شام - فلسطين - تضامن فلسطيني 48 مع الثورة في سوريا
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Real News Video: New Egyptian Stance Towards Israel, Hamas and Iran
Samer Shehata: Egyptian government may not cooperate with siege of Gaza and isolation of Hamas; restoring relations with Iran
Noam Chomsky: "The U.S. And Its Allies Will Do Anything to Prevent Democracy in the Arab World"
"Speaking at the 25th anniversary of celebration of the national media watch group, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, world-renowned political dissident and linguist Noam Chomsky analyzes the U.S. response to the popular uprisings sweeping the Middle East and North Africa. "Across the [Middle East], the overwhelming majority of the population regards the United States as the main threat to their interests," Chomsky says. "The reason is very simple ... Plainly, the U.S. and allies are not going to want governments, which are responsive to the will of the people. If that happens, not only will the U.S. not control the region, but it will be thrown out."...."
Bin Laden out, Gaddafi next
By Pepe Escobar
Asia Times
"....As for why Gaddafi gets the boot while the al-Khalifas in Bahrain, Saleh in Yemen and Bashar al-Assad in Syria get away with it - that's simple; you're not an evil dictator if you're one of "our" bastards - that is, play by "our" rules. The destiny of "independents" such as Gaddafi is to become toast. It helps if you already have a key US military base in your country - as with the al-Khalifas and the US 5th Fleet.
If the al-Khalifas were not US lackeys and there was no US military base, Washington would have no problems selling an intervention in favor of the peaceful, largely Shi'ite pro-democracy protesters against a ghastly Sunni tyranny which needs the House of Saud to repress its own people.
Then there are the legalese aspects. Imagine putting Gaddafi on trial. Martial court or civil court? A kangaroo court - a la Saddam Hussein – or offering him all the "civilized" means to defend himself? And how to prosecute crimes against humanity beyond reasonable doubt? How to use testimonies obtained under torture, sorry, "enhanced interrogation"? And for how long? Years? How many witnesses? Thousands?
It's much easier to solve it all with a Tomahawk - or a bullet in the head - and then call it "justice". "
Asia Times
"....As for why Gaddafi gets the boot while the al-Khalifas in Bahrain, Saleh in Yemen and Bashar al-Assad in Syria get away with it - that's simple; you're not an evil dictator if you're one of "our" bastards - that is, play by "our" rules. The destiny of "independents" such as Gaddafi is to become toast. It helps if you already have a key US military base in your country - as with the al-Khalifas and the US 5th Fleet.
If the al-Khalifas were not US lackeys and there was no US military base, Washington would have no problems selling an intervention in favor of the peaceful, largely Shi'ite pro-democracy protesters against a ghastly Sunni tyranny which needs the House of Saud to repress its own people.
Then there are the legalese aspects. Imagine putting Gaddafi on trial. Martial court or civil court? A kangaroo court - a la Saddam Hussein – or offering him all the "civilized" means to defend himself? And how to prosecute crimes against humanity beyond reasonable doubt? How to use testimonies obtained under torture, sorry, "enhanced interrogation"? And for how long? Years? How many witnesses? Thousands?
It's much easier to solve it all with a Tomahawk - or a bullet in the head - and then call it "justice". "
Egyptian Activists Gear Up For Third Intifadah
By Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani
"CAIRO, May 10, 2011 (IPS) - Following the February ouster of Egypt’s longstanding President Hosni Mubarak, calls have been circulating in Egypt and throughout the region for a ‘Third Intifadah’ to begin May 15.
"Unlike the first two Palestinian uprisings, the proposed Third Intifadah is meant to involve the entire Arab world," Egyptian journalist and political analyst Abdelhalim Kandil told IPS.
It began with the appearance of a Facebook.com page in early March calling for a ‘Third Intifadah’ against the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. The page, reportedly founded by Arab pro- Palestinian groups, set the launch date for May 15 - the day on which hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were driven from their homes in 1948 to make way for the nascent state of Israel....
In the three months since Mubarak’s departure, Egypt has witnessed a spate of marches and protests in front of both Israel’s embassy in Cairo and its consulate in Alexandria, where demonstrators could be seen distributing flyers about the planned event.
The ‘Third Intifadah’ had initially included plans for a protest march to Egypt’s Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip, which has been sealed for the most part since 2007. This plan was abandoned, however, following a promise by Egypt’s SCAF-appointed foreign minister late last month that the crossing would soon be reopened on a permanent basis.
Nevertheless, the Arab Doctors Union plans to dispatch a convoy of Gaza-bound humanitarian aid through the Rafah crossing - scheduled to set out from Tahrir Square on May 15.....
Notably, Palestinian faction Hamas, which governs the strip and espouses a policy of armed resistance to Israel, has not publicly endorsed calls for a ‘Third Intifadah’. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, who heads rival Palestinian faction Fatah and supports a discredited ‘peace process’ with Israel, has voiced downright opposition to the idea....[The Two Are Now Partners in Crime!]
"If the Palestinians stage peaceful protests en masse and persevere despite Israel’s inevitably violent response - and are supported by simultaneous demonstrations in Arab and western capitals - the Israeli occupation’s days may very well be numbered," said Kandil...."
"CAIRO, May 10, 2011 (IPS) - Following the February ouster of Egypt’s longstanding President Hosni Mubarak, calls have been circulating in Egypt and throughout the region for a ‘Third Intifadah’ to begin May 15.
"Unlike the first two Palestinian uprisings, the proposed Third Intifadah is meant to involve the entire Arab world," Egyptian journalist and political analyst Abdelhalim Kandil told IPS.
It began with the appearance of a Facebook.com page in early March calling for a ‘Third Intifadah’ against the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. The page, reportedly founded by Arab pro- Palestinian groups, set the launch date for May 15 - the day on which hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were driven from their homes in 1948 to make way for the nascent state of Israel....
In the three months since Mubarak’s departure, Egypt has witnessed a spate of marches and protests in front of both Israel’s embassy in Cairo and its consulate in Alexandria, where demonstrators could be seen distributing flyers about the planned event.
The ‘Third Intifadah’ had initially included plans for a protest march to Egypt’s Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip, which has been sealed for the most part since 2007. This plan was abandoned, however, following a promise by Egypt’s SCAF-appointed foreign minister late last month that the crossing would soon be reopened on a permanent basis.
Nevertheless, the Arab Doctors Union plans to dispatch a convoy of Gaza-bound humanitarian aid through the Rafah crossing - scheduled to set out from Tahrir Square on May 15.....
Notably, Palestinian faction Hamas, which governs the strip and espouses a policy of armed resistance to Israel, has not publicly endorsed calls for a ‘Third Intifadah’. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, who heads rival Palestinian faction Fatah and supports a discredited ‘peace process’ with Israel, has voiced downright opposition to the idea....[The Two Are Now Partners in Crime!]
"If the Palestinians stage peaceful protests en masse and persevere despite Israel’s inevitably violent response - and are supported by simultaneous demonstrations in Arab and western capitals - the Israeli occupation’s days may very well be numbered," said Kandil...."
Bahrain: Activist Bears Signs of Abuse
Concerns About Ill-Treatment in Military Court Hearings for 14
Human Rights Watch
May 10, 2011
"(Washington, DC) - A prominent rights activist who was active in Bahrain's pro-democracy street protests appeared before a special military court on May 8, 2011, bearing visible signs of ill-treatment and perhaps torture, Human Rights Watch said today.
The activist, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, was one of 14 defendants, most active with opposition political movements, charged with attempting to "topple the regime forcibly in collaboration with a terrorist organization working for a foreign country." His wife and daughter spoke with him briefly after the court session, the first time they had been allowed to see him since he was arrested and badly beaten on April 9. They observed multiple facial injuries, and he told them he had four fractures on the left side of his face, including one in his jaw that had required four hours of corrective surgery.
"It appears that Abdulhadi al-Khawaja's jailers tortured him during the month they held him in incommunicado detention," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "Torture or ill-treatment is a serious crime, and Bahraini officials who did or authorized this treatment need to be held accountable."
Human Rights Watch has documented the routine use of torture by Bahraini security officials during similar interrogations in political and security-related cases....."
David Frum and the Winds of War
Shocker: noted neocon makes the case for invading Pakistan
by Justin Raimondo, May 11, 2011
".........Frum is not alone in nominating Pakistan for the job: the Obama-ites and the liberal “mainstream” are divided between those who say, sure, the Pakistanis are a bunch of treacherous towel-heads, but we can’t afford to nuke them just yet, and those who want to go after them in some way. Which way it will go remains to be seen: however, that David Frum is among the first to call for Pakistani blood is hardly surprising. The man is a veritable weather vane riding the winds of war, picking up the slightest breeze blowing in the direction of a potential battlefield.
Like vultures circling road-kill, the neocons’ mere presence in the vicinity is enough to tell us where the next carnage will occur. You don’t need to be a prophet to find these things out: you just have to know how to read the signs."
by Justin Raimondo, May 11, 2011
".........Frum is not alone in nominating Pakistan for the job: the Obama-ites and the liberal “mainstream” are divided between those who say, sure, the Pakistanis are a bunch of treacherous towel-heads, but we can’t afford to nuke them just yet, and those who want to go after them in some way. Which way it will go remains to be seen: however, that David Frum is among the first to call for Pakistani blood is hardly surprising. The man is a veritable weather vane riding the winds of war, picking up the slightest breeze blowing in the direction of a potential battlefield.
Like vultures circling road-kill, the neocons’ mere presence in the vicinity is enough to tell us where the next carnage will occur. You don’t need to be a prophet to find these things out: you just have to know how to read the signs."
Video: Syrian amateur video leaks out
The Independent
"Video that purports to show Syrian plain-clothes police officers shoving alleged protesters into a van has been leaked."
"Video that purports to show Syrian plain-clothes police officers shoving alleged protesters into a van has been leaked."
Tony Kushner: an angel in America
Kushner's drama has explored the McCarthyite witchhunts. How ironic that he was persecuted for criticising Israel's government
Amy Goodman
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 11 May 2011
"....I interviewed Tony Kushner soon after he got word that his honorary degree had been restored. He said US policy toward the Middle East "based on rightwing fantasies and theocratic fantasies and scripture-based fantasies of what history and on-the-ground reality is telling us, is catastrophic and is going to lead to the destruction of the state of Israel". He went on:
"These people are not defending it. They're not supporting it. They're, in fact, causing a distortion of US policy regarding Israel and a distortion of the internal politics of Israel itself, because they exert a tremendous influence in Israel and support rightwing politicians who, I think, have led the country into a very dark and dangerous place."
During the McCarthy era, the US was a dark and dangerous place as well. Now, amid the uprisings in the Arab and Muslim world, the recent rapprochement between Fatah and Hamas, and the likely recognition of Palestinian statehood by the United Nations general assembly, there is no more urgent time for vigorous and informed debate....."
Amy Goodman
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 11 May 2011
"....I interviewed Tony Kushner soon after he got word that his honorary degree had been restored. He said US policy toward the Middle East "based on rightwing fantasies and theocratic fantasies and scripture-based fantasies of what history and on-the-ground reality is telling us, is catastrophic and is going to lead to the destruction of the state of Israel". He went on:
"These people are not defending it. They're not supporting it. They're, in fact, causing a distortion of US policy regarding Israel and a distortion of the internal politics of Israel itself, because they exert a tremendous influence in Israel and support rightwing politicians who, I think, have led the country into a very dark and dangerous place."
During the McCarthy era, the US was a dark and dangerous place as well. Now, amid the uprisings in the Arab and Muslim world, the recent rapprochement between Fatah and Hamas, and the likely recognition of Palestinian statehood by the United Nations general assembly, there is no more urgent time for vigorous and informed debate....."
Hamas is Now a Full Partner in the Bankrupt Policy of "Negotiations."
مشعل: "من أجل عيون" الثورة المصرية والمصالحة، سنعطي إسرائيل فرصة سنة
عــ48ــرب ووكالات
"أبدى خالد مشعل، رئيس المكتب السياسي لحركة حماس، استعداد حركته إعطاء اسرائيل مهلة سنة لما وصفه اختبار النوايا، من أجل الاعتراف بالدولة الفلسطينية المستقلة على الأراضي الفلسطينية المحتلة عام 1967.
وقال مشعل: إن "هدفنا إقامة دولة فلسطينية عاصمتها القدس، على حدود 67، واختبرنا إسرائيل عشرات المرات منذ أوسلو، ومدريد، لكن من أجل عيون الثورة المصرية والمصالحة، وحتى لا نعطي إسرائيل أي ذريعة لإفساد المصالحة، فإننا مستعدون أن نعطيها مهلة سنة إضافية لاختبار النوايا".
واستدرك مشعل قائلا: "ولكن ليس معنى ذلك أننا سنعلن الحرب بعد انتهاء هذه السنة، ولكننا سنضيف أوراقا جديدة للمقاومة".
أقوال مشعل جاءت خلال اللقاء الذي جمعه بوفود من شباب الثورة المصرية، التي أطاحت بنظام الرئيس المصري السابق حسني مبارك، جرى بمنزل الاعلامي أحمد منصور، واستمر لعدة ساعات.
ورفض مشعل خلال اللقاء الذي استمر ساعتين، أن يهاجم النظام المصري السابق، فقال: "الرجولة أن تنتقد المرء وهو في سلطته وجبروته، وليس بعد أن يزول عنه ملكه، وللتاريخ، فإن النظام السابق في مصر كانت له إيجابيات في الملف الفلسطيني، وملف المصالحة، ولم تكن كل خطواته سلبية، وجهود مصر في ملف المصالحة كانت ممتدة إلى ما قبل ثورة 25 يناير، ولكن سلبيات النظام المصري السابق كانت تكوينا، ولكن عفا الله عما سلف."
يشار إلى أن مشعل كان قد أكد لصحيفة "وول ستريت جنرال"، التي تصدر في القاهرة الأسبوع الماضي، وجود اتفاق بين حماس وفتح على اختيار الطرق المناسبة للصراع مع إسرائيل، بما فيها العمل العسكري، حيث سيخضع ذلك لقرار مشترك بين فتح وحماس، وباقي التنظيمات على اختيار الأسلوب المناسب للصراع مع إسرائيل.
كما شدد مشعل في لقاء مع "الشرق الأوسط"، أمس، على أهمية وضع استراتيجية عربية فلسطينية شاملة للخروج من حالة الجمود التي تضرب عملية السلام منذ عشرين عاما.
[20 More Years of "Negotiations".....20 More International "Peace" Conferences.....200 New Israeli Colonies......800,000 New Jewish Colonists......1% of Palestine Left.....But Fatah and Hamas Are United and the Palestinians Are Celebrating!]
/عــ48ــرب ووكالات
"أبدى خالد مشعل، رئيس المكتب السياسي لحركة حماس، استعداد حركته إعطاء اسرائيل مهلة سنة لما وصفه اختبار النوايا، من أجل الاعتراف بالدولة الفلسطينية المستقلة على الأراضي الفلسطينية المحتلة عام 1967.
وقال مشعل: إن "هدفنا إقامة دولة فلسطينية عاصمتها القدس، على حدود 67، واختبرنا إسرائيل عشرات المرات منذ أوسلو، ومدريد، لكن من أجل عيون الثورة المصرية والمصالحة، وحتى لا نعطي إسرائيل أي ذريعة لإفساد المصالحة، فإننا مستعدون أن نعطيها مهلة سنة إضافية لاختبار النوايا".
واستدرك مشعل قائلا: "ولكن ليس معنى ذلك أننا سنعلن الحرب بعد انتهاء هذه السنة، ولكننا سنضيف أوراقا جديدة للمقاومة".
أقوال مشعل جاءت خلال اللقاء الذي جمعه بوفود من شباب الثورة المصرية، التي أطاحت بنظام الرئيس المصري السابق حسني مبارك، جرى بمنزل الاعلامي أحمد منصور، واستمر لعدة ساعات.
ورفض مشعل خلال اللقاء الذي استمر ساعتين، أن يهاجم النظام المصري السابق، فقال: "الرجولة أن تنتقد المرء وهو في سلطته وجبروته، وليس بعد أن يزول عنه ملكه، وللتاريخ، فإن النظام السابق في مصر كانت له إيجابيات في الملف الفلسطيني، وملف المصالحة، ولم تكن كل خطواته سلبية، وجهود مصر في ملف المصالحة كانت ممتدة إلى ما قبل ثورة 25 يناير، ولكن سلبيات النظام المصري السابق كانت تكوينا، ولكن عفا الله عما سلف."
يشار إلى أن مشعل كان قد أكد لصحيفة "وول ستريت جنرال"، التي تصدر في القاهرة الأسبوع الماضي، وجود اتفاق بين حماس وفتح على اختيار الطرق المناسبة للصراع مع إسرائيل، بما فيها العمل العسكري، حيث سيخضع ذلك لقرار مشترك بين فتح وحماس، وباقي التنظيمات على اختيار الأسلوب المناسب للصراع مع إسرائيل.
كما شدد مشعل في لقاء مع "الشرق الأوسط"، أمس، على أهمية وضع استراتيجية عربية فلسطينية شاملة للخروج من حالة الجمود التي تضرب عملية السلام منذ عشرين عاما.
[20 More Years of "Negotiations".....20 More International "Peace" Conferences.....200 New Israeli Colonies......800,000 New Jewish Colonists......1% of Palestine Left.....But Fatah and Hamas Are United and the Palestinians Are Celebrating!]
"
The Massacres Erdogan Warned About Are Unfolding: Syrian tanks 'shell district of Homs'
Neighbourhood in restive city "shaking" with explosions from shelling and gunfire, according to rights campaigner.
Al-Jazeera
"Army tanks have shelled a residential district in Homs, according to a rights campaigner in the Syrian city which has emerged as the most populous centre of defiance against Bashar al-Assad's rule.
"Homs is shaking with the sound of explosions from tank shelling and heavy machine guns in the Bab Amro neighbourhood," Najati Tayara, said....
Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretatry general, urged Syria on Wednesday to halt mass arrests of anti-government protesters and to heed calls for reform.
Ban also said that UN humanitarian workers and human rights monitors must be allowed into Deraa, as well as other cities so as to assess the situation and needs of the civilian population.
"I urge president Assad to heed the call of the people for reform and freedom and desist from the mass arrest of peaceful demonstrators, and to cooperate with the human rights monitors," Ban told a news conference in Geneva.
"I am disappointed that the United Nations has not been granted access yet to Deraa and other places," he added.
Speaking to the New York Times, a powerful cousin of the president said the Assad family was not going to capitulate.
"We will sit here. We call it a fight until the end...They should know when we suffer, we will not suffer alone," Rami Makhlouf told the newspaper.
Makhlouf, a tycoon in his early 40s who owns several monopolies, and his brother, a secret police chief, have been under specific US sanctions since 2007 for corruption.
Suhair al-Atassi, a rights campaigner, said a demonstration broke out on Tuesday in Homs, despite a heavy security presence, after tanks stormed several neighbourhoods on Sunday and three civilians were killed.
"This regime is playing a losing card by sending tanks into cities and besieging them. Syrians have seen the blood of their compatriots spilt. They will never return to being non-persons," she told Reuters.
Demonstrators have shouted the name of Makhlouf as a symbol of graft....
Demonstrators in Baniyas had raised posters of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, who has had close ties to Assad, but has disputed the official Syrian account of the violence.
Erdogan said more than 1,000 civilians had died, and he did not want to see a repeat of the 1982 Hama violence or the 1988 gassing of Iraqi Kurds in Halabja, when 5,000 people died....."
Al-Jazeera
"Army tanks have shelled a residential district in Homs, according to a rights campaigner in the Syrian city which has emerged as the most populous centre of defiance against Bashar al-Assad's rule.
"Homs is shaking with the sound of explosions from tank shelling and heavy machine guns in the Bab Amro neighbourhood," Najati Tayara, said....
Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretatry general, urged Syria on Wednesday to halt mass arrests of anti-government protesters and to heed calls for reform.
Ban also said that UN humanitarian workers and human rights monitors must be allowed into Deraa, as well as other cities so as to assess the situation and needs of the civilian population.
"I urge president Assad to heed the call of the people for reform and freedom and desist from the mass arrest of peaceful demonstrators, and to cooperate with the human rights monitors," Ban told a news conference in Geneva.
"I am disappointed that the United Nations has not been granted access yet to Deraa and other places," he added.
Speaking to the New York Times, a powerful cousin of the president said the Assad family was not going to capitulate.
"We will sit here. We call it a fight until the end...They should know when we suffer, we will not suffer alone," Rami Makhlouf told the newspaper.
Makhlouf, a tycoon in his early 40s who owns several monopolies, and his brother, a secret police chief, have been under specific US sanctions since 2007 for corruption.
Suhair al-Atassi, a rights campaigner, said a demonstration broke out on Tuesday in Homs, despite a heavy security presence, after tanks stormed several neighbourhoods on Sunday and three civilians were killed.
"This regime is playing a losing card by sending tanks into cities and besieging them. Syrians have seen the blood of their compatriots spilt. They will never return to being non-persons," she told Reuters.
Demonstrators have shouted the name of Makhlouf as a symbol of graft....
Demonstrators in Baniyas had raised posters of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, who has had close ties to Assad, but has disputed the official Syrian account of the violence.
Erdogan said more than 1,000 civilians had died, and he did not want to see a repeat of the 1982 Hama violence or the 1988 gassing of Iraqi Kurds in Halabja, when 5,000 people died....."
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Ally of Assad Says Syria Will Fight Protests Till ‘the End’
AN IMPORTANT PIECE
By ANTHONY SHADID
N Y Times
Published: May 10, 2011
N Y Times
Published: May 10, 2011
(Scroll down for more new posts)
NOTE:
Reading this interview reminds me so much of the arguments that Gaddafi and his son Saif used before. Namely, if the regime falls, Israel would suffer! Hence, the regime is good for stability and good for Israel. Also the same warnings that "the Salafis would take over." Gaddafi said the same!
"DAMASCUS, Syria — Syria’s ruling elite, a tight-knit circle at the nexus of absolute power, loyalty to family and a visceral instinct for survival, will fight to the end in a struggle that could cast the Middle East into turmoil and even war, warned Syria’s most powerful businessman, a confidant and cousin of President Bashar al-Assad.
The frank comments by Rami Makhlouf, a tycoon who has emerged in the two-month uprising as a lighting rod for anger at the privilege that power brings, offered an exceedingly rare insight into the thinking of an opaque government, the prism through which it sees Syria, and the way it reaches decisions. Beset by the greatest threat to its four decades of rule, the ruling family, he suggested, has conflated its survival with the existence of the minority sect....
“If there is no stability here, there’s no way there will be stability in Israel,” he said in an interview Monday that lasted more than three hours. “No way, and nobody can guarantee what will happen after, God forbid, anything happens to this regime.”.....
His words cast into the starkest terms a sentiment the government has sought to cultivate — us or chaos — and it underlined the tactics of a ruling elite that has manipulated the ups and downs of a tumultuous region to sustain an overriding goal: its own survival.....
“The decision of the government now is that they decided to fight,” Mr. Makhlouf said.....
Mr. Makhlouf’s warnings of instability and sectarian strife like Iraq’s have emerged as the government’s rallying cry, as it deals with a degree of dissent that its officials admit caught them by surprise.....
“We will not go out, leave on our boat, go gambling, you know,” he said at his plush, wood-paneled headquarters in Damascus. “We will sit here. We call it a fight until the end.” He added later, “They should know when we suffer, we will not suffer alone.”.....
More than just an icon of outrage, Mr. Makhlouf represents broader changes afoot in the country. His very wealth points to the shifting constellation of power in Syria, as the old alliance of Sunni Muslim merchants and officers from Mr. Makhlouf’s Alawite clan gives way to descendants of those officers benefiting from lucrative deals made possible by reforms that have dismantled the public sector....
He warned the alternative — led by what he described as Salafists, the government’s name for militant Islamists — would mean war at home and perhaps abroad.
“We won’t accept it,” he said. “People will fight against them. Do you know what this means? It means catastrophe. And we have a lot of fighters.” "
"DAMASCUS, Syria — Syria’s ruling elite, a tight-knit circle at the nexus of absolute power, loyalty to family and a visceral instinct for survival, will fight to the end in a struggle that could cast the Middle East into turmoil and even war, warned Syria’s most powerful businessman, a confidant and cousin of President Bashar al-Assad.
The frank comments by Rami Makhlouf, a tycoon who has emerged in the two-month uprising as a lighting rod for anger at the privilege that power brings, offered an exceedingly rare insight into the thinking of an opaque government, the prism through which it sees Syria, and the way it reaches decisions. Beset by the greatest threat to its four decades of rule, the ruling family, he suggested, has conflated its survival with the existence of the minority sect....
“If there is no stability here, there’s no way there will be stability in Israel,” he said in an interview Monday that lasted more than three hours. “No way, and nobody can guarantee what will happen after, God forbid, anything happens to this regime.”.....
His words cast into the starkest terms a sentiment the government has sought to cultivate — us or chaos — and it underlined the tactics of a ruling elite that has manipulated the ups and downs of a tumultuous region to sustain an overriding goal: its own survival.....
“The decision of the government now is that they decided to fight,” Mr. Makhlouf said.....
Mr. Makhlouf’s warnings of instability and sectarian strife like Iraq’s have emerged as the government’s rallying cry, as it deals with a degree of dissent that its officials admit caught them by surprise.....
“We will not go out, leave on our boat, go gambling, you know,” he said at his plush, wood-paneled headquarters in Damascus. “We will sit here. We call it a fight until the end.” He added later, “They should know when we suffer, we will not suffer alone.”.....
More than just an icon of outrage, Mr. Makhlouf represents broader changes afoot in the country. His very wealth points to the shifting constellation of power in Syria, as the old alliance of Sunni Muslim merchants and officers from Mr. Makhlouf’s Alawite clan gives way to descendants of those officers benefiting from lucrative deals made possible by reforms that have dismantled the public sector....
He warned the alternative — led by what he described as Salafists, the government’s name for militant Islamists — would mean war at home and perhaps abroad.
“We won’t accept it,” he said. “People will fight against them. Do you know what this means? It means catastrophe. And we have a lot of fighters.” "
Saudi Arabia flogs orphan girls
News from the most awful place in the Arab world
Six orphan girls aged between 12 and 18 have been flogged in Saudi Arabia after being convicted of attacking the head of their orphanage, an official has said.
The girls received 10 lashes each at a women's prison in Medina, Islam's second holiest city.
"The order against the six orphans is a legitimate court order," Mohammed al-Awadh, the public relations manager at the ministry of social affairs, told Reuters. "The ministry does not have the right to interfere in a court order."
He gave no details of the ruling, but the Arabic language Okaz newspaper said the girls had been convicted of "acts of mischief" and attacking the director of the orphanage.
The girls defended their actions, saying they were harassed by the director, Okaz reported.
International human rights groups have criticised the Saudi justice system for applying corporal punishment for petty crimes, as well as limb amputations for thieves and beheadings for murderers under its strict interpretation of Islamic law.
Saudi officials say the practice is widely approved by Saudi society and is a deterrent to crime.
أردوغان يحذر من مجازر في سوريا-Video
قلق أممي بعد رفض أعمال الإغاثة
This is a very clear indictment of the Syrian regime and a rebuttal of its lies, by none other than its ally Erdogan!
"حذر رئيس الوزراء التركي رجب طيب أردوغان الثلاثاء من مرحلة قال إنها بدأت الآن في سوريا على غرار ما جرى من قبل في حلبجة العراقية وحماة وحمص السوريتين، في وقت دعت فيه الأمم المتحدة السلطات السورية إلى تحديد موعد فوري لدخول البعثة الإنسانية للمدن السورية المحاصرة.
وقال أردوغان -في حديث للقناة السابعة الإخبارية التركية- إن من الخطأ أن يقوم نظام بإطلاق الرصاص على أبناء شعبه، مبديا قلقه من تجاوز عدد القتلى في سوريا الألف.
وأضاف أنه لا يريد أن يرى تكرار أعمال العنف التي وقعت في حماة سنة 1982، أو قتل الأكراد العراقيين بالغاز في حلبجة عام 1988 عندما لقي 5000 شخص حتفهم.
قلق أممي
في غضون ذلك، عبرت الأمم المتحدة عن قلقها بشأن رفض السلطات السورية حتى الآن السماح بوصول وكالات الإغاثة الإنسانية إلى درعا ومدن محاصرة أخرى، داعية إلى تحديد موعد فوري لدخول البعثة الإنسانية.
وقالت مسؤولة الشؤون الإنسانية بالأمم المتحدة فاليري أموس إنها قلقة بخصوص عدم القدرة على الوصول إلى اللاذقية وجبلة وبانياس ودوما، فضلا عن مدينة درعا التي تشهد حصارا شديدا منذ أسابيع.
وأضافت أموس في بيان أنه "برغم الطلبات المتكررة المقدمة للسلطات السورية للسماح بالوصول، ومن بينها طلب من الأمين العام للأمم المتحدة، لم تتمكن البعثة المقترحة إلى درعا يوم الأحد الثامن من مايو/أيار من الانطلاق".
وذكرت أن الهدف الأساسي للبعثة هو تقييم الوضع بشكل مستقل ووضع خطة للاستجابة إذا لزم الأمر.
وتابعت مسؤولة الشؤون الإنسانية بالأمم المتحدة أن "ما يبعث على القلق بشكل خاص هو توارد أنباء تؤكد أن كثيرا من الجرحى لا يطلبون العلاج في المستشفيات خوفا من التعرض للانتقام".
وقالت مديرة مركز الأمم المتحدة للإعلام في القاهرة خولة مطر في مقابلة مع الجزيرة إن الوضع في سوريا بحاجة أيضا إلى بعثة لتقصي الحقائق المرتبطة بالانتهاكات
...."
This is a very clear indictment of the Syrian regime and a rebuttal of its lies, by none other than its ally Erdogan!
"حذر رئيس الوزراء التركي رجب طيب أردوغان الثلاثاء من مرحلة قال إنها بدأت الآن في سوريا على غرار ما جرى من قبل في حلبجة العراقية وحماة وحمص السوريتين، في وقت دعت فيه الأمم المتحدة السلطات السورية إلى تحديد موعد فوري لدخول البعثة الإنسانية للمدن السورية المحاصرة.
وقال أردوغان -في حديث للقناة السابعة الإخبارية التركية- إن من الخطأ أن يقوم نظام بإطلاق الرصاص على أبناء شعبه، مبديا قلقه من تجاوز عدد القتلى في سوريا الألف.
وأضاف أنه لا يريد أن يرى تكرار أعمال العنف التي وقعت في حماة سنة 1982، أو قتل الأكراد العراقيين بالغاز في حلبجة عام 1988 عندما لقي 5000 شخص حتفهم.
قلق أممي
في غضون ذلك، عبرت الأمم المتحدة عن قلقها بشأن رفض السلطات السورية حتى الآن السماح بوصول وكالات الإغاثة الإنسانية إلى درعا ومدن محاصرة أخرى، داعية إلى تحديد موعد فوري لدخول البعثة الإنسانية.
وقالت مسؤولة الشؤون الإنسانية بالأمم المتحدة فاليري أموس إنها قلقة بخصوص عدم القدرة على الوصول إلى اللاذقية وجبلة وبانياس ودوما، فضلا عن مدينة درعا التي تشهد حصارا شديدا منذ أسابيع.
وأضافت أموس في بيان أنه "برغم الطلبات المتكررة المقدمة للسلطات السورية للسماح بالوصول، ومن بينها طلب من الأمين العام للأمم المتحدة، لم تتمكن البعثة المقترحة إلى درعا يوم الأحد الثامن من مايو/أيار من الانطلاق".
وذكرت أن الهدف الأساسي للبعثة هو تقييم الوضع بشكل مستقل ووضع خطة للاستجابة إذا لزم الأمر.
وتابعت مسؤولة الشؤون الإنسانية بالأمم المتحدة أن "ما يبعث على القلق بشكل خاص هو توارد أنباء تؤكد أن كثيرا من الجرحى لا يطلبون العلاج في المستشفيات خوفا من التعرض للانتقام".
وقالت مديرة مركز الأمم المتحدة للإعلام في القاهرة خولة مطر في مقابلة مع الجزيرة إن الوضع في سوريا بحاجة أيضا إلى بعثة لتقصي الحقائق المرتبطة بالانتهاكات
...."
Despite the sanctions, Assad sends troops into the villages
The death toll from the insurrection, which began in mid-March after protests in Deraa, now stands at 757, with 9,000 people who have been arrested still in custody
By Khalid Ali
The Independent
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
"The Syrian regime continued its brutal wave of repression yesterday as it sent troops into southern villages around the trouble-hit city of Deraa in spite of EU sanctions announced earlier this week, which targeted top Baathist officials.
Shooting was heard as the army moved in on the five villages in the early hours of yesterday, though no casualties were reported....
The sanctions come as one Syrian human rights group said the death toll from the insurrection, which began to gather momentum in mid-March after protests in Deraa, now stood at 757. The National Organisation for Human Rights in Syria also said 9,000 people who had been arrested were still in custody. The Independent has also learned that there are now plans by prominent activists inside and outside Syria to issue a declaration within a matter of weeks to establish what has been described as a "shadow government".
A document, being circulated among academics, religious leaders and opposition political figures, is calling for the creation of a Syrian "national council" to devise a blueprint for a post-Baathist state.
Ausama Monajed, a London-based spokesman for the National Initiative for Change, an opposition umbrella group, said: "We plan to get hundreds of people to sign the document. It is a vision for the transitional period."
According to Wissam Tarif, executive of the Spain-based Syrian rights organisation Insan, the declaration would provide a "road map" for the kind of political system which might follow the regime of Bashar al-Assad, who has been in power since 2000 and who took control after his father died following 30 years in power.
"What they are doing is very important," he said. "They are trying to figure out what might happen next."
Activists have not decided where the declaration will be made, but it is likely to happen in a neighbour of Syria, such as Turkey or Jordan....."
By Khalid Ali
The Independent
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
"The Syrian regime continued its brutal wave of repression yesterday as it sent troops into southern villages around the trouble-hit city of Deraa in spite of EU sanctions announced earlier this week, which targeted top Baathist officials.
Shooting was heard as the army moved in on the five villages in the early hours of yesterday, though no casualties were reported....
The sanctions come as one Syrian human rights group said the death toll from the insurrection, which began to gather momentum in mid-March after protests in Deraa, now stood at 757. The National Organisation for Human Rights in Syria also said 9,000 people who had been arrested were still in custody. The Independent has also learned that there are now plans by prominent activists inside and outside Syria to issue a declaration within a matter of weeks to establish what has been described as a "shadow government".
A document, being circulated among academics, religious leaders and opposition political figures, is calling for the creation of a Syrian "national council" to devise a blueprint for a post-Baathist state.
Ausama Monajed, a London-based spokesman for the National Initiative for Change, an opposition umbrella group, said: "We plan to get hundreds of people to sign the document. It is a vision for the transitional period."
According to Wissam Tarif, executive of the Spain-based Syrian rights organisation Insan, the declaration would provide a "road map" for the kind of political system which might follow the regime of Bashar al-Assad, who has been in power since 2000 and who took control after his father died following 30 years in power.
"What they are doing is very important," he said. "They are trying to figure out what might happen next."
Activists have not decided where the declaration will be made, but it is likely to happen in a neighbour of Syria, such as Turkey or Jordan....."
A Sample of Fresh Videos From Inside Syria, Documenting Protests Against the Bloody Regime, May 10, 2011.
شام جاسم مظاهرات أسبوع التحدي قبيل الاقتحام 10 5 ج1
شام - جاسم - مظاهرات أسبوع التحدي قبيل الاقتحام 10-5 ج2
شام - حمص - حي القصور - مظاهرة التحدي يوم 10-5 ج1
شام - حمص - حي القصور - مظاهرة التحدي يوم 10-5 ج3
شام - جاسم - مظاهرات أسبوع التحدي قبيل الاقتحام 10-5 ج2
شام - حمص - حي القصور - مظاهرة التحدي يوم 10-5 ج1
شام - حمص - حي القصور - مظاهرة التحدي يوم 10-5 ج3
رامي مخلوف وتصريحاته المفاجئة
رامي مخلوف وتصريحاته المفاجئة
رأي القدس
"فاجأنا السيد رامي مخلوف رجل الاعمال السوري، وابن خال الرئيس بشار الاسد بالتصريحات التي ادلى بها الى صحيفة 'نيويورك تايمز'، وقال فيها انه 'لن يكون هناك استقرار في اسرائيل اذا لم يكن هناك استقرار في سورية'.
مصدر المفاجأة ان مثل هذا الربط، الذي لجأ الى مثله العقيد الليبي معمر القذافي، لا يمكن ان يخدم النظام السوري الذي يفترض ان ينتمي اليه السيد مخلوف، وجرى وضعه على رأس قائمة العقوبات الامريكية المفروضة على مجموعة من المسؤولين السوريين المتهمين بلعب دور كبير في تنفيذ سياسة القمع الدموي التي استخدمت لمواجهة الانتفاضة السورية.
الورقة الاقوى في يد السلطات السورية كانت تتمثل في كونها دولة ممانعة تدعم المقاومة في كل من لبنان وفلسطين، وتتصدى للمشروع الاستيطاني التوسعي الاسرائيلي، ومثل هذه التصريحات ربما تخدم الكثيرين الذين يشككون في هذا الطرح، وتضعف الكثيرين في المقابل الذين يدافعون عن سورية بحماسة بسبب هذا الطرح ايضاً.
استقرار سورية لا يمكن ان يكون مرتبطاً باستقرار اسرائيل، بل هو نقيضه تماماً، لان اسرائيل التي تحتل الاراضي العربية، وبما فيها هضبة الجولان السورية، والمقدسات الاسلامية والمسيحية في القدس المحتلة يجب ان لا تنعم بالامن والاستقرار، سواء استقرت سورية او لم تستقر، واذا كان هناك تهديد للاستقرار والامن السوريين فهو يأتي من اسرائيل نفسها، ومؤامراتها، وليس من ابناء الشعب السوري الذين يمارسون حقهم الطبيعي في المطالبة بالاصلاح الديمقراطي، وما يتفرع عنه من حريات، وشفافية واحترام لحقوق الانسان والقضاء العادل المستقل.
فالاسرائيليون هم الذين اغاروا على المفاعل النووي الوليد قرب دير الزور، وهم الذين اغتالوا الشهيد عماد مغنية قائد الجناح العسكري لحزب الله، واللواء محمد سليمان احد ابرز العقول السورية الامنية والشخص الذي قيل انه يقف خلف الطموحات السورية النووية. ولا ننسى الغارات الاسرائيلية على منطقة عين الصاحب تحت ذريعة وجود قاعدة لتدريب قوات المقاومة، والامثلة في هذا المضمار عديدة لا يتسع المجال لذكرها جميعاً.
الغرب عادى ويعادي سورية، ويفرض الحصار عليها لانها رفضت مشاريع الهيمنة الامريكية في المنطقة، والغزو الامريكي للعراق وغضت النظر عن توجه المقاومين عبر حدودها الى العراق المحتل، مثلما دعمت حزب الله في لبنان في مواجهة العدوان الاسرائيلي صيف عام 2006.
ان يدافع السيد مخلوف عن النظام الذي فتح امامه ابواب الرزق حتى كون ثروته الهائلة، فهذا امر منطقي ومتوقع، لكن ان يقع في الخطأ نفسه الذي وقع فيه الزعيم الليبي معمر القذافي حتى لو كان ذلك من خلال زلة لسان، او لعدم التبصر بالامر، نتيجة لعدم الخبرة في السياسة، فهذا امر ربما تترتب عليه عواقب غير محمودة، خاصة اذا جاء هذا الربط غير الموفق بين الاستقرارين السوري والاسرائيلي مرفوقاً بالعزم على مواصلة الحرب ضد ابناء الشعب السوري المنتفضين من اجل الحرية والعدالة والاصلاحات الديمقراطية.
"
رأي القدس
"فاجأنا السيد رامي مخلوف رجل الاعمال السوري، وابن خال الرئيس بشار الاسد بالتصريحات التي ادلى بها الى صحيفة 'نيويورك تايمز'، وقال فيها انه 'لن يكون هناك استقرار في اسرائيل اذا لم يكن هناك استقرار في سورية'.
مصدر المفاجأة ان مثل هذا الربط، الذي لجأ الى مثله العقيد الليبي معمر القذافي، لا يمكن ان يخدم النظام السوري الذي يفترض ان ينتمي اليه السيد مخلوف، وجرى وضعه على رأس قائمة العقوبات الامريكية المفروضة على مجموعة من المسؤولين السوريين المتهمين بلعب دور كبير في تنفيذ سياسة القمع الدموي التي استخدمت لمواجهة الانتفاضة السورية.
الورقة الاقوى في يد السلطات السورية كانت تتمثل في كونها دولة ممانعة تدعم المقاومة في كل من لبنان وفلسطين، وتتصدى للمشروع الاستيطاني التوسعي الاسرائيلي، ومثل هذه التصريحات ربما تخدم الكثيرين الذين يشككون في هذا الطرح، وتضعف الكثيرين في المقابل الذين يدافعون عن سورية بحماسة بسبب هذا الطرح ايضاً.
استقرار سورية لا يمكن ان يكون مرتبطاً باستقرار اسرائيل، بل هو نقيضه تماماً، لان اسرائيل التي تحتل الاراضي العربية، وبما فيها هضبة الجولان السورية، والمقدسات الاسلامية والمسيحية في القدس المحتلة يجب ان لا تنعم بالامن والاستقرار، سواء استقرت سورية او لم تستقر، واذا كان هناك تهديد للاستقرار والامن السوريين فهو يأتي من اسرائيل نفسها، ومؤامراتها، وليس من ابناء الشعب السوري الذين يمارسون حقهم الطبيعي في المطالبة بالاصلاح الديمقراطي، وما يتفرع عنه من حريات، وشفافية واحترام لحقوق الانسان والقضاء العادل المستقل.
فالاسرائيليون هم الذين اغاروا على المفاعل النووي الوليد قرب دير الزور، وهم الذين اغتالوا الشهيد عماد مغنية قائد الجناح العسكري لحزب الله، واللواء محمد سليمان احد ابرز العقول السورية الامنية والشخص الذي قيل انه يقف خلف الطموحات السورية النووية. ولا ننسى الغارات الاسرائيلية على منطقة عين الصاحب تحت ذريعة وجود قاعدة لتدريب قوات المقاومة، والامثلة في هذا المضمار عديدة لا يتسع المجال لذكرها جميعاً.
الغرب عادى ويعادي سورية، ويفرض الحصار عليها لانها رفضت مشاريع الهيمنة الامريكية في المنطقة، والغزو الامريكي للعراق وغضت النظر عن توجه المقاومين عبر حدودها الى العراق المحتل، مثلما دعمت حزب الله في لبنان في مواجهة العدوان الاسرائيلي صيف عام 2006.
ان يدافع السيد مخلوف عن النظام الذي فتح امامه ابواب الرزق حتى كون ثروته الهائلة، فهذا امر منطقي ومتوقع، لكن ان يقع في الخطأ نفسه الذي وقع فيه الزعيم الليبي معمر القذافي حتى لو كان ذلك من خلال زلة لسان، او لعدم التبصر بالامر، نتيجة لعدم الخبرة في السياسة، فهذا امر ربما تترتب عليه عواقب غير محمودة، خاصة اذا جاء هذا الربط غير الموفق بين الاستقرارين السوري والاسرائيلي مرفوقاً بالعزم على مواصلة الحرب ضد ابناء الشعب السوري المنتفضين من اجل الحرية والعدالة والاصلاحات الديمقراطية.
"
Real News Video: Sectarian Conflict in Egypt
Samer Shehata: Salafists' attacks on Coptic Christians opposed by vast majority
Military-Salafi relations in Egypt raise questions
Al-Masry Al-Youm
Via Angry Arab
"In recent decades, the term "Salafi" has been used to label groups that advocate a literal reading of Islam and seek to revive the lifestyle of the Salafor early Muslims. In Egypt, Salafism is more a school of thought, rather than an organization with a hierarchy. The roots of the school can be found in Saudi Wahhabism, which first emerged in the 18th century in the Arabian Peninsula. Since the 1970s, Saudi Arabia has been spreading such fundamentalist ideas in Egypt by exporting radical books and financing certain Salafi activities. Egyptians working in the Gulf and then returning to Egypt have also helped to spread such views. Under Mubarak, Salafis generally kept a low profile and remained out of politics, although they were used by the former regime to counter the Muslim Brotherhood. During the 25 January revolution, Salafi scholars denounced protests as un-Islamic and warned Muslim youths against engaging in the uprising, but the hard-line Muslims became visible once Mubarak and his security apparatus fell. They were emboldened to stage more protests along sectarian lines. Some went further, announcing the formation of political parties to compete in the parliamentary elections slated for September. Some observers allege that the sudden emergence of Salafis is orchestrated by Saudi Arabia, which seeks to abort the Egyptian revolution for fear that the same revolutionary model would be reproduced on its soil. Younis expects that after the Imbaba incident, the army will deal a blow to such radical groups. However, he voiced fears that giving the military a free hand in uprooting Salafis might threaten the prospects for a transition to civil democratic rule..."
Via Angry Arab
"In recent decades, the term "Salafi" has been used to label groups that advocate a literal reading of Islam and seek to revive the lifestyle of the Salafor early Muslims. In Egypt, Salafism is more a school of thought, rather than an organization with a hierarchy. The roots of the school can be found in Saudi Wahhabism, which first emerged in the 18th century in the Arabian Peninsula. Since the 1970s, Saudi Arabia has been spreading such fundamentalist ideas in Egypt by exporting radical books and financing certain Salafi activities. Egyptians working in the Gulf and then returning to Egypt have also helped to spread such views. Under Mubarak, Salafis generally kept a low profile and remained out of politics, although they were used by the former regime to counter the Muslim Brotherhood. During the 25 January revolution, Salafi scholars denounced protests as un-Islamic and warned Muslim youths against engaging in the uprising, but the hard-line Muslims became visible once Mubarak and his security apparatus fell. They were emboldened to stage more protests along sectarian lines. Some went further, announcing the formation of political parties to compete in the parliamentary elections slated for September. Some observers allege that the sudden emergence of Salafis is orchestrated by Saudi Arabia, which seeks to abort the Egyptian revolution for fear that the same revolutionary model would be reproduced on its soil. Younis expects that after the Imbaba incident, the army will deal a blow to such radical groups. However, he voiced fears that giving the military a free hand in uprooting Salafis might threaten the prospects for a transition to civil democratic rule..."
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