Blood money
The US, Israel and other countries have withheld money from Hamas, which is religiously dedicated to a one-state solution for the area currently called Israel. Others have picked up the slack in providing the money; they include countries calling themselves our “friends”. From a newspaper in Qatar (HT:MM), highlighting the support the Islamic world continues to give to Hamas:
Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have pledged $80m in aid to the Hamas-led Palestinian government, finance minister Omar Abdelrazek said yesterday.
“We have received pledges from the Arab world that will help us operate for several months,” the minister said on the website of Hamas. “In all, $20m from Saudi Arabia, $40m from Kuwait and $20m from the UAE are to be transferred,” he said. “We will not collapse despite the war being waged against us by the racist Zionists, by the United States and the European Union,” he said.
Abdelrazek said earlier that the government still faced a $120m monthly budget shortfall, despite having received $35m from Algeria.
This is how our “friends” in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE behave, giving hard dollar support to a group whose explicit ideology is to liquidate a US ally. But this is not even the worst of it. Today, Hamas (perhaps in coordination with Islamic Jihad) killed 8 people in Tel Aviv because Israel refused to pay the extortion money (via Drudge):
Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), said on Monday that the Tel Aviv attack was part of the Palestinians’ right of self-defense. “Resisting Israeli aggression was rightful as long as it continues,” Abu Zuhri said. “The occupation seized money of the Palestinian people and urged the world not to assist the Palestinians, so this attack took place before those who agree with this aggressive attitude,” he said.
Does any of this make sense? The Saudis, Kuwaitis, and Emirates have agreed to subsidize bombings of people who won’t pay extortion money. Meanwhile, the country getting extorted is getting bombed for not paying the blood money, but would get bombed even if it did pay. Huh? When things get this complicated and insane, we have a solution, but it is not for discussion in polite company.
UPDATE
We didn’t mention the $50 million from Iran, but they didn’t fit in the “friend” category.
April 17th, 2006 at 3:40 pm
Islamic Jihadists Ask the World for Money and Bomb
All of us arent willing to give up everything to keep a fantasy that they will just go away.
April 17th, 2006 at 4:09 pm
Do you really think Hamas will collect the money peldged? If you do, you’re very gullible.
April 18th, 2006 at 3:18 am
One reason why they send money is because perhaps they too are afraid of Islamic Jihad.
As Blue Star Chronicles states, the IJs are not goingaway and the way it seems, Israel is going away, inch by inch.
The western world, including Israel is really not interested in fighting this menace.
Especially the “man” in the White House nor Olmert, the worst leader Israel has ever had. I do not see any knights that will save us.
April 18th, 2006 at 3:43 am
The Israelis have shown superhuman restraint in their dealings with the Palestinians so far - they’ve entertained the demands, the bald-faced lies, the murder of their civilians, the demands for money, offered the Palistinians medical care for those injured by their own actions. Why haven’t they bombed them off the map yet?
April 20th, 2006 at 7:25 am
Response to qwerty 182764:
From AP ( Arab Press ):
Interior Minister Said Siyam issued a decree appointing Jamal Abu Samhadana, the head of the Popular Resistance Committees, as director general of the Interior Ministry. Samhadana’s group is responsible for many of the homemade rockets launched at Israel
The days of Moshe Dayan, Golda Meir, Begin, Ben-Gurion - the “sabra generation” are over.
This is a new generation - the ” tahini generation” - soft, squishy, porous, wet, etc..
This is the result of wishing to be accepted by the Eurabians, Canadians, Asians for business reasons. More concerned about the Tel Aviv stock market and more concerned about the headlines in the New York Times.
It is also the result of the “peace now” movement and from reading Anne Frank.The idea that soldier with gun = Nazi. Whatever the reason, the Israeli government is an embarrasment.
The question is: Does Israel have the right to exist - if they cannot or will not protect their own people. Using the philosophy of Benjamin Franklin, the answer is no.
I have spent my entire adult life supporting Israel, worrying about Israel, going to demonstrations. Wow what a waste of time.
Any comments would be appreciated. I do not wish to sound like a loser, but I am at a loss of words.
Nabil Shawarma