Egypt haunts Saudi Arabia again

By propping up the Arab monarchies, Saudi Arabia is reverting to its old anti-revolutionary role

A VERY GOOD COMMENT

Soumaya Ghannoushi
The Guardian, Wednesday 8 June 2011

"Little did Riyadh know that the most severe strategic blow to its regional influence would come not from Tehran, or Tehran's agents in Baghdad – but Cairo, its closest Arab friend. The ousting of Mubarak did not only mean the loss of a strong ally, but the collapse of the old balance of power. The region could no longer be divided on a Riyadh-Cairo v Tehran-Damascus axis. Revolutions have struck in both camps: in "moderate" Egypt and Tunisia, as in "hardline" Damascus and Tripoli. The principal challenge for the Saudi regime is no longer the influence of Syria, Iran or Hezbollah, but the contagion of revolutions.....

Although the Saudi regime is preoccupied by the Iranian threat, its eye is now focused on Egypt and the Arab revolutions, existing and potential. There is nothing that it dreads more than a return to the 1950s and 60s scenario of Cairo spearheading a revolutionary Arab world against pro-American conservative kingdoms. Riyadh is in the process of reproducing the 1955 Baghdad pact, forged in confrontation with Nasser and his revolutionary officers and bringing together the rulers of Saudi Arabia and Jordan (both unofficially), Pahlavi Iran and royal Iraq, as well as Turkey and Pakistan. Some of the players have been replaced, and nationalism has made way for Islamism, but the structure of the strategic game is the same.

And so is its mightiest weapon: money. In a battle where internal fears coincide with external interests, Riyadh is resuming its old role as the vanguard of a cold war against change."

This Syrian tinderbox could set fire to the region

Assad's regime threatens dire consequences for the bloodshed in Jisr al-Shughour. They may not be restricted to Syria's borders

Simon Tisdall
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 7 June 2011

"......This chill moment is reminiscent of the day in July 1995 when Serbian forces brushed aside UN peacekeepers and seized the besieged Bosnian town of Srebrenica. Europe held its breath, fearing the worst. What transpired was even more awful than most could have imagined.

Assad should know by now that violence added to violence is not the answer. Amazingly, he does not. Or perhaps he is no longer in control, superseded in effect by his more martial younger brother, Maher, and other Alawite hardliners in the palace-general staff clique. The risk of civil war now looms large over Syria, in part because of this uncertainty about who is in charge; in part, also, because much of the Jisr al-Shughour bloodshed seems to have been the result of infighting between reluctant army units, filled with conscripts, and plainclothes security men – Syria's equivalent of Iran's notorious basij militia.

Wissam Tarif, director of Insan, a human rights organisation, was quoted on Monday as saying that many deaths resulted from clashes between loyalists and defectors, an account he said was backed up by local witnesses. There have been previous reports from other flashpoint towns of conscripts being shot for refusing to open fire on civilians, always officially denied. But the unprecedented regime casualty list in Jisr al-Shughour suggests the rot is spreading inside the many-headed security apparatus. Assad now faces two revolts. One on the streets, another within his own power structures. Like autocrats elsewhere, he will discover you cannot shoot down an idea....."

Syrian town empties as government tanks mass outside

All-out assault on residents of Jisr al-Shughour feared after uprising against security forces

Martin Chulov in Beirut and Nidaa Hassan (pen name) in Damascus
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 7 June 2011

"The Syrian town of Jisr al-Shughour was besieged by columns of government tanks on Tuesday night as the army massed for what is feared will be an all-out assault on residents it claims killed more than 120 security force members over the weekend.

By nightfall most inhabitants had fled to nearby Turkey before the expected sharp escalation in a three-month uprising that has pitched largely unarmed demonstrators against a regime using increasingly lethal force to suppress the gravest threat to its four-decade rule.

Jisr al-Shughour, a town of 41,000 people, was largely abandoned. The hospital stood empty and the intelligence headquarters, which had been the scene of an uprising on Sunday, was now a looted and empty shell, according to three men who had stayed behind.

Human rights activists in Damascus said 59 civilians had been confirmed killed. However they feared the final number was likely to be more than 100.

The prospect of the imminent operation has stirred the ghosts of an infamous assault on the town of Hama 29 years ago, in which tens of thousands of residents were killed by the former president Hafez al-Assad after they launched a failed challenge to his authority.

Assad's son, President Bashar al-Assad, is now facing a more serious threat, with sustained protests in many Syrian towns and cities that are steadily eroding the iron-clad rule of the Assad dynasty....."

(Click on map to enlarge)

Egypt: Human Rights Reform an Urgent Priority

Human Rights Watch Delegation Completes Official Visit in Cairo
June 7, 2011

"(Cairo) - Egypt's transition to a democracy that respects the rule of law and human rights is at risk unless the military transition government carries out a number of immediate human rights reforms, Human Rights Watch said today.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) should lift the state of emergency and repeal the Emergency Law, ensure the prosecution of security officials responsible for serious abuses, repeal laws that restrict free expression, association and assembly, and end trials of civilians before military tribunals, Human Rights Watch said. On June 7, 2011, Human Rights Watch concluded three days of meetings with Egyptian officials and members of civil society, including a member of the SCAF, prime minister Dr. Essam Sharaf, justice minister Counselor Mohamed Abdel Aziz El Guindy, and the assistant interior minister, General Marwan Mostafa.

"At this critical period of transition, the military should make a clear break with the repressive policies of the past, and this means ending military trials, repealing the emergency law, and laws that restrict freedoms," said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, who led the meetings in Cairo for Human Rights Watch. "Egypt has started to try some former officials, but unbroken impunity for the systematic torture of Egyptians over the past decades will only invite reoccurrence of abuse....."

Trapped in Gaza: Rafah Crossing Closed to Palestinians Soon After Egyptian Pledge to Reopen It

"In the Gaza Strip, the Hamas government has asked Egypt to drop restrictions on the Rafah border crossing, just days after the checkpoint opened last week. In a major policy shift, Egypt’s transition government had unsealed the Rafah border after years of closure under ousted Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak. But less than a week later, Egypt imposed a cap of 400 people per day, turning back busloads of people that had been cleared for passage. On Saturday, the border was sealed completely, causing angry Palestinians to storm the gates in protests. Democracy Now!’s Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar were one of the few teams of foreign journalists to witness the scene at the Rafah border, and they file this report from the Gaza Strip...."

ماذا بعد الشوط الأول من الثورة العربية؟

A VERY GOOD COMMENT

الانتصار الهشّ

التعثّر والانزلاق

الترقب الحذر بانتظار المواجهة

"....
لكل ثورة بالضرورة ثورة مضادة, لا غرابة في الأمر، ومن فقدوا السلطة والثروة والاعتبار لا يتبخرون وإنما يتآمرون لاستعادة ما فقدوا, وهذا ما يحدث في تونس ومصر
....
دور كل الحريصين على الثورة في تونس ومصر هو مواصلة حصار قوى الردّة بتطهير شامل لأجهزة القضاء والأمن، ووضع القواعد الأخلاقية والقانونية للعمل الحزبي
.....
مهمة الثوار السلميين في كل قطر التمسك بخيار العصيان المدني إلى لحظة إسقاط النظام البائس، وحَثّ العناصر الوطنية داخل الجيوش على الالتحاق بالشعب
....
على قوى الثورة في البلدان التي تنتظر دورها في الطابور أن تتمسك بالخيار السلمي الذي أظهر نجاعته في تونس ومصر وأن تفوّت كل الفرص لجرها لمواجهة مسلحة
....
أما بالنسبة لرؤوس الأنظمة فالدرس بديهي: فات وقت إصلاحات ذرّ الرماد في العيون. حان وقت توزيع جديد للسلطة والاعتبار والثروة. لا جدوى للقمع الدموي، والخيار الوحيد إما المرور سريعا للملكية الدستورية غير المغشوشة وإما القبول بأنهم آخر ملوك وأمراء العرب.

القاسم المشترك بين الوضعيات الثلاث إذن انطلاق مسار إعادة توزيع الاعتبار والثروة والسلطة. سواء في الأقطار التي لم يبدأ فيها أو التي تقدم فيها خطوات أو التي يتعثر فيها، يمكن القول إنه وقع ردّ الاعتبار للشعوب والمواطنين لأن المستبدّين بصدد إعادة النظر في كل مسلماتهم وأيديهم على قلوبهم، بعد أن تعلموا الفضيلة التي نقصتهم على الدوام: احترام الآخرين. أما بخصوص توزيع السلطة والثروة فقضية مفروغ منها هي الأخرى حتى وإن تطلب الأمر مزيدا من الوقت والتضحيات.

لكن لننتبه إلى أن المهمّ ليس افتكاك الاعتبار والسلطة والثروة من المستبدين وإنما إعادة توزيعها بكيفية لا تُعدّ العدة بعد تراكمات جديدة لثورة على الثورة، فنبقى ندور في نفس الحلقة المفرغة والرقاص يتأرجح من الاستبداد إلى الفوضى ومن الفوضى إلى الاستبداد.
"

Current Al-Jazeera (Arabic) Online Poll

The question is:

Do you support transferring complete power in Yemen to the vice president of Saleh?

With about 800 responding so far, 82% said no.

Al-Jazeera Video: Yemeni protesters demand transition

"Yemen's government says President Ali Abdullah Saleh will return from Saudi Arabia within days. He is there for medical treatment for injuries sustained in a rocket attack.

But protesters have returned to the streets, demanding Saleh never return."

Al-Jazeera Video: Human Rights Watch demand Libyan rebels stop detentions

Today's Cartoon by the Syrian Cartoonist Ali Ferzat

(Click on cartoon to enlarge)

The Regime's Intellectuals.

Eyewitness interview: Israel’s "blood harvest" in occupied Golan

Jillian Kestler-D'AmoursThe Electronic Intifada
6 June 2011

"....Salman Fakhreddin is a political activist and the public relations officer of Al-Marsad, the Arab Center for Human Rights in the Golan (golan-marsad.org). Originally from the occupied Golan Heights town of Majdal Shams, where he still lives today, Fahrideen described to The Electronic Intifada what he saw yesterday, what the real threat to Israel is regarding popular demonstrations, and what message the demonstration sent to residents of the Golan Heights who are resisting the Israeli occupation.

Jillian Kestler-D’Amours: Talk a bit about what happened yesterday near Majdal Shams.

Salman Fakhreddin: Yesterday, hundreds of refugees from Syria — Palestinians and Syrians — marched to the ceasefire line near Majdal Shams in a place called the Valley of Tears. We usually use this place for families [living opposite of the ceasefire line] to meet each other and to speak to each other with loudspeaker on all days of the year. Yesterday, it was a demonstration in memory of the war of ‘67 and the occupation of the Golan, West Bank and Gaza and Sinai. When these people reached the ceasefire line, the Israeli forces were well prepared with snipers. They were there already and they began firing live bullets and they killed and injured hundreds of people. Twenty-three people were killed yesterday.

It is a blood harvest of the Israeli army. I think first they began shooting to kill and during the afternoon and at beginning of the night, they began firing tear gas and rubber bullets. It means that the Israeli army yesterday was standing on its head and thinking with its feet. They dealt with the issue in the opposite of a humanitarian way. They decided to kill people in order to frighten them not to continue with this demonstration because they are afraid of the delegitimization of the state of Israel and the Israeli policy in the international community.

On the other hand, the demonstration yesterday and the demonstration of Nakba Day [on 15 May] is trying to develop a culture of nonviolence in the area, in the struggle against the Israelis, or what’s called the popular resistance. In Israel, they want to stop that because they are afraid it will reach the knowledge of the international community and the internal Israeli community will join this struggle as a peaceful struggle against colonialism and apartheid in this place of the world.

I think the idea was to stop that and because of that, they chose this way: to kill people first and then to shoot them with tear gas....."

A new opposition for Syria

With former opposition groups discredited, young protesters are beginning to find their own voice and vision for a new Syria

Fadwa al-Hatem
(Fadwa al-Hatem is the pen-name of a Syrian citizen who currently lives in Britain)
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 7 June 2011

AN EXCELLENT COMMENT (posted in full)

"By blocking internet access for the entire country last Friday, the Syrian regime demonstrated yet again just how out of touch it is with its own people and with the times in general. But the regime is not alone in failing to move with the times. The so-called Syrian opposition in exile – most prominent of which is the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood – also seems blissfully unaware that things have changed.

At the recent Antalya conference in Turkey, an attempt was made by the various exiled opposition groups to hammer out a unified front and a vision for a post-Assad democratic Syria. Most worryingly, the Brotherhood remained quite staunch in its opposition to a secular future government, and only gave its consent much later in the conference.

Thankfully, events in Syria and the rise of an independent protest movement with roots in the country have shown that the Brotherhood, along with the Assad regime, is increasingly irrelevant to the country's future. Depressingly, such political stupidity as we saw in Antalya will only add fuel for the fire, and will give some force to the ridiculous claims by the regime that fundamentalists plan to turn Syria into an "Islamic emirate".

As a Syrian, I can only watch with despair as a party that has been in exile for almost 40 years – and been portrayed as our bogeyman for just as long – fails utterly in producing anything like a credible opposition. Far from being a bogeyman, it seems more like an exclusive club of doddering old men with no idea what the fuss is all about.

So what on earth have they been doing all this time? The answer, clearly, is not very much. At the Antalya conference, discredited former regime apparatchiks such as Abd al-Halim Khaddam (the former Syrian vice-president) and Rifaat al-Assad (the president's uncle), were fortunately nowhere to be seen. Nor did we see the discredited Farid al-Ghadry, who is a nonentity with the Syrian people.

Yet not long ago, the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood entered into a preposterous political alliance with that same Khaddam after he had exiled himself to Paris and begun to denounce the regime that he had served so faithfully for decades. This alliance was short-lived, but it provided further proof in the minds of many Syrians that the Muslim Brotherhood is a party not to be trusted.

Although I don't trust the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood either, at least they are organised, politically savvy (to a certain extent) and not known to shoot themselves in the foot. Furthermore, when the Egyptian revolution finally became a reality, they were able to organise and mobilise on an enormous scale, whereas the Syrian revolution appears to have caught both the Assad regime and the Muslim Brotherhood with their pants down – and a good thing too.

Not having a formal, organised, political opposition that can give voice to the protests was initially frustrating and extremely frightening for many Syrians, yet it was also quite liberating. For one thing it has shown that young and old Syrians are capable of taking control of their own destinies without the stale political opportunists and parties of the past.

Young popular committees, deep underground in Syria, are liaising and organising among themselves. They are getting their voice to the outside world at a time when the Syrian regime is forbidding any foreign media from reporting in the country, and they have learned and adapted remarkably quickly. Grainy videos taken with mobile phones now include easily recognisable local landmarks, and the cameraman is careful to always state the date, time and location of the events being filmed. There is even a YouTube channel, Sham SNN, where videos are uploaded almost hourly and, it seems, carefully vetted to avoid hoaxes or irrelevant material being included.

In spite of the brutish and panicked response of the regime and the sluggish reaction of the Syrian "opposition" abroad, Syrian activists are beginning to find their own voice outside of the anachronistic players that have defined Syrian politics for a generation. As that voice gets stronger, the chance of a fresh new vision for Syria becomes ever more likely."

UN urged to act following deadly weekend in Syria

6 June 2011

"Amnesty International has condemned Syrian authorities’ brutal treatment of protesters following one of the bloodiest weekends in months of pro-reform demonstrations, with more than 120 people reportedly shot dead.

The call came ahead of a key UN Security Council vote expected this week on the violent repression in Syria.

"As the death toll in Syria reaches staggering new heights, it is imperative that the UN Security Council - which has so far been silent on this issue - votes to condemn the killings," said Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

"It must also take decisive action and refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court. Those responsible for the brutal crackdown of pro-reform protesters must no longer be allowed to get away with murder," he added.

Amnesty International has the names of 54 people reported to have been shot dead by the security forces on Saturday and Sunday. In the north-western town of Jisr al-Shughur, 43 people were killed on Saturday, including some attending a funeral procession.

A number of soldiers were also reportedly killed, but it is unclear in what circumstances.

On Friday, at least 69 people, were killed in the central town of Hama when security forces opened fire on "Children’s Friday" protests in honour of the dozens of children killed in the recent unrest.

Friday’s nationwide protests took place in some 200 locations and may have had the largest numbers of protesters to date.

The protests were galvanized by the brutal death of 13-year-old Hamza al-Khateeb, who died in incommunicado detention as an apparent result of torture.

Since street protests demanding reform began in February, Syrian security forces have waged a campaign of violence against the protesters.

Amnesty International has the names of 986 people reported to have been killed by the Syrian security forces during the past 11 weeks. Thousands have been arrested, with many held of them held incommunicado.

Reports of torture in custody have been widespread and Amnesty International has the names of 17 people who appear to have died as a result of such treatment. "

'Naksa' deaths spark Palestinian violence

Violence erupts in Syria refugee camp as mourners vent anger against Palestinian group over deaths in Israeli firing.

Al-Jazeera

"A funeral for activists shot dead by Israeli forces as they sought to storm the occupied Golan Heights turned into violent protests against a Palestinian faction in a Syrian refugee camp, witnesses and officials say.

The violence broke out on Monday at the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus, a day after the shootings by Israeli forces.

Mourners at Yarmouk accused the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) [Actually it is PFLP-General Command, which is propped by the Syrian regime.], the group organising Sunday's protest, of inciting young people to put themselves in the firing line. The headquarters of the group in Yarmouk was burnt down.

A witness told the AFP news agency that gunfire broke out while some mourners were at the cemetery. He said that the crowd at Yarmouk was chanting slogans against the leaders of a Palestinian faction, and that some tried to damage vehicles belonging to it.

A Palestinian official blamed the violence on elements from outside the camp.

Syrian state television said 23 demonstrators were killed by Israeli forces during the rally at the Golan Heights ceasefire line, while Israel's military said it counted 10 protesters dead - none of whom was killed by Israeli fire. [Notice how Al-Jazeera goes along with blatant Israeli lies. We saw videos, including from CNN, showing Israeli soldiers shooting at the protesters! How else did the protesters die??]

The rally on "Naksa Day" (Day of Defeat) was to mark the Arab defeat in the 1967 war against Israel."

Al-Jazeera Video: Syrian army officer deserts army

"Al Jazeera has received a video statement, from one Syrian army officer who has deserted.

He says he witnessed crimes against civilians who were just trying to protect themselves."

A More Detailed Video, Arabic, From Al-Jazeera:

A MUST SEE AND AN IMPORTANT VIDEO
انشقاق ضابط ونفي لاشتباك الشغور

Khaled Said will not be forgotten لن ننسى خالد سعيد وشهداء التعذيب

Contributed by Yasmin From Cairo

"Khaled Said‘s stencils sprayed by activists all over the entrance of the Ministry of Interior (MOI) and surrounding streets in downtown Cairo.

Hundreds demonstrated on Monday denouncing continued police torture, in Sheikh Rihan Street, in front of the main gate of the MOI, a place that was a big taboo to even stand at, and which used to give me the creeps before the revolution even when just driving by it."

Syrian regime kills soldiers that refused to shoot civilans

Yesterday the state TV said "armed gangs" killed 82 "police officers"... News from the area is that if anyone killed the "police officers" it is the regime thugs ...This video shows the 3 Soldiers shot dead by Shabeeha for refusing to kill unarmed civilians. The regime thinks he can kill the people , and the soldiers that refuse to kill them with impunity and lie and get away with it.

More From the Keystone Cops in Libya: Libyan rebels' advances near Misrata wiped out by Nato orders

Fighters in catch-22 as Nato instruction to pull back ahead of air strikes causes them to lose gains against Gaddafi's forces

The Guardian

"....On Monday the ground they so expensively captured had to be given back on Nato instructions. [Some "revolution" you have, Mr. Karzai!]

Nato officials deny there are red lines. They say their main concern is targeting, and making sure civilians are not in the areas they plan to strike.

Lines of communication are long. Rebels at the frontline report to Nato's liaison in Benghazi about targets they have seen and what the rebels themselves plan to do. Benghazi then reports to Nato.

Meanwhile, Gaddafi remains in control of much of the country, and some in his forces remain defiant...."

the untold story of the deal that shocked (??) the Middle East

Exclusive by Robert Fisk
Tuesday, 7 June 2011

Big Yawn! Try to stay awake while reading this.

"Secret meetings between Palestinian intermediaries, Egyptian intelligence officials, the Turkish foreign minister, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal – the latter requiring a covert journey to Damascus with a detour round the rebellious city of Deraa – brought about the Palestinian unity which has so disturbed both Israelis and the American government. Fatah and Hamas ended four years of conflict in May with an agreement that is crucial to the Paslestinian demand for a state.

A series of detailed letters, accepted by all sides, of which The Independent has copies, show just how complex the negotiations were....."

The dumping ground for despots welcomes another

(Click on cartoon by Khalil Bendib to enlarge)

We haven't weaned ourselves off the little Hitlers of the Middle East

By Robert Fisk

"Saudi Arabia is a great dumping ground for despots. Remember Idi Amin? We Brits loved him once, but when he turned against us and started eating his enemies – and keeping the occasional head in the fridge – we were happy he fled into exile in Saudi Arabia. Then there was Ben Ali of Tunisia who flew off to the kingdom with his wife and an awful lot of money this year when the people could no longer tolerate him. We used to like Ben Ali – the French more than others – because he was a "symbol of stability". And now Ali Abdullah Saleh – who also used to be our hero in the "war on terror" – is wounded in the chest and freighted off to hospital in Riyadh.

Yes, we're all grateful to the House of Saud when they take these rogues off our hands – when, of course, they have outrun their uses to us – especially when our demand for democracy fits rather uneasily with our continued sympathy for the local dictatorships. Ergo Syria – but let's not go into that right now. The US embassy in Sanaa may yet choose one of Saleh's family to continue his regime in the face of all the usual suspects (al-Qa'ida, separatists, tribal rivals, fill in the blank spots).

No, still we haven't weaned ourselves off the little Hitlers of the Middle East – which is why we go on supporting the greatest of all repositories for bad guys, Saudi Arabia itself....

The Saudis will be happy to keep Saleh because he wasn't much good at fighting Shias – the all-powerful enemy (I am looking through the corrupting spectacles of the ancient princes of the realm when I say this) of their Sunni emirs and caliphs. The same reason, by the way, why the Saudis invaded Bahrain to prop up the minority al-Khalifa Sunnis and help to bulldoze the ancient mosques belonging to the Shia majority under the preposterous excuse that they were invited into Bahrain to "keep order". I seem to remember some 20th-century Europeans who used similar arguments (one of them a fat Italian, the other a former corporal with a moustache). And like ourselves back in the 1930s, we say, well, they might be a force for stability, these chaps. None of this is worth all-out war. Which is why brave and democratic Obama didn't mention the plucky Saudis in his ridiculous peroration in Washington.

As for Gaddafi, you can see why he fights on. He could go to Burkino Faso, I guess, but he'll cling on to prove what a bunch of wombats Nato are – even if he ends up on the end of a rope. Three down, three to go (alas, I am referring to Bahrain). Then there's a seventh. No, of course I didn't say Saudi Arabia."