Doc's Talk: The Internet and terrorism: a week after AqsaTube was removed from the Internet, it returned in a similar format and with support from a Russian compa

Friday, October 24, 2008

The Internet and terrorism: a week after AqsaTube was removed from the Internet, it returned in a similar format and with support from a Russian compa

Overview

1. An Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center examination revealed that on October 22 Hamas's AqsaTube returned to the Internet a week after it had been removed.

2. Its renewed appearance was enabled by the support of a Russian Internet company called 2X4.ru network , after it had been dropped by the French company OVH following a BBC News query. This is not the first time Russian companies have provided technical services for Hamas websites. Contents

3. The new version of the site contains videos which appeared previously, 3 with the addition of new ones for propaganda and incitement. Some of the new videos were produced by the information bureau of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military-terrorist wing. The new site has tried to represent itself as reflecting all the Palestinian terrorist organizations by adding videos associated with other Palestinian terrorist. Videos of global jihad organizations were also added.

4. For example, there is a video explaining the safe, effective use of an RPG-7 launcher, alongside the previous video about how to use electrical devices to detonate bombs. The new version of AqsaTube also has videos supporting Al-Qaeda and Chechen terrorism, and others preaching to European and American Christians that they convert to Islam.

The renovated homepage of AqsaTube

The renovated homepage of AqsaTube. To the left of the logo are pictures of former leaders of Palestinian terrorist organizations along with Hamas leaders in an attempt to represent the site as reflecting all the Palestinian terrorist organizations. Along the bottom, the extreme right link is to a video about Khattab, the nickname for a well-know Islamic terrorist operative who fought against the Russians in Chechnya . After he was killed by the Russians he was glorified by Hamas make the site more compatible with the global Islamic jihad. 2

Overview

1. An Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center examination revealed that on October 22 Hamas's AqsaTube returned to the Internet a week after it had been removed.

2. Its renewed appearance was enabled by the support of a Russian Internet company called 2X4.ru network , after it had been dropped by the French company OVH following a BBC News query. This is not the first time Russian companies have provided technical services for Hamas websites.

Contents

3. The new version of the site contains videos which appeared previously, 3 with the addition of new ones for propaganda and incitement. Some of the new videos were produced by the information bureau of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military-terrorist wing. The new site has tried to represent itself as reflecting all the Palestinian terrorist organizations by adding videos associated with other Palestinian terrorist. Videos of global jihad organizations were also added.

4. For example, there is a video explaining the safe, effective use of an RPG-7 launcher, alongside the previous video about how to use electrical devices to detonate bombs. The new version of AqsaTube also has videos supporting Al-Qaeda and Chechen terrorism, and others preaching to European and American Christians that they convert to Islam.

Videos encouraging terrorism and violence
Videos encouraging terrorism and violence on the new version of AqsaTube.

AqsaTube's new format

5. The ITIC examination revealed that after a week off the Internet, the site returned on October 22 bearing the same name with a somewhat different format. Apparently those behind the new AqsaTube are trying to represent it as reflecting all the Palestinian terrorist organizations and not exclusively Hamas. For that reason, the homepage has pictures not only of Hamas leaders who died in targeted attacks but also former leaders of other Palestinian terrorist organizations (such as Fathi Shqaqi, Abd al-Aziz Rantisi, Yasser Arafat, Abu Jihad [Khalil al-Wazir], Abu Ali Mustafa and Ahmed Yassin). The link to Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV no longer appears on the site, in our assessment not to directly involve Hamas.

6. In our assessment, the site presents a false front and it is affiliated with and run by Hamas. That is because of the nature of the videos available and the fact that its previous version included a link to Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV. In addition, formal reactions to the removal of the site (including an open letter) appeared on Hamas forums, especially the PALDF Forum. One of the reactions to the affair expressly stated that “The new [media] uproar reveals the exceptional strength of Hamas in the media and on the Internet…”

7. It is important to note the appearance of a video of the life of the shaheed Khattab was included on the new site's homepage in an attempt to make it seem part of the global Islamic jihad. Khattab was the nickname of a well-known Chechen terrorist head, either a Jordanian or a Saudi Arabian and a veteran of Afghanistan , whom the Russians killed. He has since become an object of veneration and a role model for Hamas. In addition, a Hamas website posted fatwas by, among others, a senior Hamas cleric (Hamed al-Bitawi), justifying suicide bombing attacks against Russians and Jews. 4

The new site's graphic design

8. The graphic design of the site underwent a number of changes. The original logo, whose color was almost identical with that of YouTube, is now yellow and gray and bears its name in Arabic and a picture of the Al-Aqsa mosque.

9. The new site no longer carries Google AdSense advertisements (the result of a Jerusalem Post enquiry). It now carries an advertisement for the browser game Travian, which is in Hebrew and intended for Hebrew speakers. At this time it is unclear how the advertisement appeared on the site.

Advertisement for the browser game Travian in Hebrew
Left: Advertisement for the browser game Travian in Hebrew. Next to it are links to propaganda videos for radical Islam, among them one by Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's deputy.

Support from ISPs

10. The site's registrar is the Arizona-based Godaddy, through Proxy, Inc. ( Scottsdale , Arizona ), which specializes in registering site for clients who are not interested in revealing their names, in return for a fee. After the French OVH removed AqsaTube, its Internet services are provided by the Russian 2X4.ru network. The company's contact person is Yuri Bugdanov, located in Moscow . The site is still registered to Abu Nasser Skandar, from Dubai . It also receives support from the Egyptian Excellent Serv Co. 5

11. As noted, the site is supported by a Russian company even though the homepage contains pictures of one of the leaders of Chechen terrorism, killed by the Russians, and it is rife with videos preaching the ideology of Al-Qaeda and the global jihad. Russia considers the Chechen separatists identified with Al-Qaeda and the global jihad as terrorists and their activities are forbidden by Russian law.

1 An update of our October 20 Bulletin, "The Internet and terrorism: following the ITIC report on Hamas's AqsaTube, it was removed by its French ISP from the net".

2 For further information see our February 2006 Bulletin entitled “Russian president invites Hamas to Moscow ”.

3 For further information see our October 12, 2008 Bulletin entitled “The Internet and terrorism: Hamas recently launched a new website called AqsaTube, an addition to its extensive Internet presence” .

4 For further information see our July 19, 2006 Bulletin entitled “Shamil Basayev, leader of the Chechen separatists was killed by the Russian security forces” .

5 Based on data from the Whois sites .

Thanks IICC

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The IDF’s Minorities in Numbers and Pictures

In honor of IDF Diversity Week, we present diversity through numbers and pictures. Each year, more and more Muslims, Christians, Druze, Bedouin and immigrants from around the world take on the responsibility of defending Israel.

MUSLIMS:

Muslim Arab Israelis are not required to draft in the IDF, but there are many who volunteer. In 2013, there were over 200 Muslims serving in the IDF and over 300 in the reserves.

Bedouins:

Bedouins are nomadic Muslims who were in Israel when modern borders were set in place and are now considered Israeli citizens. They are not required to draft but a growing number choose to enlist. In 2012, there were over 1,400 Bedouin Muslim soldiers doing regular IDF service and almost 1,500 in the reserves.

Read more:http://www.idfblog.com/2014/02/27/truth-idf-numbers-pictures/#more-34027

Are you aware that in 2013, Middle class taxes go up-significantly?

In January of next year, the federal income tax rate for middle-class taxpayers is scheduled to rise from 25 percent to 28 percent, and the payroll tax is scheduled to rise from 13.3 percent to 15.3 percent… This drives the marginal tax rate based on the aforementioned three taxes to 48.12 percent. Add in state and local property, corporate, excise, and other state and local taxes, and the percentage of each additional dollar that is taxed hovers around 50 percent… When half of each additional dollar earned is taxed away, taxpayers experience a disincentive to start businesses or expand existing ones. This leads to fewer jobs being created.

Why is HAMAS Inside Tampa Schools?

Clare Lopez

Kelly Miliziano, who teaches history classes at Steinbrenner High School in the Tampa, Florida area apparently thinks it’s perfectly OK to invite a senior official of a HAMAS-affiliated organization into her classroom to discuss Islam with her students. According to local media reports, not only has this been going on for years, but in spite of the civil and criminal proceedings that could result from such reckless negligence, the Hillsborough County school superintendent, Mary Ellen Elia, and the chairman of the school board, Candy Olson, also expressed approval for students under their responsibility to be exposed repeatedly to guest speaker, Hassan Shibly, who is the Executive Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in the Tampa area.
More...

Did You Know... Ignoring the Call to Islam will Bring Jihad

‘Conquest through Da’wa [proselytizing] that is what we hope for. We will conquer Europe, we will conquer America! Not through sword but through Da’wa.’
-- Yousef al-Qaradawi , Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader The Arabic word ‘Da’wa’ means the “call to Islam.” But do not think that Da’wa is the same thing as an invitation to an optional holiday event. The classical Islamic doctrine of jihad mandates that enemies must be given the opportunity to convert to Islam or pay the jizya tax before it is permissible to attack them.
Clare M. Lopez

Who is being discriminated-facts tell the truth

Religious bias

Hate crimes motivated by religious bias accounted for 1,409 offenses reported by law enforcement. A breakdown of the bias motivation of religious-bias offenses showed:

65.4 percent were anti-Jewish.
13.2 percent were anti-Islamic.
9.5 percent were anti-other religion, i.e., those not specified.
4.3 percent were anti-Catholic.
3.8 percent were anti-multiple religions, group.
3.3 percent were anti-Protestant.
0.5 percent were anti-Atheism/Agnosticism/etc.

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/hate-crime/2010/narratives/hate-crime-2010-incidents-and-offenses.

On March 31, 1977, the Dutch newspaper Trouw published an interview

with PLO executive committee member Zahir Muhsein. Here's what he said:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct "Palestinian people" to oppose Zionism.

For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

In March 1977, Zahir Muhsein, a PLO executive, said:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct Palestinian people to oppose Zionism."

"For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

The Arab Apartheid

Ben-Dror Yemini
In 1948, the Arab countries refused to accept the UN partition proposal and they launched a war of annihilation against the State of Israel which had barely been established. All precedents in this matter showed that the party that starts the war - and with a declaration of annihilation, yet - pays a price for it. Between 550,000 and 710,000 Arabs fled because of the war and a larger number of 850,000 Jews were expelled or fled from Arab countries (the "Jewish nakba").
Population exchanges and expulsions were the norm at that time, occurring in dozens of other conflict points and affecting about 52 million people. In all the population exchange precedents that occurred during or at the end of an armed conflict, there was no return of refugees to the previous region, which had turned into a new national state.
Only the Arab states acted completely differently from the rest of the world. Instead of assimilating the refugees, they crushed them despite the fact that they were their coreligionists and members of the Arab nation - instituting a regime of apartheid. So the "nakba" was not caused by the actual dispossession, which had also been experienced by tens of millions of others. The "nakba" is the story of the apartheid, oppression, abuse and denial of rights suffered by the Arab refugees at the hands of the Arab countries. (Maariv)

International Law and Military Operations in Practice - Col. Richard Kemp

"Islamist fighting groups study the international laws of armed conflict carefully and they understand it well. They know that a British or Israeli commander and his men are bound by international law and the rules of engagement that flow from it. They then do their utmost to exploit what they view as one of their enemy's main weaknesses. Their very modus operandi is built on the correct assumption that Western armies will normally abide by the rules, while these insurgents employ a deliberate policy of operating consistently outside international law. "

Lost Historical Moments

What Rabin’s last Knesset speech really said:repudiation of a Palestinian state

Rabin ruled out a fully sovereign Palestinian state :

“We view the permanent solution in the framework of State of Israel which will include most of the area of the Land of Israel as it was under the rule of the British Mandate, and alongside it a Palestinian entity which will be a home to most of the Palestinian residents living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. We would like this to be an entity which is less than a state, and which will independently run the lives of the Palestinians under its authority.”

Rabin ruled out a total withdrawal from Judea and Samaria and thus a return to the pre-June 1967 borders :

“The borders of the State of Israel, during the permanent solution, will be beyond the lines which existed before the Six Day War. We will not return to the 4 June 1967 lines.”

Rabin ruled out withdrawing form the Jordan Valley:

“The security border of the State of Israel will be located in the Jordan Valley, in the broadest meaning of that term.”

Rabin ruled out uprooting settlement blocs, like the Gush Katif bloc in Gaza (which was subsequently uprooted by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon):

“The establishment of blocs of settlements in Judea and Samaria, like the one in Gush Katif.

AND

Rabin ruled out removing any settlement before coming to a full peace agreement with the Palestinians:

“I want to remind you: we committed ourselves, that is, we came to an agreement, and committed ourselves before the Knesset, not to uproot a single settlement in the framework of the interim agreement, and not to hinder building for natural growth.”

Rabin insisted on Israel retaining full security control of the borders with Egypt and Jordan, contrary to Israel’s relinquishment of the Philadelphia Corridor on the border with Egypt:

“The responsibility for external security along the borders with Egypt and Jordan, as well as control over the airspace above all of the territories and Gaza Strip maritime zone, remains in our hands.”

Correcting Oslo Myths-Part 2

3) Kuttab laments that the post-1993 Oslo process resulted in a Palestinian Authority "whose ministers and legislators are not guaranteed passage between Gaza and the West Bank ...."

Before free passage or other perquisites, PA leaders were obligated, among other things, to eliminate the terrorist infrastructure in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, end anti-Israeli, antisemitic incitement in schools, mosques, and communications media, and resolve all outstanding issues through peaceful negotiations. They met none of these commitments, sometimes bolstering terrorism and greatly increasing incitement.

4) Kuttab complains that under Oslo the PA got "lightly armed police ---- but no real sovereignty over the land or contiguity between our communities in Gaza and the West Bank."

Oslo agreements repeatedly were revised, regardless of Palestinian non-compliance, until the authorized number of police grew from 8,000 to 40,000. Though they were to be the only armed forces in the territories, Israeli estimates early in the second intifada put the number of gunmen - police, "security services," terrorists, and armed gangs - at 85,000. Their armament reportedly included not only heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, but also anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles.

Sovereignty was to be negotiated in the envisioned 1998 "final status" talks - after a five-year period of confidence-building. Palestinian leadership chronically undermined the process. Palestinian terrorism made the 1993 - 1998 Oslo period more deadly for Israelis than the 15 years preceding it.

The United States doesn't have contiguity between the lower 48 states and Alaska and Hawaii; territorial contiguity between the West Bank and Gaza Strip - that is, through the 20 miles of Israeli territory between them - was never promised and would destroy Israeli contiguity.

5) "Palestinians have been made to endure hundreds of checkpoints in the West Bank, an eight-foot wall deep in our territories, and tight Israeli control over borders."

The security barrier is not "deep in Palestinian territories," but rather encompasses less than 8 percent of Judea and Samaria, and is mostly a fence, rarely a wall; the land in question is not "our [Palestinian] territories" but disputed territory to which, according to the authors of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, Jews as well as Arabs have claims; and there are no international borders, only the 1949 armistice lines with Jordan. Under 242, borders remain to be negotiated. As for checkpoints - like the security barrier and "tight Israeli control" - Palestinian Arabs precipitated these measures themselves. No terrorism and there would be no fence or tight Israeli control and few checkpoints - like before the first intifada.

Correcting Some Oslo Myths

1) In Oslo "Israeli, Palestinian and other world leaders promised that ... Palestinian sovereignty would be solidified."

No, they didn't. The 1993 Declaration of Principles and subsequent Oslo agreements outlined a process by which final status negotiations about the West Bank and Gaza Strip would be reached. The process required an end to anti-Israel terrorism and incitement and a commitment to peaceful negotiations. The PA, Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and other terrorist groups, sabotaged the process from the start.

2) "The reality is that, in defiance of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, which states that it is inadmissible to occupy land by force, Palestinian territories are still under foreign military occupation."
Wrong again. Resolution 242 (1967) does note "the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war." It also affirms the right of every state in the area "to live in peace with secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force." There were no "Palestinian territories." Jordan occupied the West Bank, Egypt controlled Gaza. Israel did not have "secure and recognized boundaries," so retention of some of those territories was possible under 242. Israel is not a "foreign" military occupier in the West Bank but, pending final negotiations, the lawful military administrator as a result of a successful war of self-defense.

Doc's Talk