(Click on cartoon to enlarge)
Thursday, March 29, 2012
New book shows how the PA enriched an elite and normalized occupation
Mayssun Sukarieh
The Electronic Intifada
28 March 2012
"Globalized Palestine: The National Sell-Out of a Homeland explores the rise of a new Palestinian elite that works together with international organizations against the will of the majority of its compatriots.
The Electronic Intifada
28 March 2012
"Globalized Palestine: The National Sell-Out of a Homeland explores the rise of a new Palestinian elite that works together with international organizations against the will of the majority of its compatriots.
The book’s author, Khalil Nakhleh, worked in the development sector as director of the Welfare Association (a Palestinian organization) for more than a decade, as well as a consultant on the expenditure of European Union aid. He witnessed first-hand the marriage of the business class and the international aid organizations in Palestine.
Thus, the book is a participant’s observation of how the coalition of Palestinian capitalists (the political and economic elite which benefited from the Oslo accords), the newly-emerging Palestinian nongovernmental organizations and the transnational aid agencies work together — while under occupation — for the myth of “economic development.”
Nakhleh suggests that this coalition is not consciously pre-planned, but that “the longer the current status quo — which is built on the internalized and marketed premise that there is no contradiction between being under occupation and economic development — is accepted and internalized, the more the tripartite coalition becomes purposeful and intentional”(xxi)......"
Computing Intifada: When Will Palestinians Revolt?
By Ramzy Baroud
Palestine Chronicle
"When will the Palestinians revolt?
The answer, according to an Israeli official: not this year (as quoted by Agency France Press).
An internal Israeli Foreign Ministry report last month also concluded that a third Palestinian intifada or uprising was ‘unlikely’ this year. According to the unnamed official, “This report, which is more than 100 pages long, judges that an explosion of generalized violence in the form of a third intifada is unlikely.”.....
Former Israeli president Moshe Katsav said of his enemies: “There is a huge gap between us (Jews) and our enemies? Not just in ability but in morality, culture, sanctity of life, and conscience. They are our neighbors here, but it seems as if at a distance of a few hundred meters away, there are people who do not belong to our continent, to our world, but actually belong to a different galaxy” (The Jerusalem Post, May 10, 2001).
This might be a transition from Golda Meir’s wholesale denial of the existence of the Palestinian, or of other Zionist leaders depicting Palestinians as animals, beasts and cockroaches. It is also a more advanced and conscious form of dehumanization. Palestinians here are essentially ‘people’, yet devoid of every shred of humanity; they are temporarily elevated, to be fully destroyed. Worse, they are like aliens from another galaxy; ‘our enemies.’
Within the confines of this logic, everything that is obstinately frowned upon by the law, ethics or morality, becomes effectively good, expected and embraced: from the ethnic cleansing in 1947- 48 to the war on Gaza (2008-09), the continued state siege, the so-called Separation Wall, the daily violent practices of the Israeli occupation army, the unlawful, arbitrary imprisonments, the torture, the humiliation, the discrimination......
The Israeli report on the ‘unlikely’ revolt of the Palestinians in 2012 took 100 pages to articulate. I was present in 1987 at the first mass protest in Gaza which sparked the First Palestinian Intifada, the people’s revolution that took Israel and the whole world by surprise. And I can testify it took very few words to pronounce and articulate this revolution: “With our blood, with our souls, we will sacrifice for you, Palestine.”
No official analysis could ever predict such a moment."
Palestine Chronicle
"When will the Palestinians revolt?
The answer, according to an Israeli official: not this year (as quoted by Agency France Press).
An internal Israeli Foreign Ministry report last month also concluded that a third Palestinian intifada or uprising was ‘unlikely’ this year. According to the unnamed official, “This report, which is more than 100 pages long, judges that an explosion of generalized violence in the form of a third intifada is unlikely.”.....
Former Israeli president Moshe Katsav said of his enemies: “There is a huge gap between us (Jews) and our enemies? Not just in ability but in morality, culture, sanctity of life, and conscience. They are our neighbors here, but it seems as if at a distance of a few hundred meters away, there are people who do not belong to our continent, to our world, but actually belong to a different galaxy” (The Jerusalem Post, May 10, 2001).
This might be a transition from Golda Meir’s wholesale denial of the existence of the Palestinian, or of other Zionist leaders depicting Palestinians as animals, beasts and cockroaches. It is also a more advanced and conscious form of dehumanization. Palestinians here are essentially ‘people’, yet devoid of every shred of humanity; they are temporarily elevated, to be fully destroyed. Worse, they are like aliens from another galaxy; ‘our enemies.’
Within the confines of this logic, everything that is obstinately frowned upon by the law, ethics or morality, becomes effectively good, expected and embraced: from the ethnic cleansing in 1947- 48 to the war on Gaza (2008-09), the continued state siege, the so-called Separation Wall, the daily violent practices of the Israeli occupation army, the unlawful, arbitrary imprisonments, the torture, the humiliation, the discrimination......
The Israeli report on the ‘unlikely’ revolt of the Palestinians in 2012 took 100 pages to articulate. I was present in 1987 at the first mass protest in Gaza which sparked the First Palestinian Intifada, the people’s revolution that took Israel and the whole world by surprise. And I can testify it took very few words to pronounce and articulate this revolution: “With our blood, with our souls, we will sacrifice for you, Palestine.”
No official analysis could ever predict such a moment."
Living on the edge of Syria's bloody war
As Assad's troops fire shots across the border into Lebanon, the nation's religious factions remain bitterly divided on how to tackle their neighbour from hell: President Assad
By Robert Fisk
"Syria's bloodbath is carving further divisions in Lebanon as President Bashar al-Assad's Lebanese allies and enemies shout more and more insults at each other. The Christians have even divided among themselves, the old Phalangist leadership calling for Assad's overthrow while the Catholic Maronite church performs its old role of fence-sitting on behalf of Syria's minority Christians.
Only this week has the Maronite patriarch, Bechara Rai, had to re-explain himself for the umpteenth time after once more pleading for dialogue between Assad's regime and the Syrian people – instead of denouncing the government in Damascus for its killings. What will the Sunni majority of Syria think of such foot-dragging when its own Sunni kinsmen in Lebanon support them? Or so the Christians have been asked.
No one, of course, has gone further in calling for Assad's overthrow than Walid Jumblatt, the Druze leader who took the road to Damascus in 2010, only to denounce the Syrian authorities this month, adding that he knew they were responsible for his own father Kemal's murder 35 years ago....
Amid all the sound and fury and changing of sides – an essential act of all Lebanese politicians who want to survive – it is easy to forget that France, whose condemnation of Assad has been among the harshest, created this whole mess in the first place....."
By Robert Fisk
"Syria's bloodbath is carving further divisions in Lebanon as President Bashar al-Assad's Lebanese allies and enemies shout more and more insults at each other. The Christians have even divided among themselves, the old Phalangist leadership calling for Assad's overthrow while the Catholic Maronite church performs its old role of fence-sitting on behalf of Syria's minority Christians.
Only this week has the Maronite patriarch, Bechara Rai, had to re-explain himself for the umpteenth time after once more pleading for dialogue between Assad's regime and the Syrian people – instead of denouncing the government in Damascus for its killings. What will the Sunni majority of Syria think of such foot-dragging when its own Sunni kinsmen in Lebanon support them? Or so the Christians have been asked.
No one, of course, has gone further in calling for Assad's overthrow than Walid Jumblatt, the Druze leader who took the road to Damascus in 2010, only to denounce the Syrian authorities this month, adding that he knew they were responsible for his own father Kemal's murder 35 years ago....
Amid all the sound and fury and changing of sides – an essential act of all Lebanese politicians who want to survive – it is easy to forget that France, whose condemnation of Assad has been among the harshest, created this whole mess in the first place....."
Arab League: Carry Out, Monitor Syria Sanctions
Take Consistent Approach to Uprisings in Region
March 29, 2012
"(New York) – The League of Arab States should at its summit in Baghdad that began on March 27, 2012, commit to carrying out and monitoring the implementation of the targeted sanctions against the Syrian leadership it agreed to in November 2011, Human Rights Watch said today.
Taking such steps will signal to the Syrian government that sanctions will remain in place until security forces halt their human rights violations, Human Rights Watch said. It will also make clear that the Arab League will not ease its pressure on Syria until it carries out the steps included in the proposal by the Arab League and the United Nations Special Envoy.
“For Annan’s plan to work, the Syrian government must stop stalling for time and actually change course,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “By moving forward with the sanctions against the Syrian leadership, the Arab League will send a convincing message that actions are more important than words.”....."
March 29, 2012
"(New York) – The League of Arab States should at its summit in Baghdad that began on March 27, 2012, commit to carrying out and monitoring the implementation of the targeted sanctions against the Syrian leadership it agreed to in November 2011, Human Rights Watch said today.
Taking such steps will signal to the Syrian government that sanctions will remain in place until security forces halt their human rights violations, Human Rights Watch said. It will also make clear that the Arab League will not ease its pressure on Syria until it carries out the steps included in the proposal by the Arab League and the United Nations Special Envoy.
“For Annan’s plan to work, the Syrian government must stop stalling for time and actually change course,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “By moving forward with the sanctions against the Syrian leadership, the Arab League will send a convincing message that actions are more important than words.”....."
Palestinians forge new strategies of resistance
A new generation of Palestinian activists is breaking down old divisions imposed by Israel.
By Ben White
Al-Jazeera
"A one-state solution in Palestine/Israel is a subject being increasingly discussed and debated. One way in which the conversation has emerged is through an analysis of the current situation as a de facto one state, a regime which privileges Jews above Palestinians (the latter being granted or denied different rights according to geography and legal status).
This challenges the orthodoxy that makes a clean distinction between Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In doing so, it not only provides a framework for interpreting various policies, but also counters the fragmentation of Palestinians over the decades into "Israeli Arabs", "West Bank" or "Gaza" Palestinians, Jerusalemites - and of course, refugees.
But apart from this discursive "reintegration", as the apartheid regime has been consolidated irrespective of the "Green Line", a new generation of Palestinian activists is breaking down old divisions imposed by Israel and forging new connections and strategies of resistance.
Lana Khaskia is an activist from Haifa. Last October, she worked alongside other comrades to organise a hunger strike in support of Palestinian prisoners. The action went under the name "Hungry for Freedom", a slogan Lana says covers "many demands that can be summarised in one demand: ending Zionist colonialism in all of historic Palestine".....
For now, these flourishing connections are still restricted to youth activists. But Ameer Makhoul, writing from his Israeli jail cell, highlighted how a campaign like the one for Khader Adnan "illustrated how the components of popular struggle can be brought together". After all, as Janan Abdu, an activist and researcher (and Ameer's wife), put it to me, "the connection and co-operation between Palestinians are natural, as one people that was separated by the Nakba and military regime".
As the peace process stalls and stagnates, it is easy to look at events in Palestine/Israel and see only unimpeded Israeli colonisation, coupled with a lack of legitimate, empowering leadership to marshal Palestinian efforts at resistance. This gloomy picture is accurate - but it misses out the signs of hope that are emerging at a grassroots level."
By Ben White
Al-Jazeera
"A one-state solution in Palestine/Israel is a subject being increasingly discussed and debated. One way in which the conversation has emerged is through an analysis of the current situation as a de facto one state, a regime which privileges Jews above Palestinians (the latter being granted or denied different rights according to geography and legal status).
This challenges the orthodoxy that makes a clean distinction between Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In doing so, it not only provides a framework for interpreting various policies, but also counters the fragmentation of Palestinians over the decades into "Israeli Arabs", "West Bank" or "Gaza" Palestinians, Jerusalemites - and of course, refugees.
But apart from this discursive "reintegration", as the apartheid regime has been consolidated irrespective of the "Green Line", a new generation of Palestinian activists is breaking down old divisions imposed by Israel and forging new connections and strategies of resistance.
Lana Khaskia is an activist from Haifa. Last October, she worked alongside other comrades to organise a hunger strike in support of Palestinian prisoners. The action went under the name "Hungry for Freedom", a slogan Lana says covers "many demands that can be summarised in one demand: ending Zionist colonialism in all of historic Palestine".....
For now, these flourishing connections are still restricted to youth activists. But Ameer Makhoul, writing from his Israeli jail cell, highlighted how a campaign like the one for Khader Adnan "illustrated how the components of popular struggle can be brought together". After all, as Janan Abdu, an activist and researcher (and Ameer's wife), put it to me, "the connection and co-operation between Palestinians are natural, as one people that was separated by the Nakba and military regime".
As the peace process stalls and stagnates, it is easy to look at events in Palestine/Israel and see only unimpeded Israeli colonisation, coupled with a lack of legitimate, empowering leadership to marshal Palestinian efforts at resistance. This gloomy picture is accurate - but it misses out the signs of hope that are emerging at a grassroots level."
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
IDF Colonel-rabbi implies: Rape is permitted in war
Is it permitted for a Jewish soldier to rape a gentile woman during wartime? This question – based on the biblical mitzvah of Eshet Yefat Toar (“a comely woman”) – was referred to nine years ago (Hebrew) by Rabbi Eyal Qarim. The questioning party seemed anxious and worried, and wanted to know whether the iron-age mitzvah (religious deed) is applicable to IDF soldiers today. Rabbi Qarim answered thus:
“The wars of Israel […] are mitzvah wars, in which they differ from the rest of the wars the nations wage among themselves. Since, essentially, a war is not an individual matter, but rather nations wage war as a whole, there are cases in which the personality of the individual is “erased” for the benefit of the whole. And vice versa: sometimes you risk a large unit for the saving of an individual, when it is essential for purposes of morale. One of the important and critical values during war is maintaining the army’s fighting ability […]As in war the prohibition against risking your life is broken for the benefit of others, so are the prohibitions against immorality and of kashrut. Wine touched by gentiles, consumption of which is prohibited in peacetime, is allowed at war, to maintain the good spirit of the warriors. Consumption of prohibited foods is permitted at war (and some say, even when kosher food is available), to maintain the fitness of the warriors, even though they are prohibited during peacetime. Just so, war removes some of the prohibitions on sexual relations (gilui arayot in the original – YZG), and even though fraternizing with a gentile woman is a very serious matter, it was permitted during wartime (under the specific terms) out of understanding for the hardship endured by the warriors. And since the success of the whole at war is our goal, the Torah permitted the individual to satisfy the evil urge (yetzer ha’ra in the original -YZG), under the conditions mentioned, for the purpose of the success of the whole.”
Wow. Herein lies a hornet’s nest. The first is that according to Qarim, the rape of female prisoners is not just permitted, it is also essential to war; the success of the whole at war relies on it.
Hana al-Shalabi’s hunger strike: Listen to Ali Abunimah interview on Flashpoints
"Hana al-Shalabi has been on hunger strike since 16 February – more than 40 days – since she was seized from her home by Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank village of Burqin. Hana, who previously spent more than two years in Israeli detention, has never been charged with any crime.
Dennis Bernstein spoke to Ali Abunimah on KPFA’s Flashpoints, about Hana al-Shalabi and the struggles of other Palestinian political prisoners against Israel’s systematic abuses......"
Click Here to Listen
Dennis Bernstein spoke to Ali Abunimah on KPFA’s Flashpoints, about Hana al-Shalabi and the struggles of other Palestinian political prisoners against Israel’s systematic abuses......"
Click Here to Listen
Obama’s Foreign Policy Guru
… is a neocon
by Justin Raimondo, March 28, 2012
"On the eve of the President’s last State of the Union speech the White House let it be known that a recent essay by Robert Kagan in The New Republic, which excerpted his book, The World America Made, had been sent to his national security staff for their perusal. As the President told reporters beforehand, Kagan’s thesis – that America is not in decline and must maintain its hegemonic stature in the world, or all is lost – was a major theme of his peroration:
“The renewal of American leadership can be felt across the globe. From the coalitions we’ve built to secure nuclear materials, to the missions we’ve led against hunger and disease; from the blows we’ve dealt to our enemies, to the enduring power of our moral example, America is back. Anyone who tells you otherwise, anyone who tells you that America is in decline or that our influence has waned, doesn’t know what they’re talking about.”
Have no fear – the empire endures!
That President Barack Obama, ostensibly a Democrat of the liberal variety, was touting the views of a neoconservative foreign policy maven whose work has been published in The Weekly Standard, should come as a surprise to exactly no one. The overarching bipartisan consensus in Washington in favor of global intervention ensures that foreign policy disputes are limited to “debates” over means rather than ends. In short, it isn’t a question of whether we ought to have an empire, but of how to best to maintain and expand it....."
by Justin Raimondo, March 28, 2012
"On the eve of the President’s last State of the Union speech the White House let it be known that a recent essay by Robert Kagan in The New Republic, which excerpted his book, The World America Made, had been sent to his national security staff for their perusal. As the President told reporters beforehand, Kagan’s thesis – that America is not in decline and must maintain its hegemonic stature in the world, or all is lost – was a major theme of his peroration:
“The renewal of American leadership can be felt across the globe. From the coalitions we’ve built to secure nuclear materials, to the missions we’ve led against hunger and disease; from the blows we’ve dealt to our enemies, to the enduring power of our moral example, America is back. Anyone who tells you otherwise, anyone who tells you that America is in decline or that our influence has waned, doesn’t know what they’re talking about.”
Have no fear – the empire endures!
That President Barack Obama, ostensibly a Democrat of the liberal variety, was touting the views of a neoconservative foreign policy maven whose work has been published in The Weekly Standard, should come as a surprise to exactly no one. The overarching bipartisan consensus in Washington in favor of global intervention ensures that foreign policy disputes are limited to “debates” over means rather than ends. In short, it isn’t a question of whether we ought to have an empire, but of how to best to maintain and expand it....."
Peter Beinart's liberal Zionist fantasy
The lie behind Beinart's ideals was revealed a decade ago when he strongly supported the US invasion of Iraq.
By Mark LeVine
Al-Jazeera
".....And this is perhaps the biggest problem with the world view of commentators such as Beinart and "liberal" groups such as J Street, which aims to be a liberal answer to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) - and to which Beinart has strong ties.
They can only get a seat at the table of power to the extent they refrain from offering the kind of systematic, historically grounded and ruthlessly honest critique of policies that would show the flaws in the system to be fundamental and irreparable - precisely what those in power work so hard to ensure no-one understands. And so, J Street has publicly distanced itself even from Beinart's mild settlement boycott, while also refusing to hold Israel to account for the Gaza war.
If Beinart had spent some time reading the Hebrew prophets before writing The Crisis of Zionism, he might have realised that half-hearted critique gets you nowhere. Yet at the same time, the prophets offer some of the most angry and damning criticisms ever penned against one's own people. They also offer some of the most radical inspiration and hope for a different future the world has ever seen. The moral and spiritual narratives of not only Judaism, but Christianity and Islam as well, would be unimaginable without them.
And that is perhaps the saddest part of Beinart's argument: By remaining within a narrow and flawed historical and political liberal vision, Beinart and other so-called "left Zionists" are unable to imagine a truly progressive future for Israel, one in which all Jews and Palestinians can, in fact, achieve security, justice, peace and democracy - without fundamentally denying the same to the other.
Whether it is bi-nationalism, parallel states, confederation or some other form of political and economic association still to be imagined, there are many ways for Israel to remain what Beinart so desperately wants it to be - a haven for Jews - while allowing Palestinians the full share of rights they have for so long been denied. It would take great imagination and courage to design and push for such a vision, but if the future of Israel and its relationship with American Jews is as threatened as Beinart imagines, there's no excuse for not trying."
By Mark LeVine
Al-Jazeera
".....And this is perhaps the biggest problem with the world view of commentators such as Beinart and "liberal" groups such as J Street, which aims to be a liberal answer to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) - and to which Beinart has strong ties.
They can only get a seat at the table of power to the extent they refrain from offering the kind of systematic, historically grounded and ruthlessly honest critique of policies that would show the flaws in the system to be fundamental and irreparable - precisely what those in power work so hard to ensure no-one understands. And so, J Street has publicly distanced itself even from Beinart's mild settlement boycott, while also refusing to hold Israel to account for the Gaza war.
If Beinart had spent some time reading the Hebrew prophets before writing The Crisis of Zionism, he might have realised that half-hearted critique gets you nowhere. Yet at the same time, the prophets offer some of the most angry and damning criticisms ever penned against one's own people. They also offer some of the most radical inspiration and hope for a different future the world has ever seen. The moral and spiritual narratives of not only Judaism, but Christianity and Islam as well, would be unimaginable without them.
And that is perhaps the saddest part of Beinart's argument: By remaining within a narrow and flawed historical and political liberal vision, Beinart and other so-called "left Zionists" are unable to imagine a truly progressive future for Israel, one in which all Jews and Palestinians can, in fact, achieve security, justice, peace and democracy - without fundamentally denying the same to the other.
Whether it is bi-nationalism, parallel states, confederation or some other form of political and economic association still to be imagined, there are many ways for Israel to remain what Beinart so desperately wants it to be - a haven for Jews - while allowing Palestinians the full share of rights they have for so long been denied. It would take great imagination and courage to design and push for such a vision, but if the future of Israel and its relationship with American Jews is as threatened as Beinart imagines, there's no excuse for not trying."
Al-Jazeera Video: Inside Story - Israel: A 'democratic' violator of rights?
"Israel has cut ties with the UN Human Rights Council after its settlement policy was condemned. How can it violate the human rights of Palestinians and claim to be the only democracy in the region? Guests: Jessica Montell, Akiva Eldar, Mark Ellis."
Al-Jazeera Video: Sunni Iraqis yearn to remain part of Arab fold
"Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, some Sunni Muslims in Iraq say they feel that their country has drifted away from an Arab identity.
They worry Iraq's Shia leadership is growing too close with neighbouring Iran and prompting distrust from Sunni members of the Arab League which is meeting in Baghdad this week.
Shias, meanwhile, argue that Iraq has many regional allies and that it is wrong to focus on Iran.
Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reports from Baghdad."
Real News Video : High Oil Prices Must be Subject of Criminal Investigation
Michael Greenberger: Big banks and traders involved in a criminal conspiracy to raise oil prices
Real News Video : Egypt's Workers Movement Strikes Back
After months of failed negotiations with government ministries, Egyptians workers organized nationwide strikes in both the public and private sectors.
يا شباب العرب: هؤلاء يسرقون مستقبلكم!
يا شباب العرب: هؤلاء يسرقون مستقبلكم!
رشاد أبوشاور
"شباب العرب هم الذين أشعلوا الثورات العربيّة، وهم وقودها، ولا عجب أن يندفعوا إلى الشوارع والساحات و..الميادين، بعد أن يئسوا من إمكانية التغيير في بلاد العرب، وانغلاق المستقبل في وجوههم، وتوحش المتحكمين في مصائر الأوطان، والقابضين على الحكم بأيد من حديد لا يمكن الفكاك منها إلاّ بكسرها، وليس بالمناشدات، أو بانتظار التغيير التلقائي بأريحية وعن طيب خاطر.
شباب العرب بعد أن يئسوا من إمكانية تحرّك الأحزاب، ونزولها إلى الشوارع، فعلوها هم، في لحظة نادرة في تاريخنا العربي المعاصر، لأن الأحزاب إمّا ضعيفة عاجزة، أو متلكئة مترددة رغم ما يتوفر لديها من قدرة وإمكانات.
هؤلاء الشباب ينظرون هذه الأيام بحسرة إلى حصيلة ثوراتهم التي لم تتوج بانتصارات مؤزرة تغييرية شاملة، فمن اقتُلعوا بقيت أذرعهم الأخطبوطية، وزيادة على ذلك دخلت قوى عمدت إلى اختطاف الثورات، والحراكات، والانتفاضات، وها بعضها مستفيدة من الديمقراطية، وصناديق الاقتراع، تغلق أبواب المستقبل بقبضها على الحاضر، ولجمها للثورات، غير آبهة من غضب الشباب، وندم من منحوها الأصوات مؤملين أن تأتيهم بما حُرموا منه..وهو ليس الخبز وحده بالتأكيد، فالشعوب لم تثر من أجل الخبز وحده، والشباب لم يثوروا من أجل الخبز وحده!
منذ تفجرت ثورتا تونس ومصر الشابتان اللتان اجتذبتا الكهول الذين تبددت أعمارهم وهم يعيشون على أمل التغيير _ لقد هرمنا..._ وكادوا ييأسون، فجددوا شبابهم في شارع بورقيبة، وميدان التحرير، هبّت رياح الأمل على كل بلاد العرب مشرقا ومغربا..وبدا أن نهوض أمة العرب قد حان، وأن الجماهير التي طال تغييبها ستمسك بمصيرها، وستستعيد ثرواتها، وتنهي حكم الفاسدين، وتوحد قدراتها وطاقاتها..وتأخذ مكانها تحت الشمس.
في زمن النهوض العربي الذي قاده جمال عبد الناصر، رُفع شعار دوّى في تلك المرحلة: بترول العرب للعرب..فليتأمل شباب العرب هذا الشعار الذي يوصف مع شعارات كثيرة..بالخشبيّة، وشعارات الستينات..وكأنها سبّة، أو ناتجة عن عقدة نفسية لثوّار ذلك الزمن الشجاع!
....
....
قبل أيام قليلة نشر خبر في وسائط إعلامية عربية وأجنبية عن استيلاء أحد أبناء الملوك النفطيين على 40 مليار دولار بطرق غير مشروعة..ترى: هل كان امتلاك هذه المليارات وغيرها مشروعا للأب الراحل؟!
تأملوا يا شباب العرب كيف تنهب الثروات النفطية، وكيف تبدد بسفاهة، وكيف تُحرمون منها، أنتم الذين لا ترثون من آبائكم سوى الألم، والغربة، والفقر..في بلاد العرب التي لا ينتفع من تعدد دولها سوى هؤلاء الذين يضعون أيديهم على ثروات شعوب يسرقون إرادتها، وأمة يحرمونها من هذه الثروات الهائلة التي يمكن أن تنتقل بها الأمة من حال التخلف، والفقر، والجوع، والبطالة، إلى التقدم والتطور، وامتلاك التكنولوجيا، والدخول في نادي الأمم القوية الصاعدة كالصين والهند والبرازيل..وروسيا التي نهضت من كبوتها، وها هي ترفع صوتها في وجه أمريكا الغارقة في العراق وأفغانستان، والمفلسة الآيلة إلى السقوط كما توقع لها المفكر الأمريكي بول كندي...
يا شباب العرب: لن تحل مشاكلكم في هذا البلد، أو ذاك..إقليميا، لأن النفط سيلاحق ثوراتكم، ويعمل على حرفها عن مسارها..وشراء رموزها، والتلاعب بها..خدمة لأعداء الأمة، وإغلاقا لأبواب مستقبل نهوض الأمة.
من ينهبون الثروات ويبددونها..لا يريدون الخير للأمة، وهم دائما، منذ زمن جمال عبد الناصر، وحتى يومنا، اختاروا أن يكونوا في صف الأعداء.
بكلمة واحدة يا شباب: هذه الثروات ثرواتكم جميعا، في كل بلاد العرب، ومن حقكم، وواجبكم أن تتساءلوا إلى أين تذهب، وماذا قدمت للأمة..أين الصناعة المتطورة، والزراعة المتطورة، والتعليم المتطور، و..أين دور هذه الثروات في جعلنا أمة قوية قادرة يا شباب ؟!
أنا واثق أنكم سترفعون هذا الشعار من جديد: بترول العرب للعرب ..وليس للغرب أيها الفاسدون!
"
رشاد أبوشاور
"شباب العرب هم الذين أشعلوا الثورات العربيّة، وهم وقودها، ولا عجب أن يندفعوا إلى الشوارع والساحات و..الميادين، بعد أن يئسوا من إمكانية التغيير في بلاد العرب، وانغلاق المستقبل في وجوههم، وتوحش المتحكمين في مصائر الأوطان، والقابضين على الحكم بأيد من حديد لا يمكن الفكاك منها إلاّ بكسرها، وليس بالمناشدات، أو بانتظار التغيير التلقائي بأريحية وعن طيب خاطر.
شباب العرب بعد أن يئسوا من إمكانية تحرّك الأحزاب، ونزولها إلى الشوارع، فعلوها هم، في لحظة نادرة في تاريخنا العربي المعاصر، لأن الأحزاب إمّا ضعيفة عاجزة، أو متلكئة مترددة رغم ما يتوفر لديها من قدرة وإمكانات.
هؤلاء الشباب ينظرون هذه الأيام بحسرة إلى حصيلة ثوراتهم التي لم تتوج بانتصارات مؤزرة تغييرية شاملة، فمن اقتُلعوا بقيت أذرعهم الأخطبوطية، وزيادة على ذلك دخلت قوى عمدت إلى اختطاف الثورات، والحراكات، والانتفاضات، وها بعضها مستفيدة من الديمقراطية، وصناديق الاقتراع، تغلق أبواب المستقبل بقبضها على الحاضر، ولجمها للثورات، غير آبهة من غضب الشباب، وندم من منحوها الأصوات مؤملين أن تأتيهم بما حُرموا منه..وهو ليس الخبز وحده بالتأكيد، فالشعوب لم تثر من أجل الخبز وحده، والشباب لم يثوروا من أجل الخبز وحده!
منذ تفجرت ثورتا تونس ومصر الشابتان اللتان اجتذبتا الكهول الذين تبددت أعمارهم وهم يعيشون على أمل التغيير _ لقد هرمنا..._ وكادوا ييأسون، فجددوا شبابهم في شارع بورقيبة، وميدان التحرير، هبّت رياح الأمل على كل بلاد العرب مشرقا ومغربا..وبدا أن نهوض أمة العرب قد حان، وأن الجماهير التي طال تغييبها ستمسك بمصيرها، وستستعيد ثرواتها، وتنهي حكم الفاسدين، وتوحد قدراتها وطاقاتها..وتأخذ مكانها تحت الشمس.
في زمن النهوض العربي الذي قاده جمال عبد الناصر، رُفع شعار دوّى في تلك المرحلة: بترول العرب للعرب..فليتأمل شباب العرب هذا الشعار الذي يوصف مع شعارات كثيرة..بالخشبيّة، وشعارات الستينات..وكأنها سبّة، أو ناتجة عن عقدة نفسية لثوّار ذلك الزمن الشجاع!
....
....
قبل أيام قليلة نشر خبر في وسائط إعلامية عربية وأجنبية عن استيلاء أحد أبناء الملوك النفطيين على 40 مليار دولار بطرق غير مشروعة..ترى: هل كان امتلاك هذه المليارات وغيرها مشروعا للأب الراحل؟!
تأملوا يا شباب العرب كيف تنهب الثروات النفطية، وكيف تبدد بسفاهة، وكيف تُحرمون منها، أنتم الذين لا ترثون من آبائكم سوى الألم، والغربة، والفقر..في بلاد العرب التي لا ينتفع من تعدد دولها سوى هؤلاء الذين يضعون أيديهم على ثروات شعوب يسرقون إرادتها، وأمة يحرمونها من هذه الثروات الهائلة التي يمكن أن تنتقل بها الأمة من حال التخلف، والفقر، والجوع، والبطالة، إلى التقدم والتطور، وامتلاك التكنولوجيا، والدخول في نادي الأمم القوية الصاعدة كالصين والهند والبرازيل..وروسيا التي نهضت من كبوتها، وها هي ترفع صوتها في وجه أمريكا الغارقة في العراق وأفغانستان، والمفلسة الآيلة إلى السقوط كما توقع لها المفكر الأمريكي بول كندي...
يا شباب العرب: لن تحل مشاكلكم في هذا البلد، أو ذاك..إقليميا، لأن النفط سيلاحق ثوراتكم، ويعمل على حرفها عن مسارها..وشراء رموزها، والتلاعب بها..خدمة لأعداء الأمة، وإغلاقا لأبواب مستقبل نهوض الأمة.
من ينهبون الثروات ويبددونها..لا يريدون الخير للأمة، وهم دائما، منذ زمن جمال عبد الناصر، وحتى يومنا، اختاروا أن يكونوا في صف الأعداء.
بكلمة واحدة يا شباب: هذه الثروات ثرواتكم جميعا، في كل بلاد العرب، ومن حقكم، وواجبكم أن تتساءلوا إلى أين تذهب، وماذا قدمت للأمة..أين الصناعة المتطورة، والزراعة المتطورة، والتعليم المتطور، و..أين دور هذه الثروات في جعلنا أمة قوية قادرة يا شباب ؟!
أنا واثق أنكم سترفعون هذا الشعار من جديد: بترول العرب للعرب ..وليس للغرب أيها الفاسدون!
"
Syria: a devious diplomacy
Assad's side believe that if they give quarter it will be the end of them, while the opposition groups differ on many matters but not at all on the imperative of revenge
Editorial
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 27 March 2012
"If government and opposition in Syria can be brought to accept the plan urged on them by Kofi Annan, the special envoy for the United Nations and the Arab League, there is one thing that can be stated with complete certainty. Both sides would be doing so in bad faith, the one with the intention of relinquishing not a shred of real control, the other in the hope of manipulating a post-ceasefire situation in such a way as to soon bring down Bashar al-Assad, his family and his associates.
Assad's side believe that if they give quarter it will be the end of them, while the opposition groups differ on many matters but not at all on the imperative of revenge. That revenge might conceivably be postponed, but it will not be renounced. The question, then, is whether such a patently artificial solution is worth pursuing. The answer is yes, for a number of reasons.....
....As the Syrian opposition meets to try to resolve some of its differences, and a big "Friends of Syria" conference convenes this weekend in Istanbul, Annan's diplomacy continues. But nothing is clear, including what the Syrian government has really decided to do. If the plan falls, that would not be a surprise. If it, or something like it, succeeds, it will only extend the conflict in a new form, but one which might reduce its human costs."
Editorial
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 27 March 2012
"If government and opposition in Syria can be brought to accept the plan urged on them by Kofi Annan, the special envoy for the United Nations and the Arab League, there is one thing that can be stated with complete certainty. Both sides would be doing so in bad faith, the one with the intention of relinquishing not a shred of real control, the other in the hope of manipulating a post-ceasefire situation in such a way as to soon bring down Bashar al-Assad, his family and his associates.
Assad's side believe that if they give quarter it will be the end of them, while the opposition groups differ on many matters but not at all on the imperative of revenge. That revenge might conceivably be postponed, but it will not be renounced. The question, then, is whether such a patently artificial solution is worth pursuing. The answer is yes, for a number of reasons.....
....As the Syrian opposition meets to try to resolve some of its differences, and a big "Friends of Syria" conference convenes this weekend in Istanbul, Annan's diplomacy continues. But nothing is clear, including what the Syrian government has really decided to do. If the plan falls, that would not be a surprise. If it, or something like it, succeeds, it will only extend the conflict in a new form, but one which might reduce its human costs."
Guardian Video: Israel 'faces isolation' as new border fence is erected
A frontier fence is being erected at high speed along the 150-mile boundary between the Sinai and Negev deserts. Once it is finished, Israel will be almost completely enclosed by steel, barbed wire and concrete, leaving only the southern border with Jordan between the Dead and Red Seas without a physical barrier
Harriet Sherwood and Mat Heywood
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 28 March 2012
Harriet Sherwood and Mat Heywood
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 28 March 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
The Massacre of the Afghan 17 and the Obama Cover-Up
By James Petras
"The March 11 Massacre of the 17 Afghan citizens, including at least nine children and four women, raises many fundamental issues about the nature of a colonial war, the practices of a colonial army engaged in a prolonged (eleven-year) occupation and the character of an imperial state as it commits war crimes and increasingly relies on arbitrary dictatorial measures to secure public compliance and suppress dissent...."
"The March 11 Massacre of the 17 Afghan citizens, including at least nine children and four women, raises many fundamental issues about the nature of a colonial war, the practices of a colonial army engaged in a prolonged (eleven-year) occupation and the character of an imperial state as it commits war crimes and increasingly relies on arbitrary dictatorial measures to secure public compliance and suppress dissent...."
8,000 West Bank children arrested since 2000, says new report
Jillian Kestler-D'Amours
The Electronic Intifada
Beit Sahour 26 March 2012
"BEIT SAHOUR, West Bank (IPS) - Hamza has memories that no 17-year-old should have.
Last year, he was arrested in the middle of the night on suspicion that he threw stones at Israeli settlers near his school in the West Bank. He was handcuffed, blindfolded and beaten on the way to interrogation.....
Save the Children and the East Jerusalem YMCA Rehabilitation Program released a report on 11 March about the impact of Israeli arrests and detention on Palestinian children living under Israeli occupation. The organizations estimate that since 2000, Israel has arrested and detained over 8,000 Palestinian children in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, including some as young as 12.
Handcuffed and blindfolded, the children — who are most often arrested on suspicion of throwing stones — are transported to either Israeli prisons or settlements in the West Bank for interrogation, which almost always take place without the children’s parents or a lawyer present, the report stated.
All Palestinians in the West Bank are subject to Israel’s military courts system, which was set up shortly after Israel began occupying the territory in 1967. According to the report, these courts “are not intended to function as a comprehensive legal system” but rather, “must be understood as the ‘judicial arm’ of the occupying power, which means that the emphasis lies more on security than on justice.”....."
The Electronic Intifada
Beit Sahour 26 March 2012
"BEIT SAHOUR, West Bank (IPS) - Hamza has memories that no 17-year-old should have.
Last year, he was arrested in the middle of the night on suspicion that he threw stones at Israeli settlers near his school in the West Bank. He was handcuffed, blindfolded and beaten on the way to interrogation.....
Save the Children and the East Jerusalem YMCA Rehabilitation Program released a report on 11 March about the impact of Israeli arrests and detention on Palestinian children living under Israeli occupation. The organizations estimate that since 2000, Israel has arrested and detained over 8,000 Palestinian children in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, including some as young as 12.
Handcuffed and blindfolded, the children — who are most often arrested on suspicion of throwing stones — are transported to either Israeli prisons or settlements in the West Bank for interrogation, which almost always take place without the children’s parents or a lawyer present, the report stated.
All Palestinians in the West Bank are subject to Israel’s military courts system, which was set up shortly after Israel began occupying the territory in 1967. According to the report, these courts “are not intended to function as a comprehensive legal system” but rather, “must be understood as the ‘judicial arm’ of the occupying power, which means that the emphasis lies more on security than on justice.”....."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)