Meet Kamal Salim, a self-titled "reformed terrorist", a former "fundamentalist Muslim" who preaches about Christianity in increasingly popular pulpits:

A man in a kaffiyeh is preaching to mainstream crowds of "middle Americans". That's got to be accomplishing something as far as interfaith unity and racism are concerned.

Posted by Y-Love at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

In case anyone was wondering what Hamas' position is on the official recognition of the State of Israel, Page A18 of today's Washington Post clues us in:

In case there was any doubt, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh spelled out Hamas's position at a rally last weekend: "I tell you with all honesty, we will not recognize Israel, we will not recognize Israel, we will not recognize Israel."

[Palestinian President Mahmoud] Abbas responded by threatening, as he has before, to dissolve the Palestinian government or order a referendum. But he lacks the legal authority either to remove Hamas from power or to schedule a vote of any kind.

Just FYI.

Posted by Y-Love at 06:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Hat tip to Dina from MySpace for turning me on to this.

In the sweltering Middle Eastern heat, hundreds of thousands of Gazan people are still without power after the main power plant in Gaza (providing 140 mW of electricity) was bombed in an Israeli air strike.

The UN's Office for Humanitarian Affairs notes:

“I am going crazy without electricity. There is even a shortage of candles now – I had to use the two my wife and I had received from our marriage. I worry about [starting a] fire,” said the 36-year-old from Beit Lahiya.

For the past two months, Gaza residents like Aqdeir have lived without a regular supply of electricity after the Israeli military bombed Gaza’s only power station on 28 June.

The lack of electricity means sewage cannot be treated, increasing the risk of disease spreading, and hospitals cannot function normally. It means ordinary Gazans cannot keep perishable food because their fridges do not work.

At night, they are plunged into complete darkness when the electricity cuts off. They rely on candles and paraffin lamps. Many residents have also been left with an irregular water supply as they need electricity to pump water up from nearby wells or from ground floor level to higher floors in blocks of flats.

It's times like this that the UN's humanitarian efforts are most needed. However, the UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency) has complained that due to a lack of access, they can not provide these basic necessities to the people in Gaza:

Continue reading "Gazans Still Without Power, Water, Sewage Treatment" »

Posted by Y-Love at 08:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Ha'aretz reported today about a problem which seems to continually plague the Palestinian people.

A set of politicians who get fame for themselves while ignoring the plight of average citizens. Lest we forget, Hamas came to power largely because of discontent with the culture of political corruption which had come to plague the Arafat regime. (Even a former interior minister of Arafat's didn't know where $5 billion had gone.)

Now Hamas seems to be doing the same thing:

A survey by Near East Consulting (NEC) on Sunday showed that about 65 percent of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza live below the poverty line, a reflection of deepening hardship since the Hamas-led government was formed in March.

There has been an average monthly increase of 3 percent in poverty since Hamas came to power," said Jamil Rabah, director of NEC.

The survey defines poverty as a monthly income below NIS 2,000 for a family of four adults and two children.

According to the report, some 38 percent of Palestinians live in extreme hardship, defined as a monthly income below NIS 1,000 for a similar household.

The international community cut off aid to the Palestinian Authority after Hamas, an Islamic militant group sworn to Israel's destruction, formed a government after winning a general election in January.

More than 165,000 Palestinian government employees have gone largely unpaid since March and began an open-ended strike for wages last week.

Counting both the West Bank and Gaza, Palestinian unemployment now stands at 50 percent.

Can one place the full blame on economic sanctions? If this is all because of the lack of aid from the US and Europe, then I would question Hamas' ability to drive economic development in Palestine. Palestinians need jobs, not Qassams. Nationalistic pride does not put the khubz on the table.

How can any employee -- civil or private -- be expected to live without a paycheck for six months? This is not the fault of any Zionist entity. One writer for Islamic Relief says explicitly, "Travel restrictions have caused over 50% unemployment." Why is there a sui generis need for Palestinians to be employed by Israeli companies? Where is the business community of Ramallah -- and if it does not exist, where is the investment? Ahmadenijad is keen on economic development in Venezuela, moving production of its autos to a plant there. Are there no qualified Palestinians?

Palestine needs investment and jobs. Otherwise, who's to stop the next demagogue from raising the banner of "the Jews are responsible for your poverty"? Oh wait...

Posted by Y-Love at 01:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)