DAILY ALERT

In-Depth Issues:

Report: Corruption Still Rampant in Palestinian Society (DPA)
    Corruption is still rampant in Palestinian public institutions, the Palestinian Coalition for Accountability and Integrity-Aman said Wednesday in a report.
    Despite some positive reforms in the area of public fund management, there is still a "general weakness in the system of combating corruption."
    Aman commissioner Azmi Shueibi said the Palestinian public in general believes that corruption increased in 2008.
    In the West Bank, "many forms of favoritism, nepotism, misappropriation of public money and abuse of public position continues to impact on many sectors of Palestinian society."
    In Gaza, corruption was "manifested in the dismissal, termination, transfer or exclusion of public officials believed to belong to the political opponents, who were replaced by new hires of a favorable political affiliation."
    See also Firms Run by PA Leader Abbas' Sons Get U.S. Contracts - Adam Entous (Reuters)
    Construction and public relations firms run by Tarek Abbas and Yasser Mahmoud Abbas, sons of PA leader Mahmoud Abbas, have received over $2 million worth of U.S. government aid contracts to repair roads - and America's image - in the Palestinian territories since 2005.

Syria Says Ahmadinejad Speech Reflected Arab Views (AFP)
    Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech at a UN conference on racism had widespread Arab support, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said Wednesday.

Somali Pirates Form Unholy Alliance with Islamists (Der Spiegel-Germany)
    Intelligence agencies are alarmed at the Somali pirates' increasingly close ties to Islamist groups.
    Intelligence agencies have managed to deeply penetrate the pirate clans and have inside information about the bosses, arms caches, alliances and arrangements.
    Until recently, the pirates and Islamists have been mortal enemies. When fighters loyal to the radical Council of Islamic Courts seized power in Somalia in 2006, they immediately put the pirates out of business.
    Half a year later, an invading army from U.S.-backed neighboring Ethiopia swept aside the Islamists - and the pirates quickly headed out to sea again in search of new booty.
    Today, the pirates want money and the Islamists want power. The pirates are "mujahideen because they are at war with the Christian countries," says Sheikh Hassan Turki, the leader of Hizbul Islam. Mukhtar Robow of the al-Shabab militias says the pirates are defending "the coast against Allah's enemies."
    The pirates smuggle weapons for the Islamists including, last October, ZU-23 anti-aircraft guns - weapons that could make life extremely difficult for Western helicopter pilots.
    See also Somalia's Muslim Jihad at Sea - Joshua E. London (Washington Times)
    The Somali pirates do not think of themselves as pirates, but instead consider themselves to be devout Muslims protecting Somalia against the infidel West.
    While the U.S. government is treating the matter as a criminal case, these "criminals" are jihadist Muslim pirates and must be dealt with in the context of America's larger regional and international war against Islamist terror networks.

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Observations:

Report on the Conduct of IDF Soldiers During the Gaza War (Israel Defense Forces)

Five investigative teams assigned to investigate events related to the conduct of IDF soldiers during the Gaza War dealt with the following five issues:

• Claims regarding incidents where UN and international facilities were fired upon
  Regarding the UNRWA school in Jabaliya, Hamas fired mortar shells at Israeli forces 80 meters from the school. All of the shells fired by IDF forces landed outside the school grounds.
• Incidents involving shooting at medical facilities, buildings, vehicles and crews
  A building containing a mother-and-child clinic was used by Hamas as a weapons storage facility. Despite the fact that the building was not identifiable as a clinic, the IDF still warned the residents prior to the attack. IDF forces took extraordinary care and acted even beyond the obligations of international law.
• Claims regarding incidents in which many uninvolved civilians were harmed
  Regarding the attack on the house of senior Hamas operative Nazar Ri'an, Ri'an was a legitimate military target due to his involvement in the execution and planning of terrorists attacks, and his house was used as a weapons storage facility, as proven by the secondary explosions after the attack.
• The use of weaponry containing phosphorous
  The use of weapons containing white phosphorus as a smoke screen is standard, legal, and a tactic employed by other Western militaries worldwide.
• Damage to infrastructure and the destruction of buildings
  No uninvolved civilians were harmed during the demolition of infrastructure and buildings by IDF forces. In many cases, the planting of explosives or weaponry by Hamas was responsible for the significant damage caused to the structures.
• The government of Israel ordered the IDF to embark on the Gaza operation following eight years of rocket fire on Israeli communities in southern Israel. During this time, hundreds of thousands of Israeli children, women and men were terrorized by endless attacks executed by Hamas and other terrorist organizations in Gaza. Thousands of rockets and mortars were fired at Israeli schools, kindergartens and residential neighborhoods.
• There were 1,166 Palestinian fatalities during the Gaza operation; 709 were Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives, whose names are known. 162 of the fatalities were men between the ages of 16 and 45, whose connection to Hamas is unclear. 295 of the fatalities were Palestinian civilians.