Saturday, March 17, 2012
Al-Jazeera Video: حديث الثورة - رهانات الثورة السورية
"رهانات الثورة السورية في عامها الثاني ودلالات إختيارها "التدخل العسكري الفوري" شعارآ لجمعته الأولى
تقديم محمد كريشان
تاريخ البث 2012/03/16
الضيوف :
جورج صبرا
محمد عبد المجيد منجونة
عمار الواوي
سمير صالحة
"
Guardian Video: Damascus blasts shake Syrian capital
Syrian TV reports cars packed with deadly explosives were detonated in Damascus on Saturday at around 7.30am local time. The Syrian government says at least 27 people were killed and 97 wounded in the explosions, which state TV described as the work of "terrorists". No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 17 March 2012
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 17 March 2012
Al-Jazeera Video: Syrian refugees report kidnappings in Lebanon
"Syrians fleeing to Lebanon have reported that armed gangs identifying themselves as members of Hezbollah have set up checkpoints and conducted occasional abductions along roads near the border.
A Lebanese member of parliament says the cases were isolated and that Hezbollah has promised to get to the bottom of the incidents. But Lebanon has rebuked US calls for refugees - including unarmed opposition fighters - to be allowed free movement.
Al Jazeera's Sue Turton reports from northern Lebanon."
Madness is not the reason for this massacre
By Robert Fisk
"I'm getting a bit tired of the "deranged" soldier story. It was predictable, of course. The 38-year-old staff sergeant who massacred 16 Afghan civilians, including nine children, near Kandahar this week had no sooner returned to base than the defence experts and the think-tank boys and girls announced that he was "deranged". Not an evil, wicked, mindless terrorist – which he would be, of course, if he had been an Afghan, especially a Taliban – but merely a guy who went crazy.
This was the same nonsense used to describe the murderous US soldiers who ran amok in the Iraqi town of Haditha. It was the same word used about Israeli soldier Baruch Goldstein who massacred 25 Palestinians in Hebron – something I pointed out in this paper only hours before the staff sergeant became suddenly "deranged" in Kandahar province....."
"I'm getting a bit tired of the "deranged" soldier story. It was predictable, of course. The 38-year-old staff sergeant who massacred 16 Afghan civilians, including nine children, near Kandahar this week had no sooner returned to base than the defence experts and the think-tank boys and girls announced that he was "deranged". Not an evil, wicked, mindless terrorist – which he would be, of course, if he had been an Afghan, especially a Taliban – but merely a guy who went crazy.
This was the same nonsense used to describe the murderous US soldiers who ran amok in the Iraqi town of Haditha. It was the same word used about Israeli soldier Baruch Goldstein who massacred 25 Palestinians in Hebron – something I pointed out in this paper only hours before the staff sergeant became suddenly "deranged" in Kandahar province....."
Despite anger, US continues to ship weapons to Egypt
By Joseph Mayton
Bikya Masr
".......Now, months on from the Mohamed Mahmoud clashes in November, and two subsequent violent outbursts by security forces against protesters, the United States is continuing what human rights organizations are calling “ships of shame” carrying more weapons, including tear gas, to the country.
“This ship of shame should not be allowed to unload its dangerous cargo in Egypt, and there is a substantial risk that this is what it plans to do,” said Brian Wood Amnesty International’s head of arms control. “There is a clear pattern that weapons from previous ships have recently been used to commit serious human rights violations by the Egyptian security forces, and yet the US is recklessly sending a constant flow of arms to Egypt.”
He was referring to a ship carrying a cargo of weapons with explosives en route from the US to Egypt, which Amnesty reported this week......"
Bikya Masr
".......Now, months on from the Mohamed Mahmoud clashes in November, and two subsequent violent outbursts by security forces against protesters, the United States is continuing what human rights organizations are calling “ships of shame” carrying more weapons, including tear gas, to the country.
“This ship of shame should not be allowed to unload its dangerous cargo in Egypt, and there is a substantial risk that this is what it plans to do,” said Brian Wood Amnesty International’s head of arms control. “There is a clear pattern that weapons from previous ships have recently been used to commit serious human rights violations by the Egyptian security forces, and yet the US is recklessly sending a constant flow of arms to Egypt.”
He was referring to a ship carrying a cargo of weapons with explosives en route from the US to Egypt, which Amnesty reported this week......"
No justice, no peace
By Sharif Abdel Kouddous
Al-Masry Al-Youm
"Last Sunday, a military tribunal acquitted a former army doctor accused of conducting so-called "virginity tests" on a number of women detained by the military last year. The case was brought by Samira Ibrahim, a 25-year-old marketing manager who was among scores of people arrested during a violent army crackdown on a protest in Tahrir Square on 9 March, 2011. Ibrahim was held for four days in a military prison along with a number of other women. Soldiers beat them, gave them electric shocks and subjected them to strip searches before forcing seven of them to undergo "virginity tests." Before she was released, Ibrahim was brought before a military court and received a one-year suspended sentence on a rioting charge.
Despite being pressured to remain silent about her ordeal, Ibrahim decided to speak out and filed a lawsuit against the military. This led to a legal victory in December when a civilian administrative court found that 34 women were subjected to "virginity tests" in military hospitals and ordered that such procedures be stopped. However, the victims were still waiting for someone to be held accountable, and army soldiers can only be tried in military courts.
Military prosecutors investigating Ibrahim's case brought only one individual, Dr. Ahmed Adel, to trial. He stood accused of public indecency and disobeying military orders after an initial charge of sexual assault was dropped......
The military court went further and denied the "virginity tests" even took place, contradicting the December administrative court ruling and admissions by members of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces to journalists and human rights groups, including Amnesty International......
Ibrahim's case is just the latest in a series of recent court rulings that reflect the continuation in post-Mubarak Egypt of a broken system that, more often than not, offers impunity for government crimes and punishment for those governed.
Last week, the Cairo Criminal Court overturned the sentence against the only police officer convicted of killing protesters since the revolution began.....
All of these court rulings happened within the last few weeks and received minimal attention. Meanwhile, the talk of the day centers on Parliament, the drafting of the constitution and the presidential elections — the supposed pillars of the state. Yet a legal system that consistently acts in the interests of those at the helm of political power cannot be sustained. It was this very lack of accountability and this deformed application of justice that helped ignite the Egyptian revolution one year ago. Those scrambling for a place in the throne Mubarak was thrown from would do well to remember what is an elemental equation in any society and a rallying cry for struggles the world over: No justice, no peace."
Al-Masry Al-Youm
"Last Sunday, a military tribunal acquitted a former army doctor accused of conducting so-called "virginity tests" on a number of women detained by the military last year. The case was brought by Samira Ibrahim, a 25-year-old marketing manager who was among scores of people arrested during a violent army crackdown on a protest in Tahrir Square on 9 March, 2011. Ibrahim was held for four days in a military prison along with a number of other women. Soldiers beat them, gave them electric shocks and subjected them to strip searches before forcing seven of them to undergo "virginity tests." Before she was released, Ibrahim was brought before a military court and received a one-year suspended sentence on a rioting charge.
Despite being pressured to remain silent about her ordeal, Ibrahim decided to speak out and filed a lawsuit against the military. This led to a legal victory in December when a civilian administrative court found that 34 women were subjected to "virginity tests" in military hospitals and ordered that such procedures be stopped. However, the victims were still waiting for someone to be held accountable, and army soldiers can only be tried in military courts.
Military prosecutors investigating Ibrahim's case brought only one individual, Dr. Ahmed Adel, to trial. He stood accused of public indecency and disobeying military orders after an initial charge of sexual assault was dropped......
The military court went further and denied the "virginity tests" even took place, contradicting the December administrative court ruling and admissions by members of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces to journalists and human rights groups, including Amnesty International......
Ibrahim's case is just the latest in a series of recent court rulings that reflect the continuation in post-Mubarak Egypt of a broken system that, more often than not, offers impunity for government crimes and punishment for those governed.
Last week, the Cairo Criminal Court overturned the sentence against the only police officer convicted of killing protesters since the revolution began.....
All of these court rulings happened within the last few weeks and received minimal attention. Meanwhile, the talk of the day centers on Parliament, the drafting of the constitution and the presidential elections — the supposed pillars of the state. Yet a legal system that consistently acts in the interests of those at the helm of political power cannot be sustained. It was this very lack of accountability and this deformed application of justice that helped ignite the Egyptian revolution one year ago. Those scrambling for a place in the throne Mubarak was thrown from would do well to remember what is an elemental equation in any society and a rallying cry for struggles the world over: No justice, no peace."
Panetta Confirms US Involvement in Potential Israeli War on Iran
'Obviously' the US Would Take Action
Antiwar.com
"Confirming what has always been the implicit way in which the US is going to get sucked into its next major war, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta confirmed that the US would definitely involve itself in a war on Iran if Israel decided to launch one.
Antiwar.com
"Confirming what has always been the implicit way in which the US is going to get sucked into its next major war, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta confirmed that the US would definitely involve itself in a war on Iran if Israel decided to launch one.
“Obviously Israel is an independent country, and they’ll make whatever decisions they make on their own based on what they think is in their national interests,” Panetta said, adding that “if they should make that decision, that obviously the United States would take action” to protect its interests in the region.
Though Panetta has sought to duck the question in most interviews, insisting only that there was “common cause” with Israel before going on about how the time to attack Iran has not yet arrived......"
Iraq: Investigate ‘Emo’ Attacks
Official Impunity Enables Violent Intimidation Campaign
Human Rights Watch
March 16, 2012
"(Beirut) - The government of Iraq should immediately investigate and bring to justice those responsible for a targeted campaign of intimidation and violence against Iraqi youth seen as belonging to the non-conformist “emo” subculture, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission said today. The attacks have created an atmosphere of terror among those who see themselves as potential victims.
On March 8, 2012, the Interior Ministry, in an official statement, dismissed reports by local activists and media of a campaign against those seen as emo. The ministry said the reports were “fabricated” and “groundless,” and that it would take action against people who were trying “to highlight this issue and build it out of proportion.” An official ministry statement, on February 13, that characterized emo culture as “Satanist” cast doubt on the government’s willingness to protect vulnerable youth, the international rights groups said.
“The government has contributed to an atmosphere of fear and panic fostered by acts of violence against emos,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Instead of claiming that the accounts are fabricated, Iraqi authorities need to set up a transparent and independent inquiry to address the crisis.”
The campaign’s victims appear to represent a cross-section of people seen locally as non-conformists. They include people suspected of homosexual conduct, but also people with distinctive hairstyles, clothes, or musical taste. In English, “emo” is short for “emotional,” referring to self-identified teens and young adults who listen to alternative rock music, often dress in black, close-fitting clothes, and cut their hair in unconventional ways. People perceived to be gay, lesbian, transgender, or effeminate are particularly vulnerable.
Iraqi human rights activists told the three organizations that in early February, signs and fliers appeared in the Baghdad neighborhoods of Sadr City, al-Hababiya, and Hay al-‘Amal that threatened people by name with “the wrath of god” unless they cropped their hair short, gave up wearing so-called “satanic clothing” – styles critics associate with emos, metal music, and rap – hide their tattoos, and “maintain complete manhood.” Other names appeared on similar posters in different neighborhoods.
One such sign, seen by the international rights groups, was posted on a wall in Sadr City, and read, “In the name of God the compassionate, the merciful, we warn every male and female in the strongest terms to stop their dirty deeds in four days before the wrath of God strikes them through the hands of mujahedin.” This poster listed 33 names and was decorated with images of two handguns......"
Human Rights Watch
March 16, 2012
"(Beirut) - The government of Iraq should immediately investigate and bring to justice those responsible for a targeted campaign of intimidation and violence against Iraqi youth seen as belonging to the non-conformist “emo” subculture, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission said today. The attacks have created an atmosphere of terror among those who see themselves as potential victims.
On March 8, 2012, the Interior Ministry, in an official statement, dismissed reports by local activists and media of a campaign against those seen as emo. The ministry said the reports were “fabricated” and “groundless,” and that it would take action against people who were trying “to highlight this issue and build it out of proportion.” An official ministry statement, on February 13, that characterized emo culture as “Satanist” cast doubt on the government’s willingness to protect vulnerable youth, the international rights groups said.
“The government has contributed to an atmosphere of fear and panic fostered by acts of violence against emos,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Instead of claiming that the accounts are fabricated, Iraqi authorities need to set up a transparent and independent inquiry to address the crisis.”
The campaign’s victims appear to represent a cross-section of people seen locally as non-conformists. They include people suspected of homosexual conduct, but also people with distinctive hairstyles, clothes, or musical taste. In English, “emo” is short for “emotional,” referring to self-identified teens and young adults who listen to alternative rock music, often dress in black, close-fitting clothes, and cut their hair in unconventional ways. People perceived to be gay, lesbian, transgender, or effeminate are particularly vulnerable.
Iraqi human rights activists told the three organizations that in early February, signs and fliers appeared in the Baghdad neighborhoods of Sadr City, al-Hababiya, and Hay al-‘Amal that threatened people by name with “the wrath of god” unless they cropped their hair short, gave up wearing so-called “satanic clothing” – styles critics associate with emos, metal music, and rap – hide their tattoos, and “maintain complete manhood.” Other names appeared on similar posters in different neighborhoods.
One such sign, seen by the international rights groups, was posted on a wall in Sadr City, and read, “In the name of God the compassionate, the merciful, we warn every male and female in the strongest terms to stop their dirty deeds in four days before the wrath of God strikes them through the hands of mujahedin.” This poster listed 33 names and was decorated with images of two handguns......"
Al-Jazeera Video: Fleeing Syrians fear pro-Assad gangs
"The worsening humanitarian crisis in Syria has resulted in thousands of refugees trying to flee the violence into neighbouring countries.
In Lebanon, the army has been ordered to tighten up the border, as more Syrian families are smuggled across to safety.
But even those who have already fled are not safe from gangs loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad.
There have been reports of harassment and kidnapping, and people trying to cross into Lebanon now fear pro-regime groups might take them back.
Al Jazeera's Sue Turton reports from Akkar in northern Lebanon."
Al-Jazeera Video:Elias Hanna speaks to Al Jazeera about attacks in Damascus
"Syrian state TV reported that two car bombings killed dozens of people in Damascus on Saturday.
Elias Hanna, a former Lebanese military general, says both the government and the opposition in Syria benefit from these kinds of attacks.
He spoke to Al Jazeera."
Also, see this from the Guardian:
Syrian capital hit by two explosionsAt least 27 dead as car bombs target the aviation intelligence department and a police building in Damascus
Current Al-Jazeera (Arabic) Online Poll
Do you believe that there is an opportunity for a political solution to the Syrian crisis?
With about 300 responding so far, 83% said no.
With about 300 responding so far, 83% said no.
Friday, March 16, 2012
The Enigma of Israel
Creating a Warrior State
by GABRIEL KOLKO
CounterPunch
"Zionism was supposed to make Jewish existence “normal;” very different than in a Diaspora peopled by goyim, but there is nothing ”normal” in the life and culture of Israel today—which has not lived in peace with its neighbors, much less let the Palestinians have elementary human rights in the lands in which they have lived for thousands of years. If war is the criteria of “normal” existence, then Zionism has become a failed nightmare. It was, when first conceptualized, not supposed to be this way..."
by GABRIEL KOLKO
CounterPunch
"Zionism was supposed to make Jewish existence “normal;” very different than in a Diaspora peopled by goyim, but there is nothing ”normal” in the life and culture of Israel today—which has not lived in peace with its neighbors, much less let the Palestinians have elementary human rights in the lands in which they have lived for thousands of years. If war is the criteria of “normal” existence, then Zionism has become a failed nightmare. It was, when first conceptualized, not supposed to be this way..."
Afghan Massacre Sheds Light on Culture of Mania and Aggression in U.S. Troops in Afghanistan
Democracy Now!
"We speak with journalist Neil Shea, who has reported on Afghanistan and Iraq since 2006 for Stars and Stripes and other publications. Shea discusses his experiences witnessing disturbing behavior during his travels with U.S. troops in Afghanistan and offers insight into understanding the massacre of 16 Afghan civilians. "When we cycle our soldiers and marines through these wars that don’t really have a clear purpose over years and years...we expect light-switch control over their aggression," Shea says. "We expect to be able to turn them into killers and then turn them back into winners of hearts and minds. And when you do that to a man or a woman over many years, that light-switch control begins to fray."...."
"We speak with journalist Neil Shea, who has reported on Afghanistan and Iraq since 2006 for Stars and Stripes and other publications. Shea discusses his experiences witnessing disturbing behavior during his travels with U.S. troops in Afghanistan and offers insight into understanding the massacre of 16 Afghan civilians. "When we cycle our soldiers and marines through these wars that don’t really have a clear purpose over years and years...we expect light-switch control over their aggression," Shea says. "We expect to be able to turn them into killers and then turn them back into winners of hearts and minds. And when you do that to a man or a woman over many years, that light-switch control begins to fray."...."
Al-Jazeera Video: Robert Fisk speaks to Al Jazeera
"British Journalist and author, Robert Fisk speaks to Al Jazeera on why he thinks the Syrian uprising has a series of issues which cause political ramifications."
Real News Video : Anand Gopal: Afghan Killings Product of Failed Strategy
Rural Afghans have given up on US and want an end to the war
Israel’s Willing Executioners: AIPAC Invades Washington
By James Petras and Robin Eastman Abaya
"When a country, like the United States, is in decline, it is not because of external competition: Declining competitiveness is only a symptom. It is because of internal rot. Decline results when a nation is betrayed by craven leaders, who crawl and humiliate themselves before a minority of thuggish mediocrities pledged to a foreign state without scruples or moral integrity....."
"When a country, like the United States, is in decline, it is not because of external competition: Declining competitiveness is only a symptom. It is because of internal rot. Decline results when a nation is betrayed by craven leaders, who crawl and humiliate themselves before a minority of thuggish mediocrities pledged to a foreign state without scruples or moral integrity....."
Why is human rights group B’Tselem "proud" to sponsor J Street gala keynoted by war criminal?
By Ali Abunimah
"B’Tselem USA, the American arm of renowned Israeli human rights group B’Tselem is “proud” to sponsor the 26 March gala of pro-Israel lobby group J Street despite the fact that the keynote speaker is former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
"B’Tselem USA, the American arm of renowned Israeli human rights group B’Tselem is “proud” to sponsor the 26 March gala of pro-Israel lobby group J Street despite the fact that the keynote speaker is former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Olmert is responsible for extensive war crimes including during Israel’s 2006 war on Lebanon and its 2008-2009 attack on the Gaza Strip.
Thousands of people were killed in the occupied Palestinian territories and Lebanon by Israeli forces during Olmert’s term of office.
Moreover, J Street itself has recently announced its “unequivocal” support for Israeli war crimes and human rights abuses – many of them condemned by B’Tselem – including the use of extrajudicial executions.
B’Tselem USA should withdraw its sponsorship of this politically biased conference whose goal is to whitewash Israeli war crimes, if it is to maintain any credibility as a human rights organization......"
Netanyahu Moves Closer to Iran Attack
(Click on cartoon by Carlos Latuff to enlarge)
Israeli PM Trying to Sell Public on War
by Jason Ditz, March 15, 2012
Antiwar.com
"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is once again hinting at the possibility of an attack against Iran in the near future, saying that he won’t need US “blessing” for the attack, while insisting that the recent clashes in Gaza were all Iran’s fault.
“Gaza is Iran,” Netanyahu declared, though oddly the faction with which Iran is on relatively good terms, Hamas, did not participate in the rocket fire. The comments, however nonsensical, point to a preoccupation with couching everything as a prelude to this war....."
by Jason Ditz, March 15, 2012
Antiwar.com
"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is once again hinting at the possibility of an attack against Iran in the near future, saying that he won’t need US “blessing” for the attack, while insisting that the recent clashes in Gaza were all Iran’s fault.
“Gaza is Iran,” Netanyahu declared, though oddly the faction with which Iran is on relatively good terms, Hamas, did not participate in the rocket fire. The comments, however nonsensical, point to a preoccupation with couching everything as a prelude to this war....."
Massacre As Metaphor
American serial killer symbolizes US foreign policy
By Justin Raimondo
March 16, 2012
"The massacre of 16 Afghan civilians by a still-to-be-identified American soldier limns the course of American foreign policy in the post-9/11 era. Think of it: he went out in the dead of night, at three in the morning, armed to the teeth, and snuck into a village where sleeping children were cradled in their beds. Taking careful aim, he knelt and started firing: one after another these young girls and boys had their heads blown off. One news account described a bullet hole right between the eyes of one young victim. That’s some pretty good shooting there, soldier: all that training, financed by the US taxpayers, paid off! His work there finished, our serial killer went to another house, where he repeated his grisly work. After it was over, he gathered the bodies together and set them ablaze, in a display of "shock and awe" and cleansing fire, as if to simultaneously wipe out the evidence of his crimes and appease his Wagnerian sense of the dramatic.
If only the television crews had been there to witness this American Götterdämmerung: it would have made an award-winning shockumentary, the story of a square-jawed over-deployed American soldier and straight-as-an-arrow patriot who just wanted to serve his country and wound up becoming a mass murderer.......
By Justin Raimondo
March 16, 2012
"The massacre of 16 Afghan civilians by a still-to-be-identified American soldier limns the course of American foreign policy in the post-9/11 era. Think of it: he went out in the dead of night, at three in the morning, armed to the teeth, and snuck into a village where sleeping children were cradled in their beds. Taking careful aim, he knelt and started firing: one after another these young girls and boys had their heads blown off. One news account described a bullet hole right between the eyes of one young victim. That’s some pretty good shooting there, soldier: all that training, financed by the US taxpayers, paid off! His work there finished, our serial killer went to another house, where he repeated his grisly work. After it was over, he gathered the bodies together and set them ablaze, in a display of "shock and awe" and cleansing fire, as if to simultaneously wipe out the evidence of his crimes and appease his Wagnerian sense of the dramatic.
If only the television crews had been there to witness this American Götterdämmerung: it would have made an award-winning shockumentary, the story of a square-jawed over-deployed American soldier and straight-as-an-arrow patriot who just wanted to serve his country and wound up becoming a mass murderer.......
There’s no doubt this President would like to get out of Afghanistan with dispatch, and for the same reason he’s skeedaddled from Iraq – to clear the decks for an all-out assault on Iran. We’ll need those troops, after all, in order to fight Netanyahu’s war, the regional conflict the Israelis and their American lobby are shoving down the throats of American policymakers. America must be the first empire in world history to be effectively dominated by one of its "client" states. In this case, however, it looks like the client has taken over the business......"
Steve Bell on Bashar al-Assad - cartoon
Secret emails have lifted the lid on the life of the Syrian leader's inner circle
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 15 March 2012
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 15 March 2012
The Assads at war: killing and shopping
The emails we have published this week show the supposedly reluctant dictator taking a personal interest in the Homs assault
Editorial
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 15 March 2012
".....The emails we have published this week show the supposedly reluctant dictator taking a personal interest in the Homs assault, briefed in detail about the presence of European reporters in Baba Amr, and when to tighten the "security grip". Lurching between self-pity, defiance and flippancy, Assad reveals himself to be no fool. He has independent lines of communication, keeping each part of his police-state security at arm's length. He takes a tokenist view of reform and then mocks it in an email to his wife, referring to them as "rubbish laws of parties, elections, media". In short, Bashar has learned his authoritarian ropes. Unlike the lyrics of the song, he knows exactly who he really is – his father's son.
Editorial
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 15 March 2012
".....The emails we have published this week show the supposedly reluctant dictator taking a personal interest in the Homs assault, briefed in detail about the presence of European reporters in Baba Amr, and when to tighten the "security grip". Lurching between self-pity, defiance and flippancy, Assad reveals himself to be no fool. He has independent lines of communication, keeping each part of his police-state security at arm's length. He takes a tokenist view of reform and then mocks it in an email to his wife, referring to them as "rubbish laws of parties, elections, media". In short, Bashar has learned his authoritarian ropes. Unlike the lyrics of the song, he knows exactly who he really is – his father's son.
If Hafez al-Assad put down the Sunni Islamic uprising in Hama in 1982 with such brutality that it went down in history as the deadliest act of an Arab government against its own people, then Bashar is proving he can do the same in the internet age. He has grown in confidence as the uprising marks its first anniversary, and sending his forces into Daraa a year to the day after the uprising began there is no accident....
Few Syrians will be surprised that the Assads are fiddling while Rome burns. Nor will the sums involved in Asma's Paris shopping sprees shock. This is not an Imelda Marcos moment. But the isolation of the Assads might give those around them pause for thought. Not those in their immediate circle, who are destined to share the same fate when the wheel of fortune turns once more. No, it is on the acquiescence of the Sunni businessmen in Damascus and Aleppo that the minority regime depends. And the middle class must be having serious doubts about where their future lies at this moment....."
Halt ships of shame from the USA carrying weapons to Egypt
Amnesty International
15 March 2012
"A ship carrying a cargo of weapons with explosives en route from the USA to Egypt must not be allowed to offload because of a substantial risk the weapons will be used by Egyptian security forces to commit human rights violations, Amnesty International said on Thursday.
The organization has tracked the Dutch-flagged ship, MV Schippersgracht, for the past two months. It is currently in the Mediterranean Sea and due to arrive in Egypt early next week.
The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command contacted Amnesty International to say the cargo is not intended for Egypt but refused to give further information as to its final destination, citing security reasons.
“This ship of shame should not be allowed to unload its dangerous cargo in Egypt, and there is a substantial risk that this is what it plans to do,” said Brian Wood, Amnesty International’s Head of Arms Control.
“There is a clear pattern that weapons from previous ships have recently been used to commit serious human rights violations by the Egyptian security forces, and yet the US is recklessly sending a constant flow of arms to Egypt.”...."
15 March 2012
"A ship carrying a cargo of weapons with explosives en route from the USA to Egypt must not be allowed to offload because of a substantial risk the weapons will be used by Egyptian security forces to commit human rights violations, Amnesty International said on Thursday.
The organization has tracked the Dutch-flagged ship, MV Schippersgracht, for the past two months. It is currently in the Mediterranean Sea and due to arrive in Egypt early next week.
The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command contacted Amnesty International to say the cargo is not intended for Egypt but refused to give further information as to its final destination, citing security reasons.
“This ship of shame should not be allowed to unload its dangerous cargo in Egypt, and there is a substantial risk that this is what it plans to do,” said Brian Wood, Amnesty International’s Head of Arms Control.
“There is a clear pattern that weapons from previous ships have recently been used to commit serious human rights violations by the Egyptian security forces, and yet the US is recklessly sending a constant flow of arms to Egypt.”...."
Christians angry as Saudi Grand Mufti calls for churches to be destroyed
By Joseph Mayton
Bikya Masr
"Christians across the Middle East are expressing anger and frustration after the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia said it is “necessary to destroy all the churches of the region.” In Cairo and Beirut, the anger was loudest, but also through their calls were gestures of tolerance.
“I mean from a regular, end of the street mosque, this stuff happens all the time, but for the Grand Mufti of a country to say it is simply shocking,” Beirut resident Hani told Bikyamasr.com.
The mufti’s statements had followed Kuwait’s move to ban churches from being constructed in the country.
Ironically, the Saudi religious leader’s comments come only months after Saudi Arabia partnered with Switzerland on an institute of tolerance. At the time, many observers called the move “unsubstantiated” in reference to Saudi’s ultra-conservative Islamic views.
Speaking to a delegation in Kuwait, Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, stressed that since the tiny Gulf state was a part of the Arabian Peninsula, it was necessary to destroy all of the churches in the country, Arabic media have reported.
Saudi Arabia’s top cleric made the comment in view of an age-old belief that only Islam can be practiced in the region.
According to religious scholars, however, even during the Prophet Mohamed’s time, Christians and Jews were allowed to practice their faith openly and freely. Christians in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan largely have open access to churches and places to pray, although regulations in Egypt have been condemned by Christian leaders and activists.
“What we see with this is the turn toward ultra conservatism in the region,” said Egyptian Coptic Christian Noha, adding that “what we need to do now is bring together people and show this mufti that us Christians and Muslims can live and share the same street. And that it is a right granted by Islam for others to pray in their own place.”
The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia is the highest official of religious law in the Sunni Muslim kingdom. He is also the head of the Supreme Council of Ulema (Islamic scholars) and of the Standing Committee for Scientific Research and Issuing of Fatwas.
A Kuwaiti parliamentarian said last month he wanted to ban the construction of churches and non-Islamic places of worship in the Gulf state.
MP Osama Al-Munawer announced on Twitter he planned to submit a draft law calling for the removal of all churches in the country. He later clarified that existing churches should remain but the construction of new non-Islamic places of worship should be banned."
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Bahrain hunger striker weak after 36 days
Abdulhadi al-Khawaja is on the fifth week of a hunger strike to protest ongoing detentions in Bahrain.
Gregg Carlstrom
Al-Jazeera
"Five weeks into his hunger strike, family members say Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, one of the best-known human rights activists in Bahrain, is now so weak that he can barely stand.
He started the hunger strike on February 8 to protest his own detention and that of several other activists arrested last April. Al-Khawaja and six others were given life sentences by a military court in what Bahraini and international human rights groups have called an unfair trial.
Al-Khawaja, who suffers from diabetes, has lost more than 14kg since he began his fast. He has started to refuse medical examinations - his last one was almost a week ago - and is now threatening to refuse water as well....
But the Bahraini government so far has shown little interest in revisiting al-Khawaja's case. His lawyer filed an appeal with the Court of Cassation, Bahrain's highest court, but judges have yet to even set a trial date.
The BICI recommended that a civilian court review all of the convictions handed down after unfair military trials. But most are being reviewed by a committee appointed by the Supreme Judicial Council, a body chaired by the king.
"Abdulhadi thinks there is no legal reason to keep him in jail," al-Jishi said. "He won't stop until they release him, or he will die inside.""
Al-Jazeera Video: Free Syrian Army withdraws from Idlib
"In the fourth exclusive report, Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught speaks to opposition fighters in besieged northern city."
Al-Jazeera Video: Shelling in city of Deraa where uprising began
"Syrian government forces have been shelling the southern city of Deraa, which is where the uprising began a year ago.
Activists say troops are targeting houses with tank and artillery fire, killing and injuring scores of people.
Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reports from north Lebanon."
Lobbying for War
by Philip Giraldi, March 15, 2012
"....So what can the rest of us do when the war comes? Very little. The only man who can conceivably stop it, President Obama, is clearly thinking of timing. If the fighting starts too soon and goes sour, which it will, he will lose the presidency. If it happens just before elections, he can pitch in to help brave little Israel and ride to victory as the latest in America’s unforgettable series of wartime presidents. If there is no war at all, Obama wins because he kept the peace. So the timing must be right if there is a war, and this is another thing that the Israelis understand. They and AIPAC can make or break Obama, and the president can do little to derail the process. Will Bibi want to continue with the man he dislikes and distrusts in the White House or will he feel more comfortable with Mitt Romney, a man who has already stuffed his foreign policy team with the same neoconservative Israel-firsters who brought about Iraq and who genuinely do have Netanyahu’s back come hell or high water? Stay tuned."
"....So what can the rest of us do when the war comes? Very little. The only man who can conceivably stop it, President Obama, is clearly thinking of timing. If the fighting starts too soon and goes sour, which it will, he will lose the presidency. If it happens just before elections, he can pitch in to help brave little Israel and ride to victory as the latest in America’s unforgettable series of wartime presidents. If there is no war at all, Obama wins because he kept the peace. So the timing must be right if there is a war, and this is another thing that the Israelis understand. They and AIPAC can make or break Obama, and the president can do little to derail the process. Will Bibi want to continue with the man he dislikes and distrusts in the White House or will he feel more comfortable with Mitt Romney, a man who has already stuffed his foreign policy team with the same neoconservative Israel-firsters who brought about Iraq and who genuinely do have Netanyahu’s back come hell or high water? Stay tuned."
الإسلاميون وفلسطين بعد الربيع العربي
ياسر الزعاترة
"ليس لدينا أدنى شك في التزام الإسلاميين حيال القضية الفلسطينية، بصرف النظر عن تصنيفاتهم الفكرية، وسواءً كانوا في السلطة أم في المعارضة، لكن عددا من التصريحات التي نسبت لهم خلال الشهور الأخيرة -وبعضها صحيح بالطبع- لم يلبث أن ألقى بظلال من الشك حول ذلك الالتزام، من دون أن ننسى أن قدرا من التضخيم والتشويه قد أصاب بعض تلك التصريحات، بسبب مواقف عدد من القوى القومية واليسارية المعنية بتشويه الربيع العربي، خاصة بعد بلوغه المحطة السورية، فضلا عن نتائج الانتخابات في تونس ومصر والمغرب والكويت، والتي أكدت أن أكثرية تلك القوى ستكون على الهامش في أي ترتيبات ديمقراطية مهما كانت في هذا البلد أو ذاك.
...
ما نريد قوله هو أن على الإسلاميين ألا يترددوا في إظهار انحيازهم للقضية الفلسطينية، مع ضرورة الإشارة إلى أن جزءا من المسؤولية على هذا الصعيد تتحمله حركة حماس التي كان ينبغي لها التوقف عن حديث الدولة في حدود 67 حتى لا تبرر لأي أحد التورط في حديث مشابه، لاسيما أن حلا من هذا النوع لا يبدو واردا في الأفق، بدليل أن تنازلات تجاوزته بكثير لم تلق القبول في الوسط الصهيوني، ولا داعي تبعا لذلك لتجريب خطاب جربته حركة فتح من قبل، وكان حصاده الهشيم.
اليوم يبدو مشهد الكون مختلفا، فالولايات المتحدة لم تعد بقوتها القديمة، والأوروبيون يتخبطون في أزمة اليورو، والعالم يعيش تعددية قطبية، ولا داعي تبعا لذلك لكل تلك التصريحات التي تأتي في بعض الأحيان ردا غير مدروس على أسئلة مبرمجة يوجهها دبلوماسيون وصحفيون متصهينون.
ويكفي أن يقال إن على الغرب أن يسأل عن تطبيق الكيان الصهيوني لقرارات ما يسمى الشرعية الدولية قبل سؤال القوى الإسلامية عن موقفها، وهو لن يطبقها بأي حال، مع الإقرار بأن علاقات الدول ليست جبرية، وأن بوسع أية دولة أن ترفض العلاقة مع دولة أخرى لاعتباراتها الخاصة، إلى جانب التأكيد على أولوية دعم الفلسطينيين بشتى الوسائل المتاحة (تصريحات الشيخ الغنوشي المؤكدة على رفض الاعتراف بدولة الكيان الصهيوني تستحق الثناء).
من أجل الشعار الإسلامي العزيز على قلوب الأمة، ومن أجل فلسطين مهوى أفئدة أبنائها، ومن أجل مصداقية الإسلاميين، نتمنى أن يدقق رموز الإسلاميين بكل تصنيفاتهم الفكرية في كلامهم وتصريحاتهم حول هذا الملف، في ذات الوقت الذي نتمنى على حماس أن تستثمر الأجواء العربية والدولية الجديدة في استعادة خطابها الأصيل، بعيدا عن حكاية الدولة في حدود 67 (يذكر للحركة إصرارها المعلن والمتكرر على رفض الاعتراف بدولة العدو، والذي كلفها ويكلفها الكثير من العنت والحصار)، تلك التي تأكد الجميع أنها محض وهم لا وجود له
...."
"ليس لدينا أدنى شك في التزام الإسلاميين حيال القضية الفلسطينية، بصرف النظر عن تصنيفاتهم الفكرية، وسواءً كانوا في السلطة أم في المعارضة، لكن عددا من التصريحات التي نسبت لهم خلال الشهور الأخيرة -وبعضها صحيح بالطبع- لم يلبث أن ألقى بظلال من الشك حول ذلك الالتزام، من دون أن ننسى أن قدرا من التضخيم والتشويه قد أصاب بعض تلك التصريحات، بسبب مواقف عدد من القوى القومية واليسارية المعنية بتشويه الربيع العربي، خاصة بعد بلوغه المحطة السورية، فضلا عن نتائج الانتخابات في تونس ومصر والمغرب والكويت، والتي أكدت أن أكثرية تلك القوى ستكون على الهامش في أي ترتيبات ديمقراطية مهما كانت في هذا البلد أو ذاك.
...
ما نريد قوله هو أن على الإسلاميين ألا يترددوا في إظهار انحيازهم للقضية الفلسطينية، مع ضرورة الإشارة إلى أن جزءا من المسؤولية على هذا الصعيد تتحمله حركة حماس التي كان ينبغي لها التوقف عن حديث الدولة في حدود 67 حتى لا تبرر لأي أحد التورط في حديث مشابه، لاسيما أن حلا من هذا النوع لا يبدو واردا في الأفق، بدليل أن تنازلات تجاوزته بكثير لم تلق القبول في الوسط الصهيوني، ولا داعي تبعا لذلك لتجريب خطاب جربته حركة فتح من قبل، وكان حصاده الهشيم.
اليوم يبدو مشهد الكون مختلفا، فالولايات المتحدة لم تعد بقوتها القديمة، والأوروبيون يتخبطون في أزمة اليورو، والعالم يعيش تعددية قطبية، ولا داعي تبعا لذلك لكل تلك التصريحات التي تأتي في بعض الأحيان ردا غير مدروس على أسئلة مبرمجة يوجهها دبلوماسيون وصحفيون متصهينون.
ويكفي أن يقال إن على الغرب أن يسأل عن تطبيق الكيان الصهيوني لقرارات ما يسمى الشرعية الدولية قبل سؤال القوى الإسلامية عن موقفها، وهو لن يطبقها بأي حال، مع الإقرار بأن علاقات الدول ليست جبرية، وأن بوسع أية دولة أن ترفض العلاقة مع دولة أخرى لاعتباراتها الخاصة، إلى جانب التأكيد على أولوية دعم الفلسطينيين بشتى الوسائل المتاحة (تصريحات الشيخ الغنوشي المؤكدة على رفض الاعتراف بدولة الكيان الصهيوني تستحق الثناء).
من أجل الشعار الإسلامي العزيز على قلوب الأمة، ومن أجل فلسطين مهوى أفئدة أبنائها، ومن أجل مصداقية الإسلاميين، نتمنى أن يدقق رموز الإسلاميين بكل تصنيفاتهم الفكرية في كلامهم وتصريحاتهم حول هذا الملف، في ذات الوقت الذي نتمنى على حماس أن تستثمر الأجواء العربية والدولية الجديدة في استعادة خطابها الأصيل، بعيدا عن حكاية الدولة في حدود 67 (يذكر للحركة إصرارها المعلن والمتكرر على رفض الاعتراف بدولة العدو، والذي كلفها ويكلفها الكثير من العنت والحصار)، تلك التي تأكد الجميع أنها محض وهم لا وجود له
...."
Syria: Witnesses Describe Idlib Destruction, Killings
One Year On, Indiscriminate Attacks Inflicting Heavy Toll
Human Rights Watch
March 15, 2012
"(New York) – Accounts from witnesses reveal significant destruction and a large number of deaths and injuries of civilians in Syria’s bombardment of the city of Idlib, Human Rights Watch said today. On the anniversary of the Syrian uprising, Human Rights Watch urged Russia and China to agree to a UN Security Council resolution calling on Syria to halt the indiscriminate attacks on cities and demand access for humanitarian workers, journalists, and human rights monitors.
Idlib is the latest opposition stronghold to come under attack by the Syrian security forces attempting to rout the armed opposition. Syrian activists have compiled a list of 114 civilians killed since the current assault there, which began on March 10, 2012. Five witnesses, including three foreign correspondents, gave separate accounts to Human Rights Watch that government forces used large-caliber machine-guns, tanks, and mortars to fire indiscriminately at buildings and people in the street. After they entered Idlib, government forces detained people in house-to-house searches, looted buildings, and burned down houses, the witnesses said.
“City after city, town after town, Syria’s security forces are using their scorched earth methods while the Security Council’s hands remain tied by Russia and China,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “One year on, the Security Council should finally stand together and send a clear message to Assad that these attacks should end.”
The attacks on Idlib follow months of atrocities that both the United Nation’s Commission of Inquiry and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have described as crimes against humanity....."
Human Rights Watch
March 15, 2012
"(New York) – Accounts from witnesses reveal significant destruction and a large number of deaths and injuries of civilians in Syria’s bombardment of the city of Idlib, Human Rights Watch said today. On the anniversary of the Syrian uprising, Human Rights Watch urged Russia and China to agree to a UN Security Council resolution calling on Syria to halt the indiscriminate attacks on cities and demand access for humanitarian workers, journalists, and human rights monitors.
Idlib is the latest opposition stronghold to come under attack by the Syrian security forces attempting to rout the armed opposition. Syrian activists have compiled a list of 114 civilians killed since the current assault there, which began on March 10, 2012. Five witnesses, including three foreign correspondents, gave separate accounts to Human Rights Watch that government forces used large-caliber machine-guns, tanks, and mortars to fire indiscriminately at buildings and people in the street. After they entered Idlib, government forces detained people in house-to-house searches, looted buildings, and burned down houses, the witnesses said.
“City after city, town after town, Syria’s security forces are using their scorched earth methods while the Security Council’s hands remain tied by Russia and China,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “One year on, the Security Council should finally stand together and send a clear message to Assad that these attacks should end.”
The attacks on Idlib follow months of atrocities that both the United Nation’s Commission of Inquiry and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have described as crimes against humanity....."
One year on: Syrians speak about uprising
Cross-section of Syrians share their thoughts on the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's rule.
Al-Jazeera
"It has been a year now that Syria has been in turmoil. What initially started out as protests for reforms has escalated over time into an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’s one-party rule, dragging the country into chaos and a period of uncertainty.
Parts of Syria today resemble a war zone. Few cities and towns have been left unscathed by the political upheaval.
Al Jazeera spoke to residents of different parts of Syria to learn more about how the eventful year impacted their lives and what the future possibly holds."
Al-Jazeera
"It has been a year now that Syria has been in turmoil. What initially started out as protests for reforms has escalated over time into an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’s one-party rule, dragging the country into chaos and a period of uncertainty.
Parts of Syria today resemble a war zone. Few cities and towns have been left unscathed by the political upheaval.
Al Jazeera spoke to residents of different parts of Syria to learn more about how the eventful year impacted their lives and what the future possibly holds."
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Gilded lifestyle continued for Assad coterie as conflict raged in Syria
Bashar al-Assad appears to have emailed his wife song lyrics and video clips, while she shopped for shoes and chandeliers
Robert Booth and Luke Harding
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 14 March 2012
"As the international community struggled to absorb the bloodiest episode yet in Syria's brutal crackdown in Homs, Bashar al-Assad was in Damascus composing a private email to his wife, according to a cache of what appear to be emails from the Syrian first couple obtained by the Guardian.
It was 5 February 2012, and the previous day the president's artillery had pounded the restive city as never before, killing several hundred civilians and blowing up a makeshift hospital, according to opposition activists. In the capital, government forces reportedly took the lives of about a dozen mourners at a funeral. The UN security council was drawing up plans to act against the dictatorship.
But Assad's email, using the pseudonym Sam, reflected none of the bloody turmoil or diplomatic jeopardy facing his country. In a bizarre message apparently from the Syrian leader, he sent his wife the lyrics of a country and western song by the US singer Blake Shelton,, and the audio file downloaded from iTunes....."
Robert Booth and Luke Harding
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 14 March 2012
"As the international community struggled to absorb the bloodiest episode yet in Syria's brutal crackdown in Homs, Bashar al-Assad was in Damascus composing a private email to his wife, according to a cache of what appear to be emails from the Syrian first couple obtained by the Guardian.
It was 5 February 2012, and the previous day the president's artillery had pounded the restive city as never before, killing several hundred civilians and blowing up a makeshift hospital, according to opposition activists. In the capital, government forces reportedly took the lives of about a dozen mourners at a funeral. The UN security council was drawing up plans to act against the dictatorship.
But Assad's email, using the pseudonym Sam, reflected none of the bloody turmoil or diplomatic jeopardy facing his country. In a bizarre message apparently from the Syrian leader, he sent his wife the lyrics of a country and western song by the US singer Blake Shelton,, and the audio file downloaded from iTunes....."
How do we know the Assad emails are genuine?
It is impossible to rule out the possibility of fakes in the email cache, but several pieces of evidence suggest they are authentic
Robert Booth, Luke Harding, Angelique Chrisafis and Matthew Taylor
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 14 March 2012
"Why does the Guardian believe the emails are genuine?
The cache of 3,000 emails passed on by a source in the Syrian opposition reveals a wealth of private information – including family photographs and videos, a scan of the president's identity card and a birth certificate belonging to a family member – that would be difficult for even the best resourced hoaxer or intelligence agency to gather or fabricate. The sam@alshahba.com and ak@alshahba.com accounts that activists say were used by Bashar al-Assad and his wife, Asma, communicate regularly and in affectionate terms with the wider family and advisers, some of whose email addresses are easily verified. Events and speeches mentioned in the emails tally with the timings of real events. The "sam" and "ak" accounts were also monitored contemporaneously by activists who say the protagonists reacted in real time to events on the ground in Syria.
What has the Guardian done to verify the emails?
The Guardian has contacted 10 people whose emails appear in the cache. All have confirmed the time and content of the emails or refused to deny they are genuine. People contacted include Thomas Nagorski, ABC News's managing director of international coverage, who emailed Sheherazad Jaafari while trying to arrange an Assad interview with Barbara Walters, and Sir Andrew Green, Britain's former ambassador in Syria. Two of Green's messages feature in the email haul: one, dated 6 October 2011, was to Assad's father-in-law; the other, dated 26 June 2011, was to members of the British Syrian Society. Green confirmed that the emails were genuine. Also copied in was Lord Powell, Lady Thatcher's former foreign policy adviser and one of the society's trustees. Asked about the email, Powell said: "It sounds familiar but no time to search my records."
Asma al-Assad used the email address ak@alshahba.com and is believed to have used the pseudonym Alia Kayali when ordering expensive designer goods from Britain. All four British suppliers mentioned in the emails and contacted by the Guardian confirmed that the email exchanges were real.
The Lebanese businessman Azmi T Mikati – a friend of Asma al-Assad who features in many of the emails – refused to deny the veracity of the emails when contacted by the Guardian despite being offered the opportunity to do so......"
Robert Booth, Luke Harding, Angelique Chrisafis and Matthew Taylor
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 14 March 2012
"Why does the Guardian believe the emails are genuine?
The cache of 3,000 emails passed on by a source in the Syrian opposition reveals a wealth of private information – including family photographs and videos, a scan of the president's identity card and a birth certificate belonging to a family member – that would be difficult for even the best resourced hoaxer or intelligence agency to gather or fabricate. The sam@alshahba.com and ak@alshahba.com accounts that activists say were used by Bashar al-Assad and his wife, Asma, communicate regularly and in affectionate terms with the wider family and advisers, some of whose email addresses are easily verified. Events and speeches mentioned in the emails tally with the timings of real events. The "sam" and "ak" accounts were also monitored contemporaneously by activists who say the protagonists reacted in real time to events on the ground in Syria.
What has the Guardian done to verify the emails?
The Guardian has contacted 10 people whose emails appear in the cache. All have confirmed the time and content of the emails or refused to deny they are genuine. People contacted include Thomas Nagorski, ABC News's managing director of international coverage, who emailed Sheherazad Jaafari while trying to arrange an Assad interview with Barbara Walters, and Sir Andrew Green, Britain's former ambassador in Syria. Two of Green's messages feature in the email haul: one, dated 6 October 2011, was to Assad's father-in-law; the other, dated 26 June 2011, was to members of the British Syrian Society. Green confirmed that the emails were genuine. Also copied in was Lord Powell, Lady Thatcher's former foreign policy adviser and one of the society's trustees. Asked about the email, Powell said: "It sounds familiar but no time to search my records."
Asma al-Assad used the email address ak@alshahba.com and is believed to have used the pseudonym Alia Kayali when ordering expensive designer goods from Britain. All four British suppliers mentioned in the emails and contacted by the Guardian confirmed that the email exchanges were real.
The Lebanese businessman Azmi T Mikati – a friend of Asma al-Assad who features in many of the emails – refused to deny the veracity of the emails when contacted by the Guardian despite being offered the opportunity to do so......"
How the Assad emails came to light
Syrian activists say a scrap of paper from a government worker gave them a window into the ruling couple's lives
AN EXPLOSIVE STORY
AN EXPLOSIVE STORY
Robert Booth and Mona Mahmood
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 14 March 2012
"In late March last year, Syrian opposition activists say, a young government worker in Damascus nervously handed a scrap of paper to a friend. On it were four handwritten codes that the friend was instructed to pass to a small group of exiled Syrians who would know what to do with them.
The paper contained two email addresses: sam@alshahba.com and ak@alshahba.com. They are thought to have been the personal email usernames and passwords of the president, Bashar al-Assad, and his wife, Asma.
For the next nine months they were to offer a cell of activists an extraordinary window into what appeared to be the private lives of Syria's first family and their attempts to turn around the country's steady descent towards the abyss.
In June – three months later than the original mole had intended – the email details found their way to two Syrian professionals in a Gulf state. Both had recently become active in the nascent opposition movement in exile after spending most of their adult lives as silent opponents of the regime.
The uprising in the southern Syrian city of Deraa on 15 March had empowered them, as it had hundreds of thousands of others in the totalitarian state. They were now determined to do what they could to bring an end to more than four decades of rule by the Assad clan.
"It was clear who we were dealing with," said one of the activists. "This was the president and his wife. There was no doubt."....."
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 14 March 2012
"In late March last year, Syrian opposition activists say, a young government worker in Damascus nervously handed a scrap of paper to a friend. On it were four handwritten codes that the friend was instructed to pass to a small group of exiled Syrians who would know what to do with them.
The paper contained two email addresses: sam@alshahba.com and ak@alshahba.com. They are thought to have been the personal email usernames and passwords of the president, Bashar al-Assad, and his wife, Asma.
For the next nine months they were to offer a cell of activists an extraordinary window into what appeared to be the private lives of Syria's first family and their attempts to turn around the country's steady descent towards the abyss.
In June – three months later than the original mole had intended – the email details found their way to two Syrian professionals in a Gulf state. Both had recently become active in the nascent opposition movement in exile after spending most of their adult lives as silent opponents of the regime.
The uprising in the southern Syrian city of Deraa on 15 March had empowered them, as it had hundreds of thousands of others in the totalitarian state. They were now determined to do what they could to bring an end to more than four decades of rule by the Assad clan.
"It was clear who we were dealing with," said one of the activists. "This was the president and his wife. There was no doubt."....."
The Assad Emails
Read 25 Emails
A cache of emails obtained by the Guardian shows the private correspondence of Syria's president Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma, throwing light on their preoccupations as the country slides into civil war
The Guardian
A cache of emails obtained by the Guardian shows the private correspondence of Syria's president Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma, throwing light on their preoccupations as the country slides into civil war
The Guardian
Assad emails: 'Blaming Al-Qaida is not in our interest'
From: Hadeel [XXXXXXXXXXXX]Subject: Fwd: من يقف وراء التفجير- ليسو القاعدة كما تقول سوريةDate: 24 December 2011 08:26:42 GMTTo: sam@alshahba.comRead an English translation
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 14 March 2012PLease read the email that represents al ot of people's opinions. Saying that Al-Qaeda is behind the explosion after ONLY 5 minutes of the explosion and without any investigations is not for our interest.
Begin forwarded message:
From: hosein mortada <>
Subject: من يقف
Date: December 24, 2011 9:52:27 AM GMT+02:00
To: "hadeel[XXXXXXXXXXXX]" <[XXXXXXXXXXXX]>
Reply-To: hosein mortada <[XXXXXXXXXXXX]>
ليس من مصلحتنا ان نقول ان تنظيم القاعدة هو من يقف وراء العملية لان ذلك يبرأ الادارة الاميركية والمعارضة السورية لانهم كذلك اي اميركا تحارب القاعدة وسوف تدين العملية
علينا ان نقول وهو فعلا انطلاقا من المعطيات التي شاهدناها امس هناك دقة في التنفيذ وعلينا ان نقول ان الادارة الاميركية والمعارضة والدول التي ادخلت السلاح هي من تقف وراء العملية حتى نبدأ بالهجوم لكن الكلام فقط عن القاعدة لايخدم ابدا كون التنظيم موجود منذ عشرات السنين وهذاا ليس بشيء جديد حتى أنني تلقيت اتصالات من إيران وحزب الله كوني مدير عدة قنوات ايرانية ولبنانية وجهوني فيها إلى عدم ذكر القاعدة كمن يقف وراء الحادث فهو خطأ اعلامي وتكتيكي فادح ولا يخدم مصلحة .. يجب تدارك الأمر بالسرعة القصوى و أنا لن أعلن على قنواتي أي خبر عن القاعدة..اهذه النقطة لصالحكم وتخدمكم الرجاء استغلالها سورية
Bashar and Asma al-Assad's shopping – in pictures
Emails obtained from private accounts believed to belong to Bashar al-Assad and his wife, Asma, appear to offer a remarkable glimpse of the lavish lifestyle the couple have continued to enjoy even as Syria's year-long uprising was being suppressed beyond the palace walls. They reveal Mrs Assad to be a keen internet shopper who spends thousands of dollars on luxury products ranging from jewellery to fondue sets while her husband swaps entertaining links on his iPad. Here are some of the products that feature in the emails
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 14 March 2012
(12 photos)
"Let Them Eat Cake!" --- Asma al-Assad
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 14 March 2012
(12 photos)
"Let Them Eat Cake!" --- Asma al-Assad
Leaked Assad Emails exposed
Bashar al-Assad took advice from Iran on how to handle the uprising against his rule, according to a cache of what appear to be several thousand emails received and sent by the Syrian leader and his wife.
The Syrian leader was also briefed in detail about the presence of western journalists in the Baba Amr district of Homs and urged to "tighten the security grip" on the opposition-held city in November.
The revelations are contained in more than 3,000 documents that activists say are emails downloaded from private accounts belonging to Assad and his wife, Asma.
The messages, which have been obtained by the Guardian, are said to have been intercepted by members of the opposition Supreme Council of the Revolution group between June and early February.
The documents, which emerge on the first anniversary of the rebellion that has seen more than 8,000 Syrians killed, paint a portrait of a first family remarkably insulated from the mounting crisis and continuing to enjoy a luxurious lifestyle.
They appear to show the president's wife spending thousands of dollars over the internet for designer goods while he swaps entertaining internet links on his iPad and downloads music from iTunes.
The emails appear to show that Assad received advice from Iran or its proxies on several occasions during the crisis. Ahead of a speech in December his media consultant prepared a long list of themes, reporting that the advice was based on "consultations with a good number of people in addition to the media and political adviser for the Iranian ambassador".
The memo advised the president to use "powerful and violent" language and to show appreciation for support from "friendly states". It also advised that the regime should "leak more information related to our military capability" to convince the public that it could withstand a military challenge.
The president also received advice from Hussein Mortada, an influential Lebanese businessman with strong connections to Iran. In December,Mortada urged Assad to stop blaming al-Qaida for an apparent twin car bombing in Damascus, which took place the day before an Arab League observer mission arrived in the country. He said he had been in contact with Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon who shared the same view.
"It is not out of our interest to say that al-Qaida organisation is behind the operation because this claim will [indemnify] the US administration and Syrian opposition," Mortada wrote not long after the blasts. "I have received contacts from Iran and Hezbollah in my role as director of many Iranian-Lebanese channels and they directed me to not mention that al-Qaida is behind the operation. It is a blatant tactical media mistake."
In another email Mortada advised the president that the regime needed to take control of public squares between 3pm and 9pm to deny opposition groups the opportunity to gather there.
The future of Al-Akhbar news paper in Syria
It will not get banned like it is today (although banning now it is part of the game to give it "street cred" by the regime, since it is the mouthpiece of tashbeeh outside of syria )
but will be used by all syrians as their fish wrap of choice , poor syrians will use it in their bathrooms. When I thought no one is more vile than Ibrahim Al-Amin , there is Sharmine Narwani who is an "expert" on syria and media coverage and the only arabic she knows is "Hummus and Sheesha", check out this trash by the so called "resistance" paper:
Syria timeline: One year on
Follow the major events in the country since anti-government protests erupted last year.
Al-Jazeera
Al-Jazeera
Al-Jazeera Video: Syrian torture victim speaks to Al Jazeera
"Emad Mahou was arrested and tortured by Syrian military intelligence officials in July last year. He spoke to Al Jazeera from Amman, Jordan."
Scroll down 7 posts to read Amnesty International's Report.
Al-Jazeera Video: Defiance in 'Free Idlib' on eve of assault
"The opposition city of Idlib is back under Syrian military control after four days of heavy fighting. More than one hundred people are confirmed dead even more are missing.
But a day before the army bombed their way back in, the mood in the city remained defiant.
For a brief period of time, most of Idlib province was outside the control of Damascus, and it served as the symbolic centre of the uprising.
Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught reports from Idlib city."
Real News Video : Afghan Activists Want US Out, No Deal with Taliban
Sonali Kolhatkar: RAWA women do not want any power sharing deal with Taliban but want US out now
After Afghan Massacre, Grievers Left to Mourn the Dead, Hope for Justice From Occupying U.S. Force
Democracy Now!
"We go to Kabul to speak with New York Times correspondent Graham Bowley, who reported on the surviving relatives of victims of the Afghan massacre, including a man who lost his wife, four daughters, four sons and two other relatives. As President Obama vowed to "spare no effort" to fully investigate the massacre, hundreds of students in eastern Afghanistan protested against the United States. Many called for an end to the U.S. occupation in their country. We also speak with Nancy Youssef, McClatchy’s top Pentagon correspondent....."
"We go to Kabul to speak with New York Times correspondent Graham Bowley, who reported on the surviving relatives of victims of the Afghan massacre, including a man who lost his wife, four daughters, four sons and two other relatives. As President Obama vowed to "spare no effort" to fully investigate the massacre, hundreds of students in eastern Afghanistan protested against the United States. Many called for an end to the U.S. occupation in their country. We also speak with Nancy Youssef, McClatchy’s top Pentagon correspondent....."
Massacres are the inevitable result of foreign occupation
The latest slaughter in Afghanistan is part of a decade of savage civilian killing: until Nato leaves, it is certain to continue
Seumas Milne
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 13 March 2012
"It was an "isolated incident", US officials insisted. The murder of 16 Afghan civilians as they slept, Hillary Clinton declared, was the "inexplicable act" of one soldier. And as Barack Obama and David Cameron prepared to put a public gloss on an earlier end to Nato's "lead combat" mission in Afghanistan, the US secretary of state pledged to continue "protecting the Afghan people".
Seumas Milne
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 13 March 2012
"It was an "isolated incident", US officials insisted. The murder of 16 Afghan civilians as they slept, Hillary Clinton declared, was the "inexplicable act" of one soldier. And as Barack Obama and David Cameron prepared to put a public gloss on an earlier end to Nato's "lead combat" mission in Afghanistan, the US secretary of state pledged to continue "protecting the Afghan people".
After a decade of ever more degraded Nato occupation, who could conceivably wish for such protection? The slaughter of innocents in Panjwai, nine of them children, follows the eruption of killings and protests after US troops burned copies of the Qur'an last month. That came soon after the exposure of video of US marines urinating on dead Afghans......
Like Iraq, the Afghanistan war has been a disastrous miscalculation for the western powers, which are having to learn the lessons of empire again and again. In the 21st century, more than ever, foreign military occupation will be resisted, paid for in blood – and rebound on those who try to impose it."
Current Al-Jazeera (Arabic) Online Poll
Do you support arming the Syrian opposition?
With over 700 responding, 82% said yes.
With over 700 responding, 82% said yes.
Palestinians prepare to lose the solar panels that provide a lifeline
Israel is planning to demolish 'illegal' solar panels that are the only source of electricity for Palestinians in West Bank villages
Phoebe Greenwood in Tel Aviv
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 14 March 2012
"Two large solar panels jut out of the barren landscape near Imneizil in the Hebron hills. The hi-tech structures sit incongruously alongside the tents and rough stone buildings of the Palestinian village, but they are fundamental to life here: they provide electricity.
Imneizil is not connected to the national electricity grid. Nor are the vast majority of Palestinian communities in Area C, the 62% of the West Bank controlled by Israel. The solar energy has replaced expensive and clunky oil-powered generators.
According to the Israeli authorities, these solar panels – along with six others in nearby villages – are illegal and have been slated for demolition....."
Phoebe Greenwood in Tel Aviv
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 14 March 2012
"Two large solar panels jut out of the barren landscape near Imneizil in the Hebron hills. The hi-tech structures sit incongruously alongside the tents and rough stone buildings of the Palestinian village, but they are fundamental to life here: they provide electricity.
Imneizil is not connected to the national electricity grid. Nor are the vast majority of Palestinian communities in Area C, the 62% of the West Bank controlled by Israel. The solar energy has replaced expensive and clunky oil-powered generators.
According to the Israeli authorities, these solar panels – along with six others in nearby villages – are illegal and have been slated for demolition....."
Syria: New report finds systemic and widespread torture and ill-treatment in detention
14 March 2012
"People caught up in the massive wave of arrests in the wake of the Syrian uprising have been thrust into a nightmarish world of systemic torture, a new report by Amnesty International says today.
The scale of torture and other ill-treatment in Syria has risen to a level not witnessed for years and is reminiscent of the dark era of the 1970s and 1980s.
Released a day before the one-year anniversary of the start of mass protests in Syria, ‘I wanted to die’: Syria’s torture survivors speak out documents 31 methods of torture or other ill-treatment by security forces, army and pro-government armed shabiha gangs, described by witnesses or victims to Amnesty International researchers in Jordan in February 2012.
"The experience for the many people caught up in the massive wave of arrests over the last year is now very similar to that of detainees under former President Hafez al-Assad - a nightmarish world of systemic torture," said Ann Harrison, Interim Deputy Director for Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.
"The testimonies we have heard give disturbing insights into a system of detention and interrogation which, a year after protests began, appears intended primarily to degrade, humiliate and terrify its victims into silence."
Patterns of torture
Amnesty International said that torture and other ill-treatment of detainees generally followed a set pattern.
Many victims said beating began on arrest, then they were beaten severely - including with sticks, rifle butts, whips and fists, braided cables - on arrival at detention centres, a practice sometimes called the ‘haflet al-istiqbal’ or ‘reception’.....
Crimes against humanity
Amnesty International said that the testimonies of torture survivors presented yet more evidence of crimes against humanity in Syria.
The organization has repeatedly called for the situation in Syria to be referred to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) but political factors have so far prevented this happening, with Russia and China twice blocking weakened UN Security Council draft resolutions that made no reference to the ICC....
"We continue to believe that the ICC represents the best option of securing real accountability for those responsible for the grave crimes that have been committed against people in Syria," said Ann Harrison.
"But while politics makes that prospect difficult in the short term, Syrians responsible for torture – including those in command - should be left in no doubt that they will face justice for crimes committed under their watch. It is therefore essential that the Commission of Inquiry is strengthened and allowed to continue its work.""
Click Here to Download Report (pdf)
"People caught up in the massive wave of arrests in the wake of the Syrian uprising have been thrust into a nightmarish world of systemic torture, a new report by Amnesty International says today.
The scale of torture and other ill-treatment in Syria has risen to a level not witnessed for years and is reminiscent of the dark era of the 1970s and 1980s.
Released a day before the one-year anniversary of the start of mass protests in Syria, ‘I wanted to die’: Syria’s torture survivors speak out documents 31 methods of torture or other ill-treatment by security forces, army and pro-government armed shabiha gangs, described by witnesses or victims to Amnesty International researchers in Jordan in February 2012.
"The experience for the many people caught up in the massive wave of arrests over the last year is now very similar to that of detainees under former President Hafez al-Assad - a nightmarish world of systemic torture," said Ann Harrison, Interim Deputy Director for Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.
"The testimonies we have heard give disturbing insights into a system of detention and interrogation which, a year after protests began, appears intended primarily to degrade, humiliate and terrify its victims into silence."
Patterns of torture
Amnesty International said that torture and other ill-treatment of detainees generally followed a set pattern.
Many victims said beating began on arrest, then they were beaten severely - including with sticks, rifle butts, whips and fists, braided cables - on arrival at detention centres, a practice sometimes called the ‘haflet al-istiqbal’ or ‘reception’.....
Crimes against humanity
Amnesty International said that the testimonies of torture survivors presented yet more evidence of crimes against humanity in Syria.
The organization has repeatedly called for the situation in Syria to be referred to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) but political factors have so far prevented this happening, with Russia and China twice blocking weakened UN Security Council draft resolutions that made no reference to the ICC....
"We continue to believe that the ICC represents the best option of securing real accountability for those responsible for the grave crimes that have been committed against people in Syria," said Ann Harrison.
"But while politics makes that prospect difficult in the short term, Syrians responsible for torture – including those in command - should be left in no doubt that they will face justice for crimes committed under their watch. It is therefore essential that the Commission of Inquiry is strengthened and allowed to continue its work.""
Click Here to Download Report (pdf)
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
'The future of Egyptian women is in danger' - Samira Ibrahim speaks out
The verdict over 'virginity tests' was a blow to the feminist struggle in Egypt. Here, the woman who sacrificed everything to bring the case to court, warns that women's rights are now under threat from two sides - the military and the Islamists
Abdel-Rahman Hussein in Cairo
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 13 March 2012
"Samira Ibrahim is talking tough, but her face looks fraught. The decision by a military court on Sunday to exonerate a former military doctor from conducting "virginity tests" on female protestors in March last year is a setback and a big blow to her personally.
For Ibrahim was the first to speak out about being subjected to this violation along with six other women at a military prison where they were kept overnight, having been arrested in Tahrir Square. It has been a difficult year for Ibrahim, but she is adamant she will not back down......
It seems the next recourse is international law, with Egyptian human rights groups releasing a statement on Monday that they will be pursuing the case in the international arena, firstly with the African Commission on Human and People's Rights, a semi-judicial body that is weighing cases brought against the Egyptian government by local human rights groups.
Ibrahim confirmed this, saying, "I've decided to file an international lawsuit and it is my right as a citizen since my rights are lost here even though many military commanders admitted this happened and now they're denying it.""
Abdel-Rahman Hussein in Cairo
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 13 March 2012
"Samira Ibrahim is talking tough, but her face looks fraught. The decision by a military court on Sunday to exonerate a former military doctor from conducting "virginity tests" on female protestors in March last year is a setback and a big blow to her personally.
For Ibrahim was the first to speak out about being subjected to this violation along with six other women at a military prison where they were kept overnight, having been arrested in Tahrir Square. It has been a difficult year for Ibrahim, but she is adamant she will not back down......
It seems the next recourse is international law, with Egyptian human rights groups releasing a statement on Monday that they will be pursuing the case in the international arena, firstly with the African Commission on Human and People's Rights, a semi-judicial body that is weighing cases brought against the Egyptian government by local human rights groups.
Ibrahim confirmed this, saying, "I've decided to file an international lawsuit and it is my right as a citizen since my rights are lost here even though many military commanders admitted this happened and now they're denying it.""
يا أهل غزّة أبشروا: الجيوش قادمة لإنقاذكم...
يا أهل غزّة أبشروا: الجيوش قادمة لإنقاذكم...
رشاد أبو شاور
"لست أمزح..فمن مصادر شبه موثوقة اتصلت بي، أكدت لي شخصيا لأسباب أجهلها ـ ربما لأنني من الذين يؤمنون بعروبة فلسطين، وبالوحدة العربية، وبأن فلسطين هي الامتحان لمصداقية أو كذب أي نظام حكم عربي، أو حزب، أو فرد عادي، أو مثقف شريف،..وما أكثرهم هذه الأيّام ـ بأن الجيوش التي دعا وزراء خارجية (عرب) لحشدها (لتحرير) سورية من نظام الحكم فيها، وتسليم البلد حرّة، ديمقراطية، موحدة، أنيقة، ظريفة..للشعب السوري، ليرفل بثياب العز، والكرامة، والاستقلال..سوف يتّم توجيهها بعد حشدها، وإعدادها، وتسليحها بأحدث الأسلحة الأمريكية التي بالكاد تمتلكها (إسرائيل)، لإنقاذ غزّة من (الإرهاب) الصهيوني، بل وتحرير فلسطين كلها!
صحيح أن الجيوش لم تزحف لوقف العدوان الرصاص المصبوب، والفسفور الأبيض، في الحرب على غزّة، والتي راح ضحيتها أكثر من 1400 فلسطيني، ناهيك عن تدمير البيوت، والمدارس، والمساجد، في نقل (حي) على الهواء مباشرة، وبأرقام مثبتة، نقلتها الكاميرات، وليس من مخبرين مفبركين، أو شهود عيان مجهولين..فالموت والحرائق والدمار كانت ترى بالنقل الحي ومباشرة، وكانت ترافقها صيحات، وصرخات، ونواح، وآلام طبيعية تلقائية، وليست تمثيلاً.
يبدو أن وزراء الخارجية المتحمسين جدا للتدخل العسكري في وسورية، وتسليح (المعارضات) المسلحة، من جيش حر، ومجموعات مجاهدين يتم نقلهم من ليبيا، وبلدان الخليج، واستجلابهم من أي مكان مهما بلغت التكلفة..لأن (معركة) الحرية في سورية تستحق التضحية بالمليارات..أقول: يبدو أنهم استيقظوا على صيحات غزة وأهلها، ومناشدات الغزيين (للعرب) ليهبوا ويبادروا لإنقاذهم من العدوان الجديد الذي يحصد يوميا أرواحا تنضم إلى قافلة الشهداء، الذين يتركون وراءهم أطفالاً أيتاما، وأرامل صبايا، وأمهات مكلومات، وآباء محزونين يرتجفون أمام الكاميرات قهرا لعدم امتلاكهم بين أيديهم ما يردون به الموت عن فلذات أكبادهم، وعن أرضهم وأسرهم وبيوتهم.
ما عاد وزراء خارجية العرب يتحملون (الفضيحة)، لذا اجتمعوا سرّا ـ بحسب المصدر الذي اتصل بي مطمئنا ـ واتخذوا قرارات ( تاريخية) فهم ليسوا أقل عروبة، وحمية، ونخوة من الخليفة( المعتصم) الذي لبّى استغاثة المرأة العربية وزحف على رأس جيوشه لينتقم من بيزنطة، ويرد للمرأة العربية كرامتها وشرفها..باطل على الزلم!
دافع (الجماعة)، ولست أقصد الأخوان المسلمين المشغولين بترتيب هيمنتهم على البلدان التي نطوا على ثوراتها، وإنما الوزراء ما غيرهم، حميّتهم العربيّة المبرأة من أي غرض، للقيام بفعل تاريخي بهدف تغيير الفكرة السيئة المأخوذة عن الرسميين العرب، وحتى عن الجامعة العربيّة في عصرها الزاهر الراهن، بعد أن تسنّم أمانتها العامة الدكتور (العربي) ..يا لمحاسن الصدف، فهو حتى بالاسم (عربي) ..فماذا تريدون أكثر من ذلك، خاصة والرجل فطن، لبق، دمث..حصيف..بدليل انه تملّص ببراعة من إجابة الصحافيين عن موضوع غزّة، وبحجة أن قرارات كثيرة اتخذتها الأمم المتحدة ومع ذلك لم تنفّذ؟!
لم يتوقع أمين عام الجامعة أن يسأله أحد: كيف تقول هذا الكلام يا (عربي)..وأنت في مؤتمر صحافي واحد مع كوفي عنان الذي كان أمينا عاما للأمم المتحدة؟! ولماذا يا (عربي) تعوّل على الأمم المتحدة، أنت (والوزراء) إيّاهم، و..تستقتل لانتزاع قرار يبيح التدخل للناتو في سورية، ما دمت تقّر بأن قرارات الأمم المتحدة لم تنفّذ ما دامت تختص بالقضية الفلسطينية..ومن يا (عربي) الجهة التي حالت دون تنفيذ تلك القرارات يا حلو..والتي سهّلت قرار قصف الناتو لليبيا..وتتحفز لإعادة الكرّة على سورية؟!
أنت مع تدخل حلف الناتو وحشد الجيوش و.. الانقضاض على (النظام) السوري..وبعدئذ يتحقق ما يجري في ليبيا، فمع نشر الحرية في تلك الربوع سيجري تمزيق سورية إلى أربع دول، وهو ما سيزيد من عدد دول الجامعة يا (عربي)، ويمنح (العرب) أصواتا أكثر في الجمعية العمومية..وهذا ما سيكفل تنفيذ قرارات الأمم المتحدة في آتيات السنوات، بعد أن يبلغ عدد دول الجامعة 48 دولة ـ ربما يذكركم هذا الرقم بنكبة العرب في فلسطين!ـ خاصة وبشائر ليبيا بدأت بإعلان انشقاق المنطقة الشرقية عن ليبيا الأم..على طريق نشوء 3 دول بدلاً من (الجماهيرية) العظمى!
للأسف لم يبلغني المصدر أين سيتم تحشيد الجيوش، ومن أين ستزحف، ومن سيكون قائدها!
ربما يعيدون تنصيب الجنرال إياه الذي دمّر العراق مع (شوارزكوف) ليبيّض صفحته، خاصة واسمه فيه بعض أحرف اسم سيف الله المسلول..وهو اكتسب خبرات من (عاصفة الصحراء)، ومن تدمير العراق.
ربما تبدأ الحشود بقوّات درع الجزيرة التي حققت بطولات لا تنكر على شعب البحرين، ومن ثمّ بفتح باب التطوّع لملايين العرب، ويتم تدريبهم، وتسليحهم، و..اجتياح القواعد الأمريكية إن حاولت التعرض للزحوف.
بعدئذ ستتم عملية نقل الجيوش بالسفن عبر قناة السويس، وبعمليات إنزال في صحراء سيناء..واستغلال انقطاع الكهرباء عن غزّة، وبحكمة عدم تزويدها بمادة السولار للاستفادة من العتمة، لأن اليهود لن يغامروا بمحاربة العرب في ظلام الليل والعتمة كما اعتادوا في الحروب السابقة..أمّا جيوش الجامعة فستزحف مع (الفجر)، وستواصل اندفاعتها من غزة إلى عمق فلسطين، لتنفذ ما لم تنفذه الأمم المتحدة من قرارات!
أمّا جماعتنا، أي المتخاصمين: حماس وفتح، فسيعلنون فورا توحيد (قوتيهما) و..هب.. سيبدأ الانتفاض على الاحتلال، لكسر الحصار عن غزّة، وكنس المستوطنين الأوباش من بيت المقدس، وأكناف بيت المقدس..وهكذا سيلتقي الجمعان في الميدان، وهنا سيسقط في يد أمريكا، ووزيرة الخارجية كلينتون التي أدانت ناطقتها الرسمية إرهاب الفلسطينيين الذين يقصفون (إسرائيل) المسكينة البريئة..بالصورايخ العابرة للقارات، وأصناف الأسلحة المحرمة دوليا التي يصنعونها في مفاعلات مخيمات غزّة!
تصريحات الناطقة بلسان وزارة خارجية أمريكا سترفع ضغط وزراء خارجية التدخل العسكري في سورية، وتحرجهم، وتفوّر دماءهم في عروقهم، وهنا سيكون الرد: طرد القواعد الأمريكية فورا وإلاّ فقوّات درع الجزيرة التي قمعت انتفاضة شعب البحرين جاهزة..والبادئ أظلم!
يسرني أن أهلنا في غزّة لن يصدقوا كلمة مما كتبت، وأنا مثلهم لا أصدق، فهم أخبر من أي إنسان بمدى مصداقية وزراء الخارجية، وجنرالات العرب، وأمناء الجامعة العربية المتلاحقين..وآخرهم طويل العمر (العربي)!
أهلنا في غزة يعرفون أنه ليس لهم إلاّ الله وأنفسهم..فمن لا يزودون محطات توليد الكهرباء بالسولار..من لا يجرؤون على (تحدّي) أمريكا والكيان الصهيوني بتزويد مستشفيات غزة بالنور لإجراء عمليات للجرحى مبتوري الأطراف..مفقوئي العيون..مبقوري البطون..لن يزحفوا بجيوشهم لمواجهة جيش الكيان الصهيوني الذي حوّل قطاع غزة إلى مضمار رماية نيران، وسماءها ملعبا للطائرات الأمريكية..بطيّار، ومن غير طيّار.
يا أهلنا في غزّة، وفي كل بلاد العرب: فلسطين كانت دائما الامتحان..وفي الامتحان من جديد، يسقط الكاذبون، والمنافقون، والمدلسون..ولعنة الله على كل قادر على بالمال، أو السلاح ..على تقديم العون لأهلنا في غزّة، وفي كل فلسطين، ويتقاعس عن واجبه القومي والديني والإنساني!
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رشاد أبو شاور
"لست أمزح..فمن مصادر شبه موثوقة اتصلت بي، أكدت لي شخصيا لأسباب أجهلها ـ ربما لأنني من الذين يؤمنون بعروبة فلسطين، وبالوحدة العربية، وبأن فلسطين هي الامتحان لمصداقية أو كذب أي نظام حكم عربي، أو حزب، أو فرد عادي، أو مثقف شريف،..وما أكثرهم هذه الأيّام ـ بأن الجيوش التي دعا وزراء خارجية (عرب) لحشدها (لتحرير) سورية من نظام الحكم فيها، وتسليم البلد حرّة، ديمقراطية، موحدة، أنيقة، ظريفة..للشعب السوري، ليرفل بثياب العز، والكرامة، والاستقلال..سوف يتّم توجيهها بعد حشدها، وإعدادها، وتسليحها بأحدث الأسلحة الأمريكية التي بالكاد تمتلكها (إسرائيل)، لإنقاذ غزّة من (الإرهاب) الصهيوني، بل وتحرير فلسطين كلها!
صحيح أن الجيوش لم تزحف لوقف العدوان الرصاص المصبوب، والفسفور الأبيض، في الحرب على غزّة، والتي راح ضحيتها أكثر من 1400 فلسطيني، ناهيك عن تدمير البيوت، والمدارس، والمساجد، في نقل (حي) على الهواء مباشرة، وبأرقام مثبتة، نقلتها الكاميرات، وليس من مخبرين مفبركين، أو شهود عيان مجهولين..فالموت والحرائق والدمار كانت ترى بالنقل الحي ومباشرة، وكانت ترافقها صيحات، وصرخات، ونواح، وآلام طبيعية تلقائية، وليست تمثيلاً.
يبدو أن وزراء الخارجية المتحمسين جدا للتدخل العسكري في وسورية، وتسليح (المعارضات) المسلحة، من جيش حر، ومجموعات مجاهدين يتم نقلهم من ليبيا، وبلدان الخليج، واستجلابهم من أي مكان مهما بلغت التكلفة..لأن (معركة) الحرية في سورية تستحق التضحية بالمليارات..أقول: يبدو أنهم استيقظوا على صيحات غزة وأهلها، ومناشدات الغزيين (للعرب) ليهبوا ويبادروا لإنقاذهم من العدوان الجديد الذي يحصد يوميا أرواحا تنضم إلى قافلة الشهداء، الذين يتركون وراءهم أطفالاً أيتاما، وأرامل صبايا، وأمهات مكلومات، وآباء محزونين يرتجفون أمام الكاميرات قهرا لعدم امتلاكهم بين أيديهم ما يردون به الموت عن فلذات أكبادهم، وعن أرضهم وأسرهم وبيوتهم.
ما عاد وزراء خارجية العرب يتحملون (الفضيحة)، لذا اجتمعوا سرّا ـ بحسب المصدر الذي اتصل بي مطمئنا ـ واتخذوا قرارات ( تاريخية) فهم ليسوا أقل عروبة، وحمية، ونخوة من الخليفة( المعتصم) الذي لبّى استغاثة المرأة العربية وزحف على رأس جيوشه لينتقم من بيزنطة، ويرد للمرأة العربية كرامتها وشرفها..باطل على الزلم!
دافع (الجماعة)، ولست أقصد الأخوان المسلمين المشغولين بترتيب هيمنتهم على البلدان التي نطوا على ثوراتها، وإنما الوزراء ما غيرهم، حميّتهم العربيّة المبرأة من أي غرض، للقيام بفعل تاريخي بهدف تغيير الفكرة السيئة المأخوذة عن الرسميين العرب، وحتى عن الجامعة العربيّة في عصرها الزاهر الراهن، بعد أن تسنّم أمانتها العامة الدكتور (العربي) ..يا لمحاسن الصدف، فهو حتى بالاسم (عربي) ..فماذا تريدون أكثر من ذلك، خاصة والرجل فطن، لبق، دمث..حصيف..بدليل انه تملّص ببراعة من إجابة الصحافيين عن موضوع غزّة، وبحجة أن قرارات كثيرة اتخذتها الأمم المتحدة ومع ذلك لم تنفّذ؟!
لم يتوقع أمين عام الجامعة أن يسأله أحد: كيف تقول هذا الكلام يا (عربي)..وأنت في مؤتمر صحافي واحد مع كوفي عنان الذي كان أمينا عاما للأمم المتحدة؟! ولماذا يا (عربي) تعوّل على الأمم المتحدة، أنت (والوزراء) إيّاهم، و..تستقتل لانتزاع قرار يبيح التدخل للناتو في سورية، ما دمت تقّر بأن قرارات الأمم المتحدة لم تنفّذ ما دامت تختص بالقضية الفلسطينية..ومن يا (عربي) الجهة التي حالت دون تنفيذ تلك القرارات يا حلو..والتي سهّلت قرار قصف الناتو لليبيا..وتتحفز لإعادة الكرّة على سورية؟!
أنت مع تدخل حلف الناتو وحشد الجيوش و.. الانقضاض على (النظام) السوري..وبعدئذ يتحقق ما يجري في ليبيا، فمع نشر الحرية في تلك الربوع سيجري تمزيق سورية إلى أربع دول، وهو ما سيزيد من عدد دول الجامعة يا (عربي)، ويمنح (العرب) أصواتا أكثر في الجمعية العمومية..وهذا ما سيكفل تنفيذ قرارات الأمم المتحدة في آتيات السنوات، بعد أن يبلغ عدد دول الجامعة 48 دولة ـ ربما يذكركم هذا الرقم بنكبة العرب في فلسطين!ـ خاصة وبشائر ليبيا بدأت بإعلان انشقاق المنطقة الشرقية عن ليبيا الأم..على طريق نشوء 3 دول بدلاً من (الجماهيرية) العظمى!
للأسف لم يبلغني المصدر أين سيتم تحشيد الجيوش، ومن أين ستزحف، ومن سيكون قائدها!
ربما يعيدون تنصيب الجنرال إياه الذي دمّر العراق مع (شوارزكوف) ليبيّض صفحته، خاصة واسمه فيه بعض أحرف اسم سيف الله المسلول..وهو اكتسب خبرات من (عاصفة الصحراء)، ومن تدمير العراق.
ربما تبدأ الحشود بقوّات درع الجزيرة التي حققت بطولات لا تنكر على شعب البحرين، ومن ثمّ بفتح باب التطوّع لملايين العرب، ويتم تدريبهم، وتسليحهم، و..اجتياح القواعد الأمريكية إن حاولت التعرض للزحوف.
بعدئذ ستتم عملية نقل الجيوش بالسفن عبر قناة السويس، وبعمليات إنزال في صحراء سيناء..واستغلال انقطاع الكهرباء عن غزّة، وبحكمة عدم تزويدها بمادة السولار للاستفادة من العتمة، لأن اليهود لن يغامروا بمحاربة العرب في ظلام الليل والعتمة كما اعتادوا في الحروب السابقة..أمّا جيوش الجامعة فستزحف مع (الفجر)، وستواصل اندفاعتها من غزة إلى عمق فلسطين، لتنفذ ما لم تنفذه الأمم المتحدة من قرارات!
أمّا جماعتنا، أي المتخاصمين: حماس وفتح، فسيعلنون فورا توحيد (قوتيهما) و..هب.. سيبدأ الانتفاض على الاحتلال، لكسر الحصار عن غزّة، وكنس المستوطنين الأوباش من بيت المقدس، وأكناف بيت المقدس..وهكذا سيلتقي الجمعان في الميدان، وهنا سيسقط في يد أمريكا، ووزيرة الخارجية كلينتون التي أدانت ناطقتها الرسمية إرهاب الفلسطينيين الذين يقصفون (إسرائيل) المسكينة البريئة..بالصورايخ العابرة للقارات، وأصناف الأسلحة المحرمة دوليا التي يصنعونها في مفاعلات مخيمات غزّة!
تصريحات الناطقة بلسان وزارة خارجية أمريكا سترفع ضغط وزراء خارجية التدخل العسكري في سورية، وتحرجهم، وتفوّر دماءهم في عروقهم، وهنا سيكون الرد: طرد القواعد الأمريكية فورا وإلاّ فقوّات درع الجزيرة التي قمعت انتفاضة شعب البحرين جاهزة..والبادئ أظلم!
يسرني أن أهلنا في غزّة لن يصدقوا كلمة مما كتبت، وأنا مثلهم لا أصدق، فهم أخبر من أي إنسان بمدى مصداقية وزراء الخارجية، وجنرالات العرب، وأمناء الجامعة العربية المتلاحقين..وآخرهم طويل العمر (العربي)!
أهلنا في غزة يعرفون أنه ليس لهم إلاّ الله وأنفسهم..فمن لا يزودون محطات توليد الكهرباء بالسولار..من لا يجرؤون على (تحدّي) أمريكا والكيان الصهيوني بتزويد مستشفيات غزة بالنور لإجراء عمليات للجرحى مبتوري الأطراف..مفقوئي العيون..مبقوري البطون..لن يزحفوا بجيوشهم لمواجهة جيش الكيان الصهيوني الذي حوّل قطاع غزة إلى مضمار رماية نيران، وسماءها ملعبا للطائرات الأمريكية..بطيّار، ومن غير طيّار.
يا أهلنا في غزّة، وفي كل بلاد العرب: فلسطين كانت دائما الامتحان..وفي الامتحان من جديد، يسقط الكاذبون، والمنافقون، والمدلسون..ولعنة الله على كل قادر على بالمال، أو السلاح ..على تقديم العون لأهلنا في غزّة، وفي كل فلسطين، ويتقاعس عن واجبه القومي والديني والإنساني!
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