Maof

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Dec 22nd
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Noun: chutzpa

(Yiddish) unbelievable gall; insolence; audacity

This word is used quite widely in United States, and usually quite correctly. These days Hamas is giving this word a dimension of its own, pushing the envelope in a way hitherto undreamed of.

It was easy to see the first goal Hamas pursued by starting to pummel Israel by Qassams nine or ten days ago: turning attention from the internecine feud and killing. Instead of being seen by their own and by the whole world more clearly for what they are, which is bloody gang of murderous fanatics, Hamas has decided to switch the attention to the trick they do best, which is a) provoke Israel into action and b) start playing victims.

Hamas already succeeded in the distraction exercise, it is not for nothing that their regular cheerleaders of Indy have to mention this:
Other recent truces have been short-lived but Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said he expected this one to stick because of Israel's military action. "No one would accept to fight one another while the Israelis are shelling Gaza," he said.
(As a side remark, the article that is the source of this quote is titled Israeli jets strike 'Hamas targets' in Gaza. Notice the quotation marks - after all, it is known that the only target these bloodthirsty Israelis have is little defenseless children...)

Now the next step of Hamas leaders is to heat up the rhetorics in the hope that the other side will get sufficiently mad to step up the attacks. See how it is done:
A senior Hamas figure in Gaza was quoted Monday as urging Palestinian factions to "continue to fight the Jews until the last of them is gone from Palestine." In an interview with Hamas Television quoted on Israel Radio, Nizar Riyan, a leading member of the Islamic group's political wing, said: "It is a definite decision within the organization that Israel will be removed from the map, to be replaced by a Palestinian state."
What would be the sense in declaring a goal that could not be possibly achieved by this gang and not a single one of them believes in? Very simple: as the attacks by IDF escalate, the chances of innocent bystanders being hit grow exponentially. And the bloody ghouls of Hamas just pray for more blood of their own kin, using every innocent victim to the best of their considerable PR ability.

In fact, the exploitation of the merest photo op has already started, here it comes:

A Palestinian man reacts as the injured and dead are brought to hospital following an IAF missile strike in Gaza City, Sunday.
Photo: AP

Does it look familiar? Don't worry, your friendly and responsive reporters from AP, Reuters, BBC and others are ready to bring you more on the horrors and Israeli atrocities. Not that there were that many of them in Sderot lately.

But on the other hand - unlike IDF, the Qassam rocket scientists could not care less where their sewage pipes fall, so if I were a journalist I would think twice before deciding in favor of Sderot over Gaza.

So - expect in a few days, if not sooner, the first headlines on the Israeli high tech cruelty, disproportional use of violence, blah blah blah ad infinitum.

Just don't try to say: "but they started it!" Waste of time...

Russian version
An introduction to MAOF
Haim Goldman

Dear Friends,

Would you believe that the undersigned has anything in common with

-- Professor Victor Davis Hanson (Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University),
-- Dr Charles Krauthammer, (Washington Post, Time, The Weekly Standard),
-- Caroline Glick (Deputy Managing Editor of the Jerusalem Post),
-- Jonathan Tobin (Executive Editor of the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent).

Amazingly, the editors of the MAOF website decided that the missives of the undersigned are worthy of translation and posting along the articles written by these distinguished authors.

The first letter was published without the consent of the undersigned.
However, after thorough examination of the laudable attitude of MAOF and of the excellent contents of the website, the undersigned had most graciously granted his permission for publication of his missives in both English and Russian.

“Analytical Group MAOF” [1] is an organisation founded about ten years ago by Russian-speaking Jewish intellectuals. The attitude of MAOF is definitely pro-Zionist -- unambiguously and unapologetically.

One of MAOF’s primary purposes is providing information and analysis about Middle-Eastern and world affairs as well as about Israel’s history, values and dilemmas. In addition to extensive publication activity in various media, MAOF also organises excursions and seminars. While the vast majority of the contents of the MAOF website is in Russian, texts originally written in English are provided in the original [2] as well as in Russian.

There are arguably about 250 millions of Russian-speakers worldwide and many of them do not read English. The indisputable motivation for the author’s permission was to grant those millions of disadvantaged people the grand benefit of reading the author’s ruminations. If the author is ever maliciously accused that his tacit motivation for authorising the publication was his craving to be listed along with the above-mentioned distinguished writers, his plea will definitely be “nolo contendere”.

The editors of MAOF expressed their gratitude by granting the undersigned a privilege that no other author got – the opportunity to review and correct the Russian translation before publication. The original letters of the undersigned are at [3] and their Russian version is at [4]. At of today, only two letters are posted but several other letters are pending translation.

You are kindly ENCOURAGED TO RECOMMEND the MAOF website to your friends and colleagues worldwide, particularly those who speak Russian. Those who do not enjoy the benefit of proficiency in the exquisite Russian language can find many thought-provoking and inspiring articles about Middle-Eastern and world affairs in the English section [2].

Sincerely,

Haim Goldman
28.10.2006

REFERENCES:

[1] http://maof.rjews.net
[2] section.php3? sid=37&num=25
[3] authorg.php3? id=2107&type=a
[4] authorg.php3? id=2166&type=a