العراق: كيف لا يقاتل من يُحتل بلده وتُغتصب اخته؟
هيفاء زنكنة
"في رواية الطاعون المنشورة عام 1947، قدم الكاتب الفرنسي البير كامو، الذي ناضل في صفوف المقاومة ضد الاحتلال النازي وحكومة فيشي الفرنسية العميلة، تعريفا جديدا للبطولة فهي: عندما يقوم الناس العاديون بأمور غير عادية نتيجة احساسهم بالمسؤولية الاخلاقية.
بهذا التعريف اصبحت البطولة ملكا لا للنخبة بل لكل الناس. ومن هذا المنطلق بامكاننا ان نفهم موقف الشاب العراقي ابراهيم القرغولي، الذي حكمت عليه (محكمة عراقية يوم الثلاثاء بالموت شنقا بسبب قيامه بقتل ثلاثة جنود أمريكيين عام 2006 بطريقة وصفت بالوحشية)، وحسب بيان وزعه جيش الاحتلال الامريكي يوم الثلاثاء الماضي، واستنسخته وكالات الانباء العربية والعالمية.
وكان مصدر كل ما نشر عن اصدار حكم الاعدام بحق ابراهيم هو جيش الاحتلال الامريكي. لذلك وصفت العملية التي ساهم بتنفيذها بالوحشية تارة وبالارهاب تارة أخرى. بينما كان ما قام به ابراهيم هو مساهمته في عملية عسكرية ضد جنود العدو التابعين للفرقة 101 المنقولة جوا، الذين كانوا يقومون بدورية استطلاع في مدينة اليوسفية
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ان ابراهيم القرغولي مواطن عراقي عادي جوبه بجريمتين الاولى هي احتلال وطنه والثانية هي اغتصاب اخت له. فكيف لا يقاوم وكيف لا يثور؟ وهذا السؤال هو الذي يجب ان يطرحه القضاة في محكمة الجنايات على انفسهم، اذا كانوا يتمتعون النزاهة واحترام الذات والقوانين. ولايزال امامهم فترة 30 يوما لتصحيح موقفهم. ولا تزال امامنا افراد ومنظمات في العراق والبلدان العربية والاسلامية وعلى المستوى العالمي الفرصة لرفع اصواتنا عاليا للمطالبة باطلاق سراح ابراهيم.
ان اصرار المقاوم البير كامو، في روايته الرمزية عن مدينة اصابها وباء الطاعون، على وضع المسؤولية الأخلاقية للفرد في قلب كل الخيارات العامة، يكتسب اهمية خاصة في وضعنا الحالي، حيث يعيش العراق في ظل الاحتلال تحت غمامة ضياع الحق والصمت والاستسلام . وهذه النقطة هي التي تحدث عنها كامو مرارا وتكرارا في الرواية، خشية أن تفوت على القارىء، حيث يقول: (عندما ترى المعاناة التي تنجم عن وباء الطاعون ، يجب ان تكون مجنونا أو أعمى أو جبانا حتى تقبل به). "
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Real News Video with Pepe Escobar: October surprises
Pepe Escobar Commentary: Al Gore campaigns for Obama in Florida; Bin Laden still not heard from
"For months there has been relentless talk of an October surprise capable of swaying the US presidential election - just as the Osama bin Laden video "Message to the American people" released in late October 2004. Possible October surprises include former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsing Senator Barack Obama and former vice-president Al Gore campaigning for Obama in Florida - the state that cost him the election in 2000. Meanwhile, al-Qaeda has vaguely endorsed Senator John McCain. But many - including top US government officials - are still waiting for an Osama bin Laden video."
"For months there has been relentless talk of an October surprise capable of swaying the US presidential election - just as the Osama bin Laden video "Message to the American people" released in late October 2004. Possible October surprises include former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsing Senator Barack Obama and former vice-president Al Gore campaigning for Obama in Florida - the state that cost him the election in 2000. Meanwhile, al-Qaeda has vaguely endorsed Senator John McCain. But many - including top US government officials - are still waiting for an Osama bin Laden video."
Arabs have to rely on Britain and Israel for their history
There is no Public Record Office in the Arab World, no National Archive
By Robert Fisk
"In Damascus, a massive statue of the late President Hafez al-Assad sits on a mighty iron chair outside the 22,000sq m Assad Library, a giant book open in his right hand.
Behind him lie the archives of his dictatorship. But not a single state paper is open to the people of Syria. There are no archives from the foreign ministry or the interior ministry or the defence ministry. There is no 30-year rule – for none is necessary. The rule is for ever. There is no Public Record Office in the Arab world, no scholars waiting outside the National Archives.
It is the same in Cairo, in Riyadh, in Beirut and in Tripoli. Dictatorships and caliphates do not give away their secrets. The only country in the Middle East where you can burrow through the files is called Israel – and good for the Israelis. But the result is obvious. While Israeli scholars have been able to deconstruct the traditional story of little Israel – proving that there were no Arab radio stations calling for the Palestinians to leave their land, that the Arabs were indeed ethnically cleansed from their towns and villages by Irgun and the Hagana – there is no Arab scholar who can balance the books by drawing on the archives of his own history. They must go to the National Archives in London to read General Cunningham's dispatches from 1948 Palestine, or quote from Israeli books. The record stops there. Aside from the self-serving biographies of Arab dictators and generals, that's it. Even Walid Khalidi's huge tome on the destroyed villages of Palestine relies heavily on the work of Israeli historian Benny Morris........"
By Robert Fisk
"In Damascus, a massive statue of the late President Hafez al-Assad sits on a mighty iron chair outside the 22,000sq m Assad Library, a giant book open in his right hand.
Behind him lie the archives of his dictatorship. But not a single state paper is open to the people of Syria. There are no archives from the foreign ministry or the interior ministry or the defence ministry. There is no 30-year rule – for none is necessary. The rule is for ever. There is no Public Record Office in the Arab world, no scholars waiting outside the National Archives.
It is the same in Cairo, in Riyadh, in Beirut and in Tripoli. Dictatorships and caliphates do not give away their secrets. The only country in the Middle East where you can burrow through the files is called Israel – and good for the Israelis. But the result is obvious. While Israeli scholars have been able to deconstruct the traditional story of little Israel – proving that there were no Arab radio stations calling for the Palestinians to leave their land, that the Arabs were indeed ethnically cleansed from their towns and villages by Irgun and the Hagana – there is no Arab scholar who can balance the books by drawing on the archives of his own history. They must go to the National Archives in London to read General Cunningham's dispatches from 1948 Palestine, or quote from Israeli books. The record stops there. Aside from the self-serving biographies of Arab dictators and generals, that's it. Even Walid Khalidi's huge tome on the destroyed villages of Palestine relies heavily on the work of Israeli historian Benny Morris........"
Studs Terkel, voice of America's uncelebrated, dies aged 96
Ben Quinn
The Guardian, Saturday November 1 2008
"Studs Terkel, the Pulitzer prize-winning author, broadcaster and master chronicler of American life in the 20th century, died last night. He was 96.
Celebrated for his streetwise portrayals of the American working class, Terkel was best known for letting the common people he called "the uncelebrated" tell their stories in books like Working and The Good War.
To generations of radio listeners he was also the voice of The Studs Terkel Show, which ran for 43 years and was widely syndicated across the US......
Speaking to a reporter last year, Terkel said "My epitaph? My epitaph will be 'Curiosity did not kill this cat.'"......"
See Amy Goodman's Lengthy Interview With Studs Terkel in Chicago in November 13, 2007:
Legendary Radio Broadcaster and Oral Historian Studs Terkel on the Iraq War, NSA Domestic Spy Program, Mahalia Jackson, James Baldwin, the Labor Movement and His New Memoir “Touch and Go”
On trend? Check
Jihadi chic? Hardly. The keffiyeh scarf is now a fashion staple on the streets of Tel Aviv
Rachel Shabi
guardian.co.uk, Saturday November 01 2008
"Last month I wrote about the first and only Palestinian keffiyeh scarf factory, which is struggling to survive even though this symbol of the Palestinian national struggle went from anti-war accessory to high street fashion item.
I mentioned that, although the black-and-white chequered scarf has gleaned serious fashion stripes, it was slammed in some quarters as being an endorsement of terror. Back then, Israel didn't go for the scarf as fashion item, which I'd assumed was because the keffiyeh's unequivocal political significance was just a bit too close for comfort.....
I think it looks nice, that's why I wear it," says one 23-year-old woman in Tel Aviv who is channelling the scarf much like the American celebrity chef Rachael Ray did for a subsequently banned advert earlier this year. "We learned it was fashionable from Europe," says 18-year-old Kineret, at a central shopping centre, also sporting the keffiyeh as street-trend. Both of these women say they know what the scarf represents and are not wearing it as a political statement.
But why the time delay?......."
Rachel Shabi
guardian.co.uk, Saturday November 01 2008
"Last month I wrote about the first and only Palestinian keffiyeh scarf factory, which is struggling to survive even though this symbol of the Palestinian national struggle went from anti-war accessory to high street fashion item.
I mentioned that, although the black-and-white chequered scarf has gleaned serious fashion stripes, it was slammed in some quarters as being an endorsement of terror. Back then, Israel didn't go for the scarf as fashion item, which I'd assumed was because the keffiyeh's unequivocal political significance was just a bit too close for comfort.....
I think it looks nice, that's why I wear it," says one 23-year-old woman in Tel Aviv who is channelling the scarf much like the American celebrity chef Rachael Ray did for a subsequently banned advert earlier this year. "We learned it was fashionable from Europe," says 18-year-old Kineret, at a central shopping centre, also sporting the keffiyeh as street-trend. Both of these women say they know what the scarf represents and are not wearing it as a political statement.
But why the time delay?......."
The truth about South Ossetia
After the west heaped blame on Russia for the conflict, it ignores new evidence of Georgia's crimes of aggression
Seumas Milne
guardian.co.uk, Friday October 31 2008
"So now they tell us. Two months after the brief but bloody war in the Caucasus which was overwhelmingly blamed on Russia by western politicians and media at the time, a serious investigation by the BBC has uncovered a very different story.
Not only does the report by Tim Whewell – aired this week on Newsnight and on Radio 4's File on Four - find strong evidence confirming western-backed Georgia as the aggressor on the night of August 7. It also assembles powerful testimony of wide-ranging war crimes carried out by the Georgian army in its attack on the contested region of South Ossetia......."
Seumas Milne
guardian.co.uk, Friday October 31 2008
"So now they tell us. Two months after the brief but bloody war in the Caucasus which was overwhelmingly blamed on Russia by western politicians and media at the time, a serious investigation by the BBC has uncovered a very different story.
Not only does the report by Tim Whewell – aired this week on Newsnight and on Radio 4's File on Four - find strong evidence confirming western-backed Georgia as the aggressor on the night of August 7. It also assembles powerful testimony of wide-ranging war crimes carried out by the Georgian army in its attack on the contested region of South Ossetia......."
Friday, October 31, 2008
Cartoon About Elections in Mauritania, with an Apology
This cartoon about promised elections in Mauritania was posted in Palestinian Pundit. By mistake, the cartoon was credited to the Syrian cartoonist Ali Farzat. In reality, as the link supplied shows, the artist is Nizar Outhman.
Our sincerest apologies and we promise to post more of your cartoons.
Maguire: UN is responsible for every death resulting from the siege on Gaza
"GAZA, (PIC)-- Nobel Peace Prize winner, Mairead Corrigan Maguire, who arrived in Gaza on SS Dignity a couple of days ago, held the United Nations responsible for deaths resulting from the siege on Gaza which has been in place for almost two years.
At the same time, the peace activist praised the steadfastness of the Palestinians in Gaza and predicted a bright future for the Gaza Strip despite the siege.
In an interview with Quds Press, Maguire called on the world to pay more attention to what is happening in Gaza and to come and see what is happening. At the same time, she called on the Israeli government to immediately end the siege and re-open the border crossings to enable the Palestinians to live in security and freedom like the rest of the people around the world.
She viewed this second Free Gaza voyage as a peaceful protest to call on Israel to end the occupation and lift the siege on Gaza stressing that the international activists will do their best to make more such trips to Gaza.
Maguire said she was shocked at the extent of "unbelievable" suffering the Gaza people have to endure, describing the siege as a collective punishment practiced by the Israeli government against an unarmed people.
She added that the international activists visited hospitals and saw for themselves the extent of suffering and the lack of spare parts for medical equipment describing the overall situation as life being destroyed through collective punishment.
(Note: translated from the Arabic report on the interview) "
At the same time, the peace activist praised the steadfastness of the Palestinians in Gaza and predicted a bright future for the Gaza Strip despite the siege.
In an interview with Quds Press, Maguire called on the world to pay more attention to what is happening in Gaza and to come and see what is happening. At the same time, she called on the Israeli government to immediately end the siege and re-open the border crossings to enable the Palestinians to live in security and freedom like the rest of the people around the world.
She viewed this second Free Gaza voyage as a peaceful protest to call on Israel to end the occupation and lift the siege on Gaza stressing that the international activists will do their best to make more such trips to Gaza.
Maguire said she was shocked at the extent of "unbelievable" suffering the Gaza people have to endure, describing the siege as a collective punishment practiced by the Israeli government against an unarmed people.
She added that the international activists visited hospitals and saw for themselves the extent of suffering and the lack of spare parts for medical equipment describing the overall situation as life being destroyed through collective punishment.
(Note: translated from the Arabic report on the interview) "
Academy Award-Winning Filmmaker Michael Moore on the Election, the Bailout, Healthcare, and 10 Proposed Decrees From a New White House
Democracy Now!
With Amy Goodman
"With the election four days away, we spend the hour with Academy Award-winning filmmaker and author Michael Moore. His film Fahrenheit 9/11 took on the Bush administration. Sicko took on the health insurance industry. His first film Roger and Me targeted General Motors. Moore joins us from Michigan to talk about the election, the bailout as “robbery,” the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the changing political climate in his home state. Moore also shares his ten proposed decrees for a new administration’s first ten days in office...."
Syria: Harsh Sentences for Democratic Opposition
Damascus Declaration Trial a Transparent Bid to Silence Critics
Human Rights Watch
"(Damascus, October 30, 2008) – Syria’s sentencing of a dozen leading democracy advocates to more than two years in prison is the latest evidence of Syria’s repression of opposition groups, Human Rights Watch said today. The democracy activists, including doctors, lawyers, writers, and an artist, were sentenced on October 29, 2008 to 30 months in prison on politically motivated charges.
Human Rights Watch attended the sentencing session and called for President Bashar al-Assad to immediately quash the convictions and order the prisoners’ release.
In a sentencing session that barely lasted 20 minutes, the First Damascus Criminal Court, presided over by Muhieldeen Hallaq, convicted the 12 activists on vaguely defined charges of “weakening national sentiment” and “spreading false or exaggerated news which would affect the morale of the country.”......"
Human Rights Watch
"(Damascus, October 30, 2008) – Syria’s sentencing of a dozen leading democracy advocates to more than two years in prison is the latest evidence of Syria’s repression of opposition groups, Human Rights Watch said today. The democracy activists, including doctors, lawyers, writers, and an artist, were sentenced on October 29, 2008 to 30 months in prison on politically motivated charges.
Human Rights Watch attended the sentencing session and called for President Bashar al-Assad to immediately quash the convictions and order the prisoners’ release.
In a sentencing session that barely lasted 20 minutes, the First Damascus Criminal Court, presided over by Muhieldeen Hallaq, convicted the 12 activists on vaguely defined charges of “weakening national sentiment” and “spreading false or exaggerated news which would affect the morale of the country.”......"
OMG! Obama wants Ziocon Rahm Emanuel as his Chief of Staff!
"Check this AP news item:Barack Obama's campaign has approached Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel about possibly serving as White House chief of staff.
Rahm Emanuel is, along with Joe Lieberman, just about the most fanatical Ziocon in Congress. He is at least as evil and fanatical as any Richard Perle or Paul Wolfowitz. The simple fact that Obama is seriously considering making him his Chief of Staff really says it all.You guys who wanted to vote Obama should really take a long hard look at what this news item indicates and search your consciences for the answer to the question of whether a vote for Obama would be really a vote for the "lesser evil" or even a vote for "change".The Saker "
also see this from BBC:
Francis Fukuyama Endorsing Obama!
Contributed by Zarathusta with a Comment:
"I have mentioned before that Obama must win in order to preserve the empire and restore its domination. Look no other that Fukuyama endorsing Obama.
After being a cheerleader for the war for years and the biggest endorser of the neo-cons , he has the chutzpah now to say: "It is hard to imagine a more disastrous presidency than that of George W. " ...what a tragic comedy." -- Zarathustra
By Francis Fukuyama
"I’m voting for Barack Obama this November for a very simple reason. It is hard to imagine a more disastrous presidency than that of George W. Bush. It was bad enough that he launched an unnecessary war and undermined the standing of the United States throughout the world in his first term. But in the waning days of his administration, he is presiding over a collapse of the American financial system and broader economy that will have consequences for years to come. As a general rule, democracies don’t work well if voters do not hold political parties accountable for failure. While John McCain is trying desperately to pretend that he never had anything to do with the Republican Party, I think it would a travesty to reward the Republicans for failure on such a grand scale....."
"I have mentioned before that Obama must win in order to preserve the empire and restore its domination. Look no other that Fukuyama endorsing Obama.
After being a cheerleader for the war for years and the biggest endorser of the neo-cons , he has the chutzpah now to say: "It is hard to imagine a more disastrous presidency than that of George W. " ...what a tragic comedy." -- Zarathustra
By Francis Fukuyama
"I’m voting for Barack Obama this November for a very simple reason. It is hard to imagine a more disastrous presidency than that of George W. Bush. It was bad enough that he launched an unnecessary war and undermined the standing of the United States throughout the world in his first term. But in the waning days of his administration, he is presiding over a collapse of the American financial system and broader economy that will have consequences for years to come. As a general rule, democracies don’t work well if voters do not hold political parties accountable for failure. While John McCain is trying desperately to pretend that he never had anything to do with the Republican Party, I think it would a travesty to reward the Republicans for failure on such a grand scale....."
US's Syrian raid sets Iraq on fire
By Sami Moubayed
Asia Times
"......Conclusion
Until a proper explanation comes out of the US, it is safe to assume that there are people in the outgoing US administration who are angry with the moderate behavior Syria has shown in the past seven months, and want it to change course towards radicalization. Logic says that radicals cannot deal with moderates; it makes them uneasy.
When Israeli leader Ariel Sharon, a radical, was confronted with Palestinian Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat carrying a an olive branch, this made the Israeli premier uneasy as he would have rather dealt with someone like Hamas political chief Khaled Meshaal, another radical, who wanted confrontation with Israel.
Likewise, the Americans were pleased at the rejectionist policies of Syria in 2003-2005, using them to push for more sanctions, confrontation and possibly regime change in Syria. When Syria cooperated on Iraq and Lebanon, the radicals in the US administration felt that they could no longer make proper arguments against Syria. They were worried that the State Department was engaging the Syrians over Iraq and indirect peace talks with Israel. To bring all of that to a halt, they fabricated the Abu Ghadiyah story, attacked Syria, wanting Syria to retaliate with more radicalization, which would lead to confrontation.
So far, the Syrian response has been symbolic, through protests by hundreds of thousands of people on October 30, and closure of the American school, and substantive, through the severing of diplomatic relations with Iraq, but not with the United States - the Syrians are betting on Democratic Senator Barack Obama as the next president [COMMENT: What else do you expect of the Rabbit Punching Bag?] . "
Asia Times
"......Conclusion
Until a proper explanation comes out of the US, it is safe to assume that there are people in the outgoing US administration who are angry with the moderate behavior Syria has shown in the past seven months, and want it to change course towards radicalization. Logic says that radicals cannot deal with moderates; it makes them uneasy.
When Israeli leader Ariel Sharon, a radical, was confronted with Palestinian Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat carrying a an olive branch, this made the Israeli premier uneasy as he would have rather dealt with someone like Hamas political chief Khaled Meshaal, another radical, who wanted confrontation with Israel.
Likewise, the Americans were pleased at the rejectionist policies of Syria in 2003-2005, using them to push for more sanctions, confrontation and possibly regime change in Syria. When Syria cooperated on Iraq and Lebanon, the radicals in the US administration felt that they could no longer make proper arguments against Syria. They were worried that the State Department was engaging the Syrians over Iraq and indirect peace talks with Israel. To bring all of that to a halt, they fabricated the Abu Ghadiyah story, attacked Syria, wanting Syria to retaliate with more radicalization, which would lead to confrontation.
So far, the Syrian response has been symbolic, through protests by hundreds of thousands of people on October 30, and closure of the American school, and substantive, through the severing of diplomatic relations with Iraq, but not with the United States - the Syrians are betting on Democratic Senator Barack Obama as the next president [COMMENT: What else do you expect of the Rabbit Punching Bag?] . "
For all those hoping that perhaps Obama was secretly pro-Palestinian, very bad news
Democratic congressman Rahm Emanuel has reportedly been approached by US presidential hopeful Barack Obama to be his chief-of-staff.
"A Second 9/11": An Integral Part of US Military Doctrine
by Michel Chossudovsky
Global Research, October 31, 2008
"......."Second 9/11": Historical Background
The presumption of a Second 9/11 has become an integral part of US military doctrine. America is under attack. The US military must respond preemptively.
In the immediate wake of the invasion of Iraq (April 2003), various national security measures were put in place focusing explicitly on the eventuality of a second attack on America. In fact these procedures were launched simultaneously with the first stage of war plans directed against Iran in May 2003 under Operation Theater Iran Near Term (TIRANNT). (See Michel Chossudovsky, "Theater Iran Near Term" (TIRANNT), Global Research, February 21, 2007).
The Role of a "Massive Casualty Producing Event"
Former CENTCOM Commander, General Tommy Franks, in an magazine interview in December 2003, had outlined a scenario of what he described as "a massive casualty producing event" on American soil [a Second 9/11. Implied in General Franks statement was the notion and belief that civilian deaths were necessary to raise awareness and muster public support for the "global war on terrorism":
"[A] terrorist, massive, casualty-producing event [will occur] somewhere in the Western world - it may be in the United States of America - that causes our population to question our own Constitution and to begin to militarize our country in order to avoid a repeat of another mass, casualty-producing event." (General Tommy Franks Interview, Cigar Aficionado, December 2003)
Franks was obliquely alluding to a "Second 9/11" terrorist attack, which could be used to galvanize US public opinion in support of martial law........"
Global Research, October 31, 2008
"......."Second 9/11": Historical Background
The presumption of a Second 9/11 has become an integral part of US military doctrine. America is under attack. The US military must respond preemptively.
In the immediate wake of the invasion of Iraq (April 2003), various national security measures were put in place focusing explicitly on the eventuality of a second attack on America. In fact these procedures were launched simultaneously with the first stage of war plans directed against Iran in May 2003 under Operation Theater Iran Near Term (TIRANNT). (See Michel Chossudovsky, "Theater Iran Near Term" (TIRANNT), Global Research, February 21, 2007).
The Role of a "Massive Casualty Producing Event"
Former CENTCOM Commander, General Tommy Franks, in an magazine interview in December 2003, had outlined a scenario of what he described as "a massive casualty producing event" on American soil [a Second 9/11. Implied in General Franks statement was the notion and belief that civilian deaths were necessary to raise awareness and muster public support for the "global war on terrorism":
"[A] terrorist, massive, casualty-producing event [will occur] somewhere in the Western world - it may be in the United States of America - that causes our population to question our own Constitution and to begin to militarize our country in order to avoid a repeat of another mass, casualty-producing event." (General Tommy Franks Interview, Cigar Aficionado, December 2003)
Franks was obliquely alluding to a "Second 9/11" terrorist attack, which could be used to galvanize US public opinion in support of martial law........"
PA continues arrest campaign of Hamas supporters in West Bank
Report, PCHR, 30 October 2008
"The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns the campaign of arrests being carried out by Palestinian security services against Hamas supporters in the West Bank. The Centre calls upon the governments in Ramallah and Gaza to immediately cease all forms of arbitrary arrests, and to release all political prisoners on both sides and without delay.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR over the past two weeks, Palestinian security services have waged a sporadic arrest campaign against activists and supporters of Hamas in Hebron, in the southern West Bank. The campaign has targeted university students, staff members of Islamic charities, and a journalist. Some of the targeted persons were detained by the General Intelligence Service (GIS) and the Preventive Security Services (PSS), and an undisclosed number remain in detention......."
"The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns the campaign of arrests being carried out by Palestinian security services against Hamas supporters in the West Bank. The Centre calls upon the governments in Ramallah and Gaza to immediately cease all forms of arbitrary arrests, and to release all political prisoners on both sides and without delay.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR over the past two weeks, Palestinian security services have waged a sporadic arrest campaign against activists and supporters of Hamas in Hebron, in the southern West Bank. The campaign has targeted university students, staff members of Islamic charities, and a journalist. Some of the targeted persons were detained by the General Intelligence Service (GIS) and the Preventive Security Services (PSS), and an undisclosed number remain in detention......."
Palestinian Fishing Boats Attacked by Israeli gunboats
The Free Gaza Movement
"For Immediate Release Date : 10-31-2008
At 10:00 am Cyprus time, three Israeli gunboats attacked Palestinian fishing boats in the territorial waters of Gaza. Eleven internationals have accompanied the fishermen on five of the boats. The internationals were from the Free Gaza Movement and had landed on the shores of Gaza on October 29 aboard the SS DIGNITY.
According to David Schermerhorn, one of the internationals on board, "Three naval vessels attacked us with machine gun fire and water cannons. All three boats have machine guns on board, one of them has a huge water cannon. The water from the cannon was so fierce, it blasted a lot of the equipment overboard as well as my GPS locator. At the time of the attack, we were about 9 miles offshore fishing. Several of us got on the radio to the Israeli navy and shouted, "We are human rights watchers. We are unarmed internationals, and we are recording everything you are doing. They completely ignored us and continued menacing all of the boats."....."
"For Immediate Release Date : 10-31-2008
At 10:00 am Cyprus time, three Israeli gunboats attacked Palestinian fishing boats in the territorial waters of Gaza. Eleven internationals have accompanied the fishermen on five of the boats. The internationals were from the Free Gaza Movement and had landed on the shores of Gaza on October 29 aboard the SS DIGNITY.
According to David Schermerhorn, one of the internationals on board, "Three naval vessels attacked us with machine gun fire and water cannons. All three boats have machine guns on board, one of them has a huge water cannon. The water from the cannon was so fierce, it blasted a lot of the equipment overboard as well as my GPS locator. At the time of the attack, we were about 9 miles offshore fishing. Several of us got on the radio to the Israeli navy and shouted, "We are human rights watchers. We are unarmed internationals, and we are recording everything you are doing. They completely ignored us and continued menacing all of the boats."....."
Detainees May Go From Frying Pan to Fire
By Ali Gharib and Zainab Mineeia
"WASHINGTON, Oct 30 (IPS) - An estimated 17,000 Iraqis detained in their own country by occupying U.S. forces may soon face transfer into an Iraqi government detention system where reports of abuse and torture are commonplace, says a leading human rights advocacy group.
A Human Rights Watch (HRW) statement Wednesday focuses on the potential for detainee transfers according to the stipulations of the U.S.-Iraqi security deal, a draft of which is currently before Iraq's cabinet and parliament for approval. There are reports this week that the cabinet has decided to reopen negotiations on some aspects.
"Human Rights Watch called on the U.S. government to ensure that detainees are not in danger of being tortured by establishing a mechanism that would provide each detainee with a genuine opportunity to contest a transfer to Iraqi custody, and by verifying the conditions of Iraqi detention facilities to which they could be transferred, through inspections whose results are made public," said the statement...... "
"WASHINGTON, Oct 30 (IPS) - An estimated 17,000 Iraqis detained in their own country by occupying U.S. forces may soon face transfer into an Iraqi government detention system where reports of abuse and torture are commonplace, says a leading human rights advocacy group.
A Human Rights Watch (HRW) statement Wednesday focuses on the potential for detainee transfers according to the stipulations of the U.S.-Iraqi security deal, a draft of which is currently before Iraq's cabinet and parliament for approval. There are reports this week that the cabinet has decided to reopen negotiations on some aspects.
"Human Rights Watch called on the U.S. government to ensure that detainees are not in danger of being tortured by establishing a mechanism that would provide each detainee with a genuine opportunity to contest a transfer to Iraqi custody, and by verifying the conditions of Iraqi detention facilities to which they could be transferred, through inspections whose results are made public," said the statement...... "
The Mystery of the Free Gaza Movement
By Anis Hamadeh
(Anis Hamadeh is in the Free Gaza Web and Media Team)
Palestine Chronicle
".....Hamas has a record of human rights violations, too, and the Free Gaza Movement is confronted with the question of how they can inherently support terrorists. In this logic, any support for the civil population in Gaza is pro-Hamas and pro-terrorist. How cruel to punish a whole people in that way. (And how would you react if you were accidentally born into this people?) Hamas was democratically elected and it was the so-called "democrats" themselves who treasoned democracy by not acknowledging the elected party. It is quite amazing that e.g. all the early Israeli prime ministers came from terror groups and no official ever bothered to demand boycotts and sieges except for the people from the region who were too weak to implement them on a major scale. Besides, the Gaza Strip is not sovereign, but illegaly controlled by another state: Israel. This has an effect on the Gaza Strip and it makes resistance legitimate. Not terror, certainly. Terror in the sense of harming civilians for political purposes is never legitimate, not even for states.
It is a mystery how the Free Gaza Movement can polarize to this extend by nonviolently demanding the human rights to be applied to humans. The reason probably is that the boats from Cyprus remind people of what has happened to this country over the last decades. Because when you have one of the most lethal and active armies in the world on the one hand and a native population without an army on the other, you can imagine who makes the decisions. But - when an army has to shy away because it cannot act in secret like in the Free Gaza case, then people realize that there is something even stronger than violence, and that is the public. "
(Anis Hamadeh is in the Free Gaza Web and Media Team)
Palestine Chronicle
".....Hamas has a record of human rights violations, too, and the Free Gaza Movement is confronted with the question of how they can inherently support terrorists. In this logic, any support for the civil population in Gaza is pro-Hamas and pro-terrorist. How cruel to punish a whole people in that way. (And how would you react if you were accidentally born into this people?) Hamas was democratically elected and it was the so-called "democrats" themselves who treasoned democracy by not acknowledging the elected party. It is quite amazing that e.g. all the early Israeli prime ministers came from terror groups and no official ever bothered to demand boycotts and sieges except for the people from the region who were too weak to implement them on a major scale. Besides, the Gaza Strip is not sovereign, but illegaly controlled by another state: Israel. This has an effect on the Gaza Strip and it makes resistance legitimate. Not terror, certainly. Terror in the sense of harming civilians for political purposes is never legitimate, not even for states.
It is a mystery how the Free Gaza Movement can polarize to this extend by nonviolently demanding the human rights to be applied to humans. The reason probably is that the boats from Cyprus remind people of what has happened to this country over the last decades. Because when you have one of the most lethal and active armies in the world on the one hand and a native population without an army on the other, you can imagine who makes the decisions. But - when an army has to shy away because it cannot act in secret like in the Free Gaza case, then people realize that there is something even stronger than violence, and that is the public. "
Making Excuses for Obama
The mythology of good intentions
By Justin Raimondo
".....As much as I hate to be the bearer of bad news, in this instance – because we've certainly been through the mill these past eight years, and deserve some relief – I have to say that this attitude is profoundly irrational. After all, why shouldn't we take Obama at his word? If he says he's going to "curb Russian aggression" – you know, like one might curb one's rather-too-aggressive dog – and get up in Putin's face, is he lying? When he solemnly pledges to go after the Iranians if they insist on deterring Israel's nukes with an arsenal of their own, is he speaking in Pig-Latin?
The common assumption of these letter-writers is that Obama is just trying to "pass," so to speak, as a warmonger. Once he's in office, peace will break out all over. What evidence do we have for this? None whatsoever........"
By Justin Raimondo
".....As much as I hate to be the bearer of bad news, in this instance – because we've certainly been through the mill these past eight years, and deserve some relief – I have to say that this attitude is profoundly irrational. After all, why shouldn't we take Obama at his word? If he says he's going to "curb Russian aggression" – you know, like one might curb one's rather-too-aggressive dog – and get up in Putin's face, is he lying? When he solemnly pledges to go after the Iranians if they insist on deterring Israel's nukes with an arsenal of their own, is he speaking in Pig-Latin?
The common assumption of these letter-writers is that Obama is just trying to "pass," so to speak, as a warmonger. Once he's in office, peace will break out all over. What evidence do we have for this? None whatsoever........"
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