Latuff: I created this cartoon with the assistance of a kind Palestinian girl called Yasmine. Take a look at her blog: http://sileas.wordpress.com
Thank you, Yasmine. I love you and your people.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Latuff: I Can't Hear You!
Latuff: I created this cartoon with the assistance of a kind Palestinian girl called Yasmine. Take a look at her blog: http://sileas.wordpress.com
Thank you, Yasmine. I love you and your people.
The Factory Of Lies Working Overtime
Framing Iran and Hamas:
DEBKAfile Exclusive: Iranian officers take command of Palestinian Gaza missile front. But Olmert ties IDF to pinpoint fire on missile crews after two Sderot schoolboys seriously hurt
".......Our military sources report that the IDF does not accept the Iran-sponsored Jihad Islami’s claim to have shot the missile which wounded the schoolboys because since Monday, Dec. 25, two changes were detected in the Palestinian offensive: A new type of homemade missile called Al Buraq 2 (after the Western Wall Jewish shrine in Jerusalem), and a new unit, calling itself the Mujahiddin Brigades, identified by military experts as the first Palestinian terrorist unit set up by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ al Quds Brigades.
This group’s first action was to fire the new missiles at Kibbutz Nahal Oz Monday. They were diagnosed at first as mortars, but the fragments did not match any ordnance seen before. It was then discovered that the Mujahiddin Brigades units - consisting of Hamas, Jihad Islami, Fatah-al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and Popular Resistance Committees operatives - are commanded by an Iranian Revolutionary Guards officer.
Such direct Iranian command of front-line Palestinian missile units is another innovation; it did not occur even on the Hizballah side of the of July-August Lebanon war.
Monday, too, the Americans disclosed the capture in Baghdad of Iranian officers, members of the same RG al Quds Brigades, on another front line: against Iraqi and coalition forces. It looks as though the Islamic Republic has gone into action in Iraq and Gaza in reprisal for the tepid sanctions the UN Security Council imposed Saturday, Dec. 23, for its continuing pursuit of uranium enrichment. "
DEBKAfile Exclusive: Iranian officers take command of Palestinian Gaza missile front. But Olmert ties IDF to pinpoint fire on missile crews after two Sderot schoolboys seriously hurt
".......Our military sources report that the IDF does not accept the Iran-sponsored Jihad Islami’s claim to have shot the missile which wounded the schoolboys because since Monday, Dec. 25, two changes were detected in the Palestinian offensive: A new type of homemade missile called Al Buraq 2 (after the Western Wall Jewish shrine in Jerusalem), and a new unit, calling itself the Mujahiddin Brigades, identified by military experts as the first Palestinian terrorist unit set up by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ al Quds Brigades.
This group’s first action was to fire the new missiles at Kibbutz Nahal Oz Monday. They were diagnosed at first as mortars, but the fragments did not match any ordnance seen before. It was then discovered that the Mujahiddin Brigades units - consisting of Hamas, Jihad Islami, Fatah-al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and Popular Resistance Committees operatives - are commanded by an Iranian Revolutionary Guards officer.
Such direct Iranian command of front-line Palestinian missile units is another innovation; it did not occur even on the Hizballah side of the of July-August Lebanon war.
Monday, too, the Americans disclosed the capture in Baghdad of Iranian officers, members of the same RG al Quds Brigades, on another front line: against Iraqi and coalition forces. It looks as though the Islamic Republic has gone into action in Iraq and Gaza in reprisal for the tepid sanctions the UN Security Council imposed Saturday, Dec. 23, for its continuing pursuit of uranium enrichment. "
We All Want to Live!
Samah Idriss, Al-Adab Magazine. Translation by Tadmaon!, 27 December 2006
Electronic Lebanon
"........"We want to live!" This is what president Siniora says, repeating the slogans posted on bulletin boards across the capital these days. Those promoting the new slogan may be no different from those who, after the end of the Syrian tutelage, promoted the slogan "Independence 05" followed, a few months later, by the slogan "Dependence 06", mocking and ridiculing the first! We, of course, want to live like Siniora wants. But, "free and dignified" living has to include everyone: our captives in the jails of occupation that have sacrificed for us, our people in the South dwelling amid daily Israeli violations and in the danger that one of the one million two hundred thousand cluster bomblets dropped by Israel during the last hours before the cease-fire could explode in the face of their sons and daughters. Free and dignified living should include the poor and dispossessed, low-income employees and the victims of Hariri’s "reconstruction"— most people neither benefited from his upscale Solidère or from his luxurious airport. "We want to live" should include, as well, the more than three hundred thousand Palestinians who, in the camps of misery, are simply not "living". And, by the way, only one thing "lives" better now than at anytime in the past: the banks!"
Egyptian FM: We appreciate Israeli restraint
Arab Puppets Lining Up To Kiss Olmert's Ass
PM's office says Aboul Gheit welcomes Israeli efforts to strengthen PA moderates. Olmert to meet Mubarak next week in Egypt
"Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit expressed his country's appreciation of Israel's policy of restraint and efforts to empower moderates in the Palestinian Authority, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said in a statement issued following the meeting held between the two leaders earlier Wednesday in Jerusalem.
According to the statement Olmert and Aboul Gheit spoke of the continuous ceasefire breaches and their implications. The PM explained the complexity of the situation due to incessant rocket attacks against Israel throughout the ceasefire and Israel's need to preserve the lives of its citizens.
The two also spoke of Olmert's upcoming meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and general Mideast developments. Olmert also stressed the importance of preventing arms smuggling across the Egypt-Gaza border."
The new refugees
By Amira Hass
"Until Enaya Samara, who has been living in forced exile for the past eight months returns to her village near Ramallah, and until Someida Abbas, who was banished from his home 10 months ago accompanies his children to kindergarten again, it will not be possible to believe the defense establishment's promise to change its policy. So long as American, Brazilian and German citizens whose name is not Cohen but Abdullah, are refused entry at the borders, we will know that the policy is still in effect - the policy of causing tens of thousands of Palestinian families to break up, or to leave their homes and emigrate. This is not a new policy in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Since 1967, Israel has been carrying out demographic manipulations which should actually be called expulsion. Military edicts have caused some 100,000 people to lose their status as permanent residents in the occupied territories and to remain exiles in the countries to which they went to study or work. These manipulations have turned 240,000 people who were born in the West bank and Gaza and left the territories because of the 1967 war, and another 60,000 who were abroad when it broke out, to become new refugees......
......More than ever before, the Israeli system today denies the fact that it is repression and discrimination, an integral part of every occupation, that create the security threat. The most it is prepared to do is make "improvements" and mete out "favors," but it will not recognize rights. "
"Until Enaya Samara, who has been living in forced exile for the past eight months returns to her village near Ramallah, and until Someida Abbas, who was banished from his home 10 months ago accompanies his children to kindergarten again, it will not be possible to believe the defense establishment's promise to change its policy. So long as American, Brazilian and German citizens whose name is not Cohen but Abdullah, are refused entry at the borders, we will know that the policy is still in effect - the policy of causing tens of thousands of Palestinian families to break up, or to leave their homes and emigrate. This is not a new policy in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Since 1967, Israel has been carrying out demographic manipulations which should actually be called expulsion. Military edicts have caused some 100,000 people to lose their status as permanent residents in the occupied territories and to remain exiles in the countries to which they went to study or work. These manipulations have turned 240,000 people who were born in the West bank and Gaza and left the territories because of the 1967 war, and another 60,000 who were abroad when it broke out, to become new refugees......
......More than ever before, the Israeli system today denies the fact that it is repression and discrimination, an integral part of every occupation, that create the security threat. The most it is prepared to do is make "improvements" and mete out "favors," but it will not recognize rights. "
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Israel's Generous Gift To Its "Partner" Abbas
Israel breaks promise to U.S. with settlement
West Bank housing for settlers ousted from Gaza approved despite pledge
"JERUSALEM - Israel has approved a new settlement in the West Bank to house former Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip, officials said Tuesday, breaking a promise to the U.S. to halt home construction in the Palestinian territories.
Construction in the northern West Bank town of Maskiot began months ago, but the project only received final approval from the Defense Ministry last week, said Dubi Tal, head of the Jordan Valley regional council.
Saeb Erekat, an aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the construction and urged the government to revoke its authorization, saying it violated the spirit of cooperation inaugurated by a meeting Saturday between Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert."
On Saddam and the Occupation
By Imad Khadduri
"I wrote the following before the occupation of Iraq, i.e. nearly four years ago, in my book "Iraq's Nuclear Mirage: Memoirs and Delusions, page 223:
.
"An unfair reaction developed to the above articles by close Iraqi and Canadian friends. Their attitude prompted me to write the following “Postscript” to the published articles. It was sent only to selected Iraqi and Canadian friends on March 13, 2003, one week before the invasion of Iraq:
“There is the assumption that if one decries the coming slaughter of Iraqis by Americans, that one must also curse Saddam at the same time; otherwise, so the accusations go, you are defending Saddam. This self-imposed condition may be summarized in the following anguished retort of an Iraqi friend: "I watched the video of the whole interview. Very interesting, but what I also find interesting is the fact that you never said a word about Saddam and the horrors he caused the Iraqi people!! Not a single word!!. . I think any Iraqi should never miss an opportunity to tell the world what Saddam has done to Iraq and the Iraqi people."
Both my Iraqi, and non-Iraqi, friends have made similar comments as above, and have attempted to coax me into denouncing Saddam each time I discussed Iraq's nuclear non-capability. However, this suggestion by my friends merely reflects the dead end of their own logic, as will become evident in the following exchange.
I personally can touch and feel the pain of my Iraqi friends. They have suffered much more than my family and I at the hands of Saddam's Intelligence and Security apparatuses. We had left Iraq without their knowledge or their approval and at the risk of our death. Many others have lost their relatives or families. I accept their narrow vision of the need to curse that reign of terror daily, to spend nearly every breath venting their deep anguish and anger; however, if they could cast their justified emotions aside for just one moment, I ask for them to realize that the Americans are utterly lacking a viable plan for Iraq and the Iraqi people after they drop their hundreds of bombs and fire their destructive missiles at Iraq. This will lead to at least tens of thousands of dead Iraqis and the easy defeat of the tattered remains of the Iraqi army. Iraq and the Iraqi people will be in a state of free fall, dropping into a deeper abyss, with Turkey, Iran and Israel (with its own agenda against the Palestinians) all eyeing pieces of Iraqi flesh to bite off. The oil has already been marked.
I do not want to counter right now this same stance held by the non-Iraqis, whose selfish shortsightedness reveals deeper antagonisms.
In both cases, I reject their bankrupt final solution to their one-dimensional way of thinking, that "if you do not agree with us, why did you leave Iraq and why not return to Iraq”.
The coming war was not launched in the spur of the moment. It is an opportunity seized upon after September of 1991. Its seeds have been planted since the early nineties by a clique of American neoconservative right wing thinkers, with strong sympathies (and some, even ties) to Israeli interests. These thinkers engineered their plans for reshaping the Middle East through their work with the American Enterprise Institute, the Project for the New American Century, and other like-minded organizations.
They have managed to ascend to high ranks in the American State Department, the White House and especially the Pentagon. Among these neoconservative thinkers are Richard Perle (Chairman of the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board), Paul Wolfowitz (Deputy Defense Secretary), William Kristol (Chairman of the Project for the New American Century), Douglas Feith (Under Secretary of Defense and Policy Advisor at the Pentagon), Lewis Libby (Vice President Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff), and others.
A search on the Internet will reveal much more of their thinking, agenda and reports. Visit some of these organizations' websites. Despite fierce American media support, their arguments are being riddled with holes, yet the war crimes they plan on committing in Iraq will still take place.
My five articles, and the numerous TV and radio interviews, are solely intended to shred even further their flimsy arguments and expose the extent of the misinformation that is beamed to the American people and others to blind their vision of what is actually being enacted.
These neoconservatives will, sooner or later, be fully exposed and cast aside; hopefully they will appear in front of an international war tribunal along with Saddam.
The Iraqi people will resurrect”.
.
I erred in only fact above, and with great sorrow and pain, that the number of Iraqis killed as a result of the American occupation is in the hundreds of thousands of people, and not in the tens of thousands.
.
My above mentioned book ended with the following:
.
"The neoconservatives have indeed succeeded in manipulating the “American Way of Life” to devour my beloved Iraq.
We shall, however, resurrect, to their detriment.""
Israel and Apartheid: In Defense of Jimmy Carter
Just don’t talk about the war… Menachem Begin, Moshe Dayan and Yitzhak Rabin feting South Africa’s unrepentant Nazi Prime Minister B.J. Vorster at the Knesset in 1976
A Great Piece
By Tony Karon
"Nothing makes liberal American supporters of Israel more uncomfortable than the comparison between the circumstances it has imposed on the Palestinians and those that the apartheid regime imposed on black South Africans. That’s precisely why it is so important and commendable that Jimmy Carter has tempted the wrath of the Israel lobby and many Jewish-American liberals-in-denial by making that comparison — as he says, it’s time Americans took a look at Palestinian life and history, and as any good person of faith or basic humanity would, treat it as of equal value. The point being that Jimmy Carter had to write this book precisely because Palestinian life and history is not accorded equal value in American discourse, far from it. And his use of the word apartheid is not only morally valid; it is essential, because it shakes the moral stupor that allows many liberals to rationalize away the daily, grinding horror being inflicted Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.......
....Jimmy Carter wants American liberals, who’re passionate about Kosovo or Darfur, to consider the plight of the colonized Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza, and discuss their own and America’s moral responsibility to those people. Kinsley and countless other commentators want to avoid doing that, which is why they need to convince themselves that the reason the Palestinians don’t have a state is that they don’t have a Mandela; that instead they had an Arafat — in short, that the Palestinians are to blame for their plight.
I’ve written at length elsewhere about the bizarre habit of Americans of inventing their own Mandelas that have no relationship to the real one — suffice to point out for our purposes here that Mandela was a guerrilla commander who continued the armed struggle until the apartheid regime was ready to concede peacefully to the principle of black majority rule, so one wonders what, in fact, Michael Kinsley imagines a Palestinian Mandela would do. Parsing this question a few years ago in a TIME.com column, I concluded thus: “Of course, the Israelis would be wrong to think a Palestinian leader who was more like Mandela would be more pliant. Quite the contrary. They’d find it a lot harder to conclude a deal with a Mandela, or any leader of more democratic bent than Arafat. But in the end, they’d be able to rest a lot more assured that such a deal would hold.”
Curiously enough, when Nelson Mandela visited Gaza in 1999, he warned that in order for Israel to achieve peace and security, it would have to withdraw from all occupied territories, including the Golan Heights. “It is a realization of a dream for me to be here to come and pledge my solidarity with my friend Yasser Arafat,” Mandela said, and told the Palestinian legislature that “the histories of our two peoples correspond in such painful and poignant ways that I intensely feel myself at home amongst my compatriots.”
And you’d think that more than two years after Arafat’s death, people would start to feel a little silly blaming him for the fact that there’s no peace — especially at a moment when the Bush Administration is doing its best to get Mahmoud Abbas to govern in exactly the ways it denounced Arafat for doing, taking personal control of finances and security forces, ignoring elected institutions etc........
A digression: I’ll admit that growing up as a Jewish liberal in South Africa, I somehow managed to convince myself that apartheid had nothing to do with us, that Jews were somehow automatically in the anti-apartheid column — it was a lot easier to do this in light of the rabid anti-Semitism of the ruling National Party, whose leaders had actively sympathized with the Nazis. Even then, it wasn’t true; evidence to the contrary was everywhere: Israel was, together with Pinochet’s Chile, the closest foreign ally of the regime, and in 1976, it welcomed the unrepentant Nazi, Prime Minister John Vorster (who had spent time in an internment camp during the war after being captured running sabotage operations under the direction of the Nazi intelligence service) on a state visit, and even took him to Yad Vashem! Activists of my wing of the Zionist youth movement, the socialist-inclined Habonim, protested, and were told to shut up by the senior leadership of the SA Zionist Federation. The following year, one of the leading lights of the Likud-aligned Revisionist bloc that dominated the SAZF, Abe Hoppenstein, stood for parliament on the National Party ticket.......
Indeed, Jimmy Carter wasn’t the first person to raise the idea in my head that what Israel had created in the West Bank and Gaza is an apartheid situation. Back in January of 1979, when he was still in the White House, I was in Israel, living and working on Kibbutz Yizreel for about six weeks, fervently committed to making aliyah myself. Yizreel, in the Jezreel Valley, was home to a number of graduates of South African Habonim. And I vividly remember a discussion they started with us one afternoon, about the policy of building Israeli settlements in the West Bank that the new Likud government was encouraging. The South African-Israelis saw the continued occupation of the West Bank and Gaza as a disaster for Israel and for their own progressive version of Zionism. And they recognized that the settlements were a calculated strategy by Begin and Sharon to create “facts on the ground” that would make handing it back impossible. “And so,” one summarized, “you have a situation where Israel now has control over more than 3 million Palestinians. If it annexes the West Bank, they become citizens of Israel, and Israel quickly loses its Jewish majority. So that’s not an option. But the settlement policy makes it more and more difficult for Israel to envisage letting go of the territories. So what are you left with? An apartheid situation.” Of course. To anyone who had lived in South Africa, it was blindingly obvious. "
Words Of Wisdom From A Rare Arab Leader
Sayyed Nasrallah says this pilgrimage season is occasion to block sedition among Muslims
"Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah issued a statement for the occasion of the Muslim Hajj Pilgrimage season.
Sayyed Nasrallah said: "Of the greatest meanings and values established by the holy rituals of the Hajj pilgrimage are mutual approach, coexistence, acquaintance, cooperation, and the paramount of all that is unity among Muslims. Millions of men and women pilgrims stand over there in Holy Mecca. Their God is One, their prophet is one, their Koran is one, their Qibla is one, their prayer is one and their rituals are one. Together, they perform the circumambulation of Kaaba and the other rituals of the pilgrimage including stoning Satan, offering sacrifices with the countless graces of Almighty Allah. The responsibility shouldered by pilgrims this year is greater and much more important than any previous year, due to what our Arab and Islamic countries are witnessing, from dangers, woes, conflicts, critical situations and serious challenges, on top of which are the continuous Israeli aggression against our people in Palestine, the American occupation of Iraq and the blatant foreign interference in our affairs and fates as well as the persistent effort to lay ground for sedition so that we kill each other and fight each other, and our occupier and enemy becomes our ally and friend and refuge sought by brothers against each other. This year's Hajj season should be an occasion for fraternity, understanding and harmony; an occasion to block any attempt to cause sedition among Muslims though a word, a slogan or a practice. Respecting the sanctity of the Holy land, the time and the event requires that every pilgrim feels responsible for preserving this blessed season. "
A Palestinian view of Jimmy Carter's book
By Ali Abunimah
President Carter has done what few American politicians
have dared to do: speak frankly about the Israel-Palestine
conflict. He has done this nation, and the cause of peace,
an enormous service by focusing attention on what he calls
"the abominable oppression and persecution in the occupied
Palestinian territories, with a rigid system of required
passes and strict segregation between Palestine's citizens
and Jewish settlers in the West Bank."
The 39th president of the United States, the most
successful Arab- Israeli peace negotiator to date, has
braved a storm of criticism, including the insinuation
from the pro-Israel Anti-Defamation League that his
arguments are anti-Semitic.
Mr. Carter has tried to mollify critics by suggesting that
his is not a commentary on Israeli policy inside Israel's
own borders, as compared with the West Bank, Gaza Strip
and East Jerusalem -- territories Israel occupied in 1967.
He told NPR, "I know that Israel is a wonderful democracy
with equal treatment of all citizens whether Arab or Jew.
And so I very carefully avoided talking about anything
inside Israel."
Given the pressure he has faced, it may be understandable
that Mr. Carter says this, but he is wrong. In addition to
nearly four million Palestinians living under Israeli rule
in the occupied territories, another one million live
inside Israel's pre-1967 borders. These Palestinians are
descendants of those who were not forced out or did not
flee when Israel was created in 1948.
They have nominal Israeli citizenship, and unlike blacks
in apartheid South Africa, they do vote for the country's
parliament. Yet this is where any sense of equality ends.
In Israel's history, no Arab-led party has ever been asked
to join a coalition government. And, among scores of
Jewish ministers, there has only ever been one Arab
minister, of junior rank.
Discrimination against non-Jewish citizens both informal
and legalized is systematic. Non-Jewish children attend
separate schools and live in areas that receive a fraction
of the funding of their Jewish counterparts. The results
can be seen in the much poorer educational attainment,
economic, health and life outcomes of Palestinian citizens
of Israel. Much of the land of the country, controlled by
the quasi-governmental Jewish National Fund, cannot be
leased or sold to non-Jews. This is similar in effect to
the restrictive covenants that in many U.S. cities once
kept nonwhites out of certain neighborhoods.
A 2003 law stipulates that an Israeli citizen may bring a
non- citizen spouse to live in Israel from anywhere in the
world, excluding a Palestinian from the occupied
territories. A civil rights leader in Israel likened it to
the American anti-miscegenation measures from the 1950s,
when mixed race couples had to leave the state of Virginia
to marry legally.
For Palestinians, the most blatant form of discrimination
is Israel's "Law of Return," that allows a Jewish person
from any country to settle in Israel. Meanwhile, family
members of Palestinian citizens of Israel, living in
exile, sometimes in refugee camps just a few miles outside
Israel's borders, are not permitted to set foot in the
country.
The rise of Avigdor Lieberman, the new deputy prime
minister, who openly advocates stripping Palestinians in
Israel of citizenship and transferring them outside the
state, reflects increasingly extremist politics. In
response to growing discrimination, leaders of
Palestinians inside Israel recently issued a report, "The
Future Vision of the Palestinian Arabs in Israel." It
calls for Israel to become a state where all citizens and
communities have equal rights, regardless of religion.
Many Israeli commentators reacted angrily, calling the
initiative an attempt to dismantle Israel as a "Jewish
state." However, even if Mr. Carter's recommendations are
implemented, and Israel withdraws from the territories
occupied in 1967, the struggle over the legitimacy of a
state that privileges one ethno- religious group at the
expense of another will not disappear.
As other divided societies, like South Africa, Northern
Ireland and indeed our own are painfully learning, only
equal rights and esteem for all the people, in the
diversity of their identities, can bring lasting peace.
This is an even harder discussion than the one President
Carter has courageously launched, but ultimately it is one
we must confront if peace is to come to Israel-Palestine.
President Carter has done what few American politicians
have dared to do: speak frankly about the Israel-Palestine
conflict. He has done this nation, and the cause of peace,
an enormous service by focusing attention on what he calls
"the abominable oppression and persecution in the occupied
Palestinian territories, with a rigid system of required
passes and strict segregation between Palestine's citizens
and Jewish settlers in the West Bank."
The 39th president of the United States, the most
successful Arab- Israeli peace negotiator to date, has
braved a storm of criticism, including the insinuation
from the pro-Israel Anti-Defamation League that his
arguments are anti-Semitic.
Mr. Carter has tried to mollify critics by suggesting that
his is not a commentary on Israeli policy inside Israel's
own borders, as compared with the West Bank, Gaza Strip
and East Jerusalem -- territories Israel occupied in 1967.
He told NPR, "I know that Israel is a wonderful democracy
with equal treatment of all citizens whether Arab or Jew.
And so I very carefully avoided talking about anything
inside Israel."
Given the pressure he has faced, it may be understandable
that Mr. Carter says this, but he is wrong. In addition to
nearly four million Palestinians living under Israeli rule
in the occupied territories, another one million live
inside Israel's pre-1967 borders. These Palestinians are
descendants of those who were not forced out or did not
flee when Israel was created in 1948.
They have nominal Israeli citizenship, and unlike blacks
in apartheid South Africa, they do vote for the country's
parliament. Yet this is where any sense of equality ends.
In Israel's history, no Arab-led party has ever been asked
to join a coalition government. And, among scores of
Jewish ministers, there has only ever been one Arab
minister, of junior rank.
Discrimination against non-Jewish citizens both informal
and legalized is systematic. Non-Jewish children attend
separate schools and live in areas that receive a fraction
of the funding of their Jewish counterparts. The results
can be seen in the much poorer educational attainment,
economic, health and life outcomes of Palestinian citizens
of Israel. Much of the land of the country, controlled by
the quasi-governmental Jewish National Fund, cannot be
leased or sold to non-Jews. This is similar in effect to
the restrictive covenants that in many U.S. cities once
kept nonwhites out of certain neighborhoods.
A 2003 law stipulates that an Israeli citizen may bring a
non- citizen spouse to live in Israel from anywhere in the
world, excluding a Palestinian from the occupied
territories. A civil rights leader in Israel likened it to
the American anti-miscegenation measures from the 1950s,
when mixed race couples had to leave the state of Virginia
to marry legally.
For Palestinians, the most blatant form of discrimination
is Israel's "Law of Return," that allows a Jewish person
from any country to settle in Israel. Meanwhile, family
members of Palestinian citizens of Israel, living in
exile, sometimes in refugee camps just a few miles outside
Israel's borders, are not permitted to set foot in the
country.
The rise of Avigdor Lieberman, the new deputy prime
minister, who openly advocates stripping Palestinians in
Israel of citizenship and transferring them outside the
state, reflects increasingly extremist politics. In
response to growing discrimination, leaders of
Palestinians inside Israel recently issued a report, "The
Future Vision of the Palestinian Arabs in Israel." It
calls for Israel to become a state where all citizens and
communities have equal rights, regardless of religion.
Many Israeli commentators reacted angrily, calling the
initiative an attempt to dismantle Israel as a "Jewish
state." However, even if Mr. Carter's recommendations are
implemented, and Israel withdraws from the territories
occupied in 1967, the struggle over the legitimacy of a
state that privileges one ethno- religious group at the
expense of another will not disappear.
As other divided societies, like South Africa, Northern
Ireland and indeed our own are painfully learning, only
equal rights and esteem for all the people, in the
diversity of their identities, can bring lasting peace.
This is an even harder discussion than the one President
Carter has courageously launched, but ultimately it is one
we must confront if peace is to come to Israel-Palestine.
Shiite Militias and Iran in Iraq
By Juan Cole
"The US military conducted raids against the Badr Corps militia of the Shiite Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, in the course of which it arrested four Iranian officials. It had to let two of them go when it transpired that they were diplomats invited into Iraq by President Jalal Talabani, a close US ally. SCIRI and Badr were in exile in Iran for over two decades and have close ties to the Iranian regime. Nevertheless, the Bush administration hosted SCIRI leader Abdul Aziz al-Hakim recently.
The US military has for the most part characterized the Badr corps as disciplined and not the main security problem in Iraq. US troops have never had an engagement with Badr. The Badr Corps has been accused of infiltrating the special police commandos of the Interior Ministry and of using that unit to engage in ethnic cleansing of Sunni Arabs they suspected of membership in the guerrilla movement.
That Badr had close ties to Iran was well known, so it is a little unclear what new developments could have provoked this raid.
The US has accused Iran of training Badr's Shiite rival, the Mahdi Army, in Lebanon and of providing it with shaped charges. That these officials were with Badr instead does not advance that case, and may weaken it.
Talabani's invitation is yet another wrinkle. I have long argued that Mam Jalal had close back channel relations with Tehran. Do the Peshmerga, the Kurdistan military, benefit from Iranian military advice, as well?
Stay tuned."
"The US military conducted raids against the Badr Corps militia of the Shiite Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, in the course of which it arrested four Iranian officials. It had to let two of them go when it transpired that they were diplomats invited into Iraq by President Jalal Talabani, a close US ally. SCIRI and Badr were in exile in Iran for over two decades and have close ties to the Iranian regime. Nevertheless, the Bush administration hosted SCIRI leader Abdul Aziz al-Hakim recently.
The US military has for the most part characterized the Badr corps as disciplined and not the main security problem in Iraq. US troops have never had an engagement with Badr. The Badr Corps has been accused of infiltrating the special police commandos of the Interior Ministry and of using that unit to engage in ethnic cleansing of Sunni Arabs they suspected of membership in the guerrilla movement.
That Badr had close ties to Iran was well known, so it is a little unclear what new developments could have provoked this raid.
The US has accused Iran of training Badr's Shiite rival, the Mahdi Army, in Lebanon and of providing it with shaped charges. That these officials were with Badr instead does not advance that case, and may weaken it.
Talabani's invitation is yet another wrinkle. I have long argued that Mam Jalal had close back channel relations with Tehran. Do the Peshmerga, the Kurdistan military, benefit from Iranian military advice, as well?
Stay tuned."
Top Ten Myths about Iraq 2006
By Juan Cole
"1. Myth number one is that the United States "can still win" in Iraq......
2. "US military sweeps of neighborhoods can drive the guerrillas out." ......
3. The United States is best off throwing all its support behind the Iraqi Shiites....
4. "Iraq is not in a civil war," as paleo-conservative Fox commentator Bill O'Reilly insists......
5. "The second Lancet study showing 600,000 excess deaths from political and criminal violence since the US invasion is somehow flawed.".......
6. "Most deaths in Iraq are from bombings."......
7. "Baghdad and environs are especially violent but the death rate is lower in the rest of the country." ......
8. "Iraq is the central front in the war on terror.".....
9. "The Sunni Arab guerrillas in places like Ramadi will follow the US home to the American mainland and commit terrorism if we leave Iraq."......
10. "Setting a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq is a bad idea."....."
"1. Myth number one is that the United States "can still win" in Iraq......
2. "US military sweeps of neighborhoods can drive the guerrillas out." ......
3. The United States is best off throwing all its support behind the Iraqi Shiites....
4. "Iraq is not in a civil war," as paleo-conservative Fox commentator Bill O'Reilly insists......
5. "The second Lancet study showing 600,000 excess deaths from political and criminal violence since the US invasion is somehow flawed.".......
6. "Most deaths in Iraq are from bombings."......
7. "Baghdad and environs are especially violent but the death rate is lower in the rest of the country." ......
8. "Iraq is the central front in the war on terror.".....
9. "The Sunni Arab guerrillas in places like Ramadi will follow the US home to the American mainland and commit terrorism if we leave Iraq."......
10. "Setting a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq is a bad idea."....."
Outsiders (Mossad?) Trying To Fuel A Palestinian Civil War
Several explosions in Gaza in buildings connected to Al Aqsa Brigades and Hamas
Thanks to "hum" for posting this link.
"Date: 26 / 12 / 2006 Time: 12:40
Gaza - Ma'an - Unidentified men detonated a bomb in a trading establishment on Tuesday in the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip.
Eyewitnesses said that an armed group detonated a large bomb weighing dozens of kilograms, below the Madhoun trading establishment in Biet Lahia. The explosion caused great damage to the establishment.
The establishment is owned by the brother of the Al Aqsa Brigades leader, the main military wing of Fatah, in the northern Gaza Strip.
The explosion, which was heard throughout the area, caused in addition to the great losses of the establishment, damage to the surrounding houses and cars.
The witnesses added that the same armed men set alight two other stores owned by Hamas activists."
The Meaning of the UNSC Iran Vote
Were Russia and China given private assurances by Bush?
A Good Article
by Jorge Hirsch
"In the aftermath of the Dec. 23 United Nations Security Council unanimous vote imposing sanctions or Iran for failing to suspend uranium enrichment (see text of resolution here), one has to wonder: why did Russia and China go along with it? ......
.....Russia and China could have chosen to veto the resolution, or at least abstain. Instead, after negotiating to water it down, they voted for sanctions. Why?......
So I argue that Russia and China's vote is understandable only under the assumption that private discussions have been going on between them and the U.S. Their vote is understandable if in those private discussions:
* Bush strongly indicated that he would use military force if Russia and China didn't agree to support sanctions;
* Bush gave private assurances to Russia and China that he would not initiate military action against Iran without UNSC consent;
* Bush demanded that his private assurances remain private, arguing that making them public would undermine the diplomatic effort by reducing the pressure on Iran;
* Bush said that if his private assurances were made public deliberately or accidentally after the UNSC vote, they would no longer be binding.
A hint suggesting that such private assurances have been given is that Bush and Putin have publicly stressed the importance of a "unified position" on Iran. As long as there is a "unified position," Iran will not be attacked, because Putin would never agree to such a course of action.
Are Bush's Private Assurances Believable?
I will not make a judgment of how trustworthy President Bush is. However, the evidence clearly indicates that any private assurances given by Bush to Russia and China that he will not resort to military action against Iran were only given to induce them to support the UN action, and he has no intention of honoring them......
The final conditions for the impending military action are being rapidly put in place as we speak:
Dec. 19: U.S. is sending aircraft carriers to the Persian Gulf to "warn" Iran
Dec. 20: Blair singles out Iran as the main obstacle to peace in the Middle East
Dec. 23: UNSC sanctions resolution passes
How will it get started? Either a Gulf-of-Tonkin-like incident, or an attack by Israel, or an incident in Iraq that will be blamed on Iran. Anything to provoke an Iranian response, argue "self-defense," and escalate the confrontation until it leads to taking out our big guns, nuclear weapons......."
A Good Article
by Jorge Hirsch
"In the aftermath of the Dec. 23 United Nations Security Council unanimous vote imposing sanctions or Iran for failing to suspend uranium enrichment (see text of resolution here), one has to wonder: why did Russia and China go along with it? ......
.....Russia and China could have chosen to veto the resolution, or at least abstain. Instead, after negotiating to water it down, they voted for sanctions. Why?......
So I argue that Russia and China's vote is understandable only under the assumption that private discussions have been going on between them and the U.S. Their vote is understandable if in those private discussions:
* Bush strongly indicated that he would use military force if Russia and China didn't agree to support sanctions;
* Bush gave private assurances to Russia and China that he would not initiate military action against Iran without UNSC consent;
* Bush demanded that his private assurances remain private, arguing that making them public would undermine the diplomatic effort by reducing the pressure on Iran;
* Bush said that if his private assurances were made public deliberately or accidentally after the UNSC vote, they would no longer be binding.
A hint suggesting that such private assurances have been given is that Bush and Putin have publicly stressed the importance of a "unified position" on Iran. As long as there is a "unified position," Iran will not be attacked, because Putin would never agree to such a course of action.
Are Bush's Private Assurances Believable?
I will not make a judgment of how trustworthy President Bush is. However, the evidence clearly indicates that any private assurances given by Bush to Russia and China that he will not resort to military action against Iran were only given to induce them to support the UN action, and he has no intention of honoring them......
The final conditions for the impending military action are being rapidly put in place as we speak:
Dec. 19: U.S. is sending aircraft carriers to the Persian Gulf to "warn" Iran
Dec. 20: Blair singles out Iran as the main obstacle to peace in the Middle East
Dec. 23: UNSC sanctions resolution passes
How will it get started? Either a Gulf-of-Tonkin-like incident, or an attack by Israel, or an incident in Iraq that will be blamed on Iran. Anything to provoke an Iranian response, argue "self-defense," and escalate the confrontation until it leads to taking out our big guns, nuclear weapons......."
Who Might Be Shooting at Both Sides?
Thirteen groups that favor chaos in Iraq
by Jon Basil Utley
"It's strange that little of the news coverage of Iraq addresses this question. Doesn't it seem obvious that some groups are fomenting the chaos? Getting tribes to fight each other is often easy. Most of them have some past injustice to avenge. The British Empire ruled much of its colonial world in this way, balancing off or favoring different tribes to rule others. In most of the Old World, tribes hated their neighbors more than foreign conquerors. See "Tribes, Veils, and Democracy."
Some 28 years ago I was in the Middle East with my mother, author of Will the Middle East Go West? [.pdf]. In Beirut we met John Cooley, the well-known and long-respected reporter for the Christian Science Monitor. The civil war in Lebanon was just getting started, and cooler heads were trying to head it off. Cooley then told us that every time there was a cease-fire some shadowy elements appeared to be shooting at both sides in an effort to get the fighting started up again. They succeeded, and the subsequent war nearly tore the nation apart.
Today there is a similar situation in Iraq. Much of the slaughter doesn't make sense among neighbors and friends. Peter Beinart of The New Republic wrote an excellent study of the past history of Iraq describing the unity of Sunnis and Shi'ites – indeed, the first Ba'athist leader was a Shia, though we think of Ba'athists, the party of Saddam, as all being Sunnis. But suppose some of the horrendous murder was being done by outsiders wanting to destroy Iraq by getting Sunnis and Shi'ites to wreak vengeance on each other. Tribal societies are particularly vulnerable to this kind of disruption.
With hindsight, one can argue that it was vital for Washington to prevent such a situation from occurring when the Army first occupied Baghdad, that the turning point was when the looting and chaos first started and U.S. forces did nothing to stop it. But today, for Washington to adopt a realistic policy, America must face the facts on the ground. Wishful thinking only brings disaster
Let's look at all the groups with an interest in continuing the chaos.
1) First, of course, there is al-Qaeda. Bin Laden must be laughing every day to see America's Army being hollowed out as the Army chief of staff describes. Further, every picture of Arabs being killed by Americans furthers bin Laden's objectives. There are too many ways bin Laden is "winning" to describe here; for details, see "36 Ways U.S. Is Losing the War on Terror."
2) Iraq's neighbors. Neoconservatives and Bush virtually threatened that Syria and Iran were the next in line to be attacked by America. This stupidity gave them every reason to want to see America tied down and weakened in Iraq for as long as possible.
3) The Likud Party in Israel. Although most Israelis want peace, their electoral system gives overwhelming power to their aggressive minorities. It is not hard to imagine that many want Arabs to fight and weaken one another. Israeli agents are very active with the Kurds, even training them. The U.S. occupation brought in Israeli advisers to teach American soldiers how to suppress Arab resistance. Israel has Arab speakers who can easily "mix in," as well as other resources. Dividing one's enemies is the oldest strategy in the book. Some Israelis would like to see a massive Sunni-Shia war spread to other Muslim nations.
4) The Kurds. They want a divided and weakened central government so they can gain their independence and take over the oil wealth of northern Iraq.
5) Shia and Kurdish militias benefit greatly from being trained and supplied by America. The so-called Iraqi army and police are mainly composed of Shia and Kurds. The longer the strife continues, the better equipped they become for an eventual showdown against the Sunnis, who also bear the brunt of American "pacification." Meanwhile, the Shia are gradually "ethnically cleansing" Baghdad of Sunnis.
6) Mercenaries, some paid as much as a thousand dollars a day. They want a good business to continue.
7) The Beltway Bombers and companies set up in Washington to hire retired commandos, Army Rangers, Navy SEALs. They have gained hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts from the Pentagon to help out in Iraq. There are indeed a reported 100,000 or so bodyguards, non-military consultants, advisers, support staff, etc., mostly paid by the U.S. Treasury.
8) Other oil-producing nations. All are happy to see most Iraq oil production off the market, which helps to keep the price of oil high. Russia certainly would benefit the most if other Mideast oil producers had "troubles," too.
9) Weapons manufacturers in many lands selling millions and paying big commissions to all sides in wars.
10) Gangster elements in Iraq, criminals who are thriving on the lawlessness, from petty thieves to big-time smugglers of oil and weapons.
11) All the nations that want to see the U.S. weakened and humiliated. Russians are no longer friendly to America, and many fear us. The Chinese were once on notice from powerful Washington interests that they would be next, once America finished with the Muslim world. The Chinese understand that manufacturers of warships, missiles, and planes need a "real" nation with vast resources to justify spending for their products; fighting shoeless guerrillas in caves and cellars won't cut it.
12) The Armageddon lobby in America, which sees chaos in Iraq as helping along their fantasies of hurrying up God to fulfill His prophecies (as they see them) to kill most of the human race while giving them a quick pass to Heaven.
13) Finally, there are smaller tribal elements in Iraq itself with their own agendas, which are almost impossible for Washington to discern.
This gives some idea of what America is up against. The electoral system foisted on Iraq by the early occupation authorities that divides power and establishes an almost dysfunctional government, e.g., favoring ethnic voting blocks, even without outside threats. The American objectives of pacification and "victory" look very difficult in view of all the above."
Military Deaths in Iraq Exceed 9/11 Toll
"NEW YORK (AP) - In a span of a few hours, 2,973 people were killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In a span of 45 months, the number of American troops killed in Iraq exceeded that grim toll as the war continues.
The milestone in Iraq came on Christmas, nearly four years after the war began, according to a count by The Associated Press. In announcing the Monday deaths of three soldiers, the toll from those fighting the war surpassed the toll from those killed by terrorists in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania."
U.S. Troops Killed In Iraq.......2,980
"Coalition" Troops Killed........3,227
U.S. Troops Wounded..........22,401
Has the Empire Really Failed?
by John Bellamy Foster
""The Failure of Empire" is the title I gave to the closing chapter of my book Naked Imperialism (Monthly Review Press, 2006). That chapter first appeared almost two years ago as a January 2005 article in Monthly Review. It began: "The United States is facing the prospect of a major defeat in Iraq that is likely to constitute a serious setback in the ongoing campaign to expand the U.S. empire." It ended: "The U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq may be creating the conditions for a civil war, lighting a powder keg under the entire Middle East."
These observations have been borne out by subsequent events. Yet, at a time when even the new Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, has stated that the United States is "not winning" the war in Iraq, it is important to recognize that there is also a sense in which the empire may not have entirely failed -- at least not yet. The war is almost universally viewed as a political and military disaster for the U.S. empire. Nevertheless, Washington is still hoping amidst the devastation to hold on to some of its long-term economic and strategic goals in Iraq. Realization of these will have made the war "worth it" from the standpoint of the U.S. ruling class, irrespective of the cost in lives and treasure.
There is no doubt what these spoils are: (1) control of Iraqi oil reserves (the second largest in the world), (2) "geopolitical gains" (or greater domination of the vital Middle East oil region), and (3) strengthening of U.S. global hegemony as a result of this new oil imperium. Crucial to the realization of these spoils, the United States has not only been forcibly occupying Iraq, but has also been looking to the future by building long-term (usually referred to as "permanent") military bases in Iraq where it plans to continue to locate substantial military forces and capabilities even after it has ostensibly "withdrawn" its troops. Such bases have but one undisguised purpose: the projection of U.S. imperial power over Iraq, the Persian Gulf, and the surrounding regions as part of the larger global projection of U.S power.
Little noticed or commented on in media discussions of the recently released Iraq Study Group Report is that one of its proposed "Milestones" for "the end of 2006-early 2007" is the Iraqi government's passage of a "new petroleum law." Washington not only helped to draft this law (in conjunction with representatives of the large oil corporations), but is playing a role in ensuring its passage. The full details of the new legislation are not available, but it is clear that it is intended to establish "production-sharing agreements." Production-sharing agreements are the contemporary version of the old imperial concessions system, giving foreign corporations control over the production and marketing of Iraqi oil reserves and the lion's share of the profits.......
......All of this points to the fact that the U.S. empire has not entirely failed in Iraq, at least not yet. From the standpoint of powerful vested interests in the United States, the Iraq War may still be seen as worth the costs. Oil after all is more valuable than blood, especially the blood of others (including the innocent). Iraq may be a political disaster but it remains an economic and geopolitical prize of incalculable dimensions. As a result the empire is not yet letting go. We remain in an age of Naked Imperialism."
""The Failure of Empire" is the title I gave to the closing chapter of my book Naked Imperialism (Monthly Review Press, 2006). That chapter first appeared almost two years ago as a January 2005 article in Monthly Review. It began: "The United States is facing the prospect of a major defeat in Iraq that is likely to constitute a serious setback in the ongoing campaign to expand the U.S. empire." It ended: "The U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq may be creating the conditions for a civil war, lighting a powder keg under the entire Middle East."
These observations have been borne out by subsequent events. Yet, at a time when even the new Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, has stated that the United States is "not winning" the war in Iraq, it is important to recognize that there is also a sense in which the empire may not have entirely failed -- at least not yet. The war is almost universally viewed as a political and military disaster for the U.S. empire. Nevertheless, Washington is still hoping amidst the devastation to hold on to some of its long-term economic and strategic goals in Iraq. Realization of these will have made the war "worth it" from the standpoint of the U.S. ruling class, irrespective of the cost in lives and treasure.
There is no doubt what these spoils are: (1) control of Iraqi oil reserves (the second largest in the world), (2) "geopolitical gains" (or greater domination of the vital Middle East oil region), and (3) strengthening of U.S. global hegemony as a result of this new oil imperium. Crucial to the realization of these spoils, the United States has not only been forcibly occupying Iraq, but has also been looking to the future by building long-term (usually referred to as "permanent") military bases in Iraq where it plans to continue to locate substantial military forces and capabilities even after it has ostensibly "withdrawn" its troops. Such bases have but one undisguised purpose: the projection of U.S. imperial power over Iraq, the Persian Gulf, and the surrounding regions as part of the larger global projection of U.S power.
Little noticed or commented on in media discussions of the recently released Iraq Study Group Report is that one of its proposed "Milestones" for "the end of 2006-early 2007" is the Iraqi government's passage of a "new petroleum law." Washington not only helped to draft this law (in conjunction with representatives of the large oil corporations), but is playing a role in ensuring its passage. The full details of the new legislation are not available, but it is clear that it is intended to establish "production-sharing agreements." Production-sharing agreements are the contemporary version of the old imperial concessions system, giving foreign corporations control over the production and marketing of Iraqi oil reserves and the lion's share of the profits.......
......All of this points to the fact that the U.S. empire has not entirely failed in Iraq, at least not yet. From the standpoint of powerful vested interests in the United States, the Iraq War may still be seen as worth the costs. Oil after all is more valuable than blood, especially the blood of others (including the innocent). Iraq may be a political disaster but it remains an economic and geopolitical prize of incalculable dimensions. As a result the empire is not yet letting go. We remain in an age of Naked Imperialism."
DEBKAfile Exclusive: King Abdullah of Jordan denies audience to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, invites Hamas PM Ismail Haniya
"Abbas was due to report to the king in Amman Monday, Dec. 25, on his Saturday night talks with Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert and the steps offered to ease life in the Palestinian territories. When told that he had arrived in Amman without the Hamas PM, Abdullah called the meeting off. Observers report the humiliated Palestinian leader left the Jordanian capital abruptly. He has a date for Tuesday with President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo.
Meantime, Jordanian prime minister Maarouf Batih phoned Haniya and invited him to the palace. The Jordanian monarch is the first pro-Western Arab ruler to open his door to the Hamas prime minister. Egyptian and Saudi rulers have declined to receive him.
DEBKAfile’s sources report that the slap in the face to Abbas was directed with greater force at Olmert, who a week earlier visited Amman to report to the king on the benefits he proposed to pledge to Abbas at their forthcoming interview. Abdullah dismissed the package as too little and demanded far more drastic concessions to put the brakes on the Palestinians’ descent into civil war before it spilled over into his kingdom. He then offered to receive Olmert, Abu Mazen and Haniya in Amman and personally mediate their disputes. The Israeli prime minister rejected the offer on the spot. The king made no response.
It transpired later that Abdullah resolved there and then to have nothing to do with the Olmert-Abbas track, which he regards at best as a side-show of the main Palestinian power play. By standing Abbas up, he made this view plain to the Palestinians and the Arab world. He also showed the Israeli prime minister that his steps to consolidate Abbas were a pointless exercise, unless Hamas was simultaneously addressed."
The kissable and the kissers
By Yoel Marcus, HAARETZ
A Kiss Was Not Just A Kiss
"Was it a spontaneous kiss, like Haim Ramon's? Was it planned by both parties in advance of the summit dinner? Or was it a little surprise cooked up by Ehud Olmert? One way or another, Abu Mazen's face paled a little, as if he were about to faint, when our prime minister planted that pair of kisses on his cheeks.
From the mortified look on his face, the president of the Palestinian Authority was probably visualizing all the ridicule, anger and sarcastic comments that would be waiting for him at home: Over here we're starving, and you sit there eating osso buco and trading kisses with the leader of the Jews.
Okay, so it's all the rage nowadays at social gatherings of the penthouse and villa crowd to peck people on the check. According to my dictionary, there are two categories: the kissable and the kissers. But politicians in this country mainly shake hands, or slap each other on the back........
....Olmert's kiss was clearly a source of embarrassment for the two Fatah leaders, Abbas and Qureia. The smile that froze on their faces gave it away. So why did he do it? Couldn't he see that Hamas and Palestinian public opinion would eat them for lunch? Was it a local version of the Mafia custom where the rat fink in the family gets a kiss before he's blown away? It was a kiss of the "kiss the dust" variety.
It took Olmert eight hours to decide on the 33-Day War in Lebanon. I wonder how much time he spent thinking about "Operation Kiss." In what forum was this plan discussed? The Knesset plenary? The defense cabinet? Was it another one of Dan Halutz's ideas? Did someone hit the turbo button?
If the purpose of these kisses was to convey the impression that we have embarked on the path to dialogue and concessions, it wasn't very convincing. What did Olmert think? That kisses could compensate for his 10-month refusal to meet with Abu Mazen? Apparently so.
Like the European settlers, who bought diamonds and gold in Africa for mirrors and glass beads, Olmert tried to create the illusion of turning over a new leaf with gestures like hanging a Palestinian flag next to the Israeli flag, and addressing Abu Mazen as "president," which has always been taboo. As a bonus, Olmert presented his wife, Aliza. Abu Mazen could have kissed Her Majesty's hand, but being the gentleman that he is, he made do with a handshake.
At summit dinners like these, it is customary to exchange gifts and mementos. Olmert promised to unfreeze 100 million of the 500 million dollars belonging to the Palestinian Authority and hand it over to his guests, a dribble at a time. He promised to "work on" eliminating some of the checkpoints in the West Bank, and generally consider releasing a few dozen prisoners (mostly PLO members), out of the thousands that Israel is holding, before Gilad Shalit is set free.
What harm would it have done if Olmert had saved his kisses and, instead, given back all the frozen assets and released a large number of "valued" prisoners, in order to strengthen the "president" in his fight against Hamas and motivate him to do more to stop the Qassam rockets?
It could have been the start of a beautiful friendship, to quote the immortal parting words of the movie "Casablanca," if the two figures swallowed up in the dark of the night, heading into the unknown future, were not a pair of feeble leaders who want, but can't.
P.S. There was evening, there was morning, and four Qassams hit Israel. One Qassam for every kiss. "
50% of Palestinians support Hamas despite siege
"Occupied Jerusalem – A poll conducted by the Arabic daily Al-Quds revealed that Hamas still enjoys widespread support amongst the Palestinian population despite the siege imposed by the USA and Israel.
People were asked how they would vote in the event of early presidential and legislative elections to which 49.98% of those polled said that they would vote for Hamas while only 29.98% said they would vote for Fatah.
The poll also revealed that 4.56% would vote for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), 5.2% for the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), 1.26% for the People's Party and 9.44% for others.
The fact that this poll comes 9 months into a harsh economic siege imposed on Palestinians by the USA and Israel to punish them for their democratic choice shows that the aims of the siege were not realized and people still support Hamas and do not blame it for the siege and the resulting harsh economic situation."
Monday, December 25, 2006
Iran backed dangerously into a corner
By Linda S. Heard
"American and Israeli machinations have once more put this region under threat. Following months of barking from Bolton the bulldog the United Nations Security Council has unanimously passed a resolution designed to slow the Iranian nuclear programme.
It isn't as comprehensive as the former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton and his masters would have liked, concentrating, as it does, on banning the import and export of nuclear-related materials and freezing the assets of certain companies, but it's the best he could prize out of reluctant China and Russia.
Moscow held out the longest and only caved in after a call made by George W. Bush to the Russian President Vladimir Putin. One is driven to wonder about other topics discussed: Russia's proposed WTO membership, perhaps?
Israel is ecstatic at this rap over the knuckles and the Bush administration is already touting the resolution as a positive first step towards comprehensive sanctions.......
In other words, instead of opening up, Iran feels unfairly singled out and under siege. It's little wonder, therefore, that it's poised to withdraw further into its own shell and accelerate its nuclear programme with the addition of 52,000 centrifuges.
In the meantime, Britain's Tony Blair has become an expert flip-flopper.
Just a few weeks ago he was advocating unconditional direct talks with Iran but then he went to Washington where he was assigned a new message: Iran is the obstacle to peace in the Middle East by supporting terrorists in Iraq, attempting to oust Lebanon's democratically-elected government, and denying the Holocaust.
Moderate Muslim states should unite in combating extremist regimes, such as Iran's, Blair said.
Blair neglected to mention that like Iraq during the final leg of Saddam's tenure Iran has begun selling its oil in euros, thus undermining the petrodollar.
In the meantime, the US and Britain are moving warships to the Gulf to join the aircraft carrier Eisenhower and the US is set to send more troops to neighbouring Iraq, despite General John Abizaid's insistence that more isn't necessary. This is naked aggression with the possibility of a disastrous outcome - yet another all out war.
Right-wing Israeli elements that view Tehran as an existential threat have been pushing for a preemptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities for some time, warning that if the US doesn't move Israel might do the job itself. The US Vice-President Dick Cheney has made similar warning noises in the past.......
If either the US and its allies or Israel decides to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, comparisons with Iraq will end there. The sectarian conflict that has possessed Iraq will likely ignite the entire region where nations will be asked to take sides. Worse, in some cases public sentiments and governmental policies could deviate.
Washington and Tel Aviv, aided by London, are taking this region on a collision course. Arab League Secretary-General Amr Mousa once warned that the invasion of Iraq would open the gates to Hell.
They opened alright but if there is war with Iran they may take a long time to swing shut. "
Puppet Boy King Mediating; What A Mockery!
PA official: Haniyeh, Abbas will meet in Jordan later this week
"Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh will meet this week in Amman, the Palestinian government spokesman said Monday.
"The Jordanian prime minister has extended an official invitation from his majesty King Abdullah to Prime Minister Haniyeh to visit Jordan and to meet with President Abu Mazen [Abbas] to discuss the latest developments and the issues of difference," Ghazi Hamad said.
"Prime Minister Haniyeh has welcomed the invitation," he said. "Arrangements are under way to agree on the date.""
***
What comes next? Olmert mediating between Abbas and Haniyyah? Why not! If Haniyyah is willing to let the puppet king mediate, why not go directly to the puppeteer and eliminate the middleman!
What are you going to negotiate Mr. Haniyyah? How many of the Badr Brigade will be trained by U.S. advisors in Jordan? How many will come to Gaza to install Generalissimo Dahlan in power? By the way, don't forget to visit their training base while you are in Jordan.
What a farce and a disgrace this PA has become. It is time to flush it down the drain; the stench is unbearable and no amount of air freshener can cover it up.
بيع الأوهام في لقاء أولمرت وعباس
بيع الأوهام في لقاء أولمرت وعباس
بقلم : إبراهيم أبو الهيجاء
البضاعة ذاتها يجري بيعها لنا من قبل إسرائيل، والمفاوضون الفلسطينيون الذين يتشددون مع "حماس" على كل فاصلة وكلمة في اتفاقات حكومة الوحدة، نجدهم يرضون فقط بالتقاط الصور مع الوفد الإسرائيلي، دون أي انجازات حقيقية. ومرة أخرى نسمع قصة الأموال والأسرى والحواجز وإعادة الانتشار والمبعدين، وكأن ذاكرتنا ضعيفة فيظن البعض أننا نسينا مباحثات طابا التي جرت أيضا بين (اولمرت – عباس)، والتي شكلت على إثرها اللجان، ووعدنا فيها بعسل النحل، فلم يبق منها سوى لسعات النحل.
أفهم أن يكون "اولمرت" صريحاً مع شعبه، فيقول إن اللقاء جاء من أجل تقوية مكانة الرئيس أبو مازن بالمال والسلاح والكثير من الوعود الكلامية، أستطيع أن أفهم مقصد "اولمرت" في لقاء أبو مازن، سيما وهو يعايش تدنيا انتخابيا، وهجوما من كل النخب الإسرائيلية المثقفة يمينا ويساراً.
ولكنني بصراحة لا أستطيع أن أبرر أو أفهم خطوة الرئيس عباس، لن أتحدث هنا عن الثمن المقابل، فمن الواضح أنه ثمن بخس، ولا يصب إلا في اتجاه ما يعزز استقواء طرف فلسطيني بطرف خارجي، وهو ببساطة يخدم أولا وأخيرا أمن إسرائيل، وكل ذلك فقط لإضعاف قوة حماس وتشديد الطوق عليها، والإثبات أن برنامجها، وبالتالي مقاومتها، لن تخرج أسرى ولن تفرج عن أموال ... فقط هي الطريقة التفاوضية والمقاومة السلمية واللقاءات الحميمة ما يخرج الأسرى ويعيد الأرض ويؤمن الرواتب ...
وهذا عبث وهو اجترار للتفكير الحزبي الضيق، الذي يخشى من حماس أكثر من خشيته من إسرائيل، وهو يصب في ذات التفكير الذي يريد أن يجرنا لانتخابات مبكرة، ويفرض علينا أن نوافق على شروط الرباعية وليس الوطنية، وإلا فالسلاح والتعسف في الصلاحيات الرئاسية جاهز لردع أي مخالف ومعاند.
ورغم كل ذلك، فإننا نستطيع القول إن أي إنجاز يمكن أن يحققه الرئيس الفلسطيني فإن الفضل سيعود فيه إلى "حماس"، لأن التحركات الإسرائيلية المتسارعة والضغوط الأميركية المتوافقة، تهدف أساسا إلى قطع الطريق على تحقيق "حماس" لشرعية، تتجاوز الشروط الرباعية وتنسجم مع الشروط الوطنية، وتحت هذا الضغط يتحركون ويريدون إرضاء الشعب الفلسطيني، الذي ملّ من الأعيب التفاوضية والفساد المتحالف معها .... وأصبح لا يرى إلا خيار المقاومة سبيلا لتحصيل حقوقه التي ضاعت في مدريد وما بعدها، وتضيع الآن في الجدار والاستيطان، الذي يبدو أن المفاوض الفلسطيني قد نسيه ... وهو يريد تضييع حقوقنا مرة أخرى في عناوين مستهلكة وحقوق كانت من قبل مكتسبة حتى في ظل أوسلو الرديء.
وأخشى أن يقول المفاوض الفلسطيني لحماس عندما تسجل احتجاجها على مفاوضاته مع اولمرت: "ألم نتفق أن المفاوضات من صلاحيات الرئيس"، فيجري تناسي أن الاتفاق كل لا يتجزأ ... ويجري التغافل عن أرضية التوافق الوطني المسجلّة بوثيقة الوفاق الوطني ...فيقتبس المفاوض الفلسطيني ما يريده من التوافقات الوطنية، ويلقي بما يشاء في الحاوية ... تلك هي الكارثة الوطنية بعينها، وذلكم هو الاستفراد، وهو من قبل ومن بعد، تعدي على الرغبة الشعبية وانتقاص للتمثيل الانتخابي المعبّر عنها ... وإن جرى تكبيلها على يد اولمرت ذاته، الذي يتحاور معه عباس الآن.
بقلم : إبراهيم أبو الهيجاء
البضاعة ذاتها يجري بيعها لنا من قبل إسرائيل، والمفاوضون الفلسطينيون الذين يتشددون مع "حماس" على كل فاصلة وكلمة في اتفاقات حكومة الوحدة، نجدهم يرضون فقط بالتقاط الصور مع الوفد الإسرائيلي، دون أي انجازات حقيقية. ومرة أخرى نسمع قصة الأموال والأسرى والحواجز وإعادة الانتشار والمبعدين، وكأن ذاكرتنا ضعيفة فيظن البعض أننا نسينا مباحثات طابا التي جرت أيضا بين (اولمرت – عباس)، والتي شكلت على إثرها اللجان، ووعدنا فيها بعسل النحل، فلم يبق منها سوى لسعات النحل.
أفهم أن يكون "اولمرت" صريحاً مع شعبه، فيقول إن اللقاء جاء من أجل تقوية مكانة الرئيس أبو مازن بالمال والسلاح والكثير من الوعود الكلامية، أستطيع أن أفهم مقصد "اولمرت" في لقاء أبو مازن، سيما وهو يعايش تدنيا انتخابيا، وهجوما من كل النخب الإسرائيلية المثقفة يمينا ويساراً.
ولكنني بصراحة لا أستطيع أن أبرر أو أفهم خطوة الرئيس عباس، لن أتحدث هنا عن الثمن المقابل، فمن الواضح أنه ثمن بخس، ولا يصب إلا في اتجاه ما يعزز استقواء طرف فلسطيني بطرف خارجي، وهو ببساطة يخدم أولا وأخيرا أمن إسرائيل، وكل ذلك فقط لإضعاف قوة حماس وتشديد الطوق عليها، والإثبات أن برنامجها، وبالتالي مقاومتها، لن تخرج أسرى ولن تفرج عن أموال ... فقط هي الطريقة التفاوضية والمقاومة السلمية واللقاءات الحميمة ما يخرج الأسرى ويعيد الأرض ويؤمن الرواتب ...
وهذا عبث وهو اجترار للتفكير الحزبي الضيق، الذي يخشى من حماس أكثر من خشيته من إسرائيل، وهو يصب في ذات التفكير الذي يريد أن يجرنا لانتخابات مبكرة، ويفرض علينا أن نوافق على شروط الرباعية وليس الوطنية، وإلا فالسلاح والتعسف في الصلاحيات الرئاسية جاهز لردع أي مخالف ومعاند.
ورغم كل ذلك، فإننا نستطيع القول إن أي إنجاز يمكن أن يحققه الرئيس الفلسطيني فإن الفضل سيعود فيه إلى "حماس"، لأن التحركات الإسرائيلية المتسارعة والضغوط الأميركية المتوافقة، تهدف أساسا إلى قطع الطريق على تحقيق "حماس" لشرعية، تتجاوز الشروط الرباعية وتنسجم مع الشروط الوطنية، وتحت هذا الضغط يتحركون ويريدون إرضاء الشعب الفلسطيني، الذي ملّ من الأعيب التفاوضية والفساد المتحالف معها .... وأصبح لا يرى إلا خيار المقاومة سبيلا لتحصيل حقوقه التي ضاعت في مدريد وما بعدها، وتضيع الآن في الجدار والاستيطان، الذي يبدو أن المفاوض الفلسطيني قد نسيه ... وهو يريد تضييع حقوقنا مرة أخرى في عناوين مستهلكة وحقوق كانت من قبل مكتسبة حتى في ظل أوسلو الرديء.
وأخشى أن يقول المفاوض الفلسطيني لحماس عندما تسجل احتجاجها على مفاوضاته مع اولمرت: "ألم نتفق أن المفاوضات من صلاحيات الرئيس"، فيجري تناسي أن الاتفاق كل لا يتجزأ ... ويجري التغافل عن أرضية التوافق الوطني المسجلّة بوثيقة الوفاق الوطني ...فيقتبس المفاوض الفلسطيني ما يريده من التوافقات الوطنية، ويلقي بما يشاء في الحاوية ... تلك هي الكارثة الوطنية بعينها، وذلكم هو الاستفراد، وهو من قبل ومن بعد، تعدي على الرغبة الشعبية وانتقاص للتمثيل الانتخابي المعبّر عنها ... وإن جرى تكبيلها على يد اولمرت ذاته، الذي يتحاور معه عباس الآن.
Happy Cluster Year!
Five wounded in cluster bomb explosions in southern Lebanon
By The Associated Press
"Cluster bombs wounded five people, including two children, in southern Lebanon during the past two days, said hospital and security officials Monday.
Shadi Fuad Mahdi, 12, and Ahmed Hassan Makki, 13, were playing outside their house in the village of Qaaqaiyet al-Jisr, near Nabatiyeh, on Monday when a cluster bomb exploded and wounded them, said a Lebanese security official in Nabatiyeh, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the press.
It was not disclosed whether one of the boys stepped on the bomb or they were playing with it. They were both admitted to hospital.
In the southern port city of Tyre, the owner of Najem Hospital, Dr. Jawad Najem, said three men whom he did not name were being treated for wounds received from a cluster bomb explosion on Sunday. He did not say what caused
the bomb to detonate.
At least 28 people have died in cluster bomb and land mine explosions in Lebanon since Israel's war with Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas ended in a cease-fire on August 14.
Last week, a Hezbollah fighter was killed in a cluster bomb explosion in south Lebanon, and earlier this month two Lebanese soldiers were killed by a land mine while they were trying to defuse ordnance left behind by Israeli troops.
The United Nations and human rights groups have accused Israel of laying mines and dropping as many as 4 million cluster bombs on Lebanon during the summer's war.
UN ordnance clearing experts have said that up to 1 million cluster bombs failed to explode and continue to threaten civilians.
Lebanon's south has long been riddled with land mines, laid by retreating Israeli soldiers who pulled out of the region in 2000 after an 18-year occupation. Hezbollah has also planted mines to ward off Israeli forces."
Arming And Training The Forces Of The Palestinian Pinochet
U.S., European officials visit Fatah training base in Jordan
By Reuters
"United States and European officials have visited a base in Jordan where Fatah is training troops to reinforce Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in any showdown with Hamas, sources familiar with the visits said on Monday.
Up to 1,000 members of the Jordan-based Badr Brigade would initially be deployed in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank as part of U.S.-backed efforts to strengthen the moderate Palestinian leader's hold on power.
The Bush administration is seeking congressional support to provide up to $100 million to bolster Abbas' presidential guard and expand his control over strategic border crossings.
The United States recently sent a mid-level U.S. official to visit a Badr training facility in Jordan for informal discussions, a European diplomat and other sources said.
Sources familiar with the plan said U.S. money would not be used to provide the presidential guard with "lethal" equipment.
But Israeli officials say Washington has been instrumental in helping organize shipments of guns and ammunition to the presidential guard from Egypt and Jordan.
The sources said Badr's deployment may not start for several months because the force needs substantial amounts of new military equipment and training. Badr would reinforce Abbas's presidential guard and other Fatah-dominated security services.
U.S. officials declined to comment on the matter."
LYING AT FULL SPEED
Anyone who looks at the Israeli press can easily spot planted, fabricated stories intended to serve Israeli and neocon objectives. One of these objectives is to portray Hamas as a common enemy of Israel and the U.S. This has been part of the successful neocon/Israeli effort since 9/11 to portray Israel's enemies as enemies of the U.S. and to employ U.S. blood to fight Israel's wars. The sequel started with Iraq but will not end there. Israel and its neocon allies want to move on against Syria, Iran, Lebanon and Hamas.
This story on the Ynet web site (of the Israeli paper Yedioth Ahronoth) claimed "Members of Hamas are debating whether to carry out attacks against the United States and may hit American targets if the US continues to support Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' call for new elections, Hamas leaders told WND in a series of interviews." It went on:
"Abu Abdullah told WND Hamas has not yet decided to attack the US, "but one cannot guarantee that this will be the situation if the conspiracy of chasing our government succeeds."
Asked which US targets Hamas would hit, Abu Abdullah replied, "Do you think that I can give you an answer to this question? I can say that the Middle East is full of American targets and the world has had the occasion to learn what are the weapons of the anti-American forces in the region." "
And it added this:
"While the latest Hamas threats warned of attacks against American interests in the region, some terrorism experts and senior security officials previously told WND Hamas has cells inside the US that are technically capable of attacking within the country.
"We have information Hamas agents have been on US soil the past few years and that the group may currently have up to 100 agents operating inside America," an FBI counterterrorism agent in New York told WND last October."
This is pure nonsense and phony as a three-dollar bill. Anyone familiar with Hamas' policies recognizes this as a bold-faced lie. Hamas has never interferred in the affairs of any Arab regimes, even those hostile to it, let alone attack the U.S.
Hamas today denied this fabricated story.
Here is the statement from Hamas:
"Gaza - Spokesmen for Hamas Movement and its armed wing the Qassam Brigades on Monday denied allegations published by a Hebrew daily that the Movement was planning to attack American targets.
Fawzi Barhum, the Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip, said that the report by Yedioth Ahronoth, quoting an American paper, was completely untrue.
"Our battle is with the Zionist occupiers only and we will not target any country," he emphasized, warning that publishing such "wrong information" was aimed at finding justifications to attack Hamas and its leaders.
For his part, Abu Obaida, the Hamas armed wing's spokesman, denied the report, affirming that it was quoting an illusionary Qassam spokesman.
He underlined that none was allowed to speak on behalf of the armed wing except the official spokesman.
"Hamas limits its battle to resisting occupation inside Palestine and its armed wing has no military activity outside Palestine, we have not considered the matter and do not have the intention to do so," he concluded."
This story on the Ynet web site (of the Israeli paper Yedioth Ahronoth) claimed "Members of Hamas are debating whether to carry out attacks against the United States and may hit American targets if the US continues to support Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' call for new elections, Hamas leaders told WND in a series of interviews." It went on:
"Abu Abdullah told WND Hamas has not yet decided to attack the US, "but one cannot guarantee that this will be the situation if the conspiracy of chasing our government succeeds."
Asked which US targets Hamas would hit, Abu Abdullah replied, "Do you think that I can give you an answer to this question? I can say that the Middle East is full of American targets and the world has had the occasion to learn what are the weapons of the anti-American forces in the region." "
And it added this:
"While the latest Hamas threats warned of attacks against American interests in the region, some terrorism experts and senior security officials previously told WND Hamas has cells inside the US that are technically capable of attacking within the country.
"We have information Hamas agents have been on US soil the past few years and that the group may currently have up to 100 agents operating inside America," an FBI counterterrorism agent in New York told WND last October."
This is pure nonsense and phony as a three-dollar bill. Anyone familiar with Hamas' policies recognizes this as a bold-faced lie. Hamas has never interferred in the affairs of any Arab regimes, even those hostile to it, let alone attack the U.S.
Hamas today denied this fabricated story.
Here is the statement from Hamas:
"Gaza - Spokesmen for Hamas Movement and its armed wing the Qassam Brigades on Monday denied allegations published by a Hebrew daily that the Movement was planning to attack American targets.
Fawzi Barhum, the Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip, said that the report by Yedioth Ahronoth, quoting an American paper, was completely untrue.
"Our battle is with the Zionist occupiers only and we will not target any country," he emphasized, warning that publishing such "wrong information" was aimed at finding justifications to attack Hamas and its leaders.
For his part, Abu Obaida, the Hamas armed wing's spokesman, denied the report, affirming that it was quoting an illusionary Qassam spokesman.
He underlined that none was allowed to speak on behalf of the armed wing except the official spokesman.
"Hamas limits its battle to resisting occupation inside Palestine and its armed wing has no military activity outside Palestine, we have not considered the matter and do not have the intention to do so," he concluded."
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Born in Shepherd's Field Near Bethlehem
By Mazin Qumsiyeh
"It is at Christmastime that the sometimes-beautiful and sometimes-poignant childhood memories of Bethlehem haunt me and other Palestinian Christians most vividly.
Born in Shepherd's Field near Bethlehem to a Lutheran mother and a Greek Orthodox father, I grew up feeling lucky because we celebrated two Christmases. The Christmas season was a time of family gatherings around kerosene heaters where our fingers were cold but our hearts were warm and stomachs full.
Today, Christmas is a time to reflect on the tragedy that has befallen this most famous of little towns. Israel militarily occupied Bethlehem in 1967, but the landscape had begun to change well before that. In 1948, Bethlehem became home to thousands of Palestinian refugees after more than 750,000 people were driven from their homes in what became Israel. Palestinians were forbidden to return, and the cramped refugee camps of Dheisheh and Aida on the outskirts of Bethlehem remain testaments to this nearly 60-year legacy of dispossession.
After 1967, Israel built new illegal settlements on annexed Palestinian public and agricultural lands and Israeli-only roads to connect these settlements to Israel and one another. We could do nothing but watch as increasing portions of our homeland became off-limits to Palestinians. The only forested region of East Jerusalem, Jabal Abu Ghneim -- where I used to picnic and walk almost daily -- became the Jewish settlement of Har Homa.
Today, Bethlehem is surrounded by the settlements of Gilo, Har Gilo, and a new settlement near Rachel's tomb. The tomb is holy to Christians, Muslims and Jews but is now off limit to Palestinians, including relatives of the hundreds of Palestinian Muslims buried there.
Since 2002, Bethlehemites have faced the enormous human costs of a massive, concrete segregation wall. During my visit last July, I noticed that the route of the wall zigzagged around Bethlehem, placing fertile Palestinian agricultural lands on the "Israeli side" of the wall. The wall went straight through centuries-old villages - separating Palestinian families from each other and from their jobs, hospitals, schools, churches and mosques.
Many of my relatives have lost jobs in Jerusalem, a mere six miles away, because it is virtually impossible for West Bank Palestinians to obtain permits to enter Jerusalem. Even with a permit, checkpoints make travel unpredictable and often impossible, precluding reliable work attendance. Although I have an American passport, I am denied entry to East Jerusalem, where I taught high school. At Bethlehem University, where my brother has taught mathematics for 25 years, the wall and checkpoints mean many faculty and students can no longer make it to school. The biblical and literal path from Nazareth to Bethlehem is blocked by checkpoints and thirty-foot high slabs of concrete.
I am saddened when I see how Bethlehem has been transformed. A once-thriving community is stifled, isolated and desperate. Tourism has plummeted, jobs are scarce and Christian Palestinian families are leaving. At Christmastime, typically a period of joy and hope, this grim reality hits especially hard.
Israel's desire to acquire maximum geography with minimum Palestinian demography is the root of the suffering afflicting the Holy Land. Amnesty International has observed that the peace processes failed because Israel has ignored human rights, including the right of native Palestinians to return to their homes and lands. There is now a broad international consensus (with the exceptions of the US and Israeli governments) on the danger to international peace and security posed by Israel's continued violations of human rights and international law.
Although Israel's actions are given diplomatic and financial cover by my adopted country of America, I feel hopeful. Jimmy Carter's new book "Palestine: Peace not Apartheid" marks the first time a major US politician recognized publicly the reality of discrimination against the Christians and Muslims of Palestine. The Iraq study group has recommended resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as critical to regional stability. People are increasingly pausing to reconsider the value of our government's unconditional support for Israel. We need our politicians to follow suit. In this season celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace, let us all resolve to pray and work for justice in the holiest of lands.
May this holiday season and the new year bear the fruits of the collective hard work for peace with justice to all people."
Troop 'surge' in Iraq Would Be Another Mistake
by W. Patrick Lang and Ray McGovern
(W. Patrick Lang, a retired Army colonel, served with Special Forces in Vietnam, as a professor at West Point and as defense intelligence officer for the Middle East. Ray McGovern was also an Army infantry/intelligence officer before his 27-year career as a CIA analyst. Both are with Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity)
"......Virtually everyone concedes that the war cannot be won militarily. And yet the so-called ''neoconservatives'' whom Bush has listened to in the past are arguing strongly for a surge in troop strength. A generation from now, our grandchildren will have difficulty writing history papers on the oxymoronic debate now raging on how to surge/withdraw our troops into/from the quagmire in Iraq.
The generals in Iraq may have already been ordered by the White House to ''get with the program'' on surging. Just as they ''never asked for more troops'' at earlier stages of the war, they are likely to be instant devotees of a surge, once they smell the breezes from Washington. As for Gates, it is a safe bet that whatever personal input he may dare to offer will be dwarfed by Cheney's. Taking issue with ''deciders'' has never been Gates' strong suit.
Whether Gates realizes it or not, the U.S. military is about to commit hara-kiri by ''surge.'' The generals should know that, once an ''all or nothing'' offensive like the ''surge'' apparently contemplated has begun, there is no turning back.
It will be ''victory'' over the insurgents and the Shiite militias or palpable defeat, recognizable by all in Iraq and across the world. Any conceivable ''surge'' would not turn the tide -- would not even stem it. We saw that last summer when the dispatch of 7,000 U.S. troops to reinforce Baghdad brought a fierce counter-surge -- the highest level of violence since the Pentagon began issuing quarterly reports in 2005.
A major buildup would commit the U.S. Army and Marine Corps to decisive combat in which there would be no more strategic reserves to be sent to the front. As Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway pointed out Monday, ``If you commit your reserve for something other than a decisive win, or to stave off defeat, then you have essentially shot your bolt.''
It will be a matter of win or die in the attempt. In that situation, everyone in uniform on the ground will commit every ounce of their being to ''victory,'' and few measures will be shrunk from.
Analogies come to mind: Stalingrad, the Bulge, Dien Bien Phu, the Battle of Algiers.
It will be total war with the likelihood of all the excesses and mass casualties that come with total war. To force such a strategy on our armed forces would be nothing short of immoral, in view of predictable troop losses and the huge number of Iraqis who would meet violent injury and death. If adopted, the ''surge'' strategy will turn out to be something we will spend a generation living down........"
Bardawil charges Abbas with planning military coup against the government
"Gaza - Salah Bardawil, the spokesman of the Hamas-affiliated change and reform parliamentary bloc, on Sunday charged PA chief Mahmoud Abbas with impeding national dialogue and with planning military coup against the PA government.
Bardawil, in a press release, said that Abbas was preparing to topple the legitimate PA government using military force, citing the PA chief's constant hampering of national dialogue.
He drew the attention to the increasing deployment of presidential guards in the PA-run lands and to exploiting the constitutional court to issue rulings against the Hamas-led government.
The spokesman noted, however, that mediation efforts were being exerted by the Egyptians, the OIC, the PFLP and MP Mustafa Al-Barghouthi to return to dialogue with the aim of forming a unity government based on the national concord document.
Meanwhile, Hebrew daily Yedioth Ahronoth said on Sunday that Israel had allowed Egypt and Jordan to supply Abbas' presidential guards with around 5,000 machineguns and millions of bullets.
The paper further said that the Israeli intelligence had advised Olmert to supply Abbas with money to purchase needed combat means for the presidential guards, which Olmert did through agreeing to channel 100 million dollars of PA frozen money to Abbas.
The PA chief is scheduled to visit Jordan on Monday to discuss recent developments with Jordanian officials.
For its part, the AMB, the armed wing of the Fatah faction, charged Abbas' entourage with diverting Fatah from its original path.
The AMB statement lashed out at those who criticized Farouk Kaddoumi, Fatah secretary general and PLO political department head, for refusing Abbas' call for early elections.
It heaped praise on Kaddoumi as one of the vanguards of Palestinian constants."
Diskin: Fatah has near zero chance of winning PA elections
"Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin told the cabinet Sunday that should elections be held in the Palestinian Authority, Fatah's chances of winning would be close to zero.
Diskin said during Sunday's weekly cabinet meeting that the Fatah faction is in bad shape, and therefore Israel should expect Hamas to register a sweeping victory.
The Shin Bet chief also warned the cabinet that should the Israel Defense Forces begin targeting militants who are launching Qassam rockets, the Gaza Strip cease-fire would collapse within days because Hamas would renew its participation in attacks on Israel."
Diskin said during Sunday's weekly cabinet meeting that the Fatah faction is in bad shape, and therefore Israel should expect Hamas to register a sweeping victory.
The Shin Bet chief also warned the cabinet that should the Israel Defense Forces begin targeting militants who are launching Qassam rockets, the Gaza Strip cease-fire would collapse within days because Hamas would renew its participation in attacks on Israel."
All Out Support For Israel's Man
"Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday asked cabinet ministers for their position on a new Palestinian request for the release of prisoners by next week, Israel Radio reported.
At the weekly cabinet meeting, Olmert told the ministers that in their Saturday meeting Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas had asked for an Israeli gesture ahead of the Eid al-Adha festival.
So far Israel has maintained it would not release any Palestinians before abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit is released by Hamas.
Three cabinet minister said in response that the release of prisoners before Shalit is freed should be considered as a goodwill gesture that would boost Abbas' position on the Palestinian street, according to the radio.
Vice Premier Shimon Peres said he sees no reason why a gesture should not be made to Abbas in order to support the moderates in the PA.
Defense Minister Amir Peretz said there is room for such a move before Shalit's release.
Transportation Minister and former defense minister Shaul Mofaz said the proposal should be considered. Israel has made such gestures in the past and that the PA chairman should be supported, Mofaz was quoted by the radio as saying. "
PA government calls on UN to transfer Palestinians out of Iraq
"Gaza - The PA ministry of refugees' affairs has called on the UN to swiftly transfer the Palestinian refugees residing in Iraq to Syria and Jordan to preserve their threatened lives.
The ministry, in a press release on Saturday, stressed that those refugees should remain under UN-supervision until their return to their homeland, and affirmed that they should remain near their homeland Palestine.
It urged the UN to shoulder its responsibility towards those refugees and to provide protection for them in face of the daily murder and arrest threats that ran contrary to human rights.
The ministry appealed to the UN secretary general and to the Arab League secretary general to immediately step in and solve the problem of Palestinian refugees in Iraq who have been stranded at the Syrian-Iraqi borders for months in tragic conditions.
Palestinian refugees in Iraq are the target of merciless murder, displacement and persecution at the hands of local militias forcing many families to flee their homes and seek refuge in nearby Arab countries that denied them entry, the ministry pointed out, adding that those families including a big number of children were trapped at the no-man's-land area without protection or help.
The ministry said that it was and still is pursuing contacts with a number of countries and concerned parties to wrap up this issue and to halt the Palestinian refugees' suffering in Iraq and those trapped at the borders with Jordan and Syria. "
صهاينة ... أكثر من الصهاينة..!
صهاينة ... أكثر من الصهاينة..!
بقلم :زياد أبو غنيمة
أفهم أن يوقـِّع الرئيس بوش قانوناً يحظر إرسال أموال إلى الحكومة الفلسطينية الحماسية إلا إذا اعترفت بالكيان الصهيوني المجرم ، فذلك يأتي في غمرة السعار الذي يمارسه الصهاينة وخدَّامهم من المتصهينين الأمريكان والأوروبيين الذين يرتفع جعيرهم مطالبين حركة المقاومة الإسلامية في فلسطين "حماس" بالتخلي عن سلاحها المقاوم للاحتلال ، وبالاعتراف بشرعية الكيان الصهيوني المغتصب لفلسطين.
أفهم أن ينخَّ مجلس الأمن والاتحاد الأوروبي واللجنة الرباعية وميركل وشيراك وبلير ورايس وسولانا وغيرهم من المتصهينين لضغوط الأمريكان والصهاينة فينضمُّوا إلى جوقة التزمير والتطبيل المطالبة حماساً بالتخلي عن سلاح مقاومتها وبالاعتراف بشرعية الكيان المغتصب لفلسطين...!
لكن الذي لم أستطع فهمه هذه الشراسة التي يبديها رئيس السلطة الأوسلوية وبطانة العمالة التي تحيط به ، وقبضايات حرسه الرئاسي الفتحاوي وفرق الموت الدحلانية الفتحاوية في تصعيد تآمرهم على حركة حماس وحكومة حماس ونواب حماس الى حد أن يهرع عباس إلى لقاء المجرم أولمرت أمس، في الوقت الذي يصفق بابه في وجه رئيس وزراء الشعب الفلسطيني ووزراءه ، وإلى حد إطلاق العنان لزعران أوسلو لمحاولة الإنقلاب بقوة السلاح على حماس وحكومتها لأنها تصرُّعلى رفض الإعتراف بشرعية الكيان الصهيوني المجرم ..!!!!
لكن الذي لم استطع فهمه هو هذا الحماس الذي يبديه بعض رغالات النظام العربي والإسلامي الرسمي وكلُّ مارينزات الأمركة والصهينة في صحافتنا وفضائياتنا المحسوبة زورا على العروبة في ترديد مطالب الصهاينة والمتصهينين وينضمُّوا إلى الجوقة إياها مطالبين بل وضاغطين أحياناً على حماس للتخلي عن سلاحها المقاوم وبالاعتراف بشرعية الكيان المغتصب لفلسطين..!
ما مصلحة هذا النظام العربي أو ذاك في مجاراة الصهاينة والمتصهينين في ممارسة الضغوط على حماس بعد أن انحازت لها ولخيارها المقاوم أغلبية الجماهير الفلسطينية وغالبية الجماهير العربية والإسلامية وشرفاء العالم ...؟
لماذا يجاري هذا النظام العربي أو ذاك الصهاينة والمتصهينين ولا يجاري إرادة العروبة والإسلام التي جسَّدتها إرادة أهلنا في فلسطين بانحيازها إلى حماس ومقاومتها في مواجهة الصهاينة والمتصهينين...!
لماذا لم يتنازل ، حتى الآن ، رغالات النظام العربي الرسمي برفع سماعة الهاتف ليدعوا إسماعيل هنيَّة لزيارتهم كما يدعون غونداليزا وأولمرت ومارينزات الأمركة والتصهين في سلطة عباس ..؟
أما آن لمارينزات الأمركة والصهينة في إعلامنا أن يقولوا خيراً أويخرسوا..؟ لماذا يزايدون على الصهاينة والمتصهينين في مقالاتهم ومشاركاتهم الفضائية وهم يرعدون ويزبدون مطالبين حماساً بالتخلي عن سلاحها المقاوم للإحتلال وبالاعتراف بشرعية الكيان المغتصب لفلسطين..؟
كيف يكون عربياً من يدعو حماساً للاعتراف بشرعية الإغتصاب الصهيوني لأرض الإسراء والمعراج وقبلة المسلمين الأولى ..؟
لماذا ، ولمصلحة من ، ومقابل ماذا ، يطالب مارينزات السلطة الأوسلوية الفتحاوية ورغالات النظام العربي حماساً بما يطالبها به الصهاينة والمتصهينون في أمريكا وأوروبا ومجلس أمنهم ولجنتهم الرباعية واتحادهم الأوروبي..؟
لقد سقطت كل أوراق التوت عن كل أولئك الذين انتقلوا من خندق أمتهم إلى خندق أعداء أمتهم ، وهل من سقوط أكبر من عناق عباس للمجرم أولمرت بعد أيام قليلة من محاولة قبضايات حرسه الرئاسي الأوسلوي إغتيال رئيس وزراء الشعب الفلسطيني المجاهد إسماعيل هنية ..؟؟؟؟
بقلم :زياد أبو غنيمة
أفهم أن يوقـِّع الرئيس بوش قانوناً يحظر إرسال أموال إلى الحكومة الفلسطينية الحماسية إلا إذا اعترفت بالكيان الصهيوني المجرم ، فذلك يأتي في غمرة السعار الذي يمارسه الصهاينة وخدَّامهم من المتصهينين الأمريكان والأوروبيين الذين يرتفع جعيرهم مطالبين حركة المقاومة الإسلامية في فلسطين "حماس" بالتخلي عن سلاحها المقاوم للاحتلال ، وبالاعتراف بشرعية الكيان الصهيوني المغتصب لفلسطين.
أفهم أن ينخَّ مجلس الأمن والاتحاد الأوروبي واللجنة الرباعية وميركل وشيراك وبلير ورايس وسولانا وغيرهم من المتصهينين لضغوط الأمريكان والصهاينة فينضمُّوا إلى جوقة التزمير والتطبيل المطالبة حماساً بالتخلي عن سلاح مقاومتها وبالاعتراف بشرعية الكيان المغتصب لفلسطين...!
لكن الذي لم أستطع فهمه هذه الشراسة التي يبديها رئيس السلطة الأوسلوية وبطانة العمالة التي تحيط به ، وقبضايات حرسه الرئاسي الفتحاوي وفرق الموت الدحلانية الفتحاوية في تصعيد تآمرهم على حركة حماس وحكومة حماس ونواب حماس الى حد أن يهرع عباس إلى لقاء المجرم أولمرت أمس، في الوقت الذي يصفق بابه في وجه رئيس وزراء الشعب الفلسطيني ووزراءه ، وإلى حد إطلاق العنان لزعران أوسلو لمحاولة الإنقلاب بقوة السلاح على حماس وحكومتها لأنها تصرُّعلى رفض الإعتراف بشرعية الكيان الصهيوني المجرم ..!!!!
لكن الذي لم استطع فهمه هو هذا الحماس الذي يبديه بعض رغالات النظام العربي والإسلامي الرسمي وكلُّ مارينزات الأمركة والصهينة في صحافتنا وفضائياتنا المحسوبة زورا على العروبة في ترديد مطالب الصهاينة والمتصهينين وينضمُّوا إلى الجوقة إياها مطالبين بل وضاغطين أحياناً على حماس للتخلي عن سلاحها المقاوم وبالاعتراف بشرعية الكيان المغتصب لفلسطين..!
ما مصلحة هذا النظام العربي أو ذاك في مجاراة الصهاينة والمتصهينين في ممارسة الضغوط على حماس بعد أن انحازت لها ولخيارها المقاوم أغلبية الجماهير الفلسطينية وغالبية الجماهير العربية والإسلامية وشرفاء العالم ...؟
لماذا يجاري هذا النظام العربي أو ذاك الصهاينة والمتصهينين ولا يجاري إرادة العروبة والإسلام التي جسَّدتها إرادة أهلنا في فلسطين بانحيازها إلى حماس ومقاومتها في مواجهة الصهاينة والمتصهينين...!
لماذا لم يتنازل ، حتى الآن ، رغالات النظام العربي الرسمي برفع سماعة الهاتف ليدعوا إسماعيل هنيَّة لزيارتهم كما يدعون غونداليزا وأولمرت ومارينزات الأمركة والتصهين في سلطة عباس ..؟
أما آن لمارينزات الأمركة والصهينة في إعلامنا أن يقولوا خيراً أويخرسوا..؟ لماذا يزايدون على الصهاينة والمتصهينين في مقالاتهم ومشاركاتهم الفضائية وهم يرعدون ويزبدون مطالبين حماساً بالتخلي عن سلاحها المقاوم للإحتلال وبالاعتراف بشرعية الكيان المغتصب لفلسطين..؟
كيف يكون عربياً من يدعو حماساً للاعتراف بشرعية الإغتصاب الصهيوني لأرض الإسراء والمعراج وقبلة المسلمين الأولى ..؟
لماذا ، ولمصلحة من ، ومقابل ماذا ، يطالب مارينزات السلطة الأوسلوية الفتحاوية ورغالات النظام العربي حماساً بما يطالبها به الصهاينة والمتصهينون في أمريكا وأوروبا ومجلس أمنهم ولجنتهم الرباعية واتحادهم الأوروبي..؟
لقد سقطت كل أوراق التوت عن كل أولئك الذين انتقلوا من خندق أمتهم إلى خندق أعداء أمتهم ، وهل من سقوط أكبر من عناق عباس للمجرم أولمرت بعد أيام قليلة من محاولة قبضايات حرسه الرئاسي الأوسلوي إغتيال رئيس وزراء الشعب الفلسطيني المجاهد إسماعيل هنية ..؟؟؟؟
Meanwhile in Iraq
Iraq: At least 13 killed in another bloody day in Iraq: Clashes between Iraqi security forces and a powerful Shi'ite militia left five people, including four policemen, dead and wounded 17 others in Samawa, police sources said.
US air strike kills five: Two women and a 4-year-old child were reportedly among the dead.
U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq: Three U.S. Marines and one sailor were killed in Iraq's overwhelmingly Sunni Islamic Anbar Province Saturday, the U.S. military said.
U.S. commanders in Iraq push troop increase: Top U.S. military commanders in Iraq have decided to recommend an increase in the number of U.S. occupation forces there, the Los Angeles Times reported on Saturday, citing a defense official familiar with the plan.
Troop Levels Unknown: - Despite all the talk about just what kind of troop levels the U.S. should maintain, it's not clear anyone knows the size of the Iraqi force, Rep. Christopher Shays said today in his report to the White House and Pentagon on findings from his trip to Iraq.
Iraqi Shiites seize Sunni neighborhoods in Baghdad: As the United States debates what to do in Iraq, this country's Shiite majority is already moving toward its own solution
Shiite Cleric Won't Support Coalition: Iraq's most revered Shiite cleric withheld support Saturday for a U.S.-backed plan to build a coalition across sectarian lines, Shiite lawmakers said, jeopardizing hopes that such a show of political unity could help stem the country's deadly violence.
Archbishop attacks US, Britain on Iraq: THE spiritual head of the Anglican Church launched an outspoken attack on the British and US governments on Saturday, saying their "ignorant" policy in Iraq has put Christians in the region at risk.
U.S. to maintain long presence in Gulf region: Gates: An increased U.S. naval presence in the Gulf is not a response to any action by Iran but a message to all countries that the United States will keep its regional footprint "for a long time", Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Friday.
Will Iraq's Oil Blessing Become a Curse?: The Iraqi government is considering a new oil law that could give private oil companies greater control over its vast reserves. In light of rampant violence and shaky democratic institutions, many fear the law is being pushed through hastily by special interests behind closed doors.
Iraq: At least 27 killed in ongoing violence in Iraq: Two policemen were killed when a roadside bomb targeted their patrol in central Samarra, 100 km (60 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
Five more US soldiers die; Gates ends Iraq visit: The U.S. military reported the deaths of five more soldiers in Iraq on Friday as Defense Secretary Robert Gates ended a visit aimed at finding a new strategy to curb violence and allow U.S. troops to withdraw.
Iraq town has little faith in US trial of Marines: "This is a show trial just to show that the Americans are doing something to be fair with Iraqis but it's nothing more than that," he said.
Did an American fire on Iraqis for sport?: U.S. security contractors allege their supervisor was ‘out of control’.
US air strike kills five: Two women and a 4-year-old child were reportedly among the dead.
U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq: Three U.S. Marines and one sailor were killed in Iraq's overwhelmingly Sunni Islamic Anbar Province Saturday, the U.S. military said.
U.S. commanders in Iraq push troop increase: Top U.S. military commanders in Iraq have decided to recommend an increase in the number of U.S. occupation forces there, the Los Angeles Times reported on Saturday, citing a defense official familiar with the plan.
Troop Levels Unknown: - Despite all the talk about just what kind of troop levels the U.S. should maintain, it's not clear anyone knows the size of the Iraqi force, Rep. Christopher Shays said today in his report to the White House and Pentagon on findings from his trip to Iraq.
Iraqi Shiites seize Sunni neighborhoods in Baghdad: As the United States debates what to do in Iraq, this country's Shiite majority is already moving toward its own solution
Shiite Cleric Won't Support Coalition: Iraq's most revered Shiite cleric withheld support Saturday for a U.S.-backed plan to build a coalition across sectarian lines, Shiite lawmakers said, jeopardizing hopes that such a show of political unity could help stem the country's deadly violence.
Archbishop attacks US, Britain on Iraq: THE spiritual head of the Anglican Church launched an outspoken attack on the British and US governments on Saturday, saying their "ignorant" policy in Iraq has put Christians in the region at risk.
U.S. to maintain long presence in Gulf region: Gates: An increased U.S. naval presence in the Gulf is not a response to any action by Iran but a message to all countries that the United States will keep its regional footprint "for a long time", Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Friday.
Will Iraq's Oil Blessing Become a Curse?: The Iraqi government is considering a new oil law that could give private oil companies greater control over its vast reserves. In light of rampant violence and shaky democratic institutions, many fear the law is being pushed through hastily by special interests behind closed doors.
Iraq: At least 27 killed in ongoing violence in Iraq: Two policemen were killed when a roadside bomb targeted their patrol in central Samarra, 100 km (60 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
Five more US soldiers die; Gates ends Iraq visit: The U.S. military reported the deaths of five more soldiers in Iraq on Friday as Defense Secretary Robert Gates ended a visit aimed at finding a new strategy to curb violence and allow U.S. troops to withdraw.
Iraq town has little faith in US trial of Marines: "This is a show trial just to show that the Americans are doing something to be fair with Iraqis but it's nothing more than that," he said.
Did an American fire on Iraqis for sport?: U.S. security contractors allege their supervisor was ‘out of control’.
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