British pawns in an Iranian game

The Iranian seizure of 15 British sailors may be much cleverer than it appears. Oil has moved above US$60 a barrel as a result of the incident. And if Tehran drags out proceedings, the Shi'ites in southern Iraq may take the hint and accelerate a confrontation, and even start merging with strands of the Sunni resistance.

By Pepe Escobar
Asia Times

".....The British are adamant that the sailors were in Iraqi waters checking for cars, not weapons, being smuggled. It's almost laughable that the Royal Navy should be reduced to finding dangerous Toyotas in the Persian Gulf. Some reports from Tehran claim the British were actually checking Iranian military preparations ahead of a possible confrontation with the US.....

The Shatt-al-Arab incident has been linked to an Iranian response to Washington's accusations that Tehran is helping Shi'ite militias with funds, weapons and training in Iraq. For the record, Iran's ambassador in Iraq, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, said there is absolutely no connection: "They entered Iranian territorial waters and were arrested. It has nothing to do with other issues." Not surprisingly, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari had to take the side of the occupiers who installed him in his post: he said the British were in Iraq invited by the Iraqi government and were operating in Iraqi waters.....

From the depths of their abysmal, recent historical experience, even the Arab world - which is not so fond of Persians - sees the US-orchestrated UN sanctions on Iran for what they are: the West, once again, trying to smash an independent nation daring to have its shot at more influence in the Middle East. More sanctions will be useless as China and India will continue to do serious business with Iran......

But from Tehran's point of view, for all purposes British Prime Minister Tony Blair is a soft target. The episode has the potential to paralyze both President George W Bush and Blair. Neither can use the incident to start a war with Iran, although Blair has warned that his government is prepared to move to "a different phase" if Iran does not quickly release the sailors.

If the Tehran leadership decides to drag out the proceedings, the Shi'ites in southern Iraq, already exasperated by the British (as they were in the 1920s), may take the hint and accelerate a confrontation. Strands of the Shi'ite resistance may start merging with strands of the Sunni resistance (that's what Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has wanted all along). And this would prove once again that you don't need nuclear weapons when you excel at playing chess. "

Al-Jazeera Cartoon

An Arab Summit

Makiya's Malady

Another War Party stalwart cuts and runs

By Justin Raimondo

"In the late Sixties, the Iraqi-born Kanan Makiya was a Trotskyist, a card-carrying member of the Socialist Workers Party in the U.S., and later, in Britain, an activist in the International Marxist Group, the British section of the Trots' Fourth International. Then, as Edward Said put it,

"He switched sides and during the early 1980s he and his father, who own a firm called Makiya Associates, were employed by President Saddam Hussein to build a large number of buildings and projects, including a military parade ground for the observation of Saddam's birthday in Tikrit [Saddam's hometown], so he benefited from his connection with the Iraqis. And it was during this time that he used his second pseudonym, Samir al-Khalil, to write Republic of Fear [Berkeley: University of California Press, 1989]."

The book was taken up by the War Party as one of its seminal texts, cited by the regime-changers as evidence of the moral and practical necessity of ridding the world of Ba'athism. From a "full-time political activist" in the service of the Fourth International, Makiya, like so many others, made a surprisingly smooth transition to activism in the service of the 101st Airborne......

We can only hope that Makiya's malady is contagious and the rest of the neocons will come down with writer's block before too long. Like the dinosaurs, in one fell swoop an entire species, Homo neoconservatismus, will become extinct – and suddenly the world will be a much more peaceful place.

Oh well, I can dream, can't I?"

Rice: The Arabs Need to Extend Their Hand (in peace) to Israel
By Naser Jafari

To All Palestinians: Rejoice and Celebrate.....
This Abdullah Will Liberate You Just As The Jordanian Abdullah Did in 1948......
You Forgot Already?

Report: U.S. Sponsoring Kurdish Guerilla Attacks Inside Iran

Democracy Now!
With Amy Goodman

"We speak with independent journalist Reese Erlich about his report on Iranian Kurdish guerillas based among their Kurdish bretheren in northern Iraq. Erlich writes, "Kurdish and American sources say the United States has been supporting guerilla raids against Iran, channeling the money through organizations in Iraqi Kurdistan."......

AMY GOODMAN: In the latest edition of Mother Jones, you have a piece where you talk about the Iranian/Kurdish guerrillas. Explain who and where they are.

REESE ERLICH: In Northern Iraq there are three Iranian Kurdish groups that operate and that have compounds and do political organizing. Keep in mind that the Kurdish people of Iran face a great deal of oppression, they're not allowed to learn in their own language in the schools. They face discrimination. They're a great deal poorer than the rest of Iran. So the Kurdish people have very legitimate grievances against the government in Tehran. The U.S. has taken advantage of that.

In the case of one group, the P.K.K. or the Kurdistan Workers Party and they are along with Israel sponsoring them to carry out guerrilla raids inside Iran and its part of a much wider plan by the United States to foment discontent and actual terrorist activities by ethnic Iranians in various parts of Iran. And when I was in northern Iraq, I was able to determine that that kind of activity is going on from Iraqi soil under the Kurdish controlled areas of Iraq, into Iran.

AMY GOODMAN: How did you get to the guerrilla camp?

REESE ERLICH: Well, it's quite interesting, two cell phone calls and a drive up into the mountains. One of the arguments by the Kurdish regional government of Iraq and of the United States is that they can't find these guerrillas because it's so inhospitable territory that no one can find them. They're operating from secret bases, et cetera. But all I did was drive up into the closest Iraqi village and asked the local driver and they say oh, yeah, which of the guerrilla camp do you want to see and we'll take you right up to them. So they are very easy to find......

AMY GOODMAN: And finally Reese Erlich, the relationship of Britain and Israel, both U.S. Allies with these parties.

REESE ERLICH: Israel is backing various Kurdish groups. Both among the Iraqi Kurds as well as the P.J.A.K. among the Iranian Kurds. For Israel that have a long history of supporting non-Arab countries in an effort to divide the Arab world so they supported the Shah of Iran, Hali Salasi in Ethiopia. Turkey, they were allied in Turkey for many years and they see trying to use the Kurds in the same way. You have Israeli security officials training the guards at the Arabial Airport in northern Iraq. You have training of special anti-terrorism squads. I think they're working with P.J.A.K. although this is all denied by P.J.A.K. and the Israelis are also playing a very dangerous game because they are intervening in the affairs of Iraq and causing a great deal of trouble both for Iran and now they're outs with Turkey who was their long-time ally....."

Two Americans Killed in the Green Zone

"BAGHDAD (AP) - Two Americans, a contractor [mercenary] and a soldier, were killed in a rocket attack on the heavy guarded Green Zone on Tuesday, according to statements from the U.S. Embassy and the military.

Five other people were wounded, one contractor [mercenary] who was seriously hurt and three with slight wounds. A second soldier also was wounded in the attack, but the military did not give a condition.

Insurgents and militia fighters routinely fire rockets and mortars into the Green Zone, the nominally secure area in central Baghdad that is site of the U.S. Embassy and the Iraqi government and parliament. The attacks seldom cause casualties or damage because they are poorly aimed and the zone contains much open space....."

More HAMAS Double Talk

Hamas adopts 'ambiguity policy' on peace initiative

"Hamas will refrain from expressing its views on the Arab Peace Initiative that members of the Arab League, including the Palestinian Authority, are expected to support during a summit in Riyadh Wednesday.

In discussions with Haaretz Tuesday, a number of leading Hamas figures in the Gaza Strip revealed that the organization will adopt a policy of ambiguity on its stance vis-a-vis the peace initiative.However, senior Hamas officials admitted that they are opposed to parts of the initiative relating to a peace agreement with Israel or its recognition.

Palestinian sources said Tuesday that Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Meshal has promised Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah not to disrupt the decisions of the summit.

The same sources said that the policy of ambiguity stems from concerns that open opposition to the initiative, which is a revived version of the Saudi initiative approved at the 2002 Arab League summit in Beirut, will cause friction between Hamas and the Saudis. The initiative offers Israel normalization of relations with the Arab world in exchange for a full withdrawal to 1967 lines and a negotiated settlement to the Palestinian refugee problem.

Israel and the United States have not rejected the initiative but expressed reservations on such Israeli red line issues as the refugees problem. When asked whether Hamas will accept the initiative, senior officials in the group said they reject some of its principles.

The spokesman for Hamas in the Palestinian parliament, Salah al-Bardawil, told Haaretz, "we will not agree to recognition of Israel or peace with it [as it appears in the initiative]. We have no problem with the part of the initiative that calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders and the right of refugees to return."

Bardawil told Haaretz that Meshal had promised to Saudi King Adbullah that Hamas will work with the Arab consensus view, but "we cannot recognize Israel or agree to peace and normalization."

Meshal called on Arab leaders participating in the summit not to make concessions on refugees and the Palestinians' right to defend themselves, according to Saudi media.

"Meshal called on Arab leaders meeting in Riyadh to adopt a strategy based on the right to self-defense," the official Saudi news agency SPA said. "He said that conceding legitimate rights such as the right of return and the Palestinian people's right to protection was unacceptable," the report added.

Meshal spoke to SPA in Algeria, after a visit to Saudi Arabia for talks with officials there on Sunday.

Taking a more severe position, Ismail Radwan, a Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip, declared Tuesday that "the Hamas positions have not changed in any way. The new government has accepted commitments but our positions remain unchanged[??]."

Another Hamas spokesman in Gaza, Fawzi Barhum, told Haaretz that "the issue is not a 'yes' or 'no' by Hamas regarding the initiative. We respect the Arab efforts to attain Palestinian rights and we will act within the Arab consensus. Nonetheless, the Zionist enemy continues to reject the initiative and we will not determine our position in reference to it before it has been accepted."

Meanwhile, President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to announce the Palestinian Authority's support for the initiative. Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas is not expected to present the unity government's views on the initiative......"

***

Let me know if you can make any sense of this mumbo jumbo. Hamas is acting like a fly caught in a spider web.

The Arab Threat

قمة عربية مريبة

If you Read Arabic, This is a Must Read

عبد الباري عطوان

28/03/2007

اختتمت السيدة كوندوليزا رايس وزيرة الخارجية الامريكية جولتها المكوكية في المنطقة بتوجيه نصيحة الي الزعماء العرب الذين سيجتمعون اليوم في الرياض بضرورة المصالحة مع الدولة العبرية، والاقدام علي خطوات تطبيعية معها، لطمأنتها، وبالتالي تشجيعها علي المضي قدماً في عملية السلام.
ومن الصعب علينا التكهن بكيفية تعامل القادة العرب مع هذه النصيحة، او التوجيه الامريكي، ولكن ما يمكن استخلاصه من كل ما تسرب عن محادثاتها مع وزراء خارجية دول الرباعية العربية هو وجود مرونة عربية، ولو من قبل محور الاعتدال ، لبدء اتصالات مع حكومة ايهود اولمرت، بعد ان اصبح الجميع يؤمن بأن الخطر الذي يهدد المنطقة قادم من ايران وبرنامجها النووي علي وجه التحديد.
الصحف الاسرائيلية لم تتوقف طوال الاسابيع القلـــيلة الماضية عـــن الحديث عن وجود اتصالات سعوديــة ـ اسرائيلية، وذهب الحال بالصحافي الامريكي توماس فريدمان الي درجة مناشدة العاهل السعودي الملك عبد الله بن عبد العزيز اتباع خطـــــي الرئيس الراحل انور السادات، والذهاب الي القدس المحتلة ومخاطبة البرلمان الاسرائيلي مباشرة لتحقيق المصالحة التاريخية بين العرب والاسرائيليين، وتحقيق التسوية التي تنهي الصراع بينهما الي الأبد.
السيدة رايس لا تنطق عن هوي، وانما تستند الي سوابق عربية، فتحت ذريعة طمأنة اسرائيل وتشجيعها للمضي قدماً في عملية السلام، اقامت عدة دول عربية علاقات دبلوماسية، وفتحت سفارات ومكاتب تجارية في عواصمها، ولكن جاءت النتائج مخيبة للآمال كلياً، فقد ترسخ التطبيع، دون ان يحدث اي تقدم علي صعيد السلام، والأكثر من ذلك ان الاطمئنان الذي حصلت عليه الدولة العبرية من جراء هذا الكرم العربي، شجعها علي بناء المزيد من المستوطنات، واعادة احتلال الضفة الغربية، وارتكاب مجازر اكثر فظاعة في جنين وبيت حانون ورفح ونابلس.
القمة العربية لن تقدم علي تعديل مبادرة السلام التي تبنتها قمة بيروت عام 2002، حتي تتجاوب مع المطالب الاسرائيلية في اسقاط اهم بندين فيها، وهما حق العودة ومنع توطين اللاجئين الفلسطينيين في الدول التي يقيمون فيها مثل الاردن ولبنان وسورية، ولكنها، اي القمة، ستعمل علي الالتفاف حول هاتين المسألتين، بطريقة او بأخري.
فإحياء مبادرة السلام العربية، بعد خمسة اعوام من الموات، وفي مثل هذا التوقيت بالذات، هو امر يثير الريبة والشك، خاصة بعد اعلان اكثر من وزير خارجية عربي، بينهم السيد احمد ابو الغيط، ان هذه المبادرة هي اطار للسلام يمكن ان يكون اساساً للتفاوض من اجل حل القضية الفلسطينية.
فاطار السلام قابل للتعديل، والأخذ والرد، عندما تبدأ المفاوضات، ونحن نعرف ان الطرف الاسرائيلي هو الأكثر مهارة في المساومة، وفرض صياغات مبهمة للمعاهدات او للحدود، وثقوب اتفاقات اوسلو الكثيرة هي المثال الأبرز في هذا الخصوص.
مسؤول كبير يمثل احدي دول اللجنة الرباعية العربية قال لي شخصياً إن هناك ثلاثة ملفات رئيسية مطروحة امام القمة العربية، هي النزاع العربي ـ الاسرائيلي، والوضع المتفجر في العراق، والبرنامج النووي الايراني. واعترف بأن الملف الاول اي الفلسطيني هو اسهلها واقلها تعقيداً، ولهذا يمكن ان يتم البدء في التعامل معه، بعدها يتم الانتقال الي الملف العــراقي ثم الملف الايراني.
سهولة الملف الفلسطيني المفاجئة هذه تعود الي أمرين اساسيين، الاول هو عدم وجود قيادة فلسطينية قوية، وترويض حركة حماس من خلال ادخالها حكومة الوحدة الوطنية، وبيت الطاعة العربي عبر بوابة اتفاق مكة ، والأمر الثاني اتفاق محور المعتدلين العرب علي التضحية بهذه القضية وتقديم تنازلات كبيرة بشأنها، من اجل الدخول في شراكة امنية وعسكرية مع الدولة العبرية لخوض حرب مشتركة للتخلص من التهديد النووي الايراني.
فليس من قبيل الصدفة ان يتم تجويع الشعب الفلسطيني لأكثر من عام بوقف الرواتب والمساعدات عنه، ومشاركة الدول العربية بـحماس غير معهود في هذا الحصار المالي الظالم. فالهدف هو تيئيسه وإذلاله، ودفعه للقبول بأي شيء بما في ذلك التنازل عن حق العودة.
فالحكومة الفلسطينية الجديدة ليست معنية بالمفاوضات، ولا بدعم المقاومة، وانما بكيفية كسر الحصار، فالهدف الاساسي من تشكيلها هو كيفية استئناف ضخ المساعدات العربية والدولية لموظفي السلطة، ونيل الاعتراف الامريكي والاوروبي بها. ومن اللافت ان حركة حماس دخلت هذه المصيدة، واصبحت المحلل لمثل هذا التوجه المرسوم بعناية من قبل الولايات المتحدة واسرائيل وبعض الدول العربية.
السيدة رايس اكدت علي هذه المسألة بوضوح عندما نجحت في ترتيب لقاءات دورية بين السيد محمود عباس رئيس السلطة، وايهود اولمرت رئيس الوزراء الاسرائيلي، تبحث في القضايا الامنية والانسانية فقط، اما قضايا الحل النهائي والجدار العنصري العازل، والتوسع الاستيطاني وخنق القدس، فعليها ان تنتظر ريثما يهدأ غبار الحرب القادمة ضد ايران، وتحصل الولايات المتحدة علي ما تريد، وتغير النظام في طهران مثلما غيرت النظام في العراق، ولكل حادث حديث بعد ذلك.
اللقاءات المنتظرة، او المتفق عليها بين عباس واولمرت برعاية امريكية، هي بهدف الايحاء بان القضية الفلسطينية علي طريق الحل، مما سيسهل، او سيوفر الغطاء، للقاءات عربية علنية مع المسؤولين الاسرائيليين، وخاصة بين مسؤولين عرب في دول لم تقم علاقات مع تل ابيب مثل المملكة العربية السعودية ودول الخليج.
القمة العربية الحالية ربما تدخل التاريخ كقمة تشريع التطبيع، وتأكيد الزعامة السعودية للمنطقة بعدما تخلت عنها مصر طوعاً، وانتهت منافسة العراق لعدة عقود، واصبحت القيادة السورية تسعي جاهدة لنيل الرضي السعودي، او تجنب العزلة الخليجية.
تأكيد الزعامة السعودية للعرب علي درجة كبيرة من الاهمية، لانه يعني توفير الغطاء السني العربي والاسلامي لأي ضربة امريكية قادمة وشبه مؤكدة لايران، لان السعودية ستكون الشريك الاساسي فيها، مثلما كان حالها في كل الحروب الامريكية في المنطقة ابتداء من حربي افغانستان الاولي ضد السوفييت، والثانية ضد الارهاب وانتهاء بحربي امريكا ضد العراق، لتحرير الكويت اولاً، واطاحة النظام البعثي الوطني ثانياً.
ما زلنا، وسنظل نعتقد ان هذه القمة هي اخطر القمم العربية، او واحدة من اخطرها علي الاقل، ومثلما غيرت قمة القاهرة في اب (اغسطس) عام 1990 وجه المنطقة، واغرقتها في الفوضي والحروب الاهلية وادخلتها تحت الهيمنة الامريكية، فان هذه القمة قد تكرس الاهداف نفسها، وتضيف اليها تقسيم العالم الاسلامي الي معسكرين احدهما سني وآخر شيعي، وتمزق الدول القطرية نفسها، وتغرقها في حروب اهلية علي هذا الأساس

Deputy Windbag Chimes in

Hamas: We support Arab consensus that insists on Palestinian inalienable rights

"DAMAASCUS, (PIC)-- Dr. Mousa Abu Marzouk, the Hamas deputy political bureau chairman, on Tuesday stressed that his Movement backed any Arab consensus that insists on the Palestinian people's inalienable rights.

He expressed optimism that the Riyadh summit would adopt practical steps to break the "unjust" siege imposed on the Palestinian people.

Abu Marzouk, in a statement to the PIC on the eve of the Arab summit, said that Palestine is the Arabs' "central question" and thus they must shoulder their responsibility in this regard.

He urged the Arab leaders to live up to their commitments voiced during the Khartoum summit last year, and asked them to pressure the European countries into lifting the "unethical and inhuman" siege imposed on the Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

The Hams leader said that the Arab summit should also find an urgent solution to the problem of Palestinian refugees in Iraq, who are the target of daily murders, kidnap and persecution.

Abu Marzouk urged the Arab countries to give up the policy of free concessions that only brought about "disasters" to peoples in the region."

***

More hot air. The Palestinian tragedy is that these "leaders" are still pinning their hopes on Arab puppets. Nothing has been learned in about 90 years.

The Arab League and "Reforms"

Iran prepared to fight, if necessary

By Ian Bremmer
Asia Times

"......Whatever the case, the well-orchestrated Iranian "surround and seizure" had been planned for some time. It strikes me as a response to the United States holding Iranian diplomats taken in Irbil several months ago - a deliberate and carefully calibrated escalation, with very limited risk for an outbreak of hostilities. Hence the extraordinary and high-level Iranian military presence quickly marshaled to the scene......

The move further confirms that Tehran is not looking for a "diplomatic out". Rather, it is sending a message to the international community that Iran is prepared for a fight if necessary and that its only remaining options are increasingly unpalatable.

The decision to take British (rather than American) hostages suggests that Tehran does not intend to release them immediately (though certainly they will remain safe and well looked after), but rather to use them as leverage for negotiations with British diplomats. The lack of direct channels of negotiations between Iran and the United States would have precluded this option with US soldiers and could have led to significant retaliation against Iran.

The most likely next step is for Iran to demand the release of its captured diplomats, and conceivably of its government property, in Iraqi territory. That's an unlikely outcome. The incident has the capacity to cool significantly British willingness to support efforts at continued negotiations with Iran on the nuclear conflict, as well as end Iranian participation in the broader "contact group" with the United States and Britain (among others) on Iraq......

The importance of that statement, given International Atomic Energy Agency documentation that Iran's nuclear program is progressing, is that it provides greater justification for broader provocative moves against the Islamic Republic and plays into the Israeli argument for the need for an attack.

I still see Israeli security concerns as the most significant driver of any likely military action. A series of Israeli war drills last week, including simulated missile attacks on Israeli urban centers and on the main Tel Aviv power station, are particularly noteworthy......."

A Palestinian First: A Sewage Tsunami

Sewage 'tsunami' kills four in Gaza

"A spewing river of sewage and mud that erupted after an earth embankment around a cesspool collapsed has killed at least four people and forced residents to flee a village in the northern Gaza Strip.

Dozens of residents of Umm Naser were still unaccounted for after the sewage knocked down many makeshift homes, officials said.

Hani al-Qawasmi, the Palestinian interior minister, who rushed to the village to survey the damage, came under attack from angry armed men who fired shots over his head, local witnesses said.

Al-Qawasmi was driven to safety in a police car.

A local official blamed shoddy infrastructure in the village of 3,000 for the disaster.


Muawiya Hassanin of the Palestinian health ministry said a 70-year-old woman, four-year-old boy and a man had died in the sudden flood.

Submerged

Another 25 people were injured and at least 25 houses completely submerged.

Ziad Abu Farya, head of the village council, described the scene as "our tsunami".

Fadel Kawash, head of the Palestinian water authority, said that the level of sewage in the pool had increased over the past few days, creeping up the earth embankments around the pool until one collapsed, "causing the sewage to pour towards the village".

Angry residents drove reporters out of the area and mobbed government officials.

"We lost everything. Everything was covered by the flood. It's a disaster," said Amina Afif, 65, whose small shack was destroyed."










***

"Interior Minister"....."Health Minister"....."Palestinian Authority"......
What a bunch of crap! The locals know that better than those dressed in three-piece suits and jetting around from capital to capital.

Current Al-Jazeera (Arabic) Online Poll

The question is:

Do you believe that Arab summit meetings contribute to solving the region's problems?

With over 2,500 responding so far, 93% said no.

Salam Fayyad: Everyone's favorite Palestinian

"The old-new Palestinian finance minister, Salam Fayyad, took advantage of last weekend, before the new Palestinian unity government was sworn in, to say "farewell" to his Israeli colleagues. In effect, already at the end of February, when Fayyad held talks with senior Israeli officials at the Finance and Foreign Ministries, he was aware that by joining a government which includes Hamas, he - the Palestinian politician most esteemed in the West - would be added to the growing list of Palestinians Israel is boycotting. "I very much enjoyed working with you," Fayyad told one senior Israeli official during that weekend. "It is a shame that we will not be able to continue talking. I can only hope that this will change in the future."

Fayyad was not the only one who regretted the end of contacts. Many Israelis, both senior and less so, were sorry to see him leave. Everyone who met him in the past few years was enchanted by him. In Jerusalem, Washington, Paris, London and many other capitals, Fayyad became the ultimate Palestinian "icon," the ideal partner. Tzipi Livni, Ephraim Sneh and other Israeli politicians enjoyed sitting and talking with him in the captivating garden of the American Colony Hotel in East Jerusalem, or on the terrace of the King David Hotel, in the city's west. Fayyad is the only Palestinian in whose hands they were prepared to place hundreds of millions of dollars in the belief that these monies would indeed be used to pay salaries.

Fayyad's close relationship with the Israeli establishment can be gauged from the following story. About two years ago, the daughter of Dov Weisglass, who was then the head of the Prime Minister's Bureau, got married. Fayyad was also invited and until today he enjoys a warm relationship with Weisglass. When the seating arrangement was set, Fayyad was placed next to then-prime minister Ariel Sharon. The two had a long conversation between the end of the "chuppah" and the start of the refreshments.

But the best evidence of his status in Israel was the invitation he received to deliver an address at the Herzliya Conference last January. Fayyad was thus granted entry to the meeting place of Israel's economic and political elite via the front door. "I know that it was at this conference that they announced the disengagement plan, a move which perhaps had the greatest influence on the Palestinians' lives in the past few years," he said in his opening remarks. "I was invited to speak about economics but I actually prefer to speak to you about politics." During the next half hour, Fayyad outlined his political philosophy. The audience, which was composed of senior figures in the economy, listened to him attentively......

He was on his way to a brilliant business career when the person considered to be his greatest patron intervened - then national security adviser and today U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. When the Israel Defense Forces' Operation Defensive Shield was over, pressure mounted on Yasser Arafat to implement reforms. As a result, the new job of PA finance minister was set up.....

Fayyad also left Likud MK Silvan Shalom with a relatively positive impression. "We found him easy to deal with and Ariel Sharon believed that if money is being transferred to the Palestinians then at least it should go directly to him," he says.....

Israeli diplomats say that since it became clear that Fayyad will return to the finance portfolio, their European counterparts have been beside themselves. "They are all just waiting for the moment when they can meet him," one senior foreign ministry official said. "All we hear from them is 'Fayyad, Fayyad, Fayyad.'" Israel's former ambassador to Washington, Danny Ayalon, who spent quite a bit of time with Fayyad, tries to explain the phenomenon: "He is the Palestinian figure with the most prestige in the West; they consider him to be someone who can speak their language. The unlimited credit he has earned from the Americans is what gives him his power."

Why do Israelis feel so comfortable with him? Senior political officials, Knesset members and cabinet ministers who have met him, explain that Fayyad simply does not resemble any other Palestinian political figure. "He is the classic example of a Palestinian who has spent a great deal of time in the West and has acquired Western behavior and values," a senior Israeli official says. "He is a very straight person. His directness is surprising. There are no games or pretenses with him. Quite a few Palestinians immediately begin with a speech about the occupation just so they can feel good about themselves. With him, it's not like that. Obviously he is not satisfied with the occupation but one doesn't hear the standard slogans from him. You sit down and talk with him to the point."....."

Chief Windbag Speaks, ....Again

I will post his earth-shaking words in English as soon as a link is available.

قال إن القادة العرب سيتخذون مواقف لصالح القضية
مشعل: قمة الرياض ستكون فرصة وفاق فلسطيني -عربي للدفاع عن حقوق الفلسطينيين

"اعتبر خالد مشعل، رئيس المكتب السياسي لحركة المقاومة الإسلامية "حماس"، أن القمة العربية في الرياض، التي تبدأ أعمالها غداً الأربعاء، ستكون " فرصة وفاق فلسطيني - عربي" للسعي للدفاع عن حقوق الشعب الفلسطيني، مجدداً تمسك الحركة باتفاق مكة.

وأعرب مشعل، الذي تحدّث خلال المؤتمر الخامس لمؤسسة القدس العالمية المنعقد في الجزائر العاصمة، عن ثقته بأن القمة العربية في الرياض ستخرج بنتائج إيجابية تصب في صالح القضية الفلسطينية، مؤكداً على أنه "ليس هناك مشروع عربي لتعديل المبادرة العربية التي تبنتها قمة بيروت سنة 2002".

وكشف النقاب عن أن حركة "حماس" تقدّمت، خلال مشاوراتها في المملكة العربية السعودية، بمشروع من أجل إنقاذ اللاجئين الفلسطينيين في العراق، الذين يتعرّضون للقتل والاختطاف والتشريد.

وقال: "إن انعقاد القمة في الرياض يبشر بالخير بعدما كللت رعاية المملكة العربية السعودية باتفاق مكة الذي مهد الطريق لإنجاز حكومة وحدة وطنية فلسطينية وحقن الدماء بين أبناء حركتي حماس و فتح"، لافتاً الانتباه إلى أن هذه "العوامل ستجعل القمة العربية تتمخض عن مواقف وقرارات إيجابية".

وأشار القيادي الفلسطيني البارز إلى أن حركة "حماس" تتطلع إلى دعم الحكومة الفلسطينية، وأن
"يقف القادة العرب موقفاً شجاعاً وجريئاً يرمي إلى توحيد الصف العربي"، داعياً القادة العرب إلى "كسر عملي للحصار العربي على الفلسطينيين"، ومشدداً في الوقت ذاته على ضرورة اتخاذ قرار عربي في قمة الرياض "يعترف بحكومة الوحدة الفلسطينية الجديدة ويتعامل مع وزرائها ويساعد الشعب الفلسطيني".

وأوضح رئيس المكتب السياسي لحركة "حماس" أن القمة العربية ستُعقد في خضم العديد من المتغيرات، "وبإمكانها أن تكون فرصة لبناء استراتيجية عربية إسلامية جديدة أساسها الوفاق الفلسطيني الذي تشكلت على أساسه الوحدة الوطنية".

وتابع حديثه بالقول: "آن للعرب رسم استراتيجية وتحديد المطالب واحترام الحقوق للحراك السياسي، حيث لا نقبل التنازلات ويجب عليهم إيقاف مسلسل التنازلات، فلا تنازل عن القدس ولا عن الأقصى ولا عن حق العودة".

Mishaal: Riyadh summit to boost the Palestine cause

"ALGIERS, (PIC)-- Khaled Mishaal, the Hamas supreme political leader, has said that the Arab summit in Riyadh scheduled to open on Wednesday would be an opportunity to reach an Arab-Palestinian understanding on means of defending the Palestinian people's rights.

Mishaal, who was speaking Tuesday before the fifth congress of the international Quds foundation held in the Algerian capital, expressed confidence that the summit would end up with positive results in favor of the Palestine cause.

He revealed that during his consultations in Riyadh over the past couple of days he tabled a project to save the Palestinian refugees in Iraq who are the target of constant persecution.

The Hamas leader urged the Arab heads of state to practically break the Arab siege on the Palestinians, stressing that the summit should recognize the new PA unity government and should deal with all its ministers.

It is about time for the Arabs to adopt a concrete strategy that would not accept compromises, Mishaal highlighted, asserting that there should be no concessions over the issues of Jerusalem, the Aqsa or the right of return for millions of Palestinian refugees."

***

What a load of horse manure! I hope the windbag realizes what kind of Usraeli stooges he is pinning his hopes on.

Video: Welcome To Inspection Point

Video, Domhan Eile Media Project, 27 March 2007

"Israel has occupied the West Bank and Gaza for 39 years. In 1948, 900,000 Palestinians were expelled from present day Israel. Their 6 million descendants live in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza and the surrounding Arab States. An 8-12 meter high wall stretches 622km annexing 13.1% of the West Bank. Seven students and a camera visited the West Bank for three weeks in June 2006. They drove around the West Bank, spending time in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Aida Camp, Jenin, Ramallah among other areas. This is a glimpse of what they encountered."



Part One:
Welcome To Inspection Point

Part Two:
Welcome To Inspection Point

Part Three:
Welcome To Inspection Point

Al-Jazeera Cartoon

The Saudi Mafia (A.K.A. the royal family) is Now in Charge of Arab Politics and Press
Think of it as Usrael With Arab Headgear

Corporate Media Grooms “Diplomatic Row” Over “Kidnapped” Brit Marines

By Kurt Nimmo

"Call it déjà vu, Lebanon style. “Iran kidnaps Marines at gunpoint,” declares the Belfast Telegraph, as if the Royal Marines captured on the Iranian side of the Shatt al-Arab waterway were grabbed while on an afternoon stroll in Seaforth. Terri Judd, aboard HMS Cornwall in the Persian Gulf, tells us the marines were “overpowered and taken into Iranian national waters,” same as Hezbollah attacked Israel last summer, capturing two Israeli soldiers, sparking Israel’s attack on the country. However, as we know, the soldiers were captured at the village of Aitaa al-Chaab, well inside Lebanon’s southern territory, a fact initially reported by at least a few members of the corporate media, that is until they were handed the approved script.....

Meanwhile, the incident is left to roil and baste in the corporate media, an obedient tool for neocons and neolibs alike. “British officials were wary of drawing the conclusion that the incident was a deliberate provocation by Tehran, which denies Western accusations that its nuclear energy program is a front for developing atomic arms,” the Post continues. As usual, in Bushzarro world, up is down and black is white. In fact, the Brits appear to be guilty of staging “a deliberate provocation” by taunting the Iranians, who are rightfully paranoid of having their cities and populace shock and awed by the neocons."

الرئيس الباكستاني ضيف على القمة العربية بالرياض

Musharaf Will Attend the Arab Summit

This is interesting and revealing of the new regional role intended for Pakistan. General Musharaf was invited by the Saudi king to attend the Arab summit in Riyadh. This will be the first time a Pakistani leader (who is non-Arab) attends an Arab summit. He is expected to hold discussions with Arab leaders concerning the Palestinian "peace initiative." Musharaf has been talking for the past 3 months about a new initiative, without giving details.

Musharaf is now an important part of the axis of "moderate Arabs." My suggestion is to invite Olmert to the summit; he can't be much worse than many who are attending.

"يحضر الرئيس الباكستاني برويز مشرف القمة العربية في الرياض يوم الأربعاء, ليكون أول رئيس باكستاني يحل ضيفا خاصا عليها بدعوة من الملك السعودي عبد الله بن عبد العزيز.

ويتوقع أن تكون لمشرف محادثات مع قادة عرب لا سيما حول ما يتعلق بالقضية الفلسطينية, إذ يتحدث الرئيس الباكستاني منذ أكثر من ثلاثة أشهر عن مبادرة جديدة للسلام بالشرق الأوسط دون كشف مضمونها.
........"

Al-Jazeera Cartoon

Ban Ki-Moon in Baghdad

الرشق: "حماس" منسجمة مع الموقف العربي ولا يمكن أن تخرج عن حالة الإجماع

Beginning of the Capitulation of Hamas. This is exactly what I was referring to in an earlier post: Hamas will hide behind vague language and declarations, all in the name of "Arab unity," of course. I will post the English version of this serious declaration by Hamas, as soon as it is available. In a nutshell it says that Hamas is happy with the "Arab consensus" and it will not oppose it! In the name of preserving "national unity" Hamas is prepared to abandon the essential Palestinian right and the core of the struggle: The right of return.

This is disastrous and proves that all my suspicions were justified. This is Nakba II; thank you Hamas and thank you "national unity" in surrender!

***
Note: The Arabic heading shown above is the original heading used by the PIC site. Now, they have modified it to "الرشق: "حماس" منسجمة مع الموقف العربي عامة بما يحقق أهداف ومصالح الشعب الفلسطيني" which means that Hamas is in GENERAL agreement with the Arab consensus, TO THE EXTENT IT FULFILLS PALESTINIAN GOALS AND INTERESTS. Very interesting backpedaling by Hamas. I promise you more of these word games, stay tuned!

"دمشق – المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام

أكد عزت الرشق، عضو المكتب السياسي لحركة المقاومة الإسلامية "حماس"، أن الحركة "منسجمة مع الموقف العربي عامة، ولا يمكن أن تخرج عن حالة الإجماع"، مشدداً على تمسّك الحركة ببرنامج حكومة الوحدة الوطنية وما نجم عن اتفاق مكة.

وأوضح الرشق في تصريحات لـ "قدس برس" أن زيارة خالد مشعل، رئيس المكتب السياسي لحركة "حماس"، الثانية خلال أسبوع واحد إلى العاصمة السعودية الرياض جاءت في إطار الانسجام مع الموقف العربي.

وقال: "زيارة خالد مشعل إلى الرياض تأتي بعد أقل من أسبوع من الزيارة الأولى، وتهدف إلى استمرار التشاور مع المسؤولين السعوديين فيما يتعلق بالقمة العربية في الرياض، حيث تم الإطلاع على ما تم إنجازه من أعمال القمة، وما يتعلق منها بالقضية الفلسطينية وإبداء الملاحظات اللازمة".

ونفى الرشق أن تكون الزيارة جاءت استجابة لضغوط أمريكية أو سعودية، وقال: "لا توجد ضغوط أمريكية أو سعودية على حماس، والمملكة العربية السعودية رعت اتفاق مكة المكرمة، وهي ملتزمة به، كما أن حماس متمسكة به، والحكومة الفلسطينية متمسكة بالبرنامج السياسي وبخطاب التكليف الذي تم إعلانه على أساس وثيقة الوفاق الوطني، ولذلك لسنا بحاجة إلى أي جهود إضافية".

وفيما يتعلق بموقف حركة "حماس" من المبادرة العربية، وما إذا كانت توافق عليها أم لا، قال الرشق: "المبادرة العربية موجودة منذ سنوات، ويتم التأكيد عليها في كل قمة، وليس هناك أي جديد بشأنها، ونحن في حماس منسجمون مع الموقف العربي وحريصون على التمسك به ولا يمكن أن نخرج عن الإجماع العربي، ومع ذلك نعتقد أن ما تم إنجازه في اتفاق مكة المكرمة يعتبر أكثر من كاف".

English Version of Original Statement:

Resheq: Hamas' position in harmony with the overall Arab position

"Damascus- Ezzet Al-Resheq, political bureau member of the Hamas Movement, on Monday asserted that the Movement's position was in harmony with the overall Arab position.

Resheq, in a statement to Quds Press, said that Hamas would always adhere to the Arab consensus.

He explained that Hamas leader Khaled Mishaal's visit to Riyadh, the second in less than a week to the Saudi capital, fell in line with this stand.

The Hamas leader affirmed that Mishaal's discussion with Saudi officials aimed at maintaining consultations prior to the Arab summit scheduled to open in Riyadh after two days.

He said that preparations for the summit were reviewed especially concerning the Palestine cause.

Resheq denied that Mishaal's visit to Riyadh was in response to American or Saudi pressures, adding that no such pressures were exercised on Hamas.

He noted that the Makkah agreement was reached under Saudi patronage, and asserted that Hamas was abiding by that agreement that furnished the way before formation of a Palestinian national unity government."

A dangerous masked ball

By Gideon Levy

"The rules of decorum are binding: Welcome - to the U.S. Secretary of State and United Nations secretary-general, who have come here, and to the German chancellor, who is due next week. But the rules of logic are no less binding, and we must ask: So, why have you come?

All three have declared that they are coming here to further a solution. But this whole show, we must tell them, is no more than a ridiculous masked ball: In their pointless and fruitless visits, they only perpetuate and entrench the conflict that most threatens world peace.

The fact that all three boycott the elected Palestinian prime minister predetermines that there is no chance for progress. This blind trio is looking in the wrong place. If they really wished to contribute, they would have to do two things: meet with Ismail Haniyeh and pressure him to recognize Israel, and meet with Ehud Olmert and pressure him to put an end to the occupation. Without these two elements - nothing will move forward.

It is hard to understand how once again Israel manages to coerce the international community to dance to its tune. After it dragged the world into a futile boycott of Yasser Arafat, it now drags them into a boycott of Haniyeh, and thus only serves the desired aim of the government, which holds the key to ending the conflict: to reject any negotiations......

If it is possible to understand this boycott visit of Condoleezza Rice, the mother of the boycott doctrine, and also perhaps that of Angela Merkel, whose country needs to tread carefully concerning its policies vis-a-vis Israel - it is impossible to understand the boycott on the part of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Who appointed him to boycott an elected prime minister? Was there a decision by the UN General Assembly that the world should boycott the unity government? Is this how an honest broker behaves?

It is no less revolting that PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is playing along with this charade. If he were a leader of some standing, he would tell his guests: "Ahlan wa sahlan [welcome] - but no boycotts." And he would say: I also have an intense debate with my prime minister, but that argument needs to be settled with dialogue, not by boycott. You wish to meet with me? Then also meet with Haniyeh. You want to invite me to Washington? Then include my senior partner.

In the absence of a courageous stance, Abbas appears to be a weak leader. Perhaps not a chick, but surely a puppet - just like Israel and the U.S. wish him to be....."

The Coming War With Iran

Is it inevitable?

By Justin Raimondo

"The timing of the recent incident in which 15 British sailors were arrested by Iran at the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab waterway for purportedly entering Iranian waters couldn't have been more provocative if it had been planned that way. And perhaps it was. The question is, however, who did the planning?

It happened on the eve of a vote in the UN Security Council to impose stricter sanctions on Iran and in the wake of escalating rhetoric from U.S. government officials blaming Iran for anti-occupation activity in Iraq. On top of that, recent events include the kidnapping of Iranian consular officials in Irbil, Kurdistan, by U.S. forces, reports of covert U.S. support for terrorist attacks inside Iran, the "disappearance" of a major Iranian military figure in the elite Revolutionary Guards unit, and suspicions that the Mossad may have had a hand in killing a renowned Iranian nuclear scientist. Add it all up, and there seems little doubt as to who carried out what seems like a brazen provocation......

Laughing at Her Majesty's sailors, who were guarding the civilized world from the pernicious plots of car smugglers, was surely an act of war. After all, isn't a car a "weapon of mass destruction" in present-day Iraq? The Brits weren't going to let the Iranians off the hook quite so easily, and the next day they returned to the same waters to find the same smugglers plying their trade. The British patrol made a beeline for the smugglers, but this time the smugglers didn't run – and the poor naïve Brits walked right into the trap. No sooner had they boarded the vessel than they were surrounded on all sides by Iranian gunboats. Last anybody heard of their fate, they were in Tehran and the Iranians were talking about putting them on trial for espionage.......

Both Ron Paul and Antiwar.com columnist Philip Giraldi have warned about the likelihood of a Gulf of Tonkin-style incident in the Persian Gulf, and their predictions have, sadly, proved all too accurate. That it involves the British, not the Americans, is a double victory for the on-to-Tehran crowd: the war-weary Brits, who recently announced the withdrawal of their troops from southern Iraq, will presumably be dragged along in the wake of the coming U.S. military assault as their sailors are paraded before the cameras in Tehran. Once again, "coalition" forces are about to take down a Middle Eastern government, and they are already on the move......

On the ground in the Middle East, the forces that will engage in a mighty clash of civilizations are gathering – while, on the home front, the Israel Lobby is preparing the ground by softening up any possible opposition. This means zeroing in on the Democratic Party, lining up the major presidential candidates in support of a strike against Tehran, and smearing any and all war opponents as anti-Semitic enablers of the nuclear-armed, Holocaust-denying Iranian regime......"

Terrorized by 'War on Terror'

How a Three-Word Mantra Has Undermined America

By Zbigniew Brzezinski

".....The damage these three words have done -- a classic self-inflicted wound -- is infinitely greater than any wild dreams entertained by the fanatical perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks when they were plotting against us in distant Afghan caves. The phrase itself is meaningless. It defines neither a geographic context nor our presumed enemies. Terrorism is not an enemy but a technique of warfare -- political intimidation through the killing of unarmed non-combatants.

But the little secret here may be that the vagueness of the phrase was deliberately (or instinctively) calculated by its sponsors. Constant reference to a "war on terror" did accomplish one major objective: It stimulated the emergence of a culture of fear. Fear obscures reason, intensifies emotions and makes it easier for demagogic politicians to mobilize the public on behalf of the policies they want to pursue. The war of choice in Iraq could never have gained the congressional support it got without the psychological linkage between the shock of 9/11 and the postulated existence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. Support for President Bush in the 2004 elections was also mobilized in part by the notion that "a nation at war" does not change its commander in chief in midstream. The sense of a pervasive but otherwise imprecise danger was thus channeled in a politically expedient direction by the mobilizing appeal of being "at war."

To justify the "war on terror," the administration has lately crafted a false historical narrative that could even become a self-fulfilling prophecy. By claiming that its war is similar to earlier U.S. struggles against Nazism and then Stalinism (while ignoring the fact that both Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia were first-rate military powers, a status al-Qaeda neither has nor can achieve), the administration could be preparing the case for war with Iran. Such war would then plunge America into a protracted conflict spanning Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and perhaps also Pakistan......."

Looking for Peace

Israeli TV wonders whether the region is at 'the gates of a huge political process'

"Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli TV has described the active diplomatic movement in the region as preparation for a great political step. Israeli TV Channel Two wondered if the audience still remembers what the meaning of the word peace is, and asked if Israel is at the gates of a huge political process. The fundamental issue is Tel Aviv's acceptance of the Saudi initiative, as Israelis do not call the initiative the Arab initiative.

According to a report presented by the TV, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice came to the region in order to mediate between Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and Palestinian President Abbas, and between Olmert and the Arab moderate leaders. According to the report, the US is supporting the moderate Arab countries more than in any previous stage. It added that the American efforts are strong and deep in order to remove the Saudi initiative's paragraph which speaks about the Palestinian refugees' right of return.

The TV said that US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, David Welch, said that the atmosphere is very positive in spite of reports to the contrary. Israeli political analyst Ehud Ya'ari said that the politicians in the US, Israel and the Arab countries are 'cooking up a big political meal', but he was not sure if they will be able to translate that into practical steps and 'get the region out of the state of tension'.

in an interview with the head of security and foreign affairs in the Israeli Knesset, Tsahi Hanegbi, Israeli Channel Ten and other analysts said that the visits of Rice and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon at the same time to the region was not a coincidence.

Hanigbi spoke positively about the Saudi initiative and the need to cancel the right of return in it. He also pointed out that Israel will do its best to make the Roadmap and Bush's vision as the alternative to the Saudi initiative. In spite of that, he also said that Israel will not withdraw to the 1967 borders. He added that even the Israeli leftists are not calling for that any more.

When he was told by one of the journalists that therefore it appears that Israel is dealing with the initiative from a tactical point of view, Hanigbi retorted that, "let us use dynamic instead of tactical." "

Saudi foreign minister suggests Arabs open to changing peace offer

An Important Development: This is a Bombshell
Contributed by Lucia

"RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia's foreign minister suggested Monday that Arab leaders would be willing to consider changes in their 2002 peace offer to Israel to make it "compatible" with new developments.

The statement from Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal came as Arab League foreign ministers convened Monday to prepare for a leaders summit later this week, expected to focus on how to revive Middle East peace efforts. Arab leaders have, until now, publicly rejected Israeli calls for them to make changes to the 2002 Arab peace offer.

But al-Faisal, in his opening remarks, suggested change was likely.

"It is expected from us to take notice of new developments, which require additions and developments in whatever is offered for our leaders about the issues and problems — in order for their resolutions to be compatible with what is dire and new," al-Faisal said.

"The kingdom is keen that this summit should come out with one Arab voice toward issues of destiny, and in particular the Palestinian issue," he added.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is believed to have been strongly pushing the Arab countries to offer some hope of changes in the plan, during her tour of the Mideast this week.

In signs that peace efforts were gathering steam, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday also welcomed the idea of a regional summit with moderate Arab leaders, saying he "would not hesitate" to attend.

But Olmert, who spoke after meetings Sunday with Rice, denied press reports that a major summit was in the works.

Several other Arab diplomats said privately Monday that Arab leaders were seeking fresh ways to moderate their position without being seen as giving in to Israeli or American demands to change the 2002 offer.

The diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions, said Arab countries including Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia would be proposing "a repackaging" of the deal.

Under that repackaging, the Arab leaders would insist that Israel accept the 2002 Arab peace plan in principle before returning to any talks, but would also agree that the Palestinians and Arab countries would be ready to soften their conditions once negotiations began, the diplomats said.

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, who spoke Monday at the foreign ministers' meeting in addition to al-Faisal, did not insist in his speech that the plan could never be changed. That was viewed as significant.

Israel in the past has rejected the plan outright. But Olmert said last week that it could provide the basis for renewed talks with Arab moderates — a sign of Israel's tentative interest as other avenues toward peace have faltered recently.

The offer, initiated in 2002 by Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, offers Israel recognition and permanent peace with all Arab countries in return for full Israeli withdrawal from lands captured in the 1967 Middle East war. It also calls for setting up a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital and allowing Palestinian refugees to return to former homes in Israel.

Israel rejects full withdrawal from the West Bank and east Jerusalem, and it strongly opposes the influx of large numbers of Palestinian refugees into the Jewish state.

Al-Faisal said the recent formation of a Palestinian coalition government between the militant Hamas and the more moderate Fatah had "enhanced the chances for a unified Arab position based on the Arab peace initiative as the best framework to reach a comprehensive and just solution."

"The more clear the Arab position will be in this regard, the more chances will be for this initiative to be adopted by the international community ... and the possibility to enter into negotiations," he said."

***

I am afraid that 'Atwan's fears are well justified and this upcoming summit is likely to be the most disastrous from the Palestinian perspective. But you will not be able to tell from the summit pronouncements. With fluffy Arabic language statements, the resolutions will be presented as "major victory." The "unity government" and Hamas will go along with this charade and betrayal.

To all Palestinians: This time DO NOT CELEBRATE. Prepare for major protests against this betrayal by your quisling government and its masters in Riyadh.

فريدمان وتوريط العاهل السعودي

An Important Comment
(Unfortunately only available in Arabic)
See my translation below.

عبد الباري عطوان

26/03/2007

في عام 2002 اي بعد عام من احداث الحادي عشر من ايلول (سبتمبر)، وقبل عام من الغزو الامريكي للعراق، عرض الصحافي الامريكي توماس فريدمان علي الملك (الامير) عبد الله بن عبد العزيز القيام بتحرك سياسي يعيد العلاقات الامريكية ـ السعودية الي سابق عهدها، ويزيل ما علق بها من شوائب بسبب مشاركة سعوديين في الهجوم علي مركز التجارة العالمي. فريدمان اقترح ان يكون هذا التحرك عبر مبادرة سلام مع اسرائيل، اي الوصول الي القلب الامريكي عبر البوابة الاسرائيلية.
الملك عبد الله تجاوب مع هذا الاقتراح، واستمع الي نصائح فريدمان، واصدر مبادرة حملت اسمه عرض فيها التطبيع الكامل مع الدولة العبرية مقابل انسحابها الكامل من الاراضي المحتلة. وقد لقيت ترحيبا داخل الادارة الامريكية وصناع القرار فيها، من المحافظين الجدد، ومعظمهم يهود، خاصة انها لم تتحدث عن حق العودة للاجئين الفلسطينيين الذي هو لب القضية العربية.
توماس فريدمان كتب مقالا في صحيفة نيويورك تايمز نشرته السبت الماضي ناشد فيه الملك عبد الله مرة اخري ان يعزز قيادته للعالمين العربي والاسلامي، مع افول نجم القاهرة ورئيسها، بالاقدام علي مبادرة جديدة تحقق اختراقا مهما يحقق السلام الكامل والنهائي بين العرب والاسرائيليين.
فريدمان لخص مبادرته بقيام الملك عبد الله بشد الرحال الي فلسطين المحتلة بعد انتهاء القمة العربية المقبلة التي ستعقد في الرياض يوم الاربعاء المقبل، متبعا خطي الرئيس الراحل انور السادات تكون محطته الاولي القدس الشرقية للصلاة في المسجد الاقصي ليؤكد حق العرب والمسلمين فيها، ثم بعد ذلك يتوجه الي رام الله ويخاطب المجلس التشريعي الفلسطيني مؤكدا علي مباديء مبادرته الاولي، اي التطبيع الكامل مقابل الانسحاب الكامل، ثم يتوجه الي يادفاشيم حيث النصب التذكاري لضحايا الهولوكوست من اليهود ليؤكد اعترافه بالمحرقة ويبتعد عن موقف احمدي نجاد رئيس ايران الناكر لها، ثم يختتم زيارته بالمحطة الرابعة والاخيرة فيها اي الكنيست الاسرائيلي.
لا نعرف كيف سيكون رد فعل الملك عبد الله علي هذه المناشدة من قبل صديقه فريدمان، وما اذا كان سيتجاوب معها مثلما تجاوب مع نصائحه الاولي قبل سبع سنوات، ويتبناها علي انها مبادرة جديدة ام انه سيرفض هذه المرة. ولكن ما نعرفه ان فريدمان هذا لا ينطق عن هوي، فهو وثيق الصلة مع صناع القرار في البيت الابيض، وما زال يقيم علاقات وثيقة، ان لم يكن مع الملك عبد الله بن عبد العزيز، فمع مجموعة من المستشارين حوله، وخاصة الامير بندر بين سلطان الرجل القوي في السعودية وامين عام مجلس الامن القومي، والسيد عادل الجبير السفير السعودي في واشنطن.
مناشدة فريدمان هذه تأتي في وقت تتزايد فيه حدة التكهنات حول حدوث لقاءات سرية بين ايهود اولمرت رئيس الوزراء الاسرائيلي ومسؤولين كبار من العائلة الحاكمة السعودية، وتردد اسم الامير بندر بن سلطان علي وجه التحديد اكثر من مرة في هذا الخصوص. وهي لقاءات لم ينفها اولمرت بل انه اكد علي حدوثها بطريقة غير مباشرة لمح الي ان احدها كان مسرحه القصر الملكي الاردني في عمان.
ما يمكن استخلاصه من نصائح فريدمان هذه مجموعة نقاط رئيسية نلخصها علي الشكل التالي:
اولا: ان الطرف الامريكي ما زال يضغط علي الطرف العربي بالذات لتقديم المزيد من التنازلات للاسرائيليين ويركز بالذات علي المملكة العربية السعودية التي باتت الوحيدة التي قبلت بالقيام بالدور القيادي بحكم ثرواتها المالية الضخمة (220 مليار سنويا عوائد نفط) ومكانتها العربية والاسلامية كراعية للاماكن المقدسة.
ثانيا: ان يبدأ التطبيع العربي مع الدولة العبرية من منطلق اثبات حسن النوايا تماما مثلما فعل الرئيس الراحل انور السادات، ويترك الامر بعد ذلك لـ الكرم الاسرائيلي لتقدير هذه الخطوة العربية التطبيعية والتجاوب معها. اي ان يتم التطبيع العربي قبل الانسحاب.
ثالثا: احداث شرخ جديد في العالم الاسلامي، وتصوير العرب علي انهم المتهاونون المفرطون المطبعون، بينما الايرانيون هم المتمسكون بالقضية والحقوق العربية.
رابعا: نسف مبادرة السلام العربية بصيغتها المعتمدة في قمة بيروت عام 2002 واسقاط حق العودة مجددا، وجعل المبادرة السعودية الجديدة المقترحة اساس الحل من خلال اعادة احيائها بصورتها الاساسية التي اقترحها فريدمان واخرجها الامير (الملك) عبد الله بن عبد العزيز من درج مكتبه في حينها.
الملك عبد الله بن عبد العزيز ليس انور السادات، ولا يجب ان يكون، فهو لم يخض حربا مع اسرائيل، وليس لديه اراض محتلة يريد استرجاعها (سيناء في حالة مصر) وفوق هذا وذاك هو خادم الحرمين الشريفين او هكذا يريد ان يخاطبه العالم. فاذا كان الرئيس حسني مبارك، ورغم كل التنازلات التي قدمها لاسرائيل، بما في ذلك استضافة شارون، والتحول الي وسيط نزيه ومحايد في صراعها مع العرب والفلسطينيين، رفض زيارة القدس المحتلة رسميا ومخاطبة الكنيست، فهل يقبل العاهل السعودي بهذه المبادرة؟
السعودية اليوم هي غير السعودية التي نعرفها قبل عشر او عشرين عاما. هذا امر مؤكد، فقد باتت محور الارتكاز الرئيسي للسياسة الامريكية في المنطقة، وتجاوزت حكومتها كل الخطوط الحمراء بما في ذلك مباركة غزو العراق واحتلاله والسماح بانطلاق القوات الغازية من اراضيها وتسليم ارض الرافدين لايران ونفوذها، وهو التسليم الذي تتباكي عليه حاليا. ولن نستغرب اذا ما تجاوبت بشكل او بآخر مع الضغوط الامريكية التي تطالبها بالاقدام علي مبادرة جديدة تتناسب مع الشروط الاسرائيلية.
فاولمرت لا يتوقف عن مغازلة المبادرة السعودية في صورتها الاسرائيلية، والترحيب بها كأساس للمفاوضات، وابداء تحفظاته علي نقطتين اساسيتين اضيفتا اليها في قمة بيروت من قبل الرئيس السوري بشار الاسد، وهما حق العودة للاجئين، ومنع توطين هؤلاء في الدول المضيفة لهم اي سورية والاردن ولبنان تحت اي ظرف من الظروف.
قمة الرياض المقبلة هي واحدة من اخطر القمم العربية ان لم تكن اخطرها، لانها قد تؤسس لاعتراف عربي كامل باسرائيل، وقد توفر الغطاء العربي اللازم للضربات الامريكية المتوقعة لايران في الاشهر المقبلة تماما مثلما فعلت قمة القاهرة في صيف عام 1990 عندما حللت استضافة نصف مليون جندي امريكي علي ارض الجزيرة العربية وتحقيق سابقة المشاركة العسكرية الامريكية ـ العربية لتدمير بلد عربي هو العراق تحت شعار تحرير الكويت .
نضع ايدينا علي قلوبنا هذه الايام، ونخشي ان نري كامب ديفيد عربيا جديدا ينهي القضية العربية الاولي وفق الشروط الاسرائيلية، ففريدمان لا ينطق عن هوي وللأسف الشديد.


***

My Translation of this comment by Abdel Bari Atwan, who is the editor of the London-based Al-Quds Al-'Arabi. He is well informed and his comments are usually substantive.

Friedman (Thomas) and Getting the Saudi King Implicated

In 2002, one year after the 9/11 attack and one year before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Thomas Friedman suggested that the Saudi king Abdullah launch a new diplomatic initiative to restore U.S.-Saudi ties and to remove U.S. hostility since most of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudis. The proposal was in the form of a new Arab peace initiative to Israel; in other words to reach the American heart by way of the Israeli portal.

King Abdullah responded positively to Friedman's proposal and launched what became known as the Abdullah peace initiative. This plan was well received among the neoconservative decision makers in Washington, since it proposed complete Arab normalization with Israel without ever mentioning the Palestinian right of return which is the core issue, as far as the Palestinians are concerned.

Friedman wrote another article which was published by the New York Times last Saturday. In this article he suggested to king Abdullah to undertake a new initiative to solidify his leadership of the Arab and Muslim worlds now that Egypt's influence has waned. He proposed a new breakthrough to accomplish comprehensive and final peace between Israel and all Arab countries. Friedman's proposal is that Abdullah follow Sadat's footsteps and immediately after the upcoming summit in Riyadh. The first stop for king Abdullah would be to pray in the Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem. His next stop would be to address the Palestinian parliament in occupied Ramallah where he would reiterate his initiative: Israeli withdrawal in exchange for total normalization. Next he would visit the monument to the Jewish Holocaust at Yad Vashem, to demonstrate his recognition of the event as a contrast to Ahmadinejad's view. Finally Abdullah would address the Israeli Kensett (as Sadat did).

We don't know whether king Abdullah would follow this suggestion from his friend Friedman; however Friedman doesn't just speak out of the blue. He is well-connected to decision makers in the White House and has strong ties, if not directly to king Abdullah then to some of his key advisors. Chief among them is prince Bandar, who is the chief national security advisor and the key decision maker, and the Saudi ambassador in Washington.

This proposal by Friedman comes at a time of increased speculations of high level secret contacts between PM Olmert and prince Bandar. Olmert has not denied the rumors and hinted that the meeting may have taken place in Jordan.

What can be concluded from this Friedman proposal are the following points:

1) The U.S. is still pressuring the Arab side and Saudi Arabia in particular to offer more concessions to Israel. KSA has stepped forward as the key representative of the Arab side.

2) Arab normalization is to proceed before Israeli withdrawals, just as Sadat did. The Arabs are to demonstrate their "good intentions" first and the actual Israel withdrawals are to be left to the generosity of the Israeli side.

3) The introduction of a new schism in the Muslim world by showing the Arabs as reasonable and normalizing while the Iranians as extremists.

4) Demolition of the Arab peace initiative adopted in the Beirut summit of 2002 (which included insistence on the Palestinian right of return) and a return to the Abdullah initiative in response to Friedman, which did not include the right of return.

King Abdullah is not Anwar Sadat and Saudi Arabia is not Egypt with land occupied by Israel, so it is hard to see Abdullah following Friedman's suggestion. Having said this, KSA of today is not KSA of ten or twenty years ago; that is for certain. It has become the pivotal point for U.S. strategy in the area and it has crossed all previous red lines. It blessed the invasion and the occupation of Iraq; it allowed invading U.S. troops to use its territory, therefore it would not be a surprise to see KSA respond to American pressure and comply with Israeli demands.

Olmert is romancing the Saudi initiative (after removing the right of return) and he speaks of its positive elements as a starting point for negotiations.

The upcoming Arab summit will be the most dangerous. It will pave the way for a complete Arab normalization with Israel and it will provide an Arab cover for a military strike on Iran in the coming months. This will be similar to what took place in the Arab summit in Cairo in 1990, when the Arab leaders blessed the stationing of 500,000 U.S. troops in KSA and established the precedent of a U.S.-Arab military alliance to destroy another Arab country (Iraq).

We hold our breath fearing a new Camp David that will liquidate Palestinian rights according to Israeli conditions. Friedman does not speak out of the blue, unfortunately.

(Click on cartoon to enlarge)
By Mr. Fish.

Hammad grilled over calls to resume security coordination with Israel

"GAZA, (PIC)-- Nemr Hammad, the political advisor of PA chief Mahmoud Abbas was grilled over unwarranted calls to resume security coordination between the PA security apparatuses and Israel.

The spokesman of Hamas in Gaza Strip Fawzi Barhoum deprecated Hammad’s invitation, adding that the call means destroying the infrastructure of the Palestinian resistance factions, and assassinating and arresting more Palestinian leaders.

“These are serious statements with the aim to provide the Israeli intelligence apparatuses information on the whereabouts of the Palestinian resistance leaders”, Barhoum underlined.

He even urged the PLC to question Hammad, and to prosecute him if found guilty.

The Islamic Jihad, another influential Palestinian resistance faction, urged the immediate ouster of Hammad from his position, describing his invitation as “irresponsible and unpatriotic”.

According to Khaled Al-Batesh, one of the Islamic Jihad senior political leaders, “Hammad’s statements permit the IOF troops to continue killing more Palestinian people and demolishing more Palestinian homes”.

In statements he made to the Hebrew radio, Hammad championed the resumption of security coordination between PA and Israeli security apparatuses through the office of the PA chief.

According to the Hebrew radio, Hammad also urged Israel’s security apparatuses to furnish Abbas’ office with information on Palestinian resistance cells so as to enable PA security apparatuses attached to Abbas’ office thwart their activities.

In the past, the successive Fatah-led PA governments maintained security coordination with Israel, which killed tens of senior leaders of Palestinians resistance factions.

However, upon the arrival of Hamas to governance last year after wining the legislative elections, such coordination was totally terminated, sparing lives of Palestinian resistance’ leaders and cadres."

***

Celebrate "Palestinian unity" and the PA-Israeli "security coordination," now!

HAMAS For Sale

At Riyadh summit, Arab states to propose increasing aid to PA

"Arab governments hope to increase aid to the Palestinians, including channeling more money to the newly formed Palestinian unity government led by the militant group Hamas, according to a document prepared for this week's summit of Arab leaders.

The proposal, expected to be endorsed by Arab leaders later this week, comes as U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in the region seeking a common footing with Arab allies on how to revive the stalled Middle East peace process.

Arab diplomats said the aid increase would be aimed at coaxing the militant Hamas movement toward more compromise and would give it equal billing with Western-backed moderates in the Palestinian coalition government.......

That money has so far been sent to the office of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, and not to the Hamas-led government. Arab diplomats taking part in Sunday discussions, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the issue's sensitivity, said the Arab leaders will decide whether the money should go to the government.

Speaking to reporters Sunday, Saudi Foreign Minister Saudi al-Faisal confirmed the summit would extend the aid to the Palestinians but did not say whether the money would go directly to the government......

The diplomats said any Arab aid to the government would be channeled through the minister of finance, Salam Fayyad, an internationally respected economist and political independent.

Fayyad, a former World Bank official, is leading Palestinian efforts to end international sanctions imposed a year ago when the Islamic militants of Hamas won an election and set up a government.

The top U.S. diplomat in Jerusalem, Jacob Walles, met Fayyad last week - the United States' first contact with the new Hamas-Fatah coalition and the end of a yearlong diplomatic boycott of the Palestinian government......."

***

There are "good Palestinians" such as the Saudi-imposed "Finance Minister" Fayyad who is close to the Bush Administration and who held the same position when most of the aid to the Palestinians was stolen and embezzled by Abbas' cronies. And there are the "bad Palestinians" who want clean institutions and who insist on their rights. The U.S. refuses to deal with these "bad Palestinians." However, for a few Saudi $ millions more, HAMAS could join the "good Palestinians."

Just think of what you could do with that extra cash, Mr. Habila.

Al-Jazeera Cartoon

Benjamin Ben Eliezer (accused of killing hundreds of Egyptian POWs): I didn't kill anyone, these were just Palestinians!

Slam the Door in Her Face

"Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) considers the tours of the United States Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, in the region to be "unproductive as they have failed to end the suffering of the Palestinian people at the hands of the Israeli occupation."

A statement issued by the PFLP stated "American diplomacy in the region before the Arab Summit is an attempt to mislead and deceive."

A spokesman of the PFLP said in the statement that the tour aims to serve the American and the Israeli policies which are facing failure in the region. The spokesman pointed out the failure of US foreign policy in Iraq and in Lebanon, Iran and Palestine.

The statement warns of "attempts to blackmail or exert pressure, practiced by the Israeli and American administrations." It also warns of the "Israeli and American attempts to drag the area into a fierce war, as well as attempts to make Palestinians abandon their rights in their lands including the United Nations Resolution 194 regarding the right of return."

In his statement the spokesman called on the Arab leaders to "stop freely making concessions or counting on the American and Israeli insincere promises which aim to weaken the Arabs."

Islamic Jihad called for Palestinians to "slam the door to Palestine in Condoleezza Rice's face." Islamic Jihad said the US Secretary of State is unwelcome, "especially because her tour is coming ahead the Arab Summit."

The movement stated that "she aims to exert more pressure on the Arab states and is trying to divide the Arabs into extremists and moderates. She is trying to make amendments to the Arab initiative."

The statement issued by Islamic Jihad said "any amendments in this regard will be at the expense of Palestinian rights through omitting the right to return and through giving the Israeli settlements legality and abandoning the Palestinian right to Jerusalem."

The movement warned against the tours made by the American Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, and said that "she doesn’t come to the region with something positive, she only ever comes to serve the American-Israeli interests and plans for the region". "

Without Borders

By Uri Avnery

"INCREDIBLE! In Palestinian schoolbooks, there is no trace of the Green Line! They do not recognize the existence of Israel even in the 1967 borders! They say that the 'Zionist gangs' stole the country from the Arabs! That's how they poison the minds of their children!

These blood-curdling revelations were published this week in Israel and around the world. The conclusion is self-evident: the Palestinian Authority, which is responsible for the schoolbooks, cannot be a partner in peace negotiations.

What a shock!

Truth is, there is nothing new here. Every few years, when all the other arguments for refusing to speak with the Palestinian leadership wear thin, the ultimate argument pops up again: Palestinian schoolbooks call for the destruction of Israel!

The ammunition is always provided by one of the 'professional' institutions that deal with this matter. These are foundations of the far-right, disguised as 'scientific' bodies, which are lavishly funded by Jewish-American multi-millionaires. Teams of salaried employees apply a fine-tooth comb to every word of the Arab media and schoolbooks, with a pre-ordained objective: to prove that they are anti-Semitic, preach hatred of Israel and call for the killing of Jews. In the sea of words, it is not too difficult to find suitable quotes, while ignoring everything else......

WELL, WHAT about our side? What do our schoolbooks look like?

Does the Green Line appear in them? Do they recognize the right of the Palestinians to establish a state on the other side of our 1967 borders? Do they teach love for the Palestinian people (or even the existence of the Palestinian people), or respect for the Arabs in general, or a knowledge of Islam?

The answer to all these questions: Absolutely not!

Recently, Minister of Education Yuli Tamir came out with a bombastic announcement saying that she intends to mark the Green Line in the schoolbooks, from which it was removed almost 40 years ago. The Right reacted angrily, and nothing more was heard about it.

From kindergarten to the last day of high school, the Israeli pupil does not learn that the Arabs have any right at all to any of this land. On the contrary, it is clear that the land belongs to us alone, that God has personally given it to us, that we were indeed driven out by the Romans after the destruction of our Temple in the year 70 (a myth) but that we returned at the beginning of the Zionist movement. Since then, the Arabs have tried again and again to annihilate us, as the Goyim have done in every generation. In 1936, the 'gangs' (the official Israeli term for the fighters of the Arab Revolt) attacked and murdered us. And so on, up to this very day.

When he comes out of the pedagogic mill, the Jewish-Israeli pupil 'knows' that the Arabs are a primitive people with a murderous religion and a miserable culture. He brings this view with him when he (or she) joins the army a few weeks later. There, it is reinforced almost automatically. The daily humiliation of old people and women - not to mention everybody else - at the checkpoints would not be possible otherwise......

I repeat what I said then: the aim must be that the child in Ramallah sees before his eyes, on the wall of his classroom, a map on which the State of Israel is marked. And that the child in Rishon-le-Zion sees before his eyes, on the wall of his classroom, a map on which the State of Palestine is marked. Not by compulsion, but by agreement.

That is, of course, impossible as long as Israel has no borders. How can one mark on the map a state which, from its first day, has refused, consciously and adamantly, to define its borders? Can we really demand that the Palestinian ministry of education publish a map on which all the territory of Palestine lies inside Israel?

And on the other hand, how can one mark on the map the name 'Palestine', when there is no Palestinian state? After all, even most of those Israeli politicians who profess - at least pro forma - to support the two-state solution will go to great lengths to avoid saying where the border between the two states should run. Tzipi Livni, the Foreign Minister, is totally opposed to the announced intention of her colleague, Minister of Education Yuli Tamir, to mark the Green Line, lest it be seen as a border.

Peace means a border. A border fixed by agreement. Without a border, there can be no peace. And without peace, it is the height of chutzpa to demand something from the other side that we totally refuse to do ourselves. "

Another Red Carpet.....Another Visitor to the Reservation....Another Photo Op.....
Another Plot of Palestinian Land Confiscated by Israel....Another Housing Unit Added to the West Bank Colonies.....
Keep the "Peace Process" Opium Flowing.....