Although the planned Israeli withdrawal from Gaza -- the largest deportation of Jews from their homes since Poland, 1944 -- passed a legislative hurdle in last week's Knesset vote, it has not been definitively approved and may yet be subject to a nationwide referendum. The retreat, however, may have just been stopped in its tracks.
In a press conference held at the Al-Aksa Mosque in Jerusalem this morning, Gaza settlement leaders announced that they and all their followers converted overnight to Islam. The Gaza settlers submitted their conversion forms through an Islamic website, agreeing to a twelve-step program that considers Allah above all other deities and Muhammad above all other messengers.
The news brought an immediate reaction from diverse nations and NGOs.
Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, stated that "the deportation of 8,000 Muslims from their homes constitutes a crime against humanity and a violation of international law."
Saeb Ekrat, interviewed on CNN, stated that the Muslims of Gush Katif had lived in their homes since time immemorial, before the Jews even existed, and that the planned actions of the Sharon government constitute another vicious deportation of indigenous peoples by the Israeli government. He said the Palestinian Authority could not be held responsible for the violence that might result from this unheard of provocation - the deportation of 80,000 women and children.
He stated that the Palestinians would seek an international presence in the Gaza Strip to protect those people. Also interviewed by CNN was the former president of Iran, Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani. He was not aware of the developments, but welcomed the new converts to the fold and stated emphatically that if any Muslims are removed from their homes, Iran would "burn the little Satan, the Zionist entity, with fire from the sun to bring peace to the world." When asked if he was referring to a hydrogen bomb or other nuclear device, President Rafsanjani stated that Iran was only pursuing nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
In a hastily arranged speech in Kuala Lumpor, former Malaysian prime minister Dr. Mahathir Mohammed stated that Sharon and the Jews are pig monkey dogs, and that the attempt to deport the 800,000 Muslims would demonstrate to the world that the Jews are cockroaches and the spreaders of AIDS. The Malaysian Foreign Ministry later clarified that these statements were not anti-Semitic, but reflected a reaction to the actions of Israel in deporting the Muslim converts.
Human Rights Watch is preparing a report on the deportations, which it says violates the first, third and fourth Geneva Conventions as well as numerous other laws applicable only to Israel. It announced that it is investigating allegations of prospective massacres of the Muslim converts in these former Jewish settlements, now ancient Arab villages, by Israeli security forces.
France, in its role as rotating president of the European Union, announced that it and other members of the European Union could not be expected to protect Jews living in the European Union if Israel undertakes such aggressive actions against Muslims. France has announced that it will accelerate aid to Hamas, Hizbullah and other humanitarian organizations, which will deal with the eventual human rights crisis that would result from these actions. When a reporter asked about the concurrent humanitarian crisis in Sudan, French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier stated that as the crisis in Gush Katif dwarfed that of Darfur, Sudan, the European Union had rescheduled its meeting to discuss taking immediate action to aid those being killed by Arab militias in Sudan until the fall of 2006.
Also in France, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat could not be reached for comment, apparently because he was too busy kissing anything and everything in sight. But a spokesman said that he supported the just struggle of the eight million new Muslim converts and called on them to march as martyrs to Jerusalem.
The government of Israel has not formerly responded to these developments, but former Knesset member Yossi Beilin, during a stopover in Geneva, stated that while he supported the deportation of Jewish settlers from their homes, he did not support the deportation of Muslims under any circumstances. However, he questioned whether the settlers had the proper intent when converting. Tommy Lapid, head of the Shinui party, stated that any form of conversion, no matter how cursory, was satisfactory and he would not stand for a Haredi interpretation of conversion requirements.
When questioned during a campaign stop over, John Kerry -- whose ancestors converted from Judaism to Catholicism -- said that he would have voted for the disengagement, but would now vote against it, if he could vote. He said he was all for mass conversion, as long as the conversion was performed during mass. President Bush was busy telling children a goat story and could not be reached for comment.
In a press conference held at the Al-Aksa Mosque in Jerusalem this morning, Gaza settlement leaders announced that they and all their followers converted overnight to Islam. The Gaza settlers submitted their conversion forms through an Islamic website, agreeing to a twelve-step program that considers Allah above all other deities and Muhammad above all other messengers.
The news brought an immediate reaction from diverse nations and NGOs.
Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, stated that "the deportation of 8,000 Muslims from their homes constitutes a crime against humanity and a violation of international law."
Saeb Ekrat, interviewed on CNN, stated that the Muslims of Gush Katif had lived in their homes since time immemorial, before the Jews even existed, and that the planned actions of the Sharon government constitute another vicious deportation of indigenous peoples by the Israeli government. He said the Palestinian Authority could not be held responsible for the violence that might result from this unheard of provocation - the deportation of 80,000 women and children.
He stated that the Palestinians would seek an international presence in the Gaza Strip to protect those people. Also interviewed by CNN was the former president of Iran, Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani. He was not aware of the developments, but welcomed the new converts to the fold and stated emphatically that if any Muslims are removed from their homes, Iran would "burn the little Satan, the Zionist entity, with fire from the sun to bring peace to the world." When asked if he was referring to a hydrogen bomb or other nuclear device, President Rafsanjani stated that Iran was only pursuing nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
In a hastily arranged speech in Kuala Lumpor, former Malaysian prime minister Dr. Mahathir Mohammed stated that Sharon and the Jews are pig monkey dogs, and that the attempt to deport the 800,000 Muslims would demonstrate to the world that the Jews are cockroaches and the spreaders of AIDS. The Malaysian Foreign Ministry later clarified that these statements were not anti-Semitic, but reflected a reaction to the actions of Israel in deporting the Muslim converts.
Human Rights Watch is preparing a report on the deportations, which it says violates the first, third and fourth Geneva Conventions as well as numerous other laws applicable only to Israel. It announced that it is investigating allegations of prospective massacres of the Muslim converts in these former Jewish settlements, now ancient Arab villages, by Israeli security forces.
France, in its role as rotating president of the European Union, announced that it and other members of the European Union could not be expected to protect Jews living in the European Union if Israel undertakes such aggressive actions against Muslims. France has announced that it will accelerate aid to Hamas, Hizbullah and other humanitarian organizations, which will deal with the eventual human rights crisis that would result from these actions. When a reporter asked about the concurrent humanitarian crisis in Sudan, French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier stated that as the crisis in Gush Katif dwarfed that of Darfur, Sudan, the European Union had rescheduled its meeting to discuss taking immediate action to aid those being killed by Arab militias in Sudan until the fall of 2006.
Also in France, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat could not be reached for comment, apparently because he was too busy kissing anything and everything in sight. But a spokesman said that he supported the just struggle of the eight million new Muslim converts and called on them to march as martyrs to Jerusalem.
The government of Israel has not formerly responded to these developments, but former Knesset member Yossi Beilin, during a stopover in Geneva, stated that while he supported the deportation of Jewish settlers from their homes, he did not support the deportation of Muslims under any circumstances. However, he questioned whether the settlers had the proper intent when converting. Tommy Lapid, head of the Shinui party, stated that any form of conversion, no matter how cursory, was satisfactory and he would not stand for a Haredi interpretation of conversion requirements.
When questioned during a campaign stop over, John Kerry -- whose ancestors converted from Judaism to Catholicism -- said that he would have voted for the disengagement, but would now vote against it, if he could vote. He said he was all for mass conversion, as long as the conversion was performed during mass. President Bush was busy telling children a goat story and could not be reached for comment.