A report from The Tower replicates a tweet, including a photo, from the Twitter account of the English-speaking wing of the Hamas terrorist organization. Published Thursday, it shows children, presumably photographed somewhere inside darkest Hamas-controlled Gaza, role-playing a funeral. The proud message: children in the society we are creating here love death; they even incorporate funerals of children into their play.

Powerful forces at work inside Palestinian Arab society, largely ignored by observers in the West, have created a culture that grotesquely encourages children to embrace death as a way of advancing the political intrigues of their parents’ and grandparents’ generation. In throwing this in the faces of observers, they appear to be offering an argument that demonstrates their determination and commitment. We wrote about this topic last week.

It’s certainly a mistake to think that it’s only the Islamist ultra-extremists of Hamas that are busy promoting self-destruction among the children of Palestinian Arab society. There is abundant evidence on-line testifying to how the ‘moderate’ Palestinian Authority regime of Mahmoud Abbas has done the same for years. (See for instance, out post here). It’s further proof of how Abbas and his circle of despots are fully engaged in creating the conditions by which a young generation will grow to become, in their words, fertilizer and dirt. That, incredibly, is the vision they and Hamas have marketed with distinction to their people. Child abuse more shocking and large-scale than this is hard to imagine.

The unabashed adoption of death-cult values is one of the factors behind the appalling statistics buried inside this past week’s monumental Pew Research Center global survey of Muslims. Based on 38,000 face-to-face interviews in 80-plus languages with Muslims across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, it provides some startling insights.

Globally, most Moslims reject suicide bombing and other attacks against civilians. But the country-by-country numbers reveal sizable minority views. Around 10% of U.S. Muslims now believe suicide bombing or violence against civilians in the name of Islam are “often justified”; a further 7% say it is “sometimes justified to defend Islam” [source]. Fifteen percent of Jordanians and of Turks see such attacks against civilians as a legitimate means of “defending Islam against its enemies.” This violent minority accounts for 26% of people in Bangladesh and 29% in Egypt.

Top of the list as the most enthusiastic proponents of killing those whom they see as enemies of their religion: Palestinian Arabs, 40% of whom are pro-suicide bombing. Fleshing the picture out a little, eighty nine percent of Palestinian Muslims favor the idea that women must always “obey” their husband, and want the imposition of Sharia law in their society.

It’s hard to argue that the strategy of the P.A. and the Hamas is not working.

Many civilized people looking on with rising horror from the outside, are asking themselves how much longer the world can tolerate the participation of child-abuse-friendly political figures in respectable multilateral discussions.

Visit This Ongoing War.

What is your name?

Salam al-Zaghal.

Tell me about yourself.

Wait, is my lawyer almost here?

No, and you’re not going to see him for a few days yet either.  Now—three years in jail wasn’t enough for you?

It’s not so bad there.  We get 1,600 shekels every month from the Palestinian Authority to buy stuff at the canteen.  Also a salary.  We watch TV.  Get family visits.  Play with sports equipment the Red Cross brings.  Great food.  We’re treated as prisoners of war.

I tried throwing rocks to kill, I didn’t manage, I got just three years.  I got out of jail, went back to killing, and this time I did it.

But now you’ll serve much longer.

Give me a break.  Do you actually believe that?  Either Hamas will get another soldier, or Abbas will put me on a list of prisoners he demands be freed.  And if not this time, then next time around.

We at the ISA would oppose any such move.

Look, are you for real, or did you come to laugh at me while I’m lying in the hospital?  You opposed the Schalit Deal too.  We won.

Everyone’s learned the lesson.  It won’t happen again.

I think you should take a look at Haaretz, boss.  You remember Samir Issawi, the prisoner who went on a hunger strike?  One of the ones who were freed in the Schalit Deal?  He went back to the “resistance.”  Because of pressure from you at the ISA and Almagor at the Supreme Court, a condition was attached to the release, that if there would be any sort of minor violation, a prisoner would go back and serve his whole sentence—in his case, ten years.

So what?  He went on a hunger strike.  Your journalists stuck up for him, and Netanyahu decided to free him in another eight months.  You didn’t see the letter they wrote for him in Haaretz?  They were practically fawning over him.

Maybe I’ll go on my own hunger strike …

Cut out the political lectures.  I want to know who’s behind you.

The whole Palestinian people.  The radio stations—

No, no.  Who sent you?

Listen to the radio!  Look at the schools’ syllabuses praising the shuhada (martyrs)!

You people don’t even listen to Abbas and Jibril Rajoub!  They hold us up as national heroes.  They’re the ones who sent me.

Let’s talk about what happened at the time of the attack.

I saw that your bus stops are total chaos so much of the time.  You have soldiers there, but they stand off on the side, and they don’t give us any problems getting to the hitchhiking stations.  There haven’t been roadblocks in ages.  If there were a red line around the station saying we can’t go past, then granted, the soldiers would notice I’d gone over there.  But there isn’t any.

I bought a big knife.  I stood there with a bunch of laborers, walked around as if going to the hitchhiking station, went over to my target, and stabbed him a few times.  Simple as can be.

But didn’t he have a pistol?  Weren’t there armed soldiers?

Yeah, but the Zionists don’t walk around with their guns ready—even the settlers.  They’re bashful.  I love it.  Obviously if I saw settlers with guns drawn every day, I wouldn’t think about coming near them.

Nah, I wasn’t afraid I’d get killed.  The soldiers weren’t going to shoot to kill as long as I was done killing.  It’s such a game.  You put your hands up, you go to the slammer.

But what did you get out of it?  You killed a man with five children.

We got plenty out of it.  Today Netanyahu said that the solution is two states for two peoples.  Why do you think he said that?  Because of the armed struggle.

* * *

The members of the Bat Ayin underground, the only Jewish terrorist group serving time in prison, received sentences of 13 to 15 years.  For Palestinians, attempted murder carries a sentence of eight years or less.  We discovered this factoid when we obtained lists of prisoners who stand to be released: the most recent ones received eight years or less for unsuccessful gunfire.  For rock throwing they receive two to three years.  One military judge saw fit to determine that since rocks do not always hit their target, it is fallacious to assume that those who throw them intend to murder.  The message is simple: First kill a Jew.  Then we’ll figure out your intent based on the results.

We investigated the 120 prisoners Mahmoud Abbas is demanding Israel release because they are “long-time prisoners,” “old,” or “sick,” and it turns out that nearly all of them are serving life sentences (or two, or three … or 17).  Almagor (The Jewish Terror Victims Association) now has in its possession the names of all those terrorists, as well as descriptions of what they did, and is waiting for a brave journalist who is prepared to expose this information to the public through the media, the bulk of which is under the thumb of Jibril Rajoub, the lead Palestinian propagandist on this issue.

Here are a few of the terrorists’ names:  Mustafa Kalib Asrar, murderer of Tzvi Klein of Ofra.  Abu Harabish Salam Saliman Mahmoud, murderer of David de la Roza and the Weiss family.  Issa Mousa Issa Mahmoud, murderer of Nissim Toledano.  Abd a-Rabba Namer Jibril Issa, murderer of Revital Sari and Ron Levi.

The murder victims have families that expect justice to be done, just as they were promised.  They expect that justice will not cancelled due to pressures that are not germane, with a wink that yes, we promised at the graveside that our long arm would catch them, but we didn’t promise they would serve out their sentences …

Originally published at Mekor Rishon. Translated from Hebrew by David B. Greenberg. The above does not represent an actual interrogation transcript.

Originally published at the Gatestone Institute.

Is it true that Palestinians cannot hold new elections because of Israeli security measures?

This is a claim, often made in the U.S., Canada and parts of Europe, is that the Palestinians have not been able to hold new presidential and parliamentary elections for the past five years because of Israeli army checkpoints and that it will be impossible for the Palestinians to hold new elections in the future so long as Israel maintains these checkpoints..

Another claim is that Israel is responsible for the fact that Palestinians enjoy no democracy in their two separate entities in the disputed territories.

First, it is worth noting that such claims are often made by people living in the West, and not by Palestinians living there.

These people in the West like to think they are pro-Palestinian, but by their consistent distortion of facts, they seem in reality to be more anti-Israeli than pro-Palestinian. They never advocate against the repression and corruption that are actually stifling the Palestinians. Instead, they prefer to ignore the reality on the ground and often blame Israel for all that goes wrong for the Palestinians.

Not surprisingly, many Palestinians seem to be much more pragmatic and realistic than the anti-Israel spokesmen sitting in Washington, New York and London.

The Palestinians know, for example, that were it not for the continued power struggle between Hamas and Fatah, they would have had free elections several years ago.

The Palestinians, moreover, know that Israeli checkpoints have nothing to do with restricting freedom of expression and voting. They are fully aware that the checkpoints are there to stop terror attacks and not democracy or reforms.

In the past, despite Israeli security measures and checkpoints, Palestinians did have free and democratic elections for the presidency and parliament.

Israeli “occupation” did not prevent Hamas from winning the January 2006 parliamentary election.

Not only did Israel freely allow Arab residents of Jerusalem to run and vote in that election, but for the first time ever, Israel opened its post offices in Jerusalem so that Arab voters could cast their ballots in the 2006 election, and permitted a number of Hamas candidates from Jerusalem to contest the vote.

Since then, Palestinians have held different elections for various bodies in the West Bank [Judea and Samaria -.ed], including municipalities, university campuses and professional unions.

Needless to say, these elections were all held despite the presence of Israeli checkpoints.

Israel has never stopped Palestinians from holding free elections or implementing administrative and financial reforms and there have never been any complaints from Palestinians about Israeli attempts to obstruct these elections or prevent them.

The Fatah and Hamas leaders are the only ones to blame for ongoing divisions and rivalry in the Palestinian arena. It is these leaders, and not Israel, who do not want to see reforms and democracy in the Palestinian Authority.

The checkpoints are there to stop suicide bombers and other terrorists, and not to prevent anyone from running in an election or forming a new political party.

Hamas and Fatah do not tolerate competition. When a Palestinian religious figure, Sheikh Tayseer Tamimi, recently announced his intention to run in the next presidential election, Palestinian thugs in the city of Hebron torched his car. Palestinian Authority security forces have also been harassing Tamimi supporters in a bid to deter him from participating in the election.

Similarly, Hamas has been cracking down on Palestinian activists who have openly been challenging the radical Islamic movement’s rule in the Gaza Strip.

It is worth reminding those people who profess love the Palestinians that there are no Israeli checkpoints inside the Gaza Strip to foil either Palestinian elections or democracy, and that those in the West Bank [Judea and Samaria -ed.] do not foil elections or democracy, either.

But the anti-Israel spokesmen in the U.S., Canada and Europe are not going to let facts get in their way. They seem determined to continue spreading lies that are harmful not only to Israel, but also to Palestinians, who want see an end to tyranny and corruption.

Originally published at the Gatestone Institute.

Multiple Shooting attacks have been reported in the Shomron in the past 10 minutes (5:03 pm).

One occurred between Karnei Shomron and Yitzhar (Tzir Gilad), one person has been injured. MDA is responding.

In the second shooting attack also near Gilad farm, a number of Israeli cars were hit, but no injuries were reported.

The Boston Marathon bombers had planned to stage a major attack on a crowded area of the city during July 4th Independence Day celebrations, but they struck on Patriots’ Day because they had assembled their pressure cooker bombs sooner than expected.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, whose brother Tamerlan was killed in  the massive manhunt for the perpetrators of the Marathon bombings, told the FBI that had planned grisly “fireworks” by attacking a large celebration along the city’s Charles River.

Having finished constructing the bombs in Tamerlan’s apartment ahead of schedule, they drove around Boston until they decided to strike at the finish line of the Marathon, where three people were killed. Many of the more than 260 who were wounded lost logs and arms.

One law enforcement official told The Washington Post that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s version may not be true because the bombs were so complex that it is not certain they could have built the bombs as quickly as they claim without outside help.

Both law enforcement officials expressed some skepticism about Tsarnaev’s account, saying that the complexity of the bombs made it unlikely that the brothers could have completed them as fast as he claimed.

“Maybe we will never know. This is the story that he is telling us,” the official said.

The younger Tsarnaev said he and his brother struck out of anger at the United States for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. They also were influenced by radical Muslim clerics who incite their followers to kill and be glorified by Allah.

Regardless of whether the brothers acted alone, and regardless of the fine legal point distinguishing between “terrorists” and “murders,” there is a basic similarity between them and terrorist organizations, particularly  Al Qaeda, Hezbollah and Hamas.

All three of these terrorist groups are involved in Gaza, which Hamas controls but with increasing difficulty because of their rivals’ appetite for blood.

That is a common thread, or gene, that seems to connect terrorists and murderers.

Hamas has amassed thousands of tons of explosives and advanced weapons far beyond what most people imagine. Hezbollah in Lebanon has stockpiled so many missiles it has been described as having more  than any government in the world outside of the United States.

Like the Tsarnaev brothers, these terrorist groups live by a creed of  “attack or perish.”

There mission in life is to kill Jews, Westerners, Christians, homosexuals and even Muslims who are in anyway linked to one of the above.

That is why every senior Israeli military officer involved with Gaza and Lebanon has said that it is only a matter of time until the “next round” will come and with worse consequences than the previous.

That’s is why a “ceasefire” agreement is only a pause, and why the “Second Intifada” is not the last.

When Hamas first began attacking Israelis more than 20 years ago, it was with primitive Kassam rockets. With each round of violence, their missiles reached deeper into Israel.

Everyone knows they had longer-range missiles, but the government agreed with “ceasefires” to calm down the terrorists – until their need for rage could not be contained any more.

Before the IDF’s Operation Cast Lead counterterrorist campaign four years ago, Hamas struck Ashkelon and Ashdod.

Before and during the Pillar of Defense campaign last November, they struck Tel Aviv and  the outskirts of Jerusalem.

They have even more devastating weapons, such as anti-aircraft missiles than can down a commercial airline,. That is why military and civilians airlines have changed their landing and take-off patterns to steer clear of Gaza.

And that is why Dzhokhar and Tamerlan did not wait for the Fourth of July.

Unless terrorists and murders disarmed, they usually are driven buy their objective to use the rigger finger, and nothing usually stops them except bullets.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev no longer is around to attack more Americans in Boston, Times Square or anywhere else. Tamerlan probably die in jail if not executed.

No one knows if America is seething with a few, or dozens or hundreds or thousands of terrorist-in-the-making.

But wherever they are, like Hamas, Hezbollah and  Al Qaeda, they will attack as soon as they can – unless someone gets them first.

The politicians are threatening us with more of their faux “peace.” Some of the recent headlines:

PM: Israel will become bi-national without peace

Olmert hails Arab peace proposal as ‘historic opportunity’

Labor: We would join coalition for peace treaty

The Borovsky family is still sitting shiva, in the first week of mourning for Evyatar Borovsky  who was stabbed and shot to death by an Arab terrorist just the other day, and our politicians refuse to understand that it’s all these “peace gestures” and agreements which encourage and enable Arab terrorism.

Yesterday I took some American friends who had never been in my neck of the woods, aka the “west bank” [sic] to visit my daughter in Ofra.  Ofra is about a twenty minute drive north of Jerusalem’s “city line.”  They had lots of questions and comments.

First of all when we passed the Jerusalem lightrail, I made sure to explain the route which goes through Arab neighborhoods.  They were pretty surprised when they saw all of the empty land along the way.

“What about Jews destroying Arab homes to build theirs?”

“It’s not true; just look at how empty the land is here.  There is definitely room for all to leave in true peace.”

When you’re going to Ofra, Shiloh, Eli, or even Sha’ar Binyamin, which is much closer to Jerusalem there is only one tricky junction.  I explained that we must take the “middle road” of the roundabout/traffic circle, even though it may be easy to miss.  If you go to the right, it’s ok, you’ll go to Adam and just exit and turn right, but if you go to the left, you’ll go to Ramallah.

“What’s the problem in going to Ramallah?”

“You may be murdered.”

“Why?”

“Arabs are encouraged to be angry and justify the murder of Jews, so it’s not safe.  On most of the roads here, both Jews and Arabs travel, but there are some only for Arabs.  That’s Israeli apartheid.”

They noticed the difference in housing.

“What large gorgeous homes there are here.  Who lives in  them?”

“Arabs”

“What?  We always hear that the Arabs are poor and suffering.”

“The Arabs don’t need permits and building engineer inspections. They build what they want.”

As we passed Givat Asaf they asked:

“And what are those poor tiny structures?”

“Those are cardboard homes, aka caravans.  Jews live there.”

“Why should anyone want to live like that?”

And so it went, the questions and my almost incomprehensible answers during the short ride to Ofra.  They discovered that real life here is nothing like the news reports and the politicians’ speeches. One of them had been in Israel for a period of months over thirty years ago, and she does remember the days, pre-peace when Jews could visit, shop, etc., freely and safely in Arab towns, cities and neighborhoods.

This “peace” the politicians and media are touting only causes more death and destruction for Jews.

Visit Shiloh Musings.

The tragic death of Evyatar Borowski, an Israeli father of five young children, murdered yesterday by a knife-wielding Palestinian Arab at a hitch-hiking post at Tapuah Junction in the Shomron, attracted media attention in the Arab world.

Fatah party representatives praised as a hero a Palestinian attacker who stabbed an Israeli to death at a West Bank junction on Tuesday. The organization posted pictures from the scene of the attack on its official Facebook page, accompanying each image with a caption boasting of the stabber’s “success.” Officials also expressed hope that he would be quickly released from prison. [Times of Israel]

The Los Angeles Times went a step further, connecting the head of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, to the killing. It reminds readers that credit for the terror attack was claimed by the notorious Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades which styles itself as “the military wing” of the Fatah Party whose head is Mahmoud Abbas. Al Aqsa’s post-stabbing announcement takes proud responsibility

…calling it revenge for Israel’s treatment of Palestinian prisoners, including two who recently died while in custody. The group called the killing a “gift” to Palestinian prisoners and promised more operations in the future. Abbas, who has repeatedly condemned the use of violence and vowed to prevent another uprising as long as he is in power, did not immediately comment on the attack… [LA Times]

We have never understood – and still don’t – how Abbas continues to be called ‘moderate’ in many of the news reports about events in this neighborhood. He is the leader of a violent terrorist undertaking, encourages terror, praises terrorists while sanctimoniously almost-condemning it, and yet continues to be received in world capitals as if he were a regular political leader.

The Facebook page of Fatah, which he heads, carries a heroic portrait today of the stabber, Salaam (“peace”) Zaghal, an AK-47 rifle positioned beneath his head. The caption addresses the killer with these words:

“Peace be with you the day of your birth, on the day of your imprisonment and on the day of your freedom…” [source]

Zaghal served a three-year prison term for offences involving the hurling of stones and of firebombs (“Molotov cocktails”) and other criminal offenses, and was released from his Israeli cell just a month ago. It’s reported in the Israeli media that the murder he carried out yesterday was a kind of family-honour act, coming just a day after his brother was put before a Palestinian Authority court on charges of collaborating with Israel.

Moral contortions of that kind are unfortunately a big part of today’s Palestinian Arab social mores. In that sense, Abbas is a well-chosen and highly appropriate figurehead.

Visit This Ongoing War.

Two female Arab motorists were hurt by Arab rock throwers on Road 60, near the tunnels in Gush Etzion, at around 9PM Wednesday night.

Over the past few days, Arabs have been throwing rocks and paint at Israeli cars driving down Highway 60, near Efrat, trying to cause an accident.

Last night, Arab stone throwers from El Hadr attacked a car they thought was Israeli, but was actually an Arab car with two women and 6 children in it.

The two Arab women were hurt by the Arab stone throwers, one seriously. They managed to drive to to the tunnel checkpoint where they received medical attention.

Last night, Israel security forces also captured a group of 5 Arabs who were attacking passing Jewish motorists on Highway 60 with stones. They were the unbelievable ages of 9 through 12. They got started young.