Putting Swedish justice into perspective

The right to earn an income is more worthy of the Swedish Chancellor of Justice’s direct intervention and legal proceedings, than the right of Swedish Jews to live in safety without having their lives threatened.

That appears to be the emerging truth in the ongoing saga of Swedish Chancellor of Justice Mr Göran Lambertz and the legal cases to which he chooses to lend the weight of his office.

Swedish Chancellor of Justice Göran Lambertz went on record in April 2006 as saying that Muslim Swedish calls to kill Jews – in Sweden – should be seen in the context of a conflict taking place 3000 kilometres away on a different continent in which no Swedes of any description are involved. He opined that such statements “should be judged differently, and therefore be regarded as permissible, because they are used by one side in an ongoing and far-reaching conflict where calls to arms and invectives are part of the everyday climate in the rhetoric that surrounds this conflict.”

Less than a month later the Chancellor of Justice, in a remarkable departure from the protocol of his office, micro-managed the case of an individual by suggesting it might be advisable to institute legal proceedings against a Swedish tabloid that published unfounded allegations of alcohol abuse against a renowned Swedish actor, on the grounds that such allegations could seriously damage the actor’s reputation and ability to earn an income. The Chancellor who declined to use his powers to defend the lives of Jews in Sweden apparently decided there was more merit to defending an actor’s good name so he could earn an income.

Sweden recently axed a long-planned peacekeeping drill with the several European air forces because the Israeli Air Force was also participating, although both Sweden and Israel took part in a similar exercise just last year in Canada. However, last year was not election year in Sweden. 2006 is, and the governing Social Democrats are trailing in the polls, with elections scheduled in mid-September.

A fortnight after pulling out of the long-scheduled air drill, Sweden contravened the EU and Schengen signatory states, violating international agreements to give the terror-branded Hamas Minister of Refugees an entry visa to Sweden. In that capacity, the minister, Mr Atef Adwan, came to Sweden to request support for something that has never previously existed in history, an independent Palestinian Arab state. As Minister of Refugees, however, Mr Adwan came to Sweden to structure his vision of how that Palestinian state should come about: through mass immigration of Palestinian Arabs into Israel – a country his Hamas government does not recognize, that it has sworn to replace with an Islamic state, against which it conducts a relentless war of terror, and whose Jews it has vowed to drive into the sea. It was to this Hamas representative that Sweden gave an entry visa, over the subsequent and strongly worded objections of allies such as Germany and France.

Sweden’s view of what constitutes justice thus seems to be at odds with that of its most vulnerable citizens, with that of its major European allies, and with the nation’s most fundamental concerns, such as whether income is prized more highly than life is.

When requested to comment on the apparent disparity between his handling of the two cases, the Chancellor of Justice replied that they deal with entirely different issues. In the case of the actor, the issue was one of libel, whereas in the case of calls for death to Jews emanating from the Stockholm mosque, the issue was one of racial incitement, and according to the Chancellor the allegations could not be proven. However, the reason the allegations could not be proven was because his office declined to insist on proper translation of the material from Arabic into Swedish. The Chancellor also pointed out that the two cases were examined “within the framework stipulated by the applicable regulations, and their assessment has been strictly objective”. He pointed out that “the criterion of ‘social relevance’ is not applicable when the issue under consideration is that of racial incitement”.

The Chancellor of Justice’s actions – or indeed lack of action – need to be examined against the background of what has emerged as a swing in Swedish policy towards Israel, the Swedish media’s keenness to obliterate the distinction between “Jew” and “Israeli”, and the resultant animosity to Jews and Israelis alike that is increasingly rife in this Scandinavian country. A brief examination of recent events in April and May 2006 makes for interesting reading:

Low-level Palestinian functionary Salah Muhammad al-Bardawil was denied a visa into Sweden, following immense protests not least from EU and Schengen member state France, and from many concerned Swedish citizens. Sweden responded by denying him a visa – but instead granting a visa to high-ranking Hamas minister Atef Adwan.

A Swedish Muslim politician for the Centre party demanded the imposition of Sharia law for the country’s Muslims. Initially including, but not limited to, legislation banning boys and girls from studying in the same classes, restructuring of inheritance law so men get two-thirds and women one-third since “we all know it is the duty of the man to look after the woman”, and altering of divorce law so divorce can no longer be granted by this country’s civil authorities.

Leading Labour daily Aftonbladet wrote (15 May) that in a Gaza Strip that has become an “emergency catastrophe area” owing to Israel’s “blockade”, it has now become necessary for Palestinian women to sell their gold and jewellery to finance the purchase of essentials such as water, food and medicine. It went on to say that the people profiting from this callous trade were the very people who erected the “ghetto wall” around Gaza – Israel’s Jews. It was a frightening throwback to classic Nazi-era vilification of the Jew as responsible for the suffering of non-Jews. No mention was made in the article about the remarkable ease with which weapons, dynamite, rockets and ammunition are smuggled into the Gaza Strip – apparently only food and medicine could not be smuggled in because of Israel’s hermetically sealed border and its “blockade”. A blockade, apparently, that did prevent food and medicine from getting in, but not a poor Palestinian woman’s gold from getting out to the avaricious Jews on the other side of the “ghetto wall” waiting to grab it.

Although Sweden declined to participate in an international air drill together with the Jewish state, Sweden had no compunction about participating in joint military exercises with Russia, which is currently waging a brutal war in Chechnya. Nor did Sweden draw the line at selling highly advanced military equipment to Saudi Arabia. And interestingly, the second-largest market for dual-purpose heavy-duty trucks from a major Swedish truck maker is Iran.

It is therefore perhaps unfair to point the finger of blame solely at Swedish Chancellor of Justice Göran Lambertz. He does not operate in a vacuum of his own making but is instead part of the wider Swedish malaise whereby both Sweden’s Jews and Sweden’s relations with Israel are called upon to pay the price as election time draws near.

Sweden is renowned for its pragmatism. Principle, unfortunately, gets to play second fiddle.

Dialog är enda vägen att nå resultat

Dialog är enda vägen att nå resultat –
men dialog är något Hamas inte vill ha

Den palestinske flyktingministern Atef Adwan fick tillgång till hela Europa efter att Sverige som enda land bröt en internationell överenskommelse om bannlysning av terrororganisationen. Än mer anmärkningsvärt än Sveriges trots mot det internationella samfundet är sättet att föra omvärlden bakom ryggen.

Till Sverige kom flyktingministern Adwan i egenskap av regeringsminister för att söka stöd för något som aldrig tidigare existerat – bildandet av ett oberoende arabiskt Palestina. Det är en framtidsvision han delar med den israeliska regeringen. Men i egenskap av flyktingminister var Atef Adwan i Sverige för att få stöd för Hamas mycket säregna sätt att skapa denna oberoende stat: genom massinvandring av palestinier till just Israel – ett land som Hamas inte erkänner, ett land som enligt Hamas skall ersättas av ett islamistiskt Palestina, ett land som enligt Hamas skall tömmas på sina judiska invånare.

Förtroende på flykt
Det är till denna flyktingminister, och det är till denna flyktingpolitik, som Sverige som enda land gav en megafon. De sista resterna av Sveriges förtroendekapital försvann tillsammans med Atef Adwan när han lämnade landet. Det försvann på samma sätt som de många miljarder i bidrag som palestinierna förskingrat genom årtionden.

Vapen kommer till Gaza, men inte mat
I Sverige sade Atef Adwan: ”vi har kunnat förklara hur det palestinska folket lider under den belägring … som har lett till brist på mat, vatten, mediciner och bränsle”. Han kommenterade inte hur det trots ”belägringen” strömmar mängder av vapen, bomber, raketer och ammunition in i Gaza. Det verkar vara en mycket selektiv israelisk belägring där mat, vatten, mediciner och bränsle blockeras medan vapnen tillåts, trots att vapnen ju används mot israeliska civila. En alternativ förklaring är att palestinierna helt enkelt ignorerar sitt eget folks välbefinnande och hellre smugglar in vapen än mat, eftersom det är viktigare att döda judar än att mata muslimer.

Adwan förstår inte omvärldens inställning till hans terrororganisation. ”Allt vi har gjort är att genomföra ett demokratiskt val och nu straffas folket för det” säger han. Faktum är att de har gjort både långt mer och samtidigt långt mindre än att bara ”genomföra ett demokratiskt val”.

Systematisk rasism hos Hamas
Långt mer därför att palestinierna har demokratiskt valt en terrororganisation vars program är att med Irans hjälp sudda bort en annan stat från världskartan, av den enkla anledningen att den statens befolkningsmajoritet är judar. Hamas är en rasistisk antisemitisk organisation som drivs främst av judehat.

Och långt mindre därför att Adwan underlät att nämna att omvärlden gärna omprovar sin inställning till Hamas om bara organisationen upphör med våld mot Israel, stoppar antisemitisk indoktrinering av småbarn, håller redan ingångna avtal och, framför allt, erkänner Israels rätt till existens som judisk stat på samma sätt som den själv kräver erkännandet av ett Palestina som arabisk stat. Att Hamas därutöver kräver att det framtida Palestina skall vara judefritt medan 20 procent of befolkningen i Israel är araber – såväl muslimska som kristna – säger allt om Hamas syn på etnisk renhet och om den palestinska befolkningen som valt detta parti, och lika mycket om Israels omfamnande av det mångkulturella samhället.

Ta utan att ge
Men Hamas vill inte kompromissa på någon punkt, de vill bara fortsätta att ta emot utan att ge något i gengäld. Samtidigt hotar de med upptrappat våld om inte de får som de vill. Problemet är att det de vill är ett annat lands utplånande, ett helt folks etniska rensning. Och Sverige har bidragit genom att ge Hamas den megafon denna rasistiska organisation behöver för att få ut budskapet.

Hamas: ingen dialog med judar
Dialog är enda vägen att nå resultat. Dialog avvisas av Hamas eftersom dialog med judar är under partiets värdighet (judar kallas rutinmässigt för ”bröder till apor och grisar” – till och med från moskéernas predikstolar). Och det tilltänkta resultatet står att läsa i Hamas programförklaring: en värld utan Israel. Så frågan är vilken dialog, vilket resultat Sverige vill bidra till.

De som hjälpte Hamas föra fram detta budskap i Sverige borde ställas till svars. Om inte juridiskt så åtminstone moraliskt.

Därför att de har bidragit till att förlänga misären för såväl palestinier som israeler i åratal framåt.

Double-dealing or mere incompetence?

It appears that either Sweden or Hamas has been engaging in some rather astute double-dealing over the past few days. While the media spotlights were focusing on the impending visit of Mr Salah Muhammed al Bardawil of the terror-branded Hamas organisation, attention was being drawn away from the person whose entry into Sweden was higher on the Hamas list of priorities. His name is Atef Adwan.

On Friday 5 May he’ll be in Sweden. The Hamas minister, representing a terror organisation that demands the eradication of Israel, received his entry visa into Sweden on Israel’s 58th Independence Day.

Background:
Mr Atef Adwan, Refugee Minister in the Hamas government
Previously assistant to terror-branded Gaza Islamist Sheikh Ahmed Yassin; wrote Yassin’s biography
Captured by Israel in 1992, deported to Lebanon
In Lebanon he was trained by Hizbullah ahead of his return to Gaza in conjunction with Yasser Arafat’s takeover of the Palestinian Authority (PA)

All the indications are that Atef Adwan’s name was sneaked in without any reference to his ministerial position among a hundred or so names of civilian Palestinians applying for visas to Sweden at the Swedish consulate in Jerusalem. His Swedish entry visa was granted for a civilian visitor. Whether this roundabout procedure was coordinated with the Swedish authorities in Jerusalem or was in fact sanctioned all the way from the Foreign Office in Stockholm cannot at present be verified.

Schengen visa – despite a very public “no” from Sweden
A phone call to the Swedish Foreign Office revealed that Mr Adwan was granted a Schengen visa, although Sweden firmly stated that she would not issue any such visa to Hamas representatives, in line with the pan-Schengen decision following France’s denial of visas for Hamas representatives.

The question is how the visa application slipped past Austria, which holds the chair at present, if Mr Adwan’s official ministerial position as a Hamas representative was specified on his visa application. And if he concealed this, exactly which paragraph of the immigration law he will be contravening when he steps off the plane and touches Swedish soil?

Who pulls the strings?
There is some reason to believe that the Swedish government may have been rather economical with the truth by assisting Mr Adwan to his visa in this rather roundabout manner. Either that, or Swedish Prime Minister is not fully in charge of his cabinet, with a Foreign Office setting its own agenda in defiance of its PM, since the premier was extremely adamant in his recent statement that his government would never contravene the Schengen agreement. Another possibility is that both the Prime Minister and his Foreign Minister are in agreement on this issue of international principle, but that the Swedish consulate in Jerusalem either colluded with Hamas or failed to do an adequate job of checking the identity of so prominent a member of the Hamas government.

Palestine to be built in place of Israel
On Friday, Mr Atef Adwan will talk in Malmö, Sweden, about the Palestinian demand for mass immigration into Israel. This despite the Palestinian declaration – for Western consumption – that they merely want a sovereign Palestinian state alongside Israel. It would appear that the term “alongside Israel” is a synonym for “instead of Israel”, because it is hard to imagine how one could otherwise explain a struggle for national independence from Israel by a demand to colonise the very Israeli state from which one demands independence. The minister is coming to Sweden to talk about exactly that – despite the terms of the visa agreement and despite the Swedish government’s public denials.

There are a lot of questions that need answering. One question is what happens next? The answer was provided the very day after it became public that Sweden had broken ranks with the rest of Europe: France, which had taken a tough stance on refusing entry to other Hamas representatives just a few days previously, accused Sweden of undermining the Schengen customs and immigration signatory countries by granting Mr Adwan a visa – he now has full access to all Schengen member states in the wake of Sweden’s about-turn.

The Swedish government is going to have a hard time explaining itself.

Dubbelspel eller inkompetens?

Det verkar som om antingen Sverige eller Hamas medvetet har spelat ett dubbelspel – uppmärksamheten riktades mot två helt andra namn för att dra uppmärksamheten ifrån den som man egentligen vill ha hit till Sverige. Han heter Atef Adwan.

Och på fredag 5:e maj kommer han. Hamasministern, som representerar en terrororganisation som kräver Israels utplåning, fick sitt inresevisum till Sverige på Israels självständighetsdag igår onsdag 3:e maj.

Bakgrund:
Atef Adwan, Flyktingminister i Hamasregeringen
Tidigare assistent till terroriststämplade Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, skrev Yassins biografi
Fängslades av Israel 1992, deporterades till Libanon
I Libanon utbildades han av Hizbullah inför hans överföring till Gazaremsan i och med Arafats återkomst som ledare för Palestinska myndigheten (PA)

Allt tyder på att Atef Adwans namn smögs in (utan titel) bland ett hundratal namn på civila palestinier som sökte visum till Sverige vid svenska konsulatet i Jerusalem. Inresevisum beviljades som till en civil palestinier för inresa till Sverige som privatperson. Om detta förfarande gjordes i samförstånd med de svenska myndigheterna på plats i Jerusalem eller med Utrikesdepartementets goda minne i Stockholm kan inte fastställas för tillfället.

Schengenvisum – trots svenskt nej
Enligt uppgift från Utrikesdepartementet har han fått ett Schengenvisum, trots att Sverige sagt att landet inte skulle utfärda sådana visum till Hamasrepresentanter, detta efter att Frankrike redan 2 ggr nekat visum till Hamas representanter.

Fråga: Hur gick visumet förbi Österrike, som innehar ordförandeposten, om Adwans officiella ställning som Hamasrepresentant klargjordes när han ansökte om visumet? Och om han inte uppgav sin ställning, exakt vilken paragraf i immigrationslagen bryter han emot när han kommer in i Sverige på detta sätt?

Det är mycket som tyder på att Sverige kan ha fört sina egna medborgare och allmänna opinionen bakom ljuset genom att medverka till Adwans visum på detta sätt. Alternativet är att svenska konsulatets anställda gjorde ett otillräckligt förberedande arbete i Jerusalem.

Palestina ska byggas där Israel står
Atef Adwan kommer nu imorgon fredag att i Malmö talar om palestiniernas planer för massinflyttning till Israel – trots att de slåss för en suverän palestinsk stat vid sidan om Israel. Det verkar som om begreppet ”vid sidan om Israel” egentligen innebär ”istället för Israel”. Ministern kommer hit för att prata om just detta – i trots mot viseringsavtalet och i trots mot den svenska regeringens offentliga försäkran.