Sunday, November 07, 2010
GOP Senator: US Needs to 'Neuter' Iran
Sends ripples through an international audience in Halifax
"HALIFAX, Nova Scotia -- A U.S. lawmaker sent ripples through an international audience Saturday saying his country should be prepared to launch a military attack on Iran that would "neuter" the hard line regime......
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said Saturday his party would support military action against Iran that would destroy its ability to fight back while allowing its people to rise up.
Graham surprised attendees at the Halifax International Security Forum with his hawkish rhetoric, saying an attack could cripple Iran's nuclear program as well as its armed forces.....
Graham created the biggest buzz at the second annual security conference that MacKay is hosting in his home province. Graham serves on six senate committees, including armed services, homeland security and veterans' affairs. He also serves in the U.S. military as an active member of the Air Force reserves.
"Nobody would like to see the sanctions work any more than I would because I'm still in the military and I get to meet these young men and women on a regular basis and I know what it's been like for the last nine years," he told an audience of foreign politicians, diplomats and academics.
"And if you use military force, if sanctions are not going to work, and a year from now it's pretty clear they're not going to work, what do our friends in Israel do?"......"
"HALIFAX, Nova Scotia -- A U.S. lawmaker sent ripples through an international audience Saturday saying his country should be prepared to launch a military attack on Iran that would "neuter" the hard line regime......
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said Saturday his party would support military action against Iran that would destroy its ability to fight back while allowing its people to rise up.
Graham surprised attendees at the Halifax International Security Forum with his hawkish rhetoric, saying an attack could cripple Iran's nuclear program as well as its armed forces.....
Graham created the biggest buzz at the second annual security conference that MacKay is hosting in his home province. Graham serves on six senate committees, including armed services, homeland security and veterans' affairs. He also serves in the U.S. military as an active member of the Air Force reserves.
"Nobody would like to see the sanctions work any more than I would because I'm still in the military and I get to meet these young men and women on a regular basis and I know what it's been like for the last nine years," he told an audience of foreign politicians, diplomats and academics.
"And if you use military force, if sanctions are not going to work, and a year from now it's pretty clear they're not going to work, what do our friends in Israel do?"......"
Al-Jazeera Video: Fears over fate of Iraqi Christians
"More than 50 Iraqi Christians were killed when an al-Qaeda-linked group attacked a Baghdad church last Sunday.
The assault has reverberated among Iraqi Christians in the West.
The leader of one such church in London, the UK capital, believes it is time for Iraq's 300,0000 strong Christian minority to leave the country.
Al Jazeera's Jonah Hull reports from West London."
No more rage against the machine
Where is the anger at the horrors revealed in the latest Wikileaks Iraq war logs?
Mark LeVine
Al-Jazeera
".....The fact is that without action, rage becomes just another commodity or marketing tool - useful to sell albums and concert tickets, and even to pump up soldiers before battle (not surprisingly, its seems that most prefer less political bands like Metallica and Slayer to Rage Against the Machine for that purpose).
But now, with 400,000 new pieces of evidence screaming for justice, the question still needs to be asked: where is the rage at the revelations brought on by the release of the Iraq war logs?
In the US, the Republicans are now arguing that the answer is clear - the rage is against Obama and his evil band of liberal elitists. However laughable this argument seems to the rest of the world, Americans are clearly buying that narrative in larger numbers.
The question remains: will Americans, Brits, Iraqis and others who have been so harmed by the legacy of the Western invasion of Iraq ever turn the anger on the forces who have so well manipulated them? Will they begin to rage, and act, against the machine rather than for it?
That is the question my son had for me, as he began to understand the meaning of Killing in the Name Of. And sadly, it seems that no amount of revelations of the horrors the US has brought to Iraq will succeed in waking Americans up to the reality of what has been wrought on Iraq, Afghanistan, and increasingly at home, in their name."
Mark LeVine
Al-Jazeera
".....The fact is that without action, rage becomes just another commodity or marketing tool - useful to sell albums and concert tickets, and even to pump up soldiers before battle (not surprisingly, its seems that most prefer less political bands like Metallica and Slayer to Rage Against the Machine for that purpose).
But now, with 400,000 new pieces of evidence screaming for justice, the question still needs to be asked: where is the rage at the revelations brought on by the release of the Iraq war logs?
In the US, the Republicans are now arguing that the answer is clear - the rage is against Obama and his evil band of liberal elitists. However laughable this argument seems to the rest of the world, Americans are clearly buying that narrative in larger numbers.
The question remains: will Americans, Brits, Iraqis and others who have been so harmed by the legacy of the Western invasion of Iraq ever turn the anger on the forces who have so well manipulated them? Will they begin to rage, and act, against the machine rather than for it?
That is the question my son had for me, as he began to understand the meaning of Killing in the Name Of. And sadly, it seems that no amount of revelations of the horrors the US has brought to Iraq will succeed in waking Americans up to the reality of what has been wrought on Iraq, Afghanistan, and increasingly at home, in their name."
From Balfour to Obama
The dominant imperial power may have changed but treatment of the Palestinians remains much the same.
FEATURE ARTICLE
(Scroll down for more new posts)FEATURE ARTICLE
By Lamis Andoni
Al-Jazeera
".....Palestine was still under Ottoman rule when it was written. But Britain and its allies were making headway in defeating the ailing Ottoman empire and, when Palestine came under British control just a month later, the document suddenly assumed much greater significance. The Balfour Declaration was presented as equal to a land deed that conferred legitimacy on the plans of the international Zionist movement.
Balfour was keenly aware of the presence of an indigenous Arab population, but in an era that preceded international law, the United Nations charter and the Fourth Geneva Convention, a powerful empire had no qualms about granting a land deed for territories it had no legitimate claim to....
But the Palestinian Arabs were the last thing on Balfour's mind, or the minds of many other British politicians. He was primarily concerned with solving 'a European problem' and not with addressing the rights of an indigenous people. He also sought to bolster a declining British empire.
Balfour saw the establishment of a homeland for the Jews in Palestine as the best solution to what was commonly referred to as Europe's 'Jewish problem' - a solution that reflected and embodied the central anti-Semitic belief that Jews were an alien body causing problems in Christian Europe......Balfour was a known anti-Semite.....
While many Jews sought assimilation, the Zionist movement established by Theodore Herzl sought a separate entity for the Jews. It did not see the Jewish problem as one of segregation and discrimination that could be addressed through a struggle for universal rights but sought a more radical solution - to take Jews out of Europe......
But not all Jews were convinced that this was the answer. In fact there was considerable resistance to Zionism from some European, including British, Jews....
Thus a formula was found to satisfy both anti-Semites and those Jews who preferred assimilation into their country of residence.
But in all of this drama the Palestinians were neither consulted nor seriously considered. It was then much as it is today - except that British imperial power has been replaced by American imperial power.....
Lord Balfour was a true representative of the imperial values of his times - an anti-Semitic politician who sought to solve what was then seen as 'Europe's problem' while setting the stage for the creation of a pro-Western entity in the Arab world. His declaration was an embodiment of both imperialism and anti-Semitism, the repercussions of which are still being felt thousands of miles away from where his short policy statement was crafted."
Al-Jazeera
".....Palestine was still under Ottoman rule when it was written. But Britain and its allies were making headway in defeating the ailing Ottoman empire and, when Palestine came under British control just a month later, the document suddenly assumed much greater significance. The Balfour Declaration was presented as equal to a land deed that conferred legitimacy on the plans of the international Zionist movement.
Balfour was keenly aware of the presence of an indigenous Arab population, but in an era that preceded international law, the United Nations charter and the Fourth Geneva Convention, a powerful empire had no qualms about granting a land deed for territories it had no legitimate claim to....
But the Palestinian Arabs were the last thing on Balfour's mind, or the minds of many other British politicians. He was primarily concerned with solving 'a European problem' and not with addressing the rights of an indigenous people. He also sought to bolster a declining British empire.
Balfour saw the establishment of a homeland for the Jews in Palestine as the best solution to what was commonly referred to as Europe's 'Jewish problem' - a solution that reflected and embodied the central anti-Semitic belief that Jews were an alien body causing problems in Christian Europe......Balfour was a known anti-Semite.....
While many Jews sought assimilation, the Zionist movement established by Theodore Herzl sought a separate entity for the Jews. It did not see the Jewish problem as one of segregation and discrimination that could be addressed through a struggle for universal rights but sought a more radical solution - to take Jews out of Europe......
But not all Jews were convinced that this was the answer. In fact there was considerable resistance to Zionism from some European, including British, Jews....
Thus a formula was found to satisfy both anti-Semites and those Jews who preferred assimilation into their country of residence.
But in all of this drama the Palestinians were neither consulted nor seriously considered. It was then much as it is today - except that British imperial power has been replaced by American imperial power.....
Lord Balfour was a true representative of the imperial values of his times - an anti-Semitic politician who sought to solve what was then seen as 'Europe's problem' while setting the stage for the creation of a pro-Western entity in the Arab world. His declaration was an embodiment of both imperialism and anti-Semitism, the repercussions of which are still being felt thousands of miles away from where his short policy statement was crafted."
TEXT OF THE BALFOUR DECLARATION:
Foreign Office,
November 2nd, 1917.
Dear Lord Rothschild.
I have much pleasure in conveying to you. on behalf of His Majesty's Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, And approved by the Cabinet.
"His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people . And will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object. It being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country"
I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.
Due to Gisha's Petition: Israel Reveals Documents related to the Gaza Closure Policy
"After one and a half years in which Israel at first denied their existence and then claimed that revealing them would harm "state security", the State of Israel released three documents that outline its policy for permitting transfer of goods into the Gaza Strip prior to the May 31 flotilla incident. The documents were released due to a Freedom of Information Act petition submitted by Gisha - Legal Center for Freedom of Movement in the Tel Aviv District Court, in which Gisha demanded transparency regarding the Gaza closure policy. Israel still refuses to release the current documents governing the closure policy as amended after the flotilla incident.
"Policy of Deliberate Reduction"
The documents reveal that the state approved "a policy of deliberate reduction" for basic goods in the Gaza Strip (section h.4, page 5*). Thus, for example, Israel restricted the supply of fuel needed for the power plant, disrupting the supply of electricity and water. The state set a "lower warning line" (section g.2, page 5) to give advance warning of expected shortages in a particular item, but at the same time approved ignoring that warning, if the good in question was subject to a policy of "deliberate reduction". Moreover, the state set an "upper red line" above which even basic humanitarian items could be blocked, even if they were in demand (section g.1, page 5). The state claimed in a cover letter to Gisha that in practice, it had not authorized reduction of "basic goods" below the "lower warning line", but it did not define what these "basic goods" were (page 2)......
Calculation of product inventory
The documents contain a series of formulas created by the Defense Ministry to compute product inventory (pages 8-10). The calculations are presumed to allow COGAT to measure what is called the "length of breath" (section i, page 8). The formula states that if you divide the inventory in the Strip by the daily consumption needs of residents, you will get the number of days it will take for residents of Gaza to run out of that basic product, or in other words, until their "length of breath" will run out.
According to Gisha Director Sari Bashi: "Instead of considering security concerns, on the one hand, and the rights and needs of civilians living in Gaza, on the other, Israel banned glucose for biscuits and the fuel needed for regular supply of electricity – paralyzing normal life in Gaza and impairing the moral character of the State of Israel. I am sorry to say that major elements of this policy are still in place".....
To view the documents revealed by the state (translated from the original Hebrew into English), click here. "
The Democratic Party Debacle and the Demise of the Left-Center Left: A Worldwide Trend
The November 2, 2010 electoral debacle of the Democratic Party in the US cannot be solely ascribed to the failed policies of President Obama, the Congressional leadership or their senior economic advisers.
By James Petras
Nor is the demise of what passes for the American “center-left” confined to the US – it is a world-wide pattern, expressed in countries as diverse as Greece, Portugal, Spain, Great Britain and Japan.
The central question is why the left-center left governing parties are everywhere in crisis and will be for the foreseeable future?.....
Conclusion
The Left-Center Left regimes are paying a high electoral price for sacrificing the working class in order to save the bankers: Obama’s recent electoral defeat is only a forerunner of future losses for the Spanish, Greek, Portuguese Socialists and other L-CL regimes. Their austerity policies have led them to ‘fall between two chairs’: They alienate workers and strengthen the capitalist class, which already has its own “natural” conservative capitalist parties. The “hard right” everywhere is advancing, sensing the debacle of the center-left as an opportunity to deepen and widen the frontal assault on labor rights, social welfare and any semblance of legal protection.
Faced with this assault, the main defense of militant workers in Southern Europe is the general strike, (totally absent for over a century in the US). But even so, given the ferocious backing of all of Europe’s (and the US) ruling classes for the regressive austerity policies, it is becoming clear that the positive experience of massive class solidarity is not enough. Greece has had half dozen general strikes. France has been shut down by a nationwide strike. Spain has more to come. But their L-CL rulers continue slashing and burning workers rights and living standards now and for years to come.
What will it take to stop and reverse this capitalist juggernaut? It is clear, that the L-CL parties, as we know them, are part of the problem and not the solution. Will new working class parties and movements emerge that can combine mass general strikes with challenges for state power? Will the rising power of the electoral right lead to a parallel rise of the left?
As of today, little or nothing of a left-right political polarization appears on the horizon in the United States where most of the union and social movement leaders are tied to the Democratic Party. In contrast, in Europe, particularly in France, Greece, Portugal and Spain, extra-parliamentary mass struggles will continue and perhaps intensify, raising the specter of possible popular uprisings as conditions continue to deteriorate. "
By James Petras
Nor is the demise of what passes for the American “center-left” confined to the US – it is a world-wide pattern, expressed in countries as diverse as Greece, Portugal, Spain, Great Britain and Japan.
The central question is why the left-center left governing parties are everywhere in crisis and will be for the foreseeable future?.....
Conclusion
The Left-Center Left regimes are paying a high electoral price for sacrificing the working class in order to save the bankers: Obama’s recent electoral defeat is only a forerunner of future losses for the Spanish, Greek, Portuguese Socialists and other L-CL regimes. Their austerity policies have led them to ‘fall between two chairs’: They alienate workers and strengthen the capitalist class, which already has its own “natural” conservative capitalist parties. The “hard right” everywhere is advancing, sensing the debacle of the center-left as an opportunity to deepen and widen the frontal assault on labor rights, social welfare and any semblance of legal protection.
Faced with this assault, the main defense of militant workers in Southern Europe is the general strike, (totally absent for over a century in the US). But even so, given the ferocious backing of all of Europe’s (and the US) ruling classes for the regressive austerity policies, it is becoming clear that the positive experience of massive class solidarity is not enough. Greece has had half dozen general strikes. France has been shut down by a nationwide strike. Spain has more to come. But their L-CL rulers continue slashing and burning workers rights and living standards now and for years to come.
What will it take to stop and reverse this capitalist juggernaut? It is clear, that the L-CL parties, as we know them, are part of the problem and not the solution. Will new working class parties and movements emerge that can combine mass general strikes with challenges for state power? Will the rising power of the electoral right lead to a parallel rise of the left?
As of today, little or nothing of a left-right political polarization appears on the horizon in the United States where most of the union and social movement leaders are tied to the Democratic Party. In contrast, in Europe, particularly in France, Greece, Portugal and Spain, extra-parliamentary mass struggles will continue and perhaps intensify, raising the specter of possible popular uprisings as conditions continue to deteriorate. "
The Stupidity And Opportunism of Hamas Never Cease to Amaze Me: حماس تتوقع تحسن علاقاتها بمصر
Al-Jazeera
"تتوقع حركة المقاومة الإسلامية (حماس) أن تتحسن علاقاتها مع القاهرة في أعقاب توقيعها المرتقب على الورقة المصرية، بعد التوافق مع حركة التحرير الوطني الفلسطيني (فتح) على الملف الأمني. وينتظر أن تجتمع الحركتان في دمشق يوم 9 نوفمبر/تشرين الثاني الجاري.
وتقول حركة حماس إن غزة ومصر يجمعهما تاريخ وعلاقات منذ الأزل، وإنها تريد علاقات مع الكل العربي لمصلحة القضية الفلسطينية، في حين تقول القاهرة إنها من مؤيدي مشاركة الحركة في العمل السياسي.
والفتور الحالي في العلاقة جاء عقب رفض حماس التوقيع على الورقة التي صاغتها مصر للمصالحة الوطنية، قائلة إن بها نقاطا غير متفق عليها، وغابت عنها نقاط متفق عليها.
توقع التحسن
وقال عضو المكتب السياسي لحركة حماس محمود الزهار للجزيرة نت إن لجنة من الجامعة العربية برئاسة مصر ستشكل بعد التوقيع على ورقة المصالحة للإشراف على تطبيق الاتفاق وسيتنقل وفدها بين غزة والضفة والقدس، متوقعا أن يترتب عن ذلك عقد لقاءات يومية بين ممثلي حماس وأعضاء هذا الوفد
....."
"تتوقع حركة المقاومة الإسلامية (حماس) أن تتحسن علاقاتها مع القاهرة في أعقاب توقيعها المرتقب على الورقة المصرية، بعد التوافق مع حركة التحرير الوطني الفلسطيني (فتح) على الملف الأمني. وينتظر أن تجتمع الحركتان في دمشق يوم 9 نوفمبر/تشرين الثاني الجاري.
وتقول حركة حماس إن غزة ومصر يجمعهما تاريخ وعلاقات منذ الأزل، وإنها تريد علاقات مع الكل العربي لمصلحة القضية الفلسطينية، في حين تقول القاهرة إنها من مؤيدي مشاركة الحركة في العمل السياسي.
والفتور الحالي في العلاقة جاء عقب رفض حماس التوقيع على الورقة التي صاغتها مصر للمصالحة الوطنية، قائلة إن بها نقاطا غير متفق عليها، وغابت عنها نقاط متفق عليها.
توقع التحسن
وقال عضو المكتب السياسي لحركة حماس محمود الزهار للجزيرة نت إن لجنة من الجامعة العربية برئاسة مصر ستشكل بعد التوقيع على ورقة المصالحة للإشراف على تطبيق الاتفاق وسيتنقل وفدها بين غزة والضفة والقدس، متوقعا أن يترتب عن ذلك عقد لقاءات يومية بين ممثلي حماس وأعضاء هذا الوفد
....."
Full Haaretz expose / How the state helped right-wing groups settle East Jerusalem
A Haaretz investigation shows the state used a controversial law to transfer East Jerusalem assets to the rightist organizations Elad and Ateret Cohanim without a tender, and at very low prices.
On October 8, David Be'eri started his car in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan and drove off. What happened next has been seen by millions of viewers and surfers: Two children threw rocks at his car. An instant later, one was thrown up onto the front windshield, while the other was pushed aside by the car's bumper. This incident further escalated the violence that has made Silwan a theater for clashes between Palestinians and settlers and police for the last year.
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The Elad organization, which Be'eri founded, has settled some 500 Jews at 15 sites in Silwan to date. Ateret Cohanim, which was founded by Mati David and specializes in gaining control of assets in the Old City in general, and the Muslim Quarter in particular, has brought 60 Jewish families to this quarter, along with hundreds of yeshiva students.
The Nobleman and the Horse
By Uri Avnery
Palestine Chronicle
"....The American public now resembles the man in the joke. They sent to Washington a large group of Tea Party types, but the coffee drinkers in the White house are still in control.
The Israeli leadership did not know how to treat the results of this election. Are they good for the Jews or bad for the Jews?
The big winner of the American election is none other than Binyamin Netanyahu.
His policy is similar to that of his political mentor, Yitzhak Shamir. It is based on the Jew who had to teach the Polish nobleman’s horse to read and to write within a year – otherwise the whole shtetel would be massacred. “A year is a long time,” he tried to soothe his weeping wife, “Within a year the horse or the nobleman will be dead.”
Shamir’s game was to postpone everything, miss every opportunity to bring peace closer, gain time.....
There is something crazy in this situation: our government is rushing light-heartedly towards a clash with the only remaining ally we have in the world. No realistic alternative can be detected on the horizon.
This is, by itself, an ominous fact, because the American Empire is in a slow but continuing decline in all areas – economic, political, military and cultural. This is a protracted process that will take many years, but Israel should be positioning itself to accommodate the rise of new centers of power. The Netanyahu government is doing the exact opposite: it is challenging the entire world and acting consistently to isolate Israel.
Unlike the story about the Jew, the nobleman and the horse – this is not a joke."
Palestine Chronicle
"....The American public now resembles the man in the joke. They sent to Washington a large group of Tea Party types, but the coffee drinkers in the White house are still in control.
The Israeli leadership did not know how to treat the results of this election. Are they good for the Jews or bad for the Jews?
The big winner of the American election is none other than Binyamin Netanyahu.
His policy is similar to that of his political mentor, Yitzhak Shamir. It is based on the Jew who had to teach the Polish nobleman’s horse to read and to write within a year – otherwise the whole shtetel would be massacred. “A year is a long time,” he tried to soothe his weeping wife, “Within a year the horse or the nobleman will be dead.”
Shamir’s game was to postpone everything, miss every opportunity to bring peace closer, gain time.....
There is something crazy in this situation: our government is rushing light-heartedly towards a clash with the only remaining ally we have in the world. No realistic alternative can be detected on the horizon.
This is, by itself, an ominous fact, because the American Empire is in a slow but continuing decline in all areas – economic, political, military and cultural. This is a protracted process that will take many years, but Israel should be positioning itself to accommodate the rise of new centers of power. The Netanyahu government is doing the exact opposite: it is challenging the entire world and acting consistently to isolate Israel.
Unlike the story about the Jew, the nobleman and the horse – this is not a joke."
West panics at American-born voice of jihad
But the cleric accused of radicalising Western Muslims is just a sideshow
By Patrick Cockburn
".....The US government and media are now demonising Awlaki, and probably exaggerating his influence, as the inspiration for attacks by focusing on Yemen as the new bastion of al-Qa'ida. But, as in Iraq, al-Qa'ida has strength mainly because it associates itself with groups already in opposition to the central government. In Yemen there is increasing dissent in the south, formerly the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, which united with the Yemen Arab Republic in the north in 1990. The government in the capital, Sanaa, has every incentive to persuade the US to label its many domestic enemies as al-Qa'ida so it can obtain financial aid and arms, along with military and political support."
US 'deploys Predator drones in Yemen'
Press TV
"The United States has deployed unmanned Predator drones in Yemen, claiming they are aimed at eradicating al-Qaeda militants, senior US officials say.
The Washington Post reported on Sunday that the drones have been patrolling the Yemeni skies for several months in search of al-Qaeda leaders and operatives allegedly hiding in the country....."
By Patrick Cockburn
".....The US government and media are now demonising Awlaki, and probably exaggerating his influence, as the inspiration for attacks by focusing on Yemen as the new bastion of al-Qa'ida. But, as in Iraq, al-Qa'ida has strength mainly because it associates itself with groups already in opposition to the central government. In Yemen there is increasing dissent in the south, formerly the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, which united with the Yemen Arab Republic in the north in 1990. The government in the capital, Sanaa, has every incentive to persuade the US to label its many domestic enemies as al-Qa'ida so it can obtain financial aid and arms, along with military and political support."
US 'deploys Predator drones in Yemen'
Press TV
"The United States has deployed unmanned Predator drones in Yemen, claiming they are aimed at eradicating al-Qaeda militants, senior US officials say.
The Washington Post reported on Sunday that the drones have been patrolling the Yemeni skies for several months in search of al-Qaeda leaders and operatives allegedly hiding in the country....."
Saturday, November 06, 2010
Shulamit Aloni: Calling dissidents ant-Semitic is a trick. We always use it.
The use and abuse of the anti-Semitism smear in order to silence critics of Israeli policies.
Al-Jazeera Video: Inside Story - Abandoning 'universal jurisdiction'?
"Britain's foreign minister has pledged that the UK will quickly amend a law that has allowed pro-Palestinian activists to request arrest warrants for visiting Israeli officials over alleged war crimes. Activists in Britain have sought the arrest of Israeli officials in the past under the principle of "universal jurisdiction", which allows courts to prosecute alleged war crimes from elsewhere in the world. The reassurance came after Israel suspended 'special strategic dialogue' with the UK in protest over the law. But what message is the UK sending to the rest of the world?"
UN will be judged on whether it upholds Palestinian rights
Richard Falk, The Electronic Intifada, 5 November 2010
The following is an oral presentation made by Richard Falk, Special Rapporteur on the Situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territories occupied since 1967, to the United Nations General Assembly on 20 October 2010:
"....It is important, distinguished delegates, that urgent and tangible attention be devoted by this body to the ongoing ordeal of the Palestinian people whose fundamental rights are being daily violated in numerous ways. This intolerable, immoral and unlawful occupation must be brought to an end, and there is no present prospect that traditional diplomacy will achieve this goal. The United Nations will be judged now and in the future by whether it contributes, at long last, to the long-deferred realization of the Palestinian right of self-determination, and thereby brings a just peace to both peoples."
The following is an oral presentation made by Richard Falk, Special Rapporteur on the Situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territories occupied since 1967, to the United Nations General Assembly on 20 October 2010:
"....It is important, distinguished delegates, that urgent and tangible attention be devoted by this body to the ongoing ordeal of the Palestinian people whose fundamental rights are being daily violated in numerous ways. This intolerable, immoral and unlawful occupation must be brought to an end, and there is no present prospect that traditional diplomacy will achieve this goal. The United Nations will be judged now and in the future by whether it contributes, at long last, to the long-deferred realization of the Palestinian right of self-determination, and thereby brings a just peace to both peoples."
Ali Abunimah lecture at Stanford, Nov 3, 2010 - Youtube in 13 parts!
By Ali Abunimah
"My lecture at Stanford, hosted by Students Confronting Israeli Apartheid on Nov 3, 2010. Go to the Youtube page to access the subsequent segments."
"My lecture at Stanford, hosted by Students Confronting Israeli Apartheid on Nov 3, 2010. Go to the Youtube page to access the subsequent segments."
Will the Elections Change Obama's Iran Policy?
By Tony Karon
Time
".....There's no indication that the President or other key decisionmakers have abandoned their skepticism of a military solution to the standoff, based on an awareness that the consequences of starting a war could be more dangerous than any threat currently posed by Iran. But the Times reports that a debate is under way within the Administration over whether Obama should be amplifying the threat of military action if Iran remains defiant. The Administration's Iran point man, Dennis Ross, has made clear in his writings on the matter that he believes Iran will back down only if it believes it faces a credible threat of military action.....
The fact that the Western powers lack consensus among themselves, much less with other key players such as Russia and China, on an acceptable compromise would only be a problem if there was any expectation of a breakthrough in the next round of talks. But neither side appears to be seeking one. For the U.S., the talks are an opportunity to send Iran a message that pressure will increase until Tehran is ready to yield; for Iran, the negotiations are an opportunity to make clear that it has no intention of backing down, confident it can ride out the sanctions and any other pressure the U.S. can plausibly muster.
The same stalemate persisted through the second term of George W. Bush's Administration, and resulted in Iran crossing the threshold to become a nuclear-capable state by mastering enrichment. But Obama, under pressure from an even more hawkish and assertive Congress, is unlikely to have the luxury enjoyed by his predecessor of maintaining a passive hard line while Iran's nuclear capacity grows."
Time
".....There's no indication that the President or other key decisionmakers have abandoned their skepticism of a military solution to the standoff, based on an awareness that the consequences of starting a war could be more dangerous than any threat currently posed by Iran. But the Times reports that a debate is under way within the Administration over whether Obama should be amplifying the threat of military action if Iran remains defiant. The Administration's Iran point man, Dennis Ross, has made clear in his writings on the matter that he believes Iran will back down only if it believes it faces a credible threat of military action.....
The fact that the Western powers lack consensus among themselves, much less with other key players such as Russia and China, on an acceptable compromise would only be a problem if there was any expectation of a breakthrough in the next round of talks. But neither side appears to be seeking one. For the U.S., the talks are an opportunity to send Iran a message that pressure will increase until Tehran is ready to yield; for Iran, the negotiations are an opportunity to make clear that it has no intention of backing down, confident it can ride out the sanctions and any other pressure the U.S. can plausibly muster.
The same stalemate persisted through the second term of George W. Bush's Administration, and resulted in Iran crossing the threshold to become a nuclear-capable state by mastering enrichment. But Obama, under pressure from an even more hawkish and assertive Congress, is unlikely to have the luxury enjoyed by his predecessor of maintaining a passive hard line while Iran's nuclear capacity grows."
Only justice can bring peace to this benighted region
By Robert Fisk
".....No one in their right mind would think that al-Qa'ida would burn its energies on such a petty – though revolting – act in Lebanon. But al-Qa'ida does exist in Lebanon. We have President Bashar al-Assad's word on that. Indeed, it's interesting to hear what Assad actually said on the subject last week – since his relationship with Shia Hezbollah and Shia Iran makes him no friend of bin Laden's outfit. In an interview with Al-Hayat newspaper, he said "We talk about al-Qa'ida as if it exists as a well-structured, unified organisation. This isn't true. It acts more as a current of thought that calls itself al-Qa'ida. This organisation is the result (of a situation) and not the cause. It is a result of chaos, of weak development. It is a result of political errors and a kind of political direction." To say that this organisation "exists everywhere, in Syria as in all Arab and Islamic countries, does not mean that it is widespread or popular".
Yet Assad can't absolve his own regime or those of the other Arab states whose security laws ban any political meetings – other than those approved by state officials – and thus long ago forced Muslims to discuss politics in the only institution they regularly visit: the mosque. And of course, the supreme irony this week has been to hear our lords and masters praising the helpfulness of the Wahhabi regime in Saudi Arabia for alerting the West to the aircraft package bombs when it was this same Saudi Arabia that nurtured Osama bin Laden and his merry men over many years.
Because the Middle East's dictators also like to scare their populations. Egypt's poor are disgusted by their ruling elite but that elite wants to ensure there are no Islamic revolutions in Cairo. And the West wants to ensure that there are no Islamic revolutions in Cairo, or Libya, or Algeria, or Syria, or Saudi Arabia. (You name the rest.) The immediate problem is that al-Qa'ida is trying to undermine these regimes as well as the West. And so they lump Iraq itself – whether it is a democracy is a bit irrelevant when it doesn't have a government and is too busy executing its old Baathist enemies to protect its own people – along with the country's Christians and its Shias. And we are continuing to stage drone attacks on Pakistan and bomb the innocent in Afghanistan and tolerate the torture regimes of the Arab world and allow Israel to steal more land from the Palestinians. I'm afraid it's the same old story. Justice will bring peace – not intelligence wars against "world terror". But our leaders will still not admit this."
".....No one in their right mind would think that al-Qa'ida would burn its energies on such a petty – though revolting – act in Lebanon. But al-Qa'ida does exist in Lebanon. We have President Bashar al-Assad's word on that. Indeed, it's interesting to hear what Assad actually said on the subject last week – since his relationship with Shia Hezbollah and Shia Iran makes him no friend of bin Laden's outfit. In an interview with Al-Hayat newspaper, he said "We talk about al-Qa'ida as if it exists as a well-structured, unified organisation. This isn't true. It acts more as a current of thought that calls itself al-Qa'ida. This organisation is the result (of a situation) and not the cause. It is a result of chaos, of weak development. It is a result of political errors and a kind of political direction." To say that this organisation "exists everywhere, in Syria as in all Arab and Islamic countries, does not mean that it is widespread or popular".
Yet Assad can't absolve his own regime or those of the other Arab states whose security laws ban any political meetings – other than those approved by state officials – and thus long ago forced Muslims to discuss politics in the only institution they regularly visit: the mosque. And of course, the supreme irony this week has been to hear our lords and masters praising the helpfulness of the Wahhabi regime in Saudi Arabia for alerting the West to the aircraft package bombs when it was this same Saudi Arabia that nurtured Osama bin Laden and his merry men over many years.
Because the Middle East's dictators also like to scare their populations. Egypt's poor are disgusted by their ruling elite but that elite wants to ensure there are no Islamic revolutions in Cairo. And the West wants to ensure that there are no Islamic revolutions in Cairo, or Libya, or Algeria, or Syria, or Saudi Arabia. (You name the rest.) The immediate problem is that al-Qa'ida is trying to undermine these regimes as well as the West. And so they lump Iraq itself – whether it is a democracy is a bit irrelevant when it doesn't have a government and is too busy executing its old Baathist enemies to protect its own people – along with the country's Christians and its Shias. And we are continuing to stage drone attacks on Pakistan and bomb the innocent in Afghanistan and tolerate the torture regimes of the Arab world and allow Israel to steal more land from the Palestinians. I'm afraid it's the same old story. Justice will bring peace – not intelligence wars against "world terror". But our leaders will still not admit this."
Iraqi prisoners were abused at 'UK's Abu Ghraib', court hears
Detainees were starved, deprived of sleep and threatened with execution at JFIT facilities near Basra, high court told
Ian Cobain
The Guardian, Saturday 6 November 2010
"Evidence of the alleged systematic and brutal mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners at a secret British military interrogation centre that is being described as "the UK's Abu Ghraib" emerged yesterday during high court proceedings brought by more than 200 former inmates.
The court was told there was evidence that detainees were starved, deprived of sleep, subjected to sensory deprivation and threatened with execution at the shadowy facilities near Basra operated by the Joint Forces Interrogation Team, or JFIT....."
Ian Cobain
The Guardian, Saturday 6 November 2010
"Evidence of the alleged systematic and brutal mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners at a secret British military interrogation centre that is being described as "the UK's Abu Ghraib" emerged yesterday during high court proceedings brought by more than 200 former inmates.
The court was told there was evidence that detainees were starved, deprived of sleep, subjected to sensory deprivation and threatened with execution at the shadowy facilities near Basra operated by the Joint Forces Interrogation Team, or JFIT....."
في ذكرى كفر قاسم مجزرة في كنيسة النجاة ببغداد
A VERY GOOD PIECE
By the Iraqi writer Haifa Zangana
هيفاء زنكنة
"في كفر قاسم، القرية الفلسطينية، قتل في 29 تشرين الأول/اكتوبر 1956، 48 من الرجالوالنساء والاطفال العائدين من الحقول الى بيوتهم بعد قضاء يوم عملهم. كانت جريمتهم،أن حظر التجول كان قد فرض على قريتهم قبل ساعة، ولم يسمعوا بالخبر. كان القتلة منحرس الكيان الصهيوني، غير ان أيا منهم لم يعاقب. فأصبحت مجزرة كفر قاسم واحدة منسلسلة مجازر الاحتلال الصهيوني المستمرة، ضد العرب، حتى اليوم.
في كنيسة النجاة،في منطقة الكرادة ببغداد، وفي اسبوع ذكرى مجزرة كفر قاسم، في يوم 31 تشرينالاول/اكتوبر، قتل 46 شخصا وجرح 60، اجتمع معظمهم من الرجال والنساء والاطفال لأداءالصلاة. كانت جريمتهم انهم تشبثوا بالبقاء في منطقتهم، في مدينتهم بغداد، في بلدهمالعراق، ولم يخضعوا لابتزاز التهجير القسري لتحويل المنطقة، بكاملها، ملكا صرفالطائفة معينة دون غيرها، ضمن مخطط تقسيم بغداد والعراق الى كانتونات طائفية، أما عنطريق عروض شراء البيوت باسعار مغرية، أحيانا، كما يحدث في منطقة الكرادة، أوترويعهم وارهابهم، الى حد القتل، اذا لم يستجيبوا لضغوط البيع. فالكل يعرف بأنمنطقة الكرادة، في بغداد، هي منطقة محصنة بقوات الأمن الميليشية، والكل يعلم بأنالموجودين، في الكنيسة، من أهل العراق الأصيلين، لذلك استبيحت دماؤهم وأجبروا علىالهجرة، كما هو حال ملايين المهجرين والنازحين والشهداء منذ عام الغزو.
والكل يعلم،كما في كفر قاسم، أن القتلة معروفون. والكل يعلم بان أيا منهم لن يعاقب في ظل حكومةالاحتلال الطائفية، وان أيدي القتلة ستغسل بالتضبيب الاعلامي لتضاف مجزرة كنيسةالنجاة الى سلسلة مذابح الغزاة ومستخدميهم، المسكوت عنها. ولكي لا ننسى الاسبابالحقيقية وراء مجزرة الكنيسة وتفجيرات الاماكن العامة والمساجد، ولكي لا نصدق كل مايقدم الينا من تبريرات جاهزة واتهامات بائتة، ولكي تبقى صورة القتلة الحقيقيينواضحة في اذهاننا، من المفيد ان نستحضر وقائع تاريخنا الذي طغى عليه الاحتلال.
يقول د. عدنان بكرية في مقال له عن ذكرى كفر قاسم: 'لقد ذهل "بن غوريون" عندمااكتشف في أوائل الخمسينات أنه لم يتم تهجير الشعب الفلسطيني بالكامل وبأن هناك قرىفلسطينية كاملة لم تدمر بل صمدت وما زالت صامدة وعندما زار منطقة الجليل سألمرافقيه: هل نحن في سورية أم في إسرائيل؟ من هناك انطلقت الفكرة، تهجير ما تبقى منأبناء الشعب الفلسطيني في الداخل وكان لا بد له من إيجاد الفرصة المواتية لتنفيذهذا المخطط ولو كلفه الأمر ارتكاب المجازر أو افتعال حالة حرب مع دولة عربية مجاورةواستغلال حالة الحرب للإقدام على تهجير ما تبقى من أبناء الشعب الفلسطيني هنا فيالداخل>
وفي بغداد، على إيقاع جيش يرتشف الدم، 'تدين' الولايات المتحدة مساءمدينتنا الدامي. وبمنأى عن الشهداء العراقيين، تقف بريطانيا لـ'تدين' يوم تجمعالغربان لنهش الأحياء. وخلف أسوار من كونكريت وأسلحة مضادة لغضب الشعب، تقف عصاباتوميليشيات الغزاة ومافيات الثراء الفاحش لـ'تدين' كل ايام الاسبوع الدامية. هل هناكيوم من أيام الاسبوع لم يتم غسله بدماء النساء والأطفال منذ عام2003 وحتى الآن؟ هلمن جامع او كنيسة أو مدرسة او مستشفى لم تحصدها آلة الموت؟ هل بقيت امرأة عراقية لمتلبس السواد؟ هل توقفت عشتار، سيدة الآلهة، عن الصراخ كما تصرخ المرأة عند الولادة،عن النواح بصوتها الجميل نادبة: 'واحسرتاه! لقد عادت الايام الاولى الى طين'. أيكارثة، أي انتقام، أي حقد جلبه الغزاة، قالعو الاشجار والحياة. أي موت أرسوا فيالبلادّ
بغداد، المرفأ، الحضن الفسيح، الدافىء، انكمشت تحت وطأة الزوابع وتسلطالظلام. بنوا الاسوار فيها وحولها. خنقوها مقسمين اياها الى 50 منطقة. لكل منطقةنقطة دخول ونقطة خروج وقوات ميليشيات تتحكم بالداخل والخارج. أقاموا 1400 نقطةتفتيش لتمزيق اوصالها لاحمايتها. بغداد المساجد والكنائس والمعابد أعادوها الى طينوجعلوا لكل يوم مجزرة. ما عاد أحد يتذكر كيف خلق الانسان الاعياد ليحتفل بالانسان. كنا نتذكر الايام بالاعياد. عيد العمال، عيد الفلاحين، عيد الشجرة، عيد المرأة، عيدالميلاد، عيد رأس السنة، عيد السلام. صارت الايام ترتدي الحداد وتحسب باعدادالقتلى. صار من العار ان يمر يوم بلا عزاء. وكأنهم أقسموا ان يتحول كل يوم الى مجلسعزاء يجلله السواد. النساء يرتدين السواد. الاطفال يحملهم على اكتافهم رجال يرتدونالسواد، يتنقلون من مدينة الى اخرى بحثا عن ثواب مجالس النحيب.
هل سيكبر الاطفالليحملوا اطفالا يرتدون السواد؟ صرنا لايغادرنا الموتى. باتت الحياة وزر خطيئة عليناان نحملها كالاحجار الثقيلة على مدى كل الاعوام، حتى بتنا نتساءل هل نحن موجودون فيالمكان الخطأ في الزمن الخطأ؟ هل أصبنا، جميعا، بمرض الخرف، حيث يعاني المصاب منمحنة مزدوجة: ينسى الحاضر بينما يتذكر الماضي البعيد بقوة ووضوح؟ في كلتي الحالتينيعيش المصاب بالخرف في ظلمة فقدان التواصل مع نفسه، ومع الناس والعالم المحيط به،منكرا وجودهم مهما كانوا قريبين منه.
الا ان خرف حكام الاحتلال، خلافا لما هومتداول، معروفة أسبابه. إنه حالة انتقائية يتغدى فيها المصاب على السلطة والنفوذوالمال الحرام. وعلاج هذا الوباء المستشري، الذي بات، يمس حياة كل عائلة عراقية،معروف ايضا. انها المقاومة. فاما ان نقيم في مجالس العزاء منكسي الرؤوس ننوح ونندبمصابنا، أبد الدهر، وندفن ايامنا واعيادنا وحياتنا بأيدينا، او ان نقف، سوية،صارخين غضبا ونحن نمد ايدينا لنقاوم. نقاوم المستعمر ووكلاءه، نقاوم من يحاولايهامنا باننا نحمل خطيئة ألف عام، نقاوم لا لأننا ننشد الموت ولكن لأننا نقدس الحياة."
By the Iraqi writer Haifa Zangana
هيفاء زنكنة
"في كفر قاسم، القرية الفلسطينية، قتل في 29 تشرين الأول/اكتوبر 1956، 48 من الرجالوالنساء والاطفال العائدين من الحقول الى بيوتهم بعد قضاء يوم عملهم. كانت جريمتهم،أن حظر التجول كان قد فرض على قريتهم قبل ساعة، ولم يسمعوا بالخبر. كان القتلة منحرس الكيان الصهيوني، غير ان أيا منهم لم يعاقب. فأصبحت مجزرة كفر قاسم واحدة منسلسلة مجازر الاحتلال الصهيوني المستمرة، ضد العرب، حتى اليوم.
في كنيسة النجاة،في منطقة الكرادة ببغداد، وفي اسبوع ذكرى مجزرة كفر قاسم، في يوم 31 تشرينالاول/اكتوبر، قتل 46 شخصا وجرح 60، اجتمع معظمهم من الرجال والنساء والاطفال لأداءالصلاة. كانت جريمتهم انهم تشبثوا بالبقاء في منطقتهم، في مدينتهم بغداد، في بلدهمالعراق، ولم يخضعوا لابتزاز التهجير القسري لتحويل المنطقة، بكاملها، ملكا صرفالطائفة معينة دون غيرها، ضمن مخطط تقسيم بغداد والعراق الى كانتونات طائفية، أما عنطريق عروض شراء البيوت باسعار مغرية، أحيانا، كما يحدث في منطقة الكرادة، أوترويعهم وارهابهم، الى حد القتل، اذا لم يستجيبوا لضغوط البيع. فالكل يعرف بأنمنطقة الكرادة، في بغداد، هي منطقة محصنة بقوات الأمن الميليشية، والكل يعلم بأنالموجودين، في الكنيسة، من أهل العراق الأصيلين، لذلك استبيحت دماؤهم وأجبروا علىالهجرة، كما هو حال ملايين المهجرين والنازحين والشهداء منذ عام الغزو.
والكل يعلم،كما في كفر قاسم، أن القتلة معروفون. والكل يعلم بان أيا منهم لن يعاقب في ظل حكومةالاحتلال الطائفية، وان أيدي القتلة ستغسل بالتضبيب الاعلامي لتضاف مجزرة كنيسةالنجاة الى سلسلة مذابح الغزاة ومستخدميهم، المسكوت عنها. ولكي لا ننسى الاسبابالحقيقية وراء مجزرة الكنيسة وتفجيرات الاماكن العامة والمساجد، ولكي لا نصدق كل مايقدم الينا من تبريرات جاهزة واتهامات بائتة، ولكي تبقى صورة القتلة الحقيقيينواضحة في اذهاننا، من المفيد ان نستحضر وقائع تاريخنا الذي طغى عليه الاحتلال.
يقول د. عدنان بكرية في مقال له عن ذكرى كفر قاسم: 'لقد ذهل "بن غوريون" عندمااكتشف في أوائل الخمسينات أنه لم يتم تهجير الشعب الفلسطيني بالكامل وبأن هناك قرىفلسطينية كاملة لم تدمر بل صمدت وما زالت صامدة وعندما زار منطقة الجليل سألمرافقيه: هل نحن في سورية أم في إسرائيل؟ من هناك انطلقت الفكرة، تهجير ما تبقى منأبناء الشعب الفلسطيني في الداخل وكان لا بد له من إيجاد الفرصة المواتية لتنفيذهذا المخطط ولو كلفه الأمر ارتكاب المجازر أو افتعال حالة حرب مع دولة عربية مجاورةواستغلال حالة الحرب للإقدام على تهجير ما تبقى من أبناء الشعب الفلسطيني هنا فيالداخل>
وفي بغداد، على إيقاع جيش يرتشف الدم، 'تدين' الولايات المتحدة مساءمدينتنا الدامي. وبمنأى عن الشهداء العراقيين، تقف بريطانيا لـ'تدين' يوم تجمعالغربان لنهش الأحياء. وخلف أسوار من كونكريت وأسلحة مضادة لغضب الشعب، تقف عصاباتوميليشيات الغزاة ومافيات الثراء الفاحش لـ'تدين' كل ايام الاسبوع الدامية. هل هناكيوم من أيام الاسبوع لم يتم غسله بدماء النساء والأطفال منذ عام2003 وحتى الآن؟ هلمن جامع او كنيسة أو مدرسة او مستشفى لم تحصدها آلة الموت؟ هل بقيت امرأة عراقية لمتلبس السواد؟ هل توقفت عشتار، سيدة الآلهة، عن الصراخ كما تصرخ المرأة عند الولادة،عن النواح بصوتها الجميل نادبة: 'واحسرتاه! لقد عادت الايام الاولى الى طين'. أيكارثة، أي انتقام، أي حقد جلبه الغزاة، قالعو الاشجار والحياة. أي موت أرسوا فيالبلادّ
بغداد، المرفأ، الحضن الفسيح، الدافىء، انكمشت تحت وطأة الزوابع وتسلطالظلام. بنوا الاسوار فيها وحولها. خنقوها مقسمين اياها الى 50 منطقة. لكل منطقةنقطة دخول ونقطة خروج وقوات ميليشيات تتحكم بالداخل والخارج. أقاموا 1400 نقطةتفتيش لتمزيق اوصالها لاحمايتها. بغداد المساجد والكنائس والمعابد أعادوها الى طينوجعلوا لكل يوم مجزرة. ما عاد أحد يتذكر كيف خلق الانسان الاعياد ليحتفل بالانسان. كنا نتذكر الايام بالاعياد. عيد العمال، عيد الفلاحين، عيد الشجرة، عيد المرأة، عيدالميلاد، عيد رأس السنة، عيد السلام. صارت الايام ترتدي الحداد وتحسب باعدادالقتلى. صار من العار ان يمر يوم بلا عزاء. وكأنهم أقسموا ان يتحول كل يوم الى مجلسعزاء يجلله السواد. النساء يرتدين السواد. الاطفال يحملهم على اكتافهم رجال يرتدونالسواد، يتنقلون من مدينة الى اخرى بحثا عن ثواب مجالس النحيب.
هل سيكبر الاطفالليحملوا اطفالا يرتدون السواد؟ صرنا لايغادرنا الموتى. باتت الحياة وزر خطيئة عليناان نحملها كالاحجار الثقيلة على مدى كل الاعوام، حتى بتنا نتساءل هل نحن موجودون فيالمكان الخطأ في الزمن الخطأ؟ هل أصبنا، جميعا، بمرض الخرف، حيث يعاني المصاب منمحنة مزدوجة: ينسى الحاضر بينما يتذكر الماضي البعيد بقوة ووضوح؟ في كلتي الحالتينيعيش المصاب بالخرف في ظلمة فقدان التواصل مع نفسه، ومع الناس والعالم المحيط به،منكرا وجودهم مهما كانوا قريبين منه.
الا ان خرف حكام الاحتلال، خلافا لما هومتداول، معروفة أسبابه. إنه حالة انتقائية يتغدى فيها المصاب على السلطة والنفوذوالمال الحرام. وعلاج هذا الوباء المستشري، الذي بات، يمس حياة كل عائلة عراقية،معروف ايضا. انها المقاومة. فاما ان نقيم في مجالس العزاء منكسي الرؤوس ننوح ونندبمصابنا، أبد الدهر، وندفن ايامنا واعيادنا وحياتنا بأيدينا، او ان نقف، سوية،صارخين غضبا ونحن نمد ايدينا لنقاوم. نقاوم المستعمر ووكلاءه، نقاوم من يحاولايهامنا باننا نحمل خطيئة ألف عام، نقاوم لا لأننا ننشد الموت ولكن لأننا نقدس الحياة."
The Lying Clown: “I Will Not Join the Zionist Movement”
Al-Manar
"06/11/2010 Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erekat equates Israel's request at recognition as a “Jewish state” with a request to join the "Zionist movement," army radio reported on Saturday.
Erekat reportedly made the remark [What a liar! Even the collaborator-in-chief, Abbas, clearly indicated that he has no problem recognizing Israel as "the Jewish state." Abbas said, "Israel can call itself whatever it wants; if it considers itself a Jewish state, that is fine by us."] during his visit to Washington where he has met with US Middle East envoy George Mitchell, as well as other senior State Department officials, saying "they [Israel] want me to join the Zionist movement. I will not."
In addition, he said, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu must choose between settlements and peace, referring to the reason peace talks were stalled on when building moratorium expired on September 26. The Palestinians have demanded a resumption of the freeze as a condition for rejoining direct talks.
Last week, Erekat said that the Palestinians are willing to give the United States at least two more weeks [what a joke! The clown is "giving" his masters (who pay him and keep him in that PA) the time they need! Yep.] to break the impasse in the peace process and to return both sides to the negotiating table, despite a looming deadline set by the Arab League.
Despite the fact that the Arab League on October 9 gave the US only 30 days to find a way to continue the talks, Erekat said the Palestinians were willing to give the US the time it needed."
"06/11/2010 Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erekat equates Israel's request at recognition as a “Jewish state” with a request to join the "Zionist movement," army radio reported on Saturday.
Erekat reportedly made the remark [What a liar! Even the collaborator-in-chief, Abbas, clearly indicated that he has no problem recognizing Israel as "the Jewish state." Abbas said, "Israel can call itself whatever it wants; if it considers itself a Jewish state, that is fine by us."] during his visit to Washington where he has met with US Middle East envoy George Mitchell, as well as other senior State Department officials, saying "they [Israel] want me to join the Zionist movement. I will not."
In addition, he said, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu must choose between settlements and peace, referring to the reason peace talks were stalled on when building moratorium expired on September 26. The Palestinians have demanded a resumption of the freeze as a condition for rejoining direct talks.
Last week, Erekat said that the Palestinians are willing to give the United States at least two more weeks [what a joke! The clown is "giving" his masters (who pay him and keep him in that PA) the time they need! Yep.] to break the impasse in the peace process and to return both sides to the negotiating table, despite a looming deadline set by the Arab League.
Despite the fact that the Arab League on October 9 gave the US only 30 days to find a way to continue the talks, Erekat said the Palestinians were willing to give the US the time it needed."
US 'exploited' Iraq communal strife
US military deliberately sent Shia and Kurdish commandoes into Sunni areas for torture, Wikileaks documents show.
By Gareth Porter
Al-Jazeera
"The revelation by Wikileaks of a US military order directing US forces not to investigate cases of torture of detainees by Iraqis has been treated in news reports as yet another case of lack of concern by the US military about detainee abuse.
But the deeper significance of the order, which has been missed by the news media, is that it was part of a larger US strategy of exploiting Shia sectarian hatred against Sunnis to help suppress the Sunni insurgency when Sunnis had rejected the US war.
And General David Petraeus was a key figure in developing the strategy of using Shia and Kurdish forces to suppress Sunnis in 2004-2005.
The strategy involved the deliberate deployment of Shia and Kurdish police commandoes in areas of Sunni insurgency in the full knowledge that they were torturing Sunni detainees, as the reports released by Wikileaks show.....
In fact, the US military and the US Embassy were well aware of the serious risk that the strategy of relying on vengeful Shia police commandos to track down Sunnis would exacerbate sectarian tensions between Sunnis and Shia. In May 2005, Ann Scott Tyson wrote in the Washington Post that US military analysts did not deny that the US strategy "aggravates the underlying fault lines in Iraqi society, heightening the prospects of civil strife".
In late July 2005, when Petraeus was still heading the command, an unnamed "senior American officer" at MNSTC-I was asked by John F. Burns of the New York Times whether the US might end up arming Iraqis for a civil war. The officer answered, "Maybe"....."
By Gareth Porter
Al-Jazeera
"The revelation by Wikileaks of a US military order directing US forces not to investigate cases of torture of detainees by Iraqis has been treated in news reports as yet another case of lack of concern by the US military about detainee abuse.
But the deeper significance of the order, which has been missed by the news media, is that it was part of a larger US strategy of exploiting Shia sectarian hatred against Sunnis to help suppress the Sunni insurgency when Sunnis had rejected the US war.
And General David Petraeus was a key figure in developing the strategy of using Shia and Kurdish forces to suppress Sunnis in 2004-2005.
The strategy involved the deliberate deployment of Shia and Kurdish police commandoes in areas of Sunni insurgency in the full knowledge that they were torturing Sunni detainees, as the reports released by Wikileaks show.....
In fact, the US military and the US Embassy were well aware of the serious risk that the strategy of relying on vengeful Shia police commandos to track down Sunnis would exacerbate sectarian tensions between Sunnis and Shia. In May 2005, Ann Scott Tyson wrote in the Washington Post that US military analysts did not deny that the US strategy "aggravates the underlying fault lines in Iraqi society, heightening the prospects of civil strife".
In late July 2005, when Petraeus was still heading the command, an unnamed "senior American officer" at MNSTC-I was asked by John F. Burns of the New York Times whether the US might end up arming Iraqis for a civil war. The officer answered, "Maybe"....."
COMMENT
While Iraqis were slaughtering other Iraqis, in the service of the US occupation, consider this story from Afghanistan today.
I think that the Afghans are displaying by far a stronger sense of national identity and cohesion than the Iraqis. Their main resistance is against the foreign occupation instead of slaughtering each other. That resistance to foreigners has a very long tradition in Afghanistan, but in Iraq they are too busy with their sectarian bloodbaths and they want the occupiers to stay!
It was not always like that. In the 1920 uprising against the British Empire, all Iraqis fought together against the British occupation. In fact the Kurds played a leading role in that fight to the extent that Winston Churchill bombed Kurdish villages from the air to subdue the Kurds.
3 US troops killed by Afghan soldier
"Three American troops have been killed by an Afghan National Army soldier in southern Afghanistan, a NATO statement says.
NATO said on Saturday that the Afghan soldier opened fire on the troopers and killed them in the city of Sangin in Helmand province on Friday evening.
“The coalition and the Afghan government” launched a joint investigation into the incident, NATO added.
“An Afghan soldier shot and killed the American service members on their base” Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef said in a statement on Saturday.
He added that the Afghan solider defected to the militants after killing the Americans.
Taliban militants “took him to a safe place,” the Taliban spokesperson further explained...."
No Comment, by Emad Hajjaj
Friday, November 05, 2010
Wee are the chooosen! Weee are the chooosen! Ha ha ha!
The Dismantling of the Iraqi state
[Very good article analyzing the destruction of Iraq by the US and it's local allies. The Author is neither a former Baathist nor a Sunni Muslim for the record.]
by: Dirk Adriaensens
by: Dirk Adriaensens
Just days after the devastating attacks of 9/11, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz declared that a major focus of US foreign policy would be "ending states that sponsor terrorism." Iraq was labeled a "terrorist state" targeted for termination. President Bush went on to declare Iraq the major front of the global war on terror. US forces invaded the country illegally with the express aim of dismantling the Iraqi state. After World War II, the social sciences focused on state-building and development models. Little has been written about state destruction and de-development. We can now, after seven years of war and occupation, state for certain that state ending was a deliberate policy objective.
The consequences in human and cultural terms of the destruction of the Iraqi state have been enormous: notably the death of over 1.3 million civilians; the degradation in social infrastructure, including electricity, potable water and sewage systems; over eight million Iraqis are in need of humanitarian assistance; abject poverty: the UN Human rights report for the first quarter of 2007 found that 54 percent of Iraqis were living on less than $1 a day; the displacement of minimum 2.5 million refugees and 2,764,000 internally displaced people as to end 2009. One in six Iraqis is displaced. Ethnic and religious minorities are on the verge of extinction. UN-HABITAT, an agency of the United Nations, published a 218-page report entitled "State of the World's Cities, 2010-2011." Prior to the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, the percentage of the urban population living in slums in Iraq hovered just below 20 percent. Today, that percentage has risen to 53 percent: 11 million of the 19 million total urban dwellers.
Destroying Iraqi Education
Since 2007, bombings at Al Mustansiriya University in Baghdad have killed or maimed more than 335 students and staff members, according to a 19 October, 2009, New York Times article, and a 12-foot-high blast wall has been built around the campus. MNF-I, the Iraqi Army and Iraqi police units, occupied more than 70 school buildings for military purposes in the Diyala governorate alone, in clear violation of The Hague Conventions.
Eliminating the Iraqi Middle Class
Parallel to the destruction of Iraq's educational infrastructure, this repression has led to the mass forced displacement of the bulk of Iraq's educated middle class - the main engine of progress and development in modern states. Iraq's intellectual and technical class has been subject to a systematic and ongoing campaign of intimidation, abduction, extortion, random killings and targeted assassinations. The decimation of professional ranks took place in the context of a generalized assault on Iraq's professional middle class, including doctors, engineers, lawyers and judges as well as political and religious leaders. Roughly 40 percent of Iraq's middle class is believed to have fled by the end of 2006. Few have returned. Up to 75 percent of Iraq's doctors, pharmacists and nurses have left their jobs since the US-led invasion in 2003. More than half of those have emigrated. Twenty thousand of Iraq's 34,000 registered physicians left Iraq after the US invasion. As of April 2009, fewer than 2,000 returned, the same as the number who were killed during the course of the war.
To this date, there has been no systematic investigation of this phenomenon by the occupation authorities. Not a single arrest has been reported in regard to this terrorization of intellectuals. The inclination to treat this systematic assault on Iraqi professionals as somehow inconsequential is consistent with the occupation powers' more general role in the decapitation of Iraqi society.
Ethnic Cleansing
It became clear after the invasion in 2003 that the Iraqi exile groups were to play an important role in the violent response to dissent in occupied Iraq. Already on January 1, 2004, it was reported that the US government planned to create paramilitary units comprised of militiamen from Iraqi Kurdish and exile groups, including the Badr brigades, the Iraqi National Congress and the Iraqi National Accord, to wage a campaign of terror and extrajudicial killing, similar to the Phoenix program in Vietnam: the terror and assassination campaign that killed tens of thousands of civilians.
The $87 billion supplemental appropriation for the war in November 2003 included $3 billion for a classified program, funds that would be used for the paramilitaries for the next three years. Over that period, the news from Iraq gradually came to be dominated by reports of death squads and ethnic cleansing, described in the press as "sectarian violence," that was used as the new central narrative of the war and the principal justification for continued occupation. Some of the violence may have been spontaneous, but there is overwhelming evidence that most of it was the result of the plans described by several American experts in December 2003.
Despite subsequent American efforts to distance US policy from the horrific results of this campaign, it was launched with the full support of conservative opinion makers in the USA, a Wall Street Journal editorial even declaring that, "The Kurds and the INC have excellent intelligence operations that we should allow them to exploit ... especially to conduct counterinsurgency in the Sunny Triangle."
In conclusion, the dirty war in Iraq continues. Even as President Barack Obama was announcing the end of combat in Iraq, US forces were still fighting alongside their Iraqi colleagues. The tasks of the 50,000 remaining US troops, 5,800 of them airmen, are "advising" and training the Iraqi Army, "providing security" and carrying out "counterterrorism" missions.
STL = Sandbag the Lebanese
Just as Israel Intended
By RANNIE AMIRI
CounterPunch
".....Yadlin (former head of Israeli Military Intelligence): “These [spies] succeeded in many assassination operations against our enemies in Lebanon. They also made great achievements in besieging Hezbollah and obliging the Syrian army to withdraw from Lebanon.”
Because it has ignored both Israel’s political and military incentives to incriminate Hezbollah (and corroborative spy testimony and video evidence), the STL and its chief prosecutor, Daniel Bellemare, are doing a great injustice to Lebanese who want to see Hariri’s killers brought to justice. Instead, they appear intent on sandbagging the truth and the stability of Lebanon … just as Israel intended.
You cannot blame Israeli intelligence officials for being unable to contain their glee."
By RANNIE AMIRI
CounterPunch
".....Yadlin (former head of Israeli Military Intelligence): “These [spies] succeeded in many assassination operations against our enemies in Lebanon. They also made great achievements in besieging Hezbollah and obliging the Syrian army to withdraw from Lebanon.”
Because it has ignored both Israel’s political and military incentives to incriminate Hezbollah (and corroborative spy testimony and video evidence), the STL and its chief prosecutor, Daniel Bellemare, are doing a great injustice to Lebanese who want to see Hariri’s killers brought to justice. Instead, they appear intent on sandbagging the truth and the stability of Lebanon … just as Israel intended.
You cannot blame Israeli intelligence officials for being unable to contain their glee."
Israel Claims Victory in US Midterm Elections
Did Anyone Really Think They Would Lose?
By FRANKLIN LAMB
CounterPunch
Beirut
"......Next January’s 112th Congress is already receiving rave advance reviews, some coming from the more than half a million Jewish settlers in more than 100 illegal colonies in occupied Palestine who are pleased to see President Obama emasculated and the sentiments expressed in his June 2008 Cairo speech long forgotten. Many are hoping he will be replaced by likes of Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, or a Mike Huckabee in 2012. Danny Dayan, head of the Yesha Council, which represents Jewish settlers in the West Bank, and whose representatives are increasingly on the rampage, by word and by deed, spoke for many when he told a post election news conference that he expected the new Congress "will facilitate a more open-minded approach to Israel's needs [i.e., yet more Palestinian land] than what we've experienced over the last two years."....
The post Congressional election euphoria has not extended to Lebanon and this region. This is because over here it is widely believed that the new Congress, with respect to Lebanon’s arch foe Israel which has committed serial aggressions against it for half a century, will pick up right where the old Congress left off without missing a beat...."
By FRANKLIN LAMB
CounterPunch
Beirut
"......Next January’s 112th Congress is already receiving rave advance reviews, some coming from the more than half a million Jewish settlers in more than 100 illegal colonies in occupied Palestine who are pleased to see President Obama emasculated and the sentiments expressed in his June 2008 Cairo speech long forgotten. Many are hoping he will be replaced by likes of Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, or a Mike Huckabee in 2012. Danny Dayan, head of the Yesha Council, which represents Jewish settlers in the West Bank, and whose representatives are increasingly on the rampage, by word and by deed, spoke for many when he told a post election news conference that he expected the new Congress "will facilitate a more open-minded approach to Israel's needs [i.e., yet more Palestinian land] than what we've experienced over the last two years."....
The post Congressional election euphoria has not extended to Lebanon and this region. This is because over here it is widely believed that the new Congress, with respect to Lebanon’s arch foe Israel which has committed serial aggressions against it for half a century, will pick up right where the old Congress left off without missing a beat...."
Real News Video: U.S. and Iran Prop Up Unconstitutional Gov in Iraq
Sahar Issa: Violence may break out against violation of election results in Iraq
New $600B Fed Stimulus Fuels Fears of U.S. Currency War
Democracy Now!
With Amy Goodman
"The Federal Reserve will pump $600 billion more into the U.S. economy and keep interest rates at historical low levels. The short-term impact of the Fed’s move—known as quantitative easing—has been a jump in stock prices across the globe. Many nations, however, have accused the United States of waging a currency war by devaluing the dollar. We speak to former Wall Street economist and University of Missouri Professor Michael Hudson. "The object of warfare is a takeover a country’s land, raw materials, and assets and grab them," Hudson says. "In the past, this used to be done militarily by invading them. Today, you can do it financially simply by creating credit, which is what the Federal Reserve has done."....."
With Amy Goodman
"The Federal Reserve will pump $600 billion more into the U.S. economy and keep interest rates at historical low levels. The short-term impact of the Fed’s move—known as quantitative easing—has been a jump in stock prices across the globe. Many nations, however, have accused the United States of waging a currency war by devaluing the dollar. We speak to former Wall Street economist and University of Missouri Professor Michael Hudson. "The object of warfare is a takeover a country’s land, raw materials, and assets and grab them," Hudson says. "In the past, this used to be done militarily by invading them. Today, you can do it financially simply by creating credit, which is what the Federal Reserve has done."....."
Leader of the Revolution, by Mr. Fish
Boycott victory: Africa Israel suspends settlement construction
Press release, Adalah-NY, 4 November 2010
"The following press release was issued by Adalah-NY on 3 November 2010:
"The following press release was issued by Adalah-NY on 3 November 2010:
Africa Israel, the flagship company of Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev, announced this week that it is no longer involved in Israeli settlement projects and that it has no plans for future settlement activities. Africa Israel subsequently denied that this was a political decision. However, in the last few years numerous organizations, firms, governments and celebrities have exerted pressure and severed their relationships with Leviev and his companies over their involvement in settlement construction and other human rights abuses, in response to a boycott campaign initiated by Adalah-NY.....
As recently as 2008 Leviev expressed strong support for Israel's continued takeover of Palestinian land. In a March 2008 interview in Haaretz daily, reporter Anshel Pfeffer asked Leviev, "Do you have a problem with building in the territories?" Leviev responded, "Not if the State of Israel grants permits legally." According to an English translation of the same Haaretz interview published in The Jewish Chronicle, Leviev explained, "For me, Israel, Jerusalem and Haifa are all the same. ... So are the Golan Heights. As far as I'm concerned, all of Eretz Israel is holy. To decide the future of Jerusalem? It belongs to the Jewish people. What is there to decide? Jerusalem is not a topic for discussion."....."
The Biggest Threat to America
It's bankruptcy
By Justin Raimondo
"......Our economic terror alert, if such a thing existed, ought to be at the brightest red, because what we’re facing is the biggest threat to our national security ever: I’m talking about the spiraling national debt, and the ongoing destruction of the dollar.
People realize this, albeit in an indirect way: that’s what all this “tea party” noise is about, although the tea partiers themselves, for the most part, don’t realize the enormity and immediacy of the threat. Somewhere in the background, just below the level of consciousness, a time-bomb is tick-ticking away. Some people hear it, in various degrees of loudness, while others are deaf to this ominous sound.
The day after the election, the Federal Reserve made a little-noticed announcement that it’s printing up another $1 trillion. Go here for a fuller explanation of how and why it happened, and what it means. Suffice to say here that what goes up must come down: a bubble, inflated, must eventually pop. That’s simple enough, but let’s take it one step further: the hubris that inspires the Fed to print up more play money, which will drive up inflation, increase the cost of imports (i.e. everything), and make goods more expensive for average Americans is in the same league as that which inspired George W. Bush and his minions to declare a “war on terrorism,” invade the Middle East, and imagine they would prevail.
The irony is that the former will be the undoing of the latter: the destruction of the dollar means the implosion of the American empire, and the relegation of the US to what used to be called – in more politically incorrect times – a “Third World” nation. ....."
By Justin Raimondo
"......Our economic terror alert, if such a thing existed, ought to be at the brightest red, because what we’re facing is the biggest threat to our national security ever: I’m talking about the spiraling national debt, and the ongoing destruction of the dollar.
People realize this, albeit in an indirect way: that’s what all this “tea party” noise is about, although the tea partiers themselves, for the most part, don’t realize the enormity and immediacy of the threat. Somewhere in the background, just below the level of consciousness, a time-bomb is tick-ticking away. Some people hear it, in various degrees of loudness, while others are deaf to this ominous sound.
The day after the election, the Federal Reserve made a little-noticed announcement that it’s printing up another $1 trillion. Go here for a fuller explanation of how and why it happened, and what it means. Suffice to say here that what goes up must come down: a bubble, inflated, must eventually pop. That’s simple enough, but let’s take it one step further: the hubris that inspires the Fed to print up more play money, which will drive up inflation, increase the cost of imports (i.e. everything), and make goods more expensive for average Americans is in the same league as that which inspired George W. Bush and his minions to declare a “war on terrorism,” invade the Middle East, and imagine they would prevail.
The irony is that the former will be the undoing of the latter: the destruction of the dollar means the implosion of the American empire, and the relegation of the US to what used to be called – in more politically incorrect times – a “Third World” nation. ....."
The party game is over. Stand and fight
The lesson of the French anti-government protests is that “normal” politics exists only to promote corporate interests. Britain must prepare for a rebirth of the only thing that works — direct action.
By John Pilger
New Statesman
".......Today, they are claiming 21st-century Britain and imposing their vicious, antique ideology, albeit served as economic snake oil. Their designs have nothing to do with a "deficit crisis". A deficit of 10 per cent is not remotely a crisis. When Britain was officially bankrupt at the end of the Second World War, the government built its greatest public institutions, such as the National Health Service and the arts edifices of London's South Bank.
There is no economic rationale for the assault described cravenly by the BBC as a "public spending review". The debt is exclusively the responsibility of those who incurred it, the super-rich and the gamblers. However, that's beside the point. What is happening in Britain is the seizure of an opportunity to destroy the tenuous humanity of the modern state. It is a coup, a "shock doctrine" as applied to Pinochet's Chile and Yeltsin's Russia.
In Britain, there is no need for tanks in the streets. In its managerial indifference to the freedoms it is said to hold dear, bourgeois Britain has allowed parliament to create a surveillance state with 3,000 new criminal offences and laws: more than for the whole of the previous century. Powers of arrest and detention have never been greater. The police have the impunity to kill....."
By John Pilger
New Statesman
".......Today, they are claiming 21st-century Britain and imposing their vicious, antique ideology, albeit served as economic snake oil. Their designs have nothing to do with a "deficit crisis". A deficit of 10 per cent is not remotely a crisis. When Britain was officially bankrupt at the end of the Second World War, the government built its greatest public institutions, such as the National Health Service and the arts edifices of London's South Bank.
There is no economic rationale for the assault described cravenly by the BBC as a "public spending review". The debt is exclusively the responsibility of those who incurred it, the super-rich and the gamblers. However, that's beside the point. What is happening in Britain is the seizure of an opportunity to destroy the tenuous humanity of the modern state. It is a coup, a "shock doctrine" as applied to Pinochet's Chile and Yeltsin's Russia.
In Britain, there is no need for tanks in the streets. In its managerial indifference to the freedoms it is said to hold dear, bourgeois Britain has allowed parliament to create a surveillance state with 3,000 new criminal offences and laws: more than for the whole of the previous century. Powers of arrest and detention have never been greater. The police have the impunity to kill....."
America is now officially for sale
(Click on the cartoon Sam Karzai, by Khalil Bendib to enlarge)
It's the Tea Party spirit distilled: pose as the champion of Joe America, while actually ripping him off
TOP RATED COMMENT
By Johann Hari
The Independent
"The laws and policies of the legislature of the United States of America are now effectively on e-Bay, for sale to the highest bidder. Are you a Wall Street boss who wants to party like it’s 2007? Are you a Big Coal baron who wants to burn, baby, burn? Are you an insurance company that wants to be able to kick sick people off your rolls? Meet John Boehner, the most powerful Republican and soon-to-be Speaker of the House. But – of course! – you already have.....
TOP RATED COMMENT
By Johann Hari
The Independent
"The laws and policies of the legislature of the United States of America are now effectively on e-Bay, for sale to the highest bidder. Are you a Wall Street boss who wants to party like it’s 2007? Are you a Big Coal baron who wants to burn, baby, burn? Are you an insurance company that wants to be able to kick sick people off your rolls? Meet John Boehner, the most powerful Republican and soon-to-be Speaker of the House. But – of course! – you already have.....
Fast-forward to 2010. John Boehner came from a poor family of twelve children, and heroically worked three jobs (including as a janitor) to put himself through business school. But when he got to elected office, it turned out that there was alot more money to be reaped from serving the interests of rich people than serving the people he came from. He took money from the insurance companies, and voted to deny healthcare coverage to sick children and to the people who hurried to the World Trade Centre on 9/11 to try to dig people from the wreckage, exposing them to deadly toxins. He took money from defense contractors, and supported every war going. He tirelessly champions the overdog, while hoovering up their cash and flying on their private jets to some of the most luxury resorts in the world.
In the campaign, Boehner said his priority was to “stand up for ordinary Americans” against “the elite”, and to “cut the deficit as a matter of urgency.” So what has been his first priority as Speaker? To fight furiously to keep the gigantic Bush tax cuts for the elite richest two percent of Americans, even though this alone will add two trillion dollars to the deficit over the next decade. It’s very revealing. He immediately dumps on his propaganda causes – ordinary Americans, and the deficit – while slavishly serving his one true cause: serving the interests of rich people like the ones who happen to pay for his campaigns and his jaunts......
There is, however, one significant difference from ‘A Face In The Crowd’. At the end of the film – spoiler alert – Lonesome Rhodes is finishing a show and, as the end credits roll and the music swells, he rants against his viewers, believing they can’t hear him. But in the control box, a producer deliberately flips a switch. Suddenly millions hear him say: “Those morons out there. I’d give ‘em dog food and make ‘em think it’s steak. Good night you stupid idiots. Good night you miserable slobs. They’re like a bunch of trained seals – I toss ‘em a fish and they lap it up.” John Boehner and Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck are ridiculing their followers just as crudely. Can’t somebody at Fox flip the switch? "
Video: سافرت القضية - فيروز
Thursday, November 04, 2010
عن أية مصالحة تتحدث حماس؟!
AN EXCELLENT FEATURE ARTICLE
"في ظل هرولة قيادة السلطة ومنظمة التحرير وحركة فتح (محمود عباس وفريقه) نحو مزيد من المواقف التي تثير القهر في أوساط الشعب الفلسطيني، يأتي الحديث المتواصل (يغيب بين حين وآخر) من قبل حماس عن المصالحة، الأمر الذي يثير الكثير من القلق والأسئلة لدى محبيها ومريديها في الشارع الفلسطيني، وربما العربي أيضا.
يحدث ذلك في ظل إدراك سائر المعنيين بالملف الفلسطيني لحقيقة أن مسار السلطة في ظل الوضع الراهن لم ولن يتعدى بأي حال الحفاظ على سلطة أوسلو ومن ثم تقدمها نحو شبه دولة على ما يتركه الجدار من الضفة، مع ترك القضايا الكبرى كجزء من إشكالات نزاع حدودي مع "الجارة" العبرية.
وينهض الإصرار على برنامج التنسيق الأمني وما ينطوي عليه من إساءة للشعب الفلسطيني وعدوان يومي على حركة حماس في الضفة الغربية.. ينهض كشاهد على ذلك، فضلا عن حقيقة أن السلطة لن تغادر مربع الوفاء للبرنامج الذي أنشئت من أجله، وكذلك لشروط المانحين، وقبلها شروط المحتلين الذين يمنحون بطاقات "في.آي.بي" لقادتها، بينما لا يتمكن قائد حمساوي واحد من مغادرة الضفة الغربية.
ليس هذا وحده ما يثير الأسئلة في سلوك حماس السياسي، فهناك إلى جانبه ميوعة الخطاب السياسي التي يلمسها المراقبون من قبل بعض قادتها في مواجهة الوفود الأجنبية التي تواصل رحيلها باتجاه غزة ودمشق، حيث لم يعد مصطلح الهدنة قائما عند الحديث عن قبول دولة في حدود 67، مما يعطي الانطباع بأنها نهاية المطاف، فضلا عن الرسائل الموجهة للإدارة الأميركية، وكذلك مغامرات أحمد يوسف الذي ما زال يقدم نفسه بوصفه المستشار السياسي لرئيس الوزراء، وإلى جانبه ثلة من "الواقعيين" الذين يذكّروننا بهذا النمط من السياسيين في تجربة فتح الطويلة المعروفة. مع العلم بأن من الصعب على هؤلاء أن يتحركوا لولا حصولهم على غطاء من بعض الجهات في الحركة، تحديدا في قطاع غزة (في الضفة هناك ناصر الشاعر الذي يستخدم ذات الخطاب، مع أنه للأمانة أقل ميلا إلى المغامرة وطرح المبادرات من صاحبه في غزة).
أسوأ ما في هذه الممارسة السياسية هو منحها الغطاء لخطاب فتح، حيث لم يتوقف قادتها وأنصارها عن الحديث عن تساويهم مع حماس في حل الدولتين، مع علمهم بالفارق الكبير، ليس فقط لجهة رفض حماس الاعتراف بما تبقى من فلسطين للصهاينة (لم تعد الدولة حلا مرحليا بالنسبة لفتح، إذ عرض عباس إنهاء النزاع والتنازل عن المطالب التاريخية)، بل أيضا لجهة تنازلات عباس المتعلقة بتبادل الأراضي (يعني بقاء المستوطنات الكبيرة)، وشطب حق العودة إلى الأراضي المحتلة عام 48، فضلا عن قبوله العملي بالدولة المؤقتة حتى لو رفضها باللسان (لا يكفون هنا عن الحديث عن ورقة أحمد يوسف الشهيرة التي استنكرتها قيادة حماس).
ولعل الشيء الأسوأ في هذا الجانب هو تجريب المجرب، إذ مرّت فتح بذات التجربة من دون جدوى، ومن العبث أن تستعيدها حماس بذات التفاصيل، مع إدراك العقلاء لحقيقة أن الاعتراف بشروط الرباعية أمر لا بد منه لكي تحصل حماس على "الشرعية الدولية"، مع أن ذلك لن يمنحها الأفضلية على فريق عباس أيضا. وإذا قيل إنها الأكثر تمثيلا للفلسطينيين، فإنها لن تغدو كذلك حين تعترف بالشروط المذكورة، لأن الناس سينفضون من حولها.
من القضايا الإشكالية التي نتابعها ذلك التعامل الناعم مع ما يجري لفرع الحركة في الضفة الغربية، والذي لا يتجاوز الحديث عنه في وسائل إعلام الحركة، مع أنه من النوع الذي يستحق أكثر من ذلك بكثير، هو الذي تجاوز سائر الخطوط الحمراء التي لم يتجرأ عليها العدو نفسه.
في الجانب الآخر من المشهد، ينهض الجهد الكبير الذي يبذله الجهاز العسكري (كتائب القسام) في قطاع غزة من أجل ترتيب الوضع الداخلي على نحو يمكّن الحركة من مواجهة أي عدوان إسرائيلي جديد، إلى جانب مساع لتفعيل العمل العسكري في الضفة أسفرت عن عدد من العمليات المهمة رغم شراسة القمع والتعاون الأمني.
لكن ذلك كله -على روعته وأهميته- يكاد يغيب وسط هجوم الطرف الآخر، وفي ظل أداء سياسي مرتبك وإشكالي بات يؤكد بهذا القدر أو ذاك أن همّ الحركة الأساسي هو الحفاظ على قطاع غزة بصرف النظر عن مصير القضية الذي ترك عمليا لفريق عباس، اللهم باستثناء بيانات وتصريحات لا يلتفت إليها الطرف الآخر الذي يمضي في برنامجه بدعم عربي ودولي، مع غطاء فتحاوي يبدو متوقعا في ظل اختطاف الحركة من قبل الفريق المذكور، وعدم قدرة المعترضين داخلها على فعل شيء، وهم الذين يدركون أن غطاءً عربيا لا يتوفر لهم، فضلا عن وقوعهم أسرى لواقع الاحتلال وواقع السلطة التي تتنفس من خلال الرئة التي يوفرها هو لا غيره.
لقد ثبت عمليا وواقعيا أن الجمع بين المقاومة والسلطة ليس ممكنا، ومن صمموا سلطة أوسلو يدركون ذلك، ولو كانت حماس في الضفة لما كان بوسعها إسناد برنامج المقاومة مع الاحتفاظ بالسلطة، لأن خروج جيش الاحتلال من غزة هو الذي منحها تلك الفرصة، أعني فرصة التمسك ببرنامج المقاومة بقدر ما (لو تواجد الجيش الإسرائيلي داخل القطاع لرأينا قادة حماس الذين يتمسكون بالبرنامج المذكور رهن السجون مثل إخوانهم في الضفة).
في هذا السياق كان مثيرا أن يتحدث أحد قادة الحركة عن عدم الحاجة للمقاومة من قطاع غزة لأنه تحرر. ومع علمنا أن القادة الآخرين لا يقبلون مقولته ويرفضونها، فإن الحقيقة أن القطاع لم يتحرر، ليس فقط لأن جزءًا من أرضه لا يزال تحت الاحتلال (الشريط الحدودي)، بل أيضا لأن بحره وسماءه ومعابره البرية تخضع للاحتلال أيضا، باستثناء معبر رفح الخاضع لسلطات المصرية التي لا تغامر بمخالفة ما يريده الإسرائيليون على هذا الصعيد. صحيح أن فرص المقاومة من القطاع -خلا الصواريخ ذات الكلفة العالية- محدودة، إلا أن كسر هذه المعادلة سيكون ممكنا بين وقت وآخر حين تتوفر الإرادة.
من المؤكد أن قادة الجهاز العسكري لا يتصرفون بروحية ما ذهب إليه القائد إياه، وهم ومعهم الكثير من السياسيين يصلون الليل بالنهار من أجل أن يكون القطاع قاعدة للمقاومة وشوكة في حلوق الغزاة، بدليل هذا القلق اليومي الذي يبديه قادة العدو في مواجهة مساعي مراكمة القوة العسكرية من قبل الحركة.
نفتح قوسا لنشير إلى أن التنظير السياسي الضمني الذي استندت إليه خطة شارون للانسحاب من قطاع غزة هو إخراجه من دائرة الصراع ليغدو مثل الأردن ومصر، وليمتد مشروع الحل الانتقالي إلى الضفة بالتدريج، أولا إلى حدود 28 سبتمبر/أيلول 2000، وثانيا وأخيرا مع بعض التعديلات إلى حدود الجدار، وليغدو المؤقت دائما. وقد تأكد ذلك مباشرة عندما شرع محمد دحلان في طرح نظرية سلاح الشرعية الوحيد وجمع سلاح "المليشيات" الذي لم تعد له حاجة.
وإذا كانت المصالحة مع جماعة السلطة شبه مستحيلة تبعا لرفض حماس التنازل عن القطاع (هي محقة في ذلك دون شك)، وعدم قدرة السلطة على مخالفة الأوامر الأميركية الإسرائيلية المتعلقة بالجهاز الأمني في الضفة من جهة أخرى، فإن المسار الآخر يراوح بين تثبيت الانفصال أو وقوع المستحيل (نجاح المصالحة) الذي يعني الإقرار ببرنامج السلطة أو الدولة تحت الاحتلال في حدود الجدار. وفي الحالتين سنكون إزاء وضع كارثي، والأرجح أن البرنامج الأخير سيمر بسهولة أكبر في حال تثبيت الانفصال (في المدى القريب على الأقل)، وسيكون بوسع مصر التعايش مع دولة القطاع العتيدة كما تعايشت مع النظام السوداني "الأصولي الإخواني" من قبل، وهي تمضي في هذا الاتجاه عبر مساع محمومة لإحداث اختراقات في جسم الحركة في القطاع وتصنيفها بين معتدلين ومتطرفين، مستخدمة مسألة المعبر والدخول والخروج التي تملك مفاتيحها ويحتاجها أهل القطاع جميعا، بما في ذلك قادة الحركة وعائلاتهم.
وسيكون هذا المسار أكثر قابلية للتطبيق إذا وافق الإسرائيليون على المشروع (مشروع الانفصال) ولم يتورطوا في حرب من أجل ضم القطاع إلى تسوية الضفة، لاسيما أنهم لا يخفون قلقهم من سياسة التسلح التي تتبعها الحركة هنا، والتي ستخل -لو في الحد الأدنى- بميزان القوى الذي اعتادوا عليه طوال عقود، الأمر الذي ينطبق بدرجة أكبر على حالة حزب الله في لبنان.
في السياق المذكور تتعالى أصوات في الساحة الإسرائيلية تتحدث عن الانفصال عن قطاع غزة، وقد كشفت صحيفة يديعوت أحرونوت عن خطة سرية أعدها وزير الخارجية الإسرائيلي ليبرمان خلاصتها انفصال ثان عن قطاع غزة، ويعني ذلك فصل القطاع نهائيا عن الضفة وإغلاق كل المعابر معه، والتوقف عن تزويده بالماء والكهرباء، وبالتالي الحصول على شرعية دولية لإنهاء احتلاله.
والخلاصة بحسب كلام ليبرمان هي توقف الدولة العبرية عن تحمل أية مسؤولية عن "القطاع بشكل مطلق، وأن من يريد الدخول إلى غزة فليدخل، وحدودنا ستكون مغلقة بإحكام".
في هذه الأجواء يبدو سؤال المستقبل مطروحا بقوة على الحركة التي عليها أن تؤكد للجميع أنها لم تنشغل بالقطاع عن القضية، وأن المقاومة بالنسبة إليها ليست مجرد شعار، ولن يحدث ذلك من دون برنامج شامل يُطرح على الشعب الفلسطيني، وتحدثنا عنه مرارا، عنوانه إدارة بالتوافق لقطاع غزة، وإعلان مقاومة شاملة حتى دحر الاحتلال دون قيد أو شرط عن الضفة الغربية وقطاع غزة من دون الاعتراف بأي شيء للمحتلين، وليكون مقدمة للتحرير الشامل.
إن برنامجا من هذا النوع سينسخ مرحلة أوسلو بكل مصائبها ويعيد القضية إلى سكتها الصحيحة، وهو سيتوج حماس قائدة فعلية لنضال الشعب الفلسطيني، لاسيما أن رموز الطرف الآخر سيفقدون ما تبقى لهم من مصداقية ومشروعية برفضهم المشروع المذكور وإصرارهم على مسار الاستجداء الذي يراوحون فيه منذ سبع سنوات (مع أن تاريخ بدايته الحقيقية هو سبتمبر/أيلول 1993)، بل ربما قبل ذلك بكثير.
إن رفض حماس المصالحة على قاعدة البرنامج المشار إليه تختلف عن رفضها على قاعدة تفاصيل تتعلق بالأمن والانتخابات، إلى غير ما هنالك من تفاصيل عنوانها الحفاظ على سلطة أوسلو والوفاء لشروطها واستحقاقاتها.
وإذا رفض القوم، فإن التعويل سيبقى قائما على انتفاضة جديدة في الضفة تأتي ردا على ممارسات العدو في القدس والأقصى، إلى جانب الرد على صفقة عباس-فياض القائمة على بيع القضية بالرواتب والاستثمارات (المستفيدون من ذلك هم القلة)، وتحويلها إلى نزاع حدودي يتجاهل القضايا الأهم، وفي مقدمتها القدس واللاجئين، بل وحتى الأرض (السلطة لن تتعدى حدود الجدار)."
يحدث ذلك في ظل إدراك سائر المعنيين بالملف الفلسطيني لحقيقة أن مسار السلطة في ظل الوضع الراهن لم ولن يتعدى بأي حال الحفاظ على سلطة أوسلو ومن ثم تقدمها نحو شبه دولة على ما يتركه الجدار من الضفة، مع ترك القضايا الكبرى كجزء من إشكالات نزاع حدودي مع "الجارة" العبرية.
وينهض الإصرار على برنامج التنسيق الأمني وما ينطوي عليه من إساءة للشعب الفلسطيني وعدوان يومي على حركة حماس في الضفة الغربية.. ينهض كشاهد على ذلك، فضلا عن حقيقة أن السلطة لن تغادر مربع الوفاء للبرنامج الذي أنشئت من أجله، وكذلك لشروط المانحين، وقبلها شروط المحتلين الذين يمنحون بطاقات "في.آي.بي" لقادتها، بينما لا يتمكن قائد حمساوي واحد من مغادرة الضفة الغربية.
ليس هذا وحده ما يثير الأسئلة في سلوك حماس السياسي، فهناك إلى جانبه ميوعة الخطاب السياسي التي يلمسها المراقبون من قبل بعض قادتها في مواجهة الوفود الأجنبية التي تواصل رحيلها باتجاه غزة ودمشق، حيث لم يعد مصطلح الهدنة قائما عند الحديث عن قبول دولة في حدود 67، مما يعطي الانطباع بأنها نهاية المطاف، فضلا عن الرسائل الموجهة للإدارة الأميركية، وكذلك مغامرات أحمد يوسف الذي ما زال يقدم نفسه بوصفه المستشار السياسي لرئيس الوزراء، وإلى جانبه ثلة من "الواقعيين" الذين يذكّروننا بهذا النمط من السياسيين في تجربة فتح الطويلة المعروفة. مع العلم بأن من الصعب على هؤلاء أن يتحركوا لولا حصولهم على غطاء من بعض الجهات في الحركة، تحديدا في قطاع غزة (في الضفة هناك ناصر الشاعر الذي يستخدم ذات الخطاب، مع أنه للأمانة أقل ميلا إلى المغامرة وطرح المبادرات من صاحبه في غزة).
أسوأ ما في هذه الممارسة السياسية هو منحها الغطاء لخطاب فتح، حيث لم يتوقف قادتها وأنصارها عن الحديث عن تساويهم مع حماس في حل الدولتين، مع علمهم بالفارق الكبير، ليس فقط لجهة رفض حماس الاعتراف بما تبقى من فلسطين للصهاينة (لم تعد الدولة حلا مرحليا بالنسبة لفتح، إذ عرض عباس إنهاء النزاع والتنازل عن المطالب التاريخية)، بل أيضا لجهة تنازلات عباس المتعلقة بتبادل الأراضي (يعني بقاء المستوطنات الكبيرة)، وشطب حق العودة إلى الأراضي المحتلة عام 48، فضلا عن قبوله العملي بالدولة المؤقتة حتى لو رفضها باللسان (لا يكفون هنا عن الحديث عن ورقة أحمد يوسف الشهيرة التي استنكرتها قيادة حماس).
ولعل الشيء الأسوأ في هذا الجانب هو تجريب المجرب، إذ مرّت فتح بذات التجربة من دون جدوى، ومن العبث أن تستعيدها حماس بذات التفاصيل، مع إدراك العقلاء لحقيقة أن الاعتراف بشروط الرباعية أمر لا بد منه لكي تحصل حماس على "الشرعية الدولية"، مع أن ذلك لن يمنحها الأفضلية على فريق عباس أيضا. وإذا قيل إنها الأكثر تمثيلا للفلسطينيين، فإنها لن تغدو كذلك حين تعترف بالشروط المذكورة، لأن الناس سينفضون من حولها.
من القضايا الإشكالية التي نتابعها ذلك التعامل الناعم مع ما يجري لفرع الحركة في الضفة الغربية، والذي لا يتجاوز الحديث عنه في وسائل إعلام الحركة، مع أنه من النوع الذي يستحق أكثر من ذلك بكثير، هو الذي تجاوز سائر الخطوط الحمراء التي لم يتجرأ عليها العدو نفسه.
في الجانب الآخر من المشهد، ينهض الجهد الكبير الذي يبذله الجهاز العسكري (كتائب القسام) في قطاع غزة من أجل ترتيب الوضع الداخلي على نحو يمكّن الحركة من مواجهة أي عدوان إسرائيلي جديد، إلى جانب مساع لتفعيل العمل العسكري في الضفة أسفرت عن عدد من العمليات المهمة رغم شراسة القمع والتعاون الأمني.
لكن ذلك كله -على روعته وأهميته- يكاد يغيب وسط هجوم الطرف الآخر، وفي ظل أداء سياسي مرتبك وإشكالي بات يؤكد بهذا القدر أو ذاك أن همّ الحركة الأساسي هو الحفاظ على قطاع غزة بصرف النظر عن مصير القضية الذي ترك عمليا لفريق عباس، اللهم باستثناء بيانات وتصريحات لا يلتفت إليها الطرف الآخر الذي يمضي في برنامجه بدعم عربي ودولي، مع غطاء فتحاوي يبدو متوقعا في ظل اختطاف الحركة من قبل الفريق المذكور، وعدم قدرة المعترضين داخلها على فعل شيء، وهم الذين يدركون أن غطاءً عربيا لا يتوفر لهم، فضلا عن وقوعهم أسرى لواقع الاحتلال وواقع السلطة التي تتنفس من خلال الرئة التي يوفرها هو لا غيره.
لقد ثبت عمليا وواقعيا أن الجمع بين المقاومة والسلطة ليس ممكنا، ومن صمموا سلطة أوسلو يدركون ذلك، ولو كانت حماس في الضفة لما كان بوسعها إسناد برنامج المقاومة مع الاحتفاظ بالسلطة، لأن خروج جيش الاحتلال من غزة هو الذي منحها تلك الفرصة، أعني فرصة التمسك ببرنامج المقاومة بقدر ما (لو تواجد الجيش الإسرائيلي داخل القطاع لرأينا قادة حماس الذين يتمسكون بالبرنامج المذكور رهن السجون مثل إخوانهم في الضفة).
في هذا السياق كان مثيرا أن يتحدث أحد قادة الحركة عن عدم الحاجة للمقاومة من قطاع غزة لأنه تحرر. ومع علمنا أن القادة الآخرين لا يقبلون مقولته ويرفضونها، فإن الحقيقة أن القطاع لم يتحرر، ليس فقط لأن جزءًا من أرضه لا يزال تحت الاحتلال (الشريط الحدودي)، بل أيضا لأن بحره وسماءه ومعابره البرية تخضع للاحتلال أيضا، باستثناء معبر رفح الخاضع لسلطات المصرية التي لا تغامر بمخالفة ما يريده الإسرائيليون على هذا الصعيد. صحيح أن فرص المقاومة من القطاع -خلا الصواريخ ذات الكلفة العالية- محدودة، إلا أن كسر هذه المعادلة سيكون ممكنا بين وقت وآخر حين تتوفر الإرادة.
من المؤكد أن قادة الجهاز العسكري لا يتصرفون بروحية ما ذهب إليه القائد إياه، وهم ومعهم الكثير من السياسيين يصلون الليل بالنهار من أجل أن يكون القطاع قاعدة للمقاومة وشوكة في حلوق الغزاة، بدليل هذا القلق اليومي الذي يبديه قادة العدو في مواجهة مساعي مراكمة القوة العسكرية من قبل الحركة.
نفتح قوسا لنشير إلى أن التنظير السياسي الضمني الذي استندت إليه خطة شارون للانسحاب من قطاع غزة هو إخراجه من دائرة الصراع ليغدو مثل الأردن ومصر، وليمتد مشروع الحل الانتقالي إلى الضفة بالتدريج، أولا إلى حدود 28 سبتمبر/أيلول 2000، وثانيا وأخيرا مع بعض التعديلات إلى حدود الجدار، وليغدو المؤقت دائما. وقد تأكد ذلك مباشرة عندما شرع محمد دحلان في طرح نظرية سلاح الشرعية الوحيد وجمع سلاح "المليشيات" الذي لم تعد له حاجة.
وإذا كانت المصالحة مع جماعة السلطة شبه مستحيلة تبعا لرفض حماس التنازل عن القطاع (هي محقة في ذلك دون شك)، وعدم قدرة السلطة على مخالفة الأوامر الأميركية الإسرائيلية المتعلقة بالجهاز الأمني في الضفة من جهة أخرى، فإن المسار الآخر يراوح بين تثبيت الانفصال أو وقوع المستحيل (نجاح المصالحة) الذي يعني الإقرار ببرنامج السلطة أو الدولة تحت الاحتلال في حدود الجدار. وفي الحالتين سنكون إزاء وضع كارثي، والأرجح أن البرنامج الأخير سيمر بسهولة أكبر في حال تثبيت الانفصال (في المدى القريب على الأقل)، وسيكون بوسع مصر التعايش مع دولة القطاع العتيدة كما تعايشت مع النظام السوداني "الأصولي الإخواني" من قبل، وهي تمضي في هذا الاتجاه عبر مساع محمومة لإحداث اختراقات في جسم الحركة في القطاع وتصنيفها بين معتدلين ومتطرفين، مستخدمة مسألة المعبر والدخول والخروج التي تملك مفاتيحها ويحتاجها أهل القطاع جميعا، بما في ذلك قادة الحركة وعائلاتهم.
وسيكون هذا المسار أكثر قابلية للتطبيق إذا وافق الإسرائيليون على المشروع (مشروع الانفصال) ولم يتورطوا في حرب من أجل ضم القطاع إلى تسوية الضفة، لاسيما أنهم لا يخفون قلقهم من سياسة التسلح التي تتبعها الحركة هنا، والتي ستخل -لو في الحد الأدنى- بميزان القوى الذي اعتادوا عليه طوال عقود، الأمر الذي ينطبق بدرجة أكبر على حالة حزب الله في لبنان.
في السياق المذكور تتعالى أصوات في الساحة الإسرائيلية تتحدث عن الانفصال عن قطاع غزة، وقد كشفت صحيفة يديعوت أحرونوت عن خطة سرية أعدها وزير الخارجية الإسرائيلي ليبرمان خلاصتها انفصال ثان عن قطاع غزة، ويعني ذلك فصل القطاع نهائيا عن الضفة وإغلاق كل المعابر معه، والتوقف عن تزويده بالماء والكهرباء، وبالتالي الحصول على شرعية دولية لإنهاء احتلاله.
والخلاصة بحسب كلام ليبرمان هي توقف الدولة العبرية عن تحمل أية مسؤولية عن "القطاع بشكل مطلق، وأن من يريد الدخول إلى غزة فليدخل، وحدودنا ستكون مغلقة بإحكام".
في هذه الأجواء يبدو سؤال المستقبل مطروحا بقوة على الحركة التي عليها أن تؤكد للجميع أنها لم تنشغل بالقطاع عن القضية، وأن المقاومة بالنسبة إليها ليست مجرد شعار، ولن يحدث ذلك من دون برنامج شامل يُطرح على الشعب الفلسطيني، وتحدثنا عنه مرارا، عنوانه إدارة بالتوافق لقطاع غزة، وإعلان مقاومة شاملة حتى دحر الاحتلال دون قيد أو شرط عن الضفة الغربية وقطاع غزة من دون الاعتراف بأي شيء للمحتلين، وليكون مقدمة للتحرير الشامل.
إن برنامجا من هذا النوع سينسخ مرحلة أوسلو بكل مصائبها ويعيد القضية إلى سكتها الصحيحة، وهو سيتوج حماس قائدة فعلية لنضال الشعب الفلسطيني، لاسيما أن رموز الطرف الآخر سيفقدون ما تبقى لهم من مصداقية ومشروعية برفضهم المشروع المذكور وإصرارهم على مسار الاستجداء الذي يراوحون فيه منذ سبع سنوات (مع أن تاريخ بدايته الحقيقية هو سبتمبر/أيلول 1993)، بل ربما قبل ذلك بكثير.
إن رفض حماس المصالحة على قاعدة البرنامج المشار إليه تختلف عن رفضها على قاعدة تفاصيل تتعلق بالأمن والانتخابات، إلى غير ما هنالك من تفاصيل عنوانها الحفاظ على سلطة أوسلو والوفاء لشروطها واستحقاقاتها.
وإذا رفض القوم، فإن التعويل سيبقى قائما على انتفاضة جديدة في الضفة تأتي ردا على ممارسات العدو في القدس والأقصى، إلى جانب الرد على صفقة عباس-فياض القائمة على بيع القضية بالرواتب والاستثمارات (المستفيدون من ذلك هم القلة)، وتحويلها إلى نزاع حدودي يتجاهل القضايا الأهم، وفي مقدمتها القدس واللاجئين، بل وحتى الأرض (السلطة لن تتعدى حدود الجدار)."
Al-Jazeera Video: Baghdad reels from blasts to public spots
Britain Caves To Israeli Pressure; Agrees To Revoke 'universal Jurisdiction' Law
"In his visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories this week, British Foreign Secretary William Hague reported being 'ambushed' by Israeli officials who cancelled a high-level security briefing with Hague in response to a British threat to arrest an Israeli official for war crimes.
Hague said he resented this move by Israel, since the British coalition government had already agreed to change the 'universal jurisdiction law' which allows for the prosecution of foreign citizens who have engaged in crimes against humanity....."
Hague said he resented this move by Israel, since the British coalition government had already agreed to change the 'universal jurisdiction law' which allows for the prosecution of foreign citizens who have engaged in crimes against humanity....."
Sic transit gloria Obama
(Click on cartoon by Khalil Bendib to enlarge)
By Pepe Escobar
Asia Times
"The US electorate has decided to reward a bunch of clowns and crooks responsible for America's political, economic and cultural debacle in the first place. Democrats sowed the seeds of their own doom by failing even to try to live up to 2008's collective rapture over "Change we can believe in". After taking a "shellacking", it's about time for President Barack Obama to start playing offense [Are you kidding?? Do you know where can Obama get a spine implant, Pepe?]......
Clowns to the left, jokers to the right
Asia Times
"The US electorate has decided to reward a bunch of clowns and crooks responsible for America's political, economic and cultural debacle in the first place. Democrats sowed the seeds of their own doom by failing even to try to live up to 2008's collective rapture over "Change we can believe in". After taking a "shellacking", it's about time for President Barack Obama to start playing offense [Are you kidding?? Do you know where can Obama get a spine implant, Pepe?]......
Clowns to the left, jokers to the right
The heart of the (sorry) matter is that Obama and the Democrats did not even strive to meet the great expectations awakened by the 2008 "Change we can believe in" collective rapture. They sowed the seeds of their own doom instead. No wonder they were deserted en masse by young people, ethnic minorities, pacifists and environmentalists while at the same time masses of enraged centrists, moderates and independents sought refuge in the right. Add to it the electorate's gullibility in its manipulation by corporate media.
He could start by firing everyone at the White House. It won't happen. Get ready; white Obama will eat him for breakfast in 2012. "
He could start by firing everyone at the White House. It won't happen. Get ready; white Obama will eat him for breakfast in 2012. "
A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall
by Philip Giraldi, November 04, 2010
"Numerous commentators have noted the complete lack of any debate over foreign policy in the run up to congressional midterm elections, a curious omission for a country that is at war in at least two places overseas with prospects for more. Ironically, the lack of any discussion comes at a time when most Americans are weary of Afghanistan and no longer support the war effort. Many observers would attribute the lack of any expressed concern over the issue of war vs. peace to a unanimity on the part of both Republicans and Democrats over the necessity to continue to wage the so-called "long war" against international terrorism. That the struggle itself is based on a number of false premises and the tactics are questionable and even counterproductive does not appear to bother America’s Solons, who are first and foremost focused on getting reelected and are willing to say or not say whatever it takes to further that objective.
Tuesday’s Republican conquest of the House of Representatives might serve as a welcome rebuke for President Barack Obama if only the GOP were genuinely concerned with constitutionalism, the rule of law, and small government. But they are not, and the downside is that the change in the dominant party in the legislature might well lead to an unmitigated disaster in foreign policy....
Congressman Eric Cantor of Virginia is poised to become the House majority whip, the second most powerful position in the House Republican hierarchy, and is frequently spoken of as the heir apparent to John Boehner as majority leader if Boehner opts to become speaker of the House after the Republican win. The Jewish Journal reports that Cantor is the only Jewish Republican in the House of Representatives. On October 25th, Cantor told the Jewish Telegraph Agency that a GOP win in the midterm elections would lead to moves to decouple current assistance to Israel from the foreign aid budget, which has to be approved every year and which "includes nations that do not share US interests." Cantor explained that Israel would then receive its aid directly from the treasury or through some other mechanism, possibly the defense department budget, and the Republicans would be empowered to reject the entire Obama foreign aid request to punish the nations that it considers to be unworthy of the largesse without in any way harming Israel. As Cantor explained it, the assistance to Israel would thereby be "protected."
Equally dangerous is Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who is poised to take over the House Foreign Affairs committee....."
"Numerous commentators have noted the complete lack of any debate over foreign policy in the run up to congressional midterm elections, a curious omission for a country that is at war in at least two places overseas with prospects for more. Ironically, the lack of any discussion comes at a time when most Americans are weary of Afghanistan and no longer support the war effort. Many observers would attribute the lack of any expressed concern over the issue of war vs. peace to a unanimity on the part of both Republicans and Democrats over the necessity to continue to wage the so-called "long war" against international terrorism. That the struggle itself is based on a number of false premises and the tactics are questionable and even counterproductive does not appear to bother America’s Solons, who are first and foremost focused on getting reelected and are willing to say or not say whatever it takes to further that objective.
Tuesday’s Republican conquest of the House of Representatives might serve as a welcome rebuke for President Barack Obama if only the GOP were genuinely concerned with constitutionalism, the rule of law, and small government. But they are not, and the downside is that the change in the dominant party in the legislature might well lead to an unmitigated disaster in foreign policy....
Congressman Eric Cantor of Virginia is poised to become the House majority whip, the second most powerful position in the House Republican hierarchy, and is frequently spoken of as the heir apparent to John Boehner as majority leader if Boehner opts to become speaker of the House after the Republican win. The Jewish Journal reports that Cantor is the only Jewish Republican in the House of Representatives. On October 25th, Cantor told the Jewish Telegraph Agency that a GOP win in the midterm elections would lead to moves to decouple current assistance to Israel from the foreign aid budget, which has to be approved every year and which "includes nations that do not share US interests." Cantor explained that Israel would then receive its aid directly from the treasury or through some other mechanism, possibly the defense department budget, and the Republicans would be empowered to reject the entire Obama foreign aid request to punish the nations that it considers to be unworthy of the largesse without in any way harming Israel. As Cantor explained it, the assistance to Israel would thereby be "protected."
Equally dangerous is Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who is poised to take over the House Foreign Affairs committee....."
