Israeli Citizens Action Network

Last weeks' diary referred to a letter I received from someone living
on a kibbutz on the Lebanese border. It expressed the feeling that the
UN is doing nothing to reign in the Hizbollah. One recipient of this
diary sent me another letter from the USA this week, in which the
following is a quote:- Just to let you know that I have a tenant who
is a German police officer assigned to the UN who very recently was
assigned to survey the Lebanese-Israel "border". He came back very
depressed that few if any Lebanese he met cared to implement the
"truce" and that he expected hostilities to begin again shortly. He
found nothing but hatred of Israel. There seems to be a general
feeling of resignation that another war will happen sooner or later
but on the other hand, the attitude is that this time, we will
prevail.

a) On another issue, much is talked about the attitude of the
Israeli Arab citizens and how they are unpatriotic. While Jimmy Carter
and other critics of Israel attempt to paint the country as intolerant
and discriminatory toward Arabs based on their ill-informed and
distorted views of both the past and present, Israeli Arabs themselves
have a very high opinion of their country. According to a new poll
released in January 2007 (Uzi Arad and Gal Alon, "Patriotism and
Israel's National Security - Herzliya Patriotism Survey 2006,"
Herzliya: Institute for Policy and Strategy, 2006), 82 percent of
Israeli Arabs said it is "better to be a citizen of my country than
others." By comparison, 90 percent of Americans agreed with the
statement and 88 percent of Israeli Jews.

In addition, 77 percent of Israeli Arabs agreed "my country is better
than others," which was only slightly less than the 83 percent of
Australians and 79 percent of Canadians and Americans who felt the
same way.

Analyzing the survey data it is clear why Israeli Arabs are adamant
about remaining citizens of Israel and express no desire to be part of
a Palestinian state. The results also illustrate why Palestinian Arabs
in the territories express a high regard for Israel in polls. They see
how their fellow Arabs are treated and the type of society Israel has
built and wishes to emulate it.

It is too bad the Jimmy Carters of the world do not see Israel the way
its citizens – Jewish and non-Jewish – view their nation. If they did,
they'd recognize that Israeli society can serve as a model, albeit an
imperfect one, for the values they espouse.

b) In a report by Edgar Lefkovitz in the Jersusalem Post this
week, it is reported that as many as 100,000 French and British
citizens have converted to Islam over the last decade, according to a
new book by an Israeli historian. The figures cited by Hebrew
University Prof. Raphael Israeli in his upcoming book The Third
Islamic Invasion of Europe are representative of the fast-changing
face of Europe, which the Islamic history professor says is in danger
of becoming "Eurabia" within half a century.

He noted that about 30 million Muslims currently live in Europe, out
of a total population of 380 million., adding that with a high Muslim
birthrate in Europe, the number of Muslims living in the continent is
likely to double within 25 years.

Israeli also cited massive immigration and Turkey's future inclusion
in the EU as the primary reasons why the face of Europe will be
indelibly changed within a generation.

European concerns over a fast-growing Muslim population is at the
center of opposition to Turkey's entry into the EU, he said, as the
inclusion of Turkey into the EU will catapult the number of Muslims to
100 million out of a total population of 450 million.

"The sheer weight of demography will produce a situation where no
Frenchman or Dutchman could be elected to parliament without the
support of the Muslim minority," he said Monday in an interview with
The Jerusalem Post. "Muslims will have a more and more decisive voice
in the makeup of European governments."

The historian, who has authored 19 previous books, said that Muslim
political power in Europe would directly impact domestic politics,
including Europe's immigration policy, with millions of additional
Muslims waiting at the door to gain entry to the EU as part of "family
reunification" programs. "Every European with a right mind has every
reason to be frightened," Israeli said.

The 50,000 French and 50,000 British who have converted to Islam over
the last decade, including many from mixed marriages, did so for
personal convictions, romanticized notions of Islam, as well as for
business reasons, while others see Islam as the wave of the future at
a time when Christianity is on the wane, Israeli said. He said that
Muslims converting to Christianity existed but their numbers were
significantly smaller.

Israeli noted that conversions in mixed marriages worked only in one
direction since a Muslim woman who marries a Christian is considered
an apostate in her community, and faces physical danger. "It is time
one should wake up and realize what is happening in Europe," he
concluded.

c) Palestinian Media Watch www.pmw.org report that after Saddam
Hussein's execution, the Palestinian Municipality of Yaabid decided to
name both a school and its main street after the Iraqi dictator. It
appears that the same street was paved 18 months ago using grants from
USAID.

This is not the first time that US money has gone to build Palestinian
infrastructures that are named to glorify terrorists and enemies of
the US. Three examples:

1. After the US gave the Jenin municipality money for road works in
the city, a block in the center of Jenin was named for the first Iraqi
suicide terrorist who killed four American soldiers in Fallujah. The
mayor of Jenin participated in the anti-American rally and the
speakers blessed the "resistance of the residents of Fallujah"
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 4, 2004].

2. USAID funded the building of the Salaf Khalef Sports Center. Salef
Khalef (Abu Iyad) the head of the Black September terror organization,
was behind the killing of two US diplomats in Sudan and the 11 Israeli
Olympic athletes. [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May, 30, 2004]

3. USAID funded renovations of the Dalal Mughrabi School named in
honor of Dalal Mughrabi and her terror group, who killed American
photographer Gail Rubin and 36 Israelis. [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, December
14, 2004]

Here's hoping for a peaceful week. I am off now to give another
lecture today, this time to a group of Hadassah volunteers from Canada
(last weeks were from the USA).