Doc's Talk: Terrorism and the Internet: “Electronic intifada” declared on Israel on Facebook.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Terrorism and the Internet: “Electronic intifada” declared on Israel on Facebook.

Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center

Terrorism and the Internet: “Electronic intifada” declared on Israel on Facebook. Hamas and radical Islamic groups, encouraged by Iran, employ social networks on the Internet for the struggle against Israel
Overview

1. Following the Israeli government’s decision to include the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron and Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem in the national heritage sites, a new Facebook group was created in late February by Palestinian web activists, calling for an “electronic intifada” to protect the holy sites of Islam from Israel. The group has several thousand members, with more people joining constantly. The first message of the group (published on February 25) states that the group members consider themselves a power “that will uproot the [Zionist] entity”. 2. The first announcement published by the group calls upon all the Muslims in the world to join the struggle for the holy sites in Jerusalem and to exert pressure on their governments to take a firm stance against Israel. The announcement attempts to incite its various target audiences by spreading false information according to which Jewish organizations intend to declare an international day for the establishment of the third temple, during which they are going to break into the Temple Mount. The terminology used by the group is radical Islamic. Several indications show that Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood is involved in the initiative. It is also possible that the group members include activists affiliated with Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organizations.

3. One of the implications of using Facebook is the creation of yet another platform for spreading messages of hate and incitement, encouraging violations of public order in Judea and Samaria (specifically the Temple Mount). The effectiveness of that platform was proven in the wave of protest which engulfed Iran after the last presidential elections. Recently, Iran’s minister of intelligence, speaking at a recent pro-Palestinian convention in Tehran, called to declare a media intifada against Israel using online social networks.

Using the Facebook social network for a so-called electronic intifada against Israel

4. According to an article recently published on the website of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Egyptian province of Al-Sharqiyya, the Facebook group was established by private Muslim individuals, and the group members call for a campaign named “The First Facebook Intifada”, to save the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the holy sites of Islam, and for an “electronic awakening”. They also issued a call to launch a propaganda campaign designed to stress the importance of the holy sites to Islam and Muslims. The group members indicated that they were no less active than Palestinians dealing with the “brutal Zionist occupation in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip”1 (www.sharkiaonline.com, February 28, 2010). The article was also published on Al-Resala, a website affiliated with Hamas, on February 28, 2010, and on other Hamas media.

The article published on Hamas periodical Al-Resala
The article published on Hamas periodical Al-Resala (February 28, 2010)

5. The group members share texts, pictures, posters, videos, and various relevant links. The website features a video of a speech given by Ra’ed Salah, the head of the northern faction of the Islamic movement in Israel, at a convention called “Al-Aqsa in Danger”. In the speech, Salah accuses Israel of terrorism and conducting excavations on the Temple Mount to establish the third temple there.2 The group members also send each other messages on planned events, such as protest demonstrations, rallies, and conventions.

6. The contents of the website show that the group has over 5,000 registered members as at March 2 (according to the Al-Resala article, about 3,000 members registered in the first two days), and that number is constantly growing. The group manager identifies himself as Ahmed Muhammad al-Dari (possibly his nickname). The group members use radical Islamic terminology associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. Some of the texts are in the Egyptian dialect. The group may also include Hamas operatives or people associated with them.3

over 5,000 registered members

7. According to the first announcement of the “first Facebook intifada”, dated February 25, 2010, the purpose of the group is to help protect the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the holy sites of Islam. The announcement calls upon the group members to join the struggle for the holy places in Jerusalem and exert pressure on governments to take an aggressive stance against Israel. The announcement calls upon all the Muslim population in the world to turn Friday, February 26 into a “day of martyrdom in Palestine”. It also states that Jewish organizations intend to declare an international day for the third temple, during which they intend to break into the Temple Mount and establish a synagogue near the Temple Mount. The announcement concludes by saying, “Let the world know that the Jews commit Nazi crimes against the Palestinian people, and they shall drink from the same cup [that they force the Palestinian people to drink from]". Signed, those who yearn for martyrdom.”4 See Appendix for the full text of the announcement in Arabic.

Facebook 2010—the First Facebook Intifada
The poster of the campaign “Facebook 2010—the First Facebook Intifada”5

Hamas called to declare March 9 as day 1,000 of the Gaza Strip “blockade”

8. On March 6, an announcement was posted on Hamas’s website Palestine-info, according to which it was decided to declare March 9 as the “electronic day against the Zionist blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip”. The day was declared to mark 1,000 days of the “blockade” on the Gaza Strip. During that day, activists on online social networks (Facebook, Twitter, and various blogs) announced that they would change their online profile pictures to one single image dedicated to that day and to the Gaza Strip.

9. As part of the “electronic day” events, a new Facebook was created which is called “Gaza under siege for 1,000 days”, in which members upload mostly videos and audio clips representing the “tragedy of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, particularly during the latest Zionist war last year”. The number of group members has already exceeded four thousand. The group members have emphasized that “Gaza and the West Bank are two places in one country—Palestine, and that their salute to Gaza and to its firm stance will not make them forget what is happening in the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the attempts of the [Zionist] entity to turn it into a Jewish site" (March 6, 2010, Palestine-info).

The group supporting Gaza on Facebook
The group supporting Gaza on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=info&gid=329537828907

The implications of using Facebook for the Palestinian struggle against Israel

10. Using online social networks in general and Facebook in particular is yet another instrument for raising considerable support and gaining influence in the battle for hearts and minds. It is an open, publicly available instrument, which transcends borders and allows direct and almost unmonitored communication. It can be used to deliver textual and visual messages. Hamas and radical Islamic groups supporting it (encouraged by Iran) recently began to use Internet social networks for the struggle against Israel.

11. For the Palestinians, using the web allows a direct connection between the Gaza Strip, controlled by Hamas, and Judea and Samaria, controlled by the PA. It also enables the Palestinians to maintain contacts with countries in the Middle East and elsewhere in which radical Islamic and terrorist elements exist. In addition to the propaganda implications, it is also a convenient platform for incitement. The target audience of such networks are usually young people who can be influenced by those messages. This may allow radical Islamic and terrorist elements to incite young people for violations of public order in Judea and Samaria, specifically on the Temple Mount.

Terrorism-supportive messages on the Facebook group
Terrorism-supportive messages on the Facebook group:
a mother straps an explosive belt on her son, who is wearing a mask

12. On February 28, a conference titled National and Islamic Solidarity for the Future of Palestine was held in Tehran. The conference was headed by Iran’s President Ahmadinejad, who even gave a belligerent anti-Israeli speech. The conference participants included Khaled Mash’al, the chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau; Ramadan Shalah, the secretary-general of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad; and Ahmed Jibril, the head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command.

13. During the conference, Iran’s Intelligence Minister Haydar Maslahi called on Muslim countries to launch a so-called media intifada against Israel. According to Maslahi, that intifada, the third in number, must be waged by establishing an online social network to expose the deeds of Israel and the US by means of a propaganda campaign against them. Maslahi also said that his ministry was willing to provide any assistance necessary to the Palestinian people for that purpose (IRNA, February 28, 2010).

ISNA, February 28, 2010
Iran’s President Ahmadinejad at a press conference with Hamas Political Bureau chief Khaled Mash’al at the National and Islamic Solidarity for the Future of Palestine conference (ISNA, February 28, 2010)

14. It is our assessment that the Iranian intelligence minister’s call to use online social networks must be considered within the context of the considerable effectiveness proven during the regime opponents’ struggle following the presidential elections. Being aware of the effectiveness of that tool, the Iranian regime attempts to channel its use against Israel while waging an all-out war on such activities inside Iran. The Iranian regime often blocks websites which it finds unacceptable (such as websites affiliated with government opponents), detains bloggers, and even completely shuts down all Internet access during events such as the revolution anniversary

Appendix

Incitement online: full text of the first announcement
on the creation of the Facebook group

بدء فعاليات الإنتفاضة الأولى للفيس بوك لِنُصرة المسجد الأقصى و الدفاع عن المُقدسات الإسلامية
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
البيان الأول
من
إنتفاضة الفيس بوك الأولى
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
( يا أيها الذين أمنوا اصبروا وصابروا ورابطوا واتقوا الله لعلكم تفلحون )
يا أيتها الجماهير المُسلمة :
أنتم اليوم على موعد مع قدر الله سبحانه النافذ في اليهود وأعوانهم .. بل أنتم جزء من هذا القدر الذي سيقتلع جذور كيانهم إن كان آجلا أم عاجلا بإذن الله سبحانه وتعالى .

إن ملايين الشهداء و مئات الآلاف من الجرحى الذين قدموا أرواحهم خلال فترة هذا الاحتلال في سبيل الله من أجل عزة أمتهم وكرامتها ، ومن أجل استعادة حقنا في وطننا رفعةً لراية الله في الأرض .. لهي تعبير صادق عن روح التضحية والفداء التي يتمتع بها الشعب الفلسطيني والذي قض مضاجع الصهاينة وزلزل كيانهم ، والذي أثبت للعالم أن شعباً يطلب الموت لا يمكن أن يموت .

لا بد أن يفهم اليهود برغم قيودهم وسجونهم ومعتقلاتهم و إغتيالاتهم .. برغم المعاناة التي يعانيها شعبنا في ظل احتلالهم المجرم .. برغم شلالات الدماء التي تنزف كل يوم .. برغم الجراح ، فإن شعبنا أقدر منهم على الصبر والثبات في وجه طغيانهم وغطرستهم حتى يعلموا أن سياسة العنف ستقابل أشد منها من أبنائنا وشبابنا لأنهم يعشقون جنات الخلد أشد مما يعشق أعداؤنا الحياة الدنيا .

لقد جاءت انتفاضة شعبنا المرابط في الأرض المحتلة رفضا لكل الاحتلال وضغوطاته.. رفضا لسياسة انتزاع الأراضي وغرس المستوطنات .. رفضا لسياسة القهر من الصهاينة.. رفضاً للتهويد .. قد جاءت لتوقظ ضمائر اللاهثين وراء السلام الهزيل .. وراء المؤتمرات الدولية الفارغة.. وراء مصالحات جانبية خائنة .. وأن يتيقنوا أن الإسلام هو الحل وهو البديل .

و أن يعلم كل المستوطنون المستهترون أن شعبنا عرف ويعرف طريقه .... طريق الاستشهاد وطريق التضحية ، وأن شعبنا جواد كريم في هذا الميدان ، ولن تجديهم سياسة العسكريين – إسرائيل و أمريكا - والمستوطنين وستتحطم كل محاولاتهم لإذابة شعبنا و إبادته برغم رصاصهم وبرغم عملائهم وبرغم مخازيهم ..

وليعلموا أن العنف لا يولد إلا العنف وأن القتل لا يولد إلا القتل . وصدق القائل :"وأنا الغريق فما خوفي من البلل ".
ولصهاينة المجرمين : ارفعوا أياديكم عن فلسطين بأكملها –عن مُدنها – عن مخيماتها- عن أطفالها – عن نسائها – عن شيوخها – عن مدارسها – عن مستشفياتها .. ... عن قرآننا ، فمعركتنا معكم معركة عقيدة ووجود وحياة .

و ان ما يحدث الآن من ضمٍ للمعالم الإسلامية .. إلى معالم إسرائيل ، و كذلك عمليات التهويد لمدينة القدس ، و كذلك الحفريات التي تحدث أسفل المسجد الأقصى ..
لن يتم السكوت عليه ابداً مهماً كان الثمن
سأحمل روحي على راحتي ... و ألقى بها في مهاوى الردى
فإما حياة تسر الصديق ... و إما ممات يغيظ العدى
إجعلوا غداً الجمعة يوم الشهادة بفلسطين

وليعلم العالم أن اليهود يرتكبون الجرائم النازية ضد الشعب الفلسطيني . وأنهم سيشربون من نفس الكأس .

( ولتعلمن نبأه بعد حين )

عشاق الشهادة
الخميس 25/2/2010

1 This may indicate that the group members are not necessarily Palestinians from Judea, Samaria, or the Gaza Strip.

2 http://www.facebook.com/ahmedeldary?v=wall&ref=search

3 The announcement was published on Al-Resala and on Hamas’s forum website. Images posted by the group include graphic elements used by Hamas as well as Hamas illustrations and photographs (for example, a poster for the 22nd anniversary of the establishment of Hamas).

4 http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=app_2373072738&gid=330782952102#!/topic.php?uid=330782952102&topic=13519

5http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=app_2373072738&gid=330782952102#!/group.php?v=wall&gid=330782952102

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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