FDD

The Day That Binds

Here's an interesting article from NRO on 9/11 and the war in Iraq.

New Iranian President = Former Hostage Taker?

As Sara noted below, allegations have begun to fly that the new president of Iran was one of the terrorists involved in the hostage crisis at the American embassy in Tehran in 1979.  Former hostages insist that they recognize him, as does a BBC journalist who interviewed the hostage takers.  Compare pictures yourself here, here, and here.

Investigative Reporting

Front page head in the Washington Post today:  "Bush Words Reflect Public Opinion Strategy."

Wow, do you think? How did they ferret that out? 

I wonder if Clinton or other past presidents have ever ... you know, consulted pollsters or public opinion strategists or anything like that.

Maybe Their Job is to Look Cute in Uniform

An English TV interviewer (not BBC) asked me last week if Americans were not getting angry about U.S. troops staying so long in Iraq. I noted that we still have troops in Bosnia, South Korea -- even Japan and Germany more than half a century after World War II.

He replied rather testily: "Yes, Mr. May, but in those places they are not being shot at!"

Is that any different from suggesting that while it’s nice for a community to have firemen, it would be grossly unfair to send them into burning buildings?

Is that not like saying that for the sake of safety we should keep the police out of high-crime areas?

Could It Really Be?

CNN reports that 5 former American hostages who were seized in Tehran in 1979 recognize the new Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as one of their captors during their 444 day nightmare.

Update: The White House is taking these allegations seriously.

An Experienced Suicide Bomber?

According to Cliff, "There is no such thing as an experienced suicide bomber."

Read his most recent Scripps Howard article Get Smart on this topic.

Hezbollah Ring Busted!

Police in Ecuador broke up an international drug ring that potentially raised millions of dollars for Hezbollah. 

Read this story and other developments in this week's Global Jihad Monitor.

Subscribe to the GJM.

Spain Says Adios to Hezbollah’s Al-Manar Television

The Coalition Against Terrorist Media (CATM) today praised Spanish-owned Hispasat and Spanish authorities for removing the  terrorist group Hezbollah’s al-Manar television from broadcast to Latin America. Read the full press release.

Learn more about the CATM!

Danger Zone Extras!

New interviews and segments, not previously broadcast anywhere, are now available in the Danger Zone archive.  Initial offerings include a two part interview with Druze leader Walid Jumblatt and a two part interview with General Michel Aoun, both recorded live in Lebanon.

The Key to Iraqis' Hearts

In response to Bush's national address, FDD's Walid Phares told MSNBC's Amy Robach that, " the key to winning support in Iraq for any leader is winning the support of the people that lead Iraqis."

Watch Walid's interview here.

Hezbollah launches attack against Israel

Hezbollah launched an unprovoked attack today against Israeli military positions on the Israel-Lebanon border.  One IDF soldier was killed.  Israel launched a series of counterattacks.  More info here, here, and here.

Algeria jails UK ricin plot leader for 10 years

An Algerian court today sentenced an Algerian, whom Britain said was a key conspirator in an al-Qaeda plot to launch attacks in London using ricin and other poisons, to 10 years in prison.

Watch Out for Your Wallets!

Claudia Rosett explores Kofi Annan's fundraising techniques and ideas for U.N. reform in her new WSJ Opinion Journal piece.

The Taliban Returns

CNN reports that the Taliban has taken responsibility for the U.S. Chinook helicopter crash in Afghanistan. 

Europe -- No Air Conditioning But All the Terrorist TV You Can Watch

Avi Jorisch and I just returned from Europe after thirty-three meetings in five days in the blistering heat in Paris and Brussels.  The government buildings housing France and Europe's power centers were magnificent but there was no air conditioning and these two Washingtonians were not going to let the Europeans see us sweat.  The trip was part of a sucessful year-long campaign by the FDD project the Coalition Against Terrorist Media (CATM), in Europe, North America and the Middle East against Hezbollah's terrorist television al-Manar.

But the sweat was worth it! Just a few days after our return, Spain announced that the Spanish owned satelitte company Hispsat was removing Al-Manar television from its broadcasts.  So that's 5 satellites down, 3 more to go.

What is the CATM? Why is al-Manar so dangerous? Read on!

Hidden Messages on Al Jazeera?

NBC News reports on the mistaken CIA analysis that led to a heightened terror alert in December, 2003.

Weekly E-Newsletter

...is now available.

Hitch on Sacrificing Children

Christopher Hitchens newest piece discusses why it is wrong to insist that only those willing to sacrifice their sons for the war in Iraq should be allowed to support the war.

Terror in the Heartland

A University of Arkansas graduate student charged with planning to travel to the the West Bank to fight a jihad against Israel has waived a hearing on whether he should remain in jail pending trial on a terrorism charge.

Update: Their site seems to be having some technical issues, so full story added below the fold.

When President Bush Talks...

Walid Phares outlines 4 important issues the President must consider when preparing his speech for this evening’s national address:

How will the message be communicated to the Arab world? How can the speech both mobilize support from anti-war activists and ensure the continued backing from those who support the President's vision ?  The president must re-iterate and re-enforce the answer to ‘What are we doing in Iraq’; and, a victory strategy must be outlined.

Walid's remarks are further developed below.

Iran's Khumanists Seal off the Fortress

Walid provides insightful commentary on the recent Iranian presidential elections:

The understanding of the results of the Iranian Presidential is simple: in the eyes of analysts with inside knowledge of the Islamic Republic, this is a tightening of the Khumainist grip over the state fortress of Shiia Fundamentalism: The Islamic Republic. Mohammed Ahmadnijad, the more radical candidate in the race for the Presidency won the elections of the regime, not of the country. Full Story.

New Battle in the 'War Against World War IV'

Andy argues that, "It is always a grave matter to deprive an innocent person of his freedom. That is why it is not done lightly — and it most assuredly was not done lightly in the weeks and months after 9/11. To suggest otherwise is a slander," in his new article New Battle in the 'War Against World War IV'.

Memo to the President...

Cliff offers President Bush some suggestions for his Tuesday night national address in his new article,  The Greatest Generation; A Suggestion For the President's Tuesday Night Address.

 

He Didn't Even Mention Having to Leave the Toilet Seat Down

Liberal Saudi Cleric Sheik Abd Al-Muhsen Al-Abikan on democracy and women in the West:

In the West, they say, "there must be equality between men and women? Equality in what way? For example, they talk about equality in how they are treated, but, in fact, they have no equality. The woman is more advanced than the man. The husband opens the car door for his wife, and lets her speak before him. Is this equality? No, it's the opposite. This is promoting the woman before the man. Western men should object to this."

Translation by MEMRI, hat tip to Kathryn Lopez.

You Make the Call

Is Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas weak? Or is he merely pretending to be weak "in order to justify his lack of action against the terrorists whom he, like Arafat before him, supports?"

Caroline Glick's column on the question is here.

Suicide Bomber Wannabe

Wafa al-Biri, a 21-year-old Palestinian woman, attempted to kill the doctor who had saved her life. But not for the reasons you might think.

NBC's Martin Fletcher writes:

"She was easy pickings for someone with a bomb and a cause. According to Wafa, the al-Aqsa militants came knocking. Here was a vulnerable young woman, willing to die, and moreover with the golden ticket -- a pass for humanitarian reasons to a hospital in Israel. After all, who would check the underwear of a sick young woman on her way to the hospital?

"A hundred patients mill around the outpatient ward in the morning. Wafa could die a hero and a martyr with Jewish blood on her hands and not just her veins, after the dozen blood transfusions she received in the Israeli hospital."

Fletcher's story is here.

Syrian Schools for Terrorists

From the Times of London: "The training takes place at secret camps in the Syrian desert, near the Iraqi border. Some attacks are even planned in advance in Damascus and Aleppo. Once the team is ready, a guide leads them across the rugged border into Iraq where they are taken to a safe house." The article is here. Hat tip: Laurie Mylroie.

BUSH & JAAFARI PRESSER

It seems to be going OK but Bush is saying “we’re optimistic” about what is taking place in Iraq.

I think that’s the wrong word. I would argue that he should be saying: “We’re determined.”

And he might add: “We intend to remain determined, resolute, no matter what. Because we are fighting al-Qaeda and other terrorists, we are fighting Islamist fascists and totalitarians -- forces that we must never allow to defeat us.

“When our enemies understand that they cannot win by slaughtering civilians they will stop doing that. But if our enemies discover that terrorism is a weapon that succeeds, that gets us to do what they want us to do, then we’re sure to have more of it.”

Whitehouse Transcript
Video (RealPlayer)

The Red Roofs of Gaza

Cliff discusses certain terms of the Gaza pullout in The High Cost of Gaza Housing:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced this week that Israeli and Palestinian officials had agreed to demolish more than a thousand Israeli settlers' homes in Gaza.

The New York Times reported: “Palestinian officials were not eager to keep the red-roofed, middle-class homes” which, they indicated, were not appropriate to current needs.

A key concern for Israelis, one surmises, is that in the wake of their “disengagement” from Gaza, news broadcasts around the world would show Palestinians flying the flags of terrorist organizations from those red, middle-class roofs.

Read Cliff's entire article.

The Spanish translation can be found here.

Weekly E-Newsletter

FDD's weekly e-newsletter is now available.

Listen to Danger Zone! Audio available for the June 12th episode

Sunday night the groundbreaking, hard-hitting, WMAL Radio show Danger Zone featured FDD Senior Fellow Victoria Toensing and Joe diGenova. Listen to this week's episdoe!

For the show's archives, click here.

Weekly E-Newsletter

FDD's Weekly E-Newsletter is now available.

Claudia Rosett Wins Breindel Award

The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies congratulates FDD Journalist-in-Residence Claudia Rosett, for receiving the seventh annual Eric Breindel Award for Excellence in Journalism for her groundbreaking work exposing the UN Oil-for-Food scandal.

"For more than two years, Claudia Rosett has dug through the documents and sifted through the corruption to bring the world the truth about the UN's Oil for Food program," said FDD President Clifford May. "Without Claudia's dogged reporting, much of what we know now about the program – which was meant to feed Iraqis, but was instead used to build palaces and buy weapons – would not be known. I am both pleased and proud that FDD was able to give Claudia the support to do this work." [Read More]

To learn more about Claudia Rosett and the Oil-for-Food scandal, click here.

Global Jihad Monitor

Two Americans were arrested and charged this week after an FBI sting uncovered evidence that they had sworn a formal loyalty oath to al-Qaeda and were conspiring to train international terrorists and help provide medical treatment to injured jihadists. [Read More]

Read the archives!

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