Free Republic

Listen, some people like to concede defeat. I don't. I prefer, in Iraq, to concede victory. We won in Iraq; we've inadvertently created a situation which will inevitably lead to demoralization and division within the Camp of Islam. If only we have the good sense to recognize it and stop trying to prevent the result that is devoutly to be wished. It was all inevitable -- the day the regime was deposed. It was inevitable whether or not Turkey had allowed in a fourth division to invade from the north. It was inevitable whether the number of troops that went...

I appeal to you today to be part of a historical movement and moment that may bring an end to more than a century of colonization, occupation and dispossession of Palestinians. I appeal to you as an Israeli Jew, who for years wished, and looked, for other ways to bring an end to the evil perpetrated against the Palestinians in the occupied territories, inside Israel and in the refugee camps. I devoted all my adult life, with others, to creating a substantial peace movement inside Israel, in which, so we hoped, academia will play a leading role. But after 37...

A reader has sent me the following deeply disturbing account of the current atmosphere on a British law course: 'I must say it's been an eye-opener for me regarding the level of antizionism/antisemitism I have encountered from the people on the course, many of whom have training contracts and will go into practice as the next generation of lawyers. Upon realising the hostility I decided not to tell anyone that I was Jewish. 'One day, at the end of a workshop, someone raised the issue that an Israeli soldier was in the headlines for shooting a Palestinian boy. Three other...

On March 29, 2005 the London Arab daily Al-Hayat published a report on Iran’s current preparedness for an American or Israeli attack. The report was translated by www.memri.org (Middle East Media Research Institute). MEMRI introduced the report as follows: “In recent months, commanders of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and armed forces have announced their complete preparedness for a possible military attack on Iran’s nuclear installations and other sensitive sites. Iranian spokesmen have declared that Iran’s response would be formidable.” The interview indicates the hostility, confidence, determination and intractability of the Iranian leadership. Following are excerpts from that article: “Iranian military sources...

>The investigation into Arab businesses, many of them convenience stores, is part of a sprawling inquiry launched after Sept. 11, when law enforcement agents dramatically stepped up scrutiny of small-scale scams that they think are generating tens of millions of dollars a year for militant groups, federal officials said. >>On July 17, officials charged Alaa Al-Sadawi, an Egyptian-born imam at a Jersey City mosque, with currency reporting violations. He had allegedly arranged for his parents to smuggle the suitcase stuffed with $20, $50 and $100 bills on a flight to Egypt. Officials are investigating the origin of the funds. <<<It...

SINGAPORE: Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday rejected any linkage between Islam and terrorism and called for addressing the root causes of political violence. "I would like to right away clear one perception that is going around the world that terrorism is somehow synonymous with our religion Islam," Musharraf said in a recorded speech opening a global media industry conference here. "Nothing could be farther from the truth," he told participants at the News World Asia meeting led by the world's top broadcasting networks. Musharraf, who has played a pivotal role in Washington's anti-terrorrist campaign centered on Afghanistan following last...

Every time anyone says that Israel is our only friend in the Middle East, I can't help but think that, before Israel, we had no enemies in the Middle East" Fr. John Sheehan of the Jesuit order Introduction There is a question that makes its rounds every time the Arab-Israeli conflict heats up and the US is expected to "do something about" this mess. At one time not so long ago the US was perceived to be an "even broker" in the Arab-Israeli equation. At another time in the not-so-distant-past the US was courted by all-stripes of Middle-Eastern politicians to...

JAFFA , 14 July — In 1923, a Russian poet, Carney Chukovsky wrote a delightful short tale for children, Tarakan the Giant Beetle, an all-time favorite nursery rhyme for Russian kids. It is a story of the animal kingdom intimidated by Tarakan. The Beetle threatened to devour the disobedient animals, and the awed lions and tigers have holed up in their lairs. True, a beetle has no fangs or horns, but the menacing Tarakan would brandish his great long mustachio, and no beast would dare to challenge the little monster, until a small sparrow flew in and ate up the...

JAMMU, July 15: Army and police today killed six terrorists across Doda and Poonch districts and foiled terrorists’ plot to target Sarthal Mata pilgrimage by defusing a powerful explosive device planted on the yatra track. Official sources said army eliminated three Pakistani terrorists after a two hour long encounter at Angan Pathri in Mandi sector of Poonch district this afternoon. The terrorists were killed when their hideout was stormed by army personnel after developing an information about their presence in Angan Pathri at the height of 9,000 feet from sea level, falling in famous Pir Panjal range. While one of...