100 Israeli terror victims to be flown to Florida for Islamic Jihad trial

[pissed_American]

100 Israeli terror victims to be flown to Florida for Islamic Jihad trial

By Roni Singer and Nathan Guttman, Haaretz Correspondents

Some 100 survivors of terror attacks, relatives of those killed, police investigators, Magen David Adom paramedics, and ZAKA volunteers will testify in what American authorities regard as the most important terrorist trial in the United States since the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The group will be flown to Tampa, Florida early next month to serve as prosecution witnesses in the trial of four Arab-Americans accused of belonging to Islamic Jihad and raising funds to finance terror attacks, including some that took place in Israel.

<snip>

The Israeli witnesses, flying to Florida at the expense of the U.S. government, include survivors of terror attacks going back to 1989, as well as relatives of some of those killed, eyewitnesses, doctors from the Institute of Forensic Medicine at Abu Kabir in South Tel Aviv and police officers.

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/577323.html



Did/do we ( as in you and I as taxpayers) REALLY need to pay travel expenses for 100 witnesses ??!!

Since money is made from paper, I guess it really does grow on trees?

We couldn`t video testimony??


BOY, am I pissed !!!

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. It's only money, and think of all the great anecdotal

terrorist stories that they can clog the press up with in the duration.

[sandnsea]

2. Yep

Since this oil for food thing isn't working out so well.

[Behind the Aegis]

3. Who's they? n/t

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[DulceDecorum]

5. Rita Katz is still chasing Sami & the terrorist chickens, I see.

Last update - 09:26 18/05/2005
The lead defendant in the case is Sami al-Arian, a University of South Florida computer engineering professor who has been held by authorities for the last two years. Also on trial are Sameeh Hammoudeh, Hatim Naji Fsariz and Ghassan Zayed Ballut.
<snip>
The defense also plans to show the jury photographs and other documentation to show that Arian was a well-known Arab-American politician, friendly with major U.S. political figures such as former U.S. president Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush. If the FBI suspected the defendants of being terrorists, the defense will ask, why didn't they warn the political figures to stay away from Arian and the others?
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/577323.html

A little Googling revealed that SITE, is an "news" organization with all the credibility of Talon News. SITE consists of Rita Katz and Josh Devon. They are only cited on NationalReview Online, or Fox News, and one of the partners has been hand picked by Bush to man lots of posts on Homeland Security and other Bush organizations. Look at the site and you'll see a PR job website that dresses as a real organization. All this scrolling news stories are progress in the WOT. There is no critical thinking or punditry. Just a big ra-ra site.
<snip>
Rita Katz accused a chicken farm in Georgia of being associated with terrorists and they aired this segment on 60 Minutes two years ago. Turns out Rita Katz wrote a book that purportedly makes her a terrorism expert because she donned a burka and infiltrated a meeting.
Steven Emerson, a fake journalist (aka POISON) who lied to Congress and to the FBI had teamed up with Rita Katz, a women who claims to have donned a burka and spied on terrorists running a chicken farm in Georgia.
And newspapers wonder why they lose readership. Because they've lost credibility. When facts are a commodity, or things that can be manufactured without question, then you you see how what we do here is more important than we may ever know.
http://dailykos.com/story/2005/3/13/155010/007

Nuremberg, it ain't.

[Behind the Aegis]

6. What?

Are you saying Ha'aretz is not a credible news site?

[DulceDecorum]

7. No. Ha'aretz is fine. Rita on the other hand .....

Beginning in the early 1990s, there was a concerted effort by some supporters of Israel's right-wing Likud Party to silence Palestinian voices and undermine the peace process in the Middle East. Leading the pack was self-styled terrorism expert Steven Emerson. Katz was his "research director" until sometime last year when the two split.

Emerson has one word for Arabs and Muslims -- "terrorist." He made so many gaffes -- most memorable, his 1995 attempt on CBS to link the Oklahoma City bombing to Muslims -- he has been run out of many respectable newsrooms. His response was the smear job. When the Washington Post shunned him, he branded the paper "pro-Hamas." When the Miami Herald strafed Emerson's shoddy claims, he wrote the city's Jewish leaders claiming the paper's reporter "was nothing short of racist."
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/16163/

[RuleofLaw]

8. What the hell is the point?

Why do we need all those people here? They cannot prove anything. They can testify to the terrorist attacks, but thats it. There is no way they can be used to prove that the four defendants had anything to do with it. It's purely to influence the jury emotionally and the Judge (Moody) should not allow it.

How can a victim of a car bomb in Tel Aviv contribute to a case about whether Sami Al-Arian raised money in the US?

Bullshit.

[Coastie for Truth]

9. Because that's the way Federal Prosecutors

-and California and Florida prosecutors-- do things. Every case is a "Big Case" with 100's of witnesses.

Do you remember OJ - and he walked. Watch Michael Jackson - I'll betcha he walks too.

Federal prosecutors, California prosecutors, and Florida prosecutors over charge, bring in every witness off the street, .... and they still lose a lot of cases.

Rule of thumb -- over charging and too many witnesses is the mark of a prosecutor who lacks either a case or confidence - OR BOTH.

My son is a trial lawyer - and a fine one - he wins his cases - that's why he is in private practice and drives a Porsche. And his mommie and I are very proud of him.

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[hector459]

10. Will we fly any Palestinian victims of occupation terror to the US?

I guess this makes 100 more voters in FL who will have dual citizenship.