The Micah Report Columns Thoughts Predictions About Micah Archives Contact
The Micah Report

Main | December 2004 »

Of Terror and Money Laundering
By Micah Halpern

Welcome to The Micah Report, my ruminations on Israel, terror & security and the Middle East as well as politics and world events. Thanks for stopping by.

I've been thinking:
The tiny, Arab, oil rich state of Bahrain called for and is hosting a 2 day meeting of the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force, known as MENAFATF.

The objective is to fight the current plague of money laundering and terror financing emanating out of the Middle East and North Africa.
This is a very creative and important initiative.

It is definitely a significant step forward. It means that Arab countries are advocating an end to terror as we know it. It means that certain Arab countries just might be joining the Western bandwagon and battling the sources of terror because they recognize the evils of terror.

But will it be successful? It's a big BUT.
Only time will tell if they are truly committed to fight the sources that fund terror. We'll know more when we see how it plays out in the press of Arab participating counties.



VOX POPULI, PALESTINIAN STYLE
By Micah Halpern

Welcome to The Micah Report, my ruminations on Israel, terror & security and the Middle East as well as politics and world events. Thanks for stopping by.

Column:
If I were advising the Palestinians, Marwan Barghouti would be running in the election to become the next head of the Palestinian Authority.

Barghouti is young. He's charismatic. He is a child of the first Intifada, a moving force behind the current Intifada. He is popular and he has a growing following.

So why is Marwan Barghouti not standing for election to become the next president of the Palestinian Authority? Don't say the reason is because he's in prison. That's irrelevant. It would not be the first time a prisoner ran for election. Or won. Actually, he is probably more popular and equally powerful now, while in prison, than he was as head of the Tanzim, running around Ramallah in his crisp shirts and dapper bomber jacket.

If Barghouti were to run and win, it would be a situation akin to Mandela and South Africa. Not only was Nelson Mandela a hero/icon within his own country after winning the election from prison, but he was catapulted onto the world stage as a national leader, a voice to be heard, a force to be reckoned with.

Barghouti followers have even more of an incentive to have their man elected president. If he won, it would be a sharp, public, slap in the face to Israel.

And that would be a huge coup for the Palestinians. The Israelis would have a very difficult time deflecting the pressure of world leadership, and they would probably cave in to the demands. The Palestinians would gain ground on issues like Jerusalem and the refugees that otherwise would have been won - or lost - only after long, protracted, negotiating battles.

So, I repeat, why is Marwan Barghouti not standing for election in the PA?

The former head of the Fatah-Tanzim says that he is withdrawing his candidacy because he wants a single candidate from the Fatah party in the election. He says that he wants to show allegiance to the movement and support only one candidate, the current Fatah candidate Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen. That's disturbing.

Even more disturbing is that this is the second time a major personality has withdrawn his candidacy giving that same reason. Last week it was Mohammad Dahlan. The former head of security in Gaza, Dahlan had long been thought of as a future successor to Arafat and has been involved in several power plays laying the ground for the position.

What is happening in the Palestinian Authority now is a far cry from democracy at work. It is the opposite of democracy. One serious, sure to win candidate is not what is needed. The Palestinian people really need to be educated on the difference between true democracy, as in Europe and other Western countries, and mock democracy, as in what passes for democratically held elections in Egypt. They must be taught that the title "president" does not mean anything unless the process of a real democratic election selects the president. That is where the power of the position is grounded.

Elections are meant to be "vox populi", the voice of the people, not the manipulation of the people and the process.

Democracy means multiple candidates. It also means debates and even primaries.

Unless the issues are discussed in the public where the Palestinian people and the world can hear what each candidate has to say about the big issues, it will not be a real election and it certainly will not be a democracy. Where do the candidates stand on education? How will they educate their youth concerning the future? What is their stand on Israel, on refugees, on Jerusalem? Let us hear from them.
If the Palestinians do not start the free exchange of ideas and push for debates then this election will be a sham. It will be similar to the kind of elections that we see in Syria, Iran and previously in Iraq, that we saw in the past election where Arafat was elected. Arafat did not run unopposed in his last election. He had a contender. She was a retired schoolteacher, an old woman who statistically received 0 (zero) votes.

The Palestinian people must demand choices. And their future leaders must support the demand. But real choices, not just names pre-determined to be losers. Elections are not a public relations game, a ploy to get US and European money and support, a tactic to force Israel to concede more significant concessions and propel the Palestinians closer towards achieving statehood.

To rig the election would be a cheap sham, not like electing a prisoner and thrusting him on Israel. That, at least, would have some class.



Silly Saudis
By Micah Halpern

Welcome to The Micah Report, my ruminations on Israel, terror & security and the Middle East as well as politics and world events. Thanks for stopping by.

Ive been thinking:
The Saudis shot and killed a terrorist in Jeddah today.
The reality is that this was a major bungle!
The Saudi Interior Ministry boasted about their success saying: "guns, ammunition, grenades, pipe bombs and money were found on the man."

But did they really have anything to be proud of? Not when you hear the whole story.

Here's what happened. Saudi TV reported that: "Security forces surrounded a car used by a wanted person, and when he saw them he tried to use a hand grenade in his possession, then died after being fired upon." There's more: "A search of his car yielded a loaded handgun, two machine-guns, ammunition, three high-explosive grenades, four pipe bombs and communication devices and $2500 in cash was also found in the car." And witnesses at the scene told Reuters News Service that two men fled the scene, leaving behind rifles and ammunition in a car.

One man was killed, but two got clear away. Weapons were discovered, but in a car-not on the man as the Ministry declared.

Given that nearly 200 people, mostly foreigners have been killed in terror attacks since the bombings in Riyadh 18 months ago, and given the Saudi rhetoric that they are cracking down on terror, how could killing one terrorist while two escaped and netting 3 guns and 3 hand grenades be seen as a success? If it is, then it is a sad state of affairs.



Democracy Sham
By Micah Halpern

Welcome to The Micah Report, my ruminations on Israel, terror & security and the Middle East as well as politics and world events. Thanks for stopping by.

I've been thinking:
Why is Marwan Barghouti not standing for election in the PA?

Don't say the reason is because he's in prison. That's irrelevant. It would not have been the first time that prisoners ran for election. Or won.

And if Barghouti actually won, it would be a sharp slap in the face to Israel.

The former head of the Tanzim says that he is withdrawing his candidacy because he wants a single candidate from the Fatah party in the election. That's disturbing. Even more disturbing is that this is the second time someone has withdrawn a candidacy for that reason. Last week Mohammad Dahlan did the same.

What the people really need to know is that:
democracy is not what happens in Egypt but in Europe
democracy means multiple candidates
democracy means debates and even primaries
Otherwise, it's all a sham. Like electing a prisoner.



Terrorist TV?
By Micah Halpern

Welcome to The Micah Report, my ruminations on Israel, terror & security and the Middle East as well as politics and world events. Thanks for stopping by.

I've been thinking:
Is Al Jazeera TV Really Terrorist TV?
YES, says the current Iraqi defense minister, Hazem Shaalan, in an interview with the Arabic London newspaper, Ashraq Al Awsat.

HOWEVER, despite the problems that new Iraqi leadership and the US justifiably have with them, no one can deny that Al Jazeera revolutionized the Arab world with their news. Even though it's been banned from Iraq, the 24 hour Arabic news station headquartered in Qatar still scoops almost every story - especially the beheadings of Westerners. Now they even have competition from Al Arabia, a 24 hour network out of Dubai.

As I see it: These networks air criticism of corrupt Arab leadership and expose the Arab world for what it is. They are outside the control of the Arab regimes that would kill them for what they air.
Of course Al Jazeera is against the American presence and uses beheadings to boost ratings. They then become a conduit, a source, from the Middle East to the West.

Of course they slant their pieces and explain the cause of the terrorist. That is their editorial perspective.

No one should be surprised that they emotionally romanticize and lend ideological support to the cause of the terrorists in Iraq and around the world. That is their viewership.

Their viewers despise the West, especially America.
Hundreds of millions of people support the actions of the terrorists.

Al Jazeera reports to those people.

That is freaky



Bone Headed Thinking
By Micah Halpern

Welcome to The Micah Report, my ruminations on Israel, terror & security and the Middle East as well as politics and world events. Thanks for stopping by.

Thoughts:
Farouk Kaddoumi is the current head of Fatah. He, along with Arafat, was one of the founders of Fatah.
Now he is trying to claim his place as the new authentic Palestinian leader.

But listen to this:
He has not stepped foot on either Israeli or Palestinian land for over half a century, not even after Oslo.
Today he said publicly that in order for the Palestinian's to be true to their cause they must not give up their fight against Israel.

This is not progress.

Many Palestinians may agree with him. But in order for the next Palestinian leader to succeed he must be realistic, he must understand that the path toward peace with Israel is the only avenue that will bring the Palestinians any financial future or any future at all as a people.

The Israelis will reach out and embrace a peace partner.
The Israelis will fight a terrorist leader.



Fiduciary Fiasco
By Micah Halpern

Welcome to The Micah Report, my ruminations on Israel, terror & security and the Middle East as well as politics and world events. Thanks for stopping by.

Column:
The Bush administration has announced, quietly, that it will be giving the Palestinian Authority $20 million to help work towards democracy. Just like that. Handing over the money.

I had hoped that the leadership of the United States would have learned from their monumental mistakes. Instead, it appears that no one in the Bush administration has learned any lessons at all.
Did the Palestinians ask for this money? Did they bow their heads, promise to turn over a new leaf and say "please"? No, they did not.

The Bush administration has undertaken of it's own free will and through the goodness of heart to make a very generous gift to the Palestinian people, a people whose only monetary history has been one of selfishness and malfeasance. Each time the Palestinian Authority has received good will money it has been a fiduciary fiasco for the donor country, a boon for the recipient.

My question is: Why not wait and see what democratic good faith tokens the Palestinians offer before giving them more money? Why jump the gun?
I am not alone. Certain members of the US Congress are in agreement, so much so that they blew a proverbial gasket at the prospect of sending the Palestinians more money. They were as surprised as any one of us. Fortunately for the US taxpayer, the governmental body charged with the responsibility of dispensing US taxpayer's money is not easily duped, certainly not the second time around.

It was bad enough that hundreds of millions of US dollars ended up lining the pockets and fattening the bank accounts of corrupt personnel, Arafat and his cronies, who bought loyalty with our money and the money given over by other Western friends of the Palestinian people. It was with those exact funds that Arafat kept his iron grip on his society while also keeping them in abject poverty. To repeat the process, to create a few new Palestinian lords and barons with US money is unconscionable.

It's not the money, it's the principle. The funds will most probably not get through Congress. In Congressional terms, $20 million is insignificant, a paltry sum for international projects. But the US Congress hates being burnt even over paltry sums, let alone after years of acknowledged misuse and outright corruption. In fact, as a result of having been deceived by the PA and Yasser Arafat, Congress placed restrictions on aid to the Palestinians and even prohibited sending them money.

Now, post Arafat, some in Congress are shouting "no" again, not until there is an absolutely transparent paper trails showing exactly where every US cent goes.

The truth, however, is that the Palestinians will probably get the money anyway. Despite Congressional disapproval and apparent displeasure, the President will win this little tussle over a few mere millions. President Bush will probably proceed with his intended plan by calling into play a presidential waiver that allows him to side step Congress for small direct allocations. Think of it as a Presidential Discretionary Slush Fund.

That is a real shame.

The more gullible amongst us will think that the president is perfectly right in his desire to give the Palestinians money. They will think that it is an appropriate good will gesture to a people on the brink - the brink of new leadership, new elections, new policies, new promises, a new future.

I would suggest that before they are given any new money, the "new" Palestinian leadership should show their true mettle.

I would suggest that the PA invest the money they do have in the election. I would suggest that they teach their people about democracy, that they set up polling stations and cobble together an infrastructure.

I would suggest that they let us get a look at their candidates. Let's watch them debate the issues publicly. Let us know where they stand on basic, crucial, elementary issues like education and curriculum. Tell us how they view their relationship with sponsored acts of terror. Explain their vision for the future vis a vis Israel. Articulate their attitude toward the United States and toward Western ideas.

Let them spend some of the money that they found in Arafat's accounts on that. Let them allocate from within so that the priorities are clear to the average citizen. Let them defend their perspectives to their opponents and to the Palestinian people.
Let's see where they fall on the issues.

Almost everyday I hear of another group threatening to boycott the elections or that the elections may be cancelled. I hear that candidates have dropped out because they want a unanimous vote. Well, that is not democracy.

If they make the first move towards behaving like a democracy, then maybe we can treat them like a democracy. Then maybe we can trust them with our money. Maybe.





Powered by Movable Type     Site design by Sekimori