donderdag, juni 29, 2006

 

W.S.C. ~~ Israel/Iran

W.S.C. is gonna be the code name (LOL) for Weird Story Category - so I can easily join them together as soon as I know how to fix such a category in my side-bar.

This story caught my attention while in the midst of the Israel (and the rest of the world too as it looks like, but especially Israel) Iran conflict about Iran's nuclear weapon development project and the clear threats of Ahmedi Nejad to "wipe Israel off the map" or things to that extend, I realized that being an Israeli right now in Iran MUST be "out of the ordinary" - so weird.

I know that Radio Israel can be received in Iran and that Iranians can call in and they can all speak with each-other. I know that the president of Israel, Moshe Katsav (an Iranian himself) has spoken with Iranian listeners that called in. I know all that, but I still think it's a tad odd when the Iranian Government invites Israeli's to come and help them with some infrastructure repairs orso... Especially when those Israeli's get to be near the Busher plant (huh!!).

Also
"In recent years trade relations between Israel and Iran have blossomed in certain fields, mainly agriculture. The Iranians indirectly buy from Israel spare parts for machines, vegetable seeds, and water filtering systems," doesn't sound like "your regular being on the verge of attacking one-another reality"

Please read and let me know what YOU think of this. Am I the only one who's surprised? Is this regular under the circumstances?

Tse.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3242590,00.html


Israelis help rebuild Iran

Despite public anti-Israeli statements, Iran uses help of Israeli infrastructure consultants in rehabilitating earthquake-struck zones. 'Commercial cooperation between countries is stunning,' one expert says
Ofer Petresburg

While the Iranian regime has been engaging in public displays of hatred against Israel in recent months, with the country's president calling for Israel's destruction and denying the Holocaust, behind the scenes the picture seems very different.

In recent weeks the Muslim republic has been enjoying the skills of Israeli experts recruited to help with rehabilitating the country after recent earthquakes have caused massive damages and devastation.

Three Israeli infrastructure consultants who returned to Israel at the end of the week from a secret visit in Iran on the invitation of a Tehran official, told Israel's leading daily Yedioth Ahronoth they were stunned by their stay in the country.

"We were amazed to discover the gap between Israel's public conflict with Iran, and the depth of the commercial cooperation between the countries, estimated at dozens of millions of dollars a year. We were greeted warmly and felt no hostility on the part of our hosts," one of the Israeli experts said.

The Israeli consultants were sent to Iran on behalf of a Dutch company that is partly owned by an Israeli. The company recruited the Israeli engineers and advisors, who specialize in infrastructure rehabilitation works, and flew them to Iran with special travel passes, after leaving their Israeli passports behind in Holland.

'Surprise' awaiting in Busher

The head of the mission, a 47-year-old Israeli who visited Iran five times in the last 15 years, recounted the visit. "Upon arriving at the airport in Tehran we were greeted by a government employee… from there we were taken to a luxurious hotel located near the Jewish district. We were escorted by a security guard during our entire stay."

"The grand infrastructure works Israel has carried out here made a huge impression on us… we got there with the construction plans that were kept in Israel until today," he explained.

"In recent years trade relations between Israel and Iran have blossomed in certain fields, mainly agriculture. The Iranians indirectly buy from Israel spare parts for machines, vegetable seeds, and water filtering systems," he stated.

According to the Israeli consultant, the most exciting part of the visit took place when the mission arrived in the Busher region, which made headlines recently due to the nuclear reactor located in the area. "Our escort, an English-speaker, told us: There is something else here in Busher, but this will be a surprise for you'."

Pesach in Tehran

In Tehran, the Israelis received a taste of a slightly different Iran. "In the evenings we went out in Tehran. Despite the fundamentalist Muslim appearance of its leaders, the capital's nightlife somewhat resemble the West's. There are a lot of youngsters who go out to discos, where the young women take off their veils and skirts and dance in jeans," he said.

The delegation also got to celebrate the Pesach holiday with the local Jewish community in Tehran, which comprises 26,000 people.

"They knew we were from Israel, although we did not mention it out loud. There were matzos and plenty of food and wine, everything you need for Pesach. The Jews there live their lives uninterrupted. They engage in trade and have their synagogues. However, since the new president's ascension to power, the atmosphere is definitely tense and the authorities guard the synagogues," he said.

Upon returning to Israel, the Israeli experts have already briefed a government official on the visit, and are expected to travel to Iran again in the coming months for more work.

maandag, juni 26, 2006

 

Why.....

.......is it that I get so angry when terrorists attack soldiers? I do think that fighting soldiers, not as in "fighting" = exploding - civilians, is "legal". But why then do I get so sad, so angry when I hear yet another young boy has died?

At the end of their last schoolyear you see them marching, one after the other happily holding their matriculation cards in their hands, the schoolyards - under the proud eye of their parents, all parents. They perform on stage - at that very schoolyard a play - usually an hilarious festival of laughter and joy - letting it all out while acting, singing, dancing, all their happiness - their youth.......

AND then:

they're stuck, although most won't see it that way being smoothly directed into the automatic pattern of it, for 3 years "defending" Israel. Most will go to units that won't encounter any danger - but there are some that find themselves obligated to give this country "their best".

In my eyes they stay boys, not soldiers. They will take decisions concerning life and death, but when they're home for their stays, mom is spoiling them and they just love it, they go out and roam town like any other youth anywhere else in the world disco'ing around - until...... they have to go back.

The worries of parents cannot be put into words if they're stationed in places where danger is always around the corner. It happens, they can get killed, or kidnapped... like what happened yesterday.

Two boys -soldiers, but boys, being only 20- were killed when they were watching the border with Gaza and 8-10 terrorists creeped outta a tunnel they had dug over many months. My heart sinks into my shoes - those young lives, the education, the expectancy of what they could have done with their lives - the parents, their hopes - now being ruined for ever, living with a scar that won't dissappear - never.

1 soldier was kidnapped - he's still in hands of one-or-another terrorist organization. Olmert said that his fate was in hands of the Hamas and if something happens to him the lives of the Hamas/government people wouldn't be certain anymore and they would get targeted. I hope Gilad Shalit will get out alive and well. But, if anything will happen to him, I hope those leaders, the ones responsible for all this mess, will get killed. I'm so bloody fed-up with seeing blood of innocent people getting spilled. Take it all out on the leaders. Any leader. I don't care anymore. Just no civilians, no soldiers - they're just young boys....

Tse.

maandag, juni 19, 2006

 

Not days, but hours.....

The defense minister of Israel "promised" the people of Sderot, there would come a "dramatic" end to their 6 years of suffering, 1081 qassams on their city, 500 houses destroyed and 5 people killed by the rockets.

Coockie the Cohen family's parakeet keeps on screaming "Red Sunset, Red Sunset" - the signal the warning system calls over town that a Qassam is on its way and Sderot people have to find a hiding place. Mr. Cohen who's a brandnew father of a one-month old baby-girl, says that Coockie used to "curse and talk like any other parakeet" before things got this bad.....

Anyway, the defense minister, Amir Peretz who himself lives in Sderot, announced that a dramatic change will be seen in a matter of hours, maybe 10 (and his visit to Sderot was this afternoon) - and he turned to the terrororganizations while saying this.

I believe he's serious.....


Tse.

 

For my weird story category.....

.....that I just seem not to be able to install (big blush).

This is an old story. Not very much known and it didn't receive much attention at the time I read it either... Why?? I think it's quite odd (to say the least). Mrs. Arafat & her "special someone" - read on instead of guessing, cause you'll never guess it anyway:


http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Diplomacy/4369.htm


Suha's "special someone" was implicated in Sabra and Shatila massacre
By israelinsider staff November 10, 2004

French officials following the Arafat dead-or-alive fiasco were floored to discover that Suha Arafat's constant companion and financial adviser is none other than Pierre Rizk. Like her a Maronite Christian (although she went through a "conversion" to Islam when she married Yasser), Rizk headed the Phalangist intelligence service during the Lebanese civil war and was in close personal contact with the guerrilla group which carried out the massacre of hundreds of Palestinians at the Sabra and Shatilla refugee camp in 1982.

An ally of Israel, Rizk was at the time the chief deputy of ElieHobeika, widely held directly responsible for ordering the bloodbath.

According to Daniel Nassif, Executive Director, of the American Lebanese Institute, "Elie Hobeika and Pierre Rizk,who shared command of the Lebanese Forces (Phalangists) at the time of the Sabra and Shatilla massacre, have flourished in Syrian-controlled Lebanon. Hobeika has been one of the most trusted people in Lebanon by Damascus since at least 1985 and an influential minister in the Syrian-controlled Lebanese government since 1990. Rizk, who long collaborated with the PLO leadership, is currently reaping millions of dollars as a business front for Yasir Arafat and his wife Suha.

Hobeika was murdered in Beirut in 2002, reportedly as a result of his involvement in the massacre. Rizk himself was in 1997 sentenced to death for his collaboration with Israel, Maariv reported. Yet, according to Western intelligence sources, he continued to profit by millions from his contacts with the Arafats.

Rizk is well known to Israeli officials. Indeed, in his role as Phalange intelligence chief, he spent long periods in Israel, meeting and socializing with numerous government officials and businessmen. Israelis who have met with him in person describe him as a flamboyant figure and, according to the normally staid Haaretz newspaper, "something of a womanizer." Even after moving into the private sector in the 1990's, according to foreign sources cited by Maariv, Rizk maintained close connections with the Israeli Mossad.

No Rizk, no reward
Living in Paris since his exile from Lebanon, Rizk is an international businessman with operations in Europe and the United States. In 1999, Rizk won a lawsuit filed in U.S. courts against the Palestinian Authority which caused quite a commotion in PA financial circles.

Apparently, Rizk had been promised, by the Ra'is Himself, a license for his U.S. corporation to develop the communications infrastructure of the West Bank. Unfortunately for Rizk, Arafat had make similar promises to many other people and companies, promising them jobs, tenders and contracts in his future government.

As was Arafat's usual practice, however, none of the promises were ever fulfilled. However, unlike other disappointed parties, Rizk decided to sue Arafat for violating his word and, lo and behold, was awarded $18 million by American reports. As a result, Haaretz reports, U.S. banks froze $80 million of the PA's money, threatening its financial stability. The crisis was eventually ended, according to the newspaper, when the PA sent special envoys to Rizk in Paris to negotiate a settlement.

Because Rizk now holds power of attorney for Suha, French and Palestinian officials have been negotiating with him over her financial demands which, she says, are intended to ensure the financial future of her and her daughter. The outcome of these contacts is still not clear, although Israeli papers reported Wednesday that she rejected a proposed settlement of $2 million offered by the Palestinian Authority, according to French sources.

That, apparently, would not be nearly enough to maintain the lifestyle to which she has become accustomed in Paris' super-rich sixteenth arrondissement, reportedly shelling out $15,000 nightly for a full floor of a five star hotel.

The settlement was intended to persuade Suha to allow completion of the tests to determine her husband's cause of death. Contacts between Suha Arafat and the Palestinian financiers began as soon as it became clear that Arafat would have to be flown to France for emergency medical treatment, Haaretz reports.

That didn't come for free either. The Washington Times reports that shortly before Arafat was flown to France, Suha "received $60 million in her Paris bank account." And that's on top of an alleged $11.4 million deposited in her accounts between July 2002 and September 2003 (which French authorities are investigating). Since the Washington Times article notes that at least 60 percent of the Palestinian Authority's budget came from international aid contributions, that means -- as Daniel Pipes points out -- that the taxpayers of the world are "footing the bill for Suha's legendary shopping expeditions."

The spy who loves me?
Apparently, the Western world has also being helping to cultivate the love affairs of Suha and her favorite Phalangist. She and Rizk have known each other for more than a decade. A special relationship reportedly arose between the businessman jilted by Arafat and the lonely and very, very wealthy wife of the Palestinian president.

Paris is for lovers, and "malicious sources" quoted by the Jerusalem Post last August insist that The First Lady of Palestine has "acquired a paramour" and had been spotted at some of the fanciest Parisian restaurants in the company of none other than Pierre Rizk.

Maariv also picked up on the juicy morsel Wednesday in a headline "The counsel that Suha especially loves," reporting that the connection between the two was "considered one of the most embarrassing secrets" for the Palestinian Authority and Yasser Arafat, including persistent rumors that the two were conducting a romantic affair in the City of Light.



Just to take away the "it's a propaganda-site" bit: it was an article in Ha'aretz, but that online newspaper removes its articles after a certain amount of time.

Strange story?

Tse.

zaterdag, juni 17, 2006

 

Just testing.....

Your fate has been decided....

You are one of the lucky ones! Because of your virtue and beliefs, you have escaped eternal punishment. You are sent to Purgatory!


The Dante's Inferno Test has sent you to Purgatory!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:
LevelScore
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)High
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)High
Level 2 (Lustful)Low
Level 3 (Gluttonous)Low
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)Very Low
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)Very Low
Level 7 (Violent)Low
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)Low
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)Low

Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test

Meet the new Mother Theresa: ME!!!

Hahahahaa..... this is embarrasing

Tse.

donderdag, juni 15, 2006

 

A Love Story - Israeli/Palestinian Way

Today at news at 20:00 they showed an interesting story about the diversity of diversibility of this diverse country ... Impossible really, but still so very human - to begin with, to end with - with some strange - incomprehensible - streaks in the middle but covered with hard core reality .

.
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An Israeli jewish woman fell in love with a Palestinian muslim man. Nothing strange about that I think. Man... woman... 'Ya know :)

.
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Thing was that the family of this woman had grave objections against their daughter being the partner of "an arab". Another element that should be taken into account is the fact that this man was already married had six kids with his wife.

.
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The family of the woman complained to police about him staying in Israel illegally - despite the fact that he used to work here already for many years as a butcher. The man got to spend one year in prison. The woman fell pregnant. She moved to his family in Hebron. He was released. They married (her being his second wife) and had a wonderfully sweet little girl. They named her "Karin" (pronounced as Kareen).

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His first wife lives upstairs in their house in Hebron with their six kids. The woman lives downstairs with her husband and their daughter. The woman is telling the camera she's a very jealous woman and makes life hell for her husband's first wife when he goes upstairs.... But, the couple (the woman and the man) are very much in love with each-other. That shows even through the tv-screen.

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Karin speaks Hebrew and Arabic - and watch her father being refused at checkpoints trying to enter Israel while she and her mom can get through. But they keep on trying. When the soldiers of the checkpoint are passing them in their car they all wave to each-other and wish each-other "shalom!" - her parents explaining to Karin that those are "our soldiers".

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No hardline confrontations. No hostile behaveour. All seems lovely. So many obstacles, so many weird small details. But all involved are smiling.
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The man hopes he can come to work and live in Israel again, as he did before (but what about his first wife then?) As things stand right now - with that new law prohibiting married couples to "unite" in Israel, I don't think they stand a good chance of realizing their wish to come true.

.
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This I think is a nice love story withstanding all the problems that such a relationship in this country (and PA) is puting up for them.

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.Tse.


http://www.reelclassics.com/Audio_Video/Music7q/clips/westside_somewhere_clip.mp3
There's a place for us,
Somewhere a place for us.
Peace and quiet and open air
Wait for us
Somewhere.


woensdag, juni 07, 2006

 

trial

Okay, I've lately been giving the link to this blog in comments-sections of other blogs. After almost 3 years of owning a blog I finally had the courage to actually show "I have a blog" -

First - I would like to know how I can categorize postings. I have this weird notion that "strange" stories keep popping up in the news from time to time that don't make sense to me but I can't keep track. So, maybe I collect them from now on in a separate category on this blog and put them in order - and maybe I can discover a link between them (Okay, that's paranoid, but still I'd like to do it).

First story I'd like to put there would be the one of Haniyeh's sisters living in Israel for decades and some of their descendants serving in the IDF, which was put to my attention by the Egyptian Sandmonkey and Big Pharao (who got it from a blogger nicked: Mnuez) - out of an article in the Telegraph.co.uk (I forgot how to put links - will try to find out later).

The story goes like this:


Hamas leader's three sisters live secretly in Israel as full citizens
By Tim Butcher in Tel Sheva
(Filed: 02/06/2006)

Israel regards Ismail Haniyeh, the Palestinian Hamas prime minister, as an enemy of state. But three of his sisters enjoy full Israeli citizenship, having moved 30 years ago to the desert town of Tel Sheva.

Some of their offspring have even served in the Israeli army, the force responsible for decades of Israeli occupation in Gaza and the West Bank, an occupation that the Islamist movement, Hamas, was founded to fight.

The Daily Telegraph tracked down the Haniyeh sisters, Kholidia, Laila and Sabah, to a town in southern Israel. That they live in Israel is a closely guarded secret and nowhere is it guarded more secretly than Tel Sheva, a town inhabited mainly by Israeli Bedouin on the edge of the Negev desert.

"There is no reason to speak to my wife,'' said Salameh Abu Rukayek, 53, who married Kholidia. "It is private business and you are not welcome asking questions about my wife.''

Blind since birth, Mr Abu Rukayek sat on a thin floor cushion and said he was happy living in Israel. "Our life is normal here and we want it to continue,'' he said.

Perhaps he felt discussion of his wife's family links might jeopardise his relatively comfortable lifestyle.

Bedouins form a small and poor minority in modern Israel, descendants of desert nomads who roamed the Holy Land in ancient times, living in tents and travelling by camel train. Some Bedouin have settled down in towns such as Tel Sheva and many make a good living, often running transport firms across Israel.

Although they regard themselves as separate from Palestinians, links between the two communities are nevertheless close. Both share the same Muslim faith.


Another member of the clan, Yousef Abu Ruqia, 50, who works as secretary in the municipal council, explained how the Haniyeh sisters came to Tel Sheva.

"In a small community like ours there were not enough women to go round, so some of the men would go and look for wives elsewhere,'' he said.

"The Haniyeh sisters were Palestinians living in Gaza. Back then it was possible for people to visit Gaza easily, so Kholidia was the first to be married and move to Tel Sheva, and then Laila and then Sabah.''

He said he remembered the time, 25 years ago, when their younger brother, Ismail, would come to visit his sisters.

"There was another brother, Khaled, who came here to work laying tiles and each year, at the holiday after Ramadan, Ismail would come and visit his brother and sisters."

The issue of Palestinian-Israeli links recently received close scrutiny from the Israeli supreme court, which was asked to consider the legality of a new law banning Palestinians from joining their Israeli spouses. The court accepted the state's argument that security concerns justified keeping couples apart if they married across the divide.

While the law is intended to address current political problems, the presence of a Hamas leader's own family in Israel reveals the extent and strength of links in spite of decades of mutual hostility.

Mr Abu Ruqia said the law banning Palestinian women over 25 and men over 35 from applying to join their spouses in Israel would have stopped the Haniyeh sisters' move to Israel had it applied 30 years ago.

"This is a racist law that makes problems for some people in Israel like the Bedouin who often marry into Palestinian families,'' he said. "It is unfair against us and not against other Israelis.''

Laila and Sabah are both widows but remain in Tel Sheva, apparently reluctant to give up their Israeli citizenship. It is not known when the Haniyeh sisters last had contact with their brother. As he is a Hamas prime minister, contact with him could, under Israeli law, be illegal.


I have no idea if it's legal to copy complete articles outta newspapers, but I find that newspapers remove their articles from time to time, and that would do me no good if I wanna keep track of them of course.

Now, could anyone ANYONE - visiting this blog by mistake - explain to me how to categorize this posting so I can put it away and come back to it as more weird stories accumulate? I'd be every so grateful....

Big Pharao = http://www.bigpharaoh.com/
Sandmonkey = http://www.sandmonkey.org/
Telegraph = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

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