After these heinous attacks which took the lives of many Indian civilians and foreigners, stories of heroism began surfacing. The story of one man, an Indian citizen, was recently e-mailed to me. The man, Zakir Hussain is a Muslim and there may have been some fear about radical Muslims accusing him of pandering to Zionists. He and the Indian nanny of Moshe Holtzberg saved the baby from terrorists who would have surely killed him too.
Nevertheless, now that Mr. Zakir Hussain has broken his silence, it is only fair that he is honored for his brave actions:
A Muslim youth who worked for a Jewish couple, cooking orthodox kosher food for dozens of Jews each week, Zakir Hussain, or “Jackie” to the world, is still struggling to come to terms with the worst night of his life — the Terror attack on the Chabad House Jewish centre in which his employers, Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivka, were killed.
While the story of Sandra Samuels, the Holtzbergs’ nanny who was in the building and managed to escape with their two-year-old son Moshe, has made international headlines, the ordeal of Zakir Hussain, who shared her 13-hour ordeal standing between two refrigerators while intermittent firing continued, is little known. Zakir is in hiding on the advice of investigators.
Breaking his silence in a telephone interview to The Sunday Express, he said: “We never believed anybody could harm our saheb. I kept thinking that if those people wanted money, saheb would give it to them and ensure the safety of the guests, madam and Moshe.”
Zakir, 23, belongs to Banga, a small village in Badarpur, Assam, and came to Mumbai like lakhs of others, looking for a job and a better life. He started off as a helper in a grocery store until the opportunity to work for the Rabbi and his wife came up. So he learnt to cook kosher meals and became ‘Jackie’ for the hundreds of Jews who stopped by at Chabad House. Kosher food is food prepared as prescribed by Jewish dietary laws. It covers the kinds of meat that can be consumed, the method in which animals have to be butchered and cooked, and ingredients that can be used, among others.
Zakir developed a deep bond with “saheb and madam” who “taught me so much”, a bond so strong that he says he wants to go back to Chabad House when it re-opens.
That Wednesday night, having served a kosher dinner of chicken, bread, mixed vegetables and spaghetti, Zakir and Sandra were resting on the ground floor.
At 9.45 pm., they were just about to go up to the first-floor kitchen to stow leftovers in the fridge when they saw one terrorist firing. “We didn’t see the face, just the big gun. We realized there was something wrong. We just entered the first floor and banged the door shut. We rushed to the balcony and started shouting for help. The firing continued and we ran towards the store-room,” he says.
A moment after Zakir and Sandra entered the store-room and shut the door, a grenade shattered the door of the first floor. “They thought we died in that explosion, but we hid between two steel fridges, praying. Death was literally standing on the other side of the door,” he recalls.
They stood there for 13 hours, hearts pounding. In between, Sandra telephoned the watchman, who had stepped out for dinner, and asked him to inform the police. The firing continued through the night and into the morning, until there was a lull.
“We came out of the store-room at 11 am and saw the destruction, slowly making our way through the broken glass and pieces of concrete. We were near the stairs when we heard Moshe’s cries. Sandra and I then went up to the second floor. While she went in and picked up the baby from the room, I stood near the stairs,” he said. Baby in hand, the two fled the building, never looking back. Zakir, who identified the bodies of the hostages after the siege ended, is still trying to get over the nightmare. “I am just waiting for the Chabad center to be rebuilt. I will go back and work. I want to continue working there in memory of my saheb and madam who gave me so much.”
During the past six-months, Israel facilitated the transfer into Gaza of more than 14,000 trucks, 185,000 tons of food and other supplies, more than 7,000 tons of heating gas and more than 10 million gallons of fuel. More than 4,000 people needing medical treatment were allowed to cross into Israel to find treatment in Israel or other countries.
Despite the recent violence, Israel continues to facilitate humanitarian assistance to Gaza. In just the past few days, while Hamas has continued to fire rockets into Israel, more than 60 truckloads of humanitarian supplies and 105,000 gallons of fuel were transferred to Gaza. Israel also continues to provide 70 percent of Gaza's electricity. IDF trucks shipping aid to Gaza.
As operation “Cast Lead” continues, Hamas leaders have complained of substandard medical care in Gaza hospitals, blaming Israel for an alleged shortage of supplies and saying patients have been turned away because hospitals are too full.
On Wednesday, IDF officials involved in dealing with humanitarian cases in Gaza rejected the accusations and said Hamas is responsible for any substandard care given to patients in Gaza. The terror group has withheld supplies from hospitals and refused to transfer the wounded to Israel, they said.
An unprecedented amount of medical aid has been sent to Gaza in recent days, IDF officials said Wednesday, rejecting Hamas' claims of shortages in hospitals. Several trucks filled with medicine, equipment, donated blood and other supplies have entered Gaza via Israeli crossings since Saturday. In addition, several ambulances donated by Turkey, the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority and others were brought to Gaza this week.
"The Gaza hospitals have not collapsed, the international organizations there have not reported a collapse and even say the medical equipment that was brought in has improved the hospitals' efficiency,” a spokesman said. Gaza has plenty of food as well, he said, despite Hamas' claims to the contrary.
IDF officials suggested that Hamas was deliberately manufacturing shortages for its own political purposes. Earlier this year the group was accused of deliberately withholding fuel from Gaza civilians in order to provoke anger against Israel.
Israel Treats Gaza Children While fighting continues, Israel has been treating some of Gaza's casualties in Israeli hospitals. On Wednesday, two young children were transferred from Gaza. One was taken to Schneider medical center in Petach Tikva and the other was taken to Tel HaShomer.
The first child, a seven-year-old boy, is in critical condition after suffering a head injury. The second, an eight-year-old boy, suffered serious wounds to his chest and head, apparently from an explosion caused by a misfiring rocket.
Hamas Uninterested in Treatment for Civilians At least six other Gaza Arabs recently suffered critical head wounds, according to local doctors. However, according to IDF officials involved in bringing the wounded to Israeli hospitals, Hamas has made it difficult to transfer the patients.
Hamas officials in Gaza have complicated the bureaucratic process of sending patients to Israel and are adding more forms to be filled and approved before the wounded are transferred. Hamas officials say hundreds have been wounded and complain that hospitals are overcrowded, with doctors unable to treat many of the injured.
Like every other sovereign nation, Israel has the right and duty to defend its citizens from attack. Hamas' acts of terror have left Israel no choice but to take stronger measures to defend its citizens. Israel is taking steps to limit civilian casualties and has been extremely successful. Most of those killed to date have been Hamas terrorists. Israel's actions have specifically targeted Hamas command centers, security installations, rocket-launching sites, weapons stockpiles and weapons smuggling tunnels.
The envoy to Britain recently explained the necessity of protecting Israeli citizens from relentless rocket fire, pointing out that other nations would not tolerate attacks from a neighbor:
Israel's media offensive has spread to Britain, where Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor wrote in the London Independent, "Israel has tried everything to bring calm" and asked, "What would Ireland do" if it were under rocket attack?
Prosor is also scheduled to speak Wednesday at a college campus at Warwick, where anti-Israeli protestors are planning to demonstrate. Violent protesters in London and elsewhere earlier this week clashed with British police, including mounted forces.
Prosor previously has written in British newspapers to staunchly back Israel against harsh criticism in Britain, where a growing Muslim population has intimidated a large number of Britons and political leaders.
He wrote in the Independent that this week's increasingly powerful terrorist rockets killed two Israelis and wounded more than a dozen others. "These incidents are only the tip of a huge iceberg of suffering," he wrote. "The rockets which killed these people are only three of 8,000 rockets and mortars which have been fired at Israel since 2001…. For almost eight years, Israeli citizens have been under daily attack from Gaza by Hamas and other terrorist groups."
Prosor pointed out that rocket attacks have escalated since Israel agreed three years ago to "withdraw all its soldiers and all 9,000 Israeli residents from the Gaza Strip for the sake of peace.
"Israel has tried everything to bring calm without using force. We agreed to a six-month truce brokered by Egypt last June. Despite violations of this by Hamas, which continued to attack Israel and smuggle in weapons and ammunition, we held to the truce. We also made it clear that we were interested in renewing it. It was Hamas that formally brought it to an end and intensified its attacks."
He pointed out that the attacks on Israeli civilians do not differentiate between Jewish and Arab or Bedouin victims.
"How would Irish people react if a similar situation existed here?" he asked rhetorically. "Let us suppose that the people of the border counties were under relentless missile attack, year after year, from a terrorist organization based across the border.
"Would an Irish government sit idly by and refuse to carry out the first duty of every state - to defend its citizens? I think an Irish Government would be under extreme pressure from its citizens to exercise the right to self-defense - the same right enjoyed by every sovereign state."
He also explained to British readers that both Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and the Egyptian government have blamed Hamas for forcing the current violence.
The Israeli Air Force continued targeting Hamas locations on Wednesday. Here is the latest:
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) hit 25 targets in Gaza on Wednesday. A number of rockets stored in a mosque, a Grad missile and large quantities of explosives were demolished, and a senior terrorist was killed.
Hamas building after IAF strike. IDF Spokesman / Flash 90
The mosque that was targeted was located in Gaza City, and was used to house Grad missiles and to provide a meeting place for Hamas terrorists. Rockets were recently launched from the vicinity of the building.
While the IDF has made a point in past operations of avoiding damage to mosques, the “Cast Lead” operation has seen the destruction of multiple Gaza mosques used as terrorist positions or weapons storehouses. Defense officials said any mosque used in the service of terrorism would be targeted, in order to show Hamas and other groups that they have nowhere to hide.
Another strike took out Amar Abu el-Roula, a senior officer in the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization. Abu El-Roula was involved in coordinating attacks and launching rockets, according to IDF intelligence sources.
Strikes took out multiple rocket launchers, smuggling tunnels and terrorist positions as well. At least three people were killed in the day's attacks, and several were wounded.
On Tuesday night, Israel took out the Gaza City office of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas in Gaza.
In an obvious hate-crime, two Israelis were shot in a mall in Denmark by a man of Middle-Eastern or North African origin. From the Jerusalem Post:
Two Israelis were lightly wounded when they were shot by a group of men in a mall in Odense, Denmark on Wednesday afternoon.Police examine the scene of the Copenhagen shooting attack. / Photo: Channel 2
The Israelis were selling Dead Sea cosmetics at a stand in the mall - a job many young Israelis pursue, usually following military service, in order to save money for their future and to continue their travels.
The shooting took place at the Rosengaard mall in Odense, 170 kilometers west of Copenhagen. It took place around 3:30 p.m., when the mall was filled with people doing last-minute shopping before the New Year's break.
One of the Israelis was hit in the hand and the other in the leg, police said, adding that their wounds were not life-threatening. The man hit in the arm had his bone broken by the bullet near the elbow, his employer in Denmark told Channel 2 on the phone. The man was speaking as his employee was about to undergo surgery at a Danish hospital.
The Foreign Ministry said Israeli security services abroad had already been put on high alert several days ago.
Police spokesman Lars Thede said it was not immediately clear whether the Israelis were targeted because of their nationality. A video surveillance camera showed a swarthy man with a dark mustache and dark hair in his mid-20s pulling out a gun before opening fire.
"We cannot say whether he is Palestinian, Iraqi, Iranian or Bosnian, or where he is from," Thede said.
"It is too early to say whether this has something to do with what happens elsewhere," he said, referring to the Gaza operation.
Poul Bjoernhold Loehde, head of the police in Odense, said the Danish Security and Intelligence Service had been informed of the shooting.
"Because of the present world situation, we have contacted them. To us, it is an ordinary criminal case," Bjoernhold Loehde told The Associated Press.
No one at the agency was available for comment.
Alem Dervisevic, an eyewitness, told TV2 that he thought fireworks were going off when the shooting occurred.
"But then we saw gun rounds on the floor, we saw people running and shouting," Dervisevic told TV2. "I saw blood and a man lying down near Kvickly (supermarket) and ambulance people picking him up."
The men, who were selling hair care products, had been harassed by a group of youths in recent days, Denmark's Ritzau news agency said. The nature of the harassment was not immediately known. According to the B.T. newspaper's Web site, a man shouted something in a Middle Eastern language and opened fire. Another Israeli inside the hairdressing shop threw a chair at the gunman, the newspaper said.
The shooter escaped in a dark vehicle which later was found nearby by police.
The public's assistance was requested in capturing the assailant.
It's called common sense. Like every other sovereign nation, Israel has the right and duty to defend its citizens from attack. Hamas' acts of terror have left Israel no choice but to take stronger measures to defend its citizens. Israel is taking steps to limit civilian casualties. Most of those killed to date have been Hamas terrorists. Israel's actions have specifically targeted Hamas command centers, security installations, rocket-launching sites, weapons stockpiles and weapons smuggling tunnels.
Please consider the following quotes: "If rockets were falling over the house where my daughters are sleeping, I would do everything I can to stop that." -Barack Obama.
"I can tell you that I believe that if rocket attacks came across the border of the United States of America, that the American people would probably demand pretty vigorous actions in response." -John McCain
The fact that people are walking around NYC calling for the massacre of Jews is despicable. This protester, however, is in a class of his own. Wow. I wonder why he hates "Juice" so much?
The protests going on across the United States are hate-filled, anti-Semitic, and filled with logical fallacies.
Israel must continue to strategically target terrorist sites to defend the Israeli civilian population from Hamas rockets. The IDF has been doing everything possible to minimize deaths of Gaza's civilian population. Unfortunately, Hamas will often use children and civilians as human shields. Nevertheless, Hamas terrorists account for the majority of deaths in the Gaza Strip.
IDF operations in the Gaza Strip are being carried out. IAF aircrafts and helicopters are continuing to strike at Hamas terror infrastructure sites. The IAF targets include Hamas training camps, headquarters, large weapons storage facilities, and missile launching pads in the Gaza Strip. The attacks are only implemented after precise information has been gathered by the Intelligence Corps that specifically indicates locations in which terror activities are being carried out.
- “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.” (Preamble) - “The Day of Judgment will not come about until Muslims fight the Jews, when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Muslims, O Abdullah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.” (Art. 7) - “The Islamic Resistance Movement believes that the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Muslim generations until Judgment Day.” (Art. 11) - “There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through jihad. Initiatives, proposals, and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors.” (Art. 13)
"If rockets were falling over the house where my daughters are sleeping, I would do everything I can to stop that." -Barack Obama.
"I can tell you that I believe that if rocket attacks came across the border of the United States of America, that the American people would probably demand pretty vigorous actions in response." -John McCain
Hamas terrorists launching kassams toward Israel.
Children in Sderot take cover during a kassam attack.
Sderot is the Israeli city that has been hit the hardest for nearly nine years. It is home to many Mizrahi and Ethiopian Jews, as well as some recent Russian immigrants. These people typically don't have any money to go anywhere else (nor should they have to leave as Sderot is their home and not "disputed" territory). The people of Sderot have nothing to do but wait for the next round of rockets and the next perfunctory statement from someone with the UN and EU.
Hamas must stop rocket attacks into Israel. Otherwise, it is morally wrong and illogical to ask Israel not to strike back at Hamas targets in Gaza. The obligation of a government is to protect the citizens of the country, not to protect terrorists who have waged a despicable, "holy" war.
Sderot residents shouldn't have to deal with this:
Much of the world media is playing a nasty anti-Israel PR game and failing to report the successful nature of the Israeli military operation in Gaza.
Here are some facts:
- Israel's full withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, a move strongly backed by the United States, was an effort to reduce violence and lay the groundwork for a future Palestinian state.
- Instead of seizing this historic opportunity to build a better life for the people of Gaza, Hamas and other terrorist groups have turned the area into a launching pad for more than 6,300 rocket and mortar attacks against Israel since the summer of 2005.
- As Hamas abandoned a sixth-month lull in fighting with Israel, the Iranian-backed terrorist group fired more than 600 rockets and mortars into Israel during the past six weeks.
- Like every other sovereign nation, Israel has the right and duty to defend its citizens from attack. Hamas' acts of terror have left Israel no choice but to take stronger measures to defend its citizens.
- Israel is taking steps to limit civilian casualties. Most of those killed to date have been Hamas terrorists. Israel's actions have specifically targeted Hamas command centers, security installations, rocket-launching sites, weapons stockpiles and weapons smuggling tunnels.
- During the past six-months, Israel facilitated the transfer into Gaza of more than 14,000 trucks, 185,000 tons of food and other supplies, more than 7,000 tons of heating gas and more than 10 million gallons of fuel. More than 4,000 people needing medical treatment were allowed to cross into Israel to find treatment in Israel or other countries.
- Despite the recent violence, Israel continues to facilitate humanitarian assistance to Gaza. In just the past few days, while Hamas has continued to fire rockets into Israel, more than 60 truckloads of humanitarian supplies and 105,000 gallons of fuel were transferred to Gaza. Israel also continues to provide 70 percent of Gaza's electricity.
Palestinian terrorists on Tuesday night fired at least two rockets at Beersheba, adding some 187,000 residents of the largest city in the Negev into the ever-widening range of the rockets attacks.
Ashdod wakes up to a new reality
There were no reports of casualties in the attack but one of the rockets landed in a kindergarten, causing damage. Rescue forces were searching for the impact site of another rocket.
Shortly afterwards the army announced that The IAF had bombed the Grad launcher as well as the terrorist cell responsible for the Beersheba rocket attacks. Military sources reported that the targets were hit.
Meanwhile, one person was lightly wounded by shrapnel when two Grad rockets impacted in the center of Ashkelon. The rocket caused extensive damage to nearby businesses and vehicles.
Earlier, Hamas-fired rockets landed in Ashdod and Ashkelon, where two people were killed in attacks Monday.
Palestinian terrorists continued to rocket southern Israel Tuesday afternoon, bringing the total number of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip to over 30 since morning.
Two Kassam rockets that were fired at the Eshkol region landed in open areas and did not cause wounded or damage. A rocket fired at a Sha'ar Hanegev kibbutz crashed into the communal dining room and caused damage but no casualties.
Meanwhile, emergency forces were searching for the impact sites of some four Kassam rockets that were fired at the area south of Ashkelon. There were no reports of casualties or damage in those attacks.
Several rockets also fell in the Sderot area late Tuesday afternoon, causing neither casualties nor damage.
Earlier, the Sdot Negev region absorbed two rocket attacks. There were no reports of wounded or damage.
On Tuesday morning a rocket landed in Kiryat Malachi, the first time that the town was hit by a projectile fired from Gaza. Several people suffered shock in the attack, though there were no reports of casualties or damage.
Earlier, a Sderot man was lightly wounded when a Kassam fired at the city hit a house. The building sustained damage in the attack.
The rockets were fired as Israel let some 100 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies from Jordan, Turkey and international aid groups into the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom border crossing.
In addition, five new ambulances donated by Turkey were allowed into the Strip.
Earlier Tuesday, three Kassams and at least 10 mortar shells pounded the Eshkol region. No casualties were reported in the attack, though one house sustained damage.
On Monday, three Israelis were killed in Ashkelon, Ashdod and Nahal Oz as over 80 rockets and mortar shells hit southern Israel.
In response to the barrages, Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday declared a "special situation" for communities located within 30 kilometers from the Gaza Strip.
The move, the first of its kind, would give the security establishment authority to close factories, cancel conferences and events, and to conduct other civilian activities. It would allow the security establishment to play an active role in city affairs alongside local authorities.
The cabinet is required to approve the special status over the next two days, as it has already done for Gaza belt communities.
Schools were to remain closed within the 30-kilometer range on Tuesday, including in Ashdod, Kiryat Gat, Ofakim, Sderot and Kiryat Malachi.
Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilna'i told Israel Radio on Tuesday that Gaza-belt communities were well prepared for further rocket attacks, and called on residents of the South to heed instructions from authorities.
Monday's Ashdod fatality was identified as Irit Sheetrit, 36. She was killed Monday night when a Grad-type rocket struck a bus stop where she had run for cover. Four other were hurt in the attack, one was in serous condition.
Warrant Officer Lotfi Nasraladin, 38, from the Druse village of Daliat el-Carmel, was killed when rockets struck near Nahal Oz. Five others were wounded in the attack, two seriously.
Following continued IAF attacks on Hamas targets in the Strip, Palestinian terrorists intensified their efforts, firing on Ofakim and Yavne. One person was moderately wounded in the attack on Ofakim.
Earlier Monday, an Israeli construction worker identified as Hani al-Mahdi, 27, of the Beduin town of Aro'er in the Negev, was killed and over a dozen others were wounded when a Grad-model Katyusha hit a construction site in Ashkelon.
Despite that rockets into Israeli cities have not ceased, some Israeli officials are discussing the prospect of a ceasefire. The IDF issued a statement suggesting that a ceasefire is not feasible and that the continued targeting of Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip is necessary.
Officials in the defense establishment have recommended to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to suspend military operations against Hamas in Gaza for 48 hours and during that time to review a number of possible ceasefire solutions for Operation Cast Lead.
Senior Israeli ministers were reportedly set to discuss the proposal Tuesday night. According to reports, if the unilateral ceasefire were to fail, Israel would launch a ground offensive.
Olmert reportedly opposed suspending the operation while Defense Minister Ehud Barak was weighing the idea.
The recommendation, disclosed by defense sources on Tuesday evening, came after Barak spoke with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner earlier in the day.
The IDF issued a statement that it was not recommending a ceasefire.
The defense establishment is suggesting that Israel use the suspension of operations to carefully study Hamas's intentions; whether the group was planning to escalate the violence by renewing attacks inside the country or whether it would opt to stop its rocket attacks against the South altogether.
It was possible that Operation Cast Lead, the massive bombardment of Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip launched Saturday, had already made clear to Hamas that the "rules of the game" had changed and that Israel will no longer tolerate rocket fire against its civilians, the unnamed defense establishment officials said.
France, which suggested the temporary suspension of operations, was the first non-Arab country to call for Israel to halt the operation, its president calling using Israel's use of force "disproportionate."
According to security officials, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner called Barak on Monday asks for a 48 hour "humanitarian suspension" of Operation Cast Lead against Hamas in Gaza, which has killed over 300 Palestinians, mostly uniformed terrorists, so far.
Barak turned down Kouchner's suggestion, saying there was no need for a humanitarian pause because the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza was open for several hours every day.
On Tuesday Kouchner called again and reiterated his proposal, but this time Barak said he would check with the 'triumvirate' - the limited security forum comprised of Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Barak himself.
On Tuesday, Barak had good reason to reconsider Kouchner's suggestion: Defense officials expressed skepticism that Hamas - a terror group that thrives on violence - would use the window of opportunity offered by Israel to recuperate after four days of punishing air strikes. Continued Hamas rocket attacks would then give Israel legitimacy for the second stage of the operation, which could include ground troops entering the Gaza Strip.
Furthermore, by agreeing to 48 hours of unilateral ceasefire, Israel would leave Hamas on edge as to when exactly it would launch the second phase of Operation Cast Lead.
Also, inclement weather is predicted for Wednesday and Thursday - not optimal conditions for either ground or air assaults.
Despite the IDF disclaimer earlier Tuesday there were different opinions within the security establishment, the officials said.
A Hamas spokesman said Tuesday evening that the Islamist terror group is conditioning a cease-fire on an opening of Gaza's borders.
The spokesman, Mushir Masri, spoke after news broke of the Israeli defense officials' recommendation.
Masri said an end to the fighting was not enough. He said that if Israel halted "the aggression and the blockade, then Hamas will study these suggestions."
Arab stoning attacks are on the increase, in light of Israel's counter-terrorism offensive in Gaza: An eight-month old baby from the Gush Etzion area, traveling in her family car on Sunday afternoon, is listed in moderate condition in a Jerusalem hospital. She was hurt by Arab-thrown rocks north-east of Hevron.
Shortly before that, a 1-year-old baby boy was lightly wounded by glass shards in a similar stoning attack. He was taken to Kiryat Arba for treatment.
Following the two injuries, the Jewish residents were further penalized when the army ordered closed the road between Hevron and Gush Etzion.
Arab stoning attacks have increased ever since Operation Cast Lead began in Gaza over the Sabbath. The major rioting of Saturday has calmed down, but sporadic rock attacks have continued. In Jerusalem, four Border Guard policemen were injured in a stoning attack on Sunday morning, while Israeli-Arabs damaged at least two cars with rocks in the Galilee later in the afternoon. Also on Sunday, a car windshield was smashed by an Arab-dropped boulder near Zikhron Yaakov, and rock attacks were reported near Patzael in the Jordan Valley.
The Israel Air Force bombed Hamas offices late Monday night and early Tuesday, destroying the offices of Gaza de facto prime minister Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas foreign and finance ministries and those of the security services. At least 16 bombs struck three seven-story buildings.
Local sources said 10 people died and 40 others were wounded, bringing the death toll in the three-day counterterrorist operation to more than 360.
Israel Air Force Commander General Ido Nehushtan said that Hamas has "paid a high price" and "must understand that we are prepared to go to the end" to dismantle the terrorist authority, which took control of Gaza in a violent militia war with the rival Fatah faction 18 months ago.
Military officials estimate that aerial bombings have destroyed 50 percent of Hamas's rocket arsenal but warned that the remaining 50 percent can cause extensive damage.
Tank units and ground troops have been deployed at the Gaza separation barrier in what may be preparation for the first ground incursion into Gaza since last February, when Givati troops entered northern Gaza.
However, Israel is facing increasing pressure from the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) to halt the counterterrorist operations.
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Prof. Gabriela Shalev told the Associated Press on Monday that Israel's goal in Gaza is to destroy the Hamas authority and not just to stop rocket attacks. She referred to Hamas as a "terrorist gang."
Shalev, who began her post four months ago, rejected appeals for a resumption of the June 19 ceasefire, which never was fully honored and completely broke down early last month after Israel discovered that Hamas terrorists were planning to use a newly-built tunnel to kidnap more Israeli soldiers.
Three people were killed, including a soldier, a woman and a Bedouin construction worker, in rocket and mortar shell attacks Monday on Ashkelon, Ashdod and the Nahal Oz area. The soldier has been identified as Staff Sergeant Lutfi Nasraldin, 38, of the western Galilee village Madleit el-Carmel.
The terrorist attacks have forced the closing of schools Tuesday in Kiryat Gat, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Rahat, Kiryat Malachi and Gaza Belt communities.
A Druze soldier, Lutfi Nasraladeen (age 38), was killed by mortar shells that struck a military base. I was very sorry to hear about the fate of this man. During my time spent in Israel, I met many Druze who are proud of Israel and serving in the IDF.
“IDF soldiers of the Druze community are known as brave soldiers and among the best of IDF fighters with high motivation and devotion to their tasks. They have proved their worth…against cruel enemies on all fronts and even before the establishment of the State of Israel in defending Jewish communities where we chose to fight on the side of the just.... There is close blood between Druze and Jews dating back from the time of the Druze prophet Yithro.... The fateful friendship and togetherness between Druze and Jews is felt closely day by day.”
An IDF soldier was killed and another IDF soldier was severely wounded Monday evening (Dec. 29) when a mortar shell struck a military base in the northwestern Negev. Four others sustained light injuries in the mortar shell attack. The soldiers received initial medical treatment at the scene before being evacuated to Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheva for additional treatment. The families of all the soldiers have been informed.
The career soldier who was killed was the third person who was killed in the past few days, as a result of missile bombardments upon southern Israel from the Gaza Strip. Sunday night (Dec.28), a female Israeli civilian, in her thirties, was killed after sustaining severe injuries from missile fire on the southern city where she lived. Earlier on Sunday morning, an Israeli man was killed in Ashkelon after a rocket directly hit the construction site where he worked.
IDF operations in the Gaza Strip are being carried out. IAF aircrafts and helicopters are continuing to strike at Hamas terror infrastructure sites. The IAF targets include Hamas training camps, headquarters, large weapons storage facilities, and missile launching pads in the Gaza Strip. The attacks are only implemented after precise information has been gathered by the Intelligence Corps that specifically indicates locations in which terror activities are being carried out.
As IAF strikes and terrorist rocket attacks continued Monday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak ordered the Kerem Shalom crossing remain open in order to allow the transfer of supplies to Gaza. Dozens of Egyptian trucks entered Gaza with basic food items and humanitarian aid.
The Erez crossing was also opened in order to allow ambulances donated by Turkey to enter Gaza. The ambulances carried medicine, medical equipment, food and thousands of units of blood. The supplies were donated by the United Nations' World Food Program, the UN's Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and Doctors Without Borders.
Defense officials said the crossings would be opened on Tuesday as well.
In addition to opening crossings to allow medical supplies to Gaza, Israel has brought dozens of Gaza residents to Israel for treatment. Egyptian officials said Monday that they had offered to treat those wounded in IAF strikes as well, but that Hamas had prevented the transfer of patients to Egyptian hospitals.
Hamas denied delaying patients' transfer, and said it was facing difficulty in moving the patients due to Israeli airstrikes. Relations between Hamas and Egypt have deteriorated lately, with Hamas failing to attend Egyptian-mediated meetings and Egyptian officials blaming Hamas for Israeli operations in Gaza.
Egyptian officials said Monday that doctors, ambulances and helicopters would be on standby at the Gaza border, waiting for patients to be transferred out.
The Knesset held an emergency session on Monday and approved the government’s decision to embark on Operation Cast Lead against Hamas in Gaza. The Knesset session was punctuated by stormy comments made by the Arab Knesset Members, who were repeatedly thrown out of the session. The mixed Arab-Jewish party Hadash boycotted the session entirely.
All Knesset parties except for Meretz and the Arab parties approved the decision to support the action in Gaza. The decision stated: “It is the right of the State of Israel to defend itself just as it is the right of any nation to do so. It is the right of the citizens of Israel to live with security just as it the right of any other citizens to do so.”
The decision continued: “The Israeli Knesset stands united behind the army’s operation in Gaza to uphold these rights. The Knesset supports the IDF and the security forces in their actions and blesses the officers and soldiers who protect their people and country. The Knesset also blesses the citizens of the south who are under terrorist attack and identifies with their suffering.”
Although Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declined to attend the session, claiming its timing was “inappropriate," Minister of Defense Ehud Barak did attend. “We have restrained ourselves for a long time" Barak said, "and I do not apologize for that, but the time has come for action... We do not enjoy war but we are not afraid of it. We will not allow the residents in the south to continue to be susceptible to rocket fire, nor will we allow Hamas to continue to attack our citizens and soldiers.”
Barak explained why it took so long for the government to act. “I never believed that war is a first option,” he said. “I am the Minister of Defense, not the Minister of War. I am not sorry for one minute of quiet that the residents of the south enjoyed,” referring to the six-month ceasefire - although it was broken by frequent Hamas rocket attacks. Barak concluded, “My finger is not quick on the trigger, nor do I enjoy battle.”
Barak also said that the IDF is paying careful attention to the fate of captured soldier Gilad Shalit, saying, “We have not forgotten Gilad for a second.” He appealed to Gilad’s family: “I will be in contact with you and it is better to avoid details on the situation at this sensitive time. I want to emphasize to you that we are committed to bringing Gilad home.” Hamas has announced that Shalit was wounded in one of the Israeli air attacks, but no evidence of such has been forthcoming.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni explained that the government acted only after all diplomatic options had failed. “In order to fight terror we cannot abandon the diplomatic path and the hope,” Livni said. “But no one should be fooled that our commitment to peace prevents us from acting. We are committed to protect the citizens of Israel.”
Opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu praised the government for embarking on the Gaza operation, but claimed it was "too long" in coming. “No nation would wait so long,” he said. He also criticized the government for allowing Israel’s deterrence capability to deteriorate. "As a result of the government’s policy of weakness and mistakes in the war against terror, our enemies have begun to believe that we are weak and unwilling to fight,” Netanyahu said. “We must end our path of weakness and embark on a path of strength.”
Netanyahu aroused stormy debate when he spoke out against Israeli-Arabs who oppose the Gaza operation. “Not every citizen has to support the government’s decisions, but it is intolerable that they should support our enemies,” Netanyahu said. “There is a limit. To Israeli-Arabs I say: get rid of your extremists. And to the Israeli-Arab extremists I say: Be careful, we will act with an iron fist against the Hamas supporters among us.”
In reponse to Netanyahu's comments, MK Muhammed Barakeh yelled out to him, “How many wars do you need?” Likud MK Gideon Saar yelled back, “Go identify with the people of Gaza in Gaza now!” Barakeh replied that “I would go if I could.” He continued to interrupt Netanyahu and was kicked out of the session. On his way out, Barakeh yelled about Netanyahu, “He is threatening us.” MK Uri Ariel yelled back, “Why don’t you throw your shoes at him!”, in reference to the recent incident in which an Iraqi threw a shoe at US President Bush. Barakeh feigned as if he was taking off his shoes.
Netanyahu also called on Olmert to fire Minister Raleb Majadele from the government in response to the latter's decision to protest the war operation by not attending Sunday’s cabinet meeting. Netanyahu explained, “A Minister in the State of Israel serves the State of Israel. He cannot remove himself from the government at will.” MK Taleb as-Saneh yelled out, “Are you declaring war on Israeli-Arabs?” As-Saneh was later removed from the Knesset session when he continued to interrupt the speakers.
Here are the latest updates, courtesy of the Jerusalem Post:
After three days of bombardment by the IAF, Hamas proved on Monday that it was still capable of firing barrages of Kassams and rockets on the South. Over 80 rockets and mortars fell throughout the Western Negev, killing three people.
On Monday evening, Hamas intensified their efforts, firing on Ashdod, Ofakim, Yavne and the rest of the region. Rockets killed an Ashdod woman at a bus stop and a person near Nahal Oz. She was later identified as Irit Sheetrit, 39.
Five other people were also wounded, two seriously when the Kassam rocket struck near Nahal Oz. Four people were wounded - one seriously and three lightly - by the rocket that hit the Ashdod bus stop. One person was moderately wounded in the attack on Ofakim.
Earlier in the day, an Israeli construction worker identified as Hani al-Mahdi, 27, of the Beduin town of Aro'er in the Negev, was killed and over a dozen others were wounded when a Grad-model Katyusha hit a construction site in Ashkelon.
As the aerial bombardment of the Gaza Strip ended its third day on Monday, the IDF was making final preparations for a penetrating ground operation into the territory.
Tanks, armored personnel carriers, artillery batteries and soldiers from several infantry units massed along Gaza's border ahead of the operation, which defense officials said would likely be limited in time.
At a security assessment held at the Defense Ministry, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that the operation would intensify if the rocket attacks did not stop.
"If Hamas does not immediately stop the criminal and intentional firing of rockets, Israel will use all the legal resources and courses of action at its disposal to force the enemy to stop its aggressive and illegal action," Barak said.
Defense officials said that the ground operation, if launched, would penetrate deep into Gaza with the aim of dealing a strategic blow to Hamas. Barak, the officials said, declared during the assessment that he did not want to utilize all of the forces at the IDF's disposal since it would create "static targets" for Hamas.
"We will hit them where they least expect it," one official said, adding that the artillery batteries deployed along the border would likely be used in the event of a ground operation. "We will need to constantly be moving on the ground to maintain the element of surprise."
The IDF on Monday morning declared the area of the Negev along the Gaza border a closed military zone, denying entrance to all but local residents.
Throughout the day, the IDF struck at over 30 Hamas targets scattered across the Gaza Strip as the death toll in Gaza climbed to close to 350, according to Palestinian sources.
One target bombed was a tunnel being dug in the southern Gaza Strip and across the border into Israel. The tunnel was packed with explosives and at least three Palestinians were believed to have been killed inside it by the strike.
A senior Islamic Jihad terrorist, Ziad Abu Tir, was killed in an air strike. Abu Tir was behind a series of terrorist attacks against Israel in recent years, defense officials said.
In addition, the IDF bombed the home of the commander of the Hamas rocket-firing forces. It was unclear whether he was killed in the strike, but officials said that there were secondary explosions after a weapons storehouse in the building was destroyed.
Later in the day, five people were killed when an IAF aircraft targeted a car. Palestinian sources reported that 14 people were killed in air strikes Monday evening.
The air force also struck a truck carrying Grad-model Katyusha missiles, setting off a series of secondary explosions, the IDF said.
The IDF added that Hamas was transferring the missiles to a hideout, fearing that their location had been compromised. The transfer was also likely intended to bring the rockets closer to areas from which they could be launched at Israel.
The IDF rejected reports that Hamas was evacuating the Shifa Hospital in Gaza after being warned by Israel that it would be bombed by the IAF. The IDF Spokesman released a statement calling the report a Hamas manipulation and an indication that it was under pressure.
Meanwhile, Hamas said that two members of its armed wing were killed as the IAF struck facilities belonging to the group in southern Gaza. Al-Jazeera reported that the navy also participated in the operation, shelling Hamas targets.
Other targets hit Monday afternoon included ammunition stocks, Hamas military infrastructure and tunnels in Gaza City and northern Gaza. Early Monday morning, in what was described as a strategic blow to the Hamas military wing, the IAF bombed two research-and-development laboratories used by Hamas that were located on the Islamic University campus in Gaza City.
Other targets included a guest palace used by the Hamas government, and the house next to Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's home in a refugee camp next to Gaza City. He was not home, as Hamas leaders have gone into hiding.
One of the strikes against field operatives hit a house in the Jabaliya refugee camp, killing seven people, but the Hamas activist being targeted was not there.
Another strike hit the Jabaliya home of Abdel-Karim Jaber, a Hamas political figure. Jaber, a senior administrator at the Islamic University, was not at home at the time and it wasn't immediately clear if anyone was hurt in the strike.
Earlier in the day, speaking at the Knesset, Barak said that Israel would expand its military operation in the Gaza Strip until all its goals were achieved. Barak added that the IDF was targeting Hamas leadership and its allies in Gaza, asserting that the operation would be "all-out war."
"This operation will be extended and deepened as we find necessary," Barak said. "Our goal is to strike Hamas and stop the attacks on Israel.
"Hamas controls Gaza and is responsible for everything happening there and for all attacks carried out from within the Strip. The goals of this operation are to stop Hamas from attacking our citizens and soldiers."
Also last night, an Israeli was lightly wounded when he was stabbed in the neck by a Palestinian, near Kedumim in the West Bank.
Two people were killed on Monday night as Gaza terrorists continued to pound southern Israel with rockets and mortar shells.
One of the fatalities was a woman who had run to a bus stop in Ashdod for cover as a rocket hit the city.
The Grad-type rocket killed her and wounded four others - one seriously and three lightly - when it impacted near the bus stop.
The casualties were evacuated to Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon.
It marks the first time a rocket has hit Ashdod. The city is Israel's fifth largest, with a population of some 250,000. It is located approximately 35 kilometers from Gaza.
The rocket was one of over 70 fired at southern Israel Monday.
In the second attack Monday night, one person was killed when a mortar shell fired by Gaza terrorists struck the Nahal Oz area, in the western Negev.
Five other people were wounded in the attack, one seriously, one moderately and three lightly.
In another attack earlier Monday, Hanni Al-Mahdi, 27, of the Beduin town of Aroer in the Negev, was killed and at least 14 people were wounded when a Grad-type missile hit a construction site in Ashkelon's center.
Of the wounded, five were reported to be in moderate-to-serious condition and the rest were lightly wounded. Several people were sent into shock by the attack.
According to Channel 2, the missile hit the top floor of the building, which did not yet have a roof.
Magen David Adom ambulances evacuated all the casualties to the city's Barzilai Hospital.
Most of the people at the site were Arab construction workers from Rahat and the Manda village in the Galilee.
Following the attack, Hamas's military wing called on Egyptian and Jordanian citizens working in Israel to leave all Israeli cities, Army Radio reported.
Hamas took responsibility for firing the missile and reported that a "Zionist" was killed in the attack.
Moussa, a construction worker from Kfar Manda who was lightly wounded in the Ashkelon attack, told Army Radio that there were about twelve workers at the site at the time of the attack.
Moussa said a public library was being constructed there, and added that the work at the site had been underway for several years.
In Sderot, several people suffered from shock after their house sustained a direct hit from a rocket.
The IDF on Monday morning declared the area along the Gaza border a closed military zone, denying entrance to all but local residents.
The ban included journalists. However, it was not clear how effectively the order was being upheld, as a correspondent for the British Sky News network was seen reporting from the border in the late morning.
In an apparent sign of Palestinian violence spreading beyond Gaza and the South, four people were wounded Monday morning, one of them seriously, in a stabbing attack carried out by a Palestinian terrorist in the town of Modi'in Illit (Kiryat Sefer).
The terrorist was shot by Kobi Rosenstein, a Magen David Adom volunteer who came to treat wounded.
MDA said the medic's bravery prevented additional casualties.
At 8.05 a.m., MDA's Ayalon branch received an alert about shooting and stabbing in the haredi settlement's Rehov Yehuda Hanassi. Two regular ambulances and two more sophisticated ones were dispatched. When the rescue teams arrived, they found someone they knew well - MDA volunteer medical Arye Deutsch, lying on the floor bleeding heavily. The apartment owner, who was herself lightly wounded, said the Arab attacker - the head of a renovation team in her flat, seriously wounded his contractor employer, stabbed her and her husband and fled.
Ismail Yusuf, an MDA paramedic who arrived at the apartment, said that after running up four flights of stairs in the elevator-less building, they saw Deutsch. "He was lying on his stomach, but it didn't take me long to identify Arye, as we did many ambulance shifts together," said Yusuf. "It was very painful to see his condition. He did not react and didn't understand what was happening. Medics know that someday you may treat somebody you know, but when it happens, it's very hard to digest," Yusuf added.
Deutsch was rushed to Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, where he was in critical condition with wounds to his head.
First aid is administered to the handcuffed stabber in Modi'in Illit, Monday. Photo: David Leff, "Ichud Hatzala"
Five others were also hospitalized there, one serious and four lightly injured. The terrorist was seriously hurt by Rosenstein's bullet and hospitalized in Sheba as well.
Security forces believe that a second man may have been involved in the attack, and were conducting searches in the area.
Also Monday, Arab residents of east Jerusalem held violent demonstrations in protest of the military operation in Gaza.
In the Shuafat refugee camp, a minor was detained after she hurled stones at Border Police forces, together with dozens of other youths.
Near Har Adar and outside Kalandiya, stones were hurled at border policemen and tires were burnt.
No one was wounded in any of the incidents.
Meanwhile, student demonstrations were held both for and against the Gaza operation in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa.
Almost 200 anti-operation protesters took part in a demonstration outside the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, holding signs which read "Free Gaza" and "Free Palestine" and waving Palestinian flags.
Some 300 Jewish students held a counter-demonstration in support of the operation.
At least sixty policemen were at the scene in order to ensure clashes would not break out between the two sides.
Meanwhile, some 200 Arab Israelis protesting against the operation clashed with students expressing their support for the military action at Tel Aviv University.
Three of the Arab protesters were arrested.
At the Haifa University, some 300 Arab students carried out a protest against the operation, while approximately 100 students demonstrated their support for the IDF.
At least five Palestinians were killed as IAF aircraft continued to hammer Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip late Saturday night and early Sunday.
Palestinians said aircraft targeted a mosque near Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, destroying it. Two bodies were retrieved from the rubble. The army said the mosque was a base for terrorist activities.
Palestinian sources reported early Sunday morning that IAF aircraft had targeted the Al Aqsa TV station used by Hamas.
The studio building was destroyed, but the station remained on the air with a mobile unit, the sources said.
Palestinians counted about 20 air-strikes in the first hours of Sunday.
On Saturday night, IAF aircraft attacked a Kassam launching crew in Gaza, killing three of its members. Palestinians said four others were wounded in the attack.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak allowed crossings into Gaza to be opened on Sunday for humanitarian aid to go through, signaling to the world that Israel was fighting a war against Hamas in Gaza but not against the civilian population.
IDF tanks were making their way from the Golan Heights to the south of Israel in the morning hours and ground troops amassed at the Gaza border. Barak told Sky News that the military would deploy ground troops if necessary but avoided providing additional details.
As the first day of the operation neared its end the military reported a very low percentage of civilian deaths in a difficult theater which is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. The army cited only about 15 deaths out of more than 230 Palestinian casualties.
Nevertheless, defense officials said Sunday that Israel would not hesitate to target the homes of civilians who protected Hamas terrorists throughout the operation.
"We will go after every Hamas operative, no matter where he is," they said. "We call on Palestinians not to cooperate with terrorists."
More than 210 targets were hit by IAF aircraft throughout Saturday. At least 230 Gazans were killed and over 780 were wounded, according to Palestinian sources. Officials said at least 15 civilians were among the dead.
110 Kassam rockets and mortar shells hit Israel on Saturday, the furthest of which landed 27 kilometers from its launcher inside Gaza. Rockest attacks were on a relative lull but the army said it was still expecting Hamas to recuperate from the initial shock and fire up to 200 rockets a day on Israel.
Disturbing photographs made available to this newspapers by police sources indicate that several of the guests at the Taj Mahal Hotel during the siege November 26 were sexually humiliated by the terrorists and then shot dead.
Police sources confirm that even as the terrorists were engaged in a fierce combat with NSG commandos, they were humiliating their hostages before ending their terrifying ordeal.
Foreign guests were their particular target. Eight of the 31 killed at the Taj were foreign nationals.
These pictures, most of which we have refrained from printing, are in the records of the police and are now part of the investigation.
Photographs taken by a police forensic team after the hotel was sanitised yield a gruesome picture of some of the guests in the nude.
These bodies were found away from the hotel's swimming pool which makes it clear that they were not those guests who were taken hostage from the poolside.
"Even the Rabbi and his [pregnant] wife at Nariman House were sexually assaulted and their genitalia mutilated," said a senior officer of the investigating team, not wishing to be quoted.
“We have CCTV footage which reveals how these terrorists forced some of the guests who were holed up in restuarants to strip, but there is not evidence of rape,” he added.
Israel, over the last 24 hours, has been carefully targeting Hamas terrorists in Gaza. Approximately two hundred Hamas terrorists have been killed. Hamas broke a ceasefire and began launching kassams only a few hours before Israel was to ship additional materials to Gaza maintain the ceasefire. Ironically, even some Egyptian officials have recognized that the Hamas government which the Palestinians elected in Gaza is responsible for this conflict.
Thousands of Israeli civilians in Sderot have had their lives destroyed over the past years. This is a humanitarian crisis that receives no attention despite the perpetual and unwarranted rocket attacks from Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups.
The Israeli military response to an incessant barrage of rockets into Sderot and Ashkelon is absolutely necessary. If someone lived in San Diego, for example, and Mexico launched kassam rockets daily over their heads, this would be totally unacceptable. The situation here is no different.
Sderot is part of Israel and is recognized as a part of Israel. It isn't disputed territory. Yet Palestinians have committed despicable crimes and impeded peace by continuously bombarding the area with kassam rockets. In one instance this year Islamic Jihad even hit a kindergarten in Sderot and called it a "present for the start of new school year." That is depravity of the worst sort. The world media, unfortunately, chooses to neglect to mention these facts in their reporting.
Amran, 12 Dec. (AKI) - A gunman shot and killed a Yemeni Jew in the Raydah district in northern Yemen, security sources said on Friday. Thirty-nine year-old Mousa Yaish al-Nahari, a father of eight, was reportedly shot for no reason, said Yahya Mousa, a rabbi for Yemeni Jews in the capital Sanaa.
Arab media said the gunman was identified as Abdul-Aziz Yahya al-Abdi, a former air force pilot. He was arrested in Raydah in the Amran governorate.
Police are still investigating the motive of the crime, but witnesses say the gunman approached al-Nahari and told him "Jew, accept Islam's message" and then shot him five times with an AK-47 assault rifle.
Al-Abdi is alleged to have murdered his wife two years ago but was not jailed because he agreed to pay compensation to the wife's family, said Pan-Arab daily al-Sharq al-Awsat.
Ahmed al-Sarihi, a security official, told the daily that al-Abdi was a religious extremist that suffered from mental problems and that during interrogation he admitted killing al-Nahari and telling police that "these Jews must convert to Islam."
Although Yemen is overwhelmingly Muslim, a small community of around 300 Jews still live there.
Since 1949 about 50,000 members of the once-thriving Yemeni Jewish community are reported to have been secretly airlifted to Israel.
The following was written by UCI adjunct professor, Gary Fouse:
My name is Gary Fouse, and I have taught English as a Second Language at the University of California at Irvine Ext since 1998 until the present. I am retired from the US Drug Enforcement Administration and have been employed part-time as an ESL teacher since retirement.
In the past few years at UCI, I have become aware of troubling developments at UCI involving the Muslim Student Union (MSU). On numerous occasions, the MSU hosts a week of events on campus, in which several speakers appear. The usual theme of the speakers is the Israel -Palestinian issue, in which, not surprisingly, speakers defend the Palestinian side and condemn Israel.
There is nothing wrong with this per se. While I defend Israel, I recognize that there are two sides to this issue, and it is entirely proper for both sides to be aired. What I find troubling is the virulent tone of many of the MSU-sponsored speakers, who not only criticize Israel, but call for its destruction and defend and glorify suicide bombers, as well as terrorist organizations like Hizbollah and Hamas. Even more disturbing, some of these speakers have engaged in what I can only term as anti-Semitic (anti-Jewish rhetoric). In addition, many of the speakers are clearly anti-American.
One of the speakers who has appeared at UCI on at least two occasions that I am aware of is Imam Mohammed al-Asi from the Washington DC area. He is an open supporter of Hamas and Hizbollah. On a past visit to UCI, he referred to Jews as "low-life ghetto-dwellers". He is also quoted as saying that , "you can take the Jew out of the ghetto, but you can't take the ghetto out of the Jew". Last May, al-Asi again appeared at UCI. I was present during this speech. On this occasion, he warned Jewish students in the audience that they were increasingly facing the wrath of the entire Islamic world-a thinly-veiled threat of violence in my view.
The most notable MSU-sponsored speaker is Amir Abdel Malik Ali, an Oakland-based imam who appears at virtually every MSU sponsored event. This man has glorified suicide bombers in Israel as "heroes" and "martyrs". He speaks of a fight to the death in the Holy Land between Muslims and Jews over Israel. Like many of his cohorts in the MSU, he will deny he is anti-Semitic-only anti-Zionist. Yet when you listen to his words, he often spits out the term, "Zionist Jew" repeatedly.
Of course, like al-Asi, Malik Ali has nothing but contempt for America, as he throws out vile insults to his own country and government. But that is not the issue here. Anti-American sentiment on American university campuses is sadly not uncommon.
In his last appearance at UCI in November, I listened to his words and answers to questions (including my own). When one student asked him about President-elect Barack Obama, he laughed contemptuously and mentioned that Obama had as his three top advisors, "Rahm Israel Emanuel, Madelyn Albright and David Axelrod-a Zionist".
I would like to direct the reader's attention back to May 2008, the week MSU hosted its "Palestinian Holocaust Week". As Mohammed al-Asi was spouting his venom in front of the flag pole area, a group of middle school or high school students were standing about 30 feet away. They were on a tour of UCI and were waiting to board their bus. As they stood there, they were exposed to the hateful words of al-Asi. There were several UCI deans in the crowd who were monitoring the event, making sure walkways were clear, and keeping Jewish student protesters from getting too close to the speakers. No one seemed to notice or care that younger students were within easy earshot of this anti-Semitic hate monger, al-Asi.
That same week, MSU students erected a mock wall near the flagpole depicting the wall Israel had erected to keep out suicide bombers. On that wall, were a number of pictures, drawings, photos and quotes. Among them was a drawing of Ariel Sharon, which was drawn in the old style of the anti-Jewish Nazi paper, Der Stuermer, which was published during the Third Reich by Nuremberg-based Gauleiter Julius Streicher. The caricature of Sharon featured him with a big hooked nose, thick lips and a leering expression on his face-typical of the Nazi caricatures of Jews. That drawing sat on that wall the entire week. Numerous school officials, including deans were near the wall during the events. They must have seen it. Yet, no one objected.
In addition, from time to time, there have been incidents of Jewish students who monitor these events and try to film them being subjected to verbal and/or physical intimidation. One Jewish former student I am aware of once had her camera shoved in her face by a Muslim student. No action was taken by campus police or the administration. Last May, after an evening speech by Malik Ali, a Jewish female student who had filmed the talk, was reportedly followed back to her car and accosted by a group of male MSU students who surrounded her car. The incident was reportedly witnessed by a South African woman, who tried to report it to Campus Police but was reportedly met by indifference. (I say "reportedly" because I have no personal knowledge of the incident. I referred the information to the UCI EEO Office for them to follow up on.)
That leads me to my next point. What has been the reaction of UCI's administration to this on-going problem? It is true that Chancellor Michael Drake has met with Jewish community leaders and expressed his disapproval of hate speech in general terms. Yet he and other top university officials constantly refer to the right of freedom of speech-even offensive speech in not reacting to these expressions of anti-Semitism.
I also believe in free speech. I have never advocated that these speakers be dragged off to jail for what they say. I would hope, however, that at the least, someone from the university would step forward and say that "the words of speaker X when he said X constitute hate speech and we condemn it entirely". I am unaware of any time that anyone from UCI has uttered such a specific condemnation of the words that have been spoken at UCI-which are hateful and inciteful. Generic condemnations of "hate speech" are, in my view, insufficient.
Yet many-even Jews- defend the university and say that the administrators of UCI are doing a great job in this area. This was the reaction when I wrote to the Director of the Orange County Human Relations Commission, Rusty Kennedy. In response, he lambasted me for my criticism of the university. ( I have also outlined my concerns in writing to the UCI EEO office.) The university has other defenders as well, such as at least one Jewish campus organization and many Jewish students at UCI who say there is no problem, and that they do not feel intimidated. I have heard many say that the controversy is all caused by "outsiders". I would like to address these points.
First of all, I am not an outsider. I have taught at UCI for 10 years. I have attended many of the MSU-sponsored events. I have listened to many of the speakers, and, on several occasions, confronted them with questions. As a retired law enforcement officer of almost 30 years service, I think I can recognize hate speech and volatile situations.
As for the everyday situation at UCI, I have always stressed that 99% of UCI's students are not involved in this ugliness. Most of our students are Asian-American, and they are there to study and enjoy their university experience. I see absolutely no anti-Semitism coming from them or the vast majority of the other students. Yet, two or three times a quarter, the campus is faced with this hateful rhetoric-aimed at Israel, America and Jews.
If many Jewish students see no problem at UCI beyond these periodic events, that is fine. However, if there is no problem, why did Anteaters for Israel take the trouble to protest the speeches of al-Asi and Malik Ali with posters warning students about "hate speech"?
So there is the problem as I see it. What are my ideas for a solution? I think for one, any further expression of anti-Semitic speech by MSU speakers should be immediately countered by a strong statement of specific condemnation by university officials.
Secondly, in the wake of the much-heralded "Olive Tree Initiative", I think it would be fitting that UCI (which provides funding to MSU) let them know that it is time to find more moderate speakers-or tell the Malik Alis to tone down their rhetoric. Of course, I have stated more than once that if it were my university, the Malik Alis would not be allowed on campus. Most of my colleagues tell me I would lose that case in court. Perhaps so.
I also strongly believe that, as long as this situation continues to exist at UCI, the public should be made aware of what is taking place on the campus. The public has every right to know what their tax dollars are being used to support.
A couple of weeks ago, there was a brawl at UC Berkeley between Jewish and Palestinian-sympathizer students. Without taking sides on who was at fault, I feel strongly that UCI is potentially the scene of a far worse incident. I pray that it doesn't happen, but if it does, I will not be one of those asking, "how could it happen here?" History has shown that hateful actions are preceded by hateful words. I feel strongly that the groundwork is being laid for a tragedy at UCI. Our campus has acquired the dubious distinction of being considered the most anti-Semitic campus in America according to many observers. In many respects, I would agree that is an unfair characterization. However, in other respects, it is not so unfair.
Finally, I should add that I myself am not Jewish. I am, however, an amateur scholar of the Third Reich and have spent almost three years of my life in the Nuremberg, Germany area. I have also written a book about the history of that area (specifically, the town of Erlangen). I think just the word, "Nuremberg" is sufficient to explain why I have become sensitive to the issue of anti-Semitism-and can recognize it when I see it. I mentioned above the name of Julius Streicher, the so-called "Jew Baiter of Nuremberg", who was hanged as a war criminal after the Second World War. When Imam Mohammed al-Asi appeared at UCI and called Jews, "low life ghetto-dwellers", the only difference between him and Streicher was the languages they spoke in.
This letter may be shared with whomever deemed appropriate.
I am a journalist and researcher, and have written numerous research and investigative pieces. My work has been published with several notable organizations, including CAMERA on Campus, the Jewish Policy Center, Pajamas Media, and the Investigative Project on Terror.
My interests include ethics and epistemology, history, economics, and international relations.
I graduated from the University of California, Irvine with distinguished honors, earning a Bachelor of Arts in English. Presently I am pursuing a Master's degree at USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism in the field of Broadcast Journalism. I can be reached at Reut AT reutrcohen DOT com.
