Belgian ISIS members can travel to the US and Israel without visas
Greetings from Oakland, California, where I have been staying with relatives since Sunday while having meetings all day in San Francisco. I am leaving Wednesday morning back to Israel (for those wondering about Purim, because I live in Jerusalem, Purim is on Friday for me).
I've been warning for years that the citizens of all those Muslim terrorist-infested European countries may enter the United States (and Israel as well, although I trust Israel to do a much better job of screening and to keep out whomever should be kept out) without visas. In light of Monday's terror attacks in Brussels, that reality is sinking in.
Leading lawmakers identified Belgium as a hotspot for terrorism
months ago and are warning that many of the radicalized individuals
living there are still able to travel to the United States without first
obtaining a visa and undergoing thorough security checks.
Rep. Ron DeSantis (R., Fla.), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told the Washington Free Beacon Tuesday
afternoon that current flaws in the U.S. visa waiver program—which
facilities travel to the United States from partner nations including
Belgium—have created a loophole that could permit radicalized
individuals to legally enter the United States with minimal background
checks.
DeSantis is warning of these flaws on the heels of deadly mass
terrorist attack in Brussels on Tuesday that has killed at least 30 and
wounded hundreds more.
“The visa waiver reform, this is something we have been perusing and
the [Obama] administration has brushed us off at every turn,” DeSantis
said, explaining that current policy does not mandate more strenuous
checks on individuals identified as coming from terrorist hotspots, such
as the small Belgian town of Molenbeek, which has emerged as a principal training site for jihadists.
“It’s the case that if those folks are citizens of Belgium they
qualify for the visa waiver program and can hop on a plane and get
here,” he added. “Clearly, that is not adequate given what happened.”
The Obama administration “even takes the position it’s safer to allow
someone to come in on a visa waiver than make them get one, it’s kind
of crazy,” DeSantis said. You’re not going to be able to have
intelligence on everyone there because there are so many potential
recruits. It’s a clear vulnerability.”
What is worse, DeSantis said, is that the Obama administration has
been lax about deporting individuals who overstay their visas, meaning
that a radicalized person could disappear in America as they plan a
potential attack.
“There’s no enforcement once they get here,” DeSantis said. “Hundreds
of thousands of people come over and then overstay” their visas. “You
are not going to be removed under current policy under this
administration.”
DeSantis and other lawmakers first labeled Belgium as a hotspot for
ISIS terrorists in the aftermath of the 2015 attacks in Paris. At least
five of the Paris attackers were French nationals, two of whom had been
living in Belgium. Another one of the terrorists was a Belgian national.
Citizens from both countries are still able to freely travel to the
United States under the visa waiver program, which facilitates travel
between the American and a host of foreign countries.
“At least six of the Paris attackers could have attempted to enter
the country under this program,” DeSantis said in December, during a
congressional hearing on the visa waiver program’s flaws.
"(The EU) Council has decided to appeal the judgment regarding Hamas
remaining on the EU terrorist list," EU spokeswoman Susanne Kiefer said
on Twitter.
But that doesn't mean that this month's events in Paris have made the Europeans any wiser about confronting terrorist threats.
Meanwhile, the European Union is calling for an anti-terror alliance
with Arab countries to boost cooperation and information-sharing in the
wake of deadly attacks and arrests across Europe.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Monday "we need to strengthen our way of cooperating together."
She spoke to reporters ahead of talks with EU
foreign ministers in Brussels, to be attended by Arab League Secretary
General Nabil Al-Araby.
The foreign ministers' meeting will prepare in part for a summit of EU leaders in February focused on terrorism.
Ah yes, Federica Mogherini, the woman whose pleasure in life would be the existence of a 'Palestinian state.'
Almost exactly a year ago, Brandeis University suspended its partnership with 'east' Jerusalem's terror supporting al-Quds University. Perhaps this latest incident involving al-Quds glorifying terrorism will convince Brandeis to make it permanent (which the University has yet to do as best I can tell). Al-Quds has decided to honor the 18-year old 'Palestinian' terrorist who 'accidentally on purpose' drove his car into a crowded light rail station two weeks ago and murdered two Israelis in the process (video of the terror attack here).
This is from the second link.
Four
days after Palestinian terrorist Ibrahim Al-Akari killed two and
injured more than 13 Israelis in Jerusalem, the UN- and EU-funded
Al-Quds University honored him by naming a tournament after him.
Dr. Ahmad Al-Khawaja, in charge of the Physical Education Faculty of the Al-Quds University, which organized the tournament, explained that:
"The Martyr (Shahid) Ibrahim Al-Akari Tournament... it was a national activity held in honor and appreciation of the soul of the heroic Martyr Ibrahim Al-Akari"
[Al-Ayyam, Nov. 11, 2014]
In
July 2013, the UN announced a donation of €2.4 million (close to 3
million US dollars) from the EU and UNDP (United Nations Development
Programme) to Al-Quds University, the aim of which would be to
"contribute to the development and protection of Palestinian cultural
heritage in the old city of Jerusalem." [UNDP website, July 2, 2013 and
Al-Quds University website, accessed Nov. 12, 2014]
The
Burj Luq Luq Social Centre Society, which helped organize the
tournament honoring Al-Akari, is also funded by several Western donors.
The Center's annual report for 2013 lists the following international
donors: UNICEF, UNDP, European Union, French Consulate, British
Consulate, Pontifical Mission, ANERA (American Near East Refugee Aid)
and Terre des Hommes. [p. 56 in Annual Report 2013 of The Burj Luq Luq
Social Centre Society http://www.burjalluqluq.org,
accessed Nov. 13, 2014] The Center states on its website that its
"message" is to "aspire to have a positive impact on the economical,
cultural and social level for the local community."
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a veiled threat to export terrorism to Europe if the Europeans provide arms to the Syrian rebels.
"If the Europeans deliver weapons, the backyard of Europe will become
terrorist and Europe will pay the price for it," he said in an advance
extract of an interview due to be published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Tuesday.
He also warned that delivering arms would result in the export of "terrorism" to Europe.
In his first comments since the United States announced on Thursday
that they would be supplying military aid to rebels fighting for his
overthrow, Assad said: "Terrorists will gain experience in combat and
return with extremist ideologies."
Assad's comments came as Western leaders met at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland on Monday.
Given that the Europeans are afraid to designate Hezbullah a terrorist organization, they're probably quaking in their boots (literally - no sarcasm intended) over Assad.
Knesset member Danny Danon (Likud) has it right. Now, if only he could convince the Prime Minister.
Attempts to explain the rationality behind the Zionist dream of building a state in our historic homeland will simply not work with those who are attempting infiltrate Israel’s borders only to attack us from within.
It is time that we recognize the reality we are faced with. The State of Israel is at war. This war is being fought on a completely different battlefield than in the past, one in which the word de-legitimization has replaced bullets and provocative actions such as the flotilla have replaced tanks and fighter planes.
Nevertheless, we must not be confused by this new type of warfare. Just as we did not hesitate to confront to violent acts perpetuated by our enemies in the past, we cannot waver in our resolve against this new threat.
Would we allow a suicide bomber into our country so that we could attempt a “dialogue” with him? Of course not.
Here, too, we must not be naïve and bury our heads in the sand. While the “delegitimization battle” may be sometimes confusing and seem less dangerous then actual acts of war, the implications of capitulation will be just as dire for Israel’s future as a military loss would be.
TO COMBAT this new form of warfare we must be just as creative now as we have been in the past on the traditional battlefield.
We must immediately implement a three-pronged approach to keeping these terrorists out of Israel: prevent, arrest and deport.
...
The militant activist from Denmark who attacked the IDF officer should have never been in a position to do so. He never should have been allowed entry into Israel. Once he was allowed in, he should have been arrested and tried at the first sign of illegal activity. Even now, it is unacceptable that he is walking free in our country after violently attacking an officer. He must be arrested and deported immediately.
Hungary keeps Iranian foreign minister from attending chemical weapons conference
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akhbar Salehi was prevented from attending a conference in Holland on banning chemical weapons(!) thanks to the good sense of the Hungarian government.
A Foreign Ministry official said that Salehi's plane had got clearance from different European countries to pass through their airspace, but, Hungary refused clearance for technical reasons.
He said that Hungary's refusal to give clearance to Salehi's plane was not acceptable and the Foreign Ministry sought explanation from the Hungarian ambassador to Tehran.
Salehi was due to give lecture to the Conference on Banning Chemical Weapons in The Hague, the Netherlands, on Sunday night.
Apparently the expected presence of an official representative of the Iranian government did not bother anyone else at the conference. What a surprise....
With the Eurozone about to collapse, EU spending more on 'Palestinians'
The European Monetary Union is on the verge of collapse, and the expected consequences are bad enough that Britain has warned its embassies in the Eurozone to expect rioting (Hat Tip: Memeorandum).
An extra €100 million may not seem like that much compared to an overall budget of €147 billion for 2012, but it cannot be ignored that this is money the EU does not have. Moreover, the EU is pledging taxpayer money at a time when the only guarantee it will be spent responsibly has just disappeared.
The EU budget decision was sealed just days before a highly anticipated summit between Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas and Khaled Meshal of Hamas – a designated terrorist group in the EU. The two factions have been in a state of a low-level civil war since 2007, but agreed on Thursday to set a date for elections that would begin to end their feud.
According to reports in the Palestinian press, the two Palestinian rivals have not yet decided on their choice for the new premier. But their four likely choices look poor, ranging from Hamas loyalist Jamal al-Khodary to Mohammed Mustafa, the economic advisor to Mahmoud Abbas who has played a leading role in the creation of the ossified Palestinian political system.
No matter who is named, it will mean the end of Salam Fayyad – the moderate Palestinian Prime minister and former World Bank official who, thanks to his views, credentials and sound management, temporarily restored credibility, transparency and due diligence to Palestinian governance.
In other words, the EU investment is likely to backfire, and not for the first time.
...
In a year of austerity, when European citizens must make additional sacrifices to avoid bankruptcy caused by reckless spending, opaque accounting practices and corrupt wastefulness, it is not too much to ask that public monies be pledged only against guarantees of nonviolence and good governance.
The coming Palestinian unity government promises to fall short on both counts. Why should Europe's tax payers increase their pledge?
In an interview with CNBC on Wednesday morning, Oliver Sarkozy, the half brother of French President Nikolas Sarkozy, says that a bailout of Europe will require the European Central Bank to inject at least $2.12 trillion into the European economy (Hat Tip: Memeorandum).
Sarkozy on Europe math fail: "The math i'm working with is very simple. In the US banking sector, we had 3 trillion of wholesale funding that needed to be stabilized, got stabilized by the implementation of TARP which saw the US treasury buy $212 billion worth of preferred in the banking sector to stabilize that $3 trillion, give our banks the time to work through hair problem their problem assets. In Europe, that $3 trillion is $30 trillion. so if you multiply the $212 by 10, you get the $2.12 trillion. In my view, the issues on the European banks are bigger than the issues on the books of the US Banks. So if you want to stabilize that $30 trillion and in my view it's not that you want to, it's that you have to, you do not have a choice, you're going to have to be at least at 2.1 trillion and i suspect it may need to be more."
Here's more. Let's go to the videotape.
And it was just last week that the Europeans promised the 'Palestinians' another €100 million. Obviously, the Europeans will keep their priorities in order: Destroying the Jewish state, by giving money to terror mongerers who are the frontline soldiers against it, must come before saving Europe. But where will they get the money? What could go wrong?
If the money is not in the bank, what other confirmation do you need?
How's this for spin? The 'Palestinians' are claiming that they have not yet received 'official confirmation' that the US Congress put a hold on the American taxpayers' annual donation to 'Palestinian' corruption.
PA Minister of Planning Ali Jirbawi said that the US Congress's decision to halt US aid to the Palestinians has not yet been issued to Palestinian officials, PA-run news agency WAFA reported on Monday.
Jirbawi, however, played down the effect of such a move should it happen, saying that it would not affect the PA's readiness for statehood.
The PA, he said, is "fully ready to embody the reality of a state," noting the difference between the financial crisis the PA faces and its readiness for statehood.
The minister of planning also laid out plans to reduce the PA's dependency on foreign aid, which he said the Palestinian government is "exerting all possible effort[s]" to ween itself from by 2013.
On Sunday, Ma'an reported, PA Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki also said the PA has not received any "official confirmation" that he US aid money was being blocked.
2013? In what world?
But fear not: The European Union has consoled the 'Palestinians' by telling them that it will continue to pay jizya to them. The Europeans remind me of the 'lady' on the left, with the 'Palestinian Authority' playing the role of the creature on the right:
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
