Malaysian Passenger Jet Downed by Missile – Israel Bombards Gaza From All Fronts – Iraq is Losing Ground

by Jack

UKRAINE – The ongoing crisis in the Ukraine took a turn for the worse hours ago when a Boeing 777 passenger jet was downed with US citizens on board, all 295 passengers died. Exactly how and by whom this downing occurred is not 100% certain, but early reports indicate the breakaway rebels controlling a small portion of the Ukraine used a ground to air missile that was captured from a Ukrainian military base. Coincidentally at the time of the plane’s downing Pres. Obama was already on the telephone with Vladimir Putin on another matter. Obama later mentioned this incident at the start of a scheduled press conference about 30 minutes ago, saying it was believed to be great tragedy and he extended his condolences. He did not elaborate further. His comments were over in about 30 seconds, then he moved on to his planned commentary. (One wonders if he knew how many Americans were aboard?) http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/07/17/malaysia-airlines-passenger-jet-shot-down-over-ukraine/

ISRAEL – And now this just in, Israel has opened fire on the Gaza from the land, sea and air in a massive bombardment causing massive damage. Israeli tanks had been massing on the border with about 10,000 infantry soldiers. Typically such bombardments signal the beginning of an invasion. The White House has not issued any statement, but presumably Israel made the US aware of their plans for Gaza as has been the past practice. http://www.usatoday.com/news/

m198-howitzer-2IRAQ – Meanwhile in Iraq the country looks like it’s pretty much falling apart due to poor leadership. Terrorist fighters have overrun more territory around Baghdad and even when you think it couldn’t get any worse it does. Now the terrorists have just captured 52 US made long range artillery pieces. These cost taxpayers $500,000 each and they were quickly abandoned by the Iraqi soldiers as ISIS forces approached. This was done despite the fact US military advisors (Special Forces) were counseling their commanders. This loss places our US Embassy within artillery range, unless the big guns are taken out first by airstrikes.

Iraqi troops and their militia and volunteer allies were on the verge of declaring victory over Sunni militants holding the strategic town of Tikrit and were about to hoist the Iraqi flag over key government buildings, when, a survivor recalled Wednesday, “the doors of hell opened.” The Iraqi forces had apparently walked into a trap, and some soldiers — and many more of their untrained volunteer supporters — were either killed or badly wounded when the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria sprung it, according to accounts from two soldiers and volunteer leaders reached by telephone afterward.

The debacle in Tikrit on Tuesday offered a vivid illustration of how badly the Iraqi military needs advisers. For weeks, the Americans had implored Iraqi leaders not to fight for the centers of cities, but to establish control of roads and highways, and thus set their own conditions for battle. But the 300 American military and intelligence advisers now in the country are not, as of now, working directly with troops and commanders at the front.

Just two weeks ago we were told by our best military advisors that the Iraqi military defenses were stiffening and the rebel supply-lines for ISIS rebels were stretched too thin, and they were having trouble consolidating their gains. Hardly seems to be the case based on the most recent developments. If Baghdad starts to fall we could have American civilian and military trapped and outnumbered. Hope we’ve learned something since the Benghazi incident. http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/07/17/how-us-must-handle-iraq-crisis/ Special report by CNN, How did this all happen, Syria, Libya, Iraq, Gaza, all in flames! http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/16/world/meast/mideast-region-in-flames/

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17 Responses to Malaysian Passenger Jet Downed by Missile – Israel Bombards Gaza From All Fronts – Iraq is Losing Ground

  1. RHT447 says:

    “Now the terrorists have just captured 52 US made long range artillery pieces.”

    Do tell. Gosh, I wonder what other high-tech goodies they got their hands on, and what they will be shot at next.

    I gotta say Jack, this sure has some familiar smells to it that remind me of the days when you and I wore the same uniform.

  2. Post Scripts says:

    RHT, Iran must be real concerned over the prospects of a rogue Sunni nation as their next door neighbors with heavy weapons….could we be that deviously clever to arm their worst enemy and have total plausible deniability? Nah…

  3. Peggy says:

    FLASHBACK: Presidents Reagan & Obama Address America on Russians Shooting Down Passenger Airliners:

    On September 5th, 1983, then President Ronald Reagan addressed the American public after the Soviets shot down Korean airliner KAL 007.

    “My fellow Americans, I’m coming before you tonight about a Korean airline massacre. The attack by the Soviet Union against 269 innocent men, women, and children aboard an unarmed Korean passenger plane. This crime against humanity must never be forgotten.”

    Compare the former president’s strong response to the current president’s line about the Malaysian airliner MH17 reportedly shot down by the Russians, believed to have killed 280 passengers and 15 crew:

    “It is wonderful to be back in Delaware. Before I begin, obviously the world is watching reports of a downed passenger jet near the Russia-Ukraine border. It looks like it may be a terrible tragedy. Right now we’re working to determine whether there were American citizens on board. That is our first priority.”

    President Obama then returned to his prepared statement on pitching more shovel-ready jobs to Americans. The contrast couldn’t be anymore clear.”

    Video..
    http://www.ijreview.com/2014/07/158125-flashback-compare-president-reagan-obama-addresses-russians-shooting-passenger-airliners/

  4. Tina says:

    My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those who died in this attack. I can’t begin to imagine how senseless it all must seem in the midst of their grief.

    If there is hope in the ME it’s with Netanyahu, a man with the kind of strength and conviction that’s required in situations like this. Krauthammer reminds us of the “Moral Clarity” that is also required.

    It’s hard to imagine being surrounded by so many that lack moral clarity and wish to wipe you from the face of the earth.

    I can’t talk about Iraq…how carelessly the egos toss away the good work of our men…and women…who serve.

    It’s a sad day all around.

  5. Tina says:

    How about I let Gen. James Amos do the talking…he has the authority to speak:

    Four-star Gen. James Amos, commandant of the Marine Corps, used a speaking engagement at the Brookings Institute on Tuesday to deliver a stinging rebuke of the Obama administration’s handling of Iraq.

    “I have a hard time believing that had we been there, and worked with the government, and worked with parliament, and worked with the minister of defense, the minister of interior, I don’t think we’d be in the same shape we’re in today,” Gen. Amos said, the Fiscal Times reported Wednesday.

    It is rare for an active-duty serviceman to give such blunt public criticism of a sitting president. While Gen. Amos was careful not to mention the president by name, The Fiscal Times reported that the top general’s upcoming retirement this fall may have played a role in his decision.

    “We may think we’re done with all of these nasty, thorny, tacky little things that are going on around the world — and I’d argue that if you’re in that nation, it’s not a tacky, little thing for you. We may think we’re done with them, but they’re not done with us,” the commandant of the Marine Corps added, the paper reported. “We’re probably the only country in the world that has the resources and the capability to be able to do some of this that others can’t.”

    The decorated officer added that it is breaking the hearts of Marines to see many of the gains made before U.S. troops pulled out in 2011 squandered. Sunni radicals with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have taken over large swathes of Iraq since June.

    It’s breaking the hearts of their supporters too, General.

  6. Chris says:

    Peggy, Korean Airliner KAL 007 was shot down on September 1, 1983.

    According to your link, Ronald Reagan did not give his speech about the incident until September 5, 1983–four days later.

    The Malysian plane was shot down yesterday.

    Don’t you think it would be fair to give Obama the same four days you allowed Reagan before taking a firmer stand? Do you see how you’re holding Reagan and Obama to two entirely different standards?

  7. Peggy says:

    The difference I see is Reagan’s speech is based on facts gathered during those four days and not a 38 second off the cuff remark just before he panders for more DNC support.

    Reagan’s Sec. of State George Shultz did a briefing press conference on the first day to inform the people, which is a far cry from having a Kerry aide tack a statement on to the end of a long list of other foreign policy issues in a press room filled with only reporters.

    Also, there is the appearance of inappropriate behavior by a world leader during a major international crises. Obama spoke during his never ending fund raising appearances giving the plane being shot down as no big deal requiring less attention then his fund raising. Reagan understood the importance of the Korean plane and cancelled his vacation at his home in Calif. and flew back to DC.

    “Secretary of State George P. Shultz held a press conference about the incident at 10:45 on 1 September, during which he divulged some details of intercepted Soviet communications and denounced the actions of the Soviet Union.[83]”

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Air_Lines_Flight_007

    The Korean Air Flight vs. The Malaysian Air Flight:

    “Ronald Reagan addressed the nation on the four days after the event. That is being fair to President Obama. But there is more worth considering.

    President Reagan may have spoken four days after the event, but what he did on the day of the event is striking compared to Barack Obama. Reagan was in California on vacation with various private events scheduled.

    “Ronald and Nancy Reagan had gone out to their ranch on August 26th and had intended to stay at least through September 4th. Instead, when he found out, he cancelled all his events and headed back to the White House on the morning of September 2nd. He suspended all campaign and other activity and instead sat in N.S.C. meetings where he decided to rally the world to ban Aeroflot flights and get reparations for victims. In fact, according to his daily calendar, he arrived at the White House at 5:43pm, was in the Oval Office by 5:46pm, and in the Situation Room at 6pm.

    More striking, on the day of the attack, once our intelligence confirmed the Soviets had shot down the plane, U.S. Secretary of State George Schultz held a press conference and revealed a great deal of intelligence and intercepts to show conclusively what happened to the plane. We made sure the world knew as quickly as we knew so that the Soviets could not dare attempt a global propaganda campaign. The South Koreans had claimed the Soviets just forced the plane to land. They kept that up for more than five hours. But once the facts were known, we were forceful, thorough, and damning in exposing what had happened.

    Reagan sat in N.S.C. meetings the evening of September 2nd and committed the national will to getting our allies on board a plan that included banning Aeroflot flights and demanding reparations.

    Reagan sat in N.S.C. meetings the evening of September 2nd and committed the national will to getting our allies on board a plan that included banning Aeroflot flights and demanding reparations.

    While this was all going on, the situation in Lebanon and Israel had destabilized and Reagan was juggling meetings on the KA007 situation and the Middle East situation.

    Neither Reagan nor his staff said the downed jetliner “may be” a tragedy, nor did they go out for burgers, fries, or fundraisers. They stayed in the White House, cancelled outside events, examined intelligence, met with allies, consulted with Congress, and then Ronald Reagan addressed the nation on September 5, 1983. When he returned to campaign activity on September 9th, he did it by closed circuit TV instead of traveling for the event. Interestingly enough, he also called for a day of mourning to be scheduled for September 11, 1983.”

    http://www.redstate.com/2014/07/18/the-korean-air-flight-vs-the-malaysian-air-flight/

    You want Obama to have four days Chris, you’ve got it, but he’s already blown his chance at a first impression of dealing with a crisis. You can’t unring a bell.

    I hope he does step up and lead instead of waiting to hear what’s going on from news reports. If he does actually lead I’ll give him credit. If he continues to do nothing and blame others for his failures I will not support him.

  8. Dewey says:

    OK so it would be good to look at the whole history of commercial airliner jets shot down.. and yes the USA paid Billions to correct it’s mistake….

    One listed here is a domestic problem.. TWA flight 800
    we know that was a military mistake as we all have military friends…

    Siberian Airlines Flight SB 1812
    October 4, 2001
    78 Dead
    Shot down by Ukraine

    Iran Air Flight 655
    July 3, 1988
    290 Dead
    Shot down by the United States

    The government in Tehran didn’t see the shooting as an accident, and the incident caused political ramifications that resonate to this day.

    Korean Air Lines Flight 007
    September 1, 1983
    269 Dead
    Shot down by the Soviet Union

    Aerolinee Itavia Flight 870
    June 27, 1980
    80 Dead
    Shot down by an unidentified warplane

    Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114
    February 21, 1973
    108 Dead
    Shot down by Israel
    Libyan Arab Airlines Boeing 727

    A few hours after a Ukrainian jet was shot down why was this commercial jet flying in that airspace? Also the intercepted transmission which one of those 2 planes was it referring to?

    Black Boxes sent to Russia?

    USA Paid Billions in restitution for our mistake….

    All countries of the above plane disasters denied their involvement at first… Russia denying is the norm if they are guilty

    That is a whole conversation in itself…. But maybe one should stop protecting Putie just to bash Obama.

    Reagan was no hero and his policies are still destroying us…

    Israel/Gaza….. Funny the USA is indirectly involved there as well as Ukraine

    That report you got was speculation, media was reporting the ground invasion showing pictures of armed vehicles in daylight…. yes that was equipment moving towards the border…Israel had announced they were going to invade… but no invasion was happening…YET!

    I watched from inside Gaza City cams and livestreams… It was dark when it was confirmed there was an actual large scale invasion…. also there is a psychological media false info war …..

    I knew by a source inside gaza when something was confirmed…

    Look both sides have wronged but Israel is out of control

    Hamas used the tunnels….. they have been a prob for awhile and the Palestinians could not even use them for real purposes

    Israel killed several civilians from the air they plummeted with no regard… I watched and listened as the Gaza Sources spread the word….

    palastein said Hamas does not represent them… Both sides wrong but why is it ok for citizens to be killed by any army to make their job easier?

    How can we not condemn the Israelis sitting on the hill partying watching Gaza get Bombed?

    Mistakes happen….. Israel has committed war crimes as we did in Iraq unacceptable

    NBC pulling that reporter was because he actually reported an Israeli mistake a little truth… he was told to leave and banned fr reporting….. NBC is no better than the rest of the bought out media… look at how wrong that is… we are lied to… Our media must be pro Israel at all costs no matter what is true…

    Shame on NBC but they are the new Fox in the making donor paid news

    Anybody seen Sheldon addelson or rabbi Pinto lately?.. bet their donations to political campaigns will pick up soon

    Turn off the TV and learn what is really going on…

    Stop the lies and let’s deal with reality as the world leaders run amuck

  9. Dewey says:

    “…At least 335 Palestinians have been killed, and a further 2,390 others injured, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. Several new massacres were committed by Israel, including those against the Abu Dagga and Bakr families. Seven fatalities from which five are children. Four children alone, brothers and cousins from Bakr family, aged 9 to 11, were hit by a warship shelling on Gaza beach while playing football. Heartbreaking. My humanity is hanging by a thread, especially after I hear such news.

    Don’t people in Gaza deserve to have human rights? How about the children? Written by Omar in Gaza” and submitted by Dewey.

    RESPONSE BY JACK: Once again the class dunce falls for something designed purely to gain sympathy for terrorists waging war against Israel. These terrorists are bombing Israel indiscriminately. They target schools, synagogues, restaurants, buses, and anywhere where people gather, but nowhere in that rambling letter was there any mention of that!

    Who doesn’t understand the terrorists of this world, be they Hamas, Al Qaeda, ISSIS, Taliban, and 100s of offshoots and mostly fundamentalist Muslim, don’t care a wit if the people they kill are men, women or children? How could any thinking human being lend their support to such monsters?

    Back to the fighting in Gaza. The Palestinians in Hamas started it. It began a long time back when Palestinians raised their children to become rabid Jews haters. They worked tirelessly and methodically to always characterize Jews as ugly beasts that eat children and do the work of Satan. Their children never had a chance, they grew up like their parents and passed along the hate.

    Today we see preschool children in Palestine that are taught to sing songs about how evil and vile the Jews are. They are exposed to cartoon shows depicting the slaughter of monstrous Jews. Why? Because they are their mortal enemy and they will not be satisfied until every Jew is slaughtered, this is why the Palestinians embraced the Nazi’s during WWII. They still believe Hitler was right – they want all Jews exterminated.

    The Hamas suicide bombers are hailed as hero’s because they board public buses filled with Jews and set off powerful bombs laced with nails just do the most damage possible or they walk I into crowded Tel Aviv coffee shops filled with Jews and tourists and explode their shrapnel bombs. Some hero’s. And for years these despicable killers, these ruthless blood thirsty terrorists have been launching rocket propelled bombs at anything Jewish and they often do it from crowded apartment house or children’s playgrounds for better cover. They do not value human life, but if they can show an Israeli response to a bomb attack with their bloodied children, they are proud to do so. It makes for great PR for simpletons like Dewey the American who unwittingly becomes a tool to be exploited by terrorist propaganda.

    In the early years the unsophisticated rockets Palestinians launched from inside Gaza started out with limited range and poor guidance control, but over time they have become more accurate with much longer range. They now reach any city in Israel and naturally the threat to life and property has been greatly increased.

    After much provocation, Israel hit back, they really had no choice! Of course every Israeli knows that any attack against the terrorists in Gaza will be portrayed as unprovoked and against innocent civilians. This is why Israel only attacks when it’s a last resort, when all other means have failed, but you won’t hear the mainstream media lauding their restraint or condemning the Palestinians for continually hitting first.

    Time after time Hamas rockets rained down on Israel and they (Israel) sent warning after warning…which was quickly turned into “Israel threatens innocent Palestinians” by our leftwing media.

    Then when people were dying in these unabated attacks and the deadly rockets were reaching far into Israel unleashed a very limited bombing attack by air, land and sea. The Israelis actually warned the civilians in targeted areas to get out, and some heeded the warnings, and some didn’t. The Hamas terrorists told their own people, stay put, using them like human shields. Then they continued hitting Israel with rockets. Finally Israeli ground forces were forced to enter Gaza and go head to head with the Hamas fighters. Only then did they discover the stores of rockets and weapons in underground bunkers and invasion tunnels, thirteen so far, that allowed terrorists to slip into Israel undetected and plant destructive devices.

    It makes me sick that liberals in America are stupid enough buy into poisoned rhetoric coming from Hamas and they actually believe they are the victims!? And lets all remember that Israel only invaded the Gaza after Hamas rejected a cease fire and kept sending rockets in Jewish communities. They forced the fight. Hamas started this war and the Israelis will finish it, but it’s given the hate promoted among the Palestinians for anything Jewish its only a matter of time until the next war begins…Hamas does not seek peace with Israel, they want Jews exterminated! How can anyone negotiate with people like that?

    Dewey had sent in a long tear-jerk kind of story from an alleged innocent civilian living in the Gaza and I blocked most of it because it was laced with half-truths and mostly because the source could not be verified, but it had all the typical earmarking’s of terrorist rhetoric. I will not have our blog used to promote terrorism or in any way encourage sympathy for terrorists. Dewey why don’t you post that crap on your own blog and leave us alone? -Jack

    PS The deaths of 3000 innocents on 9/11 has convinced me who the enemy of humanity is.

  10. Chris says:

    Jack, you raise some good points but your analysis is very one-sided and paints Palestinians with a broad brush. I have no sympathy for Hamas. They do spread a lot of anti-semitic propaganda, but they do not represent the views of all Palestinians. When you say “Palestinians raised their children to become rabid Jews haters” you are guilty of overgeneralizations and stereotyping. I know you do not believe all Palestinians do this, but your continued use of the word “they” sets up an us vs. them mentality and unintentionally characterizes all Palestinians as an evil Other, just as those Palestinians that teach their children to hate Jews do.

    You’re right that Israel does a lot more than Palestine to reduce civilian casualties. The problem is that Israel is very, very bad at this. About as bad as Palestine is at causing Israeli civilian casualties. Most rockets never even make it past the Iron Dome, and the Palestinian civilian casualty rate is much, MUCH higher than the Israeli civilian casualty rate. That is unacceptable.

    There’s also the fact that Israel is an occupying power (and you’re wrong that they only started invading after being attacked). Israel has taken more and more land from Palestine over the years. The nation has bulldozed homes and erected fences and cut off routes in a way that makes it very hard for many Palestinians to even get to work.

    NONE of this justifies Hamas’ behavior or their despicable anti-semitism, but it does provide some context. Israel is not an innocent victim here. Both sides have committed great evils.

  11. Chris says:

    Peggy, Chris Wallace of FOX News isn’t convinced by the Reagan/Obama comparison:

    WALLACE: I know there’s like an immediate reaction, that you want to say he should have run back to Washington and gone back to the Situation Room. I know that a lot of folks at Fox here are saying that. As somebody who covered the White House and saw for six years Ronald Reagan in various situations, sometimes the best thing presidents can do is nothing, to continue on. If he had gone back to Washington and gone to the situation room — first of all, there’s not much he can do, we’re not in control of the situation. And it would have dialed it up.

    […]

    WALLACE: I was covering Ronald Reagan at that time. He was in Santa Barbara at his ranch when that happened, and quite frankly he didn’t want to leave. And his advisers realized how terrible this looked, and eventually persuaded him he had to fly back to Washington and had to give this speech to the nation, but it did take him four days.

  12. Chris says:

    Patheos, as usual, offers an empathetic Christian perspective on the violence in the Middle East:

    “For me, it seems like the problem in the midst of the whole crisis is one, very small group of terrorists called Hamas. This group refuses to have peace until they reclaim the entire land of Palestine. Those who join Hamas do so very understandably- many members of the terror group were likely the very people whose homes were bulldozed when Israel was granted land by the United Nations. Entire families and communities were destroyed and forced to relocate so that Israeli citizens could take possession of the land. This must have seemed to be a grand injustice to the Palestinians who witnessed it. In fact, it was a grand injustice. Decades later, these angry men are joining this terror organization that has no goal other than to destroy Israel and regain their families land. They plan on doing this violently, through terrorism and war. They refuse to be diplomatic and insist on violence, death, and destruction.

    But what is important to realize is that Hamas does not represent Palestinians.Most Palestinians do not associate with the group or the ideology of the terror group. And while it is true that Hamas has a horrific practice of using innocent civilians as shields from the IDF’s attacks, this does not justify Israel’s careless bombing and raids that are leaving hundreds of men, women, and children dead. Innocent peace seeking Palestinians are dying at the hands of the state of Israel. If this continues to occur, the cycle of resentment, hatred, and violence will also continue. As young boys see their families gunned down by the IDF, they will feel pain and rage and will likely end up joining groups like Hamas in the future, subsequently continuing this conflict.

    It’s also important to understand that the IDF does not represent all Israeli citizens. There are a large number of Israelis who oppose the oppressive actions of their government and military and regularly pursue alternative ways to combat Hamas while protecting and dignifying Palestinian men and women. The unjust and senseless violence that many western evangelicals shrug off as Israel’s only option is condemned by a majority of Israeli citizens and seen as horrific and inhumane. The IDF is not an “anointed”, blessed, or righteous institution. Though it is a necessary one, and though Israel does have a right to protect and defend itself, the IDF has proven time and time again that they are not concerned with protecting the lives of the innocent Palestinians who are being used shields by Hamas and targets by the IDF.

    There is evil on both sides. There is fear on both sides. There is injustice on both sides. The only ones who are in the right are those innocent Palestinians and Israeli citizens who are desperately seeking and praying for peace, but instead, become victims of horrendous violence. In times like these, I cannot help but be reminded of the words of Jesus concerning conflicts like these:

    You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing out of the ordinary?

    Matthew 5:43-46″

    Read more: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/revangelical/2014/07/18/hamas-the-idf-peace-in-the-middle-east.html#ixzz37wYQDPsC

  13. Tina says:

    NY Jewish Times:

    “Our fundamental condition for cooperating with Germany was a free hand to eradicate every last Jew from Palestine and the Arab world. I asked Hitler for an explicit undertaking to allow us to solve the Jewish problem in a manner befitting our national and racial aspirations and according to the scientific methods innovated by Germany in the handling of its Jews. The answer I got was: The Jews are yours.”

    Former Mufti of Jerusalem Haj Amin al-Husseini in his post-World War II memoirs. [1}

    “The Mufti was one of the initiators of the systematic extermination of European Jewry and had been a collaborator and adviser of Eichmann and Himmler in the execution of this plan… He was one of Eichmann’s best friends and had constantly incited him to accelerate the extermination measures.”

    Adolf Eichmann`s deputy Dieter Wisliceny in his Nuremberg Trials testimony. [2]

    Within weeks of Adolf Hitler`s ascendance to power, the Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini, contacted the German counsel-general in Palestine. With the exception of funding some anti-Semitic riots, Germans rejected the Arab`s overtures until 1937, when Adolf Eichmann and Herbert Hagen were sent to Palestine to establish a framework to provide Husseini with military and financial aid by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. [3]

    By then, the Mufti had already proven his anti-Jewish credentials to the Germans by organizing a three-year-long series of riots and massacres.

    On April 19, 1936, a crowd of Arabs stumbled upon Jews in the town of Jaffa. Having been incited by Mufti-spread rumors that Zionists were killing Muslims, the crowd decided to kill three of the Jews they met. Six days later, the Arab Higher Committee was created, with al-Husseini presiding over the new body. The committee openly endorsed past violence and began organizing future terror.

    On May 5, the British colonial authorities warned al-Husseini against committing illegal acts but did not appear particularly decisive, leading the Arab to conclude that he could organize mass violence with impunity. By October 1936, nearly 300 people were killed and another 1,100 wounded. [4]

    Colonial forces arrested a few pawns and one major leader, but took no action against the Mufti. The New York Times reported on June 14, 1936 that al-Husseini had succeeded “in convincing experienced high British civil servants that he is working for the government`s interests [and that] it was in the interest of the government that he should also be president of the new Arab High Committee,” so that Haj Amin el-Husseini enjoys the government`s complete confidence as its unofficial adviser on the Arab side of the situation….The government believes that he and only he is in a position to appease the Moslem masses; therefore it gives him every support while at the same time playing into his hands.” [5]

    Continuing its policy of siding with the Mufti, in June the Brits arrested scores of members of the Defense Party sponsored by the rival Nashashibi clan, despite lack of any evidence that the Nashashibis were involved in the massacres. Ninety percent of Arabs in the Sinai concentration camp belonged to the Defense Party, with another 10 percent coming from smaller political movements. None of the Husseini-backed people were sent to the camp. [6]

    The UK was not the only power helping the Mufti in 1936. The USSR-sponsored Communist Party of Palestine also did its part. After the 1929 massacres (including the slaughter of 68 Jews in Hebron), the Communist Party issued a statement that “revolutionary movement without pogroms [anti-Semitic riots] is impossible.” The Communists even considered the Mufti “too moderate” in his fight against Jews. [7]

    In the run-up to the 1936-39 riots, the Palestinian leader began coordinating the organization of anti-Jewish violence. In November 1935, Communists declared that Zionists were killing Arabs, helping the Mufti`s propaganda campaign to spark Arab rage against the Jews. On the eve of the first riots, Communists met al-Husseini to work out the final terms of their roles in the upcoming violence. Communist Party member Nimr Uda became the intelligence chief for the Mufti`s military units. Another Communist representative, Fuad Nasir, was named deputy to Abdul Qadir Husseini, commander of Arab fighters in the southern West Bank. [8]

    By 1937, Britain realized the Mufti was sponsoring the violence not just against Jews, but against the English as well. Al-Husseini fled Jerusalem and settled in Lebanon. So glad were the British to see the Mufti leave that they did not even bother to ask the French powers governing Lebanon to extradite him.

    Meanwhile, in an attempt to please the Arabs, the UK`s Peel Commission violated the League of Nations Mandate by offering a proposal to divide the land designated as the “Jewish National Home” by the League of Nations Mandate of 1922. Instead, under the Peel Commission proposal of 1937, only a small part of the land would become the Jewish state.

    A year later, the Peel Commission issued another proposal, with even less land offered to Jews. Some time after that, the British issued the White Paper of 1939 rejecting the idea of a Jewish National Home and severely restricting Jewish immigration. It was hoped for in London that such concessions to Arab nationalists would appease al-Husseini and his supporters. Yet, only two years after the White Paper, the Mufti would come back to strike the British again. [9]

    In 1940 it looked as if Hitler’s armada was unstoppable. Having already conquered France, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Norway, Denmark, Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg, Hitler and his friends in Italy, Spain and the occupied countries were clearly the rulers of continental Europe. Hitler had also allied himself with the USSR under the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939 which divided Eastern Europe by giving the Baltic states and parts of Poland and Romania to the USSR, while letting the Germans take over western Poland, Romania and other European nations.

    Meanwhile, the Japanese were the dominant force of Asia, seemingly set to impose their control on that continent. Britain`s Winston Churchill stood virtually alone against the Fascist onslaught, with the United States mired in radical isolationism, refusing to take part in what many Americans saw as a European war.

    The one region where the British still had significant influence was the Middle East. Hitler set out to change that. Al-Husseini wanted to get rid of the Hashemite-clan rulers in Iraq and Transjordan. Both men wanted to get rid of the Jews and the Brits. It was a marriage made in heaven.

    Despite boasting a powerful navy, the United Kingdom had an army that was modest in size and spread too thin. The Middle East, especially Iraq, seemed likely to be the next pawn to fall to the Third Reich.

    In 1940, King Ghazi (son of King Faisal I) died, leaving only his four-year-old son to govern. Emir Abdul-Illah, the regent for the young Iraqi king, felt the need to bring Rashid Ali al-Kaylani into the government as the prime minister, despite the latter`s support for Nazi Germany and links with al-Husseini. The new head of state immediately shifted the policies of Iraq in favor of Nazi Germany, guaranteeing suply of natural resources to Hitler and refusing to cut ties with Italy. The former Mufti of Jerusalem and his surrogates frequently acted as the government`s representatives with foreigners. Kaylani also asked from Hitler the right to “deal with Jews” in Arab states – a request that was granted. [10]

    Britain responded with severe economic sanctions which, coupled with the UK`s initial defeat of German forces in North Africa and pressure from the Iraqi royal family, brought down the pro-German government on January 31, 1941. Kaylani and other pro-Axis Iraqis, under the influence of al-Husseini, conspired, unsuccessfully, to murder Abdul-Illah. But thanks to widespread support for Kaylani among government officials, he was back in power two months later. [11]

    As one of its first acts, the restored pro-German administration sent its artillery to attack the British air base at Habbaniya, causing the Brits to respond by invading Basra. The hoped-for support from Nazi Germany never came and Kaylani eventually fled to Saudi Arabia. [12]

    Haj Amin al-Husseini, who issued a fatwa (Islamic religious ruling) calling on all Muslims to help the pro-Axis government in Iraq, became one of England`s most wanted men. In May 1941, a group of Jewish fighters, including David Raziel, leader of the right-wing Irgun, set out for Iraq to assassinate the former Mufti on a mission sponsored by the Churchill government. The mission ended prematurely when Raziel was killed by a bomb dropped from a German plane. Aware that his life was in danger, al-Husseini fled to Europe dressed as a woman. [13]

    On November 28, 1941 the former Mufti was officially received by Hitler, who agreed to establish a bureau for al-Husseini which was used to spread propaganda on behalf of Nazi Germany, organize spy rings in Europe and the Middle East, and, most importantly, establish Muslim Nazi SS divisions and Wehrmacht units in Bosnia, the Balkans, North Africa and Nazi-occupied parts of the Soviet Union. After the meeting, the Mufti was also named SS gruppenfuehrer by Heinrich Himmler and referred to as the “Fuhrer of the Arab World” by Hitler himself. [14]

    The largest Muslim Nazi SS unit was the 13th division, known as Hanjar. Husseini also encouraged the creation of smaller, less efficient units, including the Waffen SS divisions known as Skanderbeg (made up predominantly of Albanians) and Kama (made up mostly of Yugoslavian Muslims). Thus, Hitler`s Mufti organized or encouraged three out of 27 Waffen SS divisions formed before 1945 (eleven other SS divisions were formed in 1945, but most of these were of questionable caliber and accepted soldiers of questionable skill).

    According to the Encyclopedia of the Holocaust, al-Husseini “organized in record time” Croatian units that went on to massacre hundreds of thousands of Serbian Orthodox Christians. Jacenovac, the third largest death camp, where more than 200,000 people met their death, was run by Croatian Ante Pavelic with the aid of al-Husseini. In all, at least 800,000 Yugoslavian civilians were murdered by Pavelic’s pro-Axis Ustaschi regime. [15]

    Despite the relative inefficiency of the Hanjar division and the total incompetence of the other two divisions, it can still be said that the units established and encouraged by the “Fuhrer of the Arab World” played a significant role in the genocide. Tens of thousands of Jews outside Yugoslavia also perished when the Mufti argued against trading them for German POWs held by the Allies.

    Al-Husseini opened a North African Bureau in Germany with the goal of recruiting 500,000 Arab soldiers from Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. The plan failed when German forces were forced to withdraw from much of North Africa after a successful British operation. [16]

    But an Arab Legion was founded, and it fought under the German flag. Arab soldiers had hoped to fight in the Middle East but were instead sent to the Russian front, where they were completely wiped out while fighting in the Caucasus region. Some time later, in responseto the British decision to create a Jewish Brigade made up of some of the 26,000 Palestinian Jews who had fought under the United Kingdom’s flag, the Mufti convinced the Germans to create an Arab Brigade. The unit, however, either did not fight or was not very efficient because very little is known about it. [17]

    The Mufti also made a particularly strong effort to recruit Soviet Muslims. “It was largely due to Haj Amin’s propaganda that on the arrival of German armies in the northern Caucasus in 1942, five indigene tribes – the Chechens, the Ingushes, the Balkars, the Karachais, and the Kabardines – welcomed them with bread and salt,” wrote Joseph Schechtman in The Mufti and the Fuhrer.[18] Stalin’s response was deadly. Caucasian Muslims, including nearly all Chechens and Ingush, were exiled from their land, with up to a third dying as a result of inhumane treatment by Soviet authorities.

    The Mufti was similarly instrumental in the recruitment of the Azerbaijani battalion, which “proved their valor, were included in German Storm Troops and decorated by the German Army,” according to a November 1943 broadcast by DNB, the German News Agency. The Mufti`s representatives in Central Asia recruited some Muslim fighters for Nazi Germany there as well, despite widespread sympathy among the majority of Central Asian Muslims for the plight of the Jews during the Holocaust. [19]

    The Mufti`s hatred of the West was matched only by his hatred of the Jews. It is not a coincidence that Germany suddenly abandoned the policy of expelling Jews and adopted far harsher methods a short time after the Mufti arrived in Germany. When Haj Amin came to Germany again, the Nazis decided to execute the Final Solution to the Jewish Problem.

    “The Mufti was one of the initiators of the systematic extermination of European Jewry,” reported Eichmann`s deputy, Dieter Wisliceny. “[He had] played a role in the decision to exterminate the European Jews. The importance of this role must not be disregarded…. The Mufti was one of the initiators of the systematic extermination of European Jewry.” [20]

    We do not know if al-Husseini played a major role in shaping the Final Solution. “There is, however,” wrote Joseph Schechtman, “abundant first-hand evidence of the part the Mufti played in making foolproof the ban on emigration (of Jews out of Germany).” [21]

    When the war ended, al-Husseini returned to the Middle East as a hero. On October 1, 1948, he was proclaimed the president of the government of All-Palestine. The government was fictional, however, because it did not control any land and was recognized by only a handful of Arab nations. In 1959 it was dispersed by its sponsor, Egypt. [22]

    By that time, however, another member of the al-Husseini clan was planning terror. Around the same time that the All-Palestine government was disbanded, a man by the name of Muhammad Abd al-Rahman ar-Rauf al-Qudwah al-Husaini – better known as Yasir Arafat – was busy organizing Fatah, which would go on to become the main faction of the PLO.

    Support for Nazism was not limited to the former Mufti. “We admired the Nazis. We were immersed in reading Nazi literature and books . . . . We were the first who thought of a translation of Mein Kampf. Anyone who lived in Damascus at that time was witness to the Arab inclination toward Nazism,” recalled Sami al-Joundi, one of the founders of Syria’s ruling Ba’ath Party. [23] Indeed, a popular WWII song was heard in the Middle East featuring words: Bissama Allah, oria alard Hitler – in heaven Allah, on earth Hitler. Picking up the theme of the book, posters were put up in Arab markets and elsewhere proclaiming, “In heaven Allah is thy ruler; on earth Adolph Hitler.” John Gunther of Inside Asia reported: “The greatest contemporary Arab hero is probably Hitler.” [24]

    In October 1933, pro-Axis Young Egypt Party was founded. Styling itself of its German ideal, the new party built a storm-trooper unit, marching with torches under the slogan “One folk, One party, One Leader.” Among the members of the violently anti-Semitic party was the young Gamal Abdel Nasser. [25] Nasser’s brother, Nassiri, was the translator of Hitler’s Mein Kampf into Arabic, describing the Fascist despot in glowing terms. After the “Free Officers” came to power in the 1950’s, President Nasser used Joachim Daumling, the former Gestapo chief in Dusseldorf, to build the Egyptian secret service. The Gestapo chief of Warsaw organized the Egyptian security police. [26]

    Another future Egyptian President, Anwar Sadat, was imprisoned during World War II for cooperating with Adolf Hitler’s regime. Towards the end of World War II, Sadat wrote to the Fuhrer: “My dear Hitler, I congratulate you from the bottom of my heart. Even if you appear to have been defeated, in reality you are the victor. You succeeded in creating dissensions between Churchill, the old man, and his allies, the Sons of Satan. Germany will win because her existence is necessary to preserve the world balance. Germany will be reborn in spite of the Western and Eastern powers. There will be no peace unless Germany once again becomes what she was.” [27]

    A few years prior to writing this letter, Anwar Sadat contacted Muslim Brotherhood’s leader Hassan al-Banna, an ardent supporter of Nazi Germany. The meeting put Sadat in contact with Abd al-Munim Adb al-Rauf, who went on to become a leading member of the Free Officers and a chief propagandist and protagonist of the Brotherhood. [28] Both men tried to join the pro-Axis fighters in Iraq, but failed. Sadat also met with Dr. Ibrahim Hasan, the second deputy of Ikhwan. The two gentlemen agreed that “salvation of the country could be assured only by a coup at the hands of the military” because of the King’s support for the Allies. [29] On February 24, 1945, the Prime Minister of Egypt was assassinated by a member of the National Party as he was reading the declaration of war against Germany. [30] The Brotherhood and the military were not involved in the murder, but clearly did not object to the act. The assassination would become a sign of the things to come in the decades after the World War. ~ “Nazi Roots of Palestinian Nationalism,” By David Storobin

    Our readers should know that Israel has treat thousands of Arabs from other countries who are injured by war.

    Our readers should know that Israel takes great pains to avoid harming innocent civilians. Israel announces the locations it intends to bomb, it fires warning duds on the rooftops of buildings so anyone inside can get out before it sends the missile to destroy a bomb making cite.

    Our readers should know that Israeli citizens have six seconds to get to a bomb shelter when Palestinians terrorists send their rockets.

    Palestinians who live in Israel are treated as equal citizens…they send their kids to schools, they serve in the Knesset and they work and own businesses.

    Our readers should know that Israeli’s too have been uprooted from their homes and moved. It was part of peace agreements in which Israel made all of the concessions…the deal fell apart because the opposition leaders would not definitively recognize that Israel has the right to exist.

  14. Chris says:

    “Our readers should know that Israel takes great pains to avoid harming innocent civilians.”

    Yeah, I said that already. The death toll proves that Israel is pretty bad at this, though.

    “Our readers should know that Israeli citizens have six seconds to get to a bomb shelter when Palestinians terrorists send their rockets.”

    You mean the rockets that almost never make it past the Iron Dome?

  15. Dewey says:

    A good take away the Palestinian people have reminded us of is ELECTIONS have CONSEQUENCES….

    We need to get the foreign money out of our elections as we really do not know who is buying our politicians aka Citizens United

    The USA can now be taken without ever firing a shot it is for sale … No one can argue against that

    Politicians dial for dollars just to stay in office all day long … it’s all they do!

    As far as Gaza….

    They elected Hamas…. not all people support them and in fact a large group has said Hamas does not represent them.

    The amount of violence in GAZA is a Massacre… not a military operation and all politics aside we must cry out to the UN.

    There are multiple pictures and livestreams in Gaza.

    There is a whole army of Israeli college students paid just like the trolls here to post propaganda…

    Yet some how we are seeing some truth. We are inside Gaza with the innocent people, we hear the constant drones overhead and see the conflict off in the distance while closeup pictures are relayed to us on twitter as it happens….

    People fleeing are being targeted… the number of civilians , women and children is not proportional to militants… This is beyond belief…

    They are not all human shields… most are not…

    It also has to be taken into consideration that in the past Israel has used Gaza for arms testing and their arms trade goes up by about 2 billion after every test of new arms… in GAZA

    Propaganda has ran our lives…. before…

    Now…Livestreams and twitter have opened the world of truth to us and the rest of the world

    To sit here and pretend we know better is not OK, It is not our conflict… we must stand up and stop this!

    To those who were worried we would not hide any wrong doing by Israel because Obama was in office… you can rest now….

    I do believe Israel had a right to react… but this is out of control and corrupt!

    WE must demand the massacre stop immediately – the only right thing to do….

    All USA media news right now is a smoke screen when you see the real story live in front of you…

    I commend the Brits for standing up to the BBC, Americans need to stand up to FOX, CNN, MSNBC and the rest of them

    What is sadder yet is Putin’s RT prints just enough truth to suck you in but is an anti American station using the Tea Party hate to gather his American right

    Putin is no Hero and why does the Tea Party not take back all their praise…. is That who they are?

    Again WE must demand the massacre stop immediately – the only right thing to do…. This is not a war….. it is a massacre and violating international law on many fronts

    They must reach a peaceful solution …. our opinion does not have a say, not our conflict, but we sure like to stir up the middle east for profit!

  16. Dewey says:

    And the readers should know that after Israel throws a warning bomb, they kill people fleeing…

    In Tel Aviv many of the good people of Israel protested to stop the massacre….. Not all of Israel supports this because it is out of control massacre!

    America turn off the TV and watch it in real time… we have to gather our own news and sort out propaganda as TV is just Citizens United moneybags

  17. Chris says:

    And don’t get me wrong: Nothing makes Hamas happier than lots of dead Palestinians. Hamas is intentionally using Palestinian citizens as human shields in order to gain sympathy and feed negative opinion of Israel. It’s just that Israel is playing right into their hands.

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