Editorials 1 March 2010
March 1st, 2010 at 4:00 pm by David FarrarThe NZ Herald editorial does not appear to be online.
The Press looks at the furore over the forged passports by Mossad:
British police officers have arrived in Israel in an attempt to find out who or what stole the identities of six British-Israeli nationals and used them in the assassination in Dubai last month of a leader of the Palestinian Hamas organisation. The chances that the police will find anything worthwhile is exceedingly remote. If the murder was carried out by the Israeli foreign intelligence agency Mossad, as Dubai alleges and many others suspect, the Israeli Government will see to it that the truth never emerges. If it was perpetrated by some other actor – and the possibility that the killing was carried out by Arab agents from Hamas or elsewhere as part of some internecine feud has not been entirely ruled out – there is no chance that any plodding Western investigation is going to get to the bottom of it.
Maybe iPredict should do a market on who was it. My money will be on Mossad!
The victim was Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, co-founder of the military wing of Hamas, the radical Islamic organisation that controls the Gaza Strip. What Mabhouh was doing in Dubai without security protection is not known. As someone well aware that he was a target for assassination from a variety of quarters, Mabhouh seldom ventured far from Damascus where he was heavily protected. It appears likely he was involved in arranging a further illicit shipment of weapons from Iran for Hamas’s continuing attacks on Israel and for some reason felt secure travelling without guards. If this is the case, it is likely that Israeli intelligence seized the chance to carry out a strike that had probably been planned for some time.
Hamas is at war with Israel. Their policy is to destroy Israel. It is hard to argue that the co-founder of the military wing is not a legitimate military target.
The Dom Post welcomes a review of employment law:
Four years ago, a Tauranga company concerned about the theft of company property installed motion-sensitive cameras on its premises.
The cameras filmed a worker placing a cardboard box containing cakes of soap under a bench. Another worker, who subsequently admitted stealing company property, was filmed taking a box from under the bench and putting it in his car. The company believed it was a clear case of theft. It asked the worker who had placed the box under the bench to explain his actions. He refused. The company sacked him.
End of story? No. The worker took his case to the Employment Relations Authority. The authority found in favour of the employer. The worker appealed to the Employment Court. It took a different view.
It found the worker had been unjustifiably dismissed because his employer had not followed proper procedures. It had given him only selected portions of the surveillance tape, it had not put in writing the misdeeds of which he was accused, and it had wrongly concluded that the worker’s representative was stalling when he put off meetings because of other commitments. The company was ordered to pay the employee $12,000 for lost wages and $7000 for distress.
A good example of the case for change.
The ODT looks at home insulation:
Large-scale taxpayer subsiding of home insulation would seem an unlikely policy for a right-of-centre political party.
But that is what pragmatic National did and, by and large, Prime Minister John Key and his colleagues will be pleased with the outcome.
As are the Greens!
March 1st, 2010 at 4:12 pm
Now Dubai police report that two of the suspects left…on a boat for Iran. Mossad, Iran, WTF. The misdirection, double dealing, and obfuscation going on this is become positively byzantine. I still think Mossad likely, they certainly have the motive and form, but not everything seems to stack up. Of course, leaving on a boat for Iran and arriving in Iran are two separate matters, but still…
Vote:March 1st, 2010 at 4:25 pm
“Hamas is at war with Israel. Their policy is to destroy Israel. It is hard to argue that the co-founder of the military wing is not a legitimate military target.”
Hard to argue that, hard to argue its a gross violation to do so in another countries jurisdiction which you are not at war with, less so.
Also is questionable is what it will achieve long term. The propoganda one can seize from this is far greater likely than the benefit of killing of a single leader, maybe. Mind you Israel gave up really trying to find a peaceful solution to Gaza since Camp David and the rejection of their offer there.
Vote:March 1st, 2010 at 4:44 pm
Good on Mossad……..New Zealand rules do not apply in the Middle East.
……………………………..Luc (defender of terroisim) will be along soon to point out the error of my ways
Vote:March 1st, 2010 at 4:54 pm
DOM POST
“It found the worker had been unjustifiably dismissed because his employer had not followed proper procedures”
Thats it in a nut shell, I work daily in employment issues for the employers and the procedures are clear, follow them and you don’t have a problem, the employment Court will generallly find for the employee if procedures are not correct, this is fair I believe even though I work for the “Bosses”. Follow the rules and things are sweet.
The example used will have a bit more to it, because theft is generally regarded as gross misconduct like drug use at work and can lead to dismissal without warnings and letters etc
Vote:March 1st, 2010 at 5:04 pm
Maybe iPredict should do a market on who was it. My money will be on Mossad!
I’m not convinced. The burning question in my mind is why would Mossad agents use passports of foreign nationals who are living in Israel at that point in time? Surely they would use passports that cannot be traced back to Israel.
Vote:March 1st, 2010 at 5:10 pm
” Large-scale taxpayer subsiding of home insulation would seem an unlikely policy for a right-of-centre political party. ”
Except National are not “right of centre’, other than by the standards of blinkered extreme leftists. National and almost every other party in NZ are far left, as the subsidization of home insulation policy shows so well.
Given the objectives of the right are minuscule government and maximum individual responsibility, I invite anyone who disagrees with the above assertion to point out any legitimate party who has candidates that are standing on such a platform.
There’s nothing right wing about National. It is in the interests of NZ’s extreme left media of course to promote the myth that there is.
Vote:March 1st, 2010 at 5:37 pm
The home insulation policy seems to be working really well for Peter Garret in Oz, hope National is taking note.
Vote:March 1st, 2010 at 7:11 pm
Well, as they say, the first casualty of war is the truth and those who defend the despicable regime in Israel discard the truth at the earliest opportunity. Hamas is a resistance movement, formed in response to twenty years of brutal and belligerent Israeli occupation of the remnants of historic Palestine. It’s aim is to restore Palestinians to the land they were driven from by European thugs who misappropriated the Jewish religion to justify a land grab. People often don’t understand this, but British support for the venture was actually grounded in anti-semitism (read Tom Segev, One Palestine, Complete)
The allegation of a state of war between Hamas and Israel is risible. A few AK47s and homemade rockets and bombs up against a powerful, militarised, nuclear armed state. Consider this, from Wiki:
In only one sense could the argument between Hamas and Israel be considered war, that is as an asymmetrical war, which tells us all we need to know about the respective military capabilities of Hamas and Israel.
Where Hamas is the stronger party, and one which it has so far failed to exploit as much as it could, is in it the moral force of its reasons for existence. To end Israeli occupation, restore Palestinians to their land, and finally, for the first time, enable a State of Palestine to emerge.
Unfortunately, the Hamas charter, formed under the extreme duress of the IDF treating Palestinians as vermin, not humans, couches these laudable goals in extremist rhetoric. However, just as extreme language is evident on the other side as well, but, as with other actions by Israel eg extra-judicial murders in foreign lands, it’s OK when it’s Europeans involved.
Finally, Hamas is but a fraction of the population of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The last figures I saw put the combined membership of Fatah and Hamas as no more than 60,000. Of course, some 45% voted for Hamas in its surprise election win (a quirk of the electoral system set up by Arafat supposedly to ensure a Fatah win) does not equate with Hamas membership. And the collective punishment now imposed on Palestinians for having the temerity to vote for Hamas (who were the major social services providor in Gaza) reminds me of the actions of Saddam Hussein when he seized power and executed non-Baath Party supporters (the list kindly supplied by the CIA.)
There you go Pauleastbay, that keep you happy for a while?
Vote:March 1st, 2010 at 7:22 pm
Happy as a big happy thing Luc, rock on
Vote:March 1st, 2010 at 8:04 pm
Regardless of your support or otherwise of Israel, and if they are indeed responsible for this assassination, you have to ask what have they ultimately achieved by this? Apart from maybe settling some old grudges it looks to be somewhat counter productive. On the other hand it could have been a masterful bit of counter-espionage by Iran or the likes.
Vote:March 1st, 2010 at 8:13 pm
One rule for all. I assume you would all be happy if Chinese or Russian agents assassinate opponents in NZ. You would really be happy if they used missiles or bombs with some collateral damage.
as for the insulation this mostly ends up in middle to high income homes, I see it, this is called churning and could be achieved cheaper other ways.
Vote:March 1st, 2010 at 8:33 pm
Luc …
So what you really mean to say is that it’s an asymmetric war. Consider this, from Wiki:
But note that they call it asymmetric war … not asymmetric pillow fights, or asymmetric mild disagreements.
Vote:March 1st, 2010 at 9:22 pm
Did Hamas really win an election in Gaza?
Vote:March 1st, 2010 at 9:24 pm
Yes, VM, as I said, it’s the only definition of war that fits.
Problem is also, it disguises the real issue, the ongoing unjust dispossession, occupation and repression of Palestinians, with most Western govts complicit.
I always like to go to first principles. It’s Palestinian land. And one day they will return.
Vote:March 1st, 2010 at 9:25 pm
Israel still exists because Israelis are smarter than Arabs. Personally, I am not one or the other, but smart money must go on a society that will advance human endeavour and positive progress, rather than one which desires to regress to the dark ages and will countenance no defeat on the way back to this prison.
Vote:Yes this war is asymmetric … more proof to my point.
March 2nd, 2010 at 1:05 am
Luc
me old buddy I see the god bothers have not risen to your bait.
Surfice to say I have it on good authority that the so called Palestinians of the arab western media construct WILL NOT own the real estate.
The title deed is already given out.
Can’t wait for the Mount of Olives to be split in two and the river run from it.
Can’t you
Good on the Israelis if they did it.
Vote:may they get strength to their hands as they go get the next one, preferably whilst he’s on the bog or shagging his mistress or boyfriend….
Maybe our media should be asking our intelligence agencies how many times they have false flagged ops since 911?
or assisted or known about other Int ops that were (maybe friendly headsup too).
March 2nd, 2010 at 9:45 am
Give it a bone. Even if he was a “legitimate military target” spies are shot in wartime. But i suspect you’ll be the first to complain if they are.
Vote:March 2nd, 2010 at 10:10 am
What Matt Long said – exactly what he said.
Here’s more:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10629411
Vote:March 2nd, 2010 at 11:18 am
Luc you have an interesting position on Israel vs. Palestine.
Interesting in the same way getting blown up while waiting for a movie is interesting, the same way being surrounded by countries who ALL want to push you into the sea and kill every citizen of your country.
Israel has few allies and fewer real friends and they have held out against 60 years of all of their neighbors wanting them dead. They have managed this by being fairly ruthless and preemptive in their dealings with the people who have come out openly and said that a high priority is the destruction of the Jewish state.
Vote: