With friends like these, who needs enemies?

Everyone is aware of the oft-quoted saying: "With friends like these, who needs enemies?" - but how many of us are aware of how perfectly this describes Israel's relationship with those who claim to be her "friends"?

1) Let's start with Jordan, with whom Israel has a signed "peace" accord with (courtesy of IMRA - as reported in the Jordan Times):

Ramadan crescents and lanterns were put away ... Christmas trees are already coming up. Mutual respect and coexistence of the two faiths are such integral elements of our national identity that we almost take them for granted. But ... Israeli occupation is seriously threatening the very survival of Christian communities... Christian and Muslim Palestinians alike share the bitter pain of dispossession, discrimination, injustice, collective punishment and state terrorism.

Arab churches need to raise their voice and speak up. The West will be more inclined to listen to them than to listen to Muslim leaders, and perhaps world public opinion will start realizing that what is going on in Palestine is much more than just "religious tensions" - it is an ongoing, a craftily camouflaged operation of gradual but relentless ethnic cleansing.

(To learn about Islamic persecution of non-Muslims, click here, here, here and here.

2) On to our "peace partner" - the "Palestinians", including the "moderate" PLO President, Mahmoud Abbas:

* Palestinian Media Watch reports: Abbas Approves Grants to Suicide Terrorist Families

The Palestinian Authority yesterday revealed a new law that allocates money to family members of shahids, or 'martyrs.' A shahid is the highest honor attainable to a Muslim, and signifies a death for Allah. The Palestinian Authority regularly labels suicide terrorists as 'shahids.'

The president has authorized the implementation of the financial clause of the Care of the Families of Shahids draft law "...The fifth clause of the draft law includes granting a monthly allowance to the family of every shahid, taken from the general budget of the [Palestinian] National Authority.

* Ha'aretz reports: Palestinian soccer union plans to punish 'Peace Team' players

"The Palestinian FA will form a committee to investigate the players who participated in the match ... everyone involved will be punished," senior FA official Jamal Zaqout told Reuters.

"We act in accordance with the attitude of our people who are against normalization (of relations with Israel) before the end of the occupation," Zaqout said.

3) Last, but certainly not least, Israel's "best friend", the United States (Courtesy of Ha'aretz):

The United States is trying to stop an $1 billion-plus arms deal between Israel and South Korea... Washington is applying great pressure on South Korea to give the tender to the American firm Boeing, even though the Israeli offer is far less expensive.

Defense establishment sources expressed concern over increasing American involvement in Israel's defense export policy. They cited several occasions in recent years in which the administration foiled, postponed or tried to obstruct Israeli arms export deals including the Phalcon deal with China, the Harpy assault UAV deal with China, arms sales to India, and defense and arms sales to Venezuela.

(For more on the special relationship between Israel and the US, click here).

Once again...

With friends like these, who needs enemies?

Israel
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