No-Go Zones of France - Where the French Fear to Tread

The 751 No-Go Zones of France

They go by the euphemistic term Zones Urbaines Sensibles, or Sensitive Urban Zones, with the even more antiseptic acronym ZUS, and there are 751 of them as of last count. They are conveniently listed on one long webpage, complete with street demarcations and map delineations.

What are they? Those places in France that the French state does not control. They range from two zones in the medieval town of Carcassone to twelve in the heavily Muslim town of Marseilles, with hardly a town in France lacking in its ZUS. The ZUS came into existence in late 1996 and according to a 2004 estimate, nearly 5 million people live in them.

Comment: A more precise name for these zones would be Dar al-Islam, the place where Muslims rule. (November 14, 2006)

This article is reproduced from Daniel Pipes mailing list

Gaydamak for Prime Minister

The Israeli government has finally figured out what to do about the
deadly rocket attacks on Sderot, which increased tenfold to more than
1,000 a year from their pre-disengagement level. Rockets are becoming
a mainstay of life in Sderot with death count beginning to rise.

Ehud Olmert and his right hand men have continued their diplomatics
trips to the United States and have been quick to criticize Arkadi
Gaydamak for paying out of his own pocket for Sderot residents to get
a brief respite from the daily shelling by heading to the tranquility
of Eilat.

Whilst if I was PM right now I would also realise the poitical threat
of an Oligarch like Gaydamak reaching out to the nation since his
intent is quite obviously to run for Knesset office. However the end
result is the same he is working on the ground to help the situation
whilst the government fails to stem the tide of terrosim at its roots.

Funding a Blog is no Easy Task

Dear Readers,  

Over the last year literally thousands of individuals have read, (hopefully enjoyed) and interacted with me on this Blog.  When I created this Blog, it begun as a bit of fun with a purpose, to bring together two of the oldest and most influential religions to an feeling of mutual trust and discussion.    

Researching topics and responding to hundreds of emails takes a lot of time, and what begun as a not for profit 'in my own time' enterprise how now mushroomed into 'a lot of my time' and the need to find recompense.  

I contemplated adding a link to request donations, but instead opted to offer paid adverts and reviews occasionally.  I hope this does not offend.  

One of these Sponsored Post systems is called ReviewMe, a system that matches relevant advertisers with Bloggers.  These posts will mostly be declared (or will be obvious) as paid adverts.  

For one time payments I will be reviewing products and services and offering honest comments on their interest and value to their target market.  I will never knowingly sell my soul for a few dollars, but like all of us, a crust needs to be earned and I felt this was the cleanest channel to do this.  

Again I hope this does not offend.  Thank you for your continued loyalty and comments.  

Shalom,  

Mr Jewish  

The Rules of War dont apply to Israel !

The IDF and government have not found a solution to the Kassam rocket attacks from Gaza. At the same time they offer apoplectic apologies for unintentionally killing non-combatants in Beit Hanun. The government's basic error is not seeming to realize that we are at war with our neighbors.

War means noncombatants killed on both sides. No war was ever won unless the issue of harming noncombatants was not allowed to interfere with aggressive military planning. Israel's obsessive concern over collateral damage will make victory forever impossible, and every military man knows it.

The skewed morality behind this obsession: Having our citizens suffer is less immoral than having the enemy's citizens suffer. Yet in war, as in sports, "Nice guys finish last." Except that in Israel's case, there would be no "next season."

How to Kill a Jew

One day Napoleon and the czar of Russia were talking about their respective Jewish populations. The czar proudly said: "In Russia, we have government-sponsored pogroms, we draft young Jewish boys into my army and we stomp on the filthy Jew whenever possible."

To which Napoleon replied, "Really? In France, we have Liberty, Equality and Fraternity! Jews are full French citizens, free to participate in society, indistinguishable from the rest of the citizenry."

The czar was aghast. "How can you allow them to carry on like that?"

Answered Napoleon: "Look - you kill your Jews your way, I'll kill my Jews my way."

Where is the balanced reporting?

Why have Israel's government and people not loudly demanded the creation of an efficient, professional ideological warfare department to influence Arab and non-Arab public opinion?

For months Palestinians have been shelling Israeli towns and villages. Where were the photographs and footage showing the damage? Did Israel ask the Security Council for a special session on the attacks from Gaza, even if there was little hope of the UN considering Israel's complaint?

Well-orchestrated Palestinian propaganda forced the council to issue an anti-Israel resolution; only a US veto saved the day. Yet the perpetrators are those who initiated the rocket firing. Israel retaliated and caused civilian casualties.

Israeli IDF thwarted again

Israeli IDF thwarted again by the audacity of the Palestinian peoples.  Last night the IDF ordered the destruction of a home owned by wanted terrorist Mohammedweil Baroud .  As is usual in these situations, the IDF called in the warning to residents to evacuate the home.  Usually this is done, the home is destroyed (often the terrorist escapes) and the innocent civilians are saved.

In this situation a new strategy was taken by the terrorist, he fled to a nearby mosque and called on friends and family to act as HUMAN SHIELDS on his home.  The IDF called off the strike to avoid killing 'innocent' civilians.

Palestinian terrorists called this action a great victory, thwarting the attack and promised this will now be an ongoing strategy.

The question is why the IDF call in these warnings? why do they give the opportunity for escape and further embarrassment to the military effectiveness.

Tolerance Is Not Enough... Be Proud of Your Religion

We live in a world where tolerance is a buzz word, where we push messages of peace where Jews should respect Christians and Muslims, where Muslims should respect Jews and Christians and where Christians should do the same.

Is this enough ?

I think the most difficult concept is this theory of tolerance and peace when we rarely tolerate our own religion. Islam is split between fundamentalism and modernisation, Judaism is split between zionism and religion and Christianity is becoming split in all areas. In short the three monotheistic religions are losign their own members. Judaism has a concept called Kiruv (Outreach) to bring jews back into the fold. For Christians there is a new service called Catholic Show a website and regular podcast aiming to being Catholics back to into the arms of the Church.

Every religion should embrace tolerance and this could go some way to creating an understanding of peace, but first we must tolerate our own kind. The Catholic Show goes a some way to promoting this concept and is an example to be set to all other religions.

Are Democrats Good for Israel?

"Are Democrats' gains in House good for Israel? Party leaders insist traditional US support won't be harmed" sounded rational since most nations are wondering the same thing. Then a reporter posed a concern that the Democrats might be "more evenhanded." That gave me pause. As an Israeli citizen, I want teh USA government to be evenhanded.

Is Israel sacrosanct when it comes to criticism? If that's the case, don't you cease to be an "adult" nation, and become a "challenged" child of the US? And if that's the reality, should the US give its daughter dangerous toys?

Evenhanded means being honest with everyone involved.

Peres Bill - We need reform in the Knesset

I find the "Peres bill" another example of undemocratic Knesset action. The present law allows the Knesset to change voting and election procedures by a simple majority when it suits it ("Olmert tries to put out fire sparked by reform plan," November 12).

Two basic reforms are needed: (1) Election or voting procedure changes must be made by 60% of the Knesset; and (2) they should not come into effect until the following Knesset, and should not apply until after the immediate upcoming election.

We must root out the corruption and self-interest the present law allows.

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Is Israel losing its Identity

I would like to remind the elderly, diehard atheist Zionists of Kibbutz Ruhama, who object to the building of a synagogue on their kibbutz, of Ruhama's past history before the present-day kibbutz came into existence.

It was founded in 1912 as the first Jewish settlement in the western Negev, the most southern part of the country inhabited by Jews. The land was purchased on behalf of a group of Russian Jewish religious idealists called Sha'are Israel, who financed its development under the sole management of my late grandfather, Zvi Hirshfeld, a young religious Jew from Riga, Latvia. Together with a group of hard working young Jewish idealists, he prepared for crops, dug a well and built a water tower and other buildings on land legally purchased from local Beduin. Sha'are Israel hoped to come later and settle on the land.

If "Jewish history, the Bible and Jewish thought are all important" to the Ruhama veterans, I would have thought they'd show more tolerance toward a synagogue - one that would, moreover, help increase the profits of their guest house.

Remembering Yitzak Rabin

Yitzhak Rabin was a good son of Israel who served his country with honor and dedication. His assassination was a heinous crime and the killer, Yigal Amir, should have been executed. However, the deification of Rabin by the Israeli Left is a gross insult to his memory, as the motive is purely political.

But there is no need for those many citizens who mourn and respect Rabin, yet reject defeatism, appeasement and self-flagellation, to abandon his legacy.

Let us remember the man whose military record was excellent, and who built a war machine which defeated three Arab armies in six days.

Let us remember the man who said at the start of the 1987 intifada, that we will break their bones.

Let us remember the man who warned that Israel should never give up the Jordan Valley.

Let us remember the man who warned the nation that would-be president Shimon Peres was an inveterate schemer.

And let us all remember the man who, when asked what would happen if the Palestinians attacked us from the areas we turn over to them, said: That will mean the end of them.

Rabin's legacy is too big to be squeezed into the Left's corner.

Gay Parade Goes Ahead

Police Chief Insp.-Gen. Moshe Karadi said Monday that 12,000 policemen would be deployed to man the Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade scheduled for this Friday.

Karadi told Israel Radio that his forces would need to receive reinforcements from elsewhere in the country, adding that resultant weakening of forces in other areas was part of the consideration in urging a cancellation of the march.

Israel's Police Chief said that although he respected the right any group's freedom of expression and its right to march, he advised against the Gay Pride Parade going ahead because the tremendous risk to public safety overrode this right.

"We had to weigh up freedom of expression on the one hand against human life on the other, but unfortunately (Attorney-General Menahem) Mazuz told us to find another alternative to canceling the march altogether," Karadi told Israel Radio.

Police were expected to hold emergency meetings early Monday morning with representatives of the Open House, which organizes the Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade, to try to reach an agreement on an alternative route for the march in light of the surprise decision by Mazuz on Sunday evening to deny police requests to suspend the march.

Gay Pride in the Holy Land

There's more to the upcoming "Gay Pride" demonstration in Jerusalem than meets the eye.

For years, the capital's gay community has sought acceptance in a city that claims to represent Judaism's best values - tolerance, peace and acceptance of "the other." No segment of Jerusalem's diverse population has faced as intense and sustained assault on its existence as the Holy City's gay community.

For this and other reasons, Jerusalem - more than any city in Israel - stands in dire need of a lesson in tolerance and diversity. This lesson - and not an ostentatious display of sexuality - is the driving force behind the parade.

Mr Jew Calls Mr Islam

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Where is the CIA?

Salah Choudhury, the Bangladeshi journalist, is facing the death penalty because he is positive about Israel. We must use all necessary means to get him out of there and show the world that we care about people who are enlightened and courageous and willing to tell the truth to the Islamic people.

Where is the Mossad? Where is the CIA? Where are the UN delegates to speak out against this horrible injustice and for Choudhury. We must make a terrible outcry.

Let's not miss this opportunity to show the Islamic world that we care about a man who tells the truth and are against those who spread hatred for it's own sake. Bring this case before the UN now!