They're passing the popcorn - 'Palestinians' being ethnically cleansed
Khaled Abu Toameh reports that the 'Palestinians' are being ethnically cleansed, and instead of howling in protest, the 'international community' is
passing the popcorn and watching.
The Palestinians in Iraq are now also paying a heavy price. Since
2003, the number of Palestinians there has dropped from 25,000 to 6,000.
Palestinian activists say the Iraqis are waging a campaign of ethnic
cleansing against the country's Palestinian population.
The activists say that since the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime,
Shiite militias in Iraq have been systematically attacking and
intimidating the Palestinian population over the past decade, prompting
many to flee.
The Shiites, they say, are opposed to the presence of non-Iraqi
Sunnis, including the Palestinians, in their country -- especially in
the capital, Baghdad.
In addition, they say, many Sunnis in Iraq who had opposed Saddam
Hussein have also been waging war on the Palestinians, in retaliation
for their support for him.
Thamer Meshainesh, head of the League for Palestinians in Iraq, was quoted
a few days ago as saying that Palestinians were facing "unprecedented
violations" and "increasing assaults." He warned that Palestinians in
Iraq were being targeted by various militias as part of a systematic
policy to expel them from the country.
...
The Palestinians in Iraq are paying the price for meddling in the
internal affairs of the country. This is what also happened to
Palestinians in Syria, Lebanon and Libya. Palestinians often find
themselves involved, both directly and indirectly, in the rivalries that
take place inside Arab countries. And when the fire reaches them, they
start screaming for help, as is the case today in Iraq.
Is that why the 'international community' doesn't care - because the 'Palestinians' interfered in Iraqi affairs and therefore have it coming to them? Umm... no....
But what is most interesting is the complete indifference displayed
by international human rights organizations, the media and the
Palestinian Authority toward the mistreatment of Palestinians in Arab
countries.
The PA, whose leaders are busy inciting against Israel on a daily
basis, does not have time to care about its people in the Arab world. PA
leaders say they want to press "war crimes" charges against Israel with
the International Criminal Court because of last year's war with Hamas
and continued construction in West Bank settlements.
However, when it comes to ethnic cleansing and torture of
Palestinians in Arab countries such as Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, the
Palestinian Authority leadership chooses to look the other way.
Similarly, the international media seems to have forgotten that there
are tens of thousands of Palestinians living in various Arab countries.
The only Palestinians that Western journalists know and care about are
those living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
International journalists do not care about the Palestinians in the
Arab world because this is not a story that can be blamed on Israel. An
Arab killing or torturing an Arab is not an item worth publishing in a
major newspaper in the U.S., Canada or Britain. But when a Palestinian
in the West Bank complains against the Israeli authorities or Jewish
settlers, many Western journalists waste no time rushing to the scene to
cover this "major" development.
Some might call the differing attitude toward alleged 'Palestinian suffering' in Israel v. the Arab countries anti-Semitism.
Read the whole thing.
Labels: Iraq, Khaled Abu Toameh, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestinian Authority, Palestinians, Saddam Hussein, Syria
Terror attacks in France, Tunisia and Kuwait kill dozens, no attackers were Amish
Three terror attacks - on a chemical plant in Lyon, France (one dead), on a beachfront hotel in Sousse, Tunisia (at least 27 dead - later reports say
37 dead and 36 wounded) and on a mosque in Kuwait City, Kuwait (at least 24 dead) - have left dozens of people dead on Friday. In each case,
the attackers were Muslims (Hat Tip:
Memeorandum). None of the attacks seemed to have anything to do with the US Supreme Court rulings upholding gay marriage and Obamacare.
In France,
attackers stormed an American-owned industrial chemical plant near
Lyon, decapitated one person and tried unsuccessfully to blow up the
factory.
In Tunisia,
gunmen opened fire at a beach resort, killing at least 27 people,
officials said. At least one of the attackers was killed by security
forces.
And
the Islamic State claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in one
of the largest Shiite mosques in Kuwait City during Friday prayers. The
bomb filled the hall with smoke and left dead and wounded scattered on
the carpet, according to witnesses and videos posted online.
Local news reports said at least 24 people had been killed and wounded
in the assault, which was extraordinary for Kuwait and appeared to be a
deliberate attempt to incite strife between Shiites and Sunnis.
In a message circulating on social media, the Islamic State called the suicide bomber “one of the knights of the Sunni people.”
There was no immediate indication that the attacks had been coordinated.
But the three strikes came at roughly the same time, and just days
after the Islamic State, the militant group also known as
ISIS or ISIL, called for such operations during the Muslim holy month of
Ramadan.
The Kuwait terror attack is the first carried out by ISIS in a Gulf State and is sure to concern other Gulf States.
The Tunisia attack seems like another attack on the 'infidels' with sources confirming that most of the guests at the Imperial Marhaba Hotel were
from the UK or Central Europe (Hat Tip:
Memeorandum). Many of those killed were lounging in beach chairs.
The attacker in France was apparently
the employee of the person who was murdered.
The French prosecutor has given a press conference, providing details of the incident:
- Four suspected accomplices are being held in the attack on the
factory in France. They have been arrested and are in interrogation.
- The suspect, his wife and sister are part of those arrested
- The victim was the suspect’s employer
- Part of the factory hangar was blown apart
- 43 people were in the factory at the time of the attack. 13 employees are still in a state of shock
- There were no more injuries so far
- The body of the victim was found near the suspect’s vehicle, where a knife was also found
- The severed head of the victim, was found hooked onto a railing with two flags with arabic inscription
More details provided on the victim:
- The victim was a 54-year-old man
- He was the head of a transport company, from the Lyon area and had been a salaried employee of the company since March 2015
More details on the suspect:
- Yassin Salhi was named as the main suspect
- He was born on 25 March 1980
- He had been working at that same company as the victim
- He’s the father of three children and has been married for about 10 years
- He had not been found guilty of any previous crimes
- He has been under surveillance for “radical islamic activities” since 2006.
- Between 2011 and 2014, French security services had been investigating him for connections to salafist groups in the Lyon area
The inquiry has been given to the central direction of the judicial
police and to the anti-terrorist unit, and the internal security
services, the French prosecutor said.
But let's keep fooling ourselves that Islam is a 'religion of peace.' Let's keep kissing up to the Islamists, treating their cult as a quaint religion with exotic things like iftar dinners (oops - let's not mention that the President of the United States hosted anti-Israel '
activists' at his). And eventually, they'll stop trying to murder us, right?
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, France, iftar dinner, ISIS, Islam, Islamic State, Islamic terrorism, Kuwait, Tunisia
US defends Kuwait Airways discrimination against Israelis
The United States Secretary of Transportation is defending Kuwait Airways against charges of discrimination due to the airline's
refusal to carry Israelis on its non-stop New York - London route.
In late 2013, a formal
complaint was filed with the U.S. Secretary of Transportation
(Secretary) alleging illegal discrimination by Kuwait Airways (KA) on
the basis of national origin, in violation of federal law
proscribing such discrimination by air carriers. The complaint concerned
the airline's refusal to transport Israeli nationals on nonstop flights
from New York to London. KA's bigoted policy is readily apparent: to
purchase tickets through the airline's website, the passenger must
select his or her nationality from a drop-down list of countries, as
well as the passport issuing country. Israel is absent from these
drop-downs and, consequently, Israeli nationals cannot buy tickets.
The Secretary denied the
complaint earlier this year, asserting that KA had not violated any
U.S. anti-discrimination law because the airline is required to comply
with Kuwaiti law, which prohibits Israeli passport holders from entering
Kuwait. As the attorney now pursuing this matter correctly articulated,
"In essence, the Secretary determined that Kuwait Airways did not
violate U.S. law because that airline was required by Kuwaiti law
to discriminate against Israeli nationals." The Secretary's rationale
is particularly unfounded because the flight at issue goes from New York
to London; the fact that Israeli passport holders cannot enter Kuwait
is wholly irrelevant. Moreover, if any entity conducts business in the United States, it must comply with U.S. law.
Dissatisfied with the
response, Eldad Gatt, who filed the initial complaint, commenced an
action in U.S. federal court in March 2014, appealing the Secretary's
denial and requesting appropriate relief, arguing that "[t]he Secretary
has officially endorsed Kuwait Airways' policy of boycotting Israeli
nationals, and has explicitly authorized Kuwait Airways to continue its
blatantly discriminatory practices."
The complainant is hoping that Kuwait Airways will be barred from operating in the United States if it refuses to change its discriminatory practices.
I'm planning a trip next month, so just for the fun of it, I went to Kuwait Airways' website and tried to book a round trip between London and New York. It keeps telling me that there are no flights available. In fact, I even tried pushing the reservation to June and got told no flights available. And I never reached the nationality question. You don't think they're refusing to transport me because my computer is in Israel, do you?
You know, back in 1991, Israel took a whole bunch of missiles for Kuwait....
Just sayin'....
Labels: discrimination, Kuwait, United States
Video: Kuwaiti MP's defend dealing with Israel
Two Kuwaiti MP's have gone on television in recent weeks to defend their government's purchase of equipment for their security forces from the State of Israel. These kinds of deals were always made in the background, but for them to be acknowledged openly by the legislators of a Muslim country on television is really quite shocking.
Notice the dig at how little the Arab world to defend Kuwait against Iraq during the lead-up to and during the First Gulf War.
Let's go to the videotape.
Labels: Arab boycott of Israel, Kuwait, military equipment, Sharia law
MK Danon's website hacked by Kuwaitis
MK Danny Danon's (Likud) website was hacked on Thursday afternoon, shortly after he announced that he had more than 5,000 signatures on a petition he posted calling on the Israeli government to
stop supplying electricity and water to Gaza.
"Hamas owes NIS 103 million to the State of Israel for electricity,
and instead of paying back the debt, they shoot missiles on Ashkelon,"
he said. "It cannot be that Hamas can shoot at the power plant that
provides them with electricity."
Minutes after the Likud MK's announcement, his website was hacked.
Visitors to Danon's site saw the headline "Team Kuwait Hackers,"
along with a photo of missiles and another of Ahmed Said Khalil Jabari,
the senior Hamas figure killed in an IAF strike on Wednesday night. In
addition, a song in Arabic played automatically when the site was
opened.
"If extremist hackers broke into my website because of the petition, we must be doing something right," Danon stated.
Not really. If we were doing something right, the government led by Danon's party would not need to be petitioned to take this action. They would do it on their own.
Labels: computer hackers, Danny Danon, Gaza electricity supply, Gaza water supply, Kuwait
When 'insulting the prophet' is a matter of national security
In what country do you believe that 'insulting the prophet' could be a matter of national security? Saudi Arabia? No. Dubai? No. Abu Dhabi? No. Iran? No.
Would you believe Kuwait?
A Kuwaiti man was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Monday after being convicted of endangering state security by insulting the Prophet Mohammad and the Sunni Muslim rulers of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain on social media.
Shi'ite Muslim Hamad al-Naqi pleaded innocent at the start of the trial last month, saying he did not post the messages and that his Twitter account had been hacked.
...
The judge found him guilty of insulting the Prophet, the Prophet's wife and companions, mocking Islam, provoking sectarian tensions, insulting the rulers of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and misusing his mobile phone to spread the comments.
...
The civil plaintiff arguing the case against Naqi, as well as some Kuwaiti politicians, had called for Naqi to be put to death in a high-profile and divisive case that has stoked sectarian tensions in the Gulf state.
...
Naqi did not appear in court on Monday. He was in the central prison where he has been held since his arrest in March, the court secretary said. He appeared in previous sessions in a wooden and metal cage, guarded by armed guards in black balaclavas.
Shatti had argued that even if his client had written the remarks, he would be guilty of a "crime of opinion", not of threatening national security. He told the court last week that Naqi was being used as a political tool.
...
Kuwait's parliament, where opposition Islamists have grown in influence, endorsed a legal amendment last month that would make insulting God and the Prophet Mohammad by Muslims punishable by death instead of the current maximum penalty of 10 years in jail.
Any change in the law has to be approved by Kuwait's ruler, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, who can also pardon people convicted of crimes. The government has so far rejected the push to bring in the death penalty, according to Kuwaiti media.
Aren't you glad you don't Tweet from Kuwait? And I'll bet
Israel Matzav is blocked there too.
Labels: Islam, Kuwait, Twitter
Kuwait will fit right in
In an earlier post, I reported that the United Nations has been
spared the embarrassment of having Bashar al-Assad's Syria appointed to the 'Human Rights Council' next week at exactly the moment they are shooting at innocent civilian demonstrators. Instead, Kuwait will be taking Syria's place on the Council.
Anne Bayefsky reports that - surprise! -
Kuwait will fit right into a Council that includes such human rights paragons as China, Cuba and Saudi Arabia. In fact, as can be seen in the picture at top left, the Emir of Kuwait is quite comfortable with Bashar al-Assad of Syria. They govern in similar ways.
Kuwait is hardly qualified to serve on the Human Rights Council. According to recent reports of Freedom House and the State Department, there is no rule of law in Kuwait. There is no independent judiciary. The emir appoints all judges. The emir has the authority to dissolve the National Assembly at will. Formal political parties are banned. Women are required to have a male guardian in order to marry. Women are eligible for a half of their brother’s inheritance. Spousal rape is not a crime. The law does not specifically prohibit domestic violence. Vacationers have spent months in jails if airport officials hear them “insulting the emir.”
In other words, Kuwait will fit right in with current Human Rights Council member Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is the world’s leading example of a gender apartheid state, with its entire female population subjected to male domination and grotesque forms of subservience. Not to mention the periodic beheadings which are part of the Saudi judicial system and the illegality of any public display of a religion other than Islam.
And there may be payoffs to Syria and the Arab League for sparing Barack Hussein Obama the embarrassment of having Syria be part of his pet project.
Iran wanted to run for a seat on the Human Rights Council during the last election in 2010. The solution to the delicate problem at that time – with the approval of the Obama administration – was to give Iran a seat on the U.N.’s top women’s rights body instead. As of March 2011, Iran is happily ensconced as a member of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women.
Nobody is saying what consolation prize Syria will be awarded for withdrawing its Council bid, under the U.N.’s twisted notions of entitlement and desert. The Arab League likely also had a hand in crafting the Kuwait-for-Syria deal. But there is a deafening silence about what the Obama administration might have offered the Arab League for its role. Regardless, the diplomatic endgame appears to have been all smoke and mirrors.
And the Council continues to be dominated by Muslim countries.
What could go wrong?
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Kuwait, Syria, United Nations Human Rights Council
Syria withdrawing from 'Human Rights Council' election
Syria is
withdrawing its candidacy for the UN 'Human Rights Council' as one of the four candidates from the 'Asia group.' It will be replaced by Kuwait, which was slated to 'run' for the Council in 2013. It is not clear whether Syria will take 2013 space.
Kuwait is going to replace Syria as a candidate for a seat on the U.N.’s top human rights body in what would be a victory for human rights groups and many governments opposed to the ongoing crackdown by President Bashar Assad’s security forces, Western diplomats said Tuesday.
An intense behind-the-scenes campaign has been waged to prevent Syria from being elected to the Geneva-based Human Rights Council following the government’s attempts to crush a seven-week uprising challenging the Assad family’s 40-year rule.
One Western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity because no public announcement has been made, said Tuesday that Kuwaiti officials told diplomats in Kuwait they will replace Syria as a candidate in the May 20 secret-ballot election in the U.N. General Assembly.
...
Syria was a frontrunner for a seat on the Human Rights Council as one of four candidates selected to fill four Asian seats.
It was considered likely to win unless another candidate entered the race or it failed to win a majority of votes in the 192-member General Assembly.
You mean it's actually possible to shame the United Nations? I didn't think they had any shame.
Labels: Kuwait, Syria, United Nations Human Rights Council
