Walid Jumblatt: Lebanon's kingmaker

The Druze leader's support for Hezbollah sees him return to his father's legacy of pan-Arabism.

Lamis Andoni
Al-Jazeera

"Walid Jumblatt, the leader of Lebanon's 30,000-strong Druze community, has thrown his weight behind Hezbollah and Syria in the political showdown with the US-backed March 14 alliance that is brewing in Beirut.

Jumblatt leads a bloc of 11 parliamentarians and his support could now give Hezbollah and its allies a veto over who becomes the country's next president. It is bitter blow to Saad al-Hariri, the caretaker prime minister, as he tries to secure enough votes to form a new government.

But even more significantly, Jumblatt's declared rejection of the UN-backed tribunal investigating the assassination of Rafiq al-Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister and father of Saad al-Hariri, has permanently sealed his break from the March 14 coalition....."

Al-Jazeera Video: Listening Post - Why the revolution was not televised in the West

"Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter got the story of the Tunisian uprising out, with pictures of the protests spreading like wildfire across the Arab world and binding audiences to the ever changing story. Western news outlets on the other hand, at least initially, failed to give the story the coverage it deserved. On this episode of Listening Post, we look at the role media - new and old - played in the Tunisian revolution."

Angry protests greet French foreign minister in Gaza

Palestinians pelt Michèle Alliot-Marie's car with eggs and shoes after she meets family of captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit

Emine Sinmaz
guardian.co.uk, Friday 21 January 2011

"Palestinian protesters mobbed the car of the French foreign minister, Michèle Alliot-Marie, as she arrived in Gaza today.

Dozens of people attempted to block Alliot-Marie's convoy and hurled eggs and shoes at her jeep. The protesters banged on the vehicle and yelled at the minister to leave Gaza, Reuters reported.

The protesters, relatives of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, were furious over comments attributed to the minister a day earlier when she met the parents of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier being held captive by the Islamist group Hamas.

After the meeting Israeli radio quoted Alliot-Marie as saying the continued detention of Gilad Shalit, seized by Palestinian fighters in 2006, was a "war crime"[However, the slaughter and phosphorus burning of 1,400 Palestinian civilians, half of them children, by the Israeli invasion of Gaza is to be applauded. Vive La France!]....."

Arabic Video: Azmi Bishara on the Tunisian Intifada

AN EXCELLENT VIDEO!
ثورة الشعب في تونس .. د. عزمي بشاره
Courtesy of Arabs48.com

فعَلها... محمد البوعزيزي: عن الشابّ الذي أشعل... ثورة

A GOOD PIECE BY ANGRY ARAB

د. أسعد أبو خليل

"محمد البوعزيزي دخل التاريخ والحاضر والمستقبل العربي من باب مُشرِّف، بصرف النظر عن مسار الأحداث في تونس. لم يكن البوعزيزي يعبّر عن محنة شخصيّة. لم يكن في وارد الاعتراض على وضعه البائس، أو على الظلم والمهانة اللذين لحقا به من نظام الطاغية بن علي. لا، البوعزيزي أراد أن يخلّصَ الشعب العربي برمّته. اعتراضه كان بالنيابة عنّا كلّنا: نحن النيام ونحن المتلهّين والمتلهّيات بالمسلسلات التلفزيونيّة والمباريات الرياضيّة وفنون الوليد بن طلال. البوعزيزي ودّع أمّه ورحل.
هل كان يُدرك ما فعلت يداه بطاغية؟

لم يكن الحدث عاديّاً. نحن العرب مُتهمون ومتهمات بالنوم على طريقة أهل الكهف. تحوّل العالم من حولنا وتجذّر الطغاة فوق صدورنا، جاثمين ـــ هم وعائلاتهم الفاسدة. عزّز الطاغية التونسي أمن نظامه البوليسي وتدرّج في أجهزة الجيش والأمن وتخرّج من كليّات قمع رفيعة في فرنسا والولايات المُتحدة (أصرّت الـ"واشنطن بوست" على أن تغفل دراسة بن علي وتدريبه في أميركا في إيراد سيرته العسكريّة). بن علي كان يُرَوّج له في الغرب دوماً، لإنشائه نظاماً بوليسيّاً حديديّاً يحظى برضى الغرب
.....
رحل بن علي وتضعضع نظامه ـــ وإن لم يسقط بعد ـــ وتطلّع نحو تونس الملايين من العرب. كم يحسدون إخوتهم وأخواتهم هناك. كم يتوقون الى التغيير الحقيقي، ولكن ليس بطريقة استبدال رئيس وزراء بآخر . لكنّهم اكتشفوا أنّ إسقاط الأنظمة أسهل بكثير مما يظنّون: لقد حصّنت أنظمة الطغاة العرب نفسها ضد الانقلابات العسكريّة (وهي شكّلت وسيلة التغيير التقليديّة في المنطقة)، لكنّها لم تحصّن نفسها ـــ ولا يمكنها أن تحصّن نفسها ـــ ضد شعوبها، إذا ثارت، بسب احتقارها الشديد لها. إنّ السهولة النسبيّة في إسقاط الأنظمة العربيّة تعود إلى غياب قطاعات وقواعد شعبيّة (حقيقيّة) لها كما هو الوضع في النظام التسلّطي الإيراني، مثلاً. صحيح أنّ أنظمة الطغاة العرب تحظى بتأييد فئة أصحاب المليارات والأبواق والمُنتفعين، لكن هؤلاء لا ينزلون إلى الشارع للدفاع عن النظام. لن يهرع أصحاب المليارات من رفاق جمال مبارك إلى الشارع لإنقاذ نظام أبيه. هؤلاء يهربون إلى أقرب سفارة، أو يلجأون إلى جدّة.

اشتعلت مع البوعزيزي حماسة العرب على «تويتر» وعلى «فايسبوك» وفي بعض الشوارع العربيّة الصامتة. الأنظمة العربيّة لاحظت ما يجري. بعضها أعلن سخاءً مُفاجئاً (مثل أمير الكويت) وبعضها الآخر (مثل الملك السعودي) دعا مواطنيه ـــ مواطناته عورات، هذا الأخير ـــ إلى الصبر الجميل ووعد بتحسين الفرص. طال صبر الشعب العربي إلى درجة أنّ هناك في الغرب، من طلع بنظريّات استشراقيّة عنصريّة تغرق في الإيغال في تفسير عبارة «إن شاء الله». وذمّ الجماهير الصابرة على الظلم من قبل أفرادها ليس عيباً. البوعزيزي ذكّرنا بذلك مجتمعين ومجتمعات. لكن، لماذا يموت المُواطن حرقاً، فيما يقبع الطاغية في قصره غير مُشتعل؟
"

Israel: The ugly truth

As it slides further into open and violent racism, Israel offers the Western world a reflection of itself.

Mya Guarnieri
(Mya Guarnieri is a Tel Aviv-based journalist and writer.)

"There was that jarring week in December - a protest against Arab-Jewish couples, a south Tel Aviv march and demonstration against migrant workers and African asylum seekers, the arrest of Jewish teenagers accused of beating Palestinians and the expulsion of five Arab men from their home in south Tel Aviv. It left me with the question: What is next?

It is impossible to predict the future. But there are signs that violence, perpetrated by citizens, could be spreading....

Reflection of the West

It is too easy to demonise Israel, in part because the government, the army and some of the people do things that make it so easy.

But one of the ugliest truths about Israel - a truth that must be faced in both the US and Europe, where xenophobic and anti-Islamic sentiments are also on the rise - is that Israel offers the Western world a reflection of itself.

Of course, it is an exaggerated, hyperbolic image. But it is a picture of nationalism gone wrong. It is a picture of what can happen when a state believes that its very survival depends on maintaining a certain demographic balance. It is a picture of what happens when any country believes that those who change these numbers are an existential threat.

And it is getting more and more frightening here by the day."

Current Al-Jazeera (Arabic) Online Poll

This new poll asks:

Do you support excluding all Tunisian officials from the previous regime from any new government?

With about 900 responding so far, 90% said yes.

Al-Jazeera Video: Protesters heckle French minister in Gaza

"The French foreign minister has been checked by Israeli doctors after reportedly being hit on the head during a stormy visit to Gaza.

Palestinian demonstrators mobbed Michele Alliot-Marie's car and at one point it was reportedly pelted with eggs and shoes.

They were reacting to reports that she had said the capture by Hamas of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier who is also a French national, was a war crime.

Al Jazeera's Nicole Johnston reports. "

Al-Jazeera Video: Tunisian police join protesters

"In just a week,Tunisia has changed beyond recognition, with the freedoms the public now enjoys unthinkable under the previous regime.

Protesters have now been joined by a small number of police - it would be a turning point if this now spreads to wider sections of the force.

Al Jazeera's Nazanin Moshiri reports from Tunis."

Al-Jazeera Video: Inside Story - Are politicians hijacking the Tunisian revolution?

Two Ousted Leaders

Unrest in Lebanon and Tunisia

By RANNIE AMIRI
CounterPunch

".....In a remarkable week, two Arab leaders were deposed.

One was a staunchly secular dictator who fled in disgrace to ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia. He may loathe its religious atmosphere but once envied its security relations with the West. Ben Ali is now relegated to an apolitical life in Jeddah, the same city in which Idi Amin once took refuge.

The other, though not a dictator, sold out a formula for domestic and regional stability at his country’s expense. His political and sectarian agenda, at justice’s expense, will allow the STL’s politicized indictments to foment strife, conflict and enmity between Lebanese.

For making himself a party to that in the capacity as prime minister, the Lebanese should encourage Hariri, who holds Saudi citizenship, to take extended leave in the Kingdom as well. "

Al-Jazeera Video: US ambassador 'upbeat' about Tunisia's future

Watch as Al-Jazeera Makes US Ambassador Squirm!

Al-Jazeera Video: Tunisian protesters target ruling party

"A spokesman for Tunisia's interim government had announced that all banned political parties and movements will now be recognised, and declared three days of mourning for those killed.

In other developments, warning shots were fired at protesters on Thursday as they demonstrated outside the headquarters of the ruling party, continuing their calls for it to be shut down.

All the ministers in the interim government who were members of the ruling RCD party have resigned from it, trying to distance themselves from the ousted president Ben Ali.

Meanwhile more assets belonging to the Ben Ali family have been seized, the latest was a bank owned by Ben Ali's son-in-law.

Al Jazeera's Nazanine Moshiri has this report from Tunis."

Al-Jazeera Video: Birthplace of Tunisia's revolution

"Sidi Bouzid is the Tunisian town that sparked the nationwide protests that eventually toppled the rule of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Just a month ago, protesters brought the area outside the city hall to a standstill, following the suicide of Mohamed Bouazizi, who set himself on fire in despair with a government that constantly failed to meet the needs of its population.

The area has returned to normal, but people say the journey for change is not yet over.

Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyeldin reports from Sidi Bouzid."

Real News Video: WikiLeaks: Why It Matters. Why It Doesn't?

A panel of leading thinkers explores WikiLeaks and its implications for access to information, security, first amendment rights, innovation, and more

Middle East Fast Bleeding Money

..........We ARE Corrupt....., So What!.... (Click to play the video)

By Emad Mekay

"CAIRO, Jan 21, 2011 (IPS) - Middle East countries have seen the largest increase of illicit outflows of funds to richer nations, depriving the developing nations of much needed development money, a new international report shows.

Developing countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region lost 1.2 trillion dollars in the nine years of the study, an average of 130 billion dollars a year, most of which goes to banks in the U.S., the UK, Switzerland and other G8 countries, economist Karly Curcio told IPS in an interview....."

China – A Paper Tiger

Hu Jintao's visit showcases American cluelessness about China

by Justin Raimondo, January 21, 2011


"The utter hypocrisy, economic ignorance, and general all around cluelessness of America’s political class – never very far from the surface — was on full display during Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to Washington this week.

There was Nancy Pelosi, a longtime Sinophobe, hectoring the Chinese leader over his country’s human rights record – when her own country openly practices torture, spies on its own citizens, and has murdered hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians in a series of wars of "liberation."

There was Paul Krugman, economist-in-chief of Bizarro World, explaining to us that Chinese subsidies which keep their exports affordable for US consumers are supposedly hurting us – when actually the opposite is the case.

And there were the neocons over the Weekly Standard, pointing to the "boundless" military ambitions of the People’s Liberation Army and the alleged threat from Beijing – this from a magazine whose editor has proclaimed that the goal of US foreign policy ought to be "global hegemony"!....."

It Became Necessary to Destroy the Village,......in Order to Save it. Sounds Familiar??

25 Tons of Bombs Wipe Afghan Town Off Map

By Spencer Ackerman

"An American-led military unit pulverized an Afghan village in Kandahar’s Arghandab River Valley in October, after it became overrun with Taliban insurgents. It’s hard to understand how turning an entire village into dust fits into America’s counterinsurgency strategy — which supposedly prizes the local people’s loyalty above all else.

But it’s the latest indication that Gen. David Petraeus, the counterinsurgency icon, is prosecuting a frustrating war with surprising levels of violence. Some observers already fear a backlash brewing in the area......"

WikiLeaks defies the “war on hi-tech terror”

Julian Assange became enemy number one by bringing truth to light. Yet WikiLeaks is unquelled, playing a role that mainstream media are too tired to handle. The whistleblower is in conversation with John Pilger.

The New Statesman
Published 19 January 2011

"The attacks on WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange, are a response to an information revolution that threatens old power orders, in politics and in journalism. The incitement to murder trumpeted by public figures in the United States, together with attempts by the Obama administration to corrupt the law and send Assange to a hell-hole prison for the rest of his life, are the reactions of a rapacious system exposed as never before.....

Crushing individuals such as Julian Assange and Bradley Manning is not difficult for a great power, however craven. The point is, we should not allow it to happen, which means those of us meant to keep the record straight should not collaborate in any way. Transparency and in­formation, to paraphrase Thomas Jefferson, are the "currency" of democratic freedom. "Every news organisation," a leading American constitutional lawyer told me, "should recognise that Julian Assange is one of them, and that his prosecution will have a huge and chilling effect on journalism."

My favourite secret document - leaked by WikiLeaks, of course - is from the Ministry of Defence in London. It describes journalists who serve the public without fear or favour as "subversive" and as "threats". Such a badge of honour."

The real scandal is Blair's ignorance

Worth watching will be the extent to which he continues his tirades against Iran, in much the same way as he spoke of Iraq

By Patrick Cockburn

".......But even more damning and more destructive than what he did before the war was Mr Blair's failure to learn much about the country after the invasion. Going by his evidence, he seems to think, as well as speak, in slogans. In his evidence he lost no opportunity to blame the Iranian hidden hand for destabilising Iraq and backing al-Qa'ida.

This may go down well when Mr Blair talks to paranoid Sunni rulers in the Gulf or audiences of neo-cons in the US, but very little of it is true. Iran was never likely to give much support to al-Qa'ida, which was more intent on slaughtering Shia in Iraq than killing Americans.

The former British ambassador to Iran, Sir Richard Dalton, told the inquiry in little noticed but fascinating testimony that Mr Blair's claims were all "very much exaggerated". He warned that Mr Blair was seeking "to cast a retrospectively benign light on a series of very bad decisions" and, by justifying what was done in Iraq in the past, to open the door to an attack on Iran in future.

Worth watching today will be the extent to which Mr Blair continues his tirades against Iran, misrepresenting the country and its leaders as an imminent threat in much the same way as he spoke of Iraq in the lead-up to the invasion. Sir Richard told the inquiry that he felt that "a military adventure against Iran" would be as illegal and unjustified as the one launched against Iraq....."

Tunisia: 'I have lost my son, but I am proud of what he did'

The mother of the street vendor who set himself on fire, and triggered protests across North Africa, talks to Kim Sengupta

The Independent

"The street vendor who set himself alight, sparking an uprising which swept away 23 years of dictatorship in Tunisia and triggered protests across North Africa, had been beaten down by years of poverty and oppression by the authorities, his family told The Independent last night.

Mohamed Bouazizi – whose desperate act, copied in countries including Algeria and Egypt, has become a symbol of injustice and oppression – had lost his land, his living and had been humiliated by local officials.

In an interview yesterday at his home, his mother Mannoubia said she was proud of her son and of his role in changing the regime. His cries for help had been ignored by banks and officials, his family said. "The government drove him to do what he did; they never gave him a chance. We are poor and they thought we had no power," his mother said. "My son is lost, but look what is happening, how many people are now getting involved."

What made Mr Bouazizi's desperation and sense of hopelessness so real to those who were to rise up afterwards was that it mirrored many of their experiences.....

Whether any real changes come to Tunisia through the "Jasmine Revolution" remains to be seen. In Sidi Bouzid's central square a group of young men sit around on a wall with no job to go to.

Walid Ben Sanai, who trained as an engineer, sees no change for the better in sight. "Ben Ali has gone, but the government ministers are still the same. We are not seeing any real improvement, and unless there is some real improvement there will be real trouble.

"But we think about Mohamed Bouazizi. I hope he will be remembered." "

Steve Bell on David Cameron

WikiLeaks cables: Iran has cleared major hurdle to nuclear weapons

Tehran has 'technical ability' to make highly enriched uranium, say experts, as efforts turn to disrupting supply of other materials

Julian Borger, diplomatic editor
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 20 January 2011

"US officials believe Iran now has the "technical ability" to make highly enriched uranium, an essential step towards building a nuclear bomb, according to a leaked US diplomatic cable.

At a meeting of international nuclear experts in Vienna, a US representative said that "Iran had now demonstrated centrifuge operations such that it had the technical ability to produce highly enriched uranium (HEU) if it so chose". The meeting in April 2009 was hosted by Britain's ambassador to Austria, Simon Smith.

The revelation comes as nuclear talks resume between Iranian officials and representatives of six world powers in Istanbul tomorrow. Expectations of compromise are low.

Not all western governments share the US conclusion, but if true it suggests international sanctions have failed to deny Iran the know-how required to make a nuclear bomb. The production of HEU is generally agreed to be the most serious obstacle any aspiring nuclear state must overcome......"

What Do You Expect From the Puppet Police Non-State? PA bans West Bank Tunisia rally

Rally to show solidarity for uprising in Tunisia denied permission, French newspaper Le Monde says.

Al-Jazeera

"Palestinian Authority(PA) security forces have scuttled a rally in the West Bank, planned to show solidarity for the uprising in Tunisia, the French daily Le Monde has reported.

The rally on Wednesday was denied permission by the security forces.

Le Monde reported that a few dozen Palestinians who arrived nevertheless in the square in Ramallah, where the rally was to take place, found that members of the ruling Fatah party had chosen the same time and place to stage a demonstration in support of Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

It was not clear whose demonstration was planned first.


Benjamin Barthe, a correspondent for Le Monde, said that a police cordon around the square and “the presence among the demonstrators of many mukhabarat [secret police] officers left little doubt about the Palestinian Authority's intention to prevent any expression of solidarity with the Jasmine Revolution," in Tunisia, which led the president, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, to flee into exile.

A young demonstrator waving a Tunisian flag was assaulted by PA forces, according to the report.

Ghassan Khatib, a PA spokesman, said the police regretted the incident "if it happened". The police promised to investigate any complaint upon receiving one, Khatib said.

The uprising in Tunisia has inspired dissent across the Arab world and sparked widespread protests."

Resourceful yet resourceless

In Gaza, building houses with the sand
It’s not easy to build a house when cement and steel are in short supply. That’s the situation in the Gaza Strip two years after Israel’s military pummeled the seaside territory during an offensive against the militant Islamic group Hamas, which had been firing rockets across the border at Israeli cities. Thousands of Gazan houses were destroyed. Israel now allows a limited amount of construction materials to enter Gaza, but only for building projects implemented by international aid organizations, to keep the materials out of the hands of rocketmakers. It’s left a lot of Palestinian building engineers sitting on the couch at home.

تونس.. خارطة طريق إلى الديمقراطية

An Excellent Article

I posted the English version of it Here.

Keep an Eye on This Writer, he is Very Good. Originally from Tunisia, now Senior Lecturer in Middle East Politics at the University of Exeter.

"الدروس المستفادة

ذَهَبَ بن علي وبقِيت منظومته

"الباستيل" التفرد والتسلط

الإسلاميون والجمهورية الثالثة

عهد الأمان (2)

نحو المرحلة الانتقالية

تونس.. التأثير

.....

لا توجد حركة سياسية واحدة، يمكن أن تزور التاريخ السياسي وتنسب النصر التونسي لنفسها, فالشعب التونسي هو الذي انتصر ليقدم لنخبته، على طبق من فضة، فرصة نادرة لتصحيح أخطاء كثيرة ارتكبها الرئيس المخلوع

......

عملية التطهير يجب أن تكون مرفوضة بالكامل، والقيام بحذف المعارضين أو قتلهم أمر يجب أن لا يعود موجودا، وإلا فإن بن علي سيكون قد انتصر على إرادة الشعب التونسي

......

بعض اللاعبين السياسيين الجدد في تونس ليسوا سوى متدربين في سياسة الدولة, وبعضهم ليس له أي تجربة برلمانية، ومنهم من ليس له خبرة المشاركة ولو على مستوى البلديات, ولذلك فإن تعلم الديمقراطية في تونس بدأ الآن

.....

كسب التونسيون معركتهم الأولى من خلال تقويض بعض النماذج السائدة في المجتمعات العربية وستكون المعركة المقبلة هي إدامة ربيع الديمقراطية الذي بدأ للتو

....."

There Goes The Neighborhood! By Khalil Bendib

(Click on cartoon to enlarge)

Al-Jazeera Video: Lebanon tense as Saudi quits talks

"Saudi Arabia has abandoned its position as mediator in Lebanon, making it less likely that a speedy resolution to the crisis will emerge.

Last week, Hezbollah and other opposition parties withdrew their support from Saad Hariri's coalition government, forcing it to collapse.

Political and sectarian divisions have also resurfaced following the UN draft indictment into the assasination of former prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri, that is widely believed to implicate Hezbollah.

There are fears that this tension may spill onto the streets.

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reports from Beirut...."

Dictatorship and Neo-Liberalism: The Tunisian People's Uprising

by Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya
Global Research

".......Tunisia is not free yet. The Tunisian national unity government is dominated and includes many of the same characters from Bin Ali's regime. The uprising has not turned into a revolution yet.

The U.S., France, the E.U., the House of Saud, the Arab dictators, and Israel are all conspiring to ensure that a new Tunisian government that will serve their interests will take the mantle of the old Tunisian regime. The structure that kept Bin Ali in place still exists and the foreign interests that supported his rule still hold influence in Tunis. They may manage to retain power.

America and France have not forfeited their economic interests in Tunisia. Nor has the neo-liberal model been declared null and void in Tunis. In a bid to maintain the continuation of French contracts in Tunisia, the French government did not offer to Bin Ali sanctuary in France, despite the fact that he was a loyal ally of Paris until the end of his reign. "

Tunisia and the IMF's Diktats: How Macro-Economic Policy Triggers Worldwide Poverty and Unemployment

by Michel Chossudovsky
Global Research

".....The World Bank is actively involved in cooking the data and distorting the social plight of the Tunisian population. The official rate of unemployment is 14 percent, the actual level of unemployment is much higher. Recorded youth unemployment is of the order of 30 percent. Social services, including health and education have collapsed under the brunt of the IMF-World Bank economic austerity measures.

Tunisia and the World

What is happening in Tunisia is part of a global economic process which destroys people's lives through the deliberate manipulation of market forces.

More generally, "the harsh economic and social realities underlying IMF intervention are soaring food prices, local-level famines, massive lay-offs of urban workers and civil servants and the destruction of social programs. Internal purchasing power has collapsed, health clinics and schools have been closed down, hundreds of millions of children have been denied the right to primary education." "

Rally in Solidarity with the Tunisian People, Friday January 21, New York

Rally in Solidarity with the Tunisian People, January 21, 1pm – 3pm, 31 Beekman Place

By Ikhras.com

"Join the Rally in Solidarity with the Tunisian People in front of the Tunisian Mission to the United Nations. We will send a loud message of support to the Tunisian people and the continuation of their struggle to fully abolish authoritarianism in their country. They have rid themselves of a dictator, but the dictatorship persists. Tunisian students, workers, and all sectors of society continue to take to the streets demanding more than just a new face to the old authoritarian system. Now is the time to show support for Tunisians as they enter the most difficult phase of their uprising. Let’s help make this a revolution

FOR THE COMPLETE STATEMENT AND MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=191655070847507&ref=ts"

Serving Up Palestine One Slice at a Time

by Philip Giraldi, January 20, 2011

".....but, like the review of options on Afghanistan, our man in the White House is only listening to one side of the argument, and that side as always only offers the Israeli perspective. According to Laura Rozen over at Politico, there are currently two task forces working with the White House and National Security Council on "options." But before anyone gets too excited by the unusual display of activity, it should be noted that the two groups are headed by Steven Hadley working with Sandy Berger and by Martin Indyk. Both groups are reporting to Dennis Ross, who recently went to Israel to "seek more clarity from Israeli leaders on their security requirements." Indyk and Ross are well known as Israel-firsters and Berger is best remembered for having stuffed classified documents from the National Archive into his trousers. Hadley, who worked for W, is best recalled for nothing in particular but he is along for the ride to show that the effort is bipartisan. Obama would love to have some kind of two state solution and the Ross-Indyk-Hadley-Bergers would sorely love to deliver one, but on Israel’s terms. Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren is reportedly part of the negotiating process, possibly the first time that an Ambassador of a foreign country has been allowed to sit in and influence the policy of the US relating to his own country, but why should anyone be surprised by that?

It is interesting to note that George Mitchell, the Administration’s designated rainmaker for Israel-Palestinian rapprochement, is nowhere in sight, leaving the task to those best equipped to appease Israel and its lobby. And what they are trying to do is calculate what the absolute minimum might be that the Palestinians can accept to label a state while leaving the largest part of the pie to the Israelis, together with absolute control over a client nation of helots that they can then abuse at will. That way it will look like there has been a two state solution, Obama will bask in glory long enough to get reelected and everyone that matters in Washington will be happy......"

Tunisia's revolution isn't a product of Twitter or WikiLeaks. But they do help

The internet alone won't set anyone free. Between north Africa and Belarus, we are learning just what it can and can't do

Timothy Garton Ash
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 19 January 2011

"'The Kleenex Revolution"? Somehow I think not. Unless, that is, you follow Libyan president Muammar Gaddafi. In a televised denunciation of the popular uprising that has deposed his friendly neighbouring dictator, he ranted: "Even you, my Tunisian brothers, you may be reading this Kleenex and empty talk on the internet." (Kleenex is how Gaddafi refers to WikiLeaks.) "Any useless person, any liar, any drunkard, anyone under the influence, anyone high on drugs can talk on the internet, and you read what he writes and you believe it. This is talk which is for free. Shall we become the victims of Facebook and Kleenex and YouTube?" To which, since the speaker is another dictator, I devoutly hope that the answer is "Yes". Let Kleenex wipe them away, one after another, like blobs of phlegm.

But will it? What contribution do websites, social networks and mobile phones make to popular protest movements? Is there any justification for labelling the Tunisian events, as some have done, a "Twitter Revolution" or a "WikiLeaks Revolution"?......."

Israeli army discharges soldier for shooting Palestinian civilian

Investigation into death of Hebron man says soldier acted 'unprofessionally'

Harriet Sherwood in Jerusalem
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 20 January 2011

The IOF slaughters Palestinians with the nonchalance of swatting flies, following the motto, "The only good Arab is a dead Arab!".

"The Israeli military has discharged a soldier for acting "unprofessionally" in shooting dead an unarmed 65-year-old Palestinian man in Hebron earlier this month.

Another soldier, who initiated the firing, was exonerated by investigators because a "suspicious movement caused [him] to feel his life was threatened". The dead man was asleep in bed when soldiers entered the room, according to his family. He was shot multiple times in the head and upper body.

The military said it deeply regretted the death of Amr Qawasme and acknowledged he was a civilian....."

Breaking News.....

Al-Jazeera

Al-Jazeera is reporting that the interim Tunisian government has resigned and that the army has fired warning shots at demonstrators at the headquarters of the former ruling party.....

What happened to the nice Tunisia Rumsfeld told us about?

By Imran Garda
Al-Jazeera

"........'Constructive leadership'

A visit to Tunisia by defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld in February 2006 proves even more revealing:

"We have a very long relationship with Tunisia," Rumsfeld remarked after the meetings.
"Tunisia is a moderate Muslim nation that has been and is today providing very constructive leadership in the world. The struggle that's taking place within that faith is a serious one, an important one. There's a very small number of violent extremists on the one side against a broad, overwhelming majority of people who are moderate." And with regards those within the government’s ruling elite that US officials called “The Family” in one of the WikiLeaks, who it was said are above the law in the country, Rumsfeld had a glowing reference, "They have demonstrated, if one looks at this successful country...the ability to create an environment that's hospitable to investment, to enterprise, and to opportunity for their people." Hardly sounds like the type of country whose people's economic desperation would lead to self-immolation. He spoke of a "very constructive military and diplomatic co-operation" between the two nations.

“Both of our countries have been attacked by violent extremists, so we know well the stakes involved in the struggle that's being waged.

“Tunisia has long been an important voice of moderation and tolerance in this region, and has played a key role in confronting extremists not just within this country, but in the area as well."

The Associated Press news agency quoted Rumsfeld as saying Tunisia was a “democracy”, but that it was moving “at different paces” on the social, economic and political levels......"

لبنان ينجرف نحو الحرب

لبنان ينجرف نحو الحرب
عبد الباري عطوان

"اذا اراد اي مراقب ان يستقرئ خريطة الاحداث المتوقعة في المستقبل اللبناني، القريب منه او البعيد، فان عليه ان يتابع ما يصدر عن المملكة العربية السعودية، ووزير خارجيتها الامير سعود الفيصل على وجه التحديد من مواقف وتصريحات، بسبب النفوذ الكبير الذي تتمتع به، وعلاقاتها التحالفية الوثيقة مع الولايات المتحدة الامريكية، واطلاعها بالتالي على ادق تفاصيل ما يجري طبخه في دهاليزها من مخططات لهذا البلد المنكوب.
فعندما يؤكد الامير سعود الفيصل في لقاء مع قناة 'العربية' ان الوضع في لبنان 'خطير'، وان بلاده رفعت يدها عن الوساطة التي اجرتها بالاشتراك مع سورية لحل الازمة المتعلقة بالمحكمة الدولية، بشأن اغتيال الرئيس الراحل رفيق الحريري وتداعياتها، فان علينا في هذه الحالة، وبناء على هذه التصريحات الواضحة من رجل محسوب على معسكر الصقور في الاسرة الحاكمة ان نتوقع الاسوأ، وهذا الاسوأ يمكن ان يتبلور في ثلاثة احتمالات:
الاول: تفجير فتنة طائفـــية، سنية شيعية في لبنان تتطور الى حرب اهلية توفر الذرائع لتدخلات عسكرية خارجية، وعمليات استقطاب داخلية.
الثاني: اقدام اسرائيل على شن عدوان كـــبير على لبنــان مستغلة تدهور الاوضاع الامنية، او استخدام القـــرار الظني للمحكمة الدولية بتجريم 'حزب الله' من خلال اتهام عناصر فيه بالوقوف خلف جريمة الاغتيال كضوء اخضر، او ذريعة لانهاء وجود المقاومة في لبنان بالقوة العسكرية.
الثالث: تقسيم لبنان الى كانتونات مستقلة او شبه مستقلة، او دول ميكروسكوبية على غرار 'مونت كارلو' او 'ليختنشتاين'، او 'آيل اف مان' في الجنوب البريطاني وهكذا.
الامير سعود الفيصل لا ينطق عن هوى عندما يقول 'اذا وصلت الامور الى الانفصال، وتقسيم لبنان، انتهى لبنان كدولة تحتوي على هذا النمط من التعايش السلمي' فهذا يعني ان هناك مخططا للتقسيم مطروحا كأحد الحلول، ووفق حدود المعسكرين المتصارعين، تيار الرابع عشر من آذار بزعامة السيد سعد الحريري وتيار المقاومة او المعارضة بزعامة حزب الله.
ولا نعرف ما هي المعايير التي ارتكز عليها الامير سعود الفيصل في حديثه عن التقسيم، فهل يقصد فصل الجنوب ذي الغالبية الشيعية عن الشمال حيث الغالبية السنية والمارونية، وفي هذه الحالة يظل من الجائز التساؤل عن الجيوب المسيحية والدرزية والسنية مثلا، وهل ستتم عمليات تطهير عرقي، وترحيل قسري لغير المرغوب فيهم في ظل التغول الطائفي الذي يطل برأسه ويجد تشجيعا من الخارج العربي والغربي؟
* * *
الخريطة السياسية الحالية في لبنان تختلف كليا عن نظيرتها في السبعينات عندما اشتعلت نيران الحرب الاهلية، فقد كان هناك معسكران متقاتلان، احدهما اسلامي 'تقدمي' مدعوم من المقاومة الفلسطينية يضم السنة والشيعة والدروز، والآخر مسيحي صرف مع وجود بعض الجيوب الصغيرة جدا 'المحايدة' او 'المعارضة'.
الآن الصورة مختلفة، فهناك سنة مع السيد الحريري وسنة ضده، وهناك تيار ماروني مسيحي قوي مع معسكر المقاومة بزعامة العماد ميشال عون ويضم السيد سليمان فرنجية وآخرين، مثلما هناك شيعة ايضا ينضوون تحت عباءة تيار الرابع عشر من آذار المناوئ لحزب الله وحركة امل بزعامة السيد نبيه بري رئيس مجلس النواب.
لبنان اصغر بل واعقد من ان ينقسم الى دول او مدن الطوائف والمذاهب، اللهم الا اذا كانت هناك مخططات امريكية لا نعرفها، فمن قسم السودان، وفتت العراق، ومزق الاراضي المحتلة في فلسطين الى جيبين متنازعين، يستطيع ان يغرس سكينه في الجسم اللبناني ويقطع اوصاله بتواطؤ داخلي ودعم عربي مستغلاً حالة الانهيار المهين التي تعيشها الامة العربية حالياً.
فالوساطة السورية ـ السعودية التي اكد الامير سعود الفيصل وفاتها، لم تكن موجودة اصلاً، وان وجدت فانها لم تكن جدية، وان كانت جدية، فان جديتها تنبعث من حسن نوايا اصحابها، وليس من رغبة واشنطن وتأييدها لها، وان أيدتها واشنطن فذلك لاستخدامها كحقنة تخدير، أو 'رضاعة صناعية' لالهاء اللبنانيين، وتهدئة الاوضاع في بلادهم، وكسب اطول فترة من الوقت ريثما تتهيأ الظروف الملائمة لاصدار القرار الظني عن المحكمة الدولية في الموعد المقرر.
***
فليس صدفة ان يتم الاعلان عن انتهاء الوساطة السعودية ـ السورية فجأة وبعد انتهاء عطلة اعياد الميلاد المجيدة، وليس صدفة ايضاً ان يتكرس 'الطلاق' السوري ـ السعودي بعد اجتماع رباعي في جناح العاهل السعودي الملك عبد الله بن عبد العزيز في نيويورك وبحضور الرئيس الفرنسي نيكولا ساركوزي والسيدة هيلاري كلينتون وزيرة الخارجية الامريكية، علاوة على السيد سعد الحريري رئيس تجمع الرابع عشر من آذار ورئيس الوزراء في حينه.
وليس من قبيل الصدف ايضاً ان يقدم ايهود باراك وزير الدفاع الاسرائيلي على الانسحاب من حزب العمل، وتكوين تكتل سياسي جديد يعزز تحالفه مع بنيامين نتنياهو رئيس الوزراء، وافيغدور ليبرمان وزير الخارجية، ويؤسس 'لحكومة حرب' في اسرائيل.
ما يجمع نتنياهو وباراك هو الايمان بحتمية شن حرب لتدمير حزب الله في لبنان وتكون 'مصيدة' لجر سورية او ايران او الاثنتين معاً، وبما يؤدي الى توفير الذرائع لتوسيع هذه الحرب، وتوريط الولايات المتحدة واوروبا فيها الى جانب اسرائيل والقوى المتحالفة معها، بطريقة مباشرة او غير مباشرة في لبنان.
يؤلمنا ان نقول ان لبنان يتجه بسرعة نحو الحرب، لان احتمالات السلام تتراجع ان لم تكن قد تبخرت كلياً، مما يعني ان الجهود الدؤوبة التي يبذلها المثلث السوري ـ التركي ـ القطري حالياً تواجه مصاعب كثيرة، ولا نبالغ اذا قلنا ان تصريحات الامير سعود الفيصل التي تزامنت مع قمة دمشق الثلاثية كانت تهدف الى اجهاض هذه الجهود، او تقليل فرص نجاحها في افضل الاحوال.
ما يطمئننا، في وسط ظلام المؤامرات الحالك السواد، ان المقاومة اختارت الصمود، والدفاع عن لبنان وعروبته في مواجهة اي عدوان اسرائيلي، بالرجولة التي شاهدناها اثناء حرب صيف عام 2006، فالحروب الاسرائيلية لم تعد سهلة، او طريقاً من اتجاه واحد في مواجهة انظمة منهارة فاسدة جعجاعة، وانما اصبحت حروباً في مواجهة شعوب بات ابناؤها يلجأون الى حرق انفسهم لإشعال فتيل ثورات تنهي انظمة القمع والفساد والظلم.
"

Al-Jazeera Cartoon

The Stooge Declares a "Palestinian State."

Voices from Inside Israel

Couldn't be expressed as well in words!

(Click on photo to enlarge)

Current Al-Jazeera (Arabic) Online Poll

This most recent poll asks:

Do you believe that the current, temporary, Tunisian government is an extension of the old regime?

With over 5,000 responding so far, 89% said yes.

Wikileaks Cables on Israel's Gaza Onslaught

US was Cheerleader for Massacre

By KATHLEEN CHRISTISON
CounterPunch

"CounterPunch has accessed Wikileaks’ file of cables on Israel’s Gaza assault two years ago (Operation Cast Lead, December 27, 2008 through January 18, 2009). Though the cables often simply rehash Israeli press reporting, providing little new insight into Israel’s attack or the planning behind it, they show with pitiless clarity the U.S. government to be little more than a handmaiden and amanuensis of the Israeli military machine.

The cables make clear, were any further disclosure needed, exactly where the United States stands with respect to Israel’s unprovoked attacks on Palestinians and its other Arab neighbors. Although Operation Cast Lead took place in the last days of the Bush administration, ending two days before Barack Obama was inaugurated, every Obama policy in the succeeding two years – including the administration’s repudiation of the Goldstone Report detailing Israeli atrocities and war crimes during Cast Lead – has demonstrated a striking continuity of support for Israeli actions.....

The hypocrisy is glaring. The U.S. bias shown here is obviously not at all a new phenomenon. But here it is in black and white—or, more accurately, in pin-stripe: diplomacy as cheerleader for massacre and genocide (a term used by not a few Jewish and other commentators during the Gaza assault). Such atrocities are all right in U.S. eyes if Israel commits them, but Hamas is not allowed."

Al-Jazeera Video: Inside Story - Better future or more instability?

Featuring Opposition Leader Moncef Marzouki

DON'T MISS IT!

Al-Jazeera Video: Exiled opposition leader returns to Tunisa

"Tunisia's so-called unity government is barely a day old and already four members from the opposition have quit, undermining its legitimacy.

Police clashed with protesters for another day in the capital, Tunis.

And there were emotional scenes at the airport, where opposition leader Moncef Marzouki [I have posted some of his articles (in Arabic)] arrived after more than 10 years in exile in France."

Real News Video: WikiLeaks And Tunisia

Shehata: Cables reveal US knew extent of Ben Ali's corruption and rights violations but still treated him as an ally

The Google-GM summit

By Pepe Escobar
Asia Times

"Chinese President Hu Jintao's state visit to the United States can best be seen as a summit between Google and General Motors. The US is the beleaguered car company, doggedly peddling yesterday's product to the world. China is the sexy search engine that nobody can live without. To understand this, all you need to do is watch the Wall Street head honchos fighting for a seat at the summit table...."

I Will Pay You Back, by Mike Luckovich

PA Institutions Essential to Occupation Infrastructure

By Hasan Afif El-Hasan

Palestine Chronicle

".....Leaders of the PA that has failed to create an independent viable state after decades of negotiations described the status quo as “least costly occupation in the world.” The Israeli foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman told the Israeli diplomats in his year-end remarks that it was impossible to have a peace agreement [on Israel’s terms] under the present conditions, and the best that could be hoped for would be long-term interim agreement on security and economic matters. Lieberman interim agreement is today’s status quo: Palestinian cooperation to insure security for the settlements in exchange for economic development in the PA area under occupation....

There is intensive cooperation between the PA security forces and Israel at the highest level to meet Israel’s security requirements. The PA security forces protect the settlers from their Palestinian victims and do not intervene to protect the Palestinians from the settler gangs or to prevent the settlers from confiscating Palestinian lands, burning their olive trees and mosques. Dayton repeatedly said the PA security forces are created to curb Palestinian "terror". The Palestinians who continue to resist occupation and refuse to recognize their oppressor are called “terrorists”. The PA President Mahmoud Abbas assured Israel that Israeli occupation would never face any resistance by his security forces.....

Despite the rhetoric of the PA leaders, the facts on the ground suggest the PA economic, political and security institutions, as they are structured, have become essential elements in the Israeli occupation infrastructure. This shameful legacy of the PA justifies its dissolution."

The Assassins of Lebanon

Who's to blame for the death of Rafiq Hariri?

by Justin Raimondo, January 19, 2011

"Those who believed we would see a significant change in America’s misguided – indeed, suicidal – foreign policy of global intervention, especially in the volatile Middle East, have surely been sorely disappointed by what President Obama has wrought. In Afghanistan, Iraq, and throughout the region, the present administration has simply continued and even amplified the same failed policies that have brought us to our present pass. Continuity, rather than change, is the leitmotif of US foreign policy in the Age of Obama: like a great ship that is steering its own path, rather than being steered by the captain, America’s imperial course is on automatic pilot.....

The “special” UN Tribunal is a sword pointed at the throat of the biggest single political party in Lebanon. It has no more legitimacy or credibility than such a body would have in deciding who assassinated John F. Kennedy, and why. Yet American commentators and government officials – including President Obama – invoke it as an instrument of “justice.”

The “justice” of the American hegemon has no use for evidence, or legality, except insofar as it can give the appearance of “impartiality” to a process rooted in its imperial designs. Whether Washington is really intending to ignite the Lebanese tinderbox, and start its long-planned war to take down the Iranians, remains to be seen. Israel’s powerful lobby in the US will certainly be pushing for just that outcome – and certainly a new war would provide a welcome diversion for the Obama administration, which is mired in economic and political difficulties......"

Cartoon by Dave Brown: Only The Head is Gone....

This week in the Middle East

Tunisia's God-free uprising and the role of the internet; the growing trend of Saudi spinsters; Yemen's tribal politics

Brian Whitaker
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 19 January 2011

"Without God on our side

One of the most refreshing things about the Tunisian uprising – and very unusual for the Middle East – has been the lack of meddling by external interests. Apart from a few mouse-like squeaks from the state department, the US stayed out of it and so too did God, along with his self-appointed representatives on earth.

In most Arab countries, Islamists are seen as the main alternative to existing regimes – which suits the regimes fine because it scares people into supporting them. In Tunisia, though, as George Joffe explained, the organisational strength of the uprising came mainly from the country's biggest trade union, the UGTT, with students and thousands of disaffected citizens also joining in. The rhetoric was broadly leftist rather than religious.

Hopefully, what Tunisia can provide for the Middle East is a new model – a secular alternative to the Iranian revolution. There are no ayatollahs waiting in the wings. The Islamists will probably to resurface after two decades of suppression, but there are no indications that they have a large popular following in Tunisia and they are unlikely to play anything more than a minor role in the country's political future.

If the Tunisian revolution continues on its current path, we could even see the beginnings of a post-Islamist phase in the Arab countries.

Revolting on the internet

Staying with the Tunisian uprising for a moment, there is a growing debate about the role of the internet. Having followed the events on the internet myself, I'm sure it was a very important element in the struggle – though I wouldn't go so far as to call it a "Twitter revolution".

The WikiLeaks documents released a couple of weeks before the trouble started (and gathered here on the TuniLeaks website) undoubtedly had a powerful effect, portraying President Ben Ali as someone who refused to listen to advice, discussing the widespread hatred directed against his wife (a sort of Tunisian Imelda Marcos), detailing the family's involvement in corruption and describing the disgustingly extravagant lifestyle of the president's son-in-law.

Tunisians probably knew most of this already, though they weren't allowed to talk about it in public. WikiLeaks shifted it out of the private sphere and created a sense of "Now, it's official!". The depictions of extravagant wealth and corruption in the ruling family could also be readily contrasted with the plight of Mohamed Bouazizi, the unemployed fruit-seller who set fire to himself..

My impression is that Twitter, Facebook and YouTube were not used much as organisational tools by the protesters but they did have an important mobilising and inspirational effect. In the absence of first-hand TV coverage they provided information about what was happening on the streets. Dozens of videos were posted, showing demonstrations and the police brutality that often accompanied them. In a country where people are accustomed to lies and propaganda in their newspapers, videos tend to be trusted as sources of truth....."

After Tunisia, Arab leaders must stop preying on fear of chaos

For too long, Arab elites have justified dictatorship on the grounds that the alternative is chaos or religious fundamentalism

Issandr El Amrani
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 18 January 2011

"The elation felt across the Arab world over the Tunisian uprising is deep and palpable. It is not simply that, like most people, Arabs are pleased to see a long-repressed people finally have a shot at gaining their freedom. It is also that many recognise themselves in the Tunisian people and share their hopes, their fears, and also their guilt.

Living in a dictatorship is not simply about shutting up and putting up. It is a humiliation, an abasement of the human spirit, that is reinforced on a daily basis....

What unfolds in Tunisia over the next few weeks may inspire others in the region, and make them believe that change is possible. Yet, at the same time, even the relatively small amount of rioting and looting that has taken place reminded many of the chaos that ensued in Iraq after the 2003 US-led invasion. The Arab regimes have excelled at justifying their dictatorship using the argument that the alternative is either chaos or religious fundamentalism. They have methodically created political vacuums and societies that are torn by socio-economic, ethnic and sectarian tensions.

Only caring about their longevity – and in many cases, reduced to glorified tribal chieftains – many Arab leaders, with the complicity of part of their populations, have created a situation where the type of uprising seen in Tunisia could unleash tremendous destructive forces. This has been their insurance policy, the booby-trap they have laid in anticipation of a moment like this. They have survived by preying on the fear of one another that they have cultivated among their people.....

Tunisia's revolution, to become contagious, must be both peaceful and mark a real break. It must find the balance between punishing those who backed the Ben Ali regime and forgiveness for those who, in myriad ways, took part in a system that sometimes left them little choice. It must show that democracy and stability are not incompatible on Arab soil....."

Mohamed ElBaradei warns of 'Tunisia-style explosion' in Egypt

Mohamed ElBaradei says Egyptians 'yearning for change', but draws criticism for refusing to back street-level protests

A GOOD ARTICLE
By Jack Shenker in Cairo
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 18 January 2011

"The Egyptian dissident Mohamed ElBaradei has warned of a "Tunisia-style explosion" in his country as self-immolation protests proliferated and anti-government activists announced plans for a nationwide "day of anger" next week.

But the former UN nuclear weapons chief stopped short of calling on his supporters to take to the streets, prompting scathing criticism from opposition campaigners who believe ElBaradei is squandering a rare opportunity to bring an end to President Hosni Mubarak's three decades of autocratic rule......

The Nobel peace prize winner repeated his call for the Egyptian government to implement urgent political reforms,.......

Yet on the heels of six reported incidents of self-immolation and large anti-government demonstrations planned for next week, ElBaradei refused to throw his weight behind street-level protests, instead expressing concern at the "general state of instability" engulfing the country.

"These things need to be organised and planned properly," said the 68-year-old. "I would like to use the means available from within the system to effect change [What a cop out!], such as the petition we are gathering demanding political reform......."I still hope that change will come in an orderly way and not through the Tunisian model," he added........

Grassroots activists accused ElBaradei of timidity. "From day one ElBaradei has proved himself not to be a man of the street," said Hossam El-Hamalawy, a prominent journalist and blogger. "He comes from a diplomatic background and the kind of change he wants is peaceful and gradual, something that will not shake the foundations of the establishment. But unfortunately for him the Egyptian people have far more radical demands than the ones he is articulating: this is not just about creating a clean parliament and a fair presidency, it's about the daily bread and butter of the Egyptian people."


Opposition groups are planning a series of national protests next Tuesday, coinciding with a public holiday designed to celebrate the achievements of the police force – an institution that has galvanised popular anger against the state in recent months after high-profile police torture allegations and the deaths of several Egyptians in police custody.

"We hope it will be big, very big" said Ahmed Salah, one of the organisers. "Whether it will provide the spark that brings down the regime we simply don't know. But I think the most exciting thing about events in Tunisia is that we've seen that when people move, they move for democracy – not for religion, not for elite interests, not for private loyalties. It shows the choice that we're always being presented with in Egypt by Mubarak and the west – a choice between Mubarak's oppression or religious fundamentalism – is a false one." ......

"Egypt, on the other hand, is the second largest recipient of US aid and is a pro-American pillar in the region. The US can afford to lose Tunisia. But Egypt is a different story. The Obama administration won't take too kindly to the idea of losing Egypt to the opposition, particularly when that opposition is likely to include the Muslim Brotherhood.""