Quick Takes: News From Israel You May Have Missed

Senior terrorist leaders interviewed by WorldNetDaily said they hoped Americans would sweep the Democrats into power because of the party’s position on withdrawing from Iraq, a move, as they see it, that would ensure victory for the worldwide Islamic movement.

“Of course Americans should vote Democrat,” said Jihad Jaara, a senior member of the Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades terror group and the leader of the 2002 siege of Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity.

Muhammad Saadi, a senior leader of Islamic Jihad in the northern West Bank town of Jenin, said the Democrats’ talk of withdrawal from Iraq makes him feel “proud.”

“As Arabs and Muslims we feel … very proud from the great successes of the Iraqi resistance. This success that brought the big superpower of the world to discuss a possible withdrawal.”

The terror leaders agreed a U.S. withdrawal would embolden their own terror groups to enhance “resistance” against Israel.

This reporter read to the terror leaders quotes from prominent Democrats, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, claiming a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq would end the insurgency there.

Islamic Jihad’s Saadi laughed and said, “There is no chance that the resistance will stop.”

Echoing remarks by Hamas senior terror leader Abu Abdullah, Saadi explained that an American withdrawal from Iraq would “prove the resistance is the most important tool and that this tool works. The victory of the Iraqi revolution will mark an important step in the history of the region and in the attitude regarding the United States.”

Jaara said an American withdrawal would “mark the beginning of the collapse of this tyrant empire [America].”

Syria and Hizbullah are likely to start a war with the Jewish state within 10 months, according to an assessment by the Israeli Defense Forces presented to Israel’s political leadership.

IDF leaders did not release the expected timing of such attacks, but according to senior military officials, they urged Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s government in meetings during the past few weeks to allow the IDF to prepare for a possible major conflict.

The officials said the assessment, compiled by the general staff of the IDF, is based on intelligence information and on what they say is the conclusion reached by Syria and Hizbullah – that military confrontations achieve results. They said Hizbullah considered itself victorious against Israeli troops in Lebanon in July and August.

Explained a military official: “While Hizbullah took some major hits, the group’s rocket infrastructure is still intact. They are capable of firing more rockets into Israel. The war ended without Hizbullah having to return [Eldad] Regev and [Ehud] Goldwasser.” (Regev and Goldwasser are the two soldiers Hizbullah kidnapped in July, prompting the confrontation.)

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said a cease-fire imposed in August by the United Nations “achieved a political win for Hizbullah. “It recognized Hizbullah’s claims to the Shebaa Farms [a small piece of territory held by Israel but claimed by Lebanon and Syria] and called for future negotiations.

“It also restricts Israel’s ability to stop Hizbullah from rearming and regrouping, which is what they are currently doing,” the official said.

Also according to military officials, Syria and Iran have been smuggling weapons to Hizbullah in Lebanon during the past few weeks. They said the smuggling is taking place in front of a contingent of 20,000 international troops stationed in Lebanon.

The IDF warnings of an impending conflict also come amid repeated statements by top Syrian leaders, including Syrian President Bashar Assad, saying Damascus is preparing for war.

Rusty Humphries, a nationally syndicated American radio host, this week released a music CD poking fun at Islamic terrorists, with parody songs he says highlight the “hypocrisy” and “pure stupidity” of terror ideology.

The CD features clips of actual terrorists from interviews conducted in the Middle East by Humphries along with this reporter.

“Thank Allah I’m a Jihad Boy,” is the title track of the new CD, which is expected to draw the ire of at least a few jihadist organizations, with parody songs entitled “Last Train to Kooksville,” “Arafat’s Death Song,” and “Roll Over Appeasers,” among others.

A sampling of the lyrics includes gems like: “Life as a terrorist is really laid back/You find an infidel and give his head a big whack/See a soldier just shoot him in the back/Thank Allah I’m a Jihad Boy.

“Well I got me five wifes and got me a hooka/ When the sun comes up I strap on my Bazooka/ One wife so ugly I’m glad she wears a burka/ Thank Allah I’m a Jihad Boy.”

“We’re all afraid of terrorists,” said Humphries. “They are scary, which makes them successful. What I try to do is point out the absurdity of their claims, which isn’t too difficult, and take away our fear of them by turning them into subjects of ridicule. I learned from talking to the terrorists in person that when you peel away all their lies, there is no foundation to what they are doing.”