Arafat's Money (2002)

August 18, 2002

Today's cartoon is from 2002.
Ten years ago this month!

Seven years later, in 2009,According to a CBS 60Minute report:

Arafat's Billions
By Tricia McDermott
"Yasser Arafat diverted nearly $1 billion in public funds to insure his political survival, but a lot more is unaccounted for.
Jim Prince and a team of American accountants - hired by Arafat's own finance ministry - are combing through Arafat's books. Given what they've already uncovered, Arafat may be rethinking the decision. Lesley Stahl reports.
"What is Mr. Arafat and the Palestinian Authority worth today?" asks accountant Jim Prince. "Who is controlling that money? Where is that money? How do we get it back?"
So far, Prince's team has determined that part of the Palestinian leader's wealth was in a secret portfolio worth close to $1 billion -- with investments in companies like a Coca-Cola bottling plant in Ramallah, a Tunisian cell phone company and venture capital funds in the U.S. and the Cayman Islands.
Although the money for the portfolio came from public funds like Palestinian taxes, virtually none of it was used for the Palestinian people; it was all controlled by Arafat. And, Prince says, none of these dealings were made public.
"Our whole point is to bring it out of control of any one person," Prince says.
That's what happened with the portfolio money, which is now under the control of Salam Fayyad, a former World Bank official who Arafat was forced to appoint finance minister last year after crowds began protesting his corrupt regime." -more

Yasser Arafat (2002)

May 13, 2002

Today's Golden Oldie is ten years old. It's from May 2002.

It features Yasser Arafat, the clever Egyptian who sold the world the idea that there was a "Palestinian" people, and that they (and not the Jews) were the ancient indigenous natives of the land of Israel ...and that he was their leader!

Yasser is no longer among the living, but his lies live on.

* * * After having read what I wrote above, It occurs to me that some of you will think I've gone too far and exaggerated his deceptions by describing Arafat as an Egyptian. So read this:

"Yassir Arafat, whose real name is Abdel-Rahman Abdel-Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini, was born in August 1929 in Cairo, son of an Egyptian textile merchant. He was sent to Jerusalem as a small child after his mother died, then returned to Egypt via Gaza.

Throughout his career, Arafat’s Egyptian background was a political impediment and source of personal embarrassment. One biographer notes that upon first meeting him in 1967, ‘West Bankers did not like his Egyptian accent and ways and found them alien,’ and to the very end Arafat employed an aide to translate his Egyptian dialect into Palestinian Arabic for conversing with his West Bank and Gaza subjects." -more

Hillary

Yup. Hillary has jumped into the race for the presidency.

There's some thinking that she's been pushed by circumstances into announcing prematurely.

Check out Dick Morris says Hillary is in Trouble at YidWithLid.

Speaking of "Trouble", will anybody remember Hillary embracing and kissing Suha Arafat immediately after Mrs. Arafat's outrageous anti-Israeli blood libel? As MEMRI reported:

"On November 11, 1999, during a Gaza appearance with First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, Suha Arafat, wife of Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Yasser Arafat stated: "Our people have been subjected to the daily and extensive use of poisonous gas by the Israeli forces, which has led to an increase in cancer cases among women and children."
-more

So what exactly happened in 1999? :

"Clinton’s early support for Palestinian statehood rankled the Israeli government as well as supporters of Israel at home, so on her next trip to the West Bank the following year she choose not to meet with Arafat, just his wife. But her meeting with the Palestinian First Lady was even more disastrous. Hillary listened attentively as Suha Arafat bizarrely accused Israel of poisoning Palestinians with toxic gas—causing cancer among children and miscarriages among women—and as other Palestinian Authority officials called for a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. After the remarks, Clinton embraced Mrs. Arafat and kissed her on the cheek. She did not reply to the anti-Israel harangue until, after outcry by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and American Jewish leaders, Clinton lamely offered, 'I do not believe any kind of inflammatory rhetoric or baseless charges are good for the peace process.'”
- more

Hillary Kisses Suha Arafat After Suha's Blood Libel

Arafat's Flotilla (1988)

Today's Golden Oldie is a Dry Bones cartoon done 22 years ago in 1988.

Back in 1988, Yasser Arafat attempted to stir up international support by a boat-based public relations plan. It was the first version of the Gaza "Flotilla"! It didn't work out. Notice that the Palestinian terrorists in the cartoon are wearing ski masks. Such a popular terrorist fashion of the day that everyone who saw the cartoon back then would have immediately recognized the speakers as terrorists.

I've posted several previous golden oldies and columns about Arafat's "Refugee" Boat campaign which made waves back in 1988. Today's cartoon marked the final sinking of the enterprise.

For one posting click here.

For another click here.

the Crazy Guy (1982)

Today's "Golden Oldie" is from July 05, 1982.

Here's the story behind the cartoon:

A year before (in July of 1981) Israel had agreed to a ceasefire with Yasser Arafat's terrorist army in Lebanon (Between 15-18,000 PLO terrorist soldiers were in dozens of locations in Lebanon).

But in the 11 months that followed the "ceasefire", the PLO carried out 270 terrorist actions in Israel. Twenty-­nine Israelis died and more than 300 were injured in these attacks. The last straw was on June 3, 1982, when the Palestinian terrorists shot Israel's Ambassador to Great Britain, Shlomo Argov. Though not killed, he remained in a coma for three months and was then left permanently paralysed and in need of constant medical assistance for the rest of his life.

Three days after the attack on Israel's Ambassador in London, on June 6, 1982, Israel's army poured across the border to fight the PLO forces stationed in Lebanon . . .PLO chieftain Yasser Arafat and his murderous PLO terrorist forces were trapped!

Gaddafi then sent a public message to Afafat which said:

“I advise you to commit suicide rather than to accept disgrace. Your suicide will immortalise the cause of Palestine for future generations. Your blood is the fuel of the revolution. Let suicide be the priority. It is the road to victory”.

Which led to my doing today's Golden Oldie about Gaddafi.

Your thoughts?

Palestinian Statehood (1988)

Today's Golden Oldie is a Dry Bones cartoon of Yasser Arafat (in fatigues, sunglasses, and signature 5 o'clock shadow). It was done 22 years ago this month!

Back in August 1988, King Hussein of Jordan called PLO chieftain Yasser Arafat's bluff by saying that he'd recognize a Palestinian State as soon as it was declared.

The decades slip by, the "Palestinian" leadership continues to threaten a unilateral declaration of statehood ...and never does! So what's going on?

I'm ready to hear your opinion as to why the terrorist leadership of the Arab populations of the West Bank and Gaza have never declared statehood.

Nu?

Bethlehem (2000)

Okay, today's Golden Oldie is just seven years old. But I'm putting it up now because I've been wondering. With Arafat gone, will his heir (Abbas "the moderate Palestinian leader") carry on the Arafat tradition of using the Western media to blame the Jews for Bethlehem's catastrophic tourism problems?

Stay tuned to CNN, CBS, and the BBC for further developments.

PLO Problem (1989)

Today's Golden Oldie is a Dry Bones cartoon done 20 years this month. Back then the handwriting was on the wall and the rise of Islamist fascism was evident to all. Now, twenty years later Arafat's heir, Mahmud Abbas, head of the PLO faces the same grim reality.

As a cartoonist I must confess that Arafat was a dream to draw!!

Palestinian "Moderate" (1978)

Today's Golden Oldie was originally published on January 4, 1978. A cartoon that I drew twenty nine years ago! At that time Arafat, the terrorist chieftain of the PLO. was posing as a "moderate" (for American consumption).

At the time of this posting things have changed!

What has changed is that the name of the terrorist chieftain of the PLO who is now posing as a "moderate" (for American consumption) is Abbas and not Arafat.

Arafat (1994)

Today's Golden Oldie is from January 1994.

Prior to 1948, when the State of Israel was created, a "Palestinian" was a Jew who lived in Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel.

After failing to destroy us in war, the Arab nations encouraged the Arabs of Bethlehem, Gaza, Hebron, Jerusalem, Nablus, etc. to see themselves as a coherent Arab nationality called "Palestinian". This promoted the fiction that there had once been a state called Palestine and that the Arabs were its natives ...and since Jews were no longer the "Palestinians", that meant that the Jews were foreign to the land. Oppressors. Outsiders. Settlers. Colonialists. The tactic worked ...but by 1994, our Arab neighbors were having trouble controlling the dangerous and violent Frankenstein's monster that they had created.

Arafat's heritage is now a two-headed beast ...Hamas, the Iranian stooge and the unrepentant terrorist PLO of Abbas. An the threat to the nations of the region is even greater now than it was back then.

Trapping the Terrorists (1982)

Today's Golden Oldie is from June 1982.

The two PLO fighters are each sporting the sinister-looking dark glasses and two-day beard that were Yasser's signature look. I always drew Arafat's dark glasses to look like black round cartoon bombs.

The Israeli army was fighting Arafat's forces in Lebanon. We had the terrorists on the ropes. Like Hitler before him, Yasser Arafat was trapped in his bunker. Back then we didn't think that the world would force us to let him go. But they did.

I posted this cartoon today while the IDF is fighting Iran's Hamas terrorist forces in Gaza. Once again the terrorist chieftains are "trapped in their bunkers". And this time an angry Israeli public demands that our leaders stand up to International pressure and not "let them go".

Do you think that they will?

The Pope and the Terrorists (1982)

Given the orchestrated explosion of Islamic anger at the current Pope, I thought I'd drag out this Golden Oldie from way back on September 13, 1982.

Two days later, Pope John Paul II met with terrorist chieftain Arafat.

Arafat called the papal encounter "very warm, very important, a historic meeting." Then-Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin said: "What else can one say, except to express disgust?" -more

Charming the Americans (1979)

August 1979. 28 years ago. American Ambassador to the UN, Andrew Young secretly met with PLO terrorist chieftain Arafat. Back then, meeting with PLO terrorist chieftains (like Arafat or Abbas) was frowned upon.

In the ensuing years the terrorists have managed to charm the whole world... and especially the western media. Ambassador Young was fired back then for what Secretary of State Rice has now been ordered to do.

PLO Refugee Boat (1988)

The portrayal of Palestinians as refugees and victims so crucial to the drumming up of rage against the State of Israel reached a new high point with the attempt this month to orchestrate a break into Israel by Gazan civilians suffering a "Humanitarian Crisis". Or was it just a rerun of a similar attempt to stage an event that was tried 20 years ago in February of 1988?

A loyal reader sent me a link to Lenny Ben-David's blog which recalls that:

"Israel was faced with a similar threat exactly 20 years ago when the PLO started to outfit a ship, Sol Phryne, and renamed it the al Awda (the Return). Some 200 Palestinian refugees and international "dignitaries" were slated to board the ship and provocatively sail into Haifa…" -more

Just as the PLO had appropriated the term Palestinian (which used to refer only to Jews in the region), Arafat was now planning a bizarro version of Israel's 1947 "refugee ship", the Exodus. If you don't know the story of the Exodus ship click here. And to learn more about the sending of the Jews back to internment camps by the British, click here.

If you'd like, next week, I'll post more of the cartoons that I did as the phony humanitarian crisis "refugee ship" ploy developed and played itself out back then, twenty years ago this very month.

What do you think?

His Ship Got Sunk (1988)

In February 1988 Yasser Arafat organized a group of Palestinian "refugees" and international supporters to board a "refugee ship" in Cyprus. Today's is the last of three "Golden Oldies" from February 1988 about the world-wide, front page event (which now seems to be totally forgotten). Previous cartoons are here and here.

The ship was called "Al Awda" (The Return). The plan was to sail it to an Israeli port, forcing Israel to either sink the ship (with the "homeless refugees", international "celebrities", and journalists aboard) or to let the ship land with its cargo of Palestinian "refugees" demanding their "right of return", its international celebrities defying the Israelis, and its on board journalists there to cover the whole story for the media.

Once again, a humanitarian crisis, once again the Palestinian Arabs as the oppressed victims, once again the Jewish State as the inhuman, cruel oppressor. What would or could Israel do?

I guess we'll never know, because, on February 14th, the night before the ship was to set sail (and before it was to be boarded by 100 "refugees", 300 journalists and 200 observers) someone blew it up.

* * * Almost 10 years later, in 1997, The NY Times covered a failed "Mossad operation" in Lebanon by profiling an Israeli naval commando unit called "Flotilla 13".

According to the NY Times:
"Flotilla 13 was responsible for some of the most daring attacks Israel has made over the years. Most of these remain secret, though some have become known.
On Feb. 14, 1988, a ship of the Palestine Liberation Organization was sunk in the Limassol harbor in Cyprus. Though Israel has never acknowledged responsibility for the attack, it is believed that Flotilla 13 sank the ship with a large explosive device. The ship was supposed to take hundreds of Palestinian refugees back to their homeland." -more

Your thoughts? Comments?

Sunday Mail: June 17, 2007

Posting a cartoon every weekday leaves no room for me to simply share news, ideas, and other stuff with you. So welcome to 'Sunday Mail: Letters from Dry Bones', the new, once-a-week Dry Bones feature.

Item One: Mixed Emotions
When I was a kid (back in the old days in Brooklyn) my father took me to a gala evening held by the fraternal order to which he belonged. I was especially impressed with the comedian. This morning I was reminded of one his hokey and sexist jokes from so long ago when I saw the photos of the destruction of Arafat's home in Gaza by a Palestinian mob, and the carrying off of his Nobel Peace prize medal and other memorabilia by Hamas thugs. The welcome destruction of the Arafat myth was part of the unfortunate sinking of any hope for a secular democratic Gaza.

The old joke was this: "Definition of mixed emotions: Watching your mother-in-law drive off a cliff in your brand new car."

Item Two: Spring Clearance Sale on Jewish Software.
I thought you'd like to know about this! From now until the end of July (or while supplies last) jewishsoftware.com is running an incredible inventory clearance sale. Up to 70% savings on more than 50 of their most popular titles. It's an opportunity to grab some neat Jewish software or stock up on perfect gifts for every occasion. They've got books, and games, and clip art, and Bible study programs, and more. I recommend that you check it out for yourself. Just click on:Jewish Software.

Ambassadors

Today's Golden Odie cartoon is from July 6, 2001.
Ten years ago.

The Ambassador who was leaving back then was an American Jew. AsI write this Israel is about to welcome a new American Ambassador. He's also an American Jew.

I, of course, have nothing against American Jews, and I certainly don't want to be politically incorrect, but frankly I'd feel more trusting with an American Ambassador to Israel who was an Evangelical Christian.

Shepherd Hotel

The Obama administration is upset and angry about a Jewish philanthropist's plan to build on a plot of land in East Jerusalem. A plot of land which he bought way back in 1985.

. . . and which has resulted in a local dispute you probably have not heard about. Israeli Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman has issued an order to place a photograph of the previous owner of the property in Israeli embassies and consulates. The "professionals" at the ministry are upset at being forced to comply. So here's the background to the story.

On the property stands the abandoned "Shepherd Hotel". Unmentioned in the controversy is the fact that the building and land were previously owned by the family of the Islamic Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini. So why does Lieberman want to put up the photos?

Well there's this:

"Al Husseini was the notorious Nazi who mixed Nazi propaganda and Islam. He was wanted for war crimes in Bosnia by Yugoslavia. His mix of militant propagandizing Islam was an inspiration for both Yasser Arafat and Saddam Husein: He was also a close relative of Yasser Arafat and grandfather of the current Temple Mount Mufti." -more

and there's this:

"Husseini spent World War II in Berlin at Hitler's side. Husseini established a division of Muslim Nazis "the Hanzar" division and played a first-hand role in instigating the genocide of Europe's Jews, Serbs and Gypsies. After World War II, he actively recruited Nazi officers into the Arab governments of the Middle East." -more

So here's a few more photos of the man who managed to blend Nazi philosophy into Islam, and the former owner of the hotel that Obama is desperate to keep out of "Jewish hands":

Your thoughts?

Optimists and Pessimists (1997)

Today's Golden Oldie is a cartoon from exactly 10 years ago. June 27, 1997.

Back then the debate was over whether "President" Arafat of the Palestinian Authority could (or would) stop the terrorism. Today's debate is exactly the same. Just that it's now about "President" Abbas.

So what are you? An optimist, a pessimist, or a realist?

Terrorism (2001)

Today's Golden Odie cartoon is from June 11 2001. Ten years ago this month.

Lethal Injection:

"Timothy James McVeigh (April 23, 1968 – June 11, 2001) was a United States Army veteran and security guard who became infamous for detonating a truck bomb in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. Commonly referred to as the Oklahoma City Bombing, the attack killed 168 people, injured 450, and was the deadliest act of terrorism within the United States prior to the September 11, 2001 attacks.[3] McVeigh, a militia movement sympathizer, sought revenge against the federal government for its handling of the Waco Siege, which had ended in the deaths of 76 people exactly two years earlier. He also hoped to inspire a revolt against what he considered to be a tyrannical federal government. He was convicted of 11 federal offenses and sentenced to death. His execution took place on June 11, 2001 at the Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute."-more

* * * A State of Their Own:

"The Arab League plans to ask the United Nations to grant full membership to a Palestinian state based on borders with Israel that existed before the 1967 Middle East war, according to the state-run Qatar News Agency.

The move comes after President Barack Obama made official the long-held -- but rarely stated -- U.S. support for a Palestinian state based on those borders, a position that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said can never happen.

The 22-member Arab states will seek membership for a Palestinian state -- with East Jerusalem as its capital -- during the next United Nations session in September, according to a statement released through QNA Saturday by the Ministerial Committee on the Arab Peace Initiative." -more