Why I think Obama is already retreating from his White House iftar speech

By Ali Abunimah

"Thanks to all who engaged with me via Twitter regarding President Obama's speech at the White House iftar last night. Many have welcomed this as the president at long last doing the "right thing." I am less than persuaded, and I do believe we are already seeing the president on the defensive and on the retreat. This should worry us....

Given that it has apparently taken Obama less than 24 hours to retreat from his relatively mild and obvious statements last night, forgive me if I am underwhelmed by what came out of the president's mouth after weeks as a bystander to very ugly, escalating and spreading racism. It's even worse than that -- just a few days ago, the White House actually said that the anti-Muslim incitement in this country is within the bounds of reasonable discourse and was not "dangerous." I beg to differ. It is dangerous and if people do not stand up to it I fear that there will be more violence targeting Muslims, such as the bombing of a mosque in Florida a few months ago.

Muslims may have the legal freedom to exercise their religion in the US -- and they do despite increasing efforts to use laws and regulations to prevent the building of mosques -- but what is that freedom worth if they live in a climate of increasing fear, vilification and hatred?"

Real News Video: COLOMBIA AND VENEZUELA MAKE PEACE

Forrest Hylton: Is Colombia's new leader stepping back from U.S. plan to isolate Chavez?

Saudi to spend $60 Billion on oppressing their own people

WASHINGTON—The Obama administration plans to include attack helicopters in an expanded arms package for Saudi Arabia, swelling the size of the proposed deal to as much as $60 billion over 10 years, according to officials familiar with the matter.

The deal would be the largest overseas U.S. arms sale, the officials said, though the size could change as the package is finalized, one official said.

View Full Image

Reuters

A proposed U.S. arms sale to Saudi Arabia would include about 70 UH-60 Black Hawk attack helicopters, shown in Iraq in November 2009. The deal would also include up to 60 Longbow Apache attack helicopters.

Negotiated largely in secret because of the sensitivities in the region, the sale is part of a strategy spearheaded by the George W. Bush administration and expanded by President Barack Obama to beef up the militaries of Arab allies as a counterweight to Iran. Saudi Arabia, home to the birthplace of Islam, claims leadership of the Sunni world, making it a rival of Iran, which is predominantly Shia.

The size and scope of the Saudi deal has stoked concerns in Israel that Washington risks undercutting Jerusalem's military edge. Officials said some weapons systems strongly opposed by the Jewish states won't be included in the package, assuaging some of the Jewish state's concerns.

Israel considers Iran its archenemy but also views Saudi Arabia as a potential future threat to the Jewish state. Israeli and Saudi embassy officials in Washington had no immediate comment on the proposed helicopter sales.

New details about the deal include plans to sell the Saudis about 70 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and up to 60 Longbow Apache attack helicopters together worth about $30 billion. That comes on top of a previously disclosed $30 billion tranche that includes 84 Boeing Co. F-15s and upgrades to older fighters in the Saudis fleet.

Officials said the Saudi F-15s wouldn't be equipped with so-called standoff systems, advanced long-range weapons that can be attached to the fighter for use in offensive operations against land- and sea-based targets. Giving standoff systems to the Saudis would have crossed Israel's red line, an official in the region said. [it is getting harder and harder to believe that the US controls Israel and not the other way around.]

هكذا تدعم السلطة الفلسطينية جهود اللوبي الصهيوني

خالد بركات

Arabs48

"قرأت تصريحات إعلامية للصديق العزيز نعيم جناح، نشرها موقع "الجزيرة نت"، في 13 آب/ أغسطس الجاري، وهو يعلن فيها عن إدانته للسفير الفلسطيني في جنوب إفريقيا السيد علي حليمة بسبب مشاركة الأخير في لقاء مع منظمات صهيونية وعنصرية.

واعتبر جناح أن ما يقوم به السفير الفلسطيني في جنوب إفريقيا "يوفر فرصة ذهبية" للمنظمات الصهيونية المعادية للفلسطينيين وحقوقهم. وكذلك ذهبت الناشطة كيك جوزيف في ذات الاتجاه واعتبرت مشاركة السفير الفلسطيني تجاوزا لمعايير المقاطعة لدولة الاحتلال.

الصديق نعيم جناح، ليس من مخيم جباليا للاجئين الفلسطينيين في قطاع غزة، ولا هو لاجئ فلسطيني في مخيم عين الحلوة بلبنان، ولا هو مقاتل من "سرايا القدس" أو قيادي في حزب الله. نعيم جناح ناشط ومناضل من جنوب إفريقيا، ينتمي لعائلة فقيرة ذاقت طعم الاضطهاد ومرارة العيش تحت النظام العنصري. وزار نعيم عشرات الجامعات والمعاهد الأمريكية والكندية في مطلع العام 2002 وحاضر حول سياسات الكيان الإسرائيلي العنصري وجرائمه بحق الشعب الفلسطيني. وإذا طلب منه أحد الحضور عقد مقارنة بين ما يجري في فلسطين المحتلة وبين الواقع الذي كان قائماً في جنوب إفريقيا إبان نظام الفصل العنصري، يرد بالقول الصريح، ودون تلعثم "أنا لم أرى نظاماً أسوأ من الاحتلال الإسرائيلي العنصري في فلسطين، لا يوجد دولة أو كيان يشبه إسرائيل".

أسس نعيم ورفاقه سليم فالي ولبني نادفي ونتاشا فالي وغيرهم مجموعة "التضامن مع فلسطين في جنوب أفريقيا"، وهي منظمة ناشطة في البلاد، تتعاون مع مختلف أطياف العمل السياسي التقدمي وتقوم بدور هام مع القوى الشعبية والنقابية، خصوصا في المساجد والمدارس، كما تتمتع بعلاقات وثيقة مع كونغرس النقابات العمالية ( كوساتو) ومع المنظمات الإسلامية في جنوب إفريقيا.

ينتمي جناح إلى عدد من الهيئات والمنظمات الحقوقية، ويقضي جل وقته في تبيان خطر الحركة الصهيونية، ويحرص على القول، في نهاية كل محاضرة وندوة: "ما جري في وطني من جرائم واضطهاد لا يرقى إلى مستوى ما يجري اليوم من جرائم إسرائيلية بحق الشعب الفلسطيني. لقد قتلت الشرطة العنصرية شقيقي الأصغر، لكن عائلتي لم تخف أن تأتي الحكومة العنصرية وتهدم بيتنا وتعتقل والدي وتهجرنا وتمنعنا من السفر، كما يحدث الآن في فلسطين المحتلة".

بدل أن يكون سفير السلطة الفلسطينية في جنوب إفريقيا قائدا للجالية ورمزاً لحركة التضامن مع الشعب الفلسطيني، يحشد الرأي العام في جنوب إفريقيا لصالح شعبه وقضيته العادلة، ويتعاون مع القوى التقدمية واللجان التي يمثلها نعيم جناح ورفاقه، بدل أن يفعل ذلك، يختار السفير حليمة أن يكون أداة الجريمة وخنجر السم في ظهر شعبه وظهر حركة التضامن في آن واحد. فالذي يتآمر على شعبه، سوف يتآمر على الجميع. هكذا يدمر سفراء السلطة الفلسطينية في الخارج ما يبنيه شعبنا في فلسطين بصموده، وما تشييده جهود الفلسطينيين وقوى التضامن الدولية في المنافي. هذا السفير يختار عن وعي أن يكون هيكلاً لا يرى ولا يسمع، وبلا ضمير.

تطعن السلطة الفلسطينية كل ما هو نبيل ويمكنه أن يضئ بقعة من العتمة في مشهد النضال الوطني الفلسطيني، تخرب عن قصد ما تحققه الحركة الشعبية الفلسطينية وتحاول السلطة "فرملة" الدعوات والحملات الشعبية لمقاطعة وعزل إسرائيل. خصوصا في المدن والمواقع المؤثرة في العالم. تنشط السلطة في لندن، وترسل مبعوثيها لوقف مقاطعة المؤسسات الأكاديمية الإسرائيلية، وفي تورنتو ونيويورك وجوهانسبورغ ودبلن وبروكسل، الخ، عملية تخريب وتآمر، هذا هو دورها في الخارج، ليس الدفاع عن حق العودة ولا حماية التجمعات الشعبية الفلسطينية وحقوقها، بل الدفاع عن علاقتها الذيلية مع الحركة الصهيونية وأقطابها.

لم لا ؟ فالسفير – الموظف - يفعل ما يأمره رئيسه، فهو القدوة والأب والنموذج والمثل، أليس كذلك؟ وقد التقى مع أركان العنصرية الصهيونية في العاصمة واشنطن، ولا يترك مناسبة إلا ويدعو فيها العرب والعجم للتطبيع مع الصهاينة وزيارتنا في القدس الشريف! كأنه مسموح له أن يخطو فيها! نعم، وتريد السلطة الفلسطينية أن تقنعنا بأن اللوبي الصهيوني في العالم يتحول على يدها السحرية إلى حركة للتضامن مع ( السلطة) الفلسطينية! ويذهب رئيس السلطة إلى أن "بعض اليهود كانوا يبكون ونحن نشرح لهم (!)، وصاروا يفهموا موقفنا أكثر".

بالله عليكم، من أقرب إلى فلسطين وشعبها؟ من يحمي حقوق الفلسطينيين ويؤتمن عليها أكثر؟ المناضل نعيم جناح، أم سفير السلطة الفلسطينية في جنوب إفريقيا؟"

Ramadan Mubarak, by Emad Hajjaj

John Bolton: Russia's Loading of Nuke Fuel Into Iran Plant Means Aug. 21 Deadline for Israeli Attack

"News that Russia will load nuclear fuel rods into an Iranian reactor has touched off a countdown to a point of no return, a deadline by which Israel would have to launch an attack on Iran's Bushehr reactor before it becomes effectively "immune" to any assault, says former Bush administration U.N. Ambassador John R. Bolton.

Once the fuel rods are loaded, Bolton told Fox News on Friday afternoon, "it makes it essentially immune from attack by Israel. Because once the rods are in the reactor an attack on the reactor risks spreading radiation in the air, and perhaps into the water of the Persian Gulf."

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin declared in March that Russia would start the Bushehr reactor this summer. But the announcement from a spokesman for Russia's state atomic agency to Reuters Friday sent international diplomats scrambling to head off a crisis.

The story immediately became front-page news in Israel, which has laid precise plans to carry out an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities while going along with President Obama's plans to use international sanctions and diplomatic persuasion to convince Iran's clerics not to go nuclear.

Bolton made it clear that it is widely assumed that any Israeli attack on the Bushehr reactor must take place before the reactor is loaded with fuel rods......"

Spare us the Ramadan greetings

Quiz time! On August 12, 2010 United Voices for America, through its president and founder Ahmad Bedier, issued to American Muslims an urgent call to action. Guess what it concerned:

A) Protest against the US occupation of majority Muslim populations in Afghanistan and Iraq

B) Mobilize for economic, cultural and academic boycotts of “Israel”

C) Organize a campaign to deliver direly needed humanitarian assistance to Gaza

D) Direct all Ramadan donations to devastated flood victims in Pakistan

E) Write a letter to congressperson or senator urging the cessation of hostilities the US and Israel commit towards Muslims

F) Thank Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton for issuing Ramadan greetings.

While answer E would’ve been laughable, it is not nearly as appalling as the correct answer, F.

The UVA’s call to action encourages Muslims to “take a few seconds to send a quick email to the Obama administration and The Speaker of the House thanking them for respecting and celebrating our pluralistic American Values.” To ensure maximum Muslim participation, the UVA even provides a convenient online form for people to instantly send their heartfelt appreciation.

It is hard to imagine that Mr. Bedeir, a self-proclaimed “expert on Islam, media relations, human rights, hate crimes and the Mideast,” is unaware of the following easily searchable information:

“Since Obama took office, according to the AP, the number of drones operated by the CIA over Afghanistan and Pakistan doubled. A May 2010 report quoted unnamed counterterrorism officials who speculated that the Obama administration’s closure of the secret CIA interrogation centers and intent to close the Guantanamo Bay prison was a direct influence on the expansion of the drone assassinations. According to the officials, the killings are necessary because there is no longer any place to put captured terrorists… Pakistan has repeatedly protested these attacks as they are an infringement of its sovereignty and because civilian deaths have also resulted, including women and children, which has further angered the Pakistani government and people”

Comment by Tony:

"....Since Obama took office, according to the AP, the number of drones operated by the CIA over Afghanistan and Pakistan doubled." That is true, but the drones Obama sends over Muslims are different as can be seen below:

'Bushehr plant to come online Aug 21'

Press TV

COMMENT:

It remains to be seen if this will be the case. The Russians have postponed this event several times before.

If USrael is going to bomb this facility, which is right across from Kuwait, that has to take place before the fuel rods are in place. Otherwise, the radiation risk after the bombing will be too great.

Stay tuned, but I smell something fishy!

"Iran's long-delayed first nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr will come online next week, a spokesman for the Russian atomic agency says.

"The fuel will be charged in the reactor on August 21. From this moment, Bushehr will be considered a nuclear installation," AFP reported Rosatom spokesman Sergei Novikov as saying on Friday.

"This can be considered as the physical launch," he went on to say.

Iranian officials say they have already completed the principal tests for the plant in preparations for the inauguration expected earlier to take place no later than September.

Western corporations began the construction of the Bushehr facility in the 1970s. However, following the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, the Western companies reneged on their commitments and pulled out of the project due to political pressure from Washington.

Iran then turned to Russia to complete the project. In 1992, Tehran and Moscow signed a deal to complete the construction of the nuclear power plant.

The Bushehr plant was originally scheduled to be completed in 1999, but its start-up has been repeatedly delayed.

Moscow said earlier this year that the plant would come online before the Iranian New Year, which occurs on March 21, 2010. "

Towards a World War III Scenario? The Role of Israel in Triggering an Attack on Iran

Part II The Military Road Map

To consult Part I of this essay click below
Preparing for World War III, Targeting Iran Part I: Global Warfare

AN IMPORTANT FEATURE ARTICLE

by Michel Chossudovsky
Global Research

"The stockpiling and deployment of advanced weapons systems directed against Iran started in the immediate wake of the 2003 bombing and invasion of Iraq. From the outset, these war plans were led by the US, in liaison with NATO and Israel.

Following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Bush administration identified Iran and Syria as the next stage of “the road map to war”. US military sources intimated that an aerial attack on Iran could involve a large scale deployment comparable to the US "shock and awe" bombing raids on Iraq in March 2003......

Tactical Nuclear Weapons directed against Iran

Confirmed by military documents as well as official statements, both the US and Israel contemplate the use of nuclear weapons directed against Iran. In 2006, U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) announced it had achieved an operational capability for rapidly striking targets around the globe using nuclear or conventional weapons. This announcement was made after the conduct of military simulations pertaining to a US led nuclear attack against a fictional country. (David Ruppe, Preemptive Nuclear War in a State of Readiness: U.S. Command Declares Global Strike Capability, Global Security Newswire, December 2, 2005)....."

Israel apparently blocks hilarious "Internet killed Israeli PR" YouTube video. Watch It.

By Ali Abunimah

"Israel appears to have banned access to the hilarious song and video "Internet killed Israeli PR" by MDT (Minor Demographic Threat) which makes fun of Israel's shoddy hasbara (propaganda) after its attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in which it killed 9 peace activists and injured dozens of others.

After receiving an initial report that the video could not be viewed in Israel, I asked a contact there to check and he replied that when he attempted to view it on YouTube: "This video is not available in your country due to terms of use violation." The screenshot below sent by http://twitter.com/AbuKedem shows what happens when someone in Israel tries to view the video....

Note: Israelis may be able to view the video here on dailymotion (Thanks http://twitter.com/ddemchuk.

I know that it was posted here before, but here it is again:

A Neocon Preps US for War with Iran

A VERY GOOD PIECE
by Ray McGovern, August 13, 2010

"I guess I was naïve in thinking that The Atlantic and its American-Israeli writer Jeffrey Goldberg might shy away from arguing for yet another war — this one with Iran — while the cauldrons are still boiling in Afghanistan and Iraq.

It’s worth remembering how Goldberg helped to make the case for the U.S. invasion of Iraq. For instance, on Oct. 3, 2002, as America’s war fever was building, Goldberg wrote in Slate, the online magazine:

"The [Bush] administration is planning … to launch what many people would undoubtedly call a short-sighted and inexcusable act of aggression. In five years, however, I believe that the coming invasion of Iraq will be remembered as an act of profound morality."

Looking back on Goldberg’s commentaries at the time, it’s also a reminder of how many U.S. publications that are considered centrist or even liberal were bending over backward to get in line with that coming invasion....

Pitching for War

Goldberg’s mission this time? Pitching war with Iran.

This time, Goldberg and the Israelis want us to buy into a syllogism without a valid major premise. Their argument presupposes that Iran has made the decision to develop nuclear weapons and is hard at work on such a program, which is what they want Americans to believe whether there’s evidence or not.....

Folks like Jeffrey Goldberg refer casually, but intentionally, to "Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons."

The neocons seem to be as strong now as under George W. Bush, with their Real-Men-Go-to-Tehran-type macho undiminished.

Can integrity trump macho this time? Without a strong man at the helm in the intelligence community, it will be very difficult. And the administration let drop months ago that this time the key judgments of the Memorandum to Holders will not be made public.

Meanwhile, Goldberg and his neocon colleague flacks are trying to create as much pressure as they can on Obama to produce a scarier Estimate … or to delay the one in progress sine die.

The outlook would seem even bleaker were it not for the availability of WikiLeaks and other non-FCM news outlets that would be ready and willing to publish documents about what is actually going on behind the scenes.

It would seem a safe bet that there are enough folks with access to the Memorandum to Holders drafts to recognize swiftly any attempt to corrupt honest judgments....."

Poll Shows Rising Public Opposition to Afghan War

(Click on cartoon by Khalil Bendib to enlarge.)

Americans Generally Disapprove of Obama's Handling of the Afghan War

Antiwar.com

"A new NBC/Wall Street Journal Survey (PDF) shows a public growing increasingly pessimistic about the Obama Administration’s handling of a number of issues, including a major rise in opposition to the Afghan War.

Confidence is now plummeting, with 68% saying they feel “less confidence” about whether the war will reach a successful conclusion. Perhaps even more importantly, for the first time yet, the poll shows, the American public generally disapproves of the president’s handling of the Afghan War. The 44%-45% opposition was a stark drop in popularity of the war from five months ago, when they generally approved 53%-35%....."

We are wrong about being wrong

If we want to face up to our mistakes, then we need to change the way we think about them. Error is an essential step in the process of finding the right answer

By Johann Hari
The Independent

"....We all have a weird and paradoxical relationship with our mistakes. We can see that everyone around us makes errors all the time – yet we are always astonished when it turns out we are getting things wrong too. It's because, deep down, we see being wrong as shameful proof that we've been sloppy, or stupid. This belief pervades our culture: we applaud the public figures who "stay the course", even if it's wrong, and boo the ones who admit a mistake and "U-turn" or "flip-flop". But what if – apologies for the irony landslide here – we are wrong in the whole way we think about being wrong?....

So the meaningful question about any human being isn't: does he get things wrong? With these limitations, we will all make big mistakes. The real question is: does he take the time to understand his mistakes and learn from them? But you can only do this regularly if you know how to think about mistakes in a healthy way.....

There are a few areas of human life where people have found a way to do this. Revealingly, they are the areas that make things work better than any other – the sciences....It's not that scientists have less ego than the rest of us, or feel less sting when they are proven wrong. It's that they have developed rigorous techniques for constantly checking their claims against the evidence, and ruthlessly hunting out their errors and figuring out what they mean.....

You will get something wrong today, and tomorrow, and every day of your life. So will I, and everybody you know. You don't have a choice about being wrong sometimes: mistakes will be your life-long companion. But you do have a choice about whether to approach your error in terror so you suppress, ignore and repeat it – or to make it your honest, open ally in trying to get to the truth."

What do Arabs really think about Iran?

"Arab governments have been basking in the glow of all the attention focused on them recently in relation to their concerns about Iran. It seems that hardly a day goes by without some new article touting Arab government support for a U.S. attack on Iran, the latest by Jeffrey Goldberg in his new Atlantic piece. For governments which have been literally begging the United States to end Israel's occupation of Palestinian and Syrian territory in exchange for full normalization with Israel, having your opinion being considered on something - on anything - by the policy elite in the United States should be cause for celebration. Unfortunately, the glow is turning to sunburn as all the latest hype on Arab support for a U.S. attack on Iran misses the true nature of Arab government concerns about Iran's regional dominance.

There are three points to remember concerning Arab - Iranian relations:

* Arab governments seek a "balance of forces" in the region - not regional conflagration.
* Arab governments and the Arab publics tend to be in slightly different places on concern about Iran and entirely in the same place in their concern about Israel's continued occupations of Arab territory.
* A U.S. war with Iran which would have disastrous consequences for Israel and the United States, would only be that much more destabilizing to the current security of pro-U.S. Arab regimes.

Amjad Atallah

150 Irish creative and performing artists pledge to boycott apartheid Israel

Thursday 12th August: Launch of IPSC "Irish artists' pledge to boycott Israel"

[9th August] The Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) has drawn up the following pledge, signed by over 130 Irish creative and performing artists, whereby they undertake to boycott the Israeli state under present circumstances:

"In response to the call from Palestinian civil society for a cultural boycott of Israel, we pledge not to avail of any invitation to perform or exhibit in Israel, nor to accept any funding from any institution linked to the government of Israel, until such time as Israel complies with international law and universal principles of human rights."

This pledge will be launched in Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, this Thursday 12th August at 1pm in the presence of a number of the signatories and IPSC Cultural Boycott Officer Raymond Deane, himself a composer.

Described by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) as "a ground-breaking initiative", this pledge has so far been signed by over 130 Irish creative and performing artists: novelists, playwrights, poets, actors, composers, singers, dancers, painters, sculptors and filmmakers, ranging from those starting out on their careers to such household names as Christy Moore, Damien Dempsey, Donal Lunny, Robert Ballagh, John Arden, Seamus Deane, Bob Quinn, and Sinéad Cusack.

Read more

Israel response to convoy attack 'typical'

Press TV

A Good Interview
With Ramzy Baroud

"Ramzy Baroud, a Palestinian-American journalist and author of acclaimed books such as My Father Was a Freedom Fighter, joined Press TV for a phone interview on Wednesday.

Professor Noam Chomsky has lauded his analytical and researching skills and insight into the region, especially as the Editor-in-Chief of the Palestine Chronicle.

Press TV: Thank you Mr. Baroud for joining us. Israeli army chief Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi said today that IDF soldiers were justified in shooting nine activists on board the Turkish flagship of Freedom Flotilla. He even commended them for showing restraint and morality. What is your take on the remarks?

Mr. Baroud: Well, my take on this is that this is very much a typical Israeli response to any sort of atrocity that they commit. In fact, if you go back to recent history, after the massacre in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank in 2002, this is in fact exactly what they said.

In fact it was Ashkenazi himself who said that we behaved as the most moral army in the world. After the massacre of civilians in Gaza, this is the term that they also used, with the exact terminology. So it is pretty much predictable. You can always be assured that Israelis are going to commit crimes and that that they will always investigate their crimes, to say that we are a democracy and we do investigate our own actions.

And they always absolve themselves, and they are always behaving morally. So there is absolutely nothing surprising about this whatsoever.

The antagonizing part is that they get away with murder and they get away with that explanation and all the time and there is very little that the international community is doing in response......"

Pakistan and the Taliban

What They've Been Up to is No Secret

By TARIQ ALI
CounterPunch

"....Meanwhile all sides know full well what the Pakistan army has been doing with various Taliban factions since Afghanistan was occupied nearly nine years ago. Three years ago a US intelligence agent was shot dead by a Pakistani soldier at such talks – as reported in the Pakistani press. A source close to the Pakistani military told me last year in Islamabad that US intelligence agents were present at recent talks between the ISI and the insurgents. No reason for anybody to be surprised. The cause, too, is clear. The war cannot be won.

It's hardly a secret that Pakistan never totally abandoned the Taliban after 9/11. How could they? It was Islamabad that had organised the Taliban's retreat from Kabul so that the US and its allies could take the country without a fight. The Pakistani generals advised their Afghan friends to bide their time.

As the war in Afghanistan deteriorated, the insurgency grew. It was the social chaos and the political corruption of Hamid Karzai's outfit that made a foreign occupation even worse in the eyes of many Afghans, bringing a new generation of Pashtuns into battle – young men who had not been part of the displaced regime. It is this neo-Taliban that has effectively organised the spread of resistance, which as the IED diagram revealed by WikiLeaks showed, extends to virtually every part of the country.....

This can only get worse. Time for Obama to abandon all pretences used to justify a war that can only lead to more deaths but no solution. An exit strategy is now desperately needed."

Al-Jazeera Video: Banned Pakistani group's relief work hailed

"While the Pakistani government's response to the humanitarian crisis caused by devastating floods has been criticised, local charity organisations and religious groups are earning praise from the public for their efforts.

A group that has been gaining popularity for their relief work in recent days is Jamaat-ud-Dawa, an Islamic group banned by the government.

Jamaat-ud-Dawa has been accused of being a front group for Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is believed to be behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

The charity group is also seen as promoting a strict interpretation of Islam, which is at odds with the secular government of Pakistan.

Al Jazeera's Bernard Smith reports from Swat Valley in northern Pakistan."

Internet Killed Israeli PR

Why are the Israelis Telling Their ‘Secret’ Iran Attack Plans to Jeffrey Goldberg?

By Tony Karon

"The first question to ask when considering how seriously to take Jeffrey Goldberg’s latest alarmist screed about Israel gearing up to attack Iran, is “Why do people talk to Jeffrey Goldberg?”

In the course of an Atlantic Monthly cover story that veers all over the place but whose intended message is that if President Obama won’t bomb Iran, then Israel will — and that everyone will be better off if the U.S. does the job because it can do it so much better — Goldberg describes conversations with 40 leading decision makers in Israel, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And all of them pretty much tell him the same thing; that Israel will give the Obama Administration’s sanctions until the end of this year to demonstrate results in forcing Iran’s surrender on the nuclear question, after which the Israelis will take matters into their own hands, launching an air strike on Iranian nuclear facilities without getting Washington’s go-ahead — because most of Israel’s key decision makers doubt whether Obama is willing to launch another war in the Middle East.

Goldberg, an early enthusiast for invading Iraq, also describes a White House meeting at which Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel appears to have convened the likes of Dennis Ross, Dennis McDonough and pretty much all of the President’s top national security advisers, all for the purpose of persuading a columnist from the Atlantic Monthly that Obama is, in fact, acting tough on Iran.

And the answer in both cases, is that people use Jeffrey Goldberg to send messages....."

White House Questions Suspension of Military Aid to Lebanon

By Eli Clifton

"WASHINGTON, Aug 11, 2010 (IPS) - Several powerful members of Congress have worked to suspend U.S. military aid to Lebanon's military after a deadly skirmish on the Lebanese-Israeli border last week which left two Lebanese soldiers, a Lebanese journalist and one Israeli officer dead.

Howard Berman, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced Monday that he had suspended U.S. military aid for Lebanon out of concern that weapons purchased with U.S. military aid might be used against Israel.....


Juan Cole, a Middle East expert and University of Michigan professor, wrote on his blog that ending U.S. military aid to Lebanon will result in a weaker Lebanese army, a stronger Hezbollah, weaker government control over the Shiite dominated south, and an increased Lebanese government dependency on Tehran.

"In contrast, if the US helps quietly build up the Lebanese armed forces, at some point they will naturally overshadow Hizbullah. It is not desirable that the army be positioned as anti-Hizbullah nor that it take on the militia militarily. But in the medium term, a strong army would just be able better to assert its prerogatives. And it is better if that army is close to NATO powers, not to Iran," concluded Cole....."

Iraqi Puppet Performs His Assigned Role and Earns His Keep: Iraqi army not ready to take over until 2020, says country's top general

Lieutenant General Babakir Zebari calls for US army to stay beyond Obama's 2011 deadline for complete withdrawal

The Guardian

"The Iraqi army is not ready to take over responsibility from the Americans, its most senior general has warned, as the White House insists the US army is on course to end its combat role in the country by the end of this month.

Lieutenant General Babakir Zebari told a defence conference in Baghdad that the Iraqi army would be unable to cope without backing from US forces.

He suggested the Iraqi army would be incapable of assuming control for another decade [or until oil runs out.]....."

Hillary’s Enemies List

by Philip Giraldi, August 12, 2010

"Some might recall the enemies list that President Richard Nixon kept in his desk. The list was appended to a memo that asked "how we can use the available federal machinery to screw our political enemies?" Named were a number of journalists who had criticized Nixon’s administration as well as celebrities like actors Gregory Peck and Paul Newman and athletes like Joe Namath. Nixon was clearly on to something because in today’s America we have a new enemies list, one that is updated annually to make sure that nary a single malefactor is overlooked. It is the US State Department’s Country Reports on Terrorism, which was unveiled last week in its 2009 version at a briefing conducted by Ambassador Daniel Benjamin, Foggy Bottom’s Coordinator for Counterterrorism.

There is, of course, an American fixation with compiling lists and making numeric assessments of things that are not amenable to such analysis....

As a compendium of useless and heavily politicized information, the State Department annual Country Reports on Terrorism reign supreme, so why compile it at all? Well, Congress has mandated the nice glossy annual document that confirms all of its preconceptions and one also supposes that Ambassador Daniel Benjamin needs a job that keeps both him and his staff employed and out of mischief. Plus it enables Hillary to talk tough and it also is another building block in the case being made to attack Iran and to keep groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Iranian Rev Guards beyond the pale. If anyone is curious, precisely how many Americans have Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Iranians killed in the past eight years? The answer is "none.""

If only America understood Judt

By Rupert Cornwell
The Independent

"....But I'll miss him most of all as the wisest student and interpreter of contemporary Europe on this side of the Atlantic – perhaps on either side.

That, it should be said, is not how he was primarily seen here. Judt was best known for his criticism of Israel's policies and his quarrels with the American Jewish committee....Judt's unique value lay in his ability to explain, and more recently subtly promote, Europe in a land where it is largely derided. But circumstances, above all economic circumstances, are forcing a change in the debate. And Judt, I suspect, will soon be seen as a prophet....

....I've spent the best part of the past two decades in the US. Never have I been more pessimistic about America's prospects. Some argue that Europe must become more "American" if it is to survive and punch its weight in the changing 21st-century world order. Never have I been more convinced that it is America that must move, and towards a more egalitarian European model, where the role of government is stronger, if it is to flourish as in the past.

As both the deficit and unemployment grow unchecked, as double-dip recession looms, and as America's safety net for its most vulnerable citizens seems ever more threadbare, some at least are coming to think that way. Naturally the patriotic drumbeat continues, and not only from conservatives who believe the answer to every problem is a cut in capital gains tax. America, we are constantly reminded, remains the land of unfettered opportunity, the best place to live on Earth.

But tell that to the country's battered "middle class" (about 80 per cent of the population)....."

Besieging Israel's siege

In just a few years the Palestinian campaign to boycott Israeli goods has become truly global

Omar Barghouti
The Guardian, Thursday 12 August 2010

"Despite Israel's siege of Gaza, and the escalating displacement in the Negev and East Jerusalem, Palestinians have some reason to celebrate. In Washington a food co-op has passed a resolution calling for a boycott of Israeli products, confirming that the boycott movement – five years old last month – has finally crossed the Atlantic. Support for the move came from prominent figures including Nobel peace laureates Desmond Tutu and Máiread Maguire, and Richard Falk, the UN's special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories.

The movement for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel was launched in 2005, a year after the international court of justice had found Israel's wall and colonies built on occupied Palestinian territory illegal. Over 170 Palestinian political parties, unions, mass movements and NGOs endorsed the movement, which is led by the BNC, a coalition of civil society organisations....

Boycott from Within, a significant protest movement in Israel today, was formed in 2009 adopting the Palestinian BDS call.

A bill that would impose heavy fines on Israelis who initiate or incite boycotts against Israel has recently passed an initial reading at the Knesset. This underlines Israel's fears of the global reach and impact of BDS as a non-violent, morally consistent campaign for justice. In many ways, it confirms that the Palestinian "South Africa moment" has arrived."

Lebanon defiant over US aid freeze

Al-Jazeera

"The Lebanese defence minister has said that the country will refuse military assistance from the US should any aid come with conditions that weapons not be used against Israel.

The comments from Elias Murr were made on Wednesday, after it was revealed that $100 million in US military assistance to Lebanon had been suspended last week.......

"If someone would like to help the army without restrictions or conditions, he is welcome," Murr said.

"But those who want to help the army on condition that it doesn't protect its territory, people and border from Israel, should keep their money - or give it to Israel instead," Murr said.

"We will confront [Israel] with the capabilities that we have."...."

مسرحية الازمة المالية لتبرير التنازلات

مسرحية الازمة المالية لتبرير التنازلات
رأي القدس

"تستضيف القاهرة اليوم قمة ثلاثية بقيادة الرئيس المصري حسني مبارك، ومشاركة كل من العاهل الاردني الملك عبدالله الثاني والرئيس الفلسطيني محمود عباس، لبحث عملية السلام والضغوط الامريكية المكثفة لاستئناف مفاوضات مباشرة بين الفلسطينيين والاسرائيليين.
الرئيس الاسرائيلي شمعون بيريس اقترح عقد هذه المفاوضات في بلغاريا التي يزور عاصمتها صوفيا حاليا، وقال ان حكومته مستعدة للمشاركة فيها باسرع وقت ممكن، ولكن الطرف الفلسطيني ما زال يتحدث عن ضرورة تحقيق شروط ثلاثة، او احدها قبل ان يقبل بالعودة الى المفاوضات، اولها تحديد مرجعية وسقف زمني لها، واصدار اللجنة الرباعية بيانا يؤكد على خريطة الطريق وموقفها من العملية السلمية واهدافها، وتقديم الولايات المتحدة ضمانات مكتوبة حول الدولة الفلسطينية المستقلة وحدودها.
جميع هذه الشروط قوبلت بالرفض حسبما ورد على لسان الدكتور صائب عريقات كبير المفاوضين، والاكثر من ذلك ان الجانبين الامريكي والاسرائيلي رفضا اقتراحا فلسطينيا بعقد لقاء ثلاثي امريكي ـ فلسطيني ـ اسرائيلي على مستوى الفنيين للبحث والاتفاق حول طبيعة المفاوضات، والقضايا التي من المفترض ان تتناولها.
الرئيس مبارك يساند فكرة العودة الى المفاوضات انطلاقا من نظريته التي تمسك بها دائما، بضرورة التعامل بايجابية مع اي مقترحات امريكية لابعاد شبهة تعطيل المفاوضات عن الجانب العربي، واعفاء اسرائيل من اي مسؤولية في افشالها، ولذلك من المتوقع ان يوفر غطاء جديدا للرئيس الفلسطيني وسلطته للتجاوب بايجابية مع المطالب والمقترحات التي حملها الى رام الله المبعوث الامريكي السناتور جورج ميتشل بشأن استئناف المفاوضات المباشرة.
الرئيس الفلسطيني في حاجة ماسة الى هذا الغطاء من الدولة العربية الاكبر، لانه بدأ فعلا يمهد لخيار العودة الى المفاوضات المباشرة دون ان تلبي اسرائيل ايا من شروطه من خلال تسريب انباء متعمدة عن ضخامة الضغوط الامريكية عليه شخصيا لاسقاط هذه الشروط.
ففي لقاء مع رجال الصحافة الفلسطينية اشتكى الرئيس عباس مر الشكوى من هذه الضغوط، وعجز السلطة عن دفع رواتب حوالي 160 الف موظف مسجلين في دفاترها، وقال انه لن يقدم على حل السلطة مثلما يطالبه الكثير من السياسيين والكتاب بسبب فشل العملية السلمية، ولكن استمرار الضغوط الامريكية، وعدم تقديم الاموال اللازمة للسلطة لتلبية احتياجاتها المالية، سيؤديان حتما الى انهيار السلطة.
الرسالة التي يريد الرئيس عباس ارسالها الى ابناء الضفة وقطاع غزة، والمعتاشين على اموال السلطة على وجه الخصوص، تفيد بانه لن يدفع لهم الرواتب اذا لم يذهب الى المفاوضات المباشرة التي تحظى بمعارضة شبه اجماعية من قبل الفلسطينيين في الوطن والشتات.
المسرحية مكشوفة، ففي كل مرة تتعرض فيها السلطة الى ضغوط امريكية تفتعل الازمة المالية، وعدم القدرة على دفع الرواتب من اجل تبرير تجاوبها مع هذه الضغوط، والتراجع عن مواقف اتخذتها تتماشى مع الحد الادنى من مطالبها في عملية السلام.
قبل العودة الى المفاوضات غير المباشرة اطلق الدكتور سلام فياض تصريحات تؤكد عدم القدرة على تسديد رواتب الموظفين، وجرى تأخير دفع هذه الرواتب لبضعة اسابيع بشكل متعمد للتأكيد على ان الازمة حقيقية، واليوم يؤكد الرئيس الفلسطيني ان الدول العربية لم تسدد ما هو مطلوب منها من مساعدات، وهذا ما يفسر تأخر تسديد الرواتب قبل حلول شهر رمضان.
السلطة ستعود الى المفاوضات المباشرة وبشروط نتنياهو كاملة، وستسدد الرواتب فورا، فالنضال الفلسطيني اصبح في مفهوم بعض رجالات السلطة نضالا من اجل تسديد الرواتب، اما الثوابت الفلسطينية فلتذهب الى الجحيم.
"

Brazil will back Iran sanctions

Al-Jazeera

"Brazil's president has signed a decree stating his country will abide by United Nations sanctions against Iran even though it had worked to avoid them.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the president, signed the decree "because there is a tradition of carrying out [UN] Security Council resolutions, including those we don't agree with," Celso Amorim, the foreign minister, told reporters.

The decision to take the formal step of signing a decree also comes after Iran last week dismissed a Brazilian offerto give asylum to an Iranian woman who has been sentenced to death by stoning for adultery.

"There seems to be a change of mood between Brazil and Iran in recent weeks," Al Jazeera's Nazanine Moshiri reported from Tehran....."

Castro: Nuclear sage or siren?

AN IMPORTANT ARTICLE

By Kaveh L Afrasiabi
Asia Times

""If there's an attack on Iran by Israel and the US, there's no way to prevent it from becoming a nuclear war." - Former Cuban president Fidel Castro....

Is this baseless paranoia or a tissue of political realism? An examination of the potential "worst-case scenario" in a future US-Iran and or US+Israel versus Iran conflict favors Castro's dire warning, for the following reasons.

First, the US now has a new nuclear posture that leaves the door open for a nuclear offensive.....

Second, in being open to possibly using nuclear weapons against a perceived "rogue state" such as Iran, the US government is likely to tap into its arsenal of tactical or "smart" nukes that are carried on US warships, submarines and bombers. The "bunker-buster" nuclear missiles can be unleashed under the excuse of a lack of an alternative to get to Iran's underground inventory of weapons of mass destruction......

A third reason why Castro may be correct in his prediction that any conflict with Iran will degenerate into a nuclear one is that the US is overstretched in two wars and has numerous other commitments around the world and, as a result, is incapable of sustaining a protracted war with Iran.....

The fourth reason why a flare-up between Iran and US may turn nuclear is that a war with Iran may actually go badly for the US and/or Israel initially.....

Fifth, Israel, which has several hundred nuclear warheads, may unpack some of its hitherto clandestine nuclear power against Iran to defeat Iran militarily and thus acquire unchallenged hegemony in the region.

Sixth, Castro's premonition about the nuclear potential of any military conflict between the US and Israel against Iran must be drawn from Castro's long military career and his keen knowledge of the spiraling dynamic of an unpredictable asymmetrical warfare that could be brought to stable conclusion by resorting to nuclear weapons. Such a strategy may assure that the defeated Iranians would not dare continue with a clandestine nuclear program....."

The US Arms Bonanza in the Middle East

Israel and Saudi Arabia [the Silent Alliance?] to Buy Advanced War Planes

By JONATHAN COOK
CounterPunch

"...But, according to the reports, the US has offered Israeli firms defence contracts worth $4bn to supply parts for the F-35 -- a deal some Israeli analysts believe is designed to buy Israel’s silence over the Saudi deal and ensure it gets through the US Congress.

It is one of the largest such deals in Israel’s history and it would offset much of the cost to Israel of buying its first batch of F-35s....

Analysts said the joint strengthening of the Saudi Arabian and Israeli militaries was seen as a key regional interest for the US, given the belief in Washington that Iran is seeking to develop a nuclear warhead and is rapidly amassing a large arsenal of missiles.....

However, some analysts have questioned the wisdom of the US arms sales.

Trita Parsi, an analyst at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington and an expert on Israeli-Iranian relations, said it was a “misguided policy” aimed at keeping Tehran “isolated and subdued”.

“All that is achieved by heavily arming Arab states and Israel is to increase Iran’s sense of insecurity and therefore make the region less secure,” he said....."

Al-Jazeera Video: Inside Story - Evidence or speculation?

"Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's leader, reveals footage to support his claim that Israel was involved in the killing of Rafiq al-Hariri. But has Nasrallah convinced anyone at all?"

Hamas creates volunteer program for Gaza's idle youth

Rami Almeghari writing from occupied Gaza Strip, Live from Palestine, 10 August 2010

"Israel's siege has had a disproportionate effect on Gaza's youth. Over half of the Gaza Strip's 1.5 million residents are under the age of 18, and thousands of young Gazans are unemployed. Hamas authorities in Gaza recently announced a voluntary employment program for Palestinian youth to get involved in their communities....

"We have noticed that the energy of Gaza's youth is being depleted by useless things, so we thought that their energy should be directed into useful activities. Hopefully by allowing those youth to work for the various security bodies for a period of six to twelve months, youth will be able to serve their community," explained Ihab al-Ghussein, the spokesperson for the Hamas-run interior ministry in Gaza....

Al-Ghussein said that the "voluntary draft" [Hey, that is an idea Obama should consider to solve the problem of manpower shortage in the US military!] would not create a financial burden for Hamas. Although he admitted that there would be "some financial responsibility," al-Ghussein explained that the youth volunteers would be "engaged in community service tasks, rather than actual security work."....."

Ramadan Kareem From Palestine

I wish you a blessed Ramadan, I hope Allah answers your Tarawee7 prayers.

Amira Hass does it again

Children in the West Bank throw stones at army vehicles and Israeli cars, mainly those belonging to settlers. That is the undeniable truth. Throwing stones is the classic way of telling the occupier, who is armed from head to toe, that he has forced himself on the occupied. Sometimes it's part of a sweeping resistance movement, sometimes it's a ceremonial remnant of such a movement, not devoid of braggadocio and adolescent boredom, while also a reminder to adults not to adapt.

The armed occupier bellows that this is violence, an offense just a step away from firearms. The violence of the occupier is the norm that no one questions, so much so that it becomes invisible. Only the response to that norm is presented and perceived as criminal, and the occupying nation wallows pleasurably in its eternal victimhood to justify its violent actions.

Smearing Bradley Manning

Bottom-feeders in thrall to the Pentagon target WikiLeaks

by Justin Raimondo, August 11, 2010

"....But that was just the beginning of the effort to discredit a very brave and idealistic young man: next came a flurry of purely speculative articles in which the writers went after Manning’s alleged sexuality. A number of "gay" web sites — one called, appropriately enough, "Queerty" — asserted that Manning is a "transsexual"....

What is clear to me is this: there is a coordinated campaign to defame both Assange and Manning, and I have no doubt the US government is directly involved in this effort. Just as they tried to destroy Dan Ellsberg, so they are unleashing their agents (paid and volunteer) on these two very brave people. They want to divert attention away from the content of what is being exposed, and direct it back on the whistleblowers: they don’t want people debating the wisdom of the Afghan occupation, they would much rather talk about Assange’s journalistic credentials and Manning’s sex life.

It won’t work. The American people are waking up, and the online antiwar community is a major factor in this awakening – perhaps it is the major factor, at this point. And I would point out to Moynihan that "achieving justice" – with or without scare quotes – is not entirely incompatible with reputable journalism, although it is apparently not a factor in his own career as a scribbler. To each their own. "

The Permanent War System Rolls On

Serial Denial on Iraq and Afghanistan

by Gareth Porter, August 11, 2010

"Two months ago, I wrote that the Obama administration and the U.S. command in Afghanistan faced an "Iraq 2006 moment" in the second half of 2010 – a collapse of domestic political support for a failed war paralleling the political crisis in Bush’s Iraq War in 2006. Now comes Republican Congressman Frank Wolf to make that parallel with 2006 eerily precise.

Wolf published a letter to President Obama last week calling for the immediate establishment of an "Afghanistan-Pakistan Study Group." It would be the son of the Iraq Study Group.......

In his latest book, Washington Rules, historian Andrew Bacevich points to this largely un-discussed aspect of recent U.S. wars. The "Washington rules" to which the title refers are the basic principles of U.S. global policy that have been required beliefs for entrance into the U.S. political elite ever since the United States became a superpower. The three rules are U.S. global military presence, global projection of U.S. military power and the use of that power in one conflict after another. ....."