Israeli authorities threaten demolition of 500 church buildings in Jerusalem

"The Greek Orthodox and Catholic churches in Jerusalem released a statement Saturday that the Israeli authorities have threatened to force the demolition of 500 buildings owned by the churches in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Israeli forces have recently stepped up demolitions in the Old City of Jerusalem, in accordance with the Municipality's published E1 plan for the city, in which officials articulate a detailed plan to push out the Palestinian Christian and Muslim populations, while simultaneously increasing construction of Jewish-only homes and housing developments.

The church buildings in question are mainly homes owned by the church and leased to Palestinian Christian priests, nuns and families. Israeli authorities claim that renovations were done on these buildings without permits.....

Dozens, if not hundreds, of church-owned buildings were seized by Israeli forces during the 1948 takeover of Palestine for the creation of the state of Israel, and again during the 1967 War of aggression by Israel. These buildings were taken over by the Jewish National Fund, which owns more than 90% of the land inside what is now Israel, and rented to Jews who immigrated to Israel....."

The Iranian Elections and the U.S. Response

By Phyllis Bennis
Source: IPS

"Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies talks about what the U.S. should and should not be saying in the aftermath of the Iranian elections."

[Video Free Gaza] Determined to go, 27th June 2009

The Free Gaza Movement

The jury is out on the Iranian model of religion and politics

So what of the famous revolution? Was it a return to the basic values of Shia Islam?

By Robert Fisk

"....No, I don't think that Reza Shah has put this young woman "in his pocket". But nor would the Shia clergy, which reputedly backed the original Anglo-American coup against Mohammed Mossadeq, the democratically elected leader of Iran in 1953. At that time, a senior Tehran cleric was sent to Qom to persuade the leading Ayatollah of his time, Sayed Mohammad Hossein Boroujerdi, to issue a fatwa, calling for a holy war against the Tudeh party communists to whom Mossadeq was allied and give his support to religion and the throne. A certain Ruhollah Khomeini was rumoured to have urged Boroujerdi to adopt just such a step......

So what of that famous revolution? Was it really a blossoming return to the basic values of Shia Islam, a return to the golden age of Ali and Hussein, when Islamic rule could never be set up alongside a secular government? This is the narrative that is now laid down in Tehran. This is the story that Ayatollah Khamenei purports to believe in; that Ayatollah Khomeini – whatever his advice to Boroujerdi in 1953 – took Iran back to the purity of Shia Islam's roots, when there was no attempt to separate religious from secular power.....

So there you have it. Khomeini invented the so-called "velayat-e faqih" (rule of the Supreme Leader); the Islamic Republic was never conceived of in Islamic history. It's a try-out, an experiment that may or may not continue. The past two weeks suggest it needs a lot of work to survive.

Meanwhile, let's remember what Mossadeq said 46 years ago: "No nation goes anywhere under the shadow of dictatorship.""

Blair Praises Netanyahu, Says: “ME Peace” Hinges on Israel

Al-Manar

"27/06/2009 UN Middle East Envoy Tony Blair said a deal on a two-state solution could be within reach if Tel-Aviv compromises on issues such as halting settlement expansion. "There is a virtual consensus across the international community not just as to what needs to happen, but how...which was not the case a couple of years ago," Blair told Reuters on Friday.

"If Israel were to join that, we could get an agreement and an agreement in my view that protects completely the state of Israel," the former British Prime Minister added. According to Blair, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be in a strong domestic position to deliver concessions, if he was willing to do so......."

Hamas' political immaturity

AN IMPORTANT ARTICLE
And Recommended Reading

Haidar Eid, The Electronic Intifada, 25 June 2009

"When Hamas, unexpectedly, won the 2006 parliamentary elections in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the message from the one-third of the Palestinian people living in those territories was clear: no more of the "peace process" facade -- with its untiring "two-state solution" slogan that never materialized, and no more of the bread crumbs offered to the new inauthentic NGOized, Osloized leadership classes......

Many of those who voted Hamas into power were not, in fact, supporters of the organization, but rather disgruntled Palestinians looking for change and reform after 13 years of futile, meaningless negotiations that did huge damage to the Palestinian cause.....

But by 2006, the left had already gone through a process of NGOization and Osloization that put it to the right of Hamas, dovetailing with the right wing that was already in control of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

Hamas, then, won the elections because it was expected, whether rightly or wrongly, to rectify historic mistakes made by the official leadership -- most importantly defending the right of return of refugees, and putting an end to the unattained two-state solution......

The latest war was a political tsunami aimed at creating a sense of defeat amongst the Palestinians, and a sense that they are confronted with a metaphysical power that can never be defeated. .....Hamas is still in power and the resilience of the Palestinians of Gaza is stronger than ever. Israel has failed to make them feel that they are a defeated people.

......Gaza 2009 was, rightly, expected to be the Sharpeville of Palestine, a turning point in the history of the Palestinian struggle against Israel's policy of occupation, colonization and apartheid.

This historic victory against Israel's aggression required a visionary leadership, one with a clear-cut strategy of liberation that divorces itself completely from the Oslo accords and the deceptive two-prison solution. Instead of building on this victory and on the outpouring of international support in the streets of Istanbul, London, Amman, Caracas, Johannesburg and even Muscat -- to mention but a few cities -- the leadership of the Palestinian resistance movement, including Hamas, rushed to Cairo for what turned out to be endless, futile rounds of national unity dialogue...... . If any Arab dignitary wanted to have a discussion with the victorious leadership, he or she should have been invited to Gaza. One would have expected the Gaza leadership to act as a victorious one; to wait in Gaza for at least one month after the end of the massacre and make it clear that they would welcome any sign of real support and solidarity while they were staying with their people in Gaza. That, alas, did not happen.

This was a step in what I call the "abortion of victory." Instead of coming up with an alternative program to that of the Palestinian Authority, and all the organizations belonging to it, and instead of building on the unprecedented, growing solidarity with the Palestinians of Gaza, the leadership of Hamas, in statements made by its leaders and -- more importantly -- letters sent to the US president, have started reinventing the wheel! I will limit myself to a couple of important examples: Hamas' flirtation with the Barack Obama administration and their endorsement of the two-prison solution.
After US President Barack Obama's much-talked-about speech to the Muslim world from Cairo, in which he had nothing of substance to say about the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people, Dr. Ahmed Yousef, a senior advisor to Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, in an interview on Al-Jazeera International, was extremely happy with the speech......

Failing to understand that Obama's election does not represent a radical change in American Middle East policy is a sign of, to say the least, political immaturity....... Obviously, Hamas has bought the fiction brought about by the election of Obama and his "seriousness" in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Hamas fails to see that in essence, what Obama is offering is not different from what George W. Bush and, before him, Bill Clinton offered.......

The Israeli-American siege imposed on Gaza would be lifted immediately, if Obama decided it should be so. In fact, the US is not merely complicit, but rather a participant in the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against the Palestinians of Gaza......

The second, more important example, of Hamas' political immaturity, is its acceptance of the already dead two-state solution. In a joint a press conference with former US President Jimmy Carter, Palestinian Prime Minister Haniyeh said that Hamas accepts a state limited only to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the areas occupied by Israel in 1967 with Jerusalem as its capital. This is ironic, not to say bizarre, since every politician in Palestine knows that a two-state solution has been rendered impossible.....

For a senior Hamas leader to reiterate what has already been said by the head of its political bureau, Khaled Meshal, one can conclude that this is the beginning of a process of deterioration -- even Osloization -- not only in rhetoric, but also in action....... The Palestinian struggle is not for an independent state on the 1967 borders, but rather for liberation -- liberation for all the inhabitants of the historic land of Palestine. Accepting the illusion called an independent state on the 1967 borders is, in actual fact, an acceptance of a racist solution par excellence.

....Hamas, alas, has fallen within the trap of Oslo and its fetishization of statehood at the expense of Palestinian fundamental rights. Of course, one tends to agree that the current serious crisis in Palestine emanates from the nature of the deformed political system created by the Oslo accords and their claim of laying the foundation for a two-state solution. By participating in the January 2006 elections, most political organizations in Palestine, including Hamas, showed an implicit acceptance of the new political reality created by the Oslo accords and hence the two-state solution. But, ironically, Hamas claimed otherwise, that its objective was to bring Oslo to an end.

In the late 1980s, the Palestinian national movement accepted the two-state solution and at a later stage, recognized Israel. This is the same resistance movement that in the 1960s emerged to liberate Palestine from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. Behind-the-scenes negotiations, ultimately, led to the signing of the notorious Oslo accords, which paved the way for the transformation of the Palestinian cause into one of charity. Now, Hamas is reinventing the wheel. No wonder, one has a sense of déjà vu.

...... The struggle is not only an armed one, but it includes other pillars as well, pillars that emphasize the importance of international solidarity and mass mobilization, rather than placing all hope and faith in Barack Obama and his administration.

Gaza 2009 -- the political steadfastness the people have shown in reaction to Israel's genocidal war -- has proven that the Palestinian people are way ahead of their leaderships!"

Is Hamas About to be Fooled, Again, by the Pharaoh? I am Almost Certain, the Answer is Yes!

Shalit Transfer to Egypt Imminent as Part of US Initiative

Al-Manar

"26/06/2009 Captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit will be transferred to Egypt within a few days as part of a swap deal with Hamas, Haaretz quoted European diplomatic sources as saying Thursday. The move is part of a new United States initiative that includes Egyptian and Syrian efforts with Hamas, internal Palestinian reconciliation and Israel's opening of the Gaza crossings.

According to the Israeli daily, a reliable European source said this Egyptian-brokered agreement was reached two days ago. A Palestinian source confirmed the report last night but officials in Tel Aviv denied any knowledge of it.

The idea to transfer Shalit to Egypt in exchange for the release of Palestinian women, teens, cabinet ministers and parliamentarians being held in Israeli prisons was raised about a year ago during a visit by former U.S. president Jimmy Carter to Damascus, occupied Jerusalem and Gaza. Apparently Carter raised it again on his visit earlier this month, during which he met Noam Shalit, Gilad's father.

According to the plan Shalit will be entrusted to Egyptian intelligence [How can the Hamas fools fall for this? Egyptian "intelligence" is inseparable from the Mossad. Might as well give him directly to the Mossad and say that, "Hamas trusts the goodwill of the Mossad!" What fools!] , and his parents will be allowed to visit him. He will be returned to Israel after an agreement is reached regarding the list of Hamas detainees to be released that was previously submitted to the cabinet.

The European source said Shalit's transfer to Egypt was the first stage of the Egyptian-brokered agreement hammered out between Fatah, Hamas and other Palestinian factions, in coordination with the U.S. and with Syria's support.

The deal would put the Gaza Strip under the leadership of a joint committee subordinate to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas......

Israel this week freed Palestinian Legislative Council Speaker and Hamas member Aziz Dweik after three years in prison.[I am sure that this was a part of the deal]....."

How can we help Iranians?

By Mina Khanlarzadeh

Znet

Many people, rural or urban, are disillusioned with Ahmadinejad's promises of economic justice as a direct result of their experiences during these four years of his presidency. The three weeks before the presidential election the other three candidates made loud accusations about the mismanagement committed by Ahmadinejad's administration. The presidential debates were important, particularly Ahmadinejad's misleading graphs during his debate with Karoubi, which he used to proclaim his economic achievements. These graphs were mostly comparisons between the economic conditions of his and previous presidencies (i.e., those of Khatami and Hashemi). A day after the Ahmadinejad-Karoubi debate, Mousavi showed the true graphs during his debate with Karoubi and compared them with Ahmaidnejad's version. Mousavi explained that all his data was taken from Central Bank of Iran. Mousavi's explanation and numbers accorded with people's financial hardships and frustrations and countered Ahmadinejad's hollow claims. The other important debate, and the hardest one for Ahmadinejad, was with Rezaie. Ahmadinajed claimed that unemployment rates had decreased during his presidency. Rezaie pointed out that, during Ahmadinejad's presidency, the definition of unemployment has changed (from two days of work per week to two hours of work per week) and therefore Ahmadinejad's claims are a manipulation at best. Since Ahmadinejad and Rezaei are both principalists (Osoulger), Rezaei's criticism of Ahmadinejad's foreign policy and economic mismanagement are particularly powerful. This caused people to take Mousavi's words more seriously; it is not simply a fight between a reformist and a principalist.

The reforms that many people in Iran seek are unachievable by either reformists or principalists. Khatami, a former reformist president from 1997 to 2005, was limited by the governmental structure and was a disappointment to many Iranians. Under the pressure of the current government, however, it is hard to organize an independent political movement that reflects the sociopolitical aspects of what many Iranians seek to achieve. Many political activists, such as socialists, were imprisoned or killed after the revolution. Given the current circumstances, the best chance for reform is within the system itself, through legal avenues such as elections (consider, e.g., the reform movement and the green movement). As the post-election protests showed us, even a movement within the establishment can cost physical punishment, imprisonment, and even human life. To many Iranian people, reformists like Mousavi who are part of the system and care about socioeconomic justice are the path to real change.

These war threats have been the most important national crisis for all Iranians. People throughout the political spectrum fell silent about domestic issues in order to unify against a possible war. The threat of war, combined with Ahmadinejad's bombastic nationalistic rhetoric, overshadowed his failed domestic policies for some Iranians. In fact, some people throughout the Middle East who are tired of threats and humiliation consider Ahmadinejad to be a hero. Although Ahmadinejad deserved to be criticized for domestic policy, these shortcomings have been overshadowed by Ahmadinejad's strong stance in defense of Iran's right to have nuclear facilities, national dignity, and sovereignty.

Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein bluffed about WMDs fearing Iranian arsenal, secret FBI files show

Contributed by FUBAR

"WASHINGTON - Saddam Hussein feared Iran's arsenal more than a U.S. attack, and even considered asking ex-President George W. Bush "to protect" Iraq from its neighbor, once secret FBI files show.

The FBI interrogations of the toppled tyrant - codename "Desert Spider" - were declassified after a Freedom of Information Act request. The records show Saddam happily boasted of duping the world about stockpiling weapons of mass destruction. And he consistently denied cooperating with Osama Bin Laden's Al Qaeda.

Of all his enemies, Iraq's ex-president - who insisted he still held office during captivity - hated Iran most.

Asked how he would have faced "fanatic" Iranian ayatollahs if Iraq had been proven toothless by UN weapons inspectors in 2003, Saddam said he would have cut a deal with Bush.
"Hussein replied Iraq would have been extremely vulnerable to attack from Iran and would have sought a security agreement with the U.S. to protect it from threats in the region," according to a 2004 FBI report among the declassified files........"

Author Naomi Klein Calls for Boycott of Israel

"BILIN , West Bank - Bestselling author Naomi Klein on Friday took her call for a boycott of Israel to the occupied West Bank village of Bilin, where she witnessed Israeli forces clashing with protesters.

"It's a boycott of Israeli institutions, it's a boycott of the Israeli economy," the Canadian writer told journalists as she joined a weekly demonstration against Israel's controversial separation wall.

"Boycott is a tactic . . . we're trying to create a dynamic which was the dynamic that ultimately ended apartheid in South Africa," said Klein, the author of "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism."

"It's an extraordinarily important part of Israel's identity to be able to have the illusion of Western normalcy," the Canadian writer and activist said........"

Change We Can Believe in? Oh.....Yeah! Ross appointed for Middle East Affairs

"The White House decided on Thursday to name Dennis Ross, veteran Middle East Negotiator, as the special advisor to President Barack Obama on affairs regarding the Middle East, the Arab Gulf, Afghanistan, Pakistan and South Asia.

He will also work with top officials on several policies issues regarding Iran and Iraq.

Mike Hammer, US National Security Council Spokesperson, said that Ross will be the special assistant to Obama and a senior director over the above mentioned regions....."

MOHAMMED OMER; ONE YEAR AND COUNTING

A Journalist Beaten — One Year Later

BY MOHAMMED OMER AND STEVE AMSEL
Palestine Think Tank

"June 26, 2008 is a day I will never forget. For the events of that day irrevocably changed my life. That day I was detained, interrogated, strip searched, and tortured while attempting to return home from a European speaking tour, which culminated in independent American journalist Dahr Jamil and I sharing the Martha Gellhorn Journalism Prize in London — an award given to journalists who expose propaganda which often masks egregious human rights abuses.

I want to address the denials from Israel and the inaccurate reporting by a few journalists in addition to requesting state of Israel to acknowledge what it did to me, prosecute the members of the Shin Bet responsible for it and put in place procedures that protect other journalists from such treatment....."

Pentagon 'rewrites' airstrike atrocity

By Gareth Porter
Asia Times

"An edited version of the investigation report on the United States' fatal May 4 bombing in Afghanistan's Farah province omitted key details that would have revealed the self-serving character of the US command's previous claims blaming the Taliban for the large numbers of civilian deaths from the airstrikes....."

Video: Nahr al-Bared "Two Years Under Siege"

a-films, Electronic Lebanon, 25 June 2009


"Two years after it was destroyed in the wake of fighting between the Lebanese army and a militant group, the fate of the Palestinian refugee camp, Nahr al-Bared remains unclear. Reconstruction of the official camp may start soon, but so far this has been delayed as the Lebanese army keeps a tight grip on the camp. Several checkpoints, barbed wire and military posts cut Nahr al-Bared off from its surroundings, making it difficult for the camp's residents and visitors to come and go as they wish.

Nahr al-Bared refugee camp used to be a thriving marketplace in the northern Lebanese region of Akkar; about half of the consumers were Lebanese. After it declared victory of the Fatah al-Islam militant group, the Lebanese army held complete control over the camp. Homes and businesses were looted, smashed and burnt. The camp's once flourishing economy was physically eliminated. Â

Today, about half the camp's population has returned to an area adjacent to the camp. Hundreds of businesses have re-opened, but economic recovery is severely hampered by the tight siege imposed by the Lebanese army. Some camp residents have come to believe that the war's actual target wasn't Fatah al-Islam, but Nahr al-Bared's economic life......."

Prisoners Shackled, and Hidden Away

By Mel Frykberg

"RAMALLAH, Jun 25 (IPS) - The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel has accused the Israeli security forces of deliberately shackling Palestinian prisoners in a painful and dangerous manner, amounting to a form of torture.

The report, 'Shackling as a Form of Torture and Abuse', based on the evidence of over 500 prisoners, was released in advance of the UN International Day in Support of Torture Victims Friday, Jun. 26.

It follows a report published in May by the UN Committee Against Torture that had criticised the continued mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners by Israel.

The UN report also condemned Israel's refusal to allow access to a secret detention centre known only as 'Facility 1391'......"

An alternative reading

Azmi Bishara examines the causes and ramifications of post-election unrest in Iran

Al-Ahram Weekly

I Posted the Arabic version of this comment on June 20.

"Iran does not just have an authoritarian system of government, it has a totalitarian one. It is powerful, highly centralised, with sophisticated administrative and control systems, and it applies an ideology that claims to have answers for everything and that seeks to permeate all aspects of life. Instead of a political party and youth organisations, it relies on mass organisations, such as the Basij, that blend security with ideology and even with the benefit of broad sectors of the populace. It also depends on a broad and well-organised network of mullahs and on a politicised security agency and Revolutionary Guard. However, it differs from other totalitarian systems in two definitive ways.

Firstly, no other totalitarian system has incorporated such a high degree constitutionally codified democratic competition in the ruling order and in its ideology.....

The second difference between Iranian totalitarianism and other totalitarian systems is that the official ideology that permeates institutions of government, the public sphere and the educational and other formative systems as the primary definer of identity and shaper of moral and ethical conduct is a real religion embraced by the vast majority of the people.....

The Iranian regime will survive the current crisis using the instruments mentioned earlier. However, it will have to address an important question. Will it heed the lessons from this experience, seize the reform banners from the corrupt and ally with the reformist left against the pseudo reformist right? Or will it rely on repression alone, justifying this on the grounds of Western meddling? The last option is a recipe for future and, perhaps, more intense and tragic turmoil. "

القذافي أغدق على رايس بالهدايا خلال زيارتها التاريخية إلى طرابلس

القذافي أغدق على رايس بالهدايا خلال زيارتها التاريخية إلى طرابلس

"واشنطن- كشف تقرير لوزارة الخارجية الأمريكية الخميس ان الزعيم الليبي العقيد معمر القذافي أغدق بالهدايا على وزيرة الخارجة الأمريكية السابقة كوندوليزا رايس خلال زيارتها التاريخية إلى طرابلس في ايلول/ سبتمبر الماضي.

وجاء في هذا التقرير حول الهدايا الرسمية التي تسلمها مسؤولو الإدارة الأمريكية في 2008 والذي نشرته الجريدة الرسمية الأمريكية، ان القذافي الذي لم يكن يخفي إعجابه بتلك التي كان يسميها (ليزا) أو صديقتي الافريقية السوداء، قدم لها خاتما من الماس وقلادة حفر عليها رسمه

....."

Obama must call off this folly before Afghanistan becomes his Vietnam

Senseless slaughter and anti-western hysteria are all America and Britain's billions have paid for in a counterproductive war

Simon Jenkins
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 25 June 2009

"If good intentions ever paved a road to hell, they are doing so in Afghanistan. History rarely declares when folly turns to ­disaster, but it does so now. Barack Obama and his amanuensis, Gordon Brown, are uncannily repeating the route taken by American leaders in Vietnam from 1963 to 1975. Galbraith once said that the best thing about the Great Depression was that it warned against another. Does the same apply to Vietnam?......"

BBC anti-Israel bias is a myth

The broadcaster favours Israeli over Palestinian sources in its news reports – as does al-Jazeera, a new study shows

Sharif Nashashibi
guardian.co.uk, Friday 26 June 2009

".....A study (pdf) I wrote, published by Arab Media Watch on 10 June 2009, confirms that the BBC's coverage favours Israel. This comes as no surprise, as its findings echo those of numerous previous studies by AMW, universities and others, including the major, independent impartiality review commissioned by the BBC a few years ago.

What is surprising, given the review's findings, is the continued extent of this one-sidedness, a sign that little has been learned from past mistakes......

But arguably the most startling aspect of the study is the performance of al-Jazeera's English website. Having concluded my findings for the BBC, I decided to monitor al-Jazeera in the same way as a comparative exercise. I had expected the world-renowned Arab station to be an example for the BBC, but in fact, it fared little better.

While every al-Jazeera article had Israeli sources, 11% had no Palestinian sources. Of the 89% that did, 69% devoted more words to Israeli sources. "A further breakdown raises more concern," the study says. "The articles in question are either attributed to 'agencies', or 'al-Jazeera and agencies'. Of the articles attributed solely to agencies, 57% devoted more words to Israeli sources. However, the figure jumped to 78% for articles attributed to 'al-Jazeera and agencies'.".....

The bad news continues. The BBC and al-Jazeera both unequivocally portrayed Israeli violence as a direct response to Palestinian violence, in the use of words such as "responded", "responds", "fired back", "in response", "in retaliation" and "deterrent against". On no occasion did either portray Palestinian violence as a direct response to Israeli violence.......

I talked to several Arab journalists and media analysts about these results. None were surprised at the BBC's performance. In fact, some were not even surprised at how poorly al-Jazeera fared. Others believed that this is a result of its English-language section overshooting in its attempts to differentiate itself from its Arabic-language counterpart. Whatever the reason, this study should be a wake-up call for both news organisations."

Public Advisory - We did not leave Cyprus today

Last Updated on Friday, 26 June 2009 00:02

The Free Gaza Movement

"....Instead, our ships were not given permission to leave today due to concerns about our welfare and safety. Our friends in Cyprus tell us that the voyage to Gaza is too dangerous, and they are worried we will be harmed at sea.....

The journey to Gaza is dangerous. The Israeli navy rammed our flagship, the Dignity, when we attempted to deliver medical supplies to Gaza during their vicious assault in December/January. Israel has previously threatened to open fire on our unarmed ships, rather than allow us to deliver humanitarian and reconstruction supplies to the people of Gaza.....

In addition to the concerns expressed by our Cypriot friends today, the American consulate in Nicosia warned us not to go to Gaza, stating that......

"Instead of quoting Israel policy to us," McKinney continued, "...the U.S. should send a message to Israel reiterating the reported White House position that the blockade of Gaza should be eased, that medical supplies and building materials, including cement, should be allowed in. The Free Gaza boats should be allowed to reach their destination, traveling from Cyprus territorial waters, through international waters, and straight into Gaza territorial waters."

"The State Department has chosen to advise us to take the Israeli notification seriously. Our question is, ‘Can we take President Obama seriously?' Will he stand by his own words and allow us to provide relief for Gaza or will he back down?"

Tomorrow we will deliver a waiver, signed by all going to Gaza, that we absolve Cyprus of all responsibility for our safety. We would like to tell our friends here in Cyprus that though we understand and appreciate their concerns, we will not back down to Israel's threats and intimidation."

The Spineless Hamas Backtracks on its Own Article!

أكد تعاطيَ الحركة بشكل إيجابي مع أية مبادرة

البردويل: "حماس" ترحب بزيارة كارتر ولا صحة لما تناولته وسائل الإعلام حول رسالته

"غزة - المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام
أكدت حركة المقاومة الإسلامية "حماس" ترحيبها بالزيارة التي قام بها الرئيس الأمريكي الأسبق جيمي كارتر إلى قطاع غزة في إطار ترحيبها بكل المبادرات الداعية إلى رفع الحصار عن قطاع غزة والاعتراف بالشرعية الفلسطينية ووقف العدوان.

وأعربت الحركة في تصريح صحفي للناطق الإعلامي النائب صلاح البردويل، وصلت "المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام" نسخة منه اليوم الخميس (25-6)، عن استهجانها لما تناقلته وسائل الإعلام على لسان البردويل من أن الرسالة التي اقترحها كارتر على "حماس" أسوأ من شروط الرباعية.
وقالت الحركة: "إننا إذا ننفي ذلك لنؤكد التعاطيَ الإيجابي مع كل المبادرات التي تخفف عن الشعب الفلسطيني ولا تنتقص من حقوقنا الوطنية الثابتة". "

How do you spell spineless? This is how you speak from both corners of your mouth in Arabic: From one side to domestic audience and from the other side to the White Man!

EXCLUSIVE-PART 4: FBI Ignored Compelling Evidence of bin Laden Role

By Gareth Porter
(This is the fourth of a five-part series, " Khobar Towers Investigated: How a Saudi Deception Protected Osama bin Laden".)

WASHINGTON, Jun 25 (IPS) - Osama Bin Laden had made no secret of his intention to attack the U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia. He had been calling for such attacks to drive it from the country since his first fatwa calling for jihad against Western "occupation" of Islamic lands in early 1992.

On Jul. 11, 1995, he had written an "Open Letter" to King Fahd advocating a campaign of guerilla attacks to drive U.S. military forces out of the Kingdom....."

Iran Divided & the 'October Suprise'

By Robert Parry (A Special Report)
June 24, 2009

"Iran’s current political divisions can be traced back to a controversy nearly three decades ago when Iran faced war with Iraq and became entwined with U.S. and Israeli political maneuvers that set all three countries on a dangerous course that continues to this day.

In the election dispute now gripping the streets of Tehran, Iran is experiencing a revival of the internal rivalries born in the judgments made in 1980 and later that decade about how and whether to deal with the Little Satan (Israel) and the Great Satan (the United States)....."

US moves to isolate Iran with full Syria embassy

Times Online

"President Obama has decided to dispatch an ambassador to Syria, ending a four-year freeze in relations with a country that may represent his best chance of making early progress on faltering Middle East peace negotiations....

Overtures to Syria, by contrast, have received a warmer response. A series of visits to Damascus by high-ranking US officials over recent weeks, including one by Mr Mitchell this month, were regarded as productive.

Improved relations with the US could mean a lifting of sanctions and new business deals — something many Syrians yearn for. Damascus promised to reopen an American cultural centre that was closed after a US raid last year into its territory against suspected al-Qaeda militants.

After his talks with President Assad of Syria, Mr Mitchell highlighted his host’s integral role in securing peace in the Middle East. Washington has asked Syria repeatedly to deny access to foreign fighters trying to cross the border into neighbouring Iraq and hopes to unpick its close relationship with Iran. The countries have a mutual defence treaty and provide support to Hezbollah, which the US branded a terrorist organisation.

Mr Assad is seen as holding at least one key to unlocking the Arab-Israeli peace process. Hamas and Islamic Jihad — armed Palestinian movements that do not recognise Israel’s right to exist — maintain political offices in Damascus...."

الغاء الأردن لتأشيرات دخول الاسرائيليين

الغاء الأردن لتأشيرات دخول الاسرائيليين
رأي القدس

"......
نقول هذا الكلام بمناسبة ما تردد اخيراً عن اسقاط الحكومة الاردنية شرط حصول الاسرائيليين على تأشيرة دخول الى الاردن، ومعاملتهم معاملة المواطنين العرب الآخرين. وهو قرار أثار حالة من الاستياء في صفوف الكثيرين داخل الأردن وخارجه.
....
اننا نخشى ان يكون هذا القرار هو بداية لتطبيق قرارات سرية جرى اتخاذها للتسريع في عملية التطبيع الكامل بين دول عربية واسرائيل، بناء على تعليمات امريكية تحت ذريعة تشجيع الحكومة الاسرائيلية للعودة الى العملية السلمية مجدداً. فقد جرى تسريب العديد من الانباء التي تتحدث عن فتح الاجواء العربية للطائرات الاسرائيلية، وتبادل بعض اشكال التمثيل الدبلوماسي، مثل فتح مكاتب تجارية في تل ابيب لطمأنة الاسرائيليين وحكومتهم الى نوايا العرب تجاه السلام، ودفعهم للقبول بمبادرة السلام العربية.
ان هذا القرار يشكل اهانة للاردنيين الذين ترفض الغالبية الساحقة منهم كل اشكال التطبيع مع دولة مغتصبة، خاصة ان هذه الاهانة جاءت في وقت يطالب فيه نواب في الكنيست الاسرائيلي بتبني قرار يعتبر الاردن الوطن البديل للفلسطينيين.
فالرد على مثل هذا التحرك الاسرائيلي الذي يهدد الاردن وامنه واستقراره وهويته لا يجب ان يكون بتسهيل دخول الاسرائيليين الى اراضيه، وانما بوقف كل اشكال التطبيع والغاء معاهدة وادي عربة للسلام، لأنه لا سلام مع اناس على هذه الدرجة من العدوانية، والتعطش لسفك دماء العرب والمسلمين وتهويد مقدساتهم.
"

Disunity will damage but not destroy Iran

By Patrick Cockburn

".....It was never likely that the mass rallies of Iranians protesting against the outcome of the presidential election and an official result showing that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had won a sweeping victory would turn into a revolutionary situation.

The protesters do not have a core of committed organisers seeking to overthrow the government. In 1978-79 in Iran, there was a network of clerics in the mosques and a number of left-wing parties who could keep staging rallies in the face of repression. The forces of the state were swamped by the number of people declaring they were willing to die....."

Iran's manufactured revolution

Despite the hopes of overexcited western commentators, demonstrations in Iran are likely to change very little

Lionel Beehner
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 24 June 2009

" hate to say it but to all the dreamers in the western press who say that Iran will never be the same – lines lifted from protests past, from Ukraine to Burma to Lebanon – once all the debris is swept up, the Islamic republic will probably look eerily similar to how it looked before the presidential election.....

Nor should we interfere. The last time the US tried to give Iranian democracy a boost (a Bush programme to hand $75m to civil society groups there) it was ridiculed as tainted money and hurt the groups it was trying to help. Worse, whenever the White House blesses a regime change or coup (see Chávez, Hugo), it's the kiss of death.

Let's be honest about events in Iran. Yes, it is the largest popular uprising that country has seen since 1979. But that does not mean it heralds the imminent collapse of the current regime. Let's hope that I am wrong."

Flogging the Bush doctrine

US intervention in Iran would not help the reform movement. But Bush-era neocons are beating the drum for regime change again

Richard Silverstein
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 24 June 2009

"Those guys who brought you regime change in Iraq, imaginary WMDs, fake Iraq-al-Qaida connections, 4,000 dead GIs and a trillion-dollar war – they're selling snake oil again.
This time it's Iran. Not content to allow Iranians to fight their own battles for democracy, the neocon war party is beating the drum for US intervention. Recently Paul Wolfowitz and Charles Krauthammer weighed in on the subject. Their views aren't unexpected. You'd just have thought they'd allow a decent interval to lapse after Iran's streets flowed with young blood before they'd inveigle us with their fraudulent vision of events there...."

Iraq Inquiry...by Dave Brown

(Click on cartoon to enlarge)

The Good-Cop-Bad-Cop Game and How it is Being Played

(رسالته إلى "حماس" أسوأ من شروط (الرباعية

البردويل يكشف زيارة كارتر: اللعبة واضحة.. كارتر يمهِّد لها وأوباما يبدأها ونتنياهو
يستثمرها

COMMENT: This is an interesting piece and I will post the English version as soon as it is available; it is worth a read.

"....
زيارة كارتر رسالة خطيرة

وأوضح البردويل أن الرئيس الأمريكي الأسبق جيمي كارتر، وخلال زيارته إلى قطاع غزة مؤخرًا، قال لـ"حماس": "ساعدونا حتى نساعد أوباما على أن يتغلب على اللوبي الصهيوني ويحقق سياسته"، متسائلاً: "بماذا يريد أن نساعده حتى يساعد ميتشيل، وحتى ميتشيل يساعد أوباما، وحتى يستطيع الجميع أن يتقدموا في سياسة التغيير وأن يرفعوا شروط "الرباعية" عن الشعب الفلسطيني؟!".

واعتبر أن كارتر قدم رسالة أسوأ من شروط "الرباعية"، قائلاً: "طلب منا أن نوقع عليها (الرسالة) لنرسلها إلى ميتشيل ليرسلها إلى أوباما.. كلهم يلعبون لعبة واحدة".

وأضاف: "وقال كارتر: (إن ميتشل ينتظرني على أحر من الجمر، وإذا لم يحصل على هذه الرسالة فأنا أعتقد أن مصيركم سيكون صعبًا جدًّا جدًّا، وحتى لو حدثت انتخابات لن يسمح لكم حتى بدخولها.. أنا حزين لذلك.. أنا لا أريد ذلك، ولكن القرار ليس بيدي)".

وشدد البردويل على أن "اللعبة واضحة: أوباما يبدأها.. نتنياهو يستثمرها.. كارتر يلعب في تشبيك العلاقات والاستفادة المباشرة من ردود الأفعال عمليًّا".

خطاب أوباما دغدغة عواطف

وحول قراءته لخطاب أوباما أجاب: "في اعتقادي أن أوباما عندما ألقى خطابه قصد أن يلقي خطابه ويوجِّهه إلى العالم الإسلامي بشكل خاص لأول مرة في التاريخ، وقصد أن ينطلق من هذه البؤرة التي تمتلئ بالكراهية ضد الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية وسياساتها، وأراد أوباما من خلال هذا الخطاب أن يحقق هدفين مزدوجين: الأول أن يغسل يد بوش القذرة، واستخدم في هذا الغسيل البلاغة واللغة، فدغدغ عواطف الحاضرين لدرجة أن القاعة ضجَّت بالتصفيق عدة مرات، كانت النتيجة واضحة في ردات الفعل الكثيرة جدًّا من الناس البلهاء الذين لا يملكون إلا أن يصفقوا".

وأضاف: "أما الهدف الثاني فهو أن أوباما جاء بعد فترة استطاعت الإدارة الأمريكية فيها إرهاب الأمتين العربية والإسلامية وإرهاب الأنظمة، فأراد فقط بقليل من اللغة أن يستثمر ويستفيد من هذه الحالة النفسية لدى هؤلاء الزعماء، وأراد منهم أن يتحمَّلوا السكين دون صراخ.. أن يتحملوا الألم هذه المرة بابتسامة، فاستخدم لهذه الابتسامة هذا المخدر الجميل، واستطاع نوعًا ما أن يخترق العقول".
....
وتابع: "كارتر لا يأتي إلى المنطقة بمحض الصدفة، وليس رجلاً بلا قرار.. كارتر بالتأكيد جاء بأوامر من أوباما شخصيًّا؛ لأن أوباما تلميذ كارتر، وميتشيل تلميذه كذلك، وهذا ما قاله كارتر بنفسه.. هذا الحراك الأوروبي الذي بات يتململ، له ما بعده.. نحن لا نخشى أن يكون القادم أخطر على "حماس"..
....."

Some of the Hamas official's comments in English can be found here:

Bardawil: Hamas received an Egyptian invitation to discuss events in WB

".....The lawmaker noted that former US president Jimmy Carter, during his last visit to Gaza, told Hamas to help him assist the new US president Barack Obama to overcome the Zionist lobby and achieve his policy through recognizing Israel and the international quartet’s unjust terms.

He revealed that Carter gave Hamas a letter in this regard and asked it to sign it in order to send it to Obama’s envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell who in turn would hand it to Obama.

“Mitchell is on pins and needles waiting for me, and if he did not receive this letter, I think your fate will be very, very difficult; even if there was election, you would not be allowed to take part…I am so sad for that…I do not want so, but the decision is not in my hands,” Dr. Bardawil quoted Carter as saying.

“The game is clear: Obama has started it, Netanyahu is investing it and Carter is playing in networking relations and taking advantage of direct reactions practically,” the Hamas lawmaker opined....."

Al-Jazeera Video: Israel demolishing Palestinians' homes - 24 Jun 09

"In the area surrounding the Old City of East Jerusalem, Palestinians are being handed eviction notices on a daily basis.

Nowhere is this more evident than in al-Bustan neighbourhood in the village of Silwan.

Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland meets people whose homes are threatened with demolition."

Al-Jazeera Video: Jewish settlers 'want all of Jerusalem' - 24 Jun 09

"Israeli settlements have been springing up across occupied East Jerusalem as Palestinian houses are being torn down.

A multi-million dollar plan is underway to brand the historic basin around the Old City as Jewish.

In the second part of our series on Israel's takeover of East Jerusalem, Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland joins a settler on his mission to seize land."

Al-Jazeera Video: Inside Story - Palestinian homes for sale - 23 June 09

"Will Palestinians driven out in 1948 ever have the right to return to their homes? "

Bankster “Holiday” Planned for September?

by Kurt Nimmo
Global Research, June 24, 2009

"....FDR imposed a "bank holiday" soon after taking office. It resulted in the government stealing gold from the American people and giving them useless fiat paper money in return.

“Some US embassies worldwide are being advised to purchase massive amounts of local currencies,” writes Harry Schultz, “enough to last them a year.” Schultz publishes the Harry Schultz Letter, an international investment, financial, economic, and geopolitical newsletter named as “Newsletter of the Year” by Peter Brimelow of Market Watch in 2005 and 2008.....

A “bank holiday” would work wonders for any “regulation” the Fed and the bankers have in mind. It would compliment the criminal consolidation now underway. It would allow them to finally and formally devalue the dollar and usher in a global “super currency” of control and enslavement....

If Mr. Schultz’s prediction is correct, we can expect riots in bank foyers and ultimately martial law to be imposed."

Obama on the road to Damascus

By Sami Moubayed
Asia Times

COMMENT: Warning! The author is a mouthpiece of the Syrian regime.

"All signs point to a rapid thaw in relations between Syria and the United States, with Damascus having much to offer the Middle East peace process should President Barack Obama accept its help. If only Obama were to make the effort to meet President Bashar al-Assad, real progress could be made....."

The Western media and Iran

Matthew Cassel, The Electronic Intifada, 23 June 2009

"One would think that the role of the media is to cover issues like conflict or rights abuses as they happen around the world. Although, it seems this isn't the case. Most Western media appear to follow their government's lead when focusing on different issues and then cover them in a way fitting with the government's position, hence the complete domination of events in Iran in nearly every single Western media outlet and the overwhelmingly positive portrayal of the protestors and the opposition as just.....

If the elections and demonstrations in Iran have revealed anything, it is that there are undeniably huge divisions that will greatly affect the future of the country. It's the individual's decision to choose which side he or she supports, if any. And it's the responsibility of the media to be independent of the authorities and to present accurate information in context so that news consumers' judgments will be informed and not made based off the foreign policy of Western governments.

A free and independent media is an essential part of any democracy, and something that the West is proving more and more that it lacks."

The necessity of cultural boycott

Ilan Pappe, The Electronic Intifada, 23 June 2009

"If there is anything new in the never-ending sad story of Palestine it is the clear shift in public opinion in the UK......

A good case in point unfolded last month in Edinburgh. Filmmaker Ken Loach led a campaign against the official and financial connections the city's film festival had with the Israeli embassy. Such a stance was meant to send a message that this embassy represents not only the filmmakers of Israel but also its generals who massacred the people of Gaza, its tormentors who torture Palestinians in jails, its judges who sent 10,000 Palestinians -- half of them children -- without trial to prison, its racist mayors who want to expel Arabs from their cities, its architects who built walls and fences to enclave people and prevent them from reaching their fields, schools, cinemas and offices and its politicians who strategize yet again how to complete the ethnic cleansing of Palestine they began in 1948. Ken Loach felt that only a call for boycotting the festival as whole would bring its directors into a moral sense and perspective. He was right; it did, because the case is so clear-cut and the action so simple and pure......."

Official Notification of Intent to Enter

"June 24, 2009
To: The Israeli Ministry of Defense, Fax: 972-3-697-6717
To: The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Fax: 972-2-5303367
From: The Free Gaza Movement

This letter serves as a formal notification to you, as the Occupying Power and belligerent force in the Gaza Strip, that on Thursday, June 25, 2009 we are navigating the motor vessel Spirit of Humanity, and the motor vessel Free Gaza from the Port of Larnaca to the port of Gaza City. Our vessels will be flying the Greek flags, and, as such, fall under the jurisdiction of Greece.

We will be sailing from Cypriot waters into international waters, then directly into the territorial waters of the Gaza Strip without entering or nearing Israeli territorial waters.

We will be carrying medical supplies in sealed boxes, as well as crayons, coloring books and toys for children, cleared by customs at the Larnaca International Airport and the Port of Larnaca. We will also be carrying 300 bags of cement delivered directly from the supplier to the Port of Larnaca. There will be passengers and crew on board from 14 different countries. Our boats and cargo will have received security clearance from the Port Authorities in Cyprus before we depart.

As it will be confirmed that neither we, the cargo, any of the boats' contents, nor the boats themselves constitute any threat to the security of Israel or its armed forces, we do not expect any interference with our voyage by Israel's authorities.

On Tuesday, December 30, an Israeli Navy vessel violently, and without warning, attacked our motor vessel Dignity, disabling the vessel and endangering the lives of the 16 civilians on board. This notice serves as clear notification to you of our approach. Any attack on the motor vessels, Spirit of Humanity and/or Free Gaza will be premeditated and any harm inflicted on the people on board will be considered the result of a deliberate attack on unarmed civilians......"

EXCLUSIVE-PART 2: Saudi Account of Khobar Bore Telltale Signs of Fraud

By Gareth Porter
(This is the second of a five-part series, " Khobar Towers Investigated: How a Saudi Deception Protected Osama bin Laden".)

"WASHINGTON, Jun 23 (IPS) - In the last week of October 1996, the Saudi secret police, the Mabahith, gave David Williams, the FBI's assistant special agent in charge of counter-terrorism issues, what they said were summaries of the confessions obtained from some 40 Shi’a detainees.

The alleged confessions portrayed the bombing as the work of a cell of Saudi Hezbollah that had had carried out surveillance of U.S. targets under the direction of an Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officer before hatching a plot to blow up the Khobar Towers facility.

But the documents were curiously short of the kind of details that would have allowed U.S. investigators to verify key elements of the accounts. In fact, Saudi officials refused even to reveal the names of the detainees who were alleged to have made the confessions, identifying the suspects only by numbers one through six or seven, according to a former FBI official involved in the investigation.

Justice Department lawyers argued that the confessions were completely unreliable, and unusable in court, because they had probably been extracted by torture.....

The question of how the alleged plotters got their hands on roughly 5,000 pounds of explosives – the estimated amount in the truck bomb - was one of the central questions in the investigation of the bombing. But interviews with six former FBI officials who worked on the Khobar Towers investigation revealed that the investigation had not turned up any evidence of how well over two tonnes of explosives had entered the country.

Not one of the six could recall any specific evidence about how the alleged plotters got their hands on that much explosives.....

If the Saudi Hezbollah group had actually been plotting to bring the explosives into the country by hiding them in cars, they would have had to get more than 50 explosives-laden cars past Saudi border guards who were already on alert. There is no indication, however, that any additional cars with explosives came across the border in the weeks prior to the bombing."

We 'Dirty Arabs' Have Had Enough

By Joharah Baker – Jerusalem

Palestine Chronicle

"What unwritten law is out there that allows Israelis to sling racist insults at Palestinians with impunity? After all my years in this country and the absurdities that come along with it, this is one absurdity I still find hard to digest.

Obviously, my outrage has been most recently rekindled by Israeli Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch, who during a tour of the old central bus station in Tel Aviv called a Palestinian-Israeli policeman a "real dirty Arab." Once the words were out, the minister was forced to apologize, saying his remarks did not reflect his worldview. A spokesman for the ministry also issued a statement saying that, "in a moment of jest, and using common slang, the minister said what he said, not intending to hurt anyone.".....

The problem is not primarily in the occasional slurs that are uttered by this or that minister or rabbi, regardless of how despicable. If it were not for a system that allows a breeding ground for such racist ideas, these officials would never have been given the chance to make their outrageous statements. But there is such a system and it is alive and well. A system that purports, according to the unnamed young man proudly singing "All Arabs must die" that all is justified in one sentence: "This is Zionism." "

اخلعوهم معا

اخلعوهم معا

رشاد أبوشاور

" مرّةً قتلونا بسّم،
فحين وُلدنا استداروا علينا بسيف
فحين وُلدنا أتوا بالدنانير تلدغ صف المشاهير منّا،
ولكن موعدنا الثورة المقبلة
(أحمد دحبور)
.....
مطلع السبعينات راجت آنذاك الدعوة للانخراط في عمليّة التسوية ـ بعد حرب تشرين ـ ورُفع شعار: سلطة وطنيّة على كل شبر يتحرر من فلسطين.
صراع فكري سياسي حاد احتدم بين (دعاة الاستسلام) ـ كما وصفوا عن حق، ورافعي شعار: فلسطين عربيّة من النهر إلى البحر، وهو ما ينطلق من أن الصراع صراع وجود لا صراع حدود، وأن فلسطين قضيّة العرب الأولى، قضية الأمّة لا الحكّام الذين تسيدوا على أشلاء ومزق رسم حدودها وأشكالها مبضعا سايكس وبيكو...
دحبور قال شعرا بقي وعمّر ليس لأنه كلام موزون مقفّى، ولكن لأنه يحمل رؤية، ويمتح من تراث، ويقول ما لا ينتهي مع حقبة أو مرحلة ...
.....
دعوة دحبور للخلع تبدأ من عنده، من فتح نفسها، من قيادتها التاريخيّة التي وصفها في قصيدة أخرى بأنها وقفت في منتصف الطريق، وهذا يدلل على عدم تعصّبه، وانحيازه لفلسطين فقط، ومتى؟ في مطلع السبعينات، قبل أوسلو والسلطة، والغوص في مرحلة الأوهام.
اخلعوهم معا!.. يعني من أعلنوا بأن الهدف حيفا ويافا وعكا، ولكنهم توقفوا في منتصف الطريق، ومن نظّروا باسم الماركسيّة، ووظفوا (صلح برست) غطاءً لطروحاتهم العاجزة المساومة، ولتبرير تبعيتهم لليمين الفلسطيني الذي طالما هجوه، ومن قدّموا أنفسهم متشددين، ثمّ أيدوا النقاط الـ10، فأُنعم عليهم بعضوية اللجنة التنفيذيّة...
كانت دعوة خلعهم معا، دعوة لتجديد الثورة، للثورة في الثورة، التي دعا كثيرون منّا لتفجيرها، لتجاوز كل الأمراض التي بدأت تفتك مبكرا في جسد الثورة الفلسطينيّة، وتحيد بمسارها عن الهدف.
والآن، ونحن نرى ما آلت إليه حال قضيتنا، وثورتنا، ومقاومتنا، وانتفاضتنا، ووحدة شعبنا، والتفاف جماهير أمتنا حول القضيّة، فإن الأصوات لا بدّ أن تعلو: لنخلعهم معا، من أفلسوا وطنيّا وباتوا أسرى عجزهم وترهلهم ومصالحهم وامتيازاتهم التي لن يتخلّوا عنها، ومن لحقوا بهم، وها هو خطابهم العاجز يتكشّف عن قُصر نظر، وخداع لمن منحوهم أصواتهم في انتخابات المجلس التشريعي، فبرنامجهم الانتخابي المطروح آنذاك لم يتضمن أنهم مع دولة في حدود الـ4 من حزيران (يونيو)! ولكنهم للخروج من المأزق الذي وضعوا أنفسهم فيه اختاروا وضع القضيّة تحت هذا السقف الواطئ جدا الذي خنق من سبقوهم، وألحق بقضيتنا ما لم يتمكن العدو من إلحاقه بها منذ نكبة عام 48.
بماذا يجيب هؤلاء على الأسئلة: هل بقيت أرض لدولة في حدود الـ 4 من حزيران؟
.....
خلعهم معا يعني العودة إلى ما تخلّى هؤلاء عنه، ما أداروا ظهورهم له
، هؤلاء الذين يسلب عقولهم بوش بوعد دولة، أو ينتشون لمجرّد الظهور مع كارتر ـ بطل (كامب ديفيد) ـ في مؤتمر صحفي بائس يُجدد فيه السيّد هنيّة ما صرّح به السيّد مشعل في خطابه لمجلس العموم البريطاني: نحن مع دولة في حدود الـ4 من حزيران!!...
تأخرت الثورة المقبلة، وقصار النظر والنفس يُبددون القضيّة، ينضاف إليهم المتلمظون على السلطة، يكررون مسيرة تملّق الغرب، واستجداء رضاه ...
رغم الخراب، وبسببه، آن أن تبدأ مسيرة خلع خطابي العجز من الشروش...
"

Secrets of History: The CIA in Iran

By JAMES RISEN

The N.Y. Times
June 18, 2000

"The Central Intelligence Agency's secret history of its covert operation to overthrow Iran's government in 1953 offers an inside look at how the agency stumbled into success, despite a series of mishaps that derailed its original plans.

Written in 1954 by one of the coup's chief planners, the history details how United States and British officials plotted the military coup that returned the shah of Iran to power and toppled Iran's elected prime minister, an ardent nationalist.

The document shows that:

* Britain, fearful of Iran's plans to nationalize its oil industry, came up with the idea for the coup in 1952 and pressed the United States to mount a joint operation to remove the prime minister.

* The C.I.A. and S.I.S., the British intelligence service, handpicked Gen. Fazlollah Zahedi to succeed Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh and covertly funneled $5 million to General Zahedi's regime two days after the coup prevailed.

* Iranians working for the C.I.A. and posing as Communists harassed religious leaders and staged the bombing of one cleric's home in a campaign to turn the country's Islamic religious community against Mossadegh's government.

* The shah's cowardice nearly killed the C.I.A. operation. Fearful of risking his throne, the Shah repeatedly refused to sign C.I.A.-written royal decrees to change the government. The agency arranged for the shah's twin sister, Princess Ashraf Pahlevi, and Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, the father of the Desert Storm commander, to act as intermediaries to try to keep him from wilting under pressure. He still fled the country just before the coup succeeded."

The CIA Secret Document (pdf format. 95 pages with appendices)

Black Skin White Mask

[Barack Obama, the US president, has condemned as "unjust" the Iranian government's treatment of protesters disputing results of the recent presidential poll. Obama said the international community was "appalled and outraged" by what he said were the "threats, beatings, and imprisonments" of demonstrators. President Obama: Zarathustra is Appaled and outraged by your Killings and bombing of Pakistanis.]

A suspected US drone attack on a stronghold of a Pakistani Taliban leader has killed at least 40 people and wounded dozens more in northwest Pakistan, Pakistani intelligence officials have said.

The missile hit a funeral prayer on Tuesday in the South Waziristan tribal region, a stronghold of Baitullah Mehsud.

Al Jazeera's Kamal Hyder, reporting from Islamabad, said most of those killed were believed to have been attending the funeral for the victims of another drone attack earlier in the day.

The Egyptian Zionists Marketing the Netanyahu Plan:

مصر تدعو لمرونة عربية وتمتدح أوباما

"أعلن وزير الخارجية المصري أحمد أبو الغيط أنه سيطرح على الاجتماع الوزاري العربي الذي يعقد غدا الأربعاء عناصر الرؤية المصرية بشأن الوضع الحالي لجهود تحقيق السلام على المسار الفلسطيني الإسرائيلي. وأكد أن المطلوب من الاجتماع النظر في صياغة موقف عربي يلتزم بالثوابت ولكن أيضا يبدي مرونة تساعد الفلسطينيين في التقدم بالمفاوضات.
وقال أبو الغيط في تصريحات صحفية إن الإطار العام للموقف المصري "يقوم على أساس تركيز الاهتمام على إنهاء النزاع وليس صرف الوقت في الحديث عن أمور تظل على أهميتها تشدنا إلى التفاصيل وليس إلى الصورة الكبيرة التي هي التسوية النهائية".
وأشاد أبو الغيط بالمواقف التي عبر عنها الرئيس الأميركي باراك أوباما وأركان إدارته حيال حل الصراع العربي الإسرائيلي، وقال إنها "تدعو للاحترام ويمكن أن توفر فرصة حقيقية للتوصل إلى تسوية تاريخية إذا خلصت النوايا وإذا مكنت إسرائيل هذا الجهد من أن يأخذ طريقه دون أن تعرقله أو تتفادى التعاون معه".
وشدد أبو الغيط على أهمية الخروج بموقف عربي جماعي يتجاوب مع "انفتاح" الإدارة الأميركية وبشكل يسمح للجانب العربي بالعمل مع الولايات المتحدة لتحقيق السلام

......"

Dennis Ross Moves to the White House

Time to Worry

By GARY LEUPP
CounterPunch

"....Ross’s change of jobs was announced in the midst of the street demonstrations following the contested election results in Iran last week. He will now literally move into the White House and provide day to day counsel to Obama on how to “deal” with a leadership he wants to topple.....

....It is as though the new administration has decided it can maybe take on AIPAC on one issue (the West Bank settlements) but cannot challenge it in its drive to use U.S. power to bomb Iran on Israel’s behalf.

Everybody needs to worry about Dennis Ross having the president’s ear, day to day in the Obama White House, promoting an attack on Iran."

Lieberman: World must respond to 'mad' Iranian regime

[The Chutzpah of Zionists is unmatched]

"The recent developments in Iran are the result of a mad regime that fires at its civilians on the street," Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Monday during an official visit to Canada.

While in Ottawa, Lieberman met with his Canadian counterpart Lawrence Cannon and other ministers. The FM told the senior Canadian officials that Israel greatly appreciates Canada's firm stance against the anti-Israel agenda of last April's UN conference in Geneva, which was dubbed "Durban II".