http://www.intelligence.org.il/eng/sib/7_05/al_quds_b.htm Special Information Bulletin Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S) July 17, 2005 Incitement on local radio stations: Sawt al-Aqsa, a radio station run by Hamas and operating from the Gaza Strip, broadcasted a sermon calling upon the terrorist organizations to unite in order to resume the violent confrontation with Israel (the intifada), and lashing out against the US and the UK. The Palestinian Authority condemned the incitement broadcasted on Hamas' radio station and threatened to take measures against it. On Friday, July 15, 2005, a Qassam rocket attack was carried out against Israeli towns in the Western Negev and the Gaza Strip, in which Hamas terrorists took part. On that very day, Radio Sawt al-Aqsa broadcasted a non-scheduled and unannounced belligerent sermon full of incitement by an unidentified preacher. Radio Sawt al-Aqsa is affiliated with Hamas and operates from the Gaza Strip alongside additional local radio stations affiliated with the terrorist organizations. The sermon, accompanied by verses from the Quran, repeatedly called upon all the Palestinian organizations to unite in order to resume the violent confrontation with Israel (the intifada) on the basis of a united political program, without surrendering any stretch of Palestinian land and without acknowledging the State of Israel. At the end of the sermon, the preacher addressed the Iraqi people and wished them victory, saying: "We [Hamas] are with Iraq and with the people in Iraq ; we are against America and against Britain . Thus, jihad continues and the intifada continues, and the next breakthrough is going to take place in Jaffa ." ( Radio Sawt al-Aqsa, July 15, 2005). It should be noted that the terrorist organizations' local broadcasting stations, particularly those operating in the Gaza Strip, serve as major sources of incitement in the age of Abu Mazen as well as means to circumvent the restrictions imposed on incitement on Palestinian Authority-monitored media. These stations are exploited primarily by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad to broadcast programs preaching to hatred and terrorism against Israel , the US , the UK , and even the Palestinian Authority. 1 The Palestinian Authority's reaction to incitement, particularly incitement broadcasted on Radio Sawt al-Aqsa Against the backdrop of escalating tension between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas and their recent power struggles, the Palestinian Interior Ministry issued an announcement stating it would take all necessary legal means against the incitement of the Hamas movement, expressed, among other things, in malicious sermons in mosques and belligerent radio broadcasts targeted also against the Palestinian security forces. According to the Interior Ministry, the incitement, particularly incitement broadcasted on Radio Sawt al-Aqsa, fans hatred, damages the national unity, and is a blatant and overt violation of the law and the professional ethics (the Palestinian Authority's Interior Ministry's website, July 17, 2005). According to Hamas' claims, within the context of preventive measures taken by the Palestinian Authority against the radio broadcasts of Sawt al-Aqsa, the Palestinian Telecommunications Company (PALTEL) blocked the station's website since July 19. The webmaster, Umar Abu Hayya, claimed that no attacks on the Palestinian Authority were published on the website and that such measures were "contrary to the principles of freedom of expression" ( Radio Sawt al-Aqsa's website, July 22, 2005). It should be noted that in practice, no blocking of the website has been detected and it continues to operate as usual. Hamas' reaction: The Palestinian Authority is trying to "undermine the freedom of expression" and the professionalism of Palestinian media The Sawt al-Aqsa radio station denounced the accusations of the Interior Ministry against it and demanded they be stopped. In a statement published by the Sawt al-Aqsa station it was said, among other things, that "we strongly condemn the announcements issued again and again by the Interior Ministry against the Sawt al-Aqsa radio station, such announcements being a deliberate blow on the part of the Interior Ministry and an action against the free media that is protected in all international treaties." The announcement stated that now, more than ever, the Palestinian people needed to "assimilate the freedom of opinion and the freedom of expression to establish our state" (Hamas' website, July 16, 2005). The announcement of the Sawt al-Aqsa station adds that the station has taken upon itself to protect the Palestinian people, and it must therefore fulfill its mission of information and indoctrination professionally and daringly, despite the damage sustained by its facilities from IDF fire and the damage sustained by its website. The announcement states that the activity of the station is part of the legitimate means that must be taken within the context of the war against Israel ("the Zionist entity"). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- 1 Within this context, see for example Information Bulletin titled " Sawt al-Quds, a radio station associated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, broadcasted a sermon praising the London terrorist attacks" (July 11, 2005).
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
