Israel Matzav

Palestinians burn Kalkilya YMCA

What a tolerant people! The 'religion of peace'! Give them a state reichlet. That's all we need to bring 'peace' to the Middle East.

What a crock of....

And you thought it was only the Jews whom the Muslims hate? Think again. Those fun-loving boys from Hamas burned down the Kalkilya YMCA yesterday in a story that I have not seen or heard covered anywhere in Israel. Kalkilya is controlled by Hamas, the same group that is now the dominant political party in the 'Palestinian Authority.' Where is the outrage? Why isn't the Pope screaming about this in St. Peter's Square?

Local government sources identified the attackers as members of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror groups, saying the identities of the gunmen are "well known" to Qalqiliya's security forces, which are controlled by the Hamas government.

Today's arson follows a series of warnings by the Muslim leadership of Qalqilya accusing the city's YMCA of missionary activity and demanding the Christian organization close its offices and leave town or face likely Muslim violence.

According to local reports, the gunmen today destroyed the locks on the YMCA's entrance gates, crushed the gates, then entered the building and set it ablaze. Local fire brigades reportedly rushed to the scene and stopped the fire before it spread to neighboring buildings. The building sustained serious damage, YMCA officials said.

The Qalqiliya police say they opened an investigation into the incident and will hunt down and arrest the attackers [and then let them out the revolving door of 'Palestinian justice.' An oxymoron if I ever heard one. CiJ].

One political source in the city told WND, "The identity of the attackers is well known to Hamas. We don't expect the Hamas-controlled police, the Hamas city council or the Hamas Interior Ministry to do anything about this attack."

The source called the arson a "warning to YMCA's and Christian groups in the Palestinian areas that they are not safe."

In April, WND reported major Muslim organizations in Qalqiliya, in conjunction with local mosques, the city's Mufti and municipal leaders, sent a letter to the interior minister of the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority accusing the YMCA of missionary activities and demanding the Palestinian government immediately shut down the Christian offices.

The PA did not act against the YMCA. The YMCA has operated in Qalqiliya since 2000.

The petition, obtained by WND, states, "We the preachers of the mosques and representatives of major families in Qalqiliya ask you to close the offices of the YMCA because the population of Qalqiliya doesn't need such offices, especially since there are not many Christians in our city."

It warned, "The act of these institutions of the YMCA, including attempting to convert Muslims in our city, will bring violence and tension."

Three days before the petition was delivered several Molotov cocktails were thrown at Qalqiliya's YMCA. Local political sources said the Molotov attacks followed Friday sermons in dozens of Qalqiliya mosques in which preachers called upon the community to revolt against the YMCA.

"There was a coordination among the mosques to speak about the YMCA. One major imam, for example, warned if the YMCA doesn't close down, it will lead to 'acts that no one would like to see,'" said one political source in April.

Joseph Medi, the YMCA manager in Qalqiliya, told WND his operation has never been involved with missionary activity.

"It's not what we're about. There is no missionary activity here whatsoever. The YMCA is in the city to serve the population with financial help, sporting activities and general educational programs," he said.

Medi pointed out many employees at his branch of the YMCA are Muslim. He said the YMCA was instrumental in establishing a number of community programs, including contributing to the financing of the Al Ahli Club, a mostly Muslim local soccer organization that has competed in national games.

Medi said Qalqiliya's YMCA received a final notification from local leaders warning the association to close its offices before "drastic measures" were taken. He said no specific measures were specified.

Muslim persecution of Christians in 'Palestine' is not a new story. But what impressed me about this is that WorldNetDaily publisher Joseph Farrah remembered something that I would bet almost everyone other than me forgot: that the YMCA condemned Israel for violence against the 'Palestinians' in 2001. In April, Farrah wrote on his web site:

Years ago, the World Alliance of Young Men's Christian Associations betrayed its mission and began giving a bad name to Christianity – particularly with regard to its relations in the Middle East.

The Geneva-based international association did everything in its power to win friends among the Arabs and blame the violence in the Mideast on the Jews. Back in 2001, the group issued a blistering one-sided 3,000-word report on the Middle East prepared by a staff member after a visit by representatives of Argentina, Italy, the Netherlands and Norway.

"The visit was prompted by serious concern over what is clearly a deteriorating situation for the Palestinians in the wake of recent aggressions by the Israeli government, its army and settlers in the Occupied Territories of East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip," the report explained.

The purpose of the trip, the report explained, was "to express our solidarity with our sisters and brothers in Palestine who are victims of a failed peace process and Israeli oppression."

Based on the experiences of the five-day trip to the Mideast, the international YMCA representatives concluded:

* "There are systematic and widespread human rights violations being perpetrated on the entire Palestinian population. These abuses take the form of demolishing houses, shooting at ambulances, detention of people without charges, killing people without provocation and placing villages and cities under states of siege," the report said.

* "There is use of massive force against unarmed protesters and completely innocent people, mainly women, the elderly and children."

* "The one-sided nature of the conflict demands that the YMCA take the side of the oppressed Palestinian people."

Now, keep in mind, the YMCA is supposed to be a worldwide Christian, ecumenical, voluntary movement for women and men with special emphasis on the involvement of young people. Its mission is to build a human community of justice with love, peace and reconciliation.

But there wasn't much love, peace and reconciliation shown to Israel in this report.

In fact, the national director of the YMCA of the USA, Kenneth Gladish, felt compelled to write a letter to Geneva distancing his group from the world alliance report.

"The language, tone and characterizations included in [the report] do nothing to aid the true cause of peace and stability, nor do they position the YMCA for effective service across the boundaries of dispute," he wrote. "These documents are inappropriate and can serve only to inflame the long-standing tensions in the region."

If the YMCA thought things were bad when these areas were under the control of Israelis, imagine what the organization must think now. Now, the YMCA in Qalqiliya is the target of Molotov cocktails from the friendly natives – those previously defended as the "oppressed Palestinian people." Now, every Friday the local clergy call upon the local population to revolt against the infidels at the YMCA.

What is the definition of irony?

Whatever it is, this story definitely fits it.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 6:49 PM