Recently in Gaza Category

Turkey's Ottoman dreams continue to advance under Erdogan. The praise for Libya is noteworthy in light of the al-Qaeda involvement and hardline pro-Sharia character of the new Libyan regime.

"Turkey to restore Ottoman mosques in Middle East," from Today's Zaman, December 4 (thanks to Joshua):

Turkey is taking steps to restore and renovate mosques that were built by the Ottomans in Libya and Gaza.

The Turkish government is planning to restore an Ottoman mosque in Libya, a Turkish company executive said on Saturday.

Hilmi Özkazanç, an executive with Nurol Construction, said Turkey is planning to start renovating the Murad Agha Mosque in the town of Tajura near the Libyan capital of Tripoli. “We will come to Tajura again next week to see what we have to do to the mosque,” Özkazanç told an Anatolia correspondent.

Özkazanç said restoration would probably begin by the end of this year.

Özkazanç visited Tajura together with Turkey’s Ambassador to Libya Ali Kemal Aydın. During the visit Aydın said, “The Libyan people will establish a country that will be a model for the region, and we will help them.”

The Murad Agha Mosque was constructed in Tajura approximately 16 kilometers east of Tripoli in 1552 by Agha -- one of the three commanders who joined the conquest of Tripoli Province during the Ottoman era. Agha later served as governor of the province. The mosque has 48 marble columns topped by a series of arches that support the vaults.

During his visit to Libya in September, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited the mosque together with Mustafa Abd al-Jalil, the chairman of Libya’s National Transitional Council, and addressed people who gathered around the mosque to see him.

The administration of Palestine’s Gaza City has requested assistance from Turkey in the construction of several mosques after they were destroyed or severely damaged in the 2008-2009 Gaza War, the Anatolia news agency reported last week. According to a report released by government officials in Gaza, there is an urgent need for mosques in the city due to rapid population growth and also because most mosques were damaged during the Gaza War, which broke down the infrastructure of the coastal city.

During the war, 34 mosques were destroyed. Another 161 were damaged and need to be renovated. The cost of such renovation projects has pushed officials in Gaza to seek outside assistance.

The reconstruction of the 34 destroyed mosques will cost nearly $15 million, which exceeds the means of the city administration, especially at a time when economic sanctions imposed by Israel have begun to be felt. Thus, city officials have turned to Turkey, asking for help. Gazan officials said they presented a project to Turkey that includes the construction of 15 new Ottoman-style mosques and the repair of those damaged in the war....

Also of interest in this report is that, however unsurprisingly, Libyan weapons have indeed made it to Gaza's jihadists. "Israeli official: military could topple Hamas," by Josef Federman for the Associated Press, November 13:

REIM MILITARY BASE, Israel (AP) — Weeks after a new round of fighting with Gaza militants subsided, a senior Israeli military official said Sunday that Israel is ready and able to topple the territory's Hamas government, though it has no immediate plans to do so.

The official also said Gaza militants have steadily built up an already formidable arsenal, in part with weapons smuggled out of Libya, and now have rockets capable of striking Tel Aviv, Israel's cultural and business hub.

"If we have to conquer the whole Gaza Strip, we'll do it," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity under Israeli military guidelines. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005 after a 38-year military occupation.

Israel's volatile front with Gaza, a crowded seaside strip along Israel's southwest flank, has been largely quiet since an Israeli military offensive three years ago. The operation, launched in response to heavy barrages of rocket fire, killed some 1,400 people, including hundreds of civilians, and inflicted heavy damage on Hamas.

But since then, Hamas has restocked its arsenal, and fighting has sporadically flared up, most recently late last month when one Israeli and 10 Gaza militants were killed over several days of violence.

Hamas officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Hamas, along with smaller militant groups, now possess sophisticated anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons, the official said. He said they also have rockets capable of reaching the northern suburbs of Tel Aviv, roughly 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Gaza, meaning that Israel's main population center is now within range.

The official said many arms have flooded into Gaza in the wake of the Libyan revolution, with looted weapons making their way through Egypt's Sinai peninsula and into Gaza through the border tunnels. He said the weapons shipping is taking place despite improved efforts by Egypt's new government to stop the smuggling.

He said the weapons have not changed militants' abilities, since armed groups already possessed these arms. But he said the amount of weapons has grown substantially.

One beneficiary, he said, is Islamic Jihad, a smaller armed group that sometimes rivals Hamas. Islamic Jihad was responsible for most of the latest wave of fighting against Israel.

"Hamas has more of everything and good stuff, but the Jihad ... got stronger by far, not stronger than Hamas, but it's a very strong organization now," he said.

Abu Ahmad, spokesman for Islamic Jihad's military wing, confirmed his group had beefed up its capabilities, including the new use of mobile rocket launchers. But he said there is still "a big difference between our humble arsenal and the occupation army's weapons."

"What I can say here is that the occupation army commanders and soldiers will find themselves in trouble if they commit any folly against Gaza," he said. "We have many new things that will be used if there is a new Zionist escalation."

For the past three years, Israel has generally been in a tit-for-tat cycle against militants, responding to rocket fire with pinpoint strikes against the attackers. Israel holds Hamas, which seized control of Gaza in 2007, for all attacks that emanate from the territory.

The official cited several scenarios that could trigger a heavier Israeli response against Hamas, including a deadly rocket attack on a school or school bus, a kidnapping of an Israeli soldier or the introduction of a new strategic weapon.

He warned, however, that a broad operation would carry a heavy price that would likely include military and civilian casualties both on the Israeli and Palestinian sides. "If you want a bigger achievement, then you pay a bigger price," he said.

Hamas will do all it can to maximize civilian casualties in Gaza for propaganda purposes.

Lather, rinse, repeat: after a certain period of calm, the jihadists in Gaza decide to see how far they can push against Israel again. Hamas is putatively in control of Gaza, but will not accept responsibility for attacks launched from the territory. They hope instead to reap the benefits of plausible deniability for the attack in a situation where jihadists can open or cease fire at will, and no one can be held responsible.

Hamas and its sympathizers will do all they can to cast Israel as the aggressor for not playing that game. "Man injured in Ashkelon rocket attack dies from wounds," by Yaakov Laapin, Lahav Harkov, and Tovah Lazaroff for the Jerusalem Post, October 30:

A man was killed and four people were wounded when southern Israel was bombarded with long-range Grad rockets fired by Islamic Jihad from Gaza on Saturday.

The rocket casualty was later named as Ami Moshe, 56, of Ashkelon. Moshe was on his way home to his family when the air raid siren went off. He left his vehicle and ran for cover, but was mortally injured by flying shrapnel from the rocket fired at a residential neighborhood in Ashkelon. He was rushed to the Barzilai Medical Center in the city, but doctors were unable to save his life. Moshe was able to answer a call from his concerned wife and tell her that he had been injured before being evacuated to hospital.

Security chiefs searched for a way to contain the situation on Saturday, as the Air Force went into action to strike terror cells preparing rockets for launch in northern and southern Gaza.

IDF confirmed killing 10 Islamic Jihad members on Saturday. It struck four terror targets in Gaza between 9 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Saturday night. The targets included a terror cell in southern Gaza planning to fire a projectile, a terrorist planning a rocket strike, and two rocket launch sites in northern Gaza. An additional terrorist in southern Gaza planning a rocket attack was also struck from the air on Saturday night. Furthermore, a cell in northern Gaza was also hit by the Air Force.

Some 200,000 school children will stay at home as classes in Ashdod, Beersheba and Kiryat Malachi were canceled by local officials, and the IDF Home Front Command asked people who live within 40 kilometers of the Gaza Strip to stay near structures protected against rockets.

On Saturday, 35 projectiles, including Grads and mortar shells, were fired at southern communities, hitting built-up areas in Ashdod, Ashkelon and regional councils across the region. A number of the rockets caused extensive damages to buildings.

The IDF struck a rocket-launching cell in Rafah, in the southern Strip, following the upsurge in attacks, reportedly killing two terrorists.

Hamas is responsible for what takes place in Gaza,” the army said....

The latest escalation in the Turkish Temper Tantrum. Erdogan has also publicly considered visiting Gaza, and clearly does not care on either point how he is bolstering Hamas. "Turkish warships will escort aid vessels to Gaza: Erdogan," by Sami Aboudi for Reuters, September 8:

CAIRO (Reuters) - Turkey said on Thursday it would escort aid ships to Gaza and would not allow a repetition of last year's Israeli raid that killed nine Turks, setting the stage for a potential naval confrontation with its former ally.

Raising the stakes in Turkey's row with Israel over its refusal to apologize for the killings, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Al Jazeera television that Turkey had taken steps to stop Israel from unilaterally exploiting natural resources in the Mediterranean.

"Turkish warships, in the first place, are authorized to protect our ships that carry humanitarian aid to Gaza," Erdogan said in the interview, broadcast by Al Jazeera with an Arabic translation.

"From now on, we will not let these ships to be attacked by Israel, as what happened with the Freedom Flotilla," Erdogan said.

Referring to Erdogan's comments, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said: "This is a statement well-worth not commenting on."

Relations between Turkey and Israel, two close U.S. allies in the region, have soured since Israeli forces boarded the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara aid ship in May 2010.

Ankara downgraded ties and vowed to boost naval patrols in the eastern Mediterranean in the escalating row. Israel says it acted legally against ships that tried to breach its blockade on the Palestinian enclave which is ruled by the Islamist Hamas group.

Israel has said it will enforce the blockade, which it says is needed to prevent arms smuggling to Hamas.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said earlier on Thursday that Israel and Turkey will eventually mend fences rather than become foes, describing their unprecedented dispute over Gaza as "spilled milk."

Noting that an inquiry commissioned by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had vindicated the blockade, Barak predicted that wider Middle East upheaval would help bring Israel back together with its Muslim ex-ally.

"Ultimately this wave will pass. We recognize reality. They recognize reality," Barak told Israel Radio. "We are the two countries that are most important to the West in the region ... I am certain that we can overcome these (disagreements)."

But Erdogan appeared to raise the heat, saying NATO member Turkey has taken steps to patrol the Mediterranean, and vowed to stop the Jewish state from exploiting natural resources in the area.

"You know that Israel has begun to declare that it has the right to act in exclusive economic areas in the Mediterranean," Erdogan said, apparently in reference to Israeli plans to exploit offshore gas reserves found in areas that are also claimed by Lebanon.

"You will see that it will not be the owner of this right, because Turkey, as a guarantor of the Turkish republic of north Cyprus, has taken steps in the area, and it will be decisive and holding fast to the right to monitor international waters in the east Mediterranean," he said.

Turkish-occupied Cyprus. Only Turkey recognizes the "republic of North Cyprus."

While there continue to be concerns about Libya's unconventional weapons and potential "dirty bomb" material, lighter conventional weapons are already reported to be on the market. And there also remains the possibility of a second "storefront" opening up upon the fall of the Assad regime.

"'Gaza militants have Libyan arms'," from Reuters, August 29:

Palestinians in Gaza have acquired anti-aircraft and anti-tank rockets from Libya during its six-month civil war, enlarging but not significantly improving their arsenal, Israeli officials said on Monday.

While the rebellion against Muammar Gaddafi has stirred concern abroad about the fate of Libya's ageing chemical weapons stockpiles, Israel has no indication Hamas or other Palestinian factions have sought these, the officials said.

Instead, Israeli officials have detected an inflow of SA-7 anti-aircraft missiles and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), said one official, describing an overland supply route that opened up between eastern Libya – after it fell to the rebels – and the Gaza Strip via Egypt.

"We've been seeing more SA-7s and RPGs coming across," said the official. "It's not a major qualitative enhancement for them."

The Soviet-designed SA-7 is a shoulder-fired, heat-seeking missile which Israel said Palestinians had previously smuggled into Gaza. Rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), designed to penetrate armour, are plentiful in the territory.

Another Israeli official said "thousands" of the weapons had reached Gaza in recent months, but did not provide figures on how many had originated in Libya.

Egypt's Sinai peninsula, which borders both Israel and Gaza, has long seen traffic in arms bound for Palestinians. The weapons come up through Sudan or arrive by ship over the Mediterranean.

State television reported in Cairo Monday that Egyptian border guards had discovered "a large quantity" of weapons at the border with Libya, giving no more details....

Ceasefires aren't intended to last under Islamic law, but the Gaza jihadists seem to be trying for a new record for the briefest truce each time. More on this story. "IDF strikes targets in Gaza in response to rocket salvoes," from the Jerusalem Post, August 25:

The IAF struck targets in northern and southern Gaza Wednesday night in response to rocket from terrorists in the Strip, the IDF Spokesman's Office announced in a statement.

"During a night air assault weapons a storage site in northern Gaza and tunnel used for smuggling and weapons manufacturing in the southern Gaza Strip" were struck, the statement said, adding that a direct hits were identitified.

Palestinian sources claimed an Israeli air strike targeted an Islamic Jihad sports facility, and killed two people there.

Earlier, the Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted a rocket that was fired toward Beersheba and two rockets that were fired toward Ashkelon.

A nine-month-old girl was lightly wounded in the hand when a Grad-type rocket scored a direct hit on an empty car south of Ashkelon.

The baby was outdoors with a parent when the rocket struck an empty vehicle nearby, causing the injury. The vehicle caught fire and the baby was taken for medical treatment.

The late evening salvo of more than 10 rockets came after three days of quiet, since Hamas declared Gazan groups would stop launching rockets at Israel on Sunday night.

Earlier Wednesday, at least seven rockets hit near Ashkelon and in Ofakim. The rockets were believed to be fired by Islamic Jihad, supposedly in response to an Israel Air Force air strike earlier in the day that killed a senior operative who the IDF said was planning attacks against Israel from the Sinai Peninsula.

Four rockets struck in the Eshkol Regional Council and another two hit open land near Ofakim shortly after another rocket fell in an open field north of the Gaza Strip near Ashkelon. No one was injured in the strikes.

The IDF had prepared for the rocket fire following the air strike against the Islamic Jihad operative and canceled the Briza Festival in Ashkelon that was scheduled for Wednesday night.

In what appeared to be part of an IDF response to the renewed rocket fire, the IAF bombed an Islamic Jihad rocket cell in Gaza City. Palestinians reported one dead and several wounded.

Later in the day, two more terrorists were killed in air strikes against rocket cells.

Palestinian news agency Ma’an said the first man killed was Ismail al-Asmar, a field commander in the Al-Quds Brigade, the Islamic Jihad’s “military wing.” A spokesman for a medical service run by Hamas said two other people were wounded in the strike.

“Israel will pay a heavy price for this crime,” the Al-Quds Brigade said in a statement.

Defense officials said that the IDF would continue to strike at terror cells that it spotted preparing to fire rockets into Israel, and against terrorists who it knew, according to intelligence information, were in the midst of planning attacks against Israel, as it did on Wednesday morning.

“This could lead to another escalation in rocket fire, but the IDF will not stand by as Israelis are attacked,” one official said....

The jihadists know the double standard that is in place means that while Israel will observe the "lull," the world will indulge Hamas and its fellow travelers a few slip-ups -- in other words, a few free shots. And here they are.

"Lull breached; rockets hit westeren [sic] Negev," by Shmulik Hadad for YNet News, August 23:

The fragile armistice declared by the Gaza terror groups was breached once more Monday evening, as several rockets were were fired from northern Gaza at Israel's southern communities.

Four Qassam rockets were fired from northern Gaza at the area: One landed south of Ashkelon causing no harm; and three others exploded in open areas at the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council.

The Color Red alert sounded across the western Negev just seconds before the projectiles landed.

Hamas' power play failed for now, and they have backed off enough to keep the aid coming. To lose $100 million in aid would surely entail some political fallout for the jihadist faux-state, as lavish U.S. spending on Gaza is the one form of "pork" that is completely halal.

But it appears to be a non-deal in the long run. Hamas has apparently not conceded its "right" to engage in the conduct that threatened the largesse in the first place. "Hamas official: We reached deal with US on Gaza aid," from the Jerusalem Post, August 13:

A day after the United States said it had cut aid to Gaza, a Hamas official said the Islamist group and the United States have reached a compromise that will allow USAID to continue its operations in the Gaza Strip, AFP reported.

The deal was reached by Hamas and USAID “through the United Nations,” the Hamas official said.

On Friday, a US official told Reuters that the US had suspended operations of the aid organizations it funds in the Gaza Strip because Hamas had demanded confidential information about their work.

“USAID-funded partner organizations operating in Gaza are forced by Hamas’s actions to suspend their assistance work. [They] were put on hold effective August 12,” said the official, who is based in the region.

He added that “through a series of measures [Hamas] has imposed over the past months, it has created an environment which jeopardizes the ability of nongovernmental organizations to provide assistance to Gaza’s most vulnerable residents.”

The official, who declined to be named, said Hamas had demanded access to files and records of NGOs, which would reveal financial and administrative information, details of staff members and information on beneficiaries.

He said that Hamas had shut down the International Medical Corps, an NGO and USAID partner organization, after its officials objected to “unwarranted audits.”

“We are disappointed that Hamas has once again chosen to put its political agenda ahead of the welfare of the Palestinian people,” the official said, calling on the group “to cease its interference... so that we can resume our humanitarian and development activities in Gaza.”

Palestinian-based NGOs funded by the European Union have in the past also complained of Hamas meddling in their affairs.

Hamas administration official Taher Nono said an understanding had been reached which would allow independent auditing teams to inspect the files of NGOs, but he added that Hamas had the right to monitor their work in the territory.

The International Medical Corps would be allowed to reopen its offices in the next day or two, he added.

Responding to the USAID decision to suspend its partner organizations’ work, Nono said, “Such a decision sounds odd a day after the understanding was reached... we reject any foreign intervention in Palestinian affairs.”

Can't buy me love:

The US official said some 600,000 Gazans – about a third of the population of the coastal strip – were receiving some $98 million worth of assistance from USAID projects in health, education, construction and infrastructure.

Either Hamas can stop the fire but would prefer to watch Israel be attacked while someone else does the dirty work, or it is not as much in control of Gaza as it claims. Both are likely true to some extent, with an emphasis on the former scenario, and their behavior underscores the numerous ways in which Palestinian statehood is nowhere near ready for prime time.

"Fire from Gaza intensifies as three mortars hit southern Israel," from Haaretz, August 8 (thanks to Alexandre):

Three mortar shells fell Sunday night in Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council, causing damage to a fence. No injuries were reported.

The incident comes after a spate in rocket attacks launched from the Gaza Strip last week. On Friday, Israel Air Force jets attacked five targets in Gaza in response to the firing of Grad rockets.

The jihadists will continue to see how hard they can push until they get a lucky shot and bite off more than they can chew. Then, they will claim victim status when Israel responds.

Hours before the air strike a rocket fell in an open field near the town of Kiryat Gat. The rocket was the third of its kind in 24 hours, but it caused no injuries or damage.

IDF spokesman said last week that, "The IDF will operate with determination and respond with force against any terror organization attempting to disturb the way of life or harm the citizens of Israel. The IDF holds the Hamas terrorist organization solely responsible for any terrorist activity emanating from the Gaza Strip."

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in a cabinet meeting Sunday that the recent rocket fire from Gaza was carried out by Palestinian breakaway groups and an Islamic Jihad organization, adding that he views the recent escalation with great severity and believes the attacks will continue.

Since the beginning of 2011 more than 340 rockets have been fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

An update on this story. Gaza's jihadists are almost perpetually probing how far they can push before Israel pushes back. When Israel does, they do everything they can to claim victim status.

And the cycle repeats itself. "Army: Palestinians fire rocket, Israel hits back," from the Associated Press, August 4:

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's military says Palestinian militants in Gaza have fired a Grad rocket at southern Israel, and Israel retaliated with an airstrike.

The military said the rocket exploded in an open area. No one was hurt.

Israeli aircraft targeted the militants who fired the rocket late Thursday from eastern Gaza City. Palestinian hospital officials said two people were wounded.

Grad rockets have a longer range than the homemade rockets Gaza militants often fire at southern Israel. The Israelis charge that the Grads are smuggled into Gaza through tunnels under the border with Egypt.

Rocket fire has slowed to a relative trickle in recent months. Daily barrages of dozens of rockets from Gaza led to a large-scale Israeli military operation in Gaza in 2009.

This escalation continues the trend of increasing rocket launches recorded last month. It also reflects the feverish pace at which Hamas and other jihad groups in Gaza have been stockpiling weapons, taking advantage of the relative calm as Islamic law intends it: an opportunity for the jihadists to regroup and re-arm for the next round. Accordingly, they have "obtained more than 10,000 rockets and missiles – including a large stockpile of Iranian Fajr-5 rockets that can reach Tel Aviv," and Hamas has smuggled in three times more explosives since the Egyptian revolution than it brought in during all of 2010.

The use of Grad rockets is the tip of the iceberg, as longer-range rockets allow storage of the weapons farther back from the border, and increase the odds that Israeli action will involve more of the Gaza Strip the next time Hamas bites off more than it can chew in an attack on Israel. And the jihadists will again claim victim status and plead for yet another ceasefire.

"Palestinian Grad rocket explodes near Kiryat Gat," by Yaakov Lappin for the Jerusalem Post, August 4:

A long-range Grad rocket fired from Gaza landed in open territory in Lachish, near Kiryat Gat.

A police bomb squad is in the area and is searching for the location of the rocket.

The attack represents an escalation in the firing of longer-range rockets. The last time such rockets were fired at Israel was in March, when a number of projectiles landed in the Ashdod and Lachish area, and schools in the area were closed.

Also Wednesday night, a Grad rocket fell near Ashkelon. Police said the rocket landed within Ashkelon city boundaries and damaged a road. A police response team was on the scene.

Air raid sirens were heard in several towns and villages in the south, including the Yoav Regional ouncil, the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council, and the Ashkelon coast Regional Council.

Residents in areas in which sirens were heard rushed into safe areas and shelters to take cover.

On Monday, a woman from a Beduin village was moderately injured by shrapnel from a Palestinian rocket fired at southern Israel from Gaza.

That rocket landed between in open territory in the Ashkelon Coast.

A police response team drove out to the scene of the attack to recover and analyze the projectile. Hours later, the Air Force bombed a number of targets in Gaza in response.

This article includes the disclaimer: "like every society [Gaza] is not immune to wife-beating."

But there's something it has that others don't: chapter and verse in the Qur'an instructing men to beat women from whom they "fear disobedience":

"Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other, and because they spend of their property (for the support of women). So good women are the obedient, guarding in secret that which Allah hath guarded. As for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge them. Then if they obey you, seek not a way against them. Lo! Allah is ever High, Exalted, Great" (4:34).

And yes, it really does say to strike them. Attempts at moral equivalence with the West are disingenuous; no comparable text exists in Christianity. Imagine how dismally different the West would be if, say, St. Paul had added, "and slap her if she gets out of line" in Colossians 3:19. He didn't.

But the Qur'an did permit a man to strike his wife in Qur'an 4:34, and the fruits of that permission appeared quite early. Muhammad's wife Aisha noted: "I have not seen any woman suffering as much as the believing women. Look! Her skin is greener than her clothes!" (Sahih Bukhari 7.72.715).

Similarly, Islamic tradition does not leave much room for the wife to refuse sex:

"If a husband calls his wife to his bed [i.e. to have sexual relation] and she refuses and causes him to sleep in anger, the angels will curse her till morning" (Sahih Bukhari 4.54.460)."

Just this past year, a woman hospitalized in Pakistan with severe injuries from marital rape said her family told her that was why she could not refuse her husband. And there is more, from Muhammad himself:

"By him in Whose Hand lies my life, a woman can not carry out the right of her Lord, till she carries out the right of her husband. And if he asks her to surrender herself [to him for sexual intercourse] she should not refuse him even if she is on a camel's saddle" (Ibn Majah 1854).

A shelter in Gaza -- let alone one guarded by Hamas -- is undoubtedly but the tip of the iceberg, as activists below suggest as well. But not to worry: this report also assures us that Hamas "enforces a conservative though not radical Muslim religious code."

"Wife battering in Gaza spotlight," from Reuters, July 25 (thanks to Twostellas):

Most safe-houses in the Gaza Strip are meant to provide protection for armed militants on Israel's target list. Now Gaza is offering protected shelter to battered Palestinian women.

Its lone women's safe-house, opened two months ago, has had eight clients, all guarded by police from the Islamist Hamas movement that runs the enclave and enforces a conservative though not radical Muslim religious code.

So-called 'honour killings' are rare but not unknown among religious Palestinians of Gaza and the West Bank, and like every society it is not immune to wife-beating.

"In 2010 there was no record of killing under the motive of family honor and this is a positive development," said Huda Naeem, a Hamas lawmaker who backed the safe house as a way station for women at risk within their own families.

But feminism in Gaza is a very fragile plant.

Women in many Arab communities can be killed by zealous relatives on the slightest suspicion of having relations with a strange man. And jurists in Gaza say there is no clear clause in the Palestinian law setting out the penalty for such murders.

Islam also prohibits adultery and some Islamic teachings call for the stoning to death of offenders.

Sobheya Joma, a woman lawyer at the Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR), said there was no way to know for sure if honor killings were really eradicated.

"The ICHR is worried because it has recently noticed that some deaths were listed as unexplained or accidental," Joma told Reuters in her Gaza city office.

"As long as there is no investigation into these cases and the real causes were not uncovered, you are still going to have doubts," she said.

For Palestinian women, talking openly about sexual abuse in the family is still taboo. But if it's accompanied by violence, some women can finally opt for the shelter of the safe house.

Of the eight cases of abused women now under the roof of the compound, some were minors. Other women have visited briefly and discreetly, seeking professional advice and support.

"The first case who came to us was a woman who had been subject to physical violence and was raped and then escaped from her home," said resident psychiatrist Suhad Qanita.

"We supported her psychologically ... and, thank God, eventually we were able to find her a husband."

But there's nothing you can't try to pin on Israel:

Local human rights groups say it is the first such refuge in this Mediterranean coastal enclave. At one stage, women under risk were transferred to the other Palestinian Territory - the West Bank - where they could be kept safe from angry relatives.

But it is now virtually impossible for Gazans to get to the West Bank because of an Israeli blockade, which is vigorously imposed following repeated Hamas attacks on the Jewish state. [...]

Qanita said she had been shocked at her new job when she came face to face with problems that were always hidden before.

"I hope this is not a widespread phenomenon, but to some extent it is worrying," she said. "There are girls who are being assaulted with impunity."

"We also try to educate families, and if a problem cannot be solved within the nuclear family we try to find an uncle or a relative ready to shelter the victim, but not in cases where a woman might be killed if returned to the family," Qanita said....

Could the Obama-backed al-Qaeda government have anything to do with this? "Israel won't apologize for Turkish flotilla deaths," by Amy Teibel for the Associated Press, July 21 (thanks to Pamela Geller):

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel will not apologize for killing nine Turkish activists aboard a Gaza-bound flotilla last year, an Israeli Cabinet minister said Thursday, but he added that not all in government agree with this stance.

Minister of Strategic Affairs Moshe Yaalon told foreign reporters at a briefing Thursday that he recently held three rounds of talks with the Turks in an effort to put more than a year of animosity behind the one-time close allies.

"We are not ready to apologize," he said. "Apology is taking responsibility." [...]

While the sea blockade remains enforced, the Israeli official said weapons from Libya are making their way into Gaza through Egypt's Sinai desert.

"There is now a new route of weapons smuggled from Libya," he said, adding that smugglers are taking advantage of the chaos prompted by that country's civil war.

He stopped short of providing details about the types or quantities of weapons Israel claims are moving into Gaza from Libya.

Of course. Since Hamas is involved in organizing this War-Is-Deceit jihad flotilla (see here and here), of course they're upset that their deceptive plans are becoming known.

An update on this story. "Hamas slams Greece for barring Gaza aid ship," from AFP, July 1 (thanks to all who sent this in):

DAMASCUS — The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on Friday denounced Greece after its coastguard intercepted a US vessel which tried to sail to Gaza to break Israel blockade of the coastal strip.

In a statement issued by its political leadership in Damascus, the militant group described the action as "inhumane" and said Greece had played into Israeli hands.

"This is inhumane action, is contrary to international regulations and norms," said the statement by Hamas, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.

"Barring this aid from reaching the Gaza Strip is done as a result of pressure imposed by the Zionist occupiers," referring to Israel.

Hamas also called on the EU parliament and human rights organisations "to put pressure on the Greek government" to allow a planned flotilla of aid boats to set sail from Greece to Gaza....

A small victory for the resistance to the jihad.

Hamas connection to the flotilla here and here. "Greece bars boats leaving Greek ports for Gaza," from AP, July 1 (thanks to Joshua):

Greek authorities issued a ban Friday on Greek and foreign-flagged ships heading to the Gaza Strip from leaving Greek ports. A flotilla of nine vessels and several hundred activists have said they want to break Israel's sea blockade and deliver aid to the Palestinian territory....

Aid to the Palestinian jihad, that is.

In the face of statements like that, suddenly the usual "underlying causes" -- poverty, alienation, lack of education, even "Zionist" conspiracies -- don't cut it as well to explain the culture of genocidal hatred and religious intolerance that simmers in Gaza. Gee, maybe there are underlying causes underlying the "underlying causes." Ones with chapter and verse.

"Pro Bin-Laden Rally In Gaza Strip: '[Osama Bin Laden] is the Man Who Shattered the Crosses; That is the Man Who Brought the Americans to Their Knees'," from MEMRI, May 31:

At Gaza Rally: "America is the Enemy of Allah"

Crowds: "There is no god but Allah.

"America is the enemy of Allah." […]

At Rafah Rally: "Osama Destroyed America"

Crowds: "Our souls and our blood we will give for you, oh Osama.

"Our souls and our blood we will give for you, oh Osama.

"Our souls and our blood we will give for you, oh Osama."

Demonstrator: "There is no god but Allah."

Crowds: "There is no god but Allah."

Demonstrator: "Sheikh Osama is loved by Allah."

Crowds: "Sheikh Osama is loved by Allah." [...]

Skipping over still more call-and-response (you can see it all at the link above)...

Demonstrator: "Beware, oh Pakistan…"

Crowds: "Beware, oh Pakistan…"

Demonstrator: "…of the soldiers of Taliban."

Crowds: "…of the soldiers of Taliban."

He's got them into such a hypnotic rhythm at this point, he could say "Brought to you by Nabisco," and they might go for it. But no, it gets worse, with an Islamic battle cry invoking Muhammad's massacre of the Jews of Khaybar, and promising more Khaybars to come:

"Khaybar, Khaybar, Oh Jews, the Army of Muhammad Is Returning"

Demonstrator: "Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews…"

Crowds: "Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews…"

Demonstrator: "…the army of Muhammad is returning."

Crowds: "…the army of Muhammad is returning." […]

Sheikh Munir Al-'Aydi: "This blessed man, Osama, Allah's mercy upon him, has given his money and his soul for the Jihad for the sake of Allah. At a time when real men are few, he united the nation around monotheism. Allah's mercy upon you, oh Osama. You were good in your life, and you were good in your death. That man Osama thwarted the American plan in this region, and did what no man has ever done before, especially in our times. He is not a man like all men. He is a man who was true to the pledge he made before Allah.

"That is the man who said: 'I pledge before Allah that America and its people will enjoy no security before we enjoy true security in Palestine.' He was always devoted to the land of Palestine. He was always devoted to the liberation of the holy places. He was always devoted to the instating of the law of Allah. […]

"Today, this proud lion has been dumped in the sea by the country of heresy and prostitution, America. They wanted him dead or alive. […]

"That is the man who brandished his weapon to fight the enemies of Allah. He led the Global Front for Jihad against America and its allies, the worshippers of the cross. He rightfully earned the title of the imam of our times."

Sheikh Munir Al-'Aydi: Bin Laden Is "The Man Who Shattered the Crosses"

In that, they make him sound like the Jesus of Islamic eschatology. And it goes on like that....

In the lead article at Front Page this morning I discuss the significance of this story:

In one of the clearest signs yet that the “Arab Spring” in post-Mubarak Egypt heralds a resurgent Islamic supremacism rather than a flowering of Western-style pluralism and democracy, Egyptian officials announced Wednesday that they were reopening the Rafah crossing this Saturday.

The Rafah crossing is the only official point of entry into Gaza other than from inside Israel. Egypt closed it for good in 2007 after Hamas took power in Gaza, as part of its uneasy observance of the Camp David Accords maintaining peace with Israel. The Rafah crossing had been an easy route into Israel for jihadis and their weapons suppliers who, for obvious reasons, wanted to avoid Israeli scrutiny.

But now it appears that peace with Israel is no longer such a high priority; instead, the new government in Egypt appears to be more concerned with accommodating Israel’s jihadist enemies. Egyptian officials announced that the Rafah crossing was being reopened in order to “end the status of the Palestinian division and achieve national reconciliation.”

The reopening of the Rafah crossing is just the latest indication that Egypt is heading toward becoming a Sharia state that is pursuing war with Israel. Man-on-the-street interviews conducted during the uprising against Mubarak more than once found ordinary Egyptians explaining to clueless and incredulous reporters from the likes of CNN that one of their principal beefs with Mubarak was that he maintained peace with Israel. “He is supporting Israel. Israel is our enemy,” protesters explained to the journalists who had come out looking for ringing declarations of love for democracy and pluralism. Instead, they heard that “if people are free in Egypt…they gonna destroy Israel.” Many of the demonstrators carried posters of Mubarak defaced with a Star of David drawn on his forehead.

In January, Mohamed Ghanem, a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, said in an interview on Iran’s Al-Alam television station that Egypt should prepare to go to war with Israel. That same month, Iran’s Press TV interviewed an Egyptian international lawyer Marwan al-Ashaal. Al-Ashaal explained the popular discontent with Mubarak as a direct consequence of his keeping the peace with Israel: “Currently the Egyptians demand a new rule for the country, a new government, a new leader. The American-Egyptian relationships were based on Israeli security and I think Mubarak has been very dedicated to Israeli security more even than to his own people’s security or the national interests.” Al-Ashaal asserted that “we see the deals with Israel that provoked people and took them to the edge.” And he declared that Egypt is “never going to be a friend of Israel.”

There is more.

This move helps Hamas have it both ways: They are a jihad-terrorist pseudo-state that demands "Palestinian" autonomy while waging war against Israel, but are open on the other hand to existing as what looks like it will amount to a dependent extension of Egypt as much as Egypt permits it (and as long as Hamas can impose Sharia as it wishes). The object, of course, is the destruction of Israel. In the words of PLO executive Zahir Muhsein in 1977:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct 'Palestinian people' to oppose Zionism."

He said it. Was Muhsein an Islamophobe? "Egypt to open Gaza border crossing," from Agence France-Presse, May 25 (thanks to all who sent this in):

AFP - Egypt will open the Rafah border crossing on a daily basis starting this weekend in a bid to ease the blockade on the Gaza Strip, the official MENA news agency reported on Wednesday.

Palestinians will now be able to travel through Rafah -- Gaza's only crossing that bypasses Israel-- under entry rules in place before the blockade was tightened in 2007.

Egyptian authorities will now open the border from "9:00 am to 5:00 pm on a daily basis, except for Fridays and public holidays" starting on Saturday, MENA said.

"Palestinian women of all ages will be exempted from visas as will men under 18 or over 40," it said.

That raises the distinct possibility of an increase in baritone voices behind niqabs.

The exemption also applies to Palestinians entering Egypt for study as long as they have proof of affiliation to an Egyptian university.

And that raises the possibility of a proliferation of sham "colleges."

"The opening of the crossing comes as part of Egyptian efforts to end the state of Palestinian division and achieve national reconciliation," the news agency reported.

Although Egypt had been gradually easing restrictions on the Gaza border -- it had been operating five days a week -- Palestinians needed to coordinate with security authorities before entering Egypt or had to show humanitarian need.

That's eminently reasonable from one country to another -- all the more so when your neighbor is Hamas. "Good fences make good neighbors," or so they say.

The move is likely to rattle Israel which said earlier this month it was "worried" by Egypt's plans to reopen the crossing.

Israeli deputy prime minister Silvan Shalom claimed the opening of the border "could allow the passage of arms and terrorists."

Egypt's Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi had announced that Cairo planned to open the crossing, ending what he called his country's "shameful" cooperation in keeping it closed.

The decision was made as Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas met to agree a reconciliation deal in Cairo.

Palestinian officials had welcomed Arabi's announcement, with chief negotiator Saeb Erakat saying it was one step towards loosening the siege on the Gaza Strip.

The border has remained largely shut since June 2006 when Israel imposed a tight blockade on Gaza after militants snatched Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who is still being held.

The blockade was tightened a year later when Hamas seized control of the territory, ousting forces loyal to the Western-backed PA.

The United Nations has called the blockade illegal and repeatedly demanded it be lifted.

Egypt has actively supported Israel's blockade, frequently coming in for harsh regional criticism for keeping the border closed and for building an underground wall in a bid to curb smuggling, which it views as a security risk.

But earlier this year, mass street protests led to the overthrow of president Hosni Mubarak, with the new military regime keen to review its policy on Gaza.

Now that they're all friends again, Haniyeh tries to show Fatah who's boss. "Haniyeh calls on PLO to withdraw Israel recognition," from the Ma'an News Agency, April 29 (thanks to all who sent this in):

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on Friday called on the Palestinian Liberation Organization to withdraw its recognition of Israel.

On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the announcement of a reconciliation deal between Hamas and Fatah by saying the Palestinian Authority must "choose between peace with Israel or peace with Hamas."

Presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said Netanyahu "must choose between peace and settlements."

Speaking after the Friday prayer in Gaza City, Haniyeh said that the PLO should not only demand that Israel chose between settlements and peace, but should also withdraw its recognition of the state.

In a surprise unity deal announced Wednesday, Hamas and Fatah agreed to form a transitional government ahead of elections to take place within the next year....

It seems doubtful, however, that the OIC-led UN will pay any heed. "Israel: New Gaza flotilla has ties to Hamas, terrorist organizations," from Haaretz, April 21 (thanks to Block Ness):

Israel warned the United Nations Security Council on Thursday not to allow a new flotilla to sail to Gaza, saying that the flotilla organizers had "ties to Hamas and other terrorist organizations."

Another flotilla to Gaza is being planned for May, one year after Israel's deadly raid on the aid flotilla that sailed from Turkey. The new flotilla being planned is larger than the last one, with 15 ships that will transport over 1,000 people in an attempt to break Israel's naval blockade on the Strip.

While speaking to the UN on Thursday, Israel's UN Ambassador Meron Reuben said, "Numerous participants engaged in the planning of this flotilla have made very troubling statements expressing their willingness to become martyrs in this effort," Reuben said.

Flotilla organizers aim at "political provocation and not to advance any humanitarian goal," Reuben said.

He said Israel is determined to enforce the naval blockade of Gaza and "stop additional terrorists from infiltrating the area."...

Useful idiot falls prey to warring jihadist factions. "Italian peace activist murdered by Islamist militants in Gaza: Pro-Palestinian activist Vittorio Arrigoni's death follows shooting of Israeli actor Juliano Mer-Khamis in West Bank," by Conal Urquhart in the Guardian, April 15:

An Italian peace activist has become the second non-Palestinian to be murdered in just over a week in the occupied territories.

Vittorio Arrigoni was murdered by the Tawheed and Jihad group, one of several extremist Islamic groups that operate in the Gaza Strip in opposition to the Hamas government. The group abducted Arrigoni in an attempt to force Hamas to release its leader, who was arrested last month.

Arrigoni's death comes just over a week after a gunman shot dead Juliano Mer-Khamis, an Israeli actor who ran a theatre in the West Bank city of Jenin. It is not clear why Mer-Khamis was shot but his views about freedom of expression had generated some opposition in Jenin.

Arrigoni, known as Vik, lived in an apartment that he rented separately from his fellow volunteers for the International Solidarity Movement (ISM). The first anyone knew of his abduction was when video was posted on YouTube in which Arrigoni appeared blindfolded with a bruised face.

The accompanying Arabic text said: "The Italian hostage entered our land only to spread corruption." It described Italy as "the infidel state"....

To "spread corruption" is a capital offense in Islamic law (cf. Qur'an 5:33).

The second accidental jihad in two days. Keep up the good work, fellows!

Premature Detonation Alert: "Gaza fighter died in 'jihad mission,'" from the Ma'an News Agency, April 14:

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- The armed wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine said one of the group's fighters was killed Thursday morning, when an explosive device detonated while the young man was on a "jihad mission," a statement said.

It is the second accidental death of a Gaza resistance fighter reported in as many days, following the death of an Al-Qassam brigadesman in Khan Younis on Wednesday.

A DFLP statement said National Resistance Brigades fighter Khader Abu Elbeh, 22, was seriously wounded during an operation west of the Jabaliya area in the northern Gaza Strip and later died of his injuries.

Medical sources in Gaza confirmed that a man was pronounced dead after being seriously wounded by a bomb which exploded, apparently prematurely.

In their statement, the NRB mourned the death of the fighter, saying he was killed while "on a jihad mission," and vowed to continue resistance activities as a "goal and a promise to our nation."

The hudna is never intended to last, and can be called only when it is in the jihadists' interest to take a break, regroup, and re-arm. "Gaza militant groups agree Israel ceasefire, says Hamas," from BBC News, March 26:

Militant groups in Gaza say they will agree to a ceasefire if Israel stops attacks on the Palestinian territory.

The move was announced by the Hamas group that runs Gaza following a meeting between its leaders and insurgent groups.

In the past week at least 10 Palestinians, including several civilians and children, have been killed by Israeli attacks.

Never mind Hamas' track record of actively positioning their military assets to put civilians in harm's way for propaganda purposes. They are also known to inflate civilian casualties, all the more to downplay their losses of jihadist personnel.

In the same period, militants have fired 80 rockets and mortar shells.

BBC Gaza correspondent Jon Donnison says the past week has seen some of the most serious violence in and around Gaza since the end of Operation Cast Lead - Israel's major offensive here more than two years ago.

But in a statement released after a meeting with all militant groups in Gaza, Hamas said the insurgents were "committed to calm as long as the occupation (Israel) commits to it".

Khader Habib, an Islamic Jihad leader, told Agence France-Presse that "everybody confirmed that they respect the national consensus by calming things with the Zionist enemy".

He added that the truce depended "on the nature of Israeli behaviour, and we insist on the need to respond immediately to each escalation by the occupiers"....

Savagery. And yet the world demonizes Israel.

An update on this story. "Gaza celebrates; Fayyad condemns terror attack," by Elior Levy for Ynet News, March 12 (thanks to Pamela Geller):

Gaza residents from the southern city of Rafah hit the streets Saturday to celebrate the terror attack in the West Bank settlement of Itamar where five family members were murdered in their sleep, including three children.

Residents handed out candy and sweets, one resident saying the joy "is a natural response to the harm settlers inflict on the Palestinian residents in the West Bank."

Meanwhile, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said he "clearly and firmly denounces the terror attack, just as I have denounced crimes against Palestinians.

"We are against all types of violence," Fayyad said during a tour in Bethlehem. "Our position has not changed. As we have said many times before, we categorically oppose violence and terror, regardless of the identity of the victims or the perpetrators."

IDF and security forces have been scouring the West Bank area since late Friday night, and have arrested 20 Palestinians from the villages of Awarta, Zababdeh, Sanur and Siliya. The IAF employed unmanned aerial vehicle in an effort to search for the suspects....

It is well known that Sharia forbids the propagation of non-Islamic religions. But simply going about one's business in normal, daily life while identifying oneself as a non-Muslim is to make a non-Muslim faith visible. That appears to be all Dr. Maher Ayyad has done, though in a civilized society, there would be no such restrictions on his preaching openly if he so desired.

Compliance with the dhimma restrictions on the visibility of non-Islamic faiths is always in the eye of the Muslim beholder, and non-Muslims who stop short of cowering under a rock in fear may find themselves at risk -- whether Christians in Gaza, or Ahmadis in Indonesia.

Incidents like this, which fit the pattern of an increasingly intrusive, aggressive enforcement of Sharia in Gaza will only help to empty the area of educated professionals -- Christian surgeons included. In other words: jihad causes poverty. Not that it will stop anyone from blaming Israel, of course.

"Gaza assailants plant bomb under Christian car," from the Associated Press, February 27 (thanks to Kevin):

A prominent Christian surgeon in the Gaza Strip said assailants threw a bomb at his vehicle and sent him threatening messages.

Dr. Maher Ayyad, 55, says no one was hurt in Friday's bombing, though the explosion damaged his brother's vehicle.

He said Sunday that after the blast, he received text messages to halt evangelical work or face harsh punishment. Ayyad says he does not preach his faith.

There are some 3,000 Christians in Gaza amid a population of some 1.5 million Muslims. They mostly have good relations. But some Gaza Christians have reported harassment by religious hardliners since the terrorist Islamic group Hamas seized power in 2007.

There have been sporadic attacks against Christians.

Funny how that keeps happening.

Hamas, for its part, says "We respect freedom." They hope listeners in the West will project their own sensibilities on that term, but of course, the official means "freedom" only as defined within the strictures of Sharia law.

One could compare it to the now-amusing statement in the '80s, dubiously attributed to Bill Gates, that "640k [of RAM] ought to be enough for anybody." Those who demand the implementation of Sharia believe that, as Allah's own law, it "ought to be enough for anybody." In both areas, the rest of the world has moved on and left those prior benchmarks of "achievement" in the dust. But in Gaza and anywhere else Sharia can gain a foothold, its outdated and backward treatment of human rights will not only be "enough," but above criticism.

"Gaza's elected Islamist rulers crack down on secular community," from the Telegraph, February 25 (thanks to Zulu):

Hamas has bullied men and women to dress modestly, tried to keep the sexes from mingling in public and sparked a flight of secular university students and educated professionals. Most recently, it has confiscated novels it deems offensive to Islam from a bookshop and banned Gaza's handful of male hairdressers from styling women's hair.

Another cautionary tale that will be ignored:

Some argue that the case of Gaza could also be a warning sign for those pushing for quick democratic reforms in the region. Hamas rose to power in part by winning internationally backed parliamentary elections held in 2006.

It's a plot, of course:

Hamas officials say claims that they are trying to Islamise Gaza are meant to help deter the international community from recognising their rule. "This isn't true," said Yousef Rizka, a senior Hamas government official. "We respect freedom."

Gaza, a tiny sliver of land squeezed between Egypt and Israel, always had a significant Islamic flavour, but once tolerated bars and cinemas, especially during Egyptian rule from 1948 to 1967. A conservative religious movement began to take hold in the 1980s, as part of a larger, region-wide religious awakening.

The trend accelerated with the first Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation in 1987, which coincided with the founding of Hamas. In June 2007, Hamas seized control of Gaza after ousting forces loyal to Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The trend toward religious fundamentalism preceded the Hamas takeover. In recent years, hardliners have burned down the cinemas. Their charred remains are still visible in Gaza City. Militants blew up the last bar in 2005.

The severity of veiling in a given location continues to be a bellwether of the encroachment of Sharia, the support for, and strength of those who would wage jihad to impose it:

Gaza women, whose attire once varied from Western pants and skirts to colourful traditional embroidered robes, began donning ankle-length loose robes. Women with face veils, once rarely seen in Gaza, are now a common sight.

After winning the 2006 election, Hamas vowed it wouldn't impose Islamic law. But within two years, bureaucrats began ordering changes that targeted secular Gaza residents.

Today, plainclothes officers sometimes halt couples in the streets, demanding to see marriage licenses. Last year, the Interior Ministry banned women from smoking water pipes in public. Islamic faith does not ban women from smoking, but it is considered taboo in Gaza society.

Jihad causes poverty: the people Hamas is chasing off are taking their educations and skills with them:

"In the end, the people who think differently are leaving," said Rami, a 32-year-old activist in one of Gaza's few secular groups. He refused to give his last name, fearing retribution.

"I do not suggest that anyone test the State of Israel’s resolve." Bravo. If only we had a leader with such determination and focus in the U.S. "IAF strikes Islamic Jihad and Hamas targets in Gaza," from the Jerusalem Post, February 26:

The attack is in response to a Kassam rocket fired on the Sdot Negev Regional Council; IDF spokesman confirms direct hits. IAF attacked two Islamic Jihad and Hamas targets in the central Gaza strip on Saturday night, in response to Kassam rockets fired on the Sdot Negev Regional Council on Friday.

The IDF spokesman confirmed direct hits on the targets. No Palestinian casualties were reported.

In addition to the Kassam rocket fired into Israel an additional Kassam was fired that landed in Palestinian territory.

No one was injured and no damage was reported in the attack.

On Thursday Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned Hamas, “I do not suggest that anyone test the State of Israel’s resolve,” a day after two Grad-model Katyusha rockets slammed into Beersheba for the first time since Operation Cast Lead over two years ago....

We have seen those same allegations for weeks now, of course. But the jihadists of the Palestinian Army of Islam may need to get their stories straight, or things could get awkward. A report in the Los Angeles Times quotes another statement that said: "Despite our praise to those who executed the attack, the Army of Islam has no connection to the Alexandria church bombing."

An update on this story. "Palestinian group denies church attack on New Year's Day," from Agence France-Presse, January 24:

AFP - The Palestinian Army of Islam militant group on Sunday denied involvement in a deadly attack on an Egyptian church, rejecting accusations by the Cairo government.

"The Army of Islam has no relation, whether close or distant, to the attack on the Coptic church in Alexandria, Egypt," a spokesman for the group, who gave his name as Abu Muthanna, told AFP.

"The Mossad (Israeli intelligence) was responsible for the attack," he said.

Earlier Sunday, Egypt's Interior Minister Habib al-Adly announced that the small Palestinian group was behind the New Year's church attack in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, which killed more than 20 people.

He made the accusation in a speech to mark Police Day, carried live on Egyptian state television.

President Hosni Mubarak took to the stage to congratulate the police "for finding the perpetrators of the terrorist act in Alexandria."

On January 1, a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a church in the Mediterranean city as worshippers emerged from a New Year's Eve mass.

Egypt's official MENA news agency on Sunday put the death toll at 23, with scores more wounded. Previously, the death toll stood at 21.

The Palestinian group accused of perpetrating the attack is a small outfit that espouses Salafist ideals, an austere form of Sunni Islam that seeks a return to the practices of the faith's early days....

In order to prove that they're a peaceful group of beleaguered victims. That'll do it, all right. "Palestinians receive French minister with throwing stones," from KUNA, January 21 (thanks to Twostellas):

GAZA, Jan 21 (KUNA) -- French Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Michele Alliot-Marie was received at Beit Hanon crossing northern Gaza on Friday with the throwing of stones and shoes, a Palestinian Military source said.

Families of Palestinian prisoners gathered at the crossing and started throwing stones and shoes at the French official's convoy because she called the kidnapping of Israeli prisoner Jilad Shalit, who held a French passport, a "war crime." Palestinians were agitated by the fact that Alliot-Marie who met Shalit's parents Thursday, has ignored the sufferings of 6,900 Palestinian held at 25 Israeli prisons.

Hamas stated it [sic] contempt towards what it called a "double standards policy, " adopted the French foreign minister....

Witchcraft is incompatible with Islam, you see. Sharia Alert from Gaza: "Mideast: Gaza; Hamas Witch Hunt, 150 Arrested In 2010," from ANSAmed, January 14:

(ANSAmed) - GAZA, JANUARY 14 - Hamas leaders are committed to a systematic ''witch hunt'' and 150 women were arrested in 2010 in Gaza for having made recourse to witchcraft of some sort. During a symposium held in recent days in Gaza, it was stated that in the eyes of Hamas, the activities of these women represent a real social danger, also because they risk ''breaking up families,'' causing divorce and frittering away of money. Sometimes their activities also have criminal repercussions. One awareness campaign against ''the witches'' was launched using large posters in mosques, universities and public offices frequented by women.

The issue emerged again in August last year when a 62-year-old woman, Jabryieh Abu Ghanas, considered to be active in the field of ''witchcraft'' and the production of ''voodoo dolls'', was shot dead in a street in the centre of Gaza. This murder caused great alarm in the Palestinian human rights defence organisations al-Mezan and Pchr-Gaza. It seems however that for now Hamas are not using an iron hand in regard to the women suspected of witchcraft. They are forced to sign an undertaking to abandon their practices, consider [sic] incompatible with Islam, for good. It seems this measure has been sufficient and to date there is no news of any ''witch'' being imprisoned by Hamas. (ANSAmed).

The "humanitarian aid" flotilla ship arrives back in Turkey as thousands of Turks show by their chants what it was really all about.

"Mavi Marmara Arrives in Turkey; Ankara Holds Out for Apology," by Chana Ya'ar in Israel National News, December 26:

Thousands shouted "death to Israel" and greeted the Mavi Marmara flotilla ship Sunday as it docked in Istanbul, a day after Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told journalists that although Turkey would like to restore its formerly friendly ties with Israel, the Jewish State must first apologize for the deaths of nine terror activists who were killed after they attacked IDF soldiers on the vessel last May.

The "Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief" -- known by the acronym "IHH" -- held a welcoming ceremony for the vessel at the port. The Turkish terror-linked organization was behind the armed, trained mercenary-style "activists" who occupied the vessel during the May 31 incident that has been the focus of tension between the two nations for months.

Davutoglu held firm to the Ankara government's position that Israel is to blame for the rift between the two countries, but he insisted to journalists at a news conference in Istanbul on Saturday, "We have the intention of making peace with Israel."...

The "Allahu akbar" chants show up in this Spanish-language artlcle: "Miles de personas acogen en Estambul al ferry atacado por Israel en mayo," from El Periódico, December 26 (my translation):

Thousands of people waving Turkish and Palestinian flags, have welcomed into a port in Istanbul the Turkish ferry Mavi Marmara, aboard which nine Turkish activists died as a result of the Israeli military attack against the humanitarian flotilla that was heading to Gaza May 31....

That paragraph may be more biased than even the English-language press.

The protesters who have come to meet the ship, in response to the call of Islamist organizations and IHH, have greeted it with shouts of "Allah is greater." IHH has denounced the Jewish state and its policy toward the Palestinians.

In "Israel on U.N.'s 2011 Hit List" in Human Events, December 23, Pamela Geller skewers the latest example of the UN's hypocrisy and submission to Islamic supremacism:

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced Friday that one of the United Nations' top goals in 2011 will be bettering living conditions in the Gaza Strip and forcing Israel to end all "settlement" construction in Judea and Samaria and East Jerusalem. You couldn't make it up. Pressuring Israel is the U.N.'s top goal for 2011. Not the imminent threat of war on the Korean Peninsula or the North Korean nuclear threat. Not the Iranian nuclear threat. Not the very dangerous situation with the ongoing jihad in Pakistan. Not the huge new wave of refugees and illegal immigrants into Europe, Israel and the United States. Not the insoluble situation in Afghanistan and Iraq. Nor did Ban say anything about the referendum for Southern Sudan independence, which is needed to stop the jihadi genocide that continues there. And he was likewise silent about the banking crisis in the Western world and the financial collapse of some European Union countries.

No, none of that matters. The United Nations has to spend its time improving living conditions in Gaza.

What a joke. There is no real "humanitarian crisis" in Gaza. Always the Jewish people are clubbed like baby seals with Islamic lies about how Israel is starving the Muslims in Gaza. (There is no such thing as a "Palestinian." There never has been an independent Palestinian state or recognized Palestinian nationality in the history of the world; Arafat and Co. invented it in the 1960s for propaganda purposes.)

The Jewish blockade starves the poor poor Muslims, so that they have nothing to live on except the billions upon billions of jiyza paid by American taxpayers and European Union dhimmis. Want to know how much dough they have left after they purchase their missiles, arms and bombs? Photo after photo has come out of Gaza showing stores overwhelmingly overflowing with food, toys, candy, anything you could want. They recently opened a big luxury mall there. [...]

And now Ban Ki-Moon is set to encourage and embolden the genocidal jihadists in 2011, and help them reach their goal of destroying Israel. Fires are raging all over the globe, and instead of trying to put them out he is bullying the Middle East's only democracy and America's staunchest ally....

Read it all.

After claiming for a year that nearly everyone killed was an innocent civilian. War Is Deceit, But Telling The Truth Is Easier Because Then You Don't Have To Remember Your Story Update: "Hamas Official Comes Cleaner on Gaza Toll," from IPT News, November 1:

To hear Hamas officials tell it, nearly every casualty in Israel's 2008-09 Operation Cast Lead was an innocent civilian. Nearly two years later, the group's interior minister acknowledges Hamas lost hundreds of fighters.

In an interview with the London-based Al-Hayat, Fathi Hamad said 250 Hamas fighters died in the three-week conflict, and another 150 "security personnel" were killed, too. Just after the fighting ended, Hamas claimed no more than 50 of its people were among the 1,300 casualties.

Israeli officials reported nearly half of those killed in the fighting were tied to Hamas or other terrorist groups.

Israel launched Cast Lead to stop missile fire from Hamas and other terrorist groups that targeted civilian communities. The fighting exposed how Hamas used schools, mosques, apartments and other areas to both store weapons and launch missile attacks....

But no, really, they want peace! Only on their exact terms, and only after they have everything they think they are entitled to have. So they are interested in "peace," but under the same conditions that Hitler's Germany and Imperial Japan were: peace as a last resort just as soon as they've run out of things to fight over.

And that could be a while. If the worst came to pass and Israel fell, they would then turn on each other, as already happened between Hamas and Fatah after Israel left Gaza. "Big rally by Islamic Jihad in Gaza, joined by Hamas," by Nidal al-Mughrabi for the Associated Press, October 29:

GAZA (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of supporters of the militant Islamic Jihad movement rallied in the streets of Gaza on Friday, chanting "Death to America" and "Death to Israel."

Young men and boys wearing white T-shirts with a slogan in the shape of a rifle bore portraits of militants killed in combat, under the black flags of Islamic Jihad.

Ramadan Shallah, the group's exiled chief in Damascus, sent a recorded message marking the anniversary of the assassination of the group's leader Fathi Shiqaqi in Malta in 1995, by presumed Israeli secret agents.

"Israel will not bring peace to the region, it will only bring war and destruction and therefore, the slogan of all should be that Israel must be wiped out of existence," said Shallah, who is on a United States wanted list.

Senior leaders of the ruling Islamist group, Hamas, joined the open-air gathering, the largest for years in honor of Islamic Jihad with up to 100,000 attending according to its organizers.

Hamas allowed the group to use city terrain it usually reserves exclusively for its own rallies, and Hamas forces provided security for the parade by its smaller rival....

As Turkey moves toward Sharia, it also moves toward jihad. "Gaza flotilla was 'Turkish provocation', Livni tells enquiry: Turkey exploitation of a diplomatic vacuum was behind the decision to launch aid convoy raided by Israel, opposition leader says," by Barak Ravid for Haaretz, October 25:

Opposition leader Tzipi Livni testified before a commission probing Israel's raid on a Gaza-bound aid convoy in May, telling the panel that Turkey had exploited the event as a provocation against Israel.

"In the absence of a peace process, with Israel's policies toward the Palestinians unclear, Turkey was able to fill a political vacuum by engineering provocations," Livni told the commission, headed by former Supreme Court Judge Jacob Turkel.

Nine Turkish activists were killed when Israeli naval commandos stormed the decks of the 'Mavi Marmara', the lead ship in the six-boat flotilla, at dawn on May 31. The raid plunged relations between Israel and Turkey, traditionally close military allies, into crisis.

The boats had been trying to break Israel's blockade on the Gaza Strip, imposed in 2007 when Hamas militants seized power from rival Palestinian faction Fatah in a bloody coup, at a time when Livni was foreign minister....

On Sunday Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi testified to the commission for a second time, insisting the killings aboard the Mavi Marmara had been unavoidable.

Ashkenazi said Israeli commandos had fired 308 live bullets aboard the ship to repel passengers who attacked them with lethal weapons, including a snatched Uzi machine pistol.

Ashkenazi told the panel commission that navy commandos who boarded the Mavi Marmara were equipped with riot-dispersal gear, but quickly switched to live fire to confront armed passengers because "if they had not done this, there would have been more casualties".

But deep down, they really, really want peace. And they're starving in the world's largest concentration camp, but somehow they have been able to scrape together enough pennies to buy some food for their families anti-aircraft missiles.

"Netanyahu: Terrorists in Gaza have anti-aircraft missiles," from the Jerusalem Post, October 18 (thanks to Weasel Zippers):

Speaking at a Likud meeting, PM expresses concern over weapons in the Strip "that can take down an aircraft en route to Ben Gurion airport."

Speaking at a Likud meeting Monday afternoon, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu expressed concern that aircraft flying near the Gaza Strip may be exposed to anti-aircraft systems.

"Today we are experiencing difficulty flying near the Gaza Strip since they have in their possession anti-aircraft missiles," explained Netanyahu. "Imagine that there are no security arrangements, and there will be missiles that can take down an aircraft that is en route to Ben Gurion airport."

"I heard Abu Mazen's interview yesterday," Netanyahu said in reaction to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's interview to Channel 1 on Sunday. "I would rather talk to him face to face. The interview took place seven minutes from here. A direct conversation can advance the resolution to the conflict."

Netanyahu added that, "the discussion on new [settlement] building is only an artificial obstacle." "Even the Palestinians say that the building is insignificant and barely has an effect on a final-status map," explained the prime minister. "I say it has no impact at all."

Netanyahu continued to say that, "If the Palestinians want to continue the conflict, they can find a way. But if they want to solve it, I have ways of doing it. The security problems are real, so the solutions must be real and not just on paper."...

But of course, the Palestinian Arabs don't want to solve the problems. They want to continue the conflict. The jihad doctrine allows for nothing else.

Will these Jewish "activists" be chanting the Islamic jihad battle-cry, "Khaybar, Khaybar, O Jews, the army of Muhammad will return," the way the "activists" on the last flotilla were doing?

"Activists set sail for Gaza from Cyprus," by Menelaos Hadjicostis for Associated Press, September 26 (thanks to JCB):

FAMAGUSTA, Cyprus - A boat carrying Jewish activists from Israel, Germany, the U.S. and Britain set sail on Sunday for Gaza, hoping to breach Israel's blockade there and deliver aid.

Richard Kuper, an organizer with the U.K. group Jews for Justice for Palestinians, said one goal is to show that not all Jews support Israeli policies toward Palestinians.

Kuper said the boat, which set sail from northern Cyprus flying a British flag, won't resist if Israeli authorities try to stop it....

Boat passenger Rami Elhanan, an Israeli whose daughter Smadar was killed in a suicide bombing at a shopping mall in Jerusalem in 1997, said it was his "moral duty" to act in support of Palestinians in Gaza because reconciliation was the surest path to peace.

"Those 1.5 million people in Gaza are victims exactly as I am," Elhanan, 60, said in an interview.

Other voyage organizers included the group European Jews for a Just Peace and the U.S.-based Jewish Voice for Peace.

The 33-foot (10-meter) catamaran Irene, carrying a total of nine passengers and crew members, set sail from the Turkish Cypriot north of the island because the Greek Cypriot south imposed a ban on all-Gaza-bound vessels in May, citing "vital interests."...

"Jewish communities around the world are not united in support of Israel," Kuper said in a telephone interview from London. "Israel's future peace is coming to terms quickly with the Palestinians."...

Which in practice would mean surrender to them, and acceptance of dhimmi status in an Islamic state.

Khomeini's words ring true for Gaza:

"Allah did not create man so that he could have fun. The aim of creation was for mankind to be put to the test through hardship and prayer. An Islamic regime must be serious in every field. There are no jokes in Islam. There is no humor in Islam. There is no fun in Islam. There can be no fun and joy in whatever is serious."

The primary grievance in this case was the mixing of the genders, along with women being allowed to smoke water pipes. Just for that, the whole thing had to burn.

Priorities. "Gaza water park burned down after shut down by Hamas," by Khaled Abu Toameh for the Jerusalem Post, September 19:

Unidentified gunmen on Sunday set fore to Crazy Water Park, one of the Gaza Strip's most popular entertainment sites.

And you may ask yourself: the "world's biggest concentration camp," as the propaganda goes (despite the briskly economic growth, full markets, and luxury goods), has had a water park?

Eyewitnesses said that at least 25 assailants participated in the pre-dawn attack. The gunmen beat the two night watchmen, bound their hands and confiscated their mobile phones before setting the complex on fire, they said.

Manager Ala al-A'raj said that the water park was closed down by Hamas two weeks ago. He said that no one was injured in the attack, which destroyed the resort completely.

No group claimed responsibility for the arson and the Hamas government, which issued a strong condemnation, promised to pursue the perpetrators and bring them to trial.

Two human rights organizations also condemned the torching of Crazy Water Park and called for an immediate investigation.

"The attackers stormed the resort using a four-wheel drive vehicle," one of the guards told a human rights group. "They along with another group of gunmen, set fire to the two main buildings, Beduin tents and 300 nargilas [water pipes]."

Last week the Hamas government ordered the closure of Crazy Water Park for three weeks under the pretext that the place did not have a proper license.

Last month Hamas policemen raided the resort and expelled dozens of men and women who had gathered for a fast-breaking meal during Ramadan. The owner of the site was summoned for questioning and warned not to hold events where men and women sit together.

Sources in the Gaza Strip said that Hamas has been targeting the water park because the owners violated an order banning women from smoking the nargila in public places.

Last week the Hamas authorities closed down the Sama sea-side restaurant in Gaza City where a woman was seen smoking the nargila.

Human rights activists said that Hamas has recently stepped up its efforts to impose strict Islamic teachings in the Gaza Strip.

Nothing new, actually. Just a continuation of Hamas' implementation of its agenda.

They noted that last week Hamas closed down the Aseel Horse Club, also under the pretext that it was operating without a proper license.

Hamas policemen also raided the Beach Hotel and handed the owner an order closing it down for three days. The decision was taken because one of the hotel restaurants had allowed a woman to smoke the nargila.

Two weeks ago Hamas policemen also stormed two halls in Gaza City where cultural events were taking place and kicked out the guests. The owners of the halls were requested to sign a document pledging that they would not host such events in the future....

Blame the Zionists! "IMF: Gaza's economy shot up by 16% so far in 2010," by Avi Issacharoff for Haaretz, September 14 (thanks to Benedict):

The International Monetary Fund expects the Palestinian economy to grow by 8 percent overall this year, after the West Bank economy grew by 9 percent in the first half and the Gaza Strip by a whopping 16 percent.

This compares to growth of only 1 percent in Gaza for all of 2009, and of 8.5 percent in the West Bank for all of last year, according to a World Bank report published in April.

The IMF's report attributed Gaza's impressive growth in the first half of this year both to the easing of Israel's blockade - though most of this occurred only during the final month of the half - and to the fact that the comparable period of 2009 was so poor, due in part to the Israel-Hamas war that ended in January 2009.

"It's starting from a very low base after a very tight blockade," said Oussama Kanaan, the IMF representative in the West Bank and Gaza.

The assistance of international organizations, which launched various projects in Gaza during the first half of 2010, also contributed to the Strip's economic growth, the report said....

More suffering from the world's largest prison camp.

(Video thanks to Bob.)