Where is the Palestinian Tahrir Square?

By Ali Abunimah

"Since the start of the Arab uprisings in January, Palestinians have been hotly debating how they can break out of their own political impasse and rebuild their national movement.

This resulted in some direct action on the ground – such as the March 15 calls for protest in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

There’s also little doubt that the Nakba Day marches by Palestinian refugees in May drew inspiration from the uprisings in other Arab countries.

But the burning questions remain unresolved: should Palestinians try to reform or rebuild the PLO and if so how? If not, how can they reconstitute an inclusive national movement and what should it look like?...."

State Media has New Bosses, Old Habits

By Cam McGrath

"CAIRO, Aug 7, 2011 (IPS) - Six months since the fall of Hosni Mubarak, the state media organs that once glorified the dictator's policies and glossed over his failures have new leaders. Yet the mindset of decades of authoritarian rule remains intact, say media experts.

"The state media is very set in its ways; all it knows how to do is to sing the praises of the guy on top," says Rasha Abdulla, a professor of journalism and mass communications at the American University in Cairo. "And now that Mubarak is gone they are looking for the next closest thing, and to them it's the (ruling) military council."....

Disturbingly, say rights groups, the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) reinstated the information ministry last month. It also warned that any reporting concerning the military or its leadership must receive prior approval from its morale affairs and intelligence directorates. Journalists and bloggers who failed to heed the warning have been harassed and arrested.

"In many ways (government oversight) is worse now than under Mubarak," says Amin. "Before, they never checked our scripts. Now there is a lot of scrutiny. Everything has to go through army affairs."....."

A Skeptical Eye: Saudi King Condemns Syrian Crackdown

Demands for 'Comprehensive Reforms' Ring Hollow After Role in Bahrain Attack

by Jason Ditz, August 07, 2011
Antiwar.com

"As the massacres in Syria get bigger and more frequent — one today killed 59 in an eastern city — a number of factions the world over have turned against the Assad regime on the matter, with everyone from the Vatican to the Arab League calling for an immediate end to the violence. The latest came today, when the Saudi King demanded “comprehensive reforms” in the Ba’athist country.....

Having eagerly taken in the first dictator ousted by protests, Zine el-Abidine bin Ali of Tunisia, the Saudi government followed up with an invasion of Bahrain to violently put down pro-democracy rallies there, while taking a very Syrian tack in their own crackdown on protesters in Qatf. Mass arrests and accusations of “sedition” were and are the order of the day for reformists within the Saudi Kingdom, and it eagerly facilitates crackdowns by neighboring regimes......

Of course backing the protesters is also a recognition of the reality that the protest movement is growing by leaps and bounds despite of, and in many cases because of, the violent crackdowns. The US also jumped on the protester bandwagon a few months in (and reiterated their stance today), as did al-Qaeda’s new leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. Though the Assad regime still exudes confidence about its position, it seems that the knee-jerk moves toward heavy-handed violence reveal a growing fear that the pro-democracy movement is simply growing too big to stop."

Al-Jazeera Video: Syrian government expands deadly crackdown

"Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has demanded an end to the bloodshed in Syria.

He has also recalled the country's ambassador for consultations.

King Abdullah's comments came in a statement which urged Damascus to stop the killing machine - before it is too late.

Syrian security forces killed at least 60 people on Sunday.

Al Jazeera's Nisreen El Shamayleh reports from Ramtha on the Jordan-Syria border."

نصر الله وميقاتي وعون: منحبّك!

تداعى عدد من مثقفي لبنان إلى وقفة تضامنية مع الشعب السوري، مساء اليوم، أمام تمثال الشهداء، في العاصمة اللبنانية بيروت. وقد انطوت الدعوة على نصّ قصير، طافح بالشجاعة الأخلاقية والوضوح السياسي، أشار إلى أنّ 'النظام الإستبدادي السوري يصمّ أذنيه عن المطالب المشروعة للشعب السوري'، وأنّ 'ما يريده السوريون لأنفسهم هو الكرامة الإنسانية والديمقراطية والعدالة الاجتماعية، وإنهاء كابوس ديكتاتورية الجمهورية الوراثية'.
وحين سيأتلف هؤلاء، ومَنْ سيلتحق بهم من بنات وأبناء لبنان، سوف تكون أعداد الشهداء في مدينة دير الزور (الذي قرّر نظام بشار الأسد اقتحامها بأكثر من 250 دبابة، وعشرات المدرعات والجرافات، وناقلات جند ماهر الأسد وقطعان 'الشبيحة'، بعد قصف وحصار وقطع ماء وكهرباء وتنفيذ حملات اعتقال واسعة)، قد تجاوزت الـ 40 الذين سقطوا حتى ظهر أمس، وبينهم طفلة رضيعة بنت شهرين. الشهيدان هشام الفحل ومهند الأشقر دُفنا في إحدى حدائق دير الزور، لأنّ الوصول إلى مقبرة المدينة كان مستحيلاً تحت وابل القصف؛ والأشرطة التي تسرّبت من دير الزور، ونُشرت على موقع 'يوتيوب'، تصوّر مدينة تخنقها سحب الدخان ودويّ الإنفجارات والقذائف. حال حمص والحولة وحماة وإدلب ومعرّة النعمان لم يكن أفضل كثيراً، وثمة نسق عسكري ـ أمني أخذ يتكرّر في كلّ مدينة وبلدة وحيّ.
وحين سيتحلق الأصدقاء اللبنانيون عند تمثال 6 أيار، سوف تطوّقهم أغلب الظنّ، وكما فعلت قبلئذ، قطعان من 'الشبيحة' اللبنانيين، الأعضاء في منظمات وأحزاب مناصرة للنظام؛ وكذلك قطعان أخرى من السوريين، جماعة الـ'منحبّك'، صار تعبيرهم عن حبّ رأس النظام عابراً للحدود، أو حيثما تواجد سفير 'شبّيح' في هذه العاصمة أو تلك. هنا، أيضاً، ثمة نسق دعاوي ـ أمني صار كلاسيكياً، لأنه ينطوي على 'برنامج' يبدأ من تخوين المتضامنين، ثمّ التحرّش بهم بقصد الإعتداء الجسدي، قبيل الطقس الوثني الشهير: الركوع أمام صورة بشار الأسد (وخاصة بعد فتوى الشيخ محمد سعيد رمضان البوطي، التي قضت بجواز هذه الركعة طبقاً للشريعة!)، وترديد الهتاف الأشهر: 'مطرح ما بتدوس/ نحنا بنركع/ نحنا نبوس'!
هؤلاء 'شبيحة' في طباق تامّ مع الأداء المناط بوظائفهم، ولهذا فإنه لا طائل من وراء تصنيف سلوكهم في مسمّيات أخلاقية أو سياسية، فهم أدوات تنفيذية تتحرّك وفق إرادات أعلى هي الجديرة بالمساءلة والتفحّص والتمحيص، قبل التفضيح والإدانة والشجب. على سبيل المثال، ليس المرء مضطراً إلى تتبّع هذا التصريح أو ذاك، على لسان أيّ من القياديين اللبنانين المناصرين للنظام السوري، كي تتظهّر حيثيات التصريح في اهتياج 'الشبّيح' على الأرض؛ بل يحدث أحياناً أن تكون اللغة، خلف العدسات وخلال المؤتمرات الصحافية، أشدّ 'تشبيحاً' من الهراوة والعصا أثناء الإعتصامات، وأشدّ نفاقاً ورياء وذرّاً للرماد في العيون، غنيّ عن القول!
إلى هذا، ثمة أنساق متباينة في تسجيل التضامن مع النظام السوري (أي: مع آلته الأمنية والعسكرية التي قتلت أكثر من ألفَيْ شهيد، والعدّ متواصل)، وتسجيل التضامن مع 'الحقوق' و'المطالب المشروعة' للشعب السوري (أي: مع ما سيلقيه النظام للشعب من فتات الإصلاح، ليس أكثر)، في آن معاً. سمع الشعب السوري هذه المعزوفة من أمثال نجيب ميقاتي، ميشيل عون، نبيه برّي، وأسعد حردان؛ كما توجّب أن تصله، وإنْ في تنويعات تتوسّل الحياد أو البراءة، من دار الفتوى (حيث لم يجد مفتي الجمهورية اللبنانية، محمد رشيد قباني، غضاضة في استقبال سفير النظام السوري، ومنحه منصة إعلامية ضدّ الإنتفاضة)، أو من مجلس المطارنة الموارنة (في بياناته التي تتعامى تماماً عن عذابات الشعب السوري).
كأنهم، بأساليب تتفاوت في القليل فقط وتتفق على الجوهري، يصدحون بالهتاف ذاته: منحبّك! ذلك لا يعني أنّ مقدار ألم السوريين واحد متماثل إزاء المنخرطين في الجوقة، إذْ ليس رياء ميقاتي حول 'عدم التدخل في شؤون الدول الأخرى'، شبيهاً بوقاحة عون حين يجزم بأنّ الإنتفاضة السورية 'أعمال شغب' يحقّ للجيش السوري 'القضاء عليها'. الأشدّ إيلاماً هو يقين السيد حسن نصر الله، الأمين العام لـ'حزب الله'، بأنّ إسقاط النظام السوري 'خدمة جليلة' لإسرائيل؛ إذْ ليس مردّ الألم أنّ الشعب السوري فُطر على مناهضة إسرائيل، فحسب؛ بل أيضاً لأنه وقف إلى جانب المقاومة في جمـــيع الملمات، باستقلال تامّ عن تجارة الممانعة التي ظلّــت قاعدة النظام في علاقته بالمقاومة.
وهكذا، إلى جانب صورة الصديقات والأصدقاء اللبنانيين الذين سيشعلون شمعة تضامن مع الشعب السوري، تقفز صورتان موازيتان: الجنرال عون يغادر بيروت تحت جنح الظلام، بضمانة من فرنسا، فارّاً من عسكر حافظ الأسد؛ ونصر الله، يقدّم بندقية إسرائيلية غنمتها المقاومة اللبنانية، هدية إلى العميد رستم غزالي، ضابط الأمن السوري. هي بعض مفردات ذاكرة ليست للنسيان، كما قد يدرك نصر الله على نحو أشدّ حدّة من إدراك عون، قياساً إلى ما يصل 'السيّد' من تقارير حول انحطاط شعبيته في ناظر غالبية من السوريين أحبّوه ذات حقبة، ويغمرهم حزن عميق إذْ يبصرونه اليوم يلهج بذكر قتلة الأطفال.
ولهذا فالأرجح أنّ الشعار المضادّ، 'ما منحبّك!'، ليس حكراً على بشار الأسد وحده.

Dunia TV the worst TV of all time

This is the station that the morons who claim "conspiracy" watch in Syria and Lebanon. Notice the Antisemitism of the first "citizen" interviewed , keep referring to Jazeera as the "Jewish" network.

Nightly Entertainment for Hassan Nasrallah: 66 reportedly killed in Syrian army attacks on two cities (WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEOS)

Uruknet.info

Al-Jazeera Video: Bahraini expats set up TV station in London

"Bahraini expats have set up a TV channel in North London, with the aim of giving viewers around the world an unbiased account of what is currently happening in Bahrain.

Despite having been plagued with obstacles since their launch last month, the small team behind the channel is determined to continue.

Al Jazeera's Jonah Hull reports from London."

Al-Jazeera Video: Syria crackdown 'widening'

"Syria's crackdown on anti-government protesters appears to be getting harder and wider.

Witnesses say tanks have entered the eastern city of Deir ez-Zor, killing dozens of people.

Meanwhile, international condemnation of the violence is mounting.

Al Jazeera's Zein Basravi reports."

Al-Jazeera Video: US special forces killed in Afghanistan crash

Israel: Social protests turn political

Israel's 3-week-old cost-of-living protests turn into tussle over settlements, the religious


JERUSALEM (AP) 4 Aug -- For three weeks, the leaders of a mass movement protesting Israel's soaring cost of living have sought to stay above the country's usual political fray. But the focus is growing on the staggering sums spent on West Bank settlers and ultra-religious Jews to explain why there's not enough for ordinary Israelis.

Turkey not present for annual naval exercises with Israel and US

IMEMC 4 Aug -- For the second year in a row, Turkey is not participating in the naval drill, Reliant Mermaid, with Israel and the US. This action taken by Turkey is a result of the killing of nine Turkish activists from the 2010 Gaza Flotilla Raid.
Greece has now replaced Turkey as a new ally in the Mediterranean, participating in naval drills with Israel and the US last week.
The purpose of the naval exercises is to practice “search-and-rescue operations” with International navy’s that are also present in the Mediterranean.

Bashar al-Assad: A smooth talker with bloody hands

The Syrian leader has frequently promised reform while his security forces mete out death to Arab spring protesters. Will he change his ways now the US and Russia say he must?

Peter Beaumont
The Observer, Sunday 7 August 2011

"....Last week Bashar al-Assad pulled the same trick again, announcing an end to one-party rule in his country so long dominated by his family – an announcement that was delivered even as his security forces were still killing Syrians protesting against his power....

Perhaps that should not have been a surprise for as Human Rights Watch has noted, during his first decade of rule he failed to improve human rights in his country.

Indeed, in 2008, amid a brief thawing in relations, his courts were imprisoning pro-democracy activists – even as he was being courted both by French president Nicolas Sarkozy and British foreign secretary David Miliband.....

Some, like the Palestinian-American commentator Lamis Andoni, have argued that the two faces of Bashar al-Assad and his regime, far from reflecting a tension, have been two aspects of an identical objective – a deliberate and self-serving ambiguity in the pursuit of what she has called "survival at any cost".

For the reality is that Bashar al-Assad, even as he was talking about reform, far from being an exception among Arab dictators, was using the same tactics as Mubarak, Gaddafi and other leaders.....

"Assad has decided to shut this down," one western diplomat told the Guardian this year in the same month that al-Assad once again dangled the promise of reform. "The regime is playing survival tactics. It's a security-led approach first, second and third.".....

Certainly his use of tanks to storm the city of Hama where fighting continues – a place where two decades before his father ordered the slaughter of up to 20,000 – does not suggest, despite all his talk of dignity and pain, someone overly concerned with the human consequences of his continuing repression, something that the international community has come belatedly to recognise.....

It is not only in the US that patience has come close to running out. Russian president Dmitry Medvedev in an interview last week said he had sent personal letters to President al-Assad, urging him to launch reforms, reconcile with the opposition, restore civil peace and build a modern state.

Failing that, the Russian leader said, al-Assad is "doomed"."

Iranian Official warned Turkey on Syria

"An article, titled "Iran's Serious Stance in the Face of Syrian Events" and said to reflect Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps thinking, has warned that Syria would remain a strategic asset of Iran.

IRGC said Ankara was playing a double game, pretending to support democratic change while working to undermine Syria.

Iran, stressing its strategic interests, has warned Turkey to end intervention in Syria. IRGC has issued a harsh warning to Turkey to end activities in Syria. In an article in IRGC's weekly Sobh'eh Sadegh, the elite military force asserted that Turkish forces were crossing into Syria as part of a Western campaign to destabilize the regime of President Bashar al-Assad....

"The whole world is aware of Iran's relationship with Syria and Iran should not keep this hidden," the article said. "Should Turkish officials insist on their contradictory behavior and if they continue on their current path, serious issues are sure to follow. We will be put in the position of having to choose between Turkey and Syria. Syria's justification in defending herself along with mirroring ideological perceptions would sway Iran toward choosing Syria."

The article was published after Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei relayed a warning to President Barack Obama against U.S. intervention in Syria.

Teheran has also warned Turkey against helping Washington in a NATO-led missile defense umbrella aimed to stop Iranian attacks on Europe.

Khamenei raised the prospect that Turkey could be a target of Iran's huge missile arsenal.
"From Iran's standpoint, the Syrian leadership is in the midst of resolving its problems
, and as soon as foreign meddling stops, the Syrians will be able to revert back to normal," the IRGC article said."

Today's Cartoon by the Syrian Cartoonist Ali Ferzat

By order of the Ba'th party, click on cartoon to enlarge.

Caging Mubarak: 'The Pharaoh has no clothes'

The trial of the former president of Egypt shows how the "rule of the mighty" is being replaced by the rule of law.

Larbi Sadiki
Al-Jazeera

"An Arab president in a cage adds panache to the Arab Spring. The mighty Arab Spring has thus far catalysed the fall of the strong and the humbling of two arrogant power-makers.

Beyond catharsis and retribution, what does the "caging" of Mubarak and his trial imply for Egypt and the wider Arab Middle East?

The king is the law, no more



The image of the cage made of of mesh and bars, in which Mubarak appeared, humbled, will be haunting the powerful across the Arab world. Bashar al-Assad, Gaddafi, and many more must have taken notice. And so they should.....

The law is king

Mubarak - in the cage and on trial - will last in the memories of the free as some redress, and may be a milestone in Egypt's journey towards the rule of law.

In a cage, or on that stretcher, it matters not whether the emperor has clothes. What matters more is Thomas Paine's pearl of wisdom that, in good government, whether in America or Egypt, the law ought to be king. Egypt is on track: the chapter of the king as the law is being closed."

الجيش يحاصر مظاهرة تنعي شهيد العباسية

From Hossam El-Hamalawy

Al-Jazeera Video: Gaetan Vannay talks about his experiences in Hama

"Gaetan Vannay, a journalist with the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, has recently returned from the besieged city of Hama.

He told Al Jazeera that even if the protest movement in Hama is crushed, the repression of the city will trigger larger protests in other parts of the country. "

Al-Jazeera Video: Inside Story - Why won't the international community stand up to Bashar al-Assad?

Al-Jazeera Video: 'Deaths in Syria Friday protests'

"Gaetan Vannay of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation is one of the few western journalists who witnessed what is going inside Syria. Until four days ago, he was in the city of Hama."