that ripped through a crowded restaurant in western India on Saturday was meant to explode at the local Chabad house, Ha’aretz reports.
The bomb at the German Bakery cafe was India’s first terror attack since the 2008 Mumbai massacre, in which at least 173 people were murdered in coordinated attacks on hotels and other public venues. The attack also targeted the Mumbai Chabad house, a Jewish house of worship and visitor’s center, where six Jews were murdered, including Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivkah, who was six months pregnant.
Chabad, a Chassidic group dedicated to outreach among Jews, maintains hospitality centers in communities around the world. There are a number of centers in India, although there are few indigenous Jews, to provide kosher food, community, and assistance to the many Israelis who travel there.
The bomb went off after a waiter apparently opened a package containing the explosive device. According to officials, the bomb may have been left for someone to pick up and take to the adjacent Chabad center before it was inadvertently detonated.
Following the attacks, life has not returned to “normal” for Jews in Mumbai, Ha’aretz reported earlier this month:
Yael Jirhad, who opened the Indian chapter of the Women’s International Zionist Organization exactly one year prior to the November 2008 terror attack, said the community has been forced to cope with increased security measures at Jewish institutions around the large city.
UPDATE:
According to the Associated Press, however, Israeli officials are questioning the Indian security forces’ determination:
Nitzan Nuriel, head of counterterrorism at Israel’s National Security Agency, said the Pune attack wasn’t directed at Chabad.
“The attack in India was not directed at Chabad house, even though Chabad houses appear on the potential lists of targets maintained by some of the groups that operate in…
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Monday, February 15th, 2010 at 7:00 AM | Stand For Israel
Israeli air strike thwarts planned suicide bombing
A air strike on Thursday by the IAF (Israeli Air Force) apparently thwarted an attempted suicide bombing by Al Qaeda terrorists near the Karni Crossing in Gaza, Arutz Sheva reports.
The planes fired rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) at a squad of terrorists who were preparing to carry out a terror attack near the Karni Crossing, killing one. The joint IDF-ISA (Israel Security Agency, also known as “Shin Bet”) operation eliminated the lead terrorist, a member of Global Jihad, and wounded a second one as well. Military sources said al-Qaeda had masterminded the terrorist operation.
IDF officials warned Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu last month that the international terrorist group would attempt to infiltrate Israel disguised as Sudanese refugees and that al-Qaeda operatives are attempting to sneak through the holes in the Egyptian border to set up a terror cell in Israel.
Comments (0) »Friday, February 12th, 2010 at 1:24 PM | Stand For Israel
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