"NABLUS, (PIC)-- Abdul Sattar Qassem, professor of political science at the Najah national university in Nablus, has called for boycotting Israeli commodities, considering the continued purchase of those goods as a kind of support for the IOF troops in order to kill Palestinian.
In an article written by Abdul Sattar, he said that whoever buys Israeli goods supports the Israeli economy and gives the IOF troops donations in order to continue with their aggression against the Palestinian people and the Arab and Islamic peoples.
The professor elaborated: "If one kg of Israeli dates is worth about 35 shekels, and the expenses of making one bullet of M16 rifle is worth 8 agora (an Israeli currency unit), that means that the Palestinian consumer contributes to the manufacture of about 44 bullets, which is enough to kill 44 Palestinians."
"Why doesn't the PA ban the importation of Israeli goods which could be replaced with Palestinian ones or which are dispensable?" He questioned, urging the Palestinian people to take the initiative themselves and start to boycott the Israeli goods."
Saturday, September 15, 2007
US, EU accomplices in PA repression of its citizens
A Good Comment by Khalid Amayreh in Israeli-occupied WB
"The United States and the European Union (EU) are once again displaying criminal hypocrisy by keeping silent in the face of mounting repressive measures and clearly serious human rights violations carried out by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA) regime in Ramallah against its citizens.
For months now, particularly since the mid-June events in the Gaza Strip, PA security forces and faceless Fatah militiamen have been carrying out a spate of repression, intimidation and human rights violations in the West Bank, targeting mostly innocent people on suspicion of supporting Hamas.
The PA government claims that the reign of repression is intended to prevent Hamas from building a militia similar to the Executive Force which defeated Fatah’s forces in the Gaza Strip a few months ago. However, it is amply clear to all keen observers that this excuse has very little credibility, given the ubiquitous presence of the Israeli military occupation in the West Bank, which makes it virtually impossible for Hamas or any other anti-Israeli resistance group to establish a serious military presence in the occupied territory.
Obviously, Israel and the PA realize this fact very well. Nonetheless, the two accomplices continue to use the mendacious excuse to justify unmitigated violations of Palestinians’ human and civil rights, including murder, imprisonment and attacks on property.
American and EU diplomats, as well as a large net of spies, observers, NGOs and other agents should be fully-aware of the daily acts of repression being carried out by PA security forces, occasionally in league with Israel, against innocent Palestinians.
Last week, Abbas’s security forces violently repressed a student meeting at the Hebron University, beating savagely students for “holding a meeting without permission.” The students were protesting a tuition hike and absence of loans that would enable thousands of poverty-stricken students to pursue college education. During the ugly “beating party,” by mostly ignorant and undisciplined security personnel, five reporters were beaten, including Yosri al-Jamal of Reuters and Hazem Badr of Agance France Presse.
This writer visited al-Jamal in hospital where he was being hospitalized for severe beating on the head by none other than the Commander of the Hebron region, Samih Seifi.
I really don’t know where else in the world security commanders, let alone phony security commanders (phony because these so-called commanders cower when confronted with the lowest-ranking Israeli occupation soldier), slap respected journalists and cameramen on the face.
The incident at the Hebron University attracted wide media attention, probably because journalists were involved. However, there are daily and more dangerous violations of the human and civil rights of ordinary Palestinian citizens, including abductions, prolonged detention, physical and psychological torture which pass unreported by much of the world media, as if Palestinians were children of a lesser God, and as if citizens had to be journalists in order to be spared the savagery and brutality at the hands of security personnel.
A few weeks ago, a Fatah “officer” shot and killed another student at al-Najah National University in the northern West Bank town of Nablus in full view of hundreds of students. Until this moment, it is still unclear if the murderer is in prison or has been allowed to get away with murder.
Similarly, hundreds of licensed charities and civic organizations have been closed down for alleged connections with Hamas when in fact such connections don’t exist in 98% of cases.
Needless to say, all these crimes, carried out under the rubric of maintaining law and order, are taking place outside the confines of the rule of law since the Fayyad government in Ramallah gave the security agencies a carte blanch to act and behave as deemed fit to avenge Fatah’s defeat in Gaza. Predictably, the ultimate and natural outcome of this policy is the evaporation of the rule of law and transformation of the West Bank into a kind of a wild, wide West.
The Ramallah regime lives on financial aid from the West, particularly the EU (American aid goes mostly to strengthen Abbas’s security forces). And Western silence toward these violations is interpreted by the PA leadership as approval and encouragement.
This is really sad and lamentable since the EU and US would have protested such violations if the perpetrator had been a different regime, say Syria or Iran. I understand that insecure regimes are induced to be despotic and repressive to ensure survival and stability. However, countries claiming to be concerned for human rights, such as EU countries, ought to remind petty dictators such as the PA, which is really a blight upon itself and its own people, that wrong doing and wrong doers should be dealt with through the due process of law, not through gangsterism and lawless violence.
It is probably useless and pointless to appeal to the vast bulk of European governments, not to mention the odious Bush administration, to pay more attention to human rights violations by the PA since the conspicuously-hypocritical policies of the US and Europe toward the Palestinian people and their enduring plight are part of the problem and can’t be part of the solution.
But there are many honest-minded Europeans, including members of the EU parliament as well as ordinary citizens who wouldn’t approve of their governments and taxpayers bankrolling the repressive practices of a regime whose very survival depends on foreign aid.
No one is asking the EU to embrace Hamas. However, EU governments and peoples must always make sure that EU aid money won’t be used to repress Palestinians, already thoroughly tormented by more than 40 years of the Nazi-like Israeli occupation.
It is just unacceptable to beat people, torture detainees, and vandalize private property under the pretext of avenging Fatah’s defeat in Gaza.
In short, the EU, which has a lot of leverage on the Abbas’s regime, ought to ask the Fayyad government in Ramallah why the rule of law in the West Bank has been taking an open-ended vacation while Palestinians’ rights are being raped and violated by a police state without a state that claims to be serving Palestinian interests."
Friday, September 14, 2007
Manufacturing Consent to Attack Hizbullah: US claims HIzbullah still smuggling arms through Syria
"The US ambassador to Lebanon said on Friday that there was clear evidence the Shiite terror organization Hizbullah was still smuggling weapons across the Syrian border, in violation of UN resolutions. "We find the evidence to be strong that arms smuggling is continuing across the Syrian-Lebanese border," Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman told AFP, without giving any specific details.
"We are concerned by the reports and by the public statements by Hizbullah that Hizbullah has actively rearmed." He added: "In our view this poses one of the biggest dangers to Lebanon and it is a violation of the spirit and the letter of a number of Security Council resolutions."........"
Darth Vader: chaos if U.S. pulls out too soon from Iraq
"GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Sept. 14 (Reuters) - Vice President Dick Cheney on Friday accused critics of the administration's war strategy of ignoring the bloodshed and chaos he said would follow a premature U.S. troop withdrawal.
Speaking shortly after President George W. Bush announced a limited withdrawal of about 20,000 U.S. troops by next July, Cheney pounded home the argument that the United States must stay in Iraq for the long haul to combat terrorism.
"In all the calls we've heard for an American withdrawal from Iraq, these negative consequences haven't really been denied, they've simply been ignored," he said.....
If U.S. and coalition forces left Iraq before Iraqis could defend themselves, moderates would be "crushed," extremists would push the country into "chaos," and competing factions including groups backed by Iran "would unloose an all-out war, with the violence unlikely to be contained within Iraq," Cheney said.
"The ensuing carnage would further destabilize the Middle East and magnify the threat to our friends throughout the region," he said. "
EXCLUSIVE: In One Of His Last Interviews Before His Death Iraqi Tribal Leader Abu Risha Details Relationship With U.S. Military
Democracy Now!
With Amy Goodman
"AMY GOODMAN: The assassinated tribal leader was named Sheikh Abdul Sattar Abu Risha. He died Thursday in a bombing near his home in Ramadi. One year ago to the day, Abu Risha organized twenty-five pro-US Sunni clans to form the Anbar Awakening to fight members of al-Qaeda. His assassination is considered a major setback for US forces in Anbar. President Bush met with Sheikh Abu Risha just ten days ago, during his brief visit to Anbar province.
Listeners and viewers of Democracy Now! might recognize Sheikh Abu Risha’s name. On Tuesday we played an excerpt from an expose that aired on Al Jazeera English. It was produced by Rick Rowley, David Enders and Hiba Dawood, with support from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. They interviewed Sheikh Abu Risha in Jordan in July......
AMY GOODMAN: Filmmaker and journalist Rick Rowley of Big Noise Films, who produced this piece, joins us in the New York studio. He has just returned from Iraq and Jordan, interviewed the sheikh in Jordan in July.
Welcome. It's great to have you back. Just a few days ago, we played this documentary. Talk about the significance of the assassination of Abu Risha, Rick.
RICK ROWLEY: Well, his assassination just tears another huge hole in the story that the American administration has been trying to sell us about a victory and a success in Iraq. You know, in their story, Abdul Sattar Abu Risha was a Lawrence of Arabia figure who was leading an uprising of Sunni tribes that was going to kick out al-Qaeda and was going to be a close ally of the Americans. The situation is obviously much more complicated than that.
As our film showed, you know, first of all, the group is internally split and divisive. I mean, there are different factions who are fighting for control of it. Al-Qaeda or the Sunni tribes, insurgent tribes, who are opposed to Abu Risha are still active and present in Anbar. And the most important fact is that many of these groups who are part of this Anbar Awakening and Iraq Awakening are actually war criminals who are responsible for sectarian cleansing and who are arming and using US support to prepare themselves for a sectarian civil war......"
Where is Judith Miller When We Need Her?
U.S. confirms presence of North Korean nuclear experts in Syria
""Syria was on the U.S. nuclear watch list," a senior U.S. official said Friday, asserting that foreign technicians were in the country and that there had been possible contacts with suppliers for nuclear equipment.
Andrew Semmel, acting deputy assistant secretary for nuclear nonproliferation policy, didn't name the suppliers, but said there were North Koreans in Syria and that he couldn't exclude that the network run by disgraced Pakistan nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan was possibly involved.
Semmel was responding to questions about an alleged Israel Air Force airstrike in northern Syria last week. Neither side has explained what exactly happened, but a U.S. government official confirmed that Israeli warplanes were targeting weapons from Iran and destined for Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.
"There are indicators that they do have something going on there, he said," Semmel said. "We do know that there are a number of foreign technicians that have been in Syria. We do know that there may have been contact between Syria and some secret suppliers for nuclear equipment. Whether anything transpired remains to be seen."
"So good foreign policy, good national security policy, would suggest that we pay very close attention to that, he said. We're watching very closely. Obviously, the Israelis We're watching very closely," he added.
Asked if the suppliers could have been North Koreans, he said: "There are North Korean people there. There's no question about that. Just as there are a lot of North Koreans in Iraq and Iran."...."
""Syria was on the U.S. nuclear watch list," a senior U.S. official said Friday, asserting that foreign technicians were in the country and that there had been possible contacts with suppliers for nuclear equipment.
Andrew Semmel, acting deputy assistant secretary for nuclear nonproliferation policy, didn't name the suppliers, but said there were North Koreans in Syria and that he couldn't exclude that the network run by disgraced Pakistan nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan was possibly involved.
Semmel was responding to questions about an alleged Israel Air Force airstrike in northern Syria last week. Neither side has explained what exactly happened, but a U.S. government official confirmed that Israeli warplanes were targeting weapons from Iran and destined for Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.
"There are indicators that they do have something going on there, he said," Semmel said. "We do know that there are a number of foreign technicians that have been in Syria. We do know that there may have been contact between Syria and some secret suppliers for nuclear equipment. Whether anything transpired remains to be seen."
"So good foreign policy, good national security policy, would suggest that we pay very close attention to that, he said. We're watching very closely. Obviously, the Israelis We're watching very closely," he added.
Asked if the suppliers could have been North Koreans, he said: "There are North Korean people there. There's no question about that. Just as there are a lot of North Koreans in Iraq and Iran."...."
Poll: Civilian death toll in Iraq may top 1 million
A British survey offers the highest estimate to date
By Tina Susman, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 14, 2007
".....The figure from ORB, a British polling agency that has conducted several surveys in Iraq, followed statements this week from the U.S. military defending itself against accusations it was trying to play down Iraqi deaths to make its strategy appear successful......
According to the ORB poll, a survey of 1,461 adults suggested that the total number slain during more than four years of war was more than 1.2 million.
ORB said it drew its conclusion from responses to the question about those living under one roof: "How many members of your household, if any, have died as a result of the conflict in Iraq since 2003?"
Based on Iraq's estimated number of households -- 4,050,597 -- it said the 1.2 million figure was reasonable.
There was no way to verify the number, because the government does not provide a full count of civilian deaths. Neither does the U.S. military.....
ORB said its poll had a margin of error of 2.4%. According to its findings, nearly one in two households in Baghdad had lost at least one member to war- related violence, and 22% of households nationwide had suffered at least one death. It said 48% of the victims were shot to death and 20% died as a result of car bombs, with other explosions and military bombardments blamed for most of the other fatalities.
The survey was conducted last month.
It was the highest estimate given so far of civilian deaths in Iraq. Last year, a study in the medical journal Lancet put the number at 654,965......"
هلع جنود إسرائيل
بقلم : البروفيسور عبد الستار قاسم
"بر إصابة الجنود الإسرائيليين بصاروخ فلسطيني بتاريخ 11/أيلول/2007 مثير ولا بد أن يستوقف المحللين العسكريين والسياسيين، ليس لأن الصاروخ قد أصاب الهدف، وإنما لأن عدد المصابين بالهلع من الجنود أكثر من عدد المصابين بالشظايا الحقيقية. تتضارب الأخبار حول أعداد المصابين، لكن يبقى هذا غير مهم، إنما المهم أن إسرائيل قد أقرت بأن أكثر من نصف المصابين قد أصيبوا بالهلع.
من المفترض أن جنود إسرائيل قد تعرضوا لتدريبات قاسية وصعبة، واعتادوا على أزيز الرصاص من فوقهم ومن تحتهم، وفي وعيهم ونومهم، وألفوا أصوات الانفجارات الضخمة في مناوراتهم، وخبروا الدبابات وهي تهاجمهم والطائرات وهي تقصف من فوق رؤوسهم. حسبما يظن العربي، جندي إسرائيل هو جندي مدرب ومتمرس وشجاع ويهاجم بقوة وبسالة. لكن من الواضح أن هذه الصورة العربية التقليدية ليست حقيقية، وهي موجودة في ذهن العربي من أجل إخفاء عجز الأنظمة العربية، وليس من أجل الحقيقة. الأنظمة العربية أنظمة شهوانية مأجورة متآمرة باحثة عن المتع والشهوة، وتعمل باستمرار على ترسيخ فكرة إسرائيل القوية التي لا تقهر من أجل تبرير الهزائم والذل والتنازل.
ثبت بوجه لا يقبل التأويل من خلال الحرب على لبنان، ومن خلال المواجهات مع المقاومة الفلسطينية أن الجندي الإسرائيلي خاو متهاو يحرص على حياة، وقد صدق السيد حسن عندما قال بأن إسرائيل أوهن من بيت العنكبوت.
لا بد أن تسلح أحدهم بالجرأة واستعمل الهاتف المحمول ليصور المشهد في المعسكر الإسرائيلي المستهدف، وهو سيصنع خيرا إن بث التسجيل لنرى كيف هلع جنود إسرائيل. لا بد أن أحدهم صرخ " وينك يا إمي؛ أو "يا حبيبتي يا إمي إلحقيني؛" أو هي يا بيي؛" أو ربما استغاث بفلسطينيين لرفع الصاروخ عن رأسه؛ أو استنجد "مشان محمد؛" أو مشان الله." قطعا ساد صراخ وعويل واستغاثات وجري بلا اتجاه. الأرقام التي أوردتها إسرائيل تشير بأن جنودها تحولوا إلى فئران مذعورة لا تدري إلى أي جحر تلوذ.
إذا كان صاروخ بدائي بسيط قد أصابهم بهذا الحجم من الذعر، فماذا ستفعل الصواريخ الأشد وطأة وأكثر دقة وأعظم حمولة؟ هذا حدث يؤكد بأن هذا الجيش ليس بجيش حروب حقيقية. هو جيش ممتاز في ملاقاة الأنظمة العربية، لكنه جيش هش جبان أمام محاربين حقيقيين.
ستقوم إسرائيل بالانتقام وستضرب غزة وستقتل وستدمر بسبب آلياتها العسكرية المتطورة، لكن الذي يكسب المعركة في النهاية هو الجندي على الأرض، وهو بالتأكيد ليس الجندي المذعور."
"بر إصابة الجنود الإسرائيليين بصاروخ فلسطيني بتاريخ 11/أيلول/2007 مثير ولا بد أن يستوقف المحللين العسكريين والسياسيين، ليس لأن الصاروخ قد أصاب الهدف، وإنما لأن عدد المصابين بالهلع من الجنود أكثر من عدد المصابين بالشظايا الحقيقية. تتضارب الأخبار حول أعداد المصابين، لكن يبقى هذا غير مهم، إنما المهم أن إسرائيل قد أقرت بأن أكثر من نصف المصابين قد أصيبوا بالهلع.
من المفترض أن جنود إسرائيل قد تعرضوا لتدريبات قاسية وصعبة، واعتادوا على أزيز الرصاص من فوقهم ومن تحتهم، وفي وعيهم ونومهم، وألفوا أصوات الانفجارات الضخمة في مناوراتهم، وخبروا الدبابات وهي تهاجمهم والطائرات وهي تقصف من فوق رؤوسهم. حسبما يظن العربي، جندي إسرائيل هو جندي مدرب ومتمرس وشجاع ويهاجم بقوة وبسالة. لكن من الواضح أن هذه الصورة العربية التقليدية ليست حقيقية، وهي موجودة في ذهن العربي من أجل إخفاء عجز الأنظمة العربية، وليس من أجل الحقيقة. الأنظمة العربية أنظمة شهوانية مأجورة متآمرة باحثة عن المتع والشهوة، وتعمل باستمرار على ترسيخ فكرة إسرائيل القوية التي لا تقهر من أجل تبرير الهزائم والذل والتنازل.
ثبت بوجه لا يقبل التأويل من خلال الحرب على لبنان، ومن خلال المواجهات مع المقاومة الفلسطينية أن الجندي الإسرائيلي خاو متهاو يحرص على حياة، وقد صدق السيد حسن عندما قال بأن إسرائيل أوهن من بيت العنكبوت.
لا بد أن تسلح أحدهم بالجرأة واستعمل الهاتف المحمول ليصور المشهد في المعسكر الإسرائيلي المستهدف، وهو سيصنع خيرا إن بث التسجيل لنرى كيف هلع جنود إسرائيل. لا بد أن أحدهم صرخ " وينك يا إمي؛ أو "يا حبيبتي يا إمي إلحقيني؛" أو هي يا بيي؛" أو ربما استغاث بفلسطينيين لرفع الصاروخ عن رأسه؛ أو استنجد "مشان محمد؛" أو مشان الله." قطعا ساد صراخ وعويل واستغاثات وجري بلا اتجاه. الأرقام التي أوردتها إسرائيل تشير بأن جنودها تحولوا إلى فئران مذعورة لا تدري إلى أي جحر تلوذ.
إذا كان صاروخ بدائي بسيط قد أصابهم بهذا الحجم من الذعر، فماذا ستفعل الصواريخ الأشد وطأة وأكثر دقة وأعظم حمولة؟ هذا حدث يؤكد بأن هذا الجيش ليس بجيش حروب حقيقية. هو جيش ممتاز في ملاقاة الأنظمة العربية، لكنه جيش هش جبان أمام محاربين حقيقيين.
ستقوم إسرائيل بالانتقام وستضرب غزة وستقتل وستدمر بسبب آلياتها العسكرية المتطورة، لكن الذي يكسب المعركة في النهاية هو الجندي على الأرض، وهو بالتأكيد ليس الجندي المذعور."
Palestinian Diaspora: With or against collaboration?
An Excellent Article
Laith Marouf, The Electronic Intifada, Sep 14, 2007
"......The recent events have cast light on dark deeds: the collaboration between Mahmoud Abbas and associates like Mohammed Dahlan on the one hand, and Israel on the other; the transfer of weapons and training by the US and other countries to certain Palestinian militias whose mission was to overthrow the result of the January 2006 election. Palestinians see clearly that Abbas -- who embraces Israeli leaders while refusing to talk to other Palestinian factions -- was the author of the Oslo agreement that never even mentioned the word "occupation," and is now discussing a new "agreement of principles" that will cancel the right of return, legitimize Israeli settlements and threaten other basic rights. In short, what we have now is a clique of collaborators in control of Fatah and the Palestinian Authority "presidency" and much of what is left of the PLO.......
In the absence of alternative structures for representation, and with the emergence of the Internet, groups like SPHR and Al-Awda among others, and independent media like The Electronic Intifada started popping up across North America in the mid-1990s and early 2000s. After the second intifada broke out, they became the most visible and vocal forces standing up to Israeli and Zionist propaganda, providing a mechanism for young Palestinians in the Diaspora to talk to each other and organize. Thus, they also provided an invaluable service to the community: self-education and celebration. Zionist institutions grudgingly credited these projects with challenging the monopoly they had held on the western media narrative, making it harder to pass pro-Israeli propaganda without a response from an increasing number of articulate individuals......
.....Along with all the remarkable achievements of the movement within the student and labor unions and the anti-war movement, this created an unprecedented amount of maneuvering space for Palestinians. And here is where the problems started. Suddenly, all those "liberal" and "civilized" individuals understood that the train was leaving without them. Having failed to stop the movement, some are desperately trying to regain legitimacy in order to take control of this new space......
Why is all this happening now? When the day comes for Abbas to sign on the line -- giving up Palestinian rights -- he needs a Diaspora leadership that is in line with his decisions. In Canada, almost all Palestinian advocacy and community groups have been involved in these efforts, but our tried, tested and failed "elite" are trying very hard to take the helm once again -- if not by democracy then by any means necessary. Since these discussions started last year, some of the steadfast individuals have received physical threats and even death threats. And things have not got serious yet.
In the past two years in Europe, Palestinians were able to form an umbrella group that actually challenged the Abbas line, and tried to challenge the ban on the elected Hamas government. It may be no coincidence that now the old "elite" in Canada are receiving backing from Abbas and his entourage. Since last year there has been a rash of Fatah visits to Canada and the US where the primary goal is meeting with prospective allies here to prepare them for seats in a revived (but Abbas controlled) PLO. In recent months, Fatah has sent senior representatives to rally the support of Palestinians in Canada late last year and this summer following the events in Gaza and promised rewards to potential allies.
Palestinians in the Diaspora need to learn the lesson from Gaza and Lebanon. Although all Palestinians desire unity, it is impossible with those who are actively collaborating with the Israeli agenda and seeking to undermine the Palestinian movement for liberation. We cannot allow those who hijacked Palestinian institutions in Palestine in order to serve Israel to do the same in the Diaspora.
Many have argued that we need to revive and democratize the PLO, but the question is how. It is clear that those who still control the PLO structures will never willingly allow this to happen. There must be grassroots pressure to bring that about. If the PLO is not open to democratization, we should call for national and international conferences for all Palestinian communities to form a new democratic organization that represents all sections of our society. It will be an enormous challenge, but it is one we have to meet to make clear there is no mandate and no possibility for Abbas, or any other would-be collaborator, to sign away Palestinian rights. Judging from the emerging agenda of the US-planned "peace conference" in November, it may be now or never for us to act."
ناشط من "فتح" يتفقد "بحرارة" جنود الاحتلال الجرحى جراء قصف "زكيم"
حرّض مع الجنود الصهاينة على "حماس" عبر التلفزيون العبري
"الناصرة – المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام
حملت القناة العاشرة بالتلفزيون الصهيوني مفاجأة لمشاهديها، عندما بثّت تقريراً عن جنود الاحتلال الذين أصيبوا جراء عملية قصف المقاومة قاعدة "زكيم" العسكرية الصهيونية، خلال تقديم العلاج لهم في مستشفى "برزيلاي" بالمجدل.
وتمثلت مفاجأة التقرير، في ظهور أحد ناشطي حركة فتح وهو يقوم بالاطمئنان الحار على جنود الاحتلال المصابين في عملية القصف التي نفذتها المقاومة الفلسطينية، راجياً لهم الشفاء العاجل، ومحرِّضاً جيش الاحتلال ضد حركة "حماس".
وظهر في التقرير الذي بثته القناة مساء الأربعاء (12/9)، الشاب الذي عرّف نفسه باسم "ثائر"، وهو أحد ناشطي "فتح" الذين أصيبوا في أحداث الحسم العسكري لقطاع غزة، حيث أخذ يحرِّض الجنود الصهاينة على حركة "حماس" ويؤكد في المقابل رغبة حركته في "السلام" مع الكيان الصهيوني.
وبدأ التقرير التلفزيوني بعرض لقاءات مع جنود الاحتلال من داخل المستشفى وعائلاتهم وهم يتحدثون عن حجم إصابتهم جراء سقوط صواريخ المقاومة، في العملية التي تبنتها "سرايا القدس" الجناح العسكري لحركة الجهاد الإسلامي، و"ألوية الناصر صلاح الدين" الجناح العسكري للجان المقاومة الشعبية.
وبعد هذه اللقاءات، كشف مراسل القناة العاشرة العبرية عما سماها "المفاجأة"، بوجود ناشط "فتح" المسمى "ثائر"، حيث يرقد في المستشفى ذاته الذي نقل إليه جنود الاحتلال، ولم تكن المفاجأة بهذا التزامن بل بإصرار الناشط المشار إليه على زيارة الجنود الصهاينة الجرحى والاطمئنان على وضعهم الصحي.
وعلّق المراسل على ذلك بالقول "تصادف غريب أنّ الجنود الجرحى من القصف الفلسطيني يعالجون في مستشفى برزيلاي مع الشاب الفتحاوي ثائر، وهو أصيب برصاص حركة حماس خلال أحداث غزة".
وظهر "ثائر" في التقرير وهو يتجوّل على كرسي متحرك بين غرف جنود الاحتلال ليسلم عليهم فرداً فرداً، معرباً عن حرصه على الاطمئنان على وضعهم الصحي بعد إصابتهم في قصف المقاومة، بينما أخذ يردد أمام كاميرا التلفزيون الصهيوني "إنها حماس لا تريد السلام فقط سياستها الطخ والقتل".
وأقبل "ثائر"، كما أظهر التقرير، بحرارة على أحد الجنود الصهاينة الجرحى وسلّم عليه مخاطباً إياه بالقول "حمداً لله على السلامة، نتمنى لكم السلامة والشفاء، فنحن في فتح نريد السلام أما هؤلاء في حماس فلا يريدون السلام بل القتل والدم".
وعلّق مراسل التلفزيون الصهيوني على ذلك بالقول "ثائر أصرّ على التسليم على جميع الجنود، وتمنى لهم الشفاء العاجل"، عدا عن ذلك فإنّ ثائر اتفق مع جنود الاحتلال على التحريض على المقاومة الفلسطينية وحركة "حماس".
ويُعالَج العشرات من ناشطي حركة "فتح" وما يُعرف بالتيار الانقلابي بالأجهزة الأمنية، الذين أصيبوا في أحداث الاقتتال الأخيرة التي شهدها قطاع غزة، في المستشفيات الصهيونية وبتصريح خاص من سلطات الاحتلال التي منحتهم تسهيلات العبور والعلاج."
"الناصرة – المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام
حملت القناة العاشرة بالتلفزيون الصهيوني مفاجأة لمشاهديها، عندما بثّت تقريراً عن جنود الاحتلال الذين أصيبوا جراء عملية قصف المقاومة قاعدة "زكيم" العسكرية الصهيونية، خلال تقديم العلاج لهم في مستشفى "برزيلاي" بالمجدل.
وتمثلت مفاجأة التقرير، في ظهور أحد ناشطي حركة فتح وهو يقوم بالاطمئنان الحار على جنود الاحتلال المصابين في عملية القصف التي نفذتها المقاومة الفلسطينية، راجياً لهم الشفاء العاجل، ومحرِّضاً جيش الاحتلال ضد حركة "حماس".
وظهر في التقرير الذي بثته القناة مساء الأربعاء (12/9)، الشاب الذي عرّف نفسه باسم "ثائر"، وهو أحد ناشطي "فتح" الذين أصيبوا في أحداث الحسم العسكري لقطاع غزة، حيث أخذ يحرِّض الجنود الصهاينة على حركة "حماس" ويؤكد في المقابل رغبة حركته في "السلام" مع الكيان الصهيوني.
وبدأ التقرير التلفزيوني بعرض لقاءات مع جنود الاحتلال من داخل المستشفى وعائلاتهم وهم يتحدثون عن حجم إصابتهم جراء سقوط صواريخ المقاومة، في العملية التي تبنتها "سرايا القدس" الجناح العسكري لحركة الجهاد الإسلامي، و"ألوية الناصر صلاح الدين" الجناح العسكري للجان المقاومة الشعبية.
وبعد هذه اللقاءات، كشف مراسل القناة العاشرة العبرية عما سماها "المفاجأة"، بوجود ناشط "فتح" المسمى "ثائر"، حيث يرقد في المستشفى ذاته الذي نقل إليه جنود الاحتلال، ولم تكن المفاجأة بهذا التزامن بل بإصرار الناشط المشار إليه على زيارة الجنود الصهاينة الجرحى والاطمئنان على وضعهم الصحي.
وعلّق المراسل على ذلك بالقول "تصادف غريب أنّ الجنود الجرحى من القصف الفلسطيني يعالجون في مستشفى برزيلاي مع الشاب الفتحاوي ثائر، وهو أصيب برصاص حركة حماس خلال أحداث غزة".
وظهر "ثائر" في التقرير وهو يتجوّل على كرسي متحرك بين غرف جنود الاحتلال ليسلم عليهم فرداً فرداً، معرباً عن حرصه على الاطمئنان على وضعهم الصحي بعد إصابتهم في قصف المقاومة، بينما أخذ يردد أمام كاميرا التلفزيون الصهيوني "إنها حماس لا تريد السلام فقط سياستها الطخ والقتل".
وأقبل "ثائر"، كما أظهر التقرير، بحرارة على أحد الجنود الصهاينة الجرحى وسلّم عليه مخاطباً إياه بالقول "حمداً لله على السلامة، نتمنى لكم السلامة والشفاء، فنحن في فتح نريد السلام أما هؤلاء في حماس فلا يريدون السلام بل القتل والدم".
وعلّق مراسل التلفزيون الصهيوني على ذلك بالقول "ثائر أصرّ على التسليم على جميع الجنود، وتمنى لهم الشفاء العاجل"، عدا عن ذلك فإنّ ثائر اتفق مع جنود الاحتلال على التحريض على المقاومة الفلسطينية وحركة "حماس".
ويُعالَج العشرات من ناشطي حركة "فتح" وما يُعرف بالتيار الانقلابي بالأجهزة الأمنية، الذين أصيبوا في أحداث الاقتتال الأخيرة التي شهدها قطاع غزة، في المستشفيات الصهيونية وبتصريح خاص من سلطات الاحتلال التي منحتهم تسهيلات العبور والعلاج."
Tomgram: Tony Karon on Growing Dissent among American Jews
Despite a Backlash, Many Jews Are Questioning Israel
By Tony Karon
".......Although I am not religious, I share Burg's view that universal justice is at the heart of the Jewish tradition. Growing up in apartheid South Africa was an object lesson in Jewish ethics. Yes, there was plenty of anti-Semitism in the colonial white society of my childhood, but the mantle of victimhood belonged to others. And if you responded to the in-no-way-exclusively-so, but very Jewish impulse to seek justice, you found yourself working side by side not only with the remarkable number of Jews who filled leadership roles in the liberation movement, but also with Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and others.
Judaism's universal ethical calling can't really be answered if we live only among ourselves -- and Israel's own experience suggests it's essentially impossible to do so without doing injustice to others. Israel is only 59 years old, a brief moment in the sweep of Jewish history, and I'd argue that Judaism's survival depends instead on its ability to offer a sustaining moral and ethical anchor in a world where the concepts of nation and nationality are in decline (but the ferocity of nationalism may not be). Israel's relevance to Judaism's survival depends first and foremost on its ability, as Burg points out, to deliver justice, not only to its citizens, but to those it has hurt. "
By Tony Karon
".......Although I am not religious, I share Burg's view that universal justice is at the heart of the Jewish tradition. Growing up in apartheid South Africa was an object lesson in Jewish ethics. Yes, there was plenty of anti-Semitism in the colonial white society of my childhood, but the mantle of victimhood belonged to others. And if you responded to the in-no-way-exclusively-so, but very Jewish impulse to seek justice, you found yourself working side by side not only with the remarkable number of Jews who filled leadership roles in the liberation movement, but also with Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and others.
Judaism's universal ethical calling can't really be answered if we live only among ourselves -- and Israel's own experience suggests it's essentially impossible to do so without doing injustice to others. Israel is only 59 years old, a brief moment in the sweep of Jewish history, and I'd argue that Judaism's survival depends instead on its ability to offer a sustaining moral and ethical anchor in a world where the concepts of nation and nationality are in decline (but the ferocity of nationalism may not be). Israel's relevance to Judaism's survival depends first and foremost on its ability, as Burg points out, to deliver justice, not only to its citizens, but to those it has hurt. "
More Hysteria From the Bitch: Rice concerned over Syrian nukes
"US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in an interview on Fox New's Sean Hannity Show Thursday night expressed concern following reports that Syria may be building nuclear facilities, saying, "We have to have policies that prevent the world's most dangerous people from having the world's most dangerous weapons."
Rice did not mention any possible attack on Syria, but said the United States was working with its allies to "shut down activities".
"That's why we have a Proliferation Security Initiative that tries to intercept dangerous cargos. So this is something that's been at the highest point of the President's agenda since he came into power and we work every day and we watch it every day and we're vigilant about it and we're determined," Rice explained......."
An assassination that blows apart Bush's hopes of pacifying Iraq
Last week George Bush flew into Iraq to meet Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha, leader of Anbar province
This week General David Petraeus told the US Congress how Anbar was a model for Iraq
Yesterday Abu Risha was assassinated by bombers in Anbar
By Patrick Cockburn
The Independent
".......The testimony by General Petraeus to Congress earlier this week has proved effective from the point of view of the White House in establishing the US commander in Iraq as a credible advocate of the administration's military strategy.
But critics of General Petraeus have described him as "a military Paris Hilton" whose celebrity is not matched by his achievements. As commander of the 101st Airborne Division in Mosul in 2003-4 was lauded for re-establishing Iraqi police units only for them to desert or join the insurgents who captured most of the city after the general left."
Military Drills - False Flag Provocation, Attack On Iran?
by Webster G. Tarpley
Global Research, September 14, 2007
"'Solid Curtain' And 'Citadel Shield 2007' Military Drills Raise Spectre Of Imminent False Flag Provocation And Attack On Iran By WASHINGTON, DC -- US military bases in the continental United States (CONUS) will go on special lockdown between September 17 and September 21 under the auspices of Solid Curtain-Citadel Shield '07, a reliable source reported today. Under these exercises, US installations will institute enhanced anti-terror force protection measures, with increased security at all gates. The increased security was so elaborate that base personnel were being warned to expect significant delays at all base entrances.
According to William Arkin's 2005 directory of military code names, Solid Curtain is a US Navy Fleet Forces Command anti-terrorism/force protection exercise. In Solid Curtain '03, Arkin reports, the drill scenario involved 15 simultaneous attacks across the country.....
These drills cause acute concern because they occur before the backdrop of widely reported preparations by the Cheney clique to manufacture a new 9/11 and/or a new Gulf of Tonkin incident to be used as a pretext for a US sneak attack on Iran, with an included option for martial law inside the United States.
On Friday, September 14, the US Air Force has instituted a stand-down for the alleged purpose of reviewing procedures after a B-52 transported six nuclear-armed cruise missiles from Minot AFB North Dakota to Barksdale AFB Louisiana. Intelligence community sources have pointed to the fact that Barksdale is the jumping off point for US air assets moving to the Persian Gulf, suggesting that US nuclear weapons are being readied for a strike on Iran. Another option might well be that one or more of the cruise missiles was destined for use in a false flag attack on an American city, a scenario alluded to by Cheney on April 15 in an interview on CBS New Face the Nation.
Solid Curtain and Citadel Shield will be taking place within the same general time frame as Vigilant Shield '08, scheduled to be held October 15-20, 2007, with a scenario that calls for the detonation of three radiological dispersal devices within the purview of USNORTHCOM (continental US) and the US Pacific Command.......
Recent terror events, such as London July 7, 2005, have occurred when drills and exercises went live or were flipped live by military and intelligence factions supporting the War of Civilizations, which such actions are meant to stoke. Most significantly, the original 9/11 coup d'etat by these same aggressive US military and intelligence factions was preceded and accompanied by installation security clampdowns of the type now imminent at the military bases in the Washington DC area and elsewhere......."
Global Research, September 14, 2007
"'Solid Curtain' And 'Citadel Shield 2007' Military Drills Raise Spectre Of Imminent False Flag Provocation And Attack On Iran By WASHINGTON, DC -- US military bases in the continental United States (CONUS) will go on special lockdown between September 17 and September 21 under the auspices of Solid Curtain-Citadel Shield '07, a reliable source reported today. Under these exercises, US installations will institute enhanced anti-terror force protection measures, with increased security at all gates. The increased security was so elaborate that base personnel were being warned to expect significant delays at all base entrances.
According to William Arkin's 2005 directory of military code names, Solid Curtain is a US Navy Fleet Forces Command anti-terrorism/force protection exercise. In Solid Curtain '03, Arkin reports, the drill scenario involved 15 simultaneous attacks across the country.....
These drills cause acute concern because they occur before the backdrop of widely reported preparations by the Cheney clique to manufacture a new 9/11 and/or a new Gulf of Tonkin incident to be used as a pretext for a US sneak attack on Iran, with an included option for martial law inside the United States.
On Friday, September 14, the US Air Force has instituted a stand-down for the alleged purpose of reviewing procedures after a B-52 transported six nuclear-armed cruise missiles from Minot AFB North Dakota to Barksdale AFB Louisiana. Intelligence community sources have pointed to the fact that Barksdale is the jumping off point for US air assets moving to the Persian Gulf, suggesting that US nuclear weapons are being readied for a strike on Iran. Another option might well be that one or more of the cruise missiles was destined for use in a false flag attack on an American city, a scenario alluded to by Cheney on April 15 in an interview on CBS New Face the Nation.
Solid Curtain and Citadel Shield will be taking place within the same general time frame as Vigilant Shield '08, scheduled to be held October 15-20, 2007, with a scenario that calls for the detonation of three radiological dispersal devices within the purview of USNORTHCOM (continental US) and the US Pacific Command.......
Recent terror events, such as London July 7, 2005, have occurred when drills and exercises went live or were flipped live by military and intelligence factions supporting the War of Civilizations, which such actions are meant to stoke. Most significantly, the original 9/11 coup d'etat by these same aggressive US military and intelligence factions was preceded and accompanied by installation security clampdowns of the type now imminent at the military bases in the Washington DC area and elsewhere......."
Mr Bush, your sheikh is dead
By Pepe Escobar
Asia Times
".......Consider the chain of events of the past few days.
* In a carefully stage-managed piece of theater, Bush visits al-Asad military air base in Anbar (not real Iraq) to stress his "surge" is working. He personally meets Abu Risha.
* Osama bin Laden, looking like a clone of himself with a stick-on beard, releases his first video in almost three years, proving he's alive and kicking. The video may or may be not be a fake.
* Petraeus and US Ambassador in Iraq Ryan Crocker start their presentation in front of Congress, assuring the US and the world the "surge" is a "success".
* Bin Laden releases his second tape in four days, praising one of the September 11, 2001, "martyrs". His image is on freeze-frame; his lips do not move.
*Bush announces he will recommend to the nation what he told Petraeus to recommend to Congress: not a drawdown, but the actual extension of the "surge" until next summer.
*Abu Risha, the man Petraeus relied on for the "success" of the "surge", is killed in Anbar. No wonder Petraeus defined it as "a tragic loss"......
Abu Risha may have also been killed by one of the top Sunni Iraqi-nationalist guerrilla groups for which throwing the occupation out remains the top priority - way beyond fighting the Shi'ite-dominated government in the Green Zone or Shi'ite militias. Al-Qaeda may boast a maximum of 800 or so jihadis in Iraq. The Sunni resistance has more than 100,000 fighters. The White House hurricane of spinning has simply erased the anti-occupation Sunni resistance masses from the ground........"
Asia Times
".......Consider the chain of events of the past few days.
* In a carefully stage-managed piece of theater, Bush visits al-Asad military air base in Anbar (not real Iraq) to stress his "surge" is working. He personally meets Abu Risha.
* Osama bin Laden, looking like a clone of himself with a stick-on beard, releases his first video in almost three years, proving he's alive and kicking. The video may or may be not be a fake.
* Petraeus and US Ambassador in Iraq Ryan Crocker start their presentation in front of Congress, assuring the US and the world the "surge" is a "success".
* Bin Laden releases his second tape in four days, praising one of the September 11, 2001, "martyrs". His image is on freeze-frame; his lips do not move.
*Bush announces he will recommend to the nation what he told Petraeus to recommend to Congress: not a drawdown, but the actual extension of the "surge" until next summer.
*Abu Risha, the man Petraeus relied on for the "success" of the "surge", is killed in Anbar. No wonder Petraeus defined it as "a tragic loss"......
Abu Risha may have also been killed by one of the top Sunni Iraqi-nationalist guerrilla groups for which throwing the occupation out remains the top priority - way beyond fighting the Shi'ite-dominated government in the Green Zone or Shi'ite militias. Al-Qaeda may boast a maximum of 800 or so jihadis in Iraq. The Sunni resistance has more than 100,000 fighters. The White House hurricane of spinning has simply erased the anti-occupation Sunni resistance masses from the ground........"
Mission … Evolving
By Peter Scheer
"......Nestled among assorted pseudo-announcements and stale slogans was a telling pitch from a president who has repeatedly revised his motive for war: “Our mission in Iraq will evolve.”
The surreal timeline of the Iraq war is littered with moments like these—too many about-faces and nonsensical blunders to keep a firm grip on reason. Bush invaded a country to rid it of imaginary weapons of mass destruction. When he didn’t find any, he declared victory and changed the mission to democracy building. When that strategy led to a theocratic government unresponsive to sectarian bloodletting, the mission became about stability. And now, the one goal supporters of the war seem determined to realize is to achieve some vague, if delusory, sense of victory.
So, the president tells us, as we attempt to follow his circuitous logic, that the mission is evolving, as though it were some determined organism destined to adapt to adversity and thrive......."
"......Nestled among assorted pseudo-announcements and stale slogans was a telling pitch from a president who has repeatedly revised his motive for war: “Our mission in Iraq will evolve.”
The surreal timeline of the Iraq war is littered with moments like these—too many about-faces and nonsensical blunders to keep a firm grip on reason. Bush invaded a country to rid it of imaginary weapons of mass destruction. When he didn’t find any, he declared victory and changed the mission to democracy building. When that strategy led to a theocratic government unresponsive to sectarian bloodletting, the mission became about stability. And now, the one goal supporters of the war seem determined to realize is to achieve some vague, if delusory, sense of victory.
So, the president tells us, as we attempt to follow his circuitous logic, that the mission is evolving, as though it were some determined organism destined to adapt to adversity and thrive......."
Thursday, September 13, 2007
How Petraeus lies .. and the collaborator's handshake
"The most prominent figure in a U.S.-backed revolt of Sunni sheiks against al-Qaida in Iraq was killed Thursday by a bomb planted near his home in Anbar province, 10 days after he met with President Bush, police and tribal leaders said.
... "This is a tragic loss," said Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, in a statement released in Washington by his spokesman. "It's a terrible loss for Anbar province and all of Iraq. It shows how significant his importance was and it shows al-Qaida in Iraq remains a very dangerous and barbaric enemy. He was an organizing force that did help organize alliances and did help keep the various tribes together."
... two Pentagon officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the matter, said the assassination could be a huge setback because it sends a chilling message about the consequences of cooperating with the U.S."...
"Good riddance, hopefully to the 'others' too"
***
I wonder if Abbas and Fayyad would have gone as far as they did in their collaboration if the Palestinians were equally serious.
Abu Risha's place in history
".......Making allowances for the fact that in those days there was still room for contemplating Sunni acceptance of assistance from the US-backed Maliki administration (rather than the US directly), the breakdown was like this: Abu Risha and those ready and anxious for support from the US side; versus those who rejected the idea of US support and saw acceptance of US support as a prelude to fitna.
As things worked out, Abu Risha got all the US support anyone could dream of, sealed with that famous Bush handshake, while on the other side, Dhari's AMSI has taken on the role of a would-be leader/coordinator of the combined Sunni resistance, namely the groups that have consistently fought the US in Iraq since 2003.
But my point is that it has been apparent since at least November that this was abu-Risha the collaborator on the one side versus the principled Sunni-resistance on the other.
But "resistance" isn't an allowed expression in American media, and so the cartoon-version of this for Western consumption was "locals fighting AlQaeda". And that's why I recommend people refer back to the introductory article in the New York Times linked to above, because there you have the images to go with it: the charismatic figure in the flowing robes and the rest of it.
What Petraeus has been doing in Washington is merely extending that cartoon story about helping Abu Risha and the other virtuous locals fight the outsiders (now described as AQ and the Iranian agents). Meanwhile, if the Americans were ever to be serious about arranging for an orderly withdrawal from harms way, they would need to negotiate this with the people who have defeated them, namely the Sunni resistance. But even if other parts of the cartoon-story get debunked, still the resistance is merely referred to as those who are "killing American troops", and this is by way of chilling any idea of negotiating with them. The point is not that they are killing American troops, which is what resistance movements do, but rather that they need to be negotiated with.
What it is is flim-flam: Inundate the Americans with stories about the humanitarian efforts being exerted by our troops to save Iraqis from each other, and shut the hell up about the fact that the main struggle, against the domestic resistance, has been lost and the troops need to withdraw."
As things worked out, Abu Risha got all the US support anyone could dream of, sealed with that famous Bush handshake, while on the other side, Dhari's AMSI has taken on the role of a would-be leader/coordinator of the combined Sunni resistance, namely the groups that have consistently fought the US in Iraq since 2003.
But my point is that it has been apparent since at least November that this was abu-Risha the collaborator on the one side versus the principled Sunni-resistance on the other.
But "resistance" isn't an allowed expression in American media, and so the cartoon-version of this for Western consumption was "locals fighting AlQaeda". And that's why I recommend people refer back to the introductory article in the New York Times linked to above, because there you have the images to go with it: the charismatic figure in the flowing robes and the rest of it.
What Petraeus has been doing in Washington is merely extending that cartoon story about helping Abu Risha and the other virtuous locals fight the outsiders (now described as AQ and the Iranian agents). Meanwhile, if the Americans were ever to be serious about arranging for an orderly withdrawal from harms way, they would need to negotiate this with the people who have defeated them, namely the Sunni resistance. But even if other parts of the cartoon-story get debunked, still the resistance is merely referred to as those who are "killing American troops", and this is by way of chilling any idea of negotiating with them. The point is not that they are killing American troops, which is what resistance movements do, but rather that they need to be negotiated with.
What it is is flim-flam: Inundate the Americans with stories about the humanitarian efforts being exerted by our troops to save Iraqis from each other, and shut the hell up about the fact that the main struggle, against the domestic resistance, has been lost and the troops need to withdraw."
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