Recently in Hamas Category

Canonizing the Pallywood propaganda mill. "Terrorists or journalists? Washington's Newseum to honor fallen Hamas operatives," by Lisa Daftari for FoxNews.com, May 10 (thanks to Kenneth):

A Washington news museum plans to honor two accused terrorists among the journalists it recognizes at this year’s annual tribute to reporters, photographers and broadcasters who have died reporting the news.

Mahmoud Al-Kumi and Hussam Salama were killed by an Israeli air strike Nov. 20, 2012 while working for Al-Aqsa Television, a Hamas-funded media outlet designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. Treasury Department. While their supporters consider them to have been journalists, a 2010 report from Treasury said the TV station is “financed and controlled by Hamas,” and “airs programs and music videos designed to recruit children to become Hamas armed fighters and suicide bombers upon reaching adulthood.”

"Treasury will not distinguish between a business financed and controlled by a terrorist group, such as Al-Aqsa Television, and the terrorist group itself," Stuart Levey, then secretary for the Office Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, an agency overseen by Treasury.

Since its inception in 1997, The Newseum has recognized more than 2,000 journalists from around the world, including Daniel Pearl, who was kidnapped by Pakistani militants and then murdered by Al Qaeda in 2002. The names of the journalists are engraved on glass panels as part of the facility’s Journalists Memorial.

The museum’s website describes Al-Kumi and Salama as “Al-Aqsa cameramen who were killed in an Israeli air strike. They were covering fighting between Israel and fighting between Israel and the militant group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, when a missile hit their vehicle. Al-Aqsa said the journalists’ car was clearly marked ‘TV.’”

An Israel Defense Force report about the incident in which the two were killed states: "Mahmoud Al-Kumi and Hussam Salama were Hamas operatives and cameramen for Hamas’ Al-Aqsa television network, which regularly features programming that encourages and praises attacks on Israeli civilians.”

Al Aqsa doesn’t only encourage attacks on Israelis, according to Steve Stalinsky at the Middle East Media and Research Institute, who called Al Aqsa TV “the microphone for Hamas” and a “vehicle for spreading their propaganda.”

“They are continually calling for the destruction of America. They are very active on social media and there’s a lot of Anti- American and Anti-West content,” Stalinsky said.

Stalinsky points to a YouTube video of Al Aqsa TV reporting the deaths of the two journalists at the time the attack took place, stating that the two were driving in a “regular, civilian car.” The reporter makes no claim that they were in a car with media signs.

Palestinian media also reported that the two men were Hamas operatives, according to the Weekly Standard.

Newseum maintains that the Journalists Memorial selection committee conducts “case-by-case reviews,” according to spokesman Jonathan Thompson, who defended Newseum’s decision to include the men in this year’s dedication....

"There's really no such thing as just Sharia, it's not one monolithic Continuum - Sharia is understood in thousands of different ways over the 1,500 years in which multiple and competing schools of law have tried to construct some kind of civic penal and family law code that would abide by Islamic values and principles, it's understood in many different ways..." -- Reza Aslan

Not really: "[As for] the thief, the male and the female, amputate their hands in recompense for what they committed as a deterrent [punishment] from Allah. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise." -- Qur'an 5:38

And the caliph Umar, one of Muhammad's closest companions, maintained that the punishment of stoning for adultery (this story doesn't specify the method of punishment, but the outcome of the punishment is the same in any case) was originally in the Qur'an:

'Umar said, "I am afraid that after a long time has passed, people may say, "We do not find the Verses of the Rajam (stoning to death) in the Holy Book," and consequently they may go astray by leaving an obligation that Allah has revealed. Lo! I confirm that the penalty of Rajam be inflicted on him who commits illegal sexual intercourse, if he is already married and the crime is proved by witnesses or pregnancy or confession." Sufyan added, "I have memorized this narration in this way." 'Umar added, "Surely Allah's Apostle carried out the penalty of Rajam, and so did we after him." (Bukhari, vol. 8, bk. 82, no. 816)

"Allah's Apostle" is, of course, Muhammad, who did indeed carry out stonings. Here is the hadith in which he challenges the rabbis about stoning, and in which there is amidst the barbarism and brutality a final act of love and compassion:

The Jews came to Allah's Apostle and told him that a man and a woman from amongst them had committed illegal sexual intercourse. Allah's Apostle said to them, "What do you find in the Torah (old Testament) about the legal punishment of Ar-Rajm (stoning)?" They replied, (But) we announce their crime and lash them." Abdullah bin Salam said, "You are telling a lie; Torah contains the order of Rajm." They brought and opened the Torah and one of them solaced his hand on the Verse of Rajm and read the verses preceding and following it. Abdullah bin Salam said to him, "Lift your hand." When he lifted his hand, the Verse of Rajm was written there. They said, "Muhammad has told the truth; the Torah has the Verse of Rajm. The Prophet then gave the order that both of them should be stoned to death. ('Abdullah bin 'Umar said, "I saw the man leaning over the woman to shelter her from the stones." (Bukhari, vol. 4, bk. 56, no. 829)

Even the monkeys practiced stoning, according to another hadith:

During the pre-lslamic period of ignorance I saw a she-monkey surrounded by a number of monkeys. They were all stoning it, because it had committed illegal sexual intercourse. I too, stoned it along with them. (Bukhari, vol. 5, bk. 58, no. 188)

Muhammad's example is, of course, normative for Islamic behavior, since "verily in the messenger of Allah ye have a good example for him who looketh unto Allah and the Last Day, and remembereth Allah much" (Qur'an 33:21).

"New PA Laws: Cutting Off Thieves' Hands, Lashes for Drinking," by David Lev for Israel National News, May 8 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

Hamas is lobbying for a stricter enforcement of Islamic law in Gaza – including provisions to cut off the hands of thieves, and execution of individuals who cheat on their spouses. A report in the Al-Hayat daily newspaper said that Hamas expects the new regulations to take effect in the coming months, after introduction of the legislation in the PA parliament.

Existing laws mete out the death penalty to individuals convicted of murder, spying, homosexuality, or selling land to Jews. The new legislation will expand the crimes for which individuals can be executed to include disloyalty to a spouse – having sexual relations outside the context of marriage. Other provisions of the law include chopping off the right hand of a thief (along with at least a seven year jail sentence), and lashes for a large number of “crimes,” including drinking alcoholic beverages and gambling. All the punishments are derived from sharia, Islamic law.

In addition, girls age 15 will be able to decide to marry on their own, without requiring permission from their parents. Individuals age ten and over are considered adults under the new legislation, and are subject to the full force of the law for offenses.

Hamas has a large majority in the PA parliament, with 74 of the 134 parliamentarians belonging to the Islamist party. Many of them belong to the fundamentalist Salafist movement, and they are behind the push for the new laws. While there is opposition in Hamas to the passage of the legislation at this point, it is expected to easily pass. Once it does, the laws will be extant in both Gaza and Palestinian Authority-controlled areas of Judea and Samaria, but it is not clear if they will be enforced there.

Their grandmother was the mother from hell who glorified Allah for allowing her children to die while murdering Jews. "Young Relatives of Deceased Hamas MP Umm Nidal, Mother of Four Killed Terrorists, Wish to Follow in Her Footsteps," from MEMRI, March 29 (thanks to Jerk Chicken):

Following are excerpts from a children's show on Umm Nidal Farhat, which aired on Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV on March 29, 2013:

Child presenter: Iman, you are the daughter of the martyr Nidal. What did your father do to help liberate Jerusalem?

Iman, who is sitting alongside other grandchildren of Umm Nidal Farhat: He produced missiles.

Child presenter: He produced the first missile, and it was called "Qassam," right? When he was making missiles, was your grandmother there with him?

Iman: No.

Child presenter: Did she encourage him to do so?

Iman: Yes, of course.

Child presenter: Iman, are you proud to have Umm Nidal Farhat as your grandmother?

Iman: Yes.

Child presenter: Are you proud that your father is a martyr?

Iman: Yes.

Child presenter:Would you like to follow in their footsteps?

Iman: Yes.

[...]

Veiled child presenter: Jinan, you told me that the great mother, Umm Nidal Farhat, saw her sons in a dream before she died, right? Tell us that story.

Janin: When she was in Egypt, she was already ill.

Veiled child presenter: She was in Egypt before she came here, right?

Janin: Yes. Allah be praised, she got a little better before she died, and she saw her martyred sons in a dream, coming to her and wanting to take her. They missed her a lot, just like she missed them. Imad 'Aqel, Allah's mercy upon him, also came to her in a dream. It was a day before she returned to Gaza. He wanted her to go with them. He wanted her to meet them in Paradise.

Veiled child presenter: She understood that she was going to them, right?

Janin: Yes. She said to my uncle: I want to go to Gaza.

Veiled child presenter: She didn't want to die in Egypt. She wanted to die on her land. She insisted on departing from this life in her own bed, right?

Janin: Yes.

[...]

Granddaughter of Nidal Farhat: I call upon all Muslim mothers, daughters, and sisters – Al-Aqsa Mosque expects us to be the next generation to march toward it. Do not spare us the commanders, the soldiers, and the martyrdom lovers. Al-Aqsa Mosque expects us to be the next generation to march toward it. Do not hesitate [to sacrifice] commanders, soldiers, and martyrdom-lovers. The mothers send their sons to victory or to Paradise, Allah willing.

The children in the studio sing in unison: Jihad bestows pride and glory upon you when you become a martyrdom-seeker.

Jihad bestows pride and glory upon you when you become a martyrdom-seeker.

Oh explosive device of glory – with her blood she created freedom.

Oh explosive device of glory – with her blood she created freedom.

Ask [suicide bomber] Fatima Al-Najjar how one should live a life of pride.

Ask [suicide bomber] Fatima Al-Najjar how one should live a life of pride.

Presenter in chicken costume: Let's have a round of applause.

[...]

Veiled child presenter: We should sacrifice our lives for the sake of the homeland, so we can please God and liberate Palestine and Jerusalem. What we learn from her example is that we should follow in her footsteps.

Child presenter: She raised her children from an early age on love of martyrdom for the sake of Allah, as well as on love of the homeland and its defense. We should learn from them. We should wage Jihad and persevere, in order to liberate this land. When one of us is martyred, we say that his life is precious, yet it is a cheap price to pay for the liberation and defense of the homeland.

Veiled child presenter: The lives of all the martyrs are precious, but no price is too high when it is paid for the sake of the homeland.

This demonstrates how disastrously foolish it was for Israel to have succumbed to Obama's pressure and apologized for defending itself. Now some of the money that Israel will pay to the "victims" will go to the jihad against Israel.

"Mavi Marmara victim to donate compensation to Hamas, Islamic Jihad," from the Hürriyet Daily News, April 3 (thanks to Joshua):

One of the victims of the Israeli raid on the Mavi Marmara aid flotilla has announced that he will donate the compensation to Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Israel apologized to Turkey for the Mavi Marmara raid in which nine Turkish nationals died and agreed to pay compensation to the families of the victims.

Activist Mehmet Tunç said he would donate the compensation to Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Palestine himself, adding that he would not touch even “one Turkish Lira” of it at a press conference today.

Tunç had been a volunteer on the Mavi Marmara ship traveling to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. He told reporters that nine of his friends had been martyred by the Israeli forces in a raid he called “against international law.”

Abdullah Demirel, Tunç’s lawyer, said the Israeli government had apologized for the first time in its history and that it was a “huge development.” Demirel also said they had been informed by the Turkish Foreign Ministry on the compensation issue.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu hosted the families of the Mavi Marmara victims late April 2. The ministers informed the families at a dinner about the recent reconciliation process between Turkey and Israel, which was started by an Israeli apology for the losses in the Mavi Marmara incident. The lawyers of the families were also present at the meeting.

The families have not yet made their final decision as to whether accept the compensation that will eventually be offered by Israel and withdraw from cases against Israeli soldiers, according to sources.

Arınç said yesterday that the families had said that “any words about compensation would sadden them. The core of the issue is the apology and lifting of the embargo [on the Gaza Strip]. The government’s work on compensation would be right for them as well.”

The lifting of the embargo would mean the free flow of arms to the jihadists in Gaza.

"Of course, Israel cannot be expected to negotiate with anyone who is dedicated to its destruction. But while I know you have had differences with the Palestinian Authority, I believe that you do have a true partner in President Abbas..." -- Barack Obama, March 21, 2013

"As far as I am concerned, there is no difference between our policies and those of Hamas." -- Mahmoud Abbas, March 15, 2013

"Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it" -- Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna, as quoted in the Hamas Charter

"Killing Jews is worship that draws us close to Allah" -- Hamas's Al Aqsa TV

Of course, we featured that last quote in one of our AFDI jihad truth ads. Help us keep these ads going: CONTRIBUTE HERE!

More on this story. "PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas: EU Can Remove Hamas from Terror List, No Difference between Our Policies and Theirs," from MEMRI, March 15:

Following are excerpts from an interview with PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, which aired on Russia Today TV on March 15, 2013.

Interviewer: It is said that the EU plans to remove Hamas from the list of terror organizations. Do you view this as a step toward complete recognition of the legitimacy of the [Hamas] government?

Mahmoud Abbas: I do not think that they will acknowledge the legitimacy of the Hamas government. After what happened, and given that Hamas has honored the truce, and has declared that it supports peaceful popular resistance… As far as I am concerned, there is no difference between our policies and those of Hamas. So why are they labeled as terrorists? In my opinion, [the EU] can remove Hamas [from the list], why not?

Interviewer: But you do not fire missiles at Israel.

Mahmoud Abbas: Neither we nor Hamas fire missiles. Since the end of the second Intifada, we have committed ourselves to refrain from using weapons. We say this out in the open. It’s no secret. We don’t hide this under the table. We say loud and clear that we have no intention or desire to violate… or rather, to engage in an armed Intifada with Israel. I say this loud and clear.

Hamas declared [the same], but then there were skirmishes once or twice. Hopefully, that was the end of it.

And Obama has the audacity to lecture the Israelis about making peace. "Hamas Women Officers Shoot at Photos of Israeli Leaders during Graduation Ceremony," from MEMRI, March 19:

Following are excerpts from footage of a Hamas officers’ graduation ceremony, in which female snipers exhibited their skills by shooting at photos of Israeli leaders. The ceremony aired on Al-Aqsa TV on March 19, 2013.

Announcer: Now, brothers and sisters, we shall watch a shooting performance by sisters. The men are not the only ones in the battlefield. The sisters, the Muslim women, participate alongside the men in defending the soil of Palestine and our holy places.

Hamas PM Ismail Haniyeh is seen sitting next to Salafi Egyptian cleric Safwat Higazi, watching the show.

[…]

Two female snipers aim at a target consisting of a Star of David, with images of Israeli leaders attached to each point.

Even if Hamas has renounced violence, which I seriously doubt, it has not renounced jihad or Sharia. In other words, it still has the same goal -- the total destruction of Israel -- but it may just be going about it through different means. And so it should not be regarded any differently from how it is regarded now. Yet this relatively simple point consistently eludes the grasp of American and European policymakers. "Abbas says Hamas is not terrorist group," from UPI, March 17 (thanks to Maxwell):

MOSCOW, March 17 (UPI) -- Hamas is committed to peaceful resistance and there is no need to label it a terrorist organization, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said.

In an exclusive weekend interview with Russia Today, the Palestinian president responded to reports that the European Union is considering taking Hamas off the list of terrorist organizations.

"Chances are quite high that the Hamas government may be recognized as legitimate. If Hamas is committed to the cease-fire and if it openly pledges to stick to the peaceful popular resistance, I don't see much difference between their policy and ours. In this case, there is no need to label them as a terrorist organization," Abbas said....

Poor Obama can't win for losing. He gives Muslim Brotherhood Egypt money and weapons, and stands by silently as it violently oppresses its Christians, and does the Muslim Brotherhood in "Palestine," Hamas, show any gratitude? No! It acts as if it can push him around. Now where on earth did Hamas get that idea?

"Hamas: ‘Declaration Of War’ If Obama Visits Temple Mount," from CBS DC, March 12 (thanks to all who sent this in):

WASHINGTON (CBSDC/AP) — Hamas is warning that if President Obama visits the Temple Mount it would be a “declaration of war” against the Islamic world.

Israel National News reports the terror group made the threat during a protest march at the religious site following riots on Friday.

Mushir al-Masri, a Hamas spokesman, called for a third intifada if Obama visits the contested religious site in Jerusalem’s Old City between Israelis and Muslims.

Public Security Minister Yitzchak Aharonovich believes the warning will lead to violence flaring up in the region ahead of the president’s visit.

“The Palestinians have not said the final word yet and we expect that there will be attempts to take advantage of the upcomingevents [sic], like the visit by Barack Obama, in order to continue the violence,” Aharonovich told Israel National News.

White House officials have said Obama doesn’t plan on visiting the Temple Mount during his trip....

Of course!

Don't be concerned. If the Israelis make some more concessions, all will be well. "‘Iranians in Gaza, guiding rocket development,’" by Aaron Kalman for the Times of Israel, February 26:

Iranian rocket specialists are in the Gaza Strip, helping terrorist organizations develop their arsenal of projectiles, Palestinian security officials said Tuesday, hours after a rocket was fired at Israel for the first time in months.

Representatives of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard were helping Hamas, which rules the Strip, and the Islamic Jihad organization develop long-range rockets, the Hebrew news site Walla reported, citing the unnamed Palestinian officials. Israeli officials confirmed there was an Iranian presence in Gaza, adding it wasn’t the first time Iranian officials had entered the Strip, the report said.

The report could not be confirmed independently.

On Thursday morning, an upgraded Fajr missile, with a range of 70 kilometers (over 40 miles), landed south of Ashkelon, breaking a truce between Israel and the terror groups in the Strip which had held since the end of Operation Pillar of Defense in November. In response to the rocket fire Tuesday, Israel temporarily curtailed operations at two Gaza border crossings.

Fatah’s military wing claimed responsibility for the attack, but Israeli reports said it was likely that Hamas — which controls Gaza — was also involved at some level.

In November, a senior Hamas official predicted that Iran would increase its military and economic aid to Gazan groups because of the victory his group claimed in Pillar of Defense, the eight-day confrontation with Israel.

“They give it to us in the name of Allah, without conditions, and I am a witness to this,” Mahmoud al-Zahar told reporters in Gaza at the time, adding, “It is our right to take money and weapons from Iran.”

But if we only give them enough money and diplomatic means to destroy Israel, they will certainly call it off.

"Hamas Official Calls for Third Intifada," by Elad Benari for Israel National News, February 27 (thanks to Voice of the Copts):

A day after a Hamas official called on terrorists to kidnap IDF soldiers in order to force Israel to release their fellow terrorists from Israeli prisons, another Hamas official called on PA Arabs on Tuesday to start an intifada (violent uprising).

The official, Izzat al-Rishq, said in a statement he released, “Our Palestinian people will not abandon the intifada and the resistance, and they live their lives in constant conflict with the Israeli enemy.”

He added that the Israeli "aggression" which, he claimed, consists of the ongoing violation of human rights of the “Palestinian people”, the “Judaization” of Jerusalem and “defilement” of the Al-Aqsa mosque brings PA Arabs to a state of daily confrontation with the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria who, he claimed, are protected by the IDF.

Al-Rishq said the IDF's preparedness against the escalation of the ongoing riots by PA Arabs will only increase their determination to avenge the death of Arafat Jaradat, the prisoner who died while in Israeli custody.

An autopsy conducted Sunday on the body of Jaradat, who died at the Meggido Prison a day earlier, found that it is impossible to determine the exact cause of his death.

The PA’s minister of prisoners, Issa Qaraqaa, nevertheless took advantage of the non-conclusive report to blame Israel for torturing Jaradat to death, citing the preliminary findings of the joint autopsy which reported bruises on Jaradat's body, muscle damage and broken ribs. Those, however, can be caused by resuscitation attempts, according to the autopsy.

Thousands took part on Monday in Jaradat’s funeral. The funeral was held at his village, Sa'ir, near Hevron.

At nearby Beit Anun, hundreds of Arabs gathered and hurled rocks at security forces who were on high alert during the funeral. The security forces countered the rioting with riot dispersal gear....

With kidnappings in Cameroon and Yemen, kidnapping seems to be the jihad du jour all over the Islamic world. That's their jihad, what's yours? "Hamas Calls to Kidnap IDF Soldiers," by Elad Benari for Israel National News, February 26 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

The Hamas terror group, taking advantage of the rioting in Judea and Samaria, is calling on terrorists to kidnap IDF soldiers.

According to the Iranian Fars agency, senior Hamas leader Salah al-Bardawil urged terrorists participating in a rally in Gaza in protest of the death of a terrorist in Israeli custody to kidnap Israeli soldiers.

Hamas organized two huge rallies in Khan Younis and Rafah in southern Gaza to protest the death of 30-year-old Arafat Jaradat in the Meggido prison, according to Fars.

Addressing the rally in Khan Younis, al-Bardawil urged the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers. The abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit led to the release of over 1,000 terrorists in 2011 in a prisoner swap deal between Hamas and Israel.

Al-Bardawil urged Egypt to show responsibility toward the prisoner exchange, which was brokered in Cairo, according to Fars.

"A new Palestinian Intifada is about to break out in support of prisoners," al-Bardawil said, urging all PA Arabs to join activities to support detainees.

He appealed to the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority to boycott public and secret negotiations with Israel in protest over Jaradat's death.

An autopsy conducted Sunday on Jaradat’s body found that it is impossible to determine the exact cause of his death.

The PA’s minister of prisoners, Issa Qaraqaa, nevertheless took advantage of the non-conclusive report to blame Israel for torturing Jaradat to death, citing the preliminary findings of the joint autopsy which reported bruises on Jaradat's body, muscle damage and broken ribs. Those, however, can be caused by resuscitation attempts, according to the autopsy.

Thousands took part on Monday in Jaradat’s funeral. The funeral was held at his village, Sa'ir, near Hevron.

At nearby Beit Anun, hundreds of Arabs gathered and hurled rocks at security forces who were on high alert during the funeral. The security forces countered the rioting with riot dispersal gear.

The United Nations, meanwhile, called on Monday for an independent inquiry into Jaradat’s death, warning that mounting tensions risk an eruption of violence in the region.

UN Middle East peace envoy Robert Serry made the call in a statement after talks with PA prime minister Salam Fayyad.

“The United Nations expects the autopsy to be followed by an independent and transparent investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Jaradat's death, the results of which should be made public as soon as possible,” said Serry.

Jaradat’s death is the latest excuse used by PA Arabs to justify their rioting. Last week they intensified the riots as a sign of solidarity with four terrorists who are serving time in Israeli prisons and who have gone on a hunger strike as a pressure tactic to get Israel to release them.

The four are Samer Issawi, Tareq Qaadan, Jafar Ezzedine and Ayman Sharawna. All four were released as part of the Shalit deal in 2011 but were rearrested after they violated the terms of their release.

Israel’s defense establishment said Friday that the prisoners currently on hunger strike in Israel were jailed for good reason. The reminder came in the wake of statements of concern from the United Nations and European Union.

An IDF general revealed Saturday that the Arab enemy's attempts to abduct Jews have reached unprecedented levels.

Major General Avi Mizrachi, who served as the Head of Central Command in 2009-2012, told Channel 2 television's Meet the Press, "Since November we have foiled 18 attempts by Hamas and Fatah men to abduct Israeli citizens." This number translates to a rough average of two abduction attempts per week.

Since Islamic law only allows for truces so that the jihadis can gain strength in order to fight again more effectively, this could signal that the Gaza jihadis believe they are again strong enough to confront the Israelis.

"Gaza rocket slams South for first time since truce," by Yaakov Lappin for Reuters, February 26 (thanks to Alexandre):

Palestinian terrorists broke a three month ceasefire on Tuesday and fired a rocket from Gaza into southern Israel. The rocket fell on a road south of Ashkelon causing some damage to a road, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

Al- Aqsa Martyrs Brigades took resonsibilty [sic] for the attack, Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported. The terrorists fired a Grad rocket in response to the "liquidation" of the prisoner Jaradat, Ma'an reported.

The IDF Spokesperson said there were no injuries in the incident.

According to Chief Inspector Liat Nidan of the Lachish sub-district, police have not increased their level of readiness in the wake of the rocket strike, and have not received any sort of assessments from the security establishment about a possible flare-up in the days to come.

She added that no code red alarm went off in the city before the rocket struck, and the IDF is investigating why one did not go off.

"An explosion was heard in the Ashkelon region experts searched areas and found one rocket that struck, damaging a road but causing no injuries," Rosenfeld said.

Egyptian mediators helped achieve a truce in Gaza after eight days of punishing Israeli air strikes amid rocket attacks from the coastal territory in late November.

The attack came after the death on Saturday of a Palestinian detainee in Israeli custody which triggered protests in the West Bank.

In the latest violence there, Israeli troops shot and wounded five Palestinians during confrontations with protesters in the Bethlehem area on Monday and a 15-year-old boy was in critical condition.

The death in disputed circumstances of Arafat Jaradat, buried in a funeral in the Hebron area attended by thousands on Monday, and a hunger strike by four other Palestinian inmates, have stoked tensions ahead of a planned visit next month by US President Barack Obama.

Gaza billboard: "Thanks and gratitude to Iran"

While maintaining its close relationship with Hamas. "Iran Stengthens [sic] Ties to Palestinian Islamic Jihad," by Abeer Ayyoub for Al-Monitor, January 21:

Since the Islamic revolution in 1979, Iran has been the main supporter of the Palestinian cause, and in particular of its two largest Islamic factions: Hamas and Islamic Jihad. As part of the alliance, Syria was also a major supporter of the two groups and, until recently, played host to the leadership of both groups.

Iran was a strong supporter of the Hamas government in Gaza and its military wing, until Hamas moved its leadership from Syria, split with Bashar al-Assad’s regime and became a vocal critic of the Syrian crackdown.

Hamas had waited more than a year until it made the difficult decision to leave Syria and sacrifice Iranian support. As an offshoot of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood — which has been riding high since the Arab Spring — Hamas now has alternatives to Iran, and is moving out of isolation and towards international acceptance.

However, by contrast, Islamic Jihad — constrained by a lack of allies — has opted to stay officially neutral on the Syrian crisis. Despite Ramadan Shallah, the leader of Islamic Jihad, leaving Syria last year, the movement still insists that its ties with Syria have not been negatively affected and that Shallah’s departure was purely for security reasons.

Senior Islamic Jihad official Khader Habeeb told Al-Monitor that his faction’s relations with foreign powers are based on the support those powers can provide to the Palestinian resistance, and not on external matters. “Iran has adopted the Palestinian resistance since its Islamic revolution. It has been a loyal backer. Consequently, Iranian assistance for the Syrian regime has nothing to do with our relations with Iran, even when our views are different,” Habeeb said.

Habeeb considers the crisis in Syria a purely internal issue that has nothing to do with the Palestinians. “Definitely we are sorry for both Palestinians and Syrians being killed every day in Syria, but we are already aware of the fact we are mere guests in Syria and have no right to interfere,” he explained.

With Hamas-Iran relations destabilized over Syria, a door has opened for Islamic Jihad to boost its ties with Iran, although its officials won’t openly admit this.

Adnan Abu Amer, political analyst and lecturer at Al-Ummah University is Gaza, said that Iran's ties to Islamic Jihad have strengthened since Hamas took a step back from Tehran.

“Islamic Jihad is the top backed Palestinian faction by Iran. That doesn’t necessarily mean that Islamic Jihad will stand out from the rest, as there are many other factors that count, such as popularity and national support,” Abu Amer clarified.

Growing Iranian support for Islamic Jihad was made evident in the November mini-war with Israel, with the movement demonstrating its long-range rocket and cyber-warfare capabilities.

Habeeb, however, stressed that Iranian support for Islamic Jihad is only limited to the armed wing, and has nothing to do with strains between Hamas and Iran. “Hamas-Iran relations are still okay and our good relations with Iran do not come at the expense of their ties,” Habeeb said. “Iran was pleased with the victory the Palestinian resistance achieved. This is why it’s likely to increase its support for us, for what we have lost during the war and because we need to rebuild our infrastructure.”

Islamic Jihad also maintains strong links with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, despite Hezbollah’s open support for the Syrian regime. “Hezbollah is a strong, armed faction and we are still coordinating with them concerning resistance against the Israeli occupation. That’s what matters to us. Any external conflict is not our issue,” Habeeb said.

Taher al-Nono, spokesman for the Hamas government in Gaza, stressed that the two Islamist factions were not competing over Iranian support. “It’s totally up to Iran to support any of the Palestinian factions with the way it considers,” al-Nono said.

Despite both Hamas and Islamic Jihad sharing a similar opinion of the Syrian crisis, they have each acted according to their own circumstances.

“Hamas has Qatar and Egypt as alternatives, which made its decision easier, while Islamic Jihad has no other geographical alternatives, so it had to stay in Syria and not comment,” Abu Amer told Al-Monitor.

Hamas’ quiet departure from Syria was the most it could do under Iranian pressure, Abu Amer said. He said that Iran preferred that Hamas stay in Syria and take an impartial stance.

Nevertheless, all indicators suggest that Iran is still keen in maintaining relations with Hamas, as a popular resistance movement and a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is now spreading throughout the Arab Spring states....

As Elder of Ziyon says: ”This means that terror groups who urge the ethnic cleansing of Jews in the Middle East will be accepted as part of the international community at the UN. (The UN does not distinguish between the PLO and the ‘State of Palestine.’).” This means UN sanctioning of Islamic antisemitism and the genocidal aspirations that Hamas has so often enunciated as the contemporary fulfillment and embodiment of those antisemitic teachings. It also gives the lie to the fiction, so prevalent in Washington, that the PLO and Fatah are the "moderates" who oppose the Hamas and Islamic Jihad "extremists."

"PLO Executive Committee Member Expects Hamas, Islamic Jihad to Join With PLO," by Zach Pontz for Algemeiner, January 20:

A member of the Executive Committee of the PLO, Dr. Ahmed Majdalani, told Al-Quds newspaper that he expects Hamas and Islamic Jihad to join with the PLO after National Council elections later this month, though the government will still headed by President Mahmoud Abbas.

The PA is subsidiary to the PLO, whose members are not elected by the people.

Anonymous pro-Israel blogger Elder of Ziyon notes that ”This means that terror groups who urge the ethnic cleansing of Jews in the Middle East will be accepted as part of the international community at the UN. (The UN does not distinguish between the PLO and the ‘State of Palestine.’).”

Majdalani also said that negotiations between Fatah and Hamas in Cairo are resulting in a mechanism for new elections not only in the territories but also for Palestinian Arabs who live abroad.

On Thursday Hamas and Fatah agreed to implement, by the end of this month, previous reconciliation agreements signed between the two parties.

The most recent reconciliation agreement, signed in Doha, Qatar, envisages the establishment of a unity government headed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Hamas-linked CAIR's Ahmed Rehab says that jihad is "daily struggle, it is going to school, whatever it is people go through."

So why does Umm Osama keep talking about martyrdom in connection with jihad? Does she expect there will be an accident on the way to the schoolhouse?

"Umm Osama, Wife of Hamas MP Khalil Al-Hayya: A Woman's Role Is to Instill Love of Jihad and Martyrdom in Her Children," from MEMRI, December 2, 2012:

Following are excerpts from an interview with Umm Osama, the wife of Hamas MP Khalil Al-Hayya, which aired on Al-Aqsa TV on December 2, 2012.

Umm Osama: Women in Palestine play a great role in raising their children and in encouraging them to wage Jihad for the sake of Allah. This is absolutely the most glorious thing a woman can do. Women play their role and are not inferior to men. When a man goes to wage Jihad, his wife does not say "Don't go" or try to stop him. She encourages and supports him. She is the one who prepares his equipment, bids him farewell, and welcomes [his Jihad].

Bye, mom! I'm off to stay fit despite my busy schedule!

She instills in her children the love of Jihad and martyrdom for the sake of Allah. If every mother were to prevent her son from waging Jihad for the sake of Allah, who would wage Jihad? Who would support Palestine? Palestine is dear to us, and its price is paid with our body remains and our lifeblood.

Is not Allah's reward precious? Allah's reward is Paradise. Paradise requires from us our blood, our body remains, and our efforts for its sake.

[...]

Sister, Jihad is ordained for us. It is our duty to wage Jihad, because either we wage Jihad or...

Interviewer: We want to die as martyrs.

Umm Osama: Indeed we do. I am constantly praying: "Allah, make the end of our days be in martyrdom." I pray for this even for my husband and my children. None of us want to die in our beds. We pray that Allah will grant us Paradise.

This hypocrisy is no surprise. The "Palestinian" refugee problem has been an artificial, manufactured crisis all along, starting from the moment when all the Arab states except Jordan refused to grant citizenship to the "Palestinians," preferring instead to use them as a stick with which to beat Israel. They're the first people whose refugee status is passed down to children and grandchildren, decades after the real refugees in Europe and central Asia found homes and got on with their lives.

"Hamas, PA reportedly refuse to take in Palestinian refugees from Syria," by Michal Shmulovich for the Times of Israel, January 3 (thanks to Jerk Chicken):

Hamas and the Palestinian Authority rejected the United Nations’ request that they take in Palestinian refugees who fled Syria during the ongoing brutal civil war, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Thursday.

Finding themselves increasingly isolated, some 150,000 Palestinian refugees in Syria — there are approximately 350,000 in total in the country — were forced to flee the Yarmouk refugee camp located outside Damascus due to attacks, including an aerial bombardment, by the Bashar Assad regime. Their flight has created a humanitarian crisis in Damascus; others have fled to Lebanon and Jordan, reportedly causing those countries to become increasingly hostile to their presence there.

According to the report, head of Hamas in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh told UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, that the Gaza Strip couldn’t take in Syria’s Palestinian refugees due to an ideological issue: If they take in the refugees from Syria, Israel could use it against them when it comes to the Palestinians’ demand for the “right to return” to villages inside present day Israel, by pointing out that the refugees no longer need to return to Israel because they have been relocated to new homes in the Gaza Strip....

Oh, the humanity! "Hamas Budget Nears $1 Billion," by Maayana Miskin for Israel National News, January 1 (thanks to Voice of the Copts):

Hamas will spend $897 million in Gaza in 2013 under a budget approved Monday. The Gaza parliament, dominated by Hamas, voted for the spending.

Gaza leaders estimate the income for the year at $243 million. The rest of the money is expected to come from international aid and donations.

Despite claims of a financial crisis, the Hamas budget has continued to grow from year to year. A large percent of this year's budget – $244 million – will go to the Interior Ministry, which funds "security forces" such as the al-Kassam Battalions, recognized internationally as a terrorist group.

Many donations are not included in the budget. Qatar has pledged to spend $400 million on construction in the area, money that is not part of the official budget because Qatar will be overseeing the projects directly.

Also excluded as direct aid was money spent by the United Nations' UNRWA agency, which assists PA resident Arabs and Arabs claiming descent from those who fled Israel during the War of Independence. The group is expected to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on programs in Gaza in 2013, including food distribution, summer camps, and schools.

"Senior Hamas leader calls for third intifada," by Khaled Abu Toameh for the Jerusalem Post, December 25:

A senior Hamas leader called on Tuesday for a third intifada and the resumption of suicide bombings against Israel.

The demand came in response to the government’s recent decision to approve the construction of hundreds of housing units in east Jerusalem and Ma’aleh Adumim.

Ahmed Halabiyeh, director of the Jerusalem Department in Hamas, said that armed Palestinian groups, including Hamas, should initiate a confrontation with Israel over its plans to build new apartments in Jerusalem and its suburbs.

The Palestinians, he added, should resort to various methods of resistance, first and foremost “martyrdom operations in the heart of Israel.”

He urged Palestinians to “ignite a third intifada to save the Aksa Mosque and Jerusalem.”

The “enemy is waging a fierce onslaught on Jerusalem and accelerating plans to Judaize the city geographically and demographically,” he told reporters in Gaza City.

Israel, he charged, was spreading the “cancer of settlements to all parts of Jerusalem.”

The Hamas official also accused Israel of working to undermine the foundations of the Aksa Mosque to bring about its collapse so it could replace the structure with the Third Temple.

Halabiyeh urged Arabs and Muslims to declare a state of full mobilization to “liberate Jerusalem, the Aksa Mosque and Palestine.”...

Abu Rudaineh also condemned Israel’s decision to withhold tax and customs revenues belonging to the PA as a “criminal and aggressive act.”

Israel would have to bear the consequences of its actions, he declared.

But the "Palestinian" jihadists, not so much.

When so thoroughly compromised an organization as the Soros-funded Human Rights Watch, which termed Iran's genocidal calls for the annihilation of Israel not "incitement," but "advocacy," admits that Hamas is targeting civilians and violating the laws of war, you can be sure that what Hamas is doing is so far beyond the pale as to have departed from all civilized norms and entered the realm of utter savagery.

"HRW: Hamas rockets from Gaza violated laws of war," from the Jerusalem Post, December 24 (thanks to all who sent this in):

Armed Palestinian groups firing rockets at Israeli population centers violated the laws of war during Operation Pillar of Defense, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report released Monday.

“Palestinian armed groups made clear in their statements that harming civilians was their aim,” said HRW's Middle East director Sarah Leah Whitson. “There is simply no legal justification for launching rockets at populated areas.”

The group also found that Gazan groups, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Resistance Committee, justified targeting civilian centers as reprisal for Israeli strikes, an act also banned under international law.

Furthermore, such groups "repeatedly fired rockets from densely populated areas, near homes, businesses, and a hotel, unnecessarily placing civilians in the vicinity at grave risk from Israeli counter-fire," the report said.

The detailed report included examples of rockets being launched from densely populated areas in Gaza, and noted that groups fired from underground tunnels with hatches for the first time. HRW faulted Palestinian armed groups for failing to alert civilians or urge them to evacuate prior to launching rockets in their vicinity.

As the ruling power in the Strip, the human rights group said, Hamas was responsible for reining in the behavior of other groups.

“As the ruling authority in Gaza, Hamas has an obligation to stop unlawful attacks and punish those responsible,” Whitson said.

A week earlier, HRW reported that Israeli attacks on journalists and media facilities during the operation also violated laws of war, saying that Israel provided no specific information to justify claims that they were military targets....

Their moral equivalence is as ridiculous as it is predictable, but it is refreshing that they at least had the residual sense of decency and accuracy to acknowledge Hamas's crimes.

Where indeed? This is a good piece about the double standard against Israel, but it is a bit naive regarding the possibility of peaceful coexistence between Israel and the "Palestinian" jihadists. "Where’s the outrage against Hamas?," by Frida Ghitis for the Miami Herald, December 17:

You say you want to help the Israeli-Palestinian peace process? Here’s one small part we can all do, with thanks to Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal for the reminder.

Meshaal, exiled political chief of Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group, has done us a great service by drawing an incandescent line between those who want peace and coexistence, and those who categorically reject negotiations, seeking only to destroy the enemy.

For those who would like to see peace, the choice is very simple. When Meshaal spoke in Gaza a few days ago, calling for Israel’s destruction, the entire world should have spoken out in outrage.

Of course, that did not happen. Reaction to the horrifying speech was rather muted, particularly in Europe, where some may equate criticism of a Palestinian leader with, heaven forbid, support for Israel. But those who want the best for Palestinians should recoil at the words spoken by the Hamas leader during the group’s anniversary celebrations in Gaza earlier this month.

Nothing could be worse for Palestinians than embracing a position that rejects coexistence with Israel. That is a recipe for stalemate, suffering, and continuing strife.

Hamas leaders, emboldened by the victories of their Muslim Brotherhood brethren elsewhere in the Arab world, have engaged in a self-defeating contest to see who is the most extremist among them. The Gaza-based leadership triggered a near-war against Israel a few weeks ago, and their rival Meshaal has now reiterated, “There will be no concession on any inch of the land,” explaining he demands all of Israel, “from the river to the sea,” including Haifa, Tel Aviv, Safed and, of course, Jerusalem. In keeping with efforts to deny any Jewish links to the city, he declared “Israel has no right to be in Jerusalem.”

When the speech came, European leaders were drafting a statement condemning Israel’s announcement that it is moving forward plans for settlement construction in the controversial E1 area. Condemning Israel comes easily in the EU. But when someone suggested the condemnation should also note that a Palestinian leader said Israel should be destroyed — to the cheers of tens of thousands of ebullient supporters, against a backdrop of a mock missile of Iranian design — the Europeans hesitated.

According to Israel Radio, four European countries — Denmark, Finland, Portugal and Ireland — wanted only to condemn Israel without mentioning the words of Hamas, despite the group’s essentially genocidal charter. More diplomatic minds prevailed and a very brief mention of the awful speech was included in the final EU document.

In the U.S., the writer Michael Tomasky chastised his friends. “The left in the developed world,” he wrote, “has let its hatred of imperialism and occupation prevent it from seeing and denouncing” problems within movements it has supported.

Meshaal’s words did not make a lot of waves. The world doesn’t really blink when someone calls for Israel’s destruction. That’s a pity, because that silence magnifies Israelis’ fears that they cannot trust international opinion, and it makes them more skeptical of diplomacy....