Bulldozer Chutzpa!
The IOF Which Crushed to Death the American Rachel Corrie With its Bulldozer.....
Razed the Jenin Refugee Camp with a Drunken Maniacal Bulldozer Operator Crushing Palestinians Inside Their Homes.....
Calls the Palestinians Terrorists!

By Emad Hajjaj (Abu Mahjoob)


Rachel Corrie, crushed to death by IOF bulldozer, March 16, 2003.

مصيدة الانتخابات: العراق وفلسطين

مصيدة الانتخابات: العراق وفلسطين

عبد الباري عطوان

"لم يكن من قبيل الصدفة ان تحرص الادارة الامريكية الحالية علي اجراء انتخابات عامة، حرة ونزيهة، في بلدين ولشعبين تحت الاحتلال، في العراق وفلسطين، وتغض النظر كلياً عن ديكتاتوريات متجذرة ومتبحرة في قمعها لشعوبها في معظم الدول العربية الأخري. فالأهداف الامريكية بدأت تتكشف في انصع صورها الآن، بعد خمس سنوات علي احتلال العراق، وثلاث سنوات تقريباً علي اغتيال الرئيس الراحل ياسر عرفات مسموماً.
الاصرار الامريكي علي الاستفتاء الشعبي علي الدستور العراقي اولاً، ثم اجراء انتخابات عامة لاختيار برلمان منتخب، وحكومة تتمتع بالأغلبية فيه، لم يكن من منطلق الحرص علي الشعب العراقي، وتمتعه بالحريات، وتحسين ظروفه المعيشية، وانما لجر هذه الحكومة، ومن ثم البرلمان، لتشريع المعاهدة الأمنية، التي تنص علي اقامة قواعد عسكرية امريكية دائمة في العراق، واحكام سيطرة الشركات الامريكية علي ثروات العراق النفطية، من خلال القانون الجديد المتعلق بالاستكشافات وعمليات التنقيب عن النفط.
الادارة الامريكية تريد ان تعقد معاهدة أمنية مع حكومة عراقية منتخبة، ويصادق عليها برلمان منتخب، ولهذا عملت منذ الأشهر الأولي لاحتلالها علي التمهيد لهذه الخطوة، بكل الطرق والوسائل، وبما يؤدي الي وصول رجالاتها الذين جاءوا مع قواتها من الخارج الي دائرة صنع القرار
.....
من الصعب الانحياز الي هذا الرأي او ذاك، بسبب حالة التكتم الشديد حول هذه المسألة، وغياب أي مرجعيات فلسطينية دستورية يمكن ان تراقب او تضبط ايقاعها وفق المصالح الوطنية، فالمجلس الوطني الفلسطيني مغيب بالكامل، والمجلس التشريعي معطل ونصف اعضائه في المعتقلات الاسرائيلية، ومنظمة التحرير ومؤسساتها ماتت وتحللت، والأمور كلها في يد رجل واحد اسمه محمود عباس وثلاثة اشخاص يحيطون به، ولا يعلم احد غيرهم ماذا يطبخون للشعب الفلسطيني مع اصدقائهم الاسرائيليين.

قنابل دخان عديدة جري اطلاقها في الأيام الأخيرة من قبل انصار التسوية، والمقربين الي رئاسة السلطة في رام الله، اولاها من السيد ياسر عبد ربه الذي كرر اكثر من مرة نوايا السلطة بالانسحاب من المفاوضات بسبب الاستيطان المتسارع في القدس والضفة الغربية المحتلتين. ثم جاء الدكتور سري نسيبة شيخ الليبراليين الفلسطينيين وأحد رواد المفاوضات المباشرة والغاء حق العودة باعتباره غير عملي، ليحرض الولايات المتحدة وأوروبا علي وقف المساعدات المالية للسلطة لأنها تأتي تمويلاً للاحتلال الاسرائيلي، وتشجيعاً علي الفساد، أما السيد سلام فياض رئيس الوزراء الفلسطيني المؤقت (احتفل قبل أيام بمرور عام علي تشكيل وزارته) فقد هدد بالأمس بوقف الخطة الأمنية وسحب القوات الفلسطينية من نابلس اذا استمرت التوغلات الاسرائيلية فيها وما يتبعها من اعتقالات واغتيالات للنشطاء الفلسطينيين.
تهديدات عديدة من اكثر من مصدر، ولكن لا تنفيذ لأي منها عملياً، فهل هذه التهديدات للاستهلاك المحلي، وامتصاص غضبة الشارع الفلسطيني، أم انها للضغط علي الأوروبيين والأمريكان للتدخل لإنقاذ المفاوضات، او تذليل ما يقف في طريقها من عقبات بسيطة، وصولاً الي بلورة الاتفاق النهائي؟
الرئيس عباس أكد لنا بالأمس ان الفلسطينيين يخوضون مفاوضات صعبة وشاقة مع الجانب الاسرائيلي وبشرنا بأن نتيجة هذه المفاوضات ستعرض علي الشعب الفلسطيني للاستفتاء العام .
حديث الرئيس عباس عن الاستفتاء العام يبث الرعب في قلوبنا، لأنه يوحي بأن الاتفاق وشيك، وإلا لماذا القاء هذه القنبلة، وبعد اللقاء الذي عقده مع نظيره الاسرائيلي شمعون بيريز في مقر الأخير في القدس المحتلة؟ ثم كيف سيجري هذا الاستفتاء في ظل الانقسام الفلسطيني الراهن، واغلاق كل قنوات الحوار بين طرفي المعادلة السياسية الفلسطينية الأبرز أي حماس و فتح !
الاستفتاء العراقي جاء بدستور يقسم العراق علي أسس طائفية وعرقية تحت مسمي الفيدرالية، وحكومة تتفاوض حالياً علي رهن العراق وثرواته وسيادته في اطار اتفاقية أمنية مع الولايات المتحدة تمتد لعقود قادمة. فبماذا سيأتي الينا الاستفتاء الفلسطيني الموعود، في ظل الضعف العربي، والانقسام الفلسطيني، وغياب المؤسسات الشرعية، غير اتفاق مسخ يفرط بكل الثوابت الفلسطينية او معظمها وخاصة حق العودة واستعادة القدس المحتلة؟
"

Power and morality

Foreign policy is often dressed up in moral rhetoric, but ultimately might is stronger than right

Martin Jacques
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday July 23, 2008

"You may remember that Robin Cook, newly appointed as Britain's foreign secretary back in 1997, promised to introduce an "ethical foreign policy". Such talk disappeared long ago, brought to an abrupt end by the illegalities and immorality of the invasion of Iraq.

I was reminded of Cook's efforts by Gordon Brown's address yesterday to the Israeli Knesset, where he uttered barely any criticisms of Israel and fulminated long and hard against Iran and its alleged nuclear policy. I have a serious problem with western hypocrisy over Iran and the bomb. We are against nuclear proliferation and yet no one breathes a word about the fact that Israel has many nuclear weapons, and has had them for a long time. So, why not Iran? One might add that Israel has always lived by the sword in the Middle East but the same cannot be said of Iran.....

Recently the international criminal court (ICC) charged the Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir with war crimes in Darfur. That the Sudanese regime has behaved with considerable barbarity in Darfur is beyond question. But again I find myself troubled by the moral logic of the argument. The biggest war criminals of recent years are President George Bush and former premier Tony Blair. They have been responsible for the death of more than 700,000 Iraqis as a result of the war, countless grave injuries, massive displacement and a serious deterioration in the conditions of life. Perversely, notwithstanding their crimes against humanity, they have not yet been charged by the ICC......"

Blackwater is here to stay

Despite reports that the company is leaving the mercenary business, Blackwater's future is secure

Jeremy Scahill
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday July 23, 2008

"It seems that executives from Blackwater Worldwide, the Bush administration's favourite hired guns in Iraq and Afghanistan, are threatening to pack up their M4 assault rifles, CS gas and Little Bird helicopters and go back to the great dismal swamp of North Carolina whence they came. Or at least that's how it is being portrayed in the media.

This story broke on Monday, when the Associated Press ran an article based on lengthy interviews with Blackwater's top guns. Since then, the story has picked up considerable steam and generated a tremendous amount of buzz online and in the press. After all, Blackwater has long been a key part of the US occupation and has been at the centre of several high-profile scandals and deadly incidents. Add to that its owner's ties to the White House and the radical religious right in the US and it is clear why this is news. On top of that, Barack Obama - a critic of Blackwater - just completed a tour of Iraq, where he was touting his withdrawal plan.

Among the headlines of the past 24 hours: "Blackwater plans exit from guard work", "Blackwater getting out of security business", "Blackwater sounds retreat from private security business", and "Blackwater to leave security business". One blogger slapped this headline on his post: "Blackwater, worst organisation since SS, to end mercenary work."

Frankly, this is a whole lot of hype......"

Real News Video (with Pepe Escobar): Al Qaeda calls for a new Afghan 'Jihad'

Afghanistan, and not Iraq -- is the main front of struggle

"Al Qaeda is back with a vengeance. Mustafa Abu al-Yazeed, interviewed by Pakistan’s Geo TV says “there is no difference between the American people and their government”. He goes on to attack the Pakistan government for suppressing the Islamist movement. He calls for Jihad in Afghanistan, on both sides of the Pakistan/Afghan border. As far as future US policy goes, Obama is on a learning curve while McCain seems geographically challenged."

The last sentence about McCain being geographically challenged refers to him speaking of the Iraq-Pakistan border! Listen to him at the very end of the video.

US ‘Olive Branches’ Aren’t What They Seem

By Linda Heard

"......In reality, America’s “hug an Iranian” announcements were put out for effect. It was a PR stunt for the benefit of the American public, which is fed up to the teeth with wars overall, and it also served as a message for the more dovish among Washington’s European partners as well as China and Russia on the lines of “See! We tried the diplomatic option and it hasn’t worked. There’s nothing more we can do. Now it’s up to you to get wholeheartedly on board with our plans.”

The US attempts at rapprochement with Iran last week should be viewed as nothing more than a spoonful of sugar before the medicine goes down. Indeed, the meeting in Geneva between Iran and the sextet of world powers had hardly broken up when US officials and their allies began administering unpleasant tasting cod liver oil as part of what looked like an orchestrated response.

Ms. Rice quickly cast of her sugary alter ego and reverted to type with accusations that Iran was indulging in small talk to waste time and threats of renewed US, European and UN sanctions. And, yesterday, during a visit to Israel, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown accused Iran of making “abhorrent threats toward Israel” while warning Tehran of Britain’s determination to prevent an Iranian nuclear weapons program......."

Spanish court issues warrants of arrest against seven Israeli officials

Apartment building destroyed by a one-ton bomb dropped by the Israeli airforce in 2002

"MADRID/GAZA, (PIC)- The Spanish national court, which is the highest judicial institution in Spain, has issued on Tuesday an arrest warrant against seven Israeli officials for committing war crimes.

The Palestinian center for human rights filed a lawsuit against seven former Israeli military officials before the court last month on behalf of six Palestinians who survived an Israeli extra judicial execution operation in the Gaza Strip in July 2002.

Warrants of arrest were issued by the court against Binyamin Ben Aliezer, who was then the Israeli war minister, Avi Dichter, the then Israeli intelligence head, Dan Halutz, former Israeli air-force commander, former chief of staff Moshe Ya'alon, commander of the IOF southern command Doron Almog, the national security advisor Giora Eland, and Micky Herzog, military advisor of the war minister.

According to the court ruling, the seven Israeli officials will be promptly arrested once they landed in Spain without any consideration to diplomatic immunity that a number of them may possess now, explaining that the charges filed against the seven officials were grave and classified under "war crimes".

The ruling bothered the Israeli occupation government as the Israeli foreign affairs ministry received a copy of the ruling, and warned the accused officials about it. The ministry was reportedly studying legal dimensions of the case.

An Israeli F-16 fighter plane dropped 1000kg bomb on the house of Sheikh Salah Shehada, who was then with his wife and two of his daughters. The attack killed Shehada, his wife, and his two daughters.

More then 18 Palestinian civilians were killed and 77 others were wounded in the bombardment that also totally destroyed 11 Palestinian houses in addition to that of Shehada.

Moshe Ya'alon, the incumbent IOF chief of staff, acknowledged the crime, and that the occupation army was aware of the presence of Shadah's wife and daughters inside the house.

"We were aware of the presence of Shehada's family beside him during the attack; but we had no option but to carry out the attack even in the presence of his family", said Ya'alon."

MAFISH FALASTIN HAS BEEN BANNED

MAFISH FALASTIN HAS BEEN BANNED

Molly and I have put up with him as a nuisance for as long as we could. The number of visitors voting for a ban has been increasing steadily. As I stated before, when a commenter is not only a nuisance, but becomes a factor in readers not coming to the blog, that is when we pull the plug.

Be forewarned, Mafish Falastin, if you use another IP address, that will be banned too; so give it up.

The secret of Hizbullah's success

Hizbullah's unbudging resistance to Israel – and the results that has achieved – explains its clout in the Arab world


Lebanon celebrated with lavish festivities the return of the last prisoners held in Israeli jails, and clamoured to be the only Arab country to have done so, and to have done so by imposing its demand on a reluctant Israel. Hizbullah fulfilled yet another pledge, and successfully ended another chapter in its longstanding battle with Israel.

Lebanese dignitaries from across the political and religious spectrum, Muslims and Christians alike, were lined up to welcome the freed prisoners, in a display of unity not seen since the earlier prisoner exchange of 2004. While many had previously lamented the cost of war and resistance, they now seemed eager to share in the glory of welcoming the last Lebanese prisoners of war.

Hizbullah's success can be added to its already long list of achievements, and reminds Arab and Muslim audiences worldwide of the effectiveness of a steadfast resistance. In an Arab world used to humiliations and defeats, the list of achievements claimed by Hizbullah in the past decade is indeed noteworthy.

The resistance movement was able to liberate most of Lebanon's territory from a two decade-long Israeli occupation, conducted a successful prisoner exchange in 2004, broke the invulnerability myth of the Israeli Defence Forces in the 2006 war, and managed to return all Lebanese prisoners held in Israel this past week. Hizbullah's charismatic leader has argued that his movement has never capitulated to Israeli demands, and thus never been defeated in its 25-year history – "the era of [Arab] defeats is over".

This is in stark contrast to what "Arab moderates" could show for in the same decade they spent negotiating with the Israeli state. The much-publicised and now barren "peace process" keeps edging "forward" through road maps, countless summits, visits, and vague "visions" of a Palestinian state that fails to materialise, and which remains as elusiv

Siyam: Hamas to stop considering Abbas as Palestinian President on Jan. 9

"Said Siyam, the Interior Minister of the dissolved government of Hamas and a high-level spokesman for the Hamas movement, stated Monday that the Hamas party and their government, currently ruling in the Gaza Strip, will stop considering Mahmoud Abbas as President of the Palestinian people on January 9th, 2009. By the Palestinian constitution, there should be elections by that day – although none have yet been announced by the Palestinian government.

According to Siyam, the possible participation of the Hamas party in the upcoming Presidential election is something that the party is seriously considering. If the Hamas party participates, it would mark the first time that the party participates in Palestinian presidential elections. In 2006, the Hamas party participated for the first time in legislative elections, and won by a large margin, allowing them to form the government. But the government they formed was never recognized by Israel, the occupying power, and they were unseated in one of the two Palestinian territories (they are still ruling in the Gaza Strip).

Siyam said Monday that the government formed by Hamas, and led by Ismail Haniyya, is constitutional under Palestinian law, and should be recognized. He said that the caretaker government, formed by the Fateh party with Israeli approval in 2007, with Salam Fayyad as its head, is illegal under the Palestinian constitution, as it was never submitted to the Palestinian Legislative Council for approval. As such, the government of Fayyad, which is currently in place in the West Bank, is merely acting as a caretaker government until new elections take place."

Video: Get on the Boat to GAZA!

Palestine Think Tank

Plot to divide the Taliban foiled

By Syed Saleem Shahzad
Asia Times

"A plan by the Pakistan government, with connivance from Saudi Arabia, to split the Taliban operating in Pakistan's tribal areas has failed spectacularly, with the "renegade" Taliban leader and his network wiped out by al-Qaeda-backed militants. The incident has consolidated the hold of Taliban leader Mullah Omar, while al-Qaeda is benefiting through a sharp increase in jihadis from around the world heading for the tribal regions....."

El Khoudary and Paul Laurde speak about Gaza Boat of August

"Manager of FreeGaza Movement phoned today Chairman of Popular Committee aginest the siege on Gaza, MP Jamal N. El Khoudary. Both spoke about the latest preparations regarding the coming ship in august.

Mr. El Khoudary asserted that all arrangements are being ready now. He added that the ship has to come to draw more attention on this suffocating siege.

"we aspire to end the siege of Gaza by all peacfull and non-violent ways. This Voyage is one of the activities that suit our goals so we will go on." EL Khoudary said

Free Gaza Movement is a peace activists group based in Europe. It aims at coming to Gaza to lift the siege by the next August. Popular Committee Against Siege (PCAS) and other Palestinian groups are receiving them. There will be a massive media coverage and public participation.

The historic illegal appropriation of Palestinian land, home and heritage is at the heart of the Middle East conflict. It has given rise to the largest ongoing refugee population in the world. It paved the way for subsequent land theft in 1967, and the ongoing ethnic cleansing that has squeezed Palestinians in the West Bank into ghettos and bantustans surrounded by 27-foot walls, sniper towers, and military guards. It has created the open-air prison of Gaza with an impoverished and overcrowded population of 1.4 million inhabitants.
This tragic event has dispossessed and disinherited Palestinians all over the world; and a destitute population of refugees with only their memories of Palestine, crumbling property deeds, and an undaunted will to return.

Mission Statement

We want to break the siege of Gaza. We want to raise international awareness about the prison-like closure of the Gaza Strip and pressure the international community to review its sanctions policy and end its support for continued Israeli occupation. We want to uphold Palestine's right to welcome internationals as visitors, human rights observers, humanitarian aid workers, journalists, or otherwise.

Who are we?

We are these human rights observers, aid workers, and journalists. We have years of experience volunteering in Gaza and the West Bank at the invitation of Palestinians. But now, because of the increasing stranglehold of Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine, many of us find it almost impossible to enter Gaza, and an increasing number have been refused entry to Israel and the West Bank as well. Despite the great need for our work, the Israeli Government will not allow us in to do it. "

Arab "Leaders": Let Them Eat Cake....

Syria urged to probe prison riot deaths

"BEIRUT, Lebanon - An international human rights watchdog is urging Syria to order an independent investigation into the shooting of inmates during a prison riot earlier this month.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch also wants Syrian authorities to make public the names of those killed or injured in the July 5th riot.

The group said in a statement Tuesday that at least nine inmates and one policeman were killed, while some Syrian human rights organizations have reported that as many as 25 may have been killed.

Syria has not disclosed any details or casualty figures from the riot at Saidnaya prison in a Damascus suburb. Authorities say the rioting was short-lived and triggered by a group of extremists who had carried out terrorist attacks in Syria and Iraq."

Soldier filmed shooting bound Palestinian released from detention

SURPRISE, SURPRISE!

"The Israel Defense Forces soldier filmed shooting at a handcuffed Palestinian near the West Bank town of Na'alin last week was released from police detention on Tuesday and sent back to join his unit.

The soldier, who was was filmed shooting a bound and blindfolded Palestinian with a rubber bullet at point blank range, told military investigators on Monday that his regiment commander had ordered him to fire......."

By Naser Jafari

Roadblocks Cripple West Bank Economy

By Mel Frykberg

"HEBRON, West Bank, Jul 22 (IPS) - The Israeli military has erected three additional roadblocks, further blocking vehicular access on the road between the south Hebron village of At-Tuwani and the commercial hub of Yatta in the southern West Bank.....

However, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported in May that the number of West Bank closure obstacles had risen from 566 to 607 from September last year to the end of April this year.

According to OCHA, six of the roadblocks on Barak's list of 61 were left in place. Another 11 simply never existed. A close examination of the 44 roadblocks which existed and were removed revealed that most of them had no implications whatsoever for Palestinians' freedom of movement. Only five of these 44 obstacles were classified by the UN as "significant" for Palestinians living in the area.

OCHA further explained that some of the checkpoints had been abandoned years ago. Others had been erected by Israeli Defence Forces that day, only to be removed later the same day while still counted in the tally of checkpoints allegedly removed......"

Book Review: An Israeli in Palestine – Part I

By Stephen Lendman - Chicago
Palestine Chronicle

"Jeff Halper is an American-born Israeli Professor of Anthropology as well as a peace and human rights activist for over three decades. In 1997, he co-founded the Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions (ICAHD), and as its Coordinating Director "organized and led nonviolent direct action and civil disobedience against Israel's occupation policies and authorities."

ICAHD's mission is now expanded well beyond home demolitions. It helps rebuild them and resists "land expropriation, settlement expansion, by-pass road construction, policies of 'closure' and 'separation," and much more. Its aim is simple, yet hard to achieve - to end decades of Israeli-Palestinian conflict equitably and return the region to peace. For his work, Halper was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.

Besides his full-time work, he writes many articles, position papers, and authored several books. His latest and subject of this review is An Israeli in Palestine: Resisting Dispossession, Redeeming Israel. Israeli-based journalist Jonathan Cook (jkcook.net) authored two insightful books on the conflict that are highly recommended. Information can be found on his web site and much more. He calls Halper's book "one of the most insightful analyses of the Occupation I've read. His voice cries out to be heard" on the region's longest and most intractable conflict.

Halper is a "critical insider" and insightful commentator of events on the ground that he witnesses first hand. This review covers his analysis in-depth - in two parts for easier reading. It exposes Israeli repression and proposes remedial solutions. It provides another invaluable resource on the conflict's cause, history, why it continues, and a just and equitable resolution......"

Playing Games With Iran

by William O. Beeman

".....Despite this progress, the power of the American and Israeli extremists should not be underestimated. They still have the ear of Vice President Dick Cheney and a dwindling coterie of his supporters in the Department of Defense. A group of Israeli politicians, including Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Israeli Defense Force Chief of Staff Gaby Ashkenazi, has arrived in Washington, according to Mother Jones magazine, presumably to convince the Bush administration to allow them to carry out their attack.

Hostile rhetoric against Iran also plays into the U.S. electoral process. For American politicians, Iran is a universal bogeyman, useful in an election year as a device to show elected officials as tough on foreign miscreants. Indeed, since the Iranian Revolution, U.S.-Iranian relations have been a centerpiece in election debates. Conspiracy theorists believe fervently that the Republican Party engineered an "October Surprise" in 1980 with Iranian officials – delaying the release of the American hostages until after the U.S. presidential election – and thus denied Jimmy Carter a second term. The purported event – true or not – has supplied a permanent political term for American elections.

In every presidential election since, U.S.-Iranian relations have been featured in presidential debates and campaign ads, with universal negativity toward Iran. This year is no exception with Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John McCain all expressing hostile attitudes toward Iran. And this year's October Surprise is the rumor that the Bush administration will bomb Iran just before the election to give a boost to John McCain. Unless the Israeli hawks get there first. "

No U-turn. Obama's stance on Iraq is chillingly consistent

The presidential hopeful has been accused of flip-flopping over the occupation, but he was never for full withdrawal

Sami Ramadani
The Guardian, Tuesday July 22, 2008

".....Tactical differences and issues of style aside, Obama's message on occupied Iraq is deeply troubling - not because it has U-turned but because it has been consistent. His 300 foreign policy advisers are making sure that he will not stray from protecting US imperialist interests, even if it does mean launching new wars and bolstering puppet regimes and corrupt dictatorships throughout the "greater Middle East"."

While Nablus is raided: Gordon Brown, another false prophet praises Israel

By Khalid Amayreh
The Occupied West Bank

"As British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was having an audience with Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem, the Israeli occupation army was raping anew the Palestinian town of Nablus, rounding up and humiliating innocent people, violating homes and vandalizing businesses.

On Sunday and early Monday, the so-called Israeli Defense Forces raided the northern city, for the fourth time in less than three weeks, as thousands of CIA-trained Palestinian security personnel were watching from their comfortable headquarters nearby.

The invading forces arrested dozens of innocent people, including a lawmaker named Muna Mansur, the wife of an Islamic political leader who was murdered by a Jewish death squad while sitting in his office in downtown Nablus several years ago.....

These acts of rape passed quietly as the governments of Europe and North America, thoroughly absorbed in their pornographic hypocrisy toward the Palestinian plight, kept silent. After all, the victims are Palestinian, they are Arabs, they are Muslims.

These are the same governments that have been demanding rather shamelessly the prompt and unconditional release of an Israeli combat soldier who was taken prisoner by Palestinian fighters near the Gaza Strip more than two years ago, while utterly ignoring the fate of more than 10,000 Palestinian detainees languishing in Israeli dungeons and detention camps......

Brown, whose country gave birth to ugly Zionist entity, vowed that Britain would “back Israel’s right to exist,” a euphemism for backing Israel’s settlement expansion and territorial aggrandizement at the expense of the Palestinian people.....

Nonetheless, the often criminal western collusion with Israel against the Palestinians and against justice wouldn’t have had a conspicuously sinister impact had it not been for the presence of a perfidious “Palestinian” authority that is very much at America’s, and therefore Israel’s beck and call.

Well, what is the point of having a “Palestinian Authority” in whose presence and under whose rubric the Israeli occupation army rapes our population centers every day and every hour and every minute?

What is the point of having flamboyant PA leaders having photo ops and “friendly and constructive and positive” meetings with western leaders when all these encounters can’t even save a Palestinian home from the claws of one Israeli bulldozer?

Surely, no one is demanding that the PA militarily confronts brutal Israeli barbarianism.

However, playing the role of a Palestinian Judenrat vis-à-vis Israel represents the ultimate act of national treason. That is the message that Palestinians everywhere ought to communicate to the American-backed junta in Ramallah."

إيران/سوريا/الكيان واميركا

التسخين المضخم قد لا تعقبه مباراة ...بل رأس المقاومة

عادل سمارة
كنعان النشرة الألكترونية

Support Anarchists Against the Wall

"As the number of Israeli activists joining Palestinian popular resistance gradually increases, the Israeli government has escalated its legal campaign against anti occupation activists, and specifically against anti-wall activists.

Since 2003, hundreds have been arrested and dozens of indictments have been filed.

With the recent increase of legal persecution against Palestinian demonstrators, Anarchists Against the Wall are now fundraising to expand their existing legal fund to also cover defense costs for Palestinian arrestees......"

The Israeli army invades a charitable institution and a kindergarden in Jericho City

"Local sources reported that the Israeli army invaded the West Bank city of Jericho with a number of military vehicles and attacked a charitable institution in addition to a kindergarden.

Eye witnesses reported that the Israeli troops invaded al Israa’ charitable institution, the troops ransacked it and confiscated a number of computers; moreover the Israeli troops invaded a children’s kindergarden, broke the main doors and ransacked the place."

Iran talks doomed to 'small talk'

By Gareth Porter
Asia Times

"The expectations were high of progress being made at the weekend's talks between Iran and the six nations handling its nuclear file, especially as the US State Department had sent its third-ranking official. All that happened was "small talk" - which was exactly what some in the George W Bush administration had wanted....."

Revealing a Massacre, or Stating the Obvious

by Ramzy Baroud

Global Research, July 21, 2008

".....Recent findings in my own personal history have been interesting indeed. The present task of tracing my family roots was inspired by a book project with Pluto Press, narrating the story of my father, as once a fighter from Gaza who died recently under tragic circumstances in the same refugee camp to which he was expelled, along with his family sixty years ago.

Just weeks into my research, I found myself stumbling into the details of a massacre, one that is conveniently overshadowed by the dust of the battle, the rigidity of academic research and the lack of media access of those who have survived.

And now, what started as a mere phase of my father's torn childhood in Palestine has morphed into being the core of my book's narrative.

My family came from the village of Beit Daras, one of the hundreds of villages destroyed by Zionist Jewish militias prior to the establishment of the state of Israel. Growing up in a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, decades after the destruction of Beit Daras, I heard many stories of our village that now only exist in memory. The objective behind the story was hardly a calculated intent to ensure that we don't forget what has befallen us. It was a daily narrative that simply defined our internal relationship as a community......

One can only hope that the memory of the village survives without having to wait the authentication of an Israeli historian, which may or may not ever arrive. I know that I will do my part to make that happen. After all, I owe Beit Daras my (relatively) large head, and the tenacious spirit of my children, who carry the names of those who lived in Beit Daras, and died there."

So Goes the Newsroom, the Empire and the World

By Chris Hedges

"The decline of newspapers is not about the replacement of the antiquated technology of news print with the lightning speed of the Internet. It does not signal an inevitable and salutary change. It is not a form of progress. The decline of newspapers is about the rise of the corporate state, the loss of civic and public responsibility on the part of much of our entrepreneurial class and the intellectual poverty of our post-literate world, a world where information is conveyed primarily through rapidly moving images rather than print......"

Soldier filmed shooting bound Palestinian: Commander told me 'shoot him'

"The Israel Defense Forces soldier who was filmed shooting a bound and blindfolded Palestinian with a rubber bullet at point blank range told military investigators on Monday that his regiment commander had ordered him to fire.

The incident was caught on camera by a villager and released Sunday by the human rights group B'Tselem. The footage apparently shows a soldier firing his rifle toward a Palestinian detained at the protest in the West Bank village of Na'alin. The rifle appeared to have been modified to fire rubber-coated metal bullets.

During his questioning, the soldier said that his commander, lieutenant colonel Omri, had told him "shoot him" three times. He then fired his rifle at the protester's foot......"

Fallujah Braces for Another Assault

By Ali al-Fadhily and Dahr Jamail

"FALLUJAH, Jul 21 (IPS) - U.S. and Iraqi forces are preparing another siege of Fallujah under the pretext of combating "terror", residents and officials say.

Located 69 km west of Baghdad, the city that suffered two devastating U.S. attacks in 2004 has watched security degrade over recent months.

"Ruling powers in the city fighting to gain full control seem willing to use the security collapse to accuse each other of either conspiracy (in lawlessness) or incapability of control," Sufian Ahmed, a lawyer and human rights activist in Fallujah told IPS.

"They suddenly changed their tone from saying that the city was the safest in Iraq to claiming that al-Qaeda is a serious threat. Fallujah residents know their so-called leaders are using security threats to terrify them for their own political interests."

In the face of U.S. military claims of improved security, violence has been rising by the day this month. The city has now been placed under tight curfew while U.S. and Iraqi military forces prepare for a new offensive, according to the local Azzaman daily......

Everyone IPS spoke with in the city expressed fear of an impending attack.

There are meanwhile no signs of improvement of any other kind in Fallujah. Walls now divide the city into sectarian sections, with poverty, unemployment and suffering on all sides. "

A Brazen Evil

Benny Morris argues for nuclear genocide against Iran

By Justin Raimondo

"Evil usually hides its face, because the sight of it repulses all but the depraved. However, in the case of Benny Morris, writing in Friday's New York Times [Posted Here], we see something new: a proud evil, glorying in pure malevolence. His piece is a cold, calculated attempt to simultaneously shock and intimidate, one that succeeds at the former but fails miserably at the latter.

Here's the shocker, really a double jolt: "Israel," he avers, "will almost surely attack Iran's nuclear sites in the next four to seven months." Either that, he writes, or else Israel will eventually have to launch "a preemptive nuclear strike." His message to the West: take out Iran, or we'll nuke 'em!

The Israelis have been threatening to strike for the past six months, so nothing new there, except for the tone of certainty. Morris is no fringe nut-job flailing away on his obscure blog; he's a prominent Israeli historian writing on the most noted opinion page of them all, a veritable bulletin board for governing elites worldwide. As such, he is almost certainly speaking with some insight into Israeli government plans. It is, in any case, almost inconceivable that he wrote his piece without the foreknowledge and consent of Israeli government officials.........."

Al-Jazeera Video: Israeli 'shooting video' causes outrage - 20 July 2008

Notice how Al-Jazeera gives equal weight to the IOF's mendacity and "promises of investigation." It even repeats the IOF's lie that the captive was engaged in a "violent protest," without challenging it. Keep trying Al-Jazeera, you are not far from becoming the New Fox News!



"An Israeli human rights group has just released graphic video footage obtained during clashes between Israeli troops and demonstrators protesting against the separation barrier on the West Bank. The video has sparked outrage, as it shows what appears to be an Israeli soldier shooting a Palestinian at close range. Al Jazeera's Emma Hayward reports. "

Talking about Jerusalem

Not all the Jews visiting Israel this summer are on Zionist youth programmes. Some are rebuilding demolished Palestinian homes

Seth Freedman
guardian.co.uk, Monday July 21, 2008

"Summer in Jerusalem means a massive influx of tourists from around the world, including hundreds of participants in Zionist youth programmes. The streets of the Old City and the town centre are flooded with camera-wielding American and European teens, drinking in the milk and honey narrative served up by their guides......

On the eastern side of town, another group of internationals are finding their feet during their first trip to the Holy Land, but in very different circumstances. They are taking part in ICAHD's sixth Summer Rebuilding Camp, in which volunteers join local Palestinians to reconstruct a family home demolished by the Israeli authorities. In the space of two weeks, they will build the house from scratch, which is a enormous boost for the homeless residents in question, but has a far wider reaching impact. By bringing the discriminatory demolition policies of the Israeli government to the attention of the outside world, a light is shone on one of the cruellest aspects of the conflict........"

IOF troops kidnap 25 Palestinians in Nablus including MP Mansour

MP Mansour

"NABLUS, (PIC)-- IOF troops kidnapped 25 Palestinians in Nablus city and Balata refugee camp including MP Mona Mansour and another woman in a pre dawn raid on Monday, local sources reported.

They said that the soldiers encircled and stormed the home of the MP, and noted that the soldiers wreaked havoc in the home after detaining Mansour's children. The lawmaker was then handcuffed and arrested. The soldiers also confiscated all mobile phones and computers in the house, the sources pointed out.

Other IOF units broke into a building in downtown Nablus and rounded up nine Najah University students and confiscated six computers.

The invading troops also arrested a member of the city's chamber of commerce, a money exchanger, a woman and a number of citizens including a 67-year-old man and his two sons.

The soldiers rounded up two young men in Balata refugee camp east of Nablus city, sources said, adding that sounds of explosions were heard during the incursion."

'Israel to Free Barghuti for Shalit'

Al-Manar

"21/07/2008 Israel has agreed in principle to release Marwan Barghuti and a number of prominent Hamas leaders from prison – diplomatic sources were quoted as saying in Monday's 'Al-Bayan' newspaper, based in the United Arab Emirates.

According to the report, Israel will free Barghuti, Fatah's former secretary-general in the West Bank, and the Hamas officials as part of the burgeoning exchange deal with the Islamic resistance group, Hamas, in return for captured Israeli occupation soldier Gilad Shalit.

The paper asserts that Egypt has been successful in reconciling the differences between Israel and Hamas over the deal, but now fears other groups [pray tell, who could that be?? Hmmm...] in the region may attempt to sabotage the deal......"

Kintar Celebrates Birthday with Rifle in Hand

Al-Manar

"21/07/2008 Samir Kintar celebrated his 46th birthday on Sunday surrounded by friends and family from his hometown Aabey for the first time since he was detained thirty years ago. The Islamic resistance and the Detainees Association observed the occasion in a way worthy of the freed fighter.

Kintar was released along with four Hezbollah fighters and the bodies of 199 Lebanese, Arab and Palestinian fighters in exchange with two dead Israeli soldiers in the framework of Operation al-Redwan on July 16.

A detachment of resistance fighters saluted Kintar and gave him "the sweetest gift after freedom", as Kintar described. The gift was an Israeli military rifle gained from the July 2006 war. "I want to salute the Islamic resistance and its secretary general for this trust. First of all, it's a renewal of trust in me as a resistance fighter and secondly, God willing, it will take part in retaliating the assassination of martyr Hajj Imad Moghniyeh," Kintar said while holding the rifle with great pride.

Kintar also received a symbolic gift from Hezbollah official in Mount Lebanon Bilal Dagher. Dagher presented Kintar with a picture joining Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah with martyr Moughniyeh, Haj Redwan.

Freed Kintar was seen blissful when celebrating his birthday away from the prison cell. No more biscuits would be served on Kintar's birthday. After 30 years, Kintar cut a big cake decorated by his picture along with Sayyed Nasrallah, the same picture decorating his family house.

After the celebration, Kintar’s residence in Aabey was overcrowded with people of all ages who came to greet the hero as well as a group of reporters who wrote about Kintar for years and a flood of phone calls from Lebanon and Arab countries congratulating him on his return home.

Congratulations on your freedom Samir, and happy birthday."

Rice threatens Iran with more sanctions

Press TV

"US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has warned Iran to freeze its uranium enrichment program within 2 weeks or face punitive measures.

Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili and the EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana, accompanied by representatives of the Group 5+1, held a new round of talks in Geneva Saturday aimed at resolving Tehran's nuclear standoff......

Rice said that in case Iran refused to suspend its nuclear work, the Security Council would go back to the track of imposing sanctions.

She added that Burns would hold no talks with the Iranians in another round of negotiations to be held between the two sides in two weeks time.

"We've done enough to demonstrate that the United States is serious and to assure our partners that we're serious and to assure the Iranians that we're serious," she said. "

B'Tselem Video Clip documenting a soldier firing from extremely close range, at a cuffed and blindfolded Palestinian detainee

20 July '08: B'Tselem: Prosecute soldier who fired 'rubber' bullet at Palestinian detainee, Investigate the involvement of an officer in the event and suspected cover-up

Contributed by Lucia in Spain

"Today, B'Tselem is publishing a video clip documenting a soldier firing a rubber coated steel bullet, from extremely close range, at a cuffed and blindfolded Palestinian detainee. The shooting took place in the presence of a lieutenant colonel, who was holding the Palestinian's arm when the shot was fired.

The incident took place on 7 July, in Nil'in, a village in the West Bank. A Palestinian demonstrator, Ashraf Abu Rahma, 27, was stopped by soldiers, who cuffed and blindfolded him for about thirty minutes, during which time, according to Abu-Rahma, they beat him. Afterwards, a group of soldiers and border policemen led him to an army jeep. The video clip shows a soldier aim his weapon at the demonstrator's legs, from about 1.5 meters away, and fire a rubber coated steel bullet at him. Abu-Rahma stated that the bullet hit his left toe, received treatment from an army medic, and released by the soldiers.

A fourteen-year-old Palestinian girl from Nil'in filmed the incident from her house in the village, and B'Tselem received it this morning......"

Rendering public opinion irrelevant

One of the most striking aspects of our political discourse, particularly during election time, is how efficiently certain views that deviate from the elite consensus are banished from sight -- simply prohibited -- even when those views are held by the vast majority of citizens. The University of Maryland's Program on International Policy Attitudes -- the premiere organization for surveying international public opinion -- released a new survey a couple of weeks ago regarding public opinion on the Israel-Palestinian conflict, including opinion among American citizens, and this is what it found:

A new WorldPublicOpinion.org poll of 18 countries finds that in 14 of them people mostly say their government should not take sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Just three countries favor taking the Palestinian side (Egypt, Iran, and Turkey) and one is divided (India). No country favors taking Israel's side, including the United States, where 71 percent favor taking neither side.

The worldwide consensus is crystal clear -- citizens want their Governments to be neutral and even-handed in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, not tilted towards either side. And that consensus is shared not just by a majority of American citizens, but by the overwhelming majority. Few political views, particularly on controversial issues, attract more than 70% support among American citizens. But the proposition that the U.S. Government should be even-handed -- rather than tilting towards Israel -- attracts that much support. That's not an "anti-Israeli" view -- to the contrary, it's a position that America can and should resolve that violent, four-decades-long dispute by being even-handed rather than one-sided.

Similarly, when asked "How well do you think Israel is doing its part in the effort to resolve the Israel-Palestinian conflict," citizens around the world, by a large margin, believe that Israel is doing either "not very well" or "not well at all" (54% -- compared to 23% that say it's doing "very well" or "somewhat well"). And there, too, that worldwide view corresponds to American public opinion as well. 59% of Americans say Israel is doing either "not very well" or "not well at all" -- compared to only 30% that say it's doing "very well" or "somewhat well." And Palestinians don't fare much better worldwide (38-49%) and fare worse in the U.S. (15-75%).

Israel using rats against Jerusalem Arabs

The Palestinian Authority's official news agency Wafa says Israel is using rats to drive Arab families out of their homes in the Old City of Jerusalem.

In the past the news agency, which is controlled and funded by PA President Mahmoud Abbas's office, has accused Israel of using wild pigs to drive Palestinians out of their homes and fields in the West Bank. In the reports, Palestinians were quoted by the agency as saying that they had seen Israelis release herds of wild pigs, which later attacked them.

But this is the first time that Palestinians have spoken of rats being used against them.

"Rats have become an Israeli weapon to displace and expel Arab residents of the occupied Old City of Jerusalem," Wafa reported under the title, "Settlers flood the Old City of Jerusalem with rats." The report continued: "Over the past two months, dozens of settlers come to the alleyways and streets of the Old City carrying iron cages full of rats. They release the rats, which find shelter in open sewage systems."

Wafa quoted unnamed Arab residents as saying that they had tried to eliminate the rats with various poisons, but to no avail.

Israel's goal was to "increase the suffering of the [Arabs] in Jerusalem by turning their lives into a real tragedy and forcing them to evict their homes and leave the city," Hasan Khater, secretary-general of the Islamic-Christian Front in Jerusalem, was quoted as saying.

Oil Surpluses Must be Directed to Development, not Charity: a Comment on Chavez’s Suggestion

A Good Article

By Adel Samara
Palestine Think Tank

"....While it is right that the poverty of peripheral countries is to a large extent due to the previous colonial plunder and current exploitation in both unequal exchange and armed un-equal exchange as it is in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries undergoing military invasion and occupation, most of the regimes in peripheral countries have a long hand in the economic/social deterioration of their own peoples.

....In the Arab case, the countries of surplus transferred large amounts of surplus to the Arab countries living in a state of economic deficit. The transfer amounts went through the channels of the ruling comprador classes who found it a good opportunity to steal most of that money and to continue their corrupted habits. The donor Arab regimes never made their assistance conditioned with any investment policies or strategies. It was devoted to offsetting the deficit. It was a political consensus between the two parts of Arab ruling comprador regimes in rich and poor countries to not adopt any developed approach......

The normal development is that Arab oil pumping countries must open their doors for Arab workers and to give priority to them over those of other nationalities [2]. But, the rulers of oil pumping counties prefer non-Arab workers because they believe that Arab workers feel that they have a right to work in another Arab country, but non-Arabs will be grateful if they get the chance to work there, even if they suffer harsh exploitation and humiliation.

Since Arab Qutriyah regimes are afraid of Arab unity and see it as a threat to their selfish interests, they prefer to bring non-Arab workers on the one hand and on the other to subsidize the deficit of other Arab countries.

The Arab countries of surplus were and still are keen to obstruct any possibility of social tension, not to say revolution, in the countries of deficit because it might expand into their own countries.....

But, Arab ruling classes in general, and those of oil in particular are externalizing regimes. They are not independent, their surplus is oriented lately to cover the US deficit, under the claim that their currency will melt down following the melting of US dollar. This is in addition to the fact that these regimes are accelerating their normalization with the Zionist Ashkenazi Regime ZAR. It is even worse, as Stanley Fischer, the governor of the Bank of Israel, declared lately that he is quite sure that Arab oil countries will rescue the Israeli economy to the extent that it will avoid the passive effects which are harming it because of the US crisis. The Arab regimes are too far even behind Chavez’s charitable call....."

Des militants anti-apartheid juifs sud-africains "choqués" par leur visite en Cisjordanie occupée

Le Monde

"Andrew Feinstein n'était jamais venu en Israël et dans les territoires palestiniens occupés. Sud-Africain et juif, il a perdu sa mère et ses dix frères et soeurs dans l'Holocauste. Il a été très impressionné par le mémorial de Yad Vashem et l'évocation d'Auschwitz, où a péri sa famille. Cet ancien député de l'ANC (African national Congress) a également été très marqué par ce qu'il a vu à Hébron : les colons qui insultent et jettent des pierres sur les Palestiniens, qui s'en prennent à cette délégation venue se rendre compte sur place de la réalité des choses. "Comment, au nom du judaïsme, peut-on se comporter de cette manière ? Comment peut-on transformer en ville fantôme un quartier commerçant arabe pour protéger quelques centaines de colons ?", s'interroge-t-il.

Avec un groupe de 22 Sud-Africains, défenseurs des droits de l'homme, membres de l'ANC, magistrats, journalistes, syndicalistes, écrivains, blancs, noirs, indiens, une dizaine de juifs, Andrew Feinstein a, pendant cinq jours, du 6 au 10 juillet, sillonné les territoires occupés de Hébron à Naplouse, en passant par Jérusalem et la "barrière de sécurité", rencontré des organisations de défense des droits de l'homme, visité Tel Aviv, tenté d'appréhender le conflit israélo-palestinien. Il ne s'agissait pas de trouver des solutions, ni de juger, encore moins de faire des comparaisons avec le régime de l'apartheid que tous ont connu et subi......."

Inflation and the Spectre of World Revolution

By James Petras

"Introduction

Inflation is the great solvent that dissolves paternalistic ties between employers and workers, landowners and peasants, clientele-patronage regimes and the urban poor and sets in motion violent protests against private property and previously popularly elected regimes. Historical religious, clan, party, ethnic, tribal, caste and other differences are temporarily suspended, as Hindus and Moslems in India, Communists and Christians in the Philippines, peasants and workers in China, industrial workers and public employees in Egypt, blacks and mulattos in Haiti…join together in sustained mass protests against inflation which profoundly and visibly erodes their living standards from week to week, in some cases from one day to another.

But the left, the Anglo-American left? Where and what do our most prominent public intellectuals, including those with booking agents charging five-digit lecture fees, have to say about this world-wide revolt? Nary a word is found in left, center-left magazines, web sites and blogs.....

Conclusion

Inflation, as it accelerates, in the past and today, is the great solvent of incremental everyday habits and politics: Today it undermines incumbent politicians; tomorrow it can call into question regimes and social orders.

In the past, inflationary disorders and desperation brought forth rightist demagogues who specialize in imposing order and stability. It ill behooves the left to once again ignore the destructive effects of inflation, the demands for order and stability and mass consumer discontent. Inflationary fears are as much entrenched as class and property issues. Combating inflation, especially basic price increases is central to any prospect for a social transformation, which claims to benefit the wage and salaried workers, urban or rural dwellers, the poor, minorities, consumers and producers."

المملكة العربية السعودية: عاملات المنازل يواجهن إساءات قاسيةالإصلاحات الأساسية متوقفة ولا يوجد إلا تعويضات قليلة على أوضاع تشبه الاسترقاق

Contributed by Fatima

"أوضاع العمالة الأجنبية في الخليج
أصدرت منظمة هيومن رايتس ووتش لحقوق الانسان تقريرا يوجه انتقادات شديدة للمملكة العربية السعودية بخصوص أوضاع عاملات المنازل اللاتي يتعرضن لإساءات حقوقية جسيمة ترقى في بعض الحالات إلى الاسترقاق، حسب تعبير المنظمة.ويقول التقرير إن أصحاب العمل عادة لا يواجهون أية عقوبات جراء ارتكاب الإساءات ضد عاملات المنازل، بما في ذلك عدم دفعهم الأجور لمدد تتراوح بين شهور وسنوات، وتحديد الإقامة قسراً، والعنف البدني والجنسي.إضغط هنا لقراءة نبذة عن التقرير (موقع خارجي)وليست هذه المرة الأولى التي تواجه فيها دولة خليجية انتقادات بشأن أوضاع العمالة الأجنبية فيها، ويتعرض نظام الكفيل المعمول به في عدد من دول الخليج على سبيل المثال إلي انتقادات مستمرة من قبل المعنيين بحقوق العمال.فهل توافق أنت على هذه الانتقادات؟ أم تعتقد أن هناك تحاملا على دول الخليج؟ هل لديك خبرة شخصية تتعلق بهذا الأمر؟ ولماذا يستمر الأجانب في التوافد على دول الخليج إذا كانت ظروف العمل بهذا السوء؟
......"

Human Rights Watch Report: Saudi Arabia: Domestic Workers Face Harsh Abuses
Key Reforms Stalled, Few Remedies for Slavery-Like Conditions

"(Jakarta, July 8, 2008) - Saudi Arabia should implement labor, immigration, and criminal justice reforms to protect domestic workers from serious human rights abuses that in some cases amount to slavery, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. Employers often face no punishment for committing abuses including months or years of unpaid wages, forced confinement, and physical and sexual violence, while some domestic workers face imprisonment or lashings for spurious charges of theft, adultery, or "witchcraft."....."

Iran VP's remarks spark controversy

Press TV

"Iran's Vice President in charge of tourism affairs says the Islamic Republic is on good terms with the people of America and Israel.

While Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad enjoys much of his popularity in the Muslim World for questioning the real extent of the Holocaust and criticizing Israel, his deputy has made remarks that have sparked controversy.

"Today, Iran is friends with the American and Israeli people. No nation in the world is our enemy. We are proud of our stance in this regard," Fars news agency quoted Iranian Vice President for Tourism and Cultural Heritage Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaie as saying.

"Of course, we do have enemies. The Iranian people are subject to the most unfair of hostilities," he said on the sidelines of a tourism conference in Tehran Sunday.

"We see the Americans as one of the best nations in the world," Rahim-Mashaie added.

He expressed hope that efforts by the Iranian government to support the tourism industry will bear fruit. "I hope a day will come when no tourist will need a visa to enter Iran." "

Senior Israeli official: If nuclear talks fail, Bush will order Iran attack between November and January

"This assessment was reported by Israeli national radio Saturday overnight quoting a high-placed “security-political” official.

The source predicted that President George W. Bush would order Iran attacked between the November 4 presidential election and his exit from the White House in January. The quote was aired shortly after the six-power talks with Iran in Geneva – with US official participation for the first time – failed, and just before Israel chief of staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi set out for Washington. He is to spend a week there as guest of Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

DEBKAfile’s political sources describe the disclosure as a step aimed at slowing down the collapse of Israel’s stated policy of relying on international diplomatic pressure to thwart Iran’s acquisition of nuclear arms. It is expected to raise a furious outcry from the powers spearheading the diplomatic effort and prompt extreme reactions from Tehran.

Our sources report that the unidentified Israeli “security-political” source sought to achieve three objectives:

1. Underlining the signal that the US military option had not been taken off the table after the state department spokesman said Iran must choose between cooperation with the international community and confrontation.

The official was also giving Israel’s answer to the latest evaluations making the rounds in Washington that the Israeli Air Force does not have enough warplanes to strike Iran’s nuclear sites without American military support.

2. A signal that the presence at the Geneva talks Saturday, July 19, of Under Secretary of State William Burns, far from being a concession, was an implicit ultimatum. Tehran was being told that no more than three months remained for it to suspend uranium enrichment before Bush made good on his pledge to resolve the issue before he left the White House. No member of the Bush administration is saying this directly, whether Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Robert Gates or the president himself. Israel will not doubt be rebuked for its disclosure.

3. As a high-risk step to derail the accommodations Washington and Tehran are on the way to reaching in their secret talks......."

Lebanon Breaks the Mould

By Alberto Cruz
Palestine Chronicle

"Lebanon, thanks to Hizbollah, is breaking moulds in the Middle East. After Hizbollah's defeat of Israel in the war of the summer of 2006, it has again humiliated the Zionist State by making it carry out another exchange of Lebanese and Palestinian prisoners like the one in 2004. (1) It has managed to weaken imperialist and Saudi Arabian strategy in the area with the show of force it made taking over Beirut in just four days. That brought about rapid mediation by various Arab countries, ending with the Doha Agreement by means of which Lebanon's patriotic and nationalist forces pushed through a government of national unity......

Lebanon has been pathfinding for Arab peoples for two years. The firmness of principle, the patriotic resistance and political unity for common objectives regardless of religious belief or political option is breaking the stereotypes of sectarianism with which Western so-called news-media and their Arab allies treat the situation. It worries them for the example it offers to other peoples in the region. The governments of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt and Jordan all look with much concern at what is happening in this small country because their own future is there as well.

In fact, the most worried at what is regarded as a strategic defeat for imperialism and the sectarian Wahhabi project, the King of Saudi Arabia, at every opportunity (9) shows his frustration at the strength of Hizbollah and the patriotic nationalist Lebanese organizations. The elites in other Arab countries, meanwhile, look more and more concerned at the example being shown and at the almost unchanged support for Hassan Nasrallah in the Arab street since the 2006 war. Nasrallah has been compared ever since with the Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, for example by the Egyptian progressive daily paper Al Destour. (10)......"

I say Bomb Eye-ran!

by Aurangzeb Qureshi

"Attempting to disarm Iran's nuclear enrichment program diplomatically has proven futile. Even with the noose tightening around its neck through sanctions, and joint American-Israeli military exercises combined with covert CIA operations being conducted close to its border, Iran still has the sheer audacity to tell America that it will defend itself in the case of an invasion. How dare this 3000-year-old civilization threaten the world's declining 60-year hegemonic superpower? How dare this country stand up for itself after watching America slaughter thousands in neighboring Iraq? It is time to bomb these people into oblivion so the West can once again overthrow its regime and replace it with one that will conform, abide by, and slave to its master. It's time these people got with the times. It is upon America and the rest of the "civilized world" to prevent another 9/11.
I say Bomb Eye-ran!.....

I say Bomb Eye-ran and let freedom ring."

القنطار: لم أخش الإسرائيليين هناك ولن أخشاهم هنا

"....
ويردّ القنطار على تساؤل للجزيرة نت عن احتمال قيادته لسرايا المقاومة الوطنية اللبنانية والتي هي رديف المقاومة الإسلامية لحزب الله، وتضم مختلف التيارات والأحزاب الراغبة بالانخراط في الصراع مع الإسرائيليين، فيقول "سأكون متفرغا بالكامل للمقاومة وللجانب العسكري فيها. ولم يقّرر شيء بخصوص قيادة السرايا. وأنا جاهز لأي مهمة تطلبها المقاومة مني".

وأضاف "المقاومة المسلّحة الإسلامية الباسلة مسؤولة عن تحريرنا، بفضلها وبفضل جماهير الوعد الصادق التي تمسكّت بالمقاومة رغم الظروف الصعبة والمستحيلة. نأمل أن يحفّز هذا العمل الآخرين خصوصا في الأرض المحتلة لاتباع نفس الأسلوب. المفاوضات السياسيّة والدبلوماسية لا تردّ حقا ولا أرضا ولا أسرى".

تهديد إسرائيلي
وردا على سؤال حول تهديد إسرائيل باغتياله، قال القنطار"هم هدّدوا وأخذوا القرار. أنا لم أخشهم عندما كنت هناك، ولن أخشاهم هنا. وأنا مستعد أن أقاتل وأستشهد وأدفع ثمن استشهادي سلفا". وأضاف "المعركة يجب أن تتواصل حتى تحرير فلسطين كلها، والمأساة أن كلّ طرف عربي ينتظر الطرف الآخر ليعمل".
....."

Real News Video: The geo-politics of oil

Aijaz Ahmad: What would a rational American foreign policy look like? Part 6

Real News Video: Obama and the national security system

Gareth Porter: There is no leader yet in site who can lead a movement for basic change



"In the second part of his interview to Pepe Escobar, investigative historian and military policy analyst Gareth Porter expands on what awaits Senator Barack Obama when he deals with the power of the national security state. Porter also examines what kind of movement and leader would it take to really try to change a very rigid system, and the proposition of Obama as a new Bobby Kennedy."

Israel’s collective psychosis: The denial syndrome

By Khalid Amayreh
Occupied West Bank


(By Carlos Latuff)

".....The orgy of lying, especially the shocking amenability of most Zionist Jews to take the obscene lies at face value caricatures a people that dreads knowing the truth, let alone coping with it. And when the truth eventually manages to penetrate the “iron wall” of Zionist lies, the custodians of the big lie, which is Zionism, resort to a whole set of defense mechanisms to protect the collective mental sanity of a state whose very existence constitutes a crime against humanity.

Thus, according to this depraved and psychotic mindset, Israel doesn’t murder children and innocent civilians, It is only the victims that bring death upon themselves. And Israelis don’t steal the land and property of Palestinians, since the entire world was created for the sake of the “chosen people.”

And even when Jews do commit “certain mistakes” and “abominable sins,” they are not really to blame for that since it is the victims that always force Jews to make these mistakes......

Interestingly, the wave of self-righteous overindulgence in Israel has been led by the establishment people, figures that know too well that Israel doesn’t really represent the culture of peace, but rather the culture of war and aggression; they know that Israel is inculcated with a criminal and murderous mentality that differs very little from the Nazi mentality.......

Writing for “Harper’s Magazine” (see The Nation, March 11, 2002), Chris Hedges wrote: “ Children have been shot in other conflicts I have covered. Death squads gunned them down in El Salvador and Guatemala, mothers with infants were lined up and massacred in Algeria, and Serb snipers put children in their sights in Sarajevo, but I have never before watched soldiers entice children like mice into a trap and murder them for sport.”.....

Hasbara doctors in Israel might seek to extenuate the gravity or even whitewash these crimes by claiming that these were “individual acts” that didn’t reflect the overall policy of the Israeli government and army.

However, this is a big lie. In 2001, the noted Israeli award-wining journalist Amira Hass interviewed an Israeli sniper in which the soldier described the commands he received from his superiors:

“Twelve and up, you are allowed to shoot. That is what they tell us,” the soldier said. “So,” responded the reporter, “according to the IDF, the appropriate minimum age group at which to shoot is 12.” The soldier replied: “this is according to what the IDF says to its soldiers. I don’t know if this is what the IDF says to the media.”......

Elyahu argued that a ground invasion of the world’s most crowded spot would endanger Israeli soldiers. He said “If they don’t stop after we kill 100, then we must kill a thousand. And if they do not stop after 1,000, then we must kill 10,000. If they still don’t stop we must kill 100,000, even a million, whatever it takes to make them stop.”

Earlier, Elyahu, a prominent Talmudic sage, called on the Israeli occupation army not to refrain from killing Palestinian children if that means saving the lives of Israeli soldiers.

The above-mentioned are only sporadic examples of the barbarian spirit inculcated in Israelis, especially soldiers dispatched to the occupied Palestinian territories to guard the occupation and enforce apartheid.......

To be sure, this disgraceful reality is known to many Israelis. In 2001, Shulamit Aloni, a former minister of education, wrote in the Israeli newspaper Ma’ariv that “we have become a barbarian people.”......"