Settler Sewage Ruins Palestinian Crops, Drinking Water

By Mel Frykberg

"BEIT UMMAR, West Bank, Apr 28, 2010 (IPS) - Residents of this Palestinian village refuse to buy the idea that the flood of raw sewage from the adjacent Israeli settlement of Kfar Etzion, that destroyed vineyards and contaminated their drinking water, was an accident.

The Israeli Civil Administration, which administers the occupied West Bank, claims the spillage was the result of an accidental power malfunction which caused excess settlement sewage to overflow onto Palestinian land.

"This was no mistake," says a British activist who has been documenting life in the village for several months. "The pipe was deliberately unscrewed by hand so that the sewage would spill over into Beit Ummar. That has nothing to do with an electricity cut," he told IPS....."

A Middle East Peace That Could Happen (But Won’t)

by Noam Chomsky, April 28, 2010

"....
Blockading Gaza by Land and Sea

One step towards cantonization and the undermining of hopes for Palestinian national survival is the separation of Gaza from the West Bank. These hopes have been almost entirely consigned to oblivion, an atrocity to which we should not contribute by tacit consent. Israeli journalist Amira Hass, one of the leading specialists on Gaza, writes that.....

Obama and the Settlements

The kinds of restrictions on movement used to destroy Gaza have long been in force in the West Bank as well, less cruelly but with grim effects on life and the economy. The World Bank reports that Israel has established "a complex closure regime that restricts Palestinian access to large areas of the West Bank....

Washington’s "Evenhandedness"

....Obama politely refrained from comment about his host, President Mubarak, one of the most brutal dictators in the region, though he has had some illuminating words about him. As he was about to board a plane to Saudi Arabia and Egypt, the two "moderate" Arab states, "Mr. Obama signaled that while he would mention American concerns about human rights in Egypt, he would not challenge Mr. Mubarak too sharply, because he is a ‘force for stability and good’ in the Middle East…. Mr. Obama said he did not regard Mr. Mubarak as an authoritarian leader. ‘No, I tend not to use labels for folks,’ Mr. Obama said. The president noted that there had been criticism ‘of the manner in which politics operates in Egypt,’ but he also said that Mr. Mubarak had been ‘a stalwart ally, in many respects, to the United States.’"

When a politician uses the word "folks," we should brace ourselves for the deceit, or worse, that is coming. Outside of this context, there are "people," or often "villains," and using labels for them is highly meritorious. Obama is right, however, not to have used the word "authoritarian," which is far too mild a label for his friend.

Just as in the past, support for democracy, and for human rights as well, keeps to the pattern that scholarship has repeatedly discovered, correlating closely with strategic and economic objectives. There should be little difficulty in understanding why those whose eyes are not closed tight shut by rigid doctrine dismiss Obama’s yearning for human rights and democracy as a joke in bad taste."

Gates: Hezbollah More Armed than Most Gov’ts; Resistance Vows to Continue Arming

Al-Manar

"28/04/2010 Once again, Scud missiles and Hezbollah’s military capabilities seem to be the chief concern for the US administration and Israeli government.

Though two US officials said last week there were "no indications" any Scud rockets were transported into Lebanon, however Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said Tuesday that Syria and Iran are providing Hezbollah with rockets and missiles of ever-increasing capability in a clear hint to Scud missiles.

Following a meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday during which Iran and the rearming of Hezbollah were major topics, Gates said that Hezbollah was at a point where it "has far more rockets and missiles than most governments in the world.".......

HEZBOLLAH SLAMS US ACCUSATIONS, VOWS TO CONTINUE ARMING
For its part, Hezbollah has shot back at the US accusations it was stockpiling sophisticated weapons and vowed to continue to build its artillery, in comments published on Wednesday.
"Our choice was and remains to secure all the arms of resistance that we can," Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc MP Hassan Fadlallah told the Lebanese daily As-Safir.

Hezbollah's arms do not compare to "the level of armament of the United States, which it used in its crimes against peoples around the world, from Hiroshima to the more than 100,000 martyrs killed in Iraq and the tens of thousands killed in Palestine, Lebanon and Afghanistan," Fadlallah said.

He added, "There is a difference between arms which only serve invasions, occupations and aggressions, such as those of the United States and its ally Israel ... and the arms of a resistance which defends, protects, and liberates." "

Video: عباس للقناة الثانية: نأمل إستئناف المفاوضات... (فيديو)

"منح رئيس السلطة الفلسطينية، محمود عباس، مقابلة خاصة ومطولة للقناة الإسرائيلية الثانية أجرها مراسل القناة للشؤون العربية، ايهود يعاري، أكد خلالها انه يأمل بأن يكون رد لجنة المتابعة العربية على مقترحات المبعوث الأميركي، جورج ميتشل، إيجاباً لإستئناف المفاوضات غير المباشرة. وقال "جاء السيد ميتشل وعرض علينا بعض الافكار ونحن اعطيناه بعض الافكار وسمع ايضا من الجانب الاسرائيلي".
وقال عباس انه سيعرض على لجنة المتابعة العربية بداية ايار/مايو افكارا جديدة طرحها المبعوث الاميركي جورج ميتشل خلال جولته الاخيرة من اجل استئناف مفاوضات السلام المجمدة مع اسرائيل.
واضاف الرئيس الفلسطيني "لا تزال المباحثات جارية ونحن في اليوم الاول من الشهر القادم (ايار/مايو) سنطرح ما عرض علينا على لجنة المتابعة العربية ونرجو ان يكون هناك جواب ايجابي".
وفي رد على سؤال حول ما يتردد عن "حساسية" تعتري علاقته مع بنيامين نتانياهو اكد عباس انه يتعامل معه بصفته "رئيس وزراء انتخب من الشعب الاسرائيلي ويتمتع باغلبة في الكنيست".
واضاف "من واجبي ان اتعامل معه على هذا الاساس وليس من حقي ان اقول احبه او اكرهه".
كما اكد عباس خلال المقابلة ان المفاوضات في عهد رئيس الوزراء الاسرائيلي السابق ايهود اولمرت حققت تقدما كبيرا في بعض الملفات، لا سيما الترتيبات الامنية المرافقة لقيام دول فلسطينية، قبل ان تتوقف محادثات السلام بسبب الهجوم الاسرائيلي عل قطاع غزة نهاية العام 2008.
وقال عباس "هناك ملفات بحثت في عهد اولمرت واقفلت، مثل ملف الامن الذي اقفل تماما".
واوضح انه تم الاتفاق في تفاصيل هذا الملف على وجود "طرف ثالث" لضمان تنفيذه مؤكدا ان الحديث دار حينها عن امكانية نشر قوة "للناتو بقيادة اميركية".

كما تطرق عباس الى قضية الجندي الإسرائيلي الأسير في غزة، غلعاد شاليط، وقال إنه طالب حركة حماس بنقل الجندي الى السلطة لإتمام صفقة تبادل "ترضي الجميع"

وقال فيها رداً على محاوره حول تطبيق حق العودة للفلسطينيين: إن "الحل (لقضية العودة) موجود في خارطة الطريق... وفي مبادرة السلام العربية ولن نفرض الحل عليكم"."

"سمع يا ناس": "الرئيس" صرح تصريحا يهز الريح../

ناصر السهلي

"....
ما هي المقاومة الشعبية عند الرئيس عباس؟
هي من النوع الفريد من نوعه.. اختراع تحت التجريب.. ليفعل الاحتلال والمستوطنون ما يريدون، لكنهم لن يستفزوننا ولا حتى بصرخة ألم وغضب.. لماذا؟ لأنهم يضعون لنا فخا.. يعني كل الأفخاخ تحتاج حكمة من نوع آخر.. تعايش مع الاحتلال مهما فعل.. لا تعطيه فرصة ليستفزك.. وبصراحة أكثر مباشرة، يبدو أن الحق هو على الشعب الفلسطيني الذي يقع في فخ الاستفزاز.. يعني مثلا إخطارات بهدم المنازل في سلوان ونابلس وجنين واقتحام القرى بقوات عسكرية وإعدام الناس بدم بارد وبالقرب من عاصمة الرئيس لا تحتاج أكثر من دورة في دوار المنارة تهتف الجماهير "فليسقط الاحتلال. وليتوقف عن قتلنا واعتقالنا وقرارات طردنا..إلخ" وربما مع بعض الخطب الرنانة يكفي بالغرض.. لأن الاحتلال عندها سيرتعد ويرتدع ويفر هاربا ولا يجتاح أو يعتدي على الأرض والشعب..

أسئلة لم يسألها الصحفي لسيادته، ترى ما الداعي لأن تتلقف أجهزتــ"ك" الأمنية كل أسير مفرج عنه أو مطارد لم يسلم نفسه؟.. ولماذا يهدد عزام الأحمد بوقف التنسيق الأمني بينما تقولون لشعبكم لا يوجد مثل هذا التنسيق؟.. ترى لماذا قلبك رقيق جدا تجاه معاناة أولمرت الجنائية وتتفرد مع أطراف فلسطينية بنظرية صارت أكثر قدسية عندك من القرآن.. لا لقاء قبل التوقيع؟؟
هل يقوم جيش الاحتلال بعملية وقائية واحدة بحق المستوطنين وسلاحهم المكدس للاعتداء على شعبك وممتلكاته؟.. تماما مثلما يريدكم الاحتلال أن تصبحوا قوات لحماية أمنه وعربدة مستوطنيه، أنتم تقعون في مطب تلو المطب.. ولا مصداقية في التاريخ لمن يقبل إملاءات محتليه بإفراغ حركة شعبه التحررية من مضمونها عبر التهديد والترغيب.. ولماذا لا تصارحون شعبكم كما تصارحون دولة الاحتلال كما جرى في المقابلة التي اشرنا إليها؟
"

Iraq: Detainees Describe Torture in Secret Jail

Human Rights Watch

April 27, 2010

"Baghdad) - Detainees in a secret Baghdad detention facility were hung upside-down, deprived of air, kicked, whipped, beaten, given electric shocks, and sodomized, Human Rights Watch said today. Iraq should thoroughly investigate and prosecute all government and security officials responsible, Human Rights Watch said.

Human Rights Watch interviewed 42 of the men in the Al Rusafa Detention Center on April 26, 2010. They were among about 300 detainees transferred from the secret facility in the old Muthanna airport in West Baghdad to Al Rusafa into a special block of 19 cage-type cells over the past several weeks, after the existence of the secret prison was revealed.

The men's stories were credible and consistent. Most of the 300 displayed fresh scars and injuries they said were a result of routine and systematic torture they had experienced at the hands of interrogators at Muthanna. All were accused of aiding and abetting terrorism, and many said they were forced to sign false confessions.

"The horror we found suggests torture was the norm in Muthanna," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "The government needs to prosecute all of those responsible for this systematic brutality.".....

Security officials whipped detainees with heavy cables, pulled out fingernails and toenails, burned them with acid and cigarettes, and smashed their teeth. If detainees still refused to confess, interrogators would threaten to rape their wives, mothers, sisters, or daughters. The interrogation sessions usually lasted three or four hours and occurred every three or four days......"

A flotilla to break Israel’s illegal blockade on Gaza

Arafat Shoukri: “Conditions are ripe to make this flotilla the ‘tipping point’“

Interview by Silvia Cattori
Uruknet

"A coalition bringing together a number of organizations is preparing to send in May 2010 a relief flotilla of more than ten ships and cargo-boats to Gaza. Dr. Arafat Shoukri, president of the European Campaign to End the Siege of Gaza (ECESG) will participate in this spectacular convoy with his Campaign, which is an NGO. He has spared no effort for three years to lead delegations of European parliamentarians to allow them to see on the ground the untenable situation in Gaza and to encourage them to call on the Member States of the European Union to exert pressure on Israel with a view to ending its suffocation of the people of Gaza. Dr. Arafat Shoukri responds here to the questions of Silvia Cattori....."

Al-Jazeera Video: Green light for Jerusalem settlers

"The road map for peace in the Middle East has been jammed for years, with Jewish settlers given the "green light" to build settlements on occupied Palestinian land.

Now it seems the inequalities between Israelis and Palestinians are being reflected also on the roads in East Jerusalem.

As Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland experiences, the traffic lights seem to favour some more than others. "

Surprise, Surprise! The Whore is Willing and Ready.....Again....and Again....

Al-Manar

"27/04/2010 Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday declared his willingness to work with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, adding that he hoped to get Arab League approval for indirect proximity talks on May 1.
"Try me," Abbas told Channel 2. "I say on behalf of the Palestinian Liberation Organization [what a joke!], that we are prepared for an agreement."

He said that US Middle East envoy George Mitchell had put forward "various ideas" on his recent trips to the region, and that the PLO would present its proposal to the Arab League on the first day of next month.

"We will submit everything that has been presented to us to the Arab Follow-up Committee on the first of next month and we hope there will be a positive response," he said, referring to the group of foreign ministers....."

Horse Feathers and Horse Sense

By Stephen M. Walt

Foreign Policy

"Ever since 9/11, commentators of a hawkish persuasion -- and most recently the New York Times' Thomas ("Suck on This") Friedman -- have been fond of quoting Osama bin Laden's statement that "When people see a strong horse and a weak horse, by nature they will like the strong horse."

Pundits like Friedman don't normally embrace any of Bin Laden's other views on world politics, but they like this line because it seems like a good reason for us to obsess about resolve, credibility, and the possibility that even the tiniest setback somewhere might have catastrophic consequences. It suggests that if third parties begin to suspect that the U.S. isn't the "strong horse," they will abandon us in droves and leave the United States isolated and friendless in a hostile world. Conversely, it also suggests that one or two successes will suddenly trigger a similar wave of favorable developments: by this logic, we pass a Health Care Bill, and suddenly those mullahs in Tehran will start quaking in their turbans. It's the latest version of the old domino theory: a single setback somewhere might trigger a cascade of defeats and defections, but a minor victory in some other spot will have positive reverberations all over the world.....

In other words, fighting foolish wars in order to convince people that we are the "strongest horse" is an obvious way to make Bin Laden's fantasies more likely. After all, his greatest achievement to date is not the damage that al Qaeda inflicted on September 11. Instead, his real achievement was helping convince the Bush administration to adopt the neo-conservative program in the Middle East-most notably in the 2003 invasion of Iraq-a set of self-inflicted wounds from which we are still laboring to recover. And one way to avoid such blunders is to disregard Bin Laden's ill-informed notions about equine diplomacy. "

Iran a Threat? I Mean, Really?

A Very Good, Long Article

by Ray McGovern, April 27, 2010

"With all the current hype about the "threat" from Iran, it is time to review the record – and especially the significant bits and pieces that find neither ink nor air in our Israel-friendly Fawning Corporate Media (FCM).

First, on the chance you missed it, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said publicly that Iran "doesn’t directly threaten the United States." Her momentary lapse came while answering a question at the U.S.-Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar, on Feb. 14.....

Obama Overachieving

As for Obama, the die was cast during the presidential campaign when, on June 3, 2008, in the obligatory appearance before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), he threw raw red meat to the Likud Lobby.

Someone wrote into his speech: "Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided." This obsequious gesture went well beyond the policy of prior U.S. administrations on this highly sensitive issue, and Obama had to backtrack two days later.....

The real threat to Israel’s "security interests" would be something quite different. If Iran acquired one or two nuclear weapons, Israel might be deprived of the full freedom of action it now enjoys in attacking its Arab neighbors.

Even a rudimentary Iranian capability could work as a deterrent the next time the Israelis decide they would like to attack Lebanon, Syria, or Gaza. Clearly, the Israelis would prefer not to have to look over their shoulder at what Tehran might contemplate doing in the way of retaliation.....

Indeed, the Iranians have been about five years away from a nuclear weapon for several decades now, according to periodic intelligence estimates. They just never seem to get much closer. But there’s no trace of embarrassment among U.S. policymakers or any notice of this slipping timetable by the FCM.

Not that NIEs – or U.S. officials – matter much in terms of a potential military showdown with Iran. The "decider" here is Netanyahu, unless Obama stands up and tells him, publicly, "If you attack Iran, you’re on your own."

Don’t hold your breath."

The luxury resort in the middle of a war zone

Under the gaze of the Israeli army, but protected by Lebanon, one man is building an extraordinary hotel.

Robert Fisk reports

"Khalil Abdullah is the king of the castle – and the enemy is at his gates. The castle in question is the Village Chateau Wazzani Touristique; the enemy, 30ft across the brown-flowing stream, is the entire Israeli army in Israeli-occupied Golan. Indeed, two Israeli tanks turned up two weeks ago, their guns pointing menacingly towards Khalil Abdullah's 60ft palm-roofed Africa-style barn-restaurant, his castellated walls, his wooden drawbridge and his windmill-topped entrance towers. The Lebanese army have a sentry box above what will be the swimming pool and United Nations troops of the German and Belgian battalions drop by twice a day to make sure the world has not gone to war over Mr Abdullah's 40,000sq m hotel-to-be......"

When will time run out for a two-state solution?

The Palestinians must draw the line on settlements, or the facade of a two-state discussion will continue ad infinitum

Yousef Munayyer

guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 27 April 2010

"Among those involved in the Middle East peace process industry there is much talk about "time running out" for a two-state solution.

Recently, the same sentiments were echoed by the US state department, reflecting a shift in the way the Obama administration is publicly talking about the conflict. On more than one occasion, the state department and other Obama administration figures have said that "the status quo is unsustainable". Notice again the element of time.

Time has been running out for a two-state solution since the beginning of Israel's colonial enterprise in occupied Palestinian territory in 1967. Yet despite this reality, analyses of the situation continue to repeat this now-meaningless cliche year after year, decade after decade. It seems that, to many, time in the Middle East can be magically be suspended. Gravity, in this war-torn region, ceases to affect the inverted hourglass......

However, the PA could declare a date by which the Israeli occupation had to end and settlements be dismantled. If this deadline is not met, the PA should dissolve the authority and convert the disjointed national movement into a broad civil rights movement seeking equal rights in a bi-national state. They would surely make many in Washington and Tel Aviv take notice.

Of course, the PA's entrenched interests and intuitions may make it incapable of doing this, but the Palestinian public is moving in this direction anyway."

CPJ seeks Pentagon investigations in Iraq journalist deaths

"Dear Secretary Gates:

The Committee to Protect Journalists is disturbed by a video recently disclosed by the Web site WikiLeaks showing a U.S. military strike that took place on July 12, 2007. The attack killed an unspecified number of individuals, including Reuters photographer Namir Noor-Eldeen and his assistant, Saeed Chmagh.

CPJ has made numerous calls for thorough and transparent investigations into the deaths of these two men, as well as into all other cases of journalists and media workers killed by U.S. fire in Iraq. The U.S. military's Central Command said it has no current plans to reopen an investigation, Reuters reported on April 8. But in light of the fact that at least 16 journalists and three media support workers have been killed by U.S. forces’ fire, according to CPJ’s research, a systematic and comprehensive investigation is clearly warranted. The findings should be made public and lessons learned should be incorporated into military training to reduce the likelihood that journalists covering combat operations will come under fire.

The recently disclosed tape has been viewed by millions around the world. Several experts on international humanitarian law, including Amnesty International’s Malcolm Smart and Bibi van Ginkel, a lawyer and senior fellow at the Clingendael Netherlands Institute of International Relations, have called for investigations to determine whether U.S. forces complied with international humanitarian law.

In the video, U.S. forces can be seen opening fire on a group of men—some of whom they said they believed were armed—killing or critically injuring at least a dozen people. We are particularly concerned that the troops in the helicopter mistook a camera for a weapon. This is not the first such claim by the U.S. military. In August 2003, a U.S. soldier killed Reuters photographer Mazen Dana after mistaking, according to the military’s investigation, Dana’s camera for a rocket-propelled grenade.

The WikiLeaks tape identifies one of the injured men in the July 12 strike as Chmagh. Soldiers are heard urging him to pick up a weapon so that they can fire. A van approaches to evacuate the man identified as Chmagh. Someone in the helicopter is heard informing a commander that the van is “possibly” picking up bodies as well as weapons. Despite the fact that no weapons are visible in the video, the helicopter is granted permission to fire and does so, killing Chmagh and several people in the van and injuring children.

It is crucial that any future investigation satisfactorily determine why an injured media worker who posed no threat to U.S. personnel was fatally shot as he was being evacuated from the scene of an initial attack, also perpetrated by U.S. fire.

The attached appendix lists the 16 journalists and three media support workers who have been killed by U.S. forces’ fire in Iraq......"

Déjà Vu All Over Again: Remember the Fake Yellowcake Memo and Niger? They are at it Again; this Time it is Iran!

Zimbabwe denies uranium deal with Iran

"Zimbabwe has denied reports that it has signed an agreement allowing Tehran to mine uranium reserves in exchange for Harare's access to oil from Iran.

A report by the UK-based Daily Telegraph claimed on Saturday that a deal had been reached between the two countries under which Iran would be allowed to mine potential uranium deposits in Zimbabwe to provide fuel for its nuclear reactors and in exchange Zimbabwe would get oil from Iran.

The report said that the agreement was sealed secretly last month during a visit to Tehran by a close aide to Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe.

Industry and Commerce Minister Welshman Ncube on Monday rejected the report, saying there was no evidence suggesting that Zimbabwe had such deposits. “It's not true. No such agreement was signed,” said Ncube.

“There is no certainty that Zimbabwe has uranium deposits. You first have to prove that there are uranium deposits and that has not been done,” Reuters quoted him as saying......"

Al-Jazeera Cartoon

This cartoon contrasts the decision of African countries which contain the sources of the Nile water to reduce supply to Egypt, under the rubric of "sovereignty"....
With the Pharaoh's decision to cut supplies to the besieged Gaza ghetto, under the rubric of......."sovereignty."

Christians walk fine line in Gaza balancing act

GAZA CITY: A tiny Palestinian Christian community has had to find a modus vivendi in the Islamist-ruled Gaza Strip, while enduring the same hardships as Muslims in the besieged and impoverished coastal enclave.

Caught in the crossfire of the Israel-Hamas conflict which cost 1,400 lives in a December 2008-January 2009 war and wary of groups more radical than Gaza’s rulers, discretion has been the name of the game.

“Each moment is a balancing act. We have to stay alert at all times,” said Greek Orthodox Archbishop Alexios after a service attended by around 100 worshippers in Gaza City’s Saint Porphyrios church.

“We have good relations with the Hamas leadership. Tolerance serves both sides,” said Alexios, who has regular meetings at the highest level at Hamas-run ministries.

“They asked us if we need guards for the church” after a spate of violent incidents in 2007 and 2008, when a member of the Baptist Church was murdered and several Christian targets were firebombed, he added.

“We said we felt very safe. We don’t want guards,” added Alexios, whose flock accounts for about 2,500 of the estimated 3,000 Palestinian Christians in the densely populated narrow territory of 1.5 million people.

He has also instructed members of his Church not to give in to demands for women in Gaza’s traditionally conservative society to wear Islamic headscarves, whether it be at school or on the streets.

But to respect the red lines of conduct, apparent would-be converts are turned away to avoid accusations of proselytising, a criminal offence in Muslim countries.

Amid alleged Baptist efforts to convert people through aid work in an enclave suffering an economic meltdown and perceived Western influences, Bible School bookshop-owner Rami Ayyad was kidnapped and killed in October 2007.

لو ضربونا بالرصاص

لو ضربونا بالرصاص
عبد الحليم قنديل

"لم يكن طلب إطلاق الرصاص على المتظاهرين مجرد فلتة لسان ولا انفلات أعصاب وحشي جهول من بلطجية 'عينهم' حزب مبارك نوابا بالبرلمان المصري.
إنها الطبعة الصافية الوحشية لنظام مبارك، وهو يمضي إلى نهاياته، وبغير زوائد من رتوش الادعاء بالديمقراطية وحرية الرأي، وعلى طريقة تصريحات صفوت الشريف الأمين العام للحزب الحاكم، والتي استنكر فيها مطالب نواب الضرب بالرصاص، وادعى أن الحزب الوطني يرفضها، فهذه كلها ـ مع غيرها ـ تراجعات لفظية تحت ضغط الاستنكار العام، وتحت ضغط مظاهرة بادرت إليها حركة كفاية في 13 نيسان (أبريل) 2010، وأطلقت فيها نداء 'الشارع لنا' دفاعا وتأكيدا لكسب حق التظاهر السلمي، ثم أتبعتها 'كفاية' بمشاركة قادتها في تجمع احتجاجي مع نواب المعارضة وشباب 6 نيسان (أبريل) أمام مبنى البرلمان، وطالبت بمحاكمة نواب البلطجة والإجرام العلني، والذين خانوا الدستور، وأطاعوا أوامر جهاز مباحث أمن الدولة، وكشفوا للناس حقيقة هويتهم كنواب في الهيئة البرلمانية لجهاز مباحث أمن الدولة الذي يقع مبناه الرئيسي الرهيب في ميدان لاظوغلي على بعد أمتار من مبنى مجلس الشعب.
وبالطبع، لن يستجيب حزب مبارك لطلبات رفع الحصانة عن نواب لاظوغلي، ولا لطردهم من البرلمان، فلا صوت يعلو على صوت جهاز الأمن في مصر، وهو جهاز تعذيب وقتل محترف، وارتكب المئات من جرائم القتل خارج القانون، وبـ 'الضرب في المليان' حسب الاستراتيجية الموضوعة لوزارة الداخلية من أيام وزيرها البلطجي زكي بدر، والتي راح ضحيتها مئات المعارضين من الجماعات الإسلامية بالذات، ثم تكاثفت بمعدلات القسوة في السجون وأقسام الشرطة، فــــقد مات مئــــات المواطنين تحت التعذيب في أقسام الشرطة، وانتهت مئات أخرى إلى الموت في السجون بينهم بعض قادة جماعة الإخوان، وفي مظاهرات دعم الانتفاضة الفلسطينية بالإسكندرية عام 2000، جرى قتل طالب متظاهر بالرصاص الحي، قبلها، كان قد جرى قتل أحد العمال في إضراب شهير لشركة الحديد والصلب بحلوان، وبحسب تقارير حقوقية، فقد جرى رصد وتوثيق ما يقارب الستين حالة 'اختفاء قسري' لمواطنين وناشطين، أي أنهم اختفوا كـ'فص ملح وذاب'، ولم يعثر لهم على أثر ولا جثث، وبينهم صحافي معروف هو الزميل رضا هلال مدير تحرير' الأهرام'.
والمعنى، أن ما يطالب به نواب البلطجة حدث من قبل، وأن المطلوب هو تعميمه، وتشريع إطلاق الرصاص الحي على المتظاهرين السلميين جميعا، وفرض حظر التجول السياسي على الشارع، وبعد أن فشلت الاعتقالات والانتهاكات البدنية المروعة، والتي كانت أحدث مظاهرها ما جرى من ترويع وتنكيل واعتقال لعشرات من شباب المتظاهرين في 6 نيسان (أبريل) 2010، وقبلها على سلالم مجلس الدولة في مظاهرة كفاية في 4 ايار(مايو) 2009، وقبلها في مظاهرة كفاية في 25 ايار (مايو) 2005، والتي شهدت انتهاكات مروعة، ووقائع هتك علني لأعراض الفتيات والسيدات المتظاهرات، وكلها انتهاكات موثقة بالصور وشرائط الفيديو، وقدمت عنها بلاغات للنائب العام، ووضعت كلها في الأدراج دون التصرف فيها، وتماما كما جرى في التحقيقات بصدد حادث الخطف والاعتداء الشهير الذي تعرض له كاتب السطور فجر 2 تشرين الثاني (نوفمبر) 2004، وكما سيجري في البــــــلاغات التي قدمت إلى النائب العام في الحوادث الأخيرة، فلا توجد إمكانية حقيقية لمحاكمة المجرمين في مصر الآن، والسبب ظاهر، وهو أنه لاصوت يعلو على صوت الأمن، وأن حصانة جهاز الأمن من حصانة بيت الرئاسة.
نحن ـ إذن ـ بصدد معركة واسعة متصلة، ولن يكون إطلاق الرصاص الحي على المتظاهرين مفاجأة إذا ما حدث وتكرر، فالنظام بلا قواعد اجتماعية ولا سياسية، ويعتمد بإطلاق على جهاز أمن متضخم، ويرقى تسليحه إلى تسليح الجيوش، ويبلغ عدد أفراده ما يقارب المليونين، وانتقاله من الدهس والسحل إلى قتل المتظاهرين وارد جدا، وليست القصة في ضمان الدستور لحق التظاهر، فلا قيمة للدستور في مصر، وحالة الطوارئ والأحكام العرفية سارية على مدى ثلاثين سنة خلت، وهي تصادر بالجملة على حق التظاهر، وتعتبر اجتماع خمسة أشخاص تجمهرا يعاقب عليه القانون، لكن تلك ليست تفاصيل الصورة كلها، فثمة ميل متزايد إلى خط المقاومة المدنية والعصيان السلمي، وانتزاع الحقوق بالتظاهر والاعتصام والإضراب، وفي موجات متلاحقة لا تهدأ، وكانت مظاهرات كفاية الأولى في 2004 و 2005 هي خط ابتداء الموجة الراهنة، ثم انتقلت رغبات العصيان من مئات كفاية إلى مئات الآلاف من المصريين، وصار الشارع هو المصدر الأول للأخبار في مصر وليس جهاز الدولة، ونمت جماعات تغيير سياسي جديدة وعديدة على ضفاف كفاية أو بالقرب منها، وتخلقت جماعات غضب اجتماعي عفية وعفوية، ثم بدا التقاء الغضب السياسي والغضب الاجتماعي واردا بدلالة انتفاضة المحلة الكبرى في 6 نيسان (أبريل) 2008، كان التطور يحتمل قليلا من التنظيم وكثيرا من العفوية، وبدا- لوقت ـ أن موجة العصيان تتراجع، وبأثر من اعتقالات وانتهاكات واسعة شملت الآلاف من الإخوان والكفائيين وغيرهم، لكن استطراد البؤس المصري ـ سياسيا واجتماعيا ـ أحيا الظاهرة من جديد، وخلق المشهد الفريد في مثلث الخطر عند مجلس الشعب ومجلس الوزراء، وحيث تأوى جماعات غاضبة تفترش الشارع، وفي طوق حصار للنظام تزيد وفوده يوما بعد يوم، وهو ما يــــزيد من فــــزع النظام بالغريزة، خاصة أن جماعات التغيير السياسي عادت تعاود نشاطها، وتمد خيط التضامن مع جماعات الغضب الاجتماعي المحتشدة على الأرصفة، وفي 'بروفات' صغيرة تنذر بطوفان كاسح، وفي بلد ساكن عند السطح مفاجئ جدا في العمق، فالسطح المصري الهادئ ليس سوى قشرة خداع، ومصر الهادئة عند السطح تعوم فوق آبار غضب جوفي تقترب مواعيد فيضانه.
والمعنى ـ كما ترى ـ أوسع من فلتات لسان نواب البلطجة، ويتعلق بمصائر بلد تأخرت مواعيد خلاصه، وأغلقت عليه طرق تغيير بدت واردة نظريا، ومن نوع الطريق الانتخابي الذي حمل ظلا من أمل في انتخابات 2005، والتي بدت فيها 'ثغرات نزاهة' نسبية، وحملت إلى البرلمان أكثر من مئة نائب معارض، ثم جرى العصف بمبدأ الانتخابات نفسه في تعديلات الدستور التي استفتى عليها صوريا في 26 آذار (مارس) 2007، ومن وقتها جرى التحول إلى المسخرة المنهجية بعد التزوير المنهجي، وانتهت قصة الانتخابات التي تحولت إلى تعيينات إدارية وأفلام كارتون، ولم يعد سالكا غير الطريق الوحيد المتاح على خطورته، وهو الاستناد إلى قوة الناس وقوة الشارع، وقد يكون بوسع الحكم المتداعي أن يزور الانتخابات، وهو يفعل، لكنه لايستطيع أن يزور إرادة الشارع، فهو لا يملك في الشارع سوى قوات الأمن، ولا تملك المعارضة الحقيقية ـ بالمقابل ـ سوى غضب الشارع، وغير الفعل الأصدق إنباء من البيانات والخطب، وهو ما يفسر فزع النظام الجنوني من حق التظاهر، وتهديداته العلنية بتعميم إطلاق الرصاص الحي على المتظاهرين السلميين، فالنظام لايملك الآن سوى أن يكون أكثر وحشية، ولا يملك المبادرون للتظاهر سوى التمسك بمبدأ العصيان، يملك النظام قوة القمع، بينما يملك المبادرون للتظاهر قوة الفضح، والثبات على خط التظاهر حتى لو ضربونا بالرصاص.
"

Iran – a Dangerous Escalation

By Abdel Bari Atwan
24 April 2010 (Special to Gulf News)

"The recent outbreak of alarmist warnings by US defence officials regarding Iran's military capabilities – a long range missile able to strike the US homeland by 2015 among them – is reminiscent of the build up to the invasion of Iraq, when Tony Blair assured the British public that Saddam Hussein's missiles could reach them in just 40 minutes. In other words, such claims, however far-fetched, are proven harbingers of war.

It seems that the Obama administration is split with regard to Iran. One side hopes that diplomacy – with or without an accompaniment of sanctions - might yet prove successful. The other is clearly in favour of military action.

Let us consider the possible outcomes of both courses....."

Gaza's calm determination

By Norman Finkelstein, The Electronic Intifada, 26 April 2010

This essay is the fifth chapter ("Inside Gaza") of Norman Finkelstein's latest book, This time we went too far, available from OR Books.

"To preserve my sense of purpose, and keep the Palestine struggle from becoming a lifeless abstraction, I need periodically to recharge my moral batteries by reconnecting with the actual people living under occupation and by witnessing firsthand the unfolding tragedy. From each trip I invariably carry away a handful of stark images that I fix in my mind's eye to dispel the occasional hesitations about staying the course. When the memories begin to fade I know it is time to return.

And so, in June 2009, six months after Israel's invasion, I joined a delegation that journeyed to Gaza for a brief visit....

For most of the time in Gaza, our delegation was guarded by young Hamas militants. As we parted ways at the end of the visit I felt moved and obliged to state publicly that in my opinion none of them was deserving of the death Israel has attempted to inflict on them. I am aware that according to the "laws of war" they are "legitimate" military targets. But in a rational world the locution "laws of war" would make as much sense as "etiquette of cannibals." It is probably true that violent conflicts would be more lethal and destructive in the absence of these laws, but it is also true that, in their pretense of neutrality, they obscure fundamental truths. Whether from conviction, frustration, or torment, these young men have chosen to defend their homeland from foreign marauders with weapon in hand. Were I living in Gaza, still in my prime and able to muster the courage, I could easily be one of them."