Elder - Master Hamas terrorist "retires" and wants to join "political wing"

Elder of Ziyon
13 December '11

http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/12/master-hamas-terrorist-retires-and.html

Abdullah Barghouti is serving a 67-life term sentence for being instrumental in terror attacks that killed scores of Israelis, including the Sbarro pizza shop attack.

But now the 39-year old terrorist has written a letter to Hamas leaders asking to be able to run as a candidate in prison elections and from there the legislative elections that are currently planned for May 2012.

He also said he wants to work to include Hamas in the PLO umbrella.

One analyst said that Barghouti was frustrated at not being included in the last prisoner swap and that he wants to moderate his image so he might get released next time.

This appears to be Hamas' idea of career management - pay your dues as a terrorist and then graduate to become a respected politician.

Why not? There is no shortage of Western politicians and journalists who are more than happy to use aging terrorist statements as proof of their much desired and illusory "moderation" of Hamas.

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Report on IDF raises questions about reporter's impartiality

Soccer Dad
22 September '10

The Washington Post's Joel Greenberg reports Killing of Hamas operative raises questions about conduct of elite Israeli units in pursuing militants. When you see a headline like that you realize that the reporter is looking to manufacture said questions. If Greenberg, for example, had witnessed the soldiers going into a pizza store, buying a soda and getting change, you'd see the headline, "Purchase of soda raises questions about spending habits of Israeli soldiers."

The Israeli version is that Iyad Abu Shilbaya made threatening moves against the soldiers, so they shot him. The Israelis acknowledge that no weapon was found on Shilbaya. To bolster his case that there are questions about the conduct of the soldiers, Greenberg gets statements from Shilbaya's brother, widow and members of "Breaking the silence" and B'tselem. In other words Greenberg based his story on relatives of the slain man and people who raise questions about the conduct of IDF in nearly all circumstances.

Still I think what the former solidier who's now associated with Breaking the silence says is important.

But a former soldier in Cherry who spoke on condition of anonymity said in an interview that the rules were "very fluid" and changed according to circumstances. The veteran, a member of the group Breaking the Silence, which publishes accounts by discharged soldiers who served in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, said that in close encounters with militants, members of the unit were given broad discretion to open fire.

In one operation, he recalled, soldiers were told that their objective was an armed militant, and that "if you see a weapon near him, you shoot. If he makes any strange or sudden move, you shoot. Don't take a risk. If you shoot, you'll have backing."

"The culture of the unit was to arrest, but also not to take risks," the veteran said. In some cases, soldiers were given the message that "killing the terrorist was best," he added.

(Read full post)

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