Saturday, June 12, 2010

Surprise, Surprise! The House of Saud IS The House of Zion!



(Please scroll down for additional new posts)

Saudi Arabia gives Israel clear skies to attack Iranian nuclear sites

A MUST READ

Times Online

"Saudi Arabia has conducted tests to stand down its air defences to enable Israeli jets to make a bombing raid on Iran’s nuclear facilities, The Times can reveal.

In the week that the UN Security Council imposed a new round of sanctions on Tehran, defence sources in the Gulf say that Riyadh has agreed to allow Israel to use a narrow corridor of its airspace in the north of the country to shorten the distance for a bombing run on Iran.


To ensure the Israeli bombers pass unmolested, Riyadh has carried out tests to make certain its own jets are not scrambled and missile defence systems not activated. Once the Israelis are through, the kingdom’s air defences will return to full alert.

The Saudis have given their permission for the Israelis to pass over and they will look the other way,” said a US defence source in the area. “They have already done tests to make sure their own jets aren’t scrambled and no one gets shot down. This has all been done with the agreement of the [US] State Department.

Sources in Saudi Arabia say it is common knowledge within defence circles in the kingdom that an arrangement is in place if Israel decides to launch the raid. Despite the tension between the two governments, they share a mutual loathing of the regime in Tehran and a common fear of Iran’s nuclear ambitions. “We all know this. We will let them [the Israelis] through and see nothing,” said one.

The four main targets for any raid on Iran would be the uranium enrichment facilities at Natanz and Qom, the gas storage development at Isfahan and the heavy-water reactor at Arak. Secondary targets include the lightwater reactor at Bushehr, which could produce weapons-grade plutonium when complete.

The targets lie as far as 1,400 miles (2,250km) from Israel; the outer limits of their bombers’ range, even with aerial refuelling. An open corridor across northern Saudi Arabia would significantly shorten the distance. An airstrike would involve multiple waves of bombers, possibly crossing Jordan, northern Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Aircraft attacking Bushehr, on the Gulf coast, could swing beneath Kuwait to strike from the southwest.........

Israeli officials refused to comment yesterday on details for a raid on Iran, which the Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has refused to rule out. Questioned on the option of a Saudi flight path for Israeli bombers, Aharaon Zeevi Farkash, who headed military intelligence until 2006 and has been involved in war games simulating a strike on Iran, said: “I know that Saudi Arabia is even more afraid than Israel of an Iranian nuclear capacity.”

In 2007 Israel was reported to have used Turkish air space to attack a suspected nuclear reactor being built by Iran’s main regional ally, Syria. Although Turkey publicly protested against the “violation” of its air space, it is thought to have turned a blind eye in what many saw as a dry run for a strike on Iran’s far more substantial — and better-defended — nuclear sites.

Israeli intelligence experts say that Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan are at least as worried as themselves and the West about an Iranian nuclear arsenal.Israel has sent missile-class warships and at least one submarine capable of launching a nuclear warhead through the Suez Canal for deployment in the Red Sea within the past year, as both a warning to Iran and in anticipation of a possible strike. Israeli newspapers reported last year that high-ranking officials, including the former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, have met their Saudi Arabian counterparts to discuss the Iranian issue. It was also reported that Meir Dagan, the head of Mossad, met Saudi intelligence officials last year to gain assurances that Riyadh would turn a blind eye to Israeli jets violating Saudi airspace during the bombing run. Both governments have denied the reports. "

Cut ties with Israel NOW, by Carlos Latuff


Video: Israeli Attack on the Mavi Marmara // Raw Footage


"CulturesofResistance — June 11, 2010 — To DOWNLOAD THIS VIDEO :

tc.indymedia.org/files/flotilla-footage/index.html

On the night of Sunday, May 30, showing a terrifying disregard for human life, Israeli naval forces surrounded and boarded ships sailing to bring humanitarian aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip. On the largest ship, the Mavi Marmara, Israeli commandos opened fire on civilian passengers, killing at least 9 passengers and wounding dozens more. Others are still missing. The final death toll is yet to be determined. Cultures of Resistance director Iara Lee was aboard the besieged ship and has since returned home safely.

Despite the Israeli government's thorough efforts to confiscate all footage taken during the attack, Iara Lee was able to retain some of her recordings. Above is raw footage from the moments leading up to and during the Israeli commandos' assault on the Mavi Marmara. "

Video: Norman Finkelstein on Freedom Flotilla Israeli Raid.wmv

Video: Edward Peck, Former US Ambassador describes raid on Gaza Flotilla.mov


"Edward Peck, Former US Ambassador, describes the raid on the Freedom Flotilla in an interview on Free Speech Radio News (www.fsrn.org). The sound has been speeded up and pitched down due to the 10-minute restrictions on YouTube."

Transcript: Daniel Ellsberg Says He Fears US Might Assassinate Wikileaks Founder

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy


"Daniel Ellsberg, the former US military analyst who released the pentagon papers in 1971, appeared on MSNBC today with Dylan Ratigan. He said he fears for the safety of Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks, who is reportedly on the verge of leaking secret State Department cables. The Daily Beast reports that Assange is currently being sought by the Pentagon, and Ellsberg advises him not to reveal his whereabouts....."

The premier who thought Hitler was a 'Joan of Arc'



By Robert Fisk

"....Little surprise, then, that when a passenger ship called St Louis – packed with 700 Jews fleeing Europe, their faces alight with hope before the cameras as it approached Canada on 17 June 1939Mackenzie King's government refused it entry. Canadians protested. So did journalists. And if you look today at photographs of the ship, you'll see children, husbands and wives with faces of smiling relief. They were safe. But they were not. They were sent back to the gas chambers.

There's no doubt why the National Post carried Mulroney's terrible story last week: to smother our condemnation of Israel's latest brutality. As usual, we who speak out against the ruthlessness of Israel's army – as, of course, we do against the Arabs – are anti-Semites. Remember the Holocaust. Remember Our Guilt. But it was Rick Salutin of the Toronto Globe and Mail who got it right this week. "It seems to me," he wrote, "that Israel's leaders have grown mindlessly, habitually dependent on asserting their own victimisation. This was often effective, based largely on sympathies rooted in revulsion of the Holocaust and the story of Western anti-Semitism. But this has gradually changed, due partly to the arrival of generations who, as it were, knew not Hitler, and aren't inclined to feel even indirectly guilty for him. The shift became evident during the 2008 Gaza invasion ... Yet Israel's leaders still automatically assume the victim position ... Societies that lose their internal dissent and self-criticism have a sad and scary record, especially when combined with a sense of victimisation."

I was on a Turkish television show this week and two of the other speakers were Jews from Israel. But both were outraged at the actions of their own government. And I wonder, as I write this, whether the doomed Jews on the St Louis might not agree with us, rather than the cruel regime that has laid claim to their souls. As for Mackenzie King... Well, he knew how to turn a boat away."

'We have been trying to get out of Gaza for two years'


Donald Macintyre visits the Rafah crossing reopened by Egypt after the flotilla attack

The Independent

"....They had waited in vain throughout the previous day to be among hundreds who have crossed over on each of the nine days since Egypt announced it was opening the border.

Ms Puhisi, a government zoologist from Deir el Balah, was anxious to take her mother, who has painfully swollen legs and wrists, to the Egyptian doctor who had treated her successfully when times were easier.....

Although Egypt opened the crossing in the wake of the lethal Israeli commando raid on a pro-Palestinian flotilla last week, apparently to escape some of the blame for the closure, it has restricted passage mainly to students with visas to study abroad, serious medical cases, and those with foreign residency or passports.

One of Gaza's leading paediatricians, Dr Adnan al Wahaidi, who has an international reputation, planned to escort his Egyptian wife and their two daughters to see his ailing and elderly mother-in-law in Cairo, but was obliged by two bad-tempered uniformed security guards to wait in the heat with scores of other hopefuls outside the terminal's gates for three hours.......
But a more serious charge was levelled by one family at middlemen in Egypt and their agents. Rihan Talal, 21, a student desperate to get back to Southern Illinois state university, said he and his uncle had refused an offer from someone who said he could get an entry permit from Egypt for between $2,000 and $3,000. "I am paying enough for my education already," he said.

Asked about this, Ghazi Hamad, the senior Hamas civilian overseeing the crossings, said: "I have no comment. You should ask the Egyptians."

He added that Hamas officials would not take "one shekel" from would-be travellers. "It is against our morality, our ethics."

Mr Hamad said he was sorry that travel was still restricted......"

Video: Probe: $3.5mn stolen from Gaza flotilla survivors by Israel


The Pharaoh in Eternal Service to Zion...


Egypt Rejects Algerian Aid Convoy to Enter Gaza

Al-Manar

"12/06/2010 Egyptian authorities have refused to allow an Algerian humanitarian aid convoy to enter into the Gaza Strip which has been under a crippling three-year Israeli blockade.

The ship, carrying seven tons of medicine and two tons of powder milk, docked in Egypt's Al-Arish sea port on Friday. Fifteen people onboard the ship including Algerian lawmakers, businessmen and peace activists were seeking to break the Gaza siege by organizing the convoy.

Algerian daily Al-Khabar said that the convoy was prevented from entering Gaza despite a primary agreement signed between the Algerian Foreign Ministry and Egypt in this regard.

The daily added that the Egyptian officials only allowed three Algerian lawmakers to visit Gaza through the Rafah border crossing for a few hours.....

Egypt has joined Israel in imposing a three-year-long blockade on Gaza, sealing its borders with the strip and effectively cutting off all links to the coastal sliver."

مصادر صحافية: أردوغان يدعو نصر الله لزيارة أنقرة..



This is an important story and I will post an English version of it when I find it.

عرب48 / وكالات

في مفاجأة من العيار الثقيل قد تنسف ما تبقى من العلاقات الإسرائيلية التركية التي أوشكت على الانهيار بعد الاعتداء الإسرائيلي على "أسطول الحرية"

"ذكرت تقارير صحافية أن رئيس الوزراء التركي رجب طيب أردوغان وجه، قبل حوالي عشرة أيام، دعوة رسمية إلى الأمين العام لحزب الله اللبناني، حسن نصر الله للقيام بزيارة تركيا.

وتقول المصادر إن " الدعوة جاءت بوساطة من رئيس المكتب السياسي لحركة حماس خالد مشعل، شريطة أن تسمح أنقرة لـ "قوة القدس" التابعة للحرس الثوري الإيراني، بتأمين الحماية لنصر الله خلال زيارته، خوفاً من اغتياله من قبل إسرائيل".

وبحسب ما تناقلته التقارير الصحافية، " أقنع" مشعل أردوغان بأن هذه الخطوة، سوف ترفع من الشعبية الهائلة التي يحظى بها رئيس الوزراء التركي في الشارعين العربي والإسلامي، ناهيك عن إنها سوف تحرج تل أبيب وتبقي الحالة العربية والإسلامية ووسائل الاعلام في ذروة العداء لاسرائيل، الذي تولد مع السيطرة على "أسطول الحرية".

وقالت المصادر، أنه قد تم التشاور مع قادة "الحرس الثوري" الإيراني، حول كيفية تأمين حماية كافية لنصر الله خلال رحلته في الذهاب والإياب، وضرورة تلقي ضمانات شخصية من أردوغان بأن إسرائيل لن تمس زعيم حزب الله خلال أو أثناء عودته من الزيارة التي سوف تكون على ما يبدو عن طريق البر الى سورية ومنها الى تركيا.

وأضافت، أن هناك توافقاً في الرأي بين الإيرانيين وحزب الله بأن الزيارة لا يمكن ان تتم إلا في حالة موافقة الأتراك على السماح لأفراد مسلحين من "قوة القدس" التابعة للحرس الثوري بالعمل بشكل مستقل في تركيا لتأمين حماية نصر الله ومرافقيه، لافتة إلى أن رئيس المخابرات التركية الجديد، حقان فيدان الذي تلقى الطلب الإيراني، وعد بدراسته"..

وفي المقابل، تضيف المصادر الصحافية ذاتها، سيقوم نصر الله بدعوة رئيس الوزراء التركي لزيارة لبنان والاجتماع به خلال الزيارة وإلقاء خطاب مشترك يظهر فيه نصر الله أمام جمهور الحزب إلى جانب اردوغان، حيث سيكون الأخير ورقة حماية الأول من أية عملية إسرائيلية تستهدفه خلال ظهوره العلني.
"

Friday, June 11, 2010


Bandar Bush to Putin:

"I made billions from BAE bribes; How much is your bribe?"

Rachel Corrie and Furkan Dogan: Murdered American Heroes


by Rannie Amiri
Global Research

"....In the past seven years, two Americans were unjustly, maliciously and violently killed by the Israel “Defense” Forces (IDF). Both had unwittingly given their lives for Gaza, and in the aftermath of their murders, their government forsook them.

Their names were oft-repeated—if not by follow citizens, then by citizens of the world—as events surrounding Israel’s horrific assault on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla were discussed. These two young and brave individuals were Rachel Corrie and Furkan Dogan....

Some may say that Corrie and Dogan were idealists who just got “caught up” in situations beyond their control or understanding.

They were not idealists, they were realists. They operated under simple, practical, honest principles: people’s homes should not be demolished by an occupying power; a besieged population has a fundamental right not to be denied food, medicine, clean water or shelter; collective punishment is inhumane and illegal.

Rachel Corrie and Furkan Dogan are American heroes. They were killed upholding human dignity, and their deaths were not in vain."

Israel FM Lieberman admits Gaza blockade intended as collective punishment: a war crime


By Ali Abunimah


"Following its criminal hijacking in international waters of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla and murder of at least 9 passengers, Israel has tried to justify its cruel blockade of the Gaza Strip on the grounds of "security." To anyone familiar with Israeli policy and the situation in Gaza, this excuse is absurd.

The list of items banned from Gaza has famously included such things as cilantro, cinnamon, jam, paper, musical instruments, potato chips and other snack foods, toys, canned foods, among thousands of others. Israel's blockade has been widely recognized and condemned not as a necessary security measure but as illegal collective punishment. And the siege -- which severely restricts or bans basic necessities from foodstuffs to clothes to building supplies -- has caused real harm, economic and human devastation, including growing malnutrition among children, and persistent food insecurity for the vast majority of the population.....

Yet this is precisely what Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman says Israel should -- and is doing -- by maintaning the blockade of Gaza. As Haaretz reported today,

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Thursday that Israel should not lift its blockade on the Gaza Strip unless Hamas agreed to goodwill gestures such as allowing representatives of the Red Cross to visit captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Lieberman told Amir Oren and Gabriela Shalev, Israel's ambassadors to the United States and the United Nations, that there was no reason to change the status quo with that regard until Hamas acceded to that minimum request......"

Let Them Eat Potato Chips!


Advantage Hamas After Flotilla Fiasco
Analysis by Mel Frykberg

"RAMALLAH, Jun 10, 2010 (IPS) - Israel may allow soft drinks, juice, canned fruit, salads, biscuits and potato chips into the Gaza Strip from next week. What should be an unremarkable event is making news headlines and portends unseen consequences.

After four years of a crippling Israeli blockade, which has reduced the poverty-stricken territory to a humanitarian basket-case, the international powers that be, in their infinite wisdom, have reached the conclusion that the above mentioned items do not, in fact, represent a threat to Israel’s security.....

Simultaneously, an increasingly weak and unpopular PA president Mahmoud Abbas - who has been relegated to newspaper back pages of late - was given some desperately needed life support on Wednesday.

Obama met with Abbas in the White House and promised not only political support but economic aid to the beleaguered Abbas.

Proximity peace talks with Israel have ground to a halt. Growing numbers of Palestinians see no gain from negotiations with Israel. Many instead see Hamas as steadfast, a view increasingly reflected in the region.

Under the new political scenario, Obama is probably praying that the PA can be saved. "

REMINDER:

Please participate in our poll about the PA, if you have not already.

Obama Goes with Neocon Flow on Iran


By Robert Parry
June 10, 2010

"Whether wittingly or witlessly, President Barack Obama is pursuing a neocon-charted path on Iran that parallels the one that George W. Bush took to war with Iraq – ratcheting up sanctions against the “enemy,” refusing to tolerate more peaceful options, and swaggering along with the propagandistic tough-guy-ism of the major U.S. news media.....

Having let his administration rebuff the Iran-Turkey-Brazil deal in favor of more UN sanctions and soon even tougher U.S. sanctions, Obama has let his foreign policy either drift – or be piloted – toward a worsening crisis."

Video: New Footage Depicts Attack on Mavi Marmara

Israeli Attack on the Mavi Marmara, May 31st 2010 // 15 min. from Cultures of Resistance on Vimeo.

For the US in Afghanistan, the News Is Bad


by Jim Lobe, June 11, 2010

"While U.S. officials insist they are making progress in reversing the momentum built up by the Taliban insurgency over the last several years, the latest news from Afghanistan suggests the opposite may be closer to the truth.

Even senior military officials are conceding privately that their much-touted new counterinsurgency strategy of "clear, hold and build" in contested areas of the Pashtun southern and eastern parts of the country are not working out as planned despite the "surge" of some 20,000 additional U.S. troops over the past six months.

Casualties among the nearly 130,000 U.S. and other NATO troops now deployed in Afghanistan are also mounting quickly....."

Public remains unfriendly on Afghanistan

The Washington Post

"Today's news that the U.S. military operation in Kandahar will take longer than expected lands amid the American public's least friendly outlook on the war in Afghanistan since 2007, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Overall, 53 percent say the war is not worth its costs, a new high in Post-ABC polling. That includes 41 percent who feel that way strongly, matching the previous high in August 2009. The public divides nearly evenly on how things are going there, with 42 percent saying the U.S. is winning and 39 percent losing; 12 percent say neither side has an edge...."

Video: New footage reveals details of Israeli attack on aid convoy




NOTE:

Please see Amy Goodman's report about this video and the press conference at the UN in an Democracy Now! Exclusive, I posted yesterday.



"June 10, 2010 — New Video Smuggled Out of Israeli Freedom Gaza Flotilla Massacre !!

Democracy Now! has interviewed some of the reporters, filmmakers, and photographers who managed to smuggle out some of their images.

Filmmaker and activist Iara Lee was one of the few Americans on-board the Mavi Marmara. Her equipment was confiscated but she managed to smuggle out an hour's worth of footage.

Watch the full interview with Iara Lee where she describes her experience on board here-
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/6/10......"

ماذا يحدث عندما تتحالف السلطة والثروة؟


A Good Article

"بحسب تقرير مهم لصحيفة القدس العربي نشر مؤخرا، فقد احتل وزراء وسياسيون بارزون في الحزب الوطني الحاكم نحو نصف قائمة الشخصيات الأكثر ثراءً في مصر، بعضهم وزراء ونواب معروفون وآخرون فضلوا ويفضلون البقاء في الظل ولا تتوفر عنهم معلومات كافية، مع العلم أن من الصعوبة بمكان حصر ثروات الناس في الدول ذات الأنظمة غير الديمقراطية، لأن مبدأ الشفافية لا يعدو أن يكون
شعارا للتسويق، لا صلة له بالواقع من قريب ولا من بعيد
يذكرنا التقرير بتلك الظاهرة التي أخذت تزداد انتشارا خلال العقدين الأخيرين، وربما العقود الثلاثة الأخيرة، والمتمثلة في تحالف السلطة والثروة في الجمهوريات العربية، ولا سيما تلك التي تعتمد نظام الحزب الحاكم، أو ما يحاكيه من الناحية السياسية، فيما كانت الظاهرة معروفة من قبل في الأنظمة الملكية وشبه الملكية، وإن اتسع نطاقها على نحو أوضح خلال العقود الأخيرة أيضا
....
كلما زادت النخب الحاكمة من تحكمها بالثروة إلى جانب السلطة، صارت أكثر نزقا في التعامل مع الناس وقوى المعارضة، كما صارت أكثر قدرة على استخدام المال في شراء الذمم، وتحويل المعارضين إلى تابعين لها
....
والحال أنه لو كانت تلك الأموال نتاجا لجهد حقيقي (مصانع ومزارع تشغل الناس وتدعم الاقتصاد الوطني على سبيل المثال) إذاً لهان الأمر، ولكنك تفاجأ أن كثيرا منها قد جاء نتاجا لكسب غير مشروع، أكان من النوع غير المشروع بشكل مباشر، مثل تجارة المخدرات وغسيل الأموال والتهريب بأنواعه الكثيرة، أم كان نتاجا لصفقات جاءت نتيجة التحالف مع القرار السياسي وعمادها "بزنس" الخدمات (بعضها احتكاري) الذي يدر دخولا هائلة من غير وجه حق، فضلا عن أعمال البورصة بمختلف تجلياتها، والتي تدار من خلف شاشات الكمبيوتر.

الأسوأ بالطبع هو قدرة هذه المنظومة التي احتكرت السلطة والثروة على توريط المؤسسة العسكرية والأجهزة الأمنية في لعبتها، بحيث يغدو الكبار جزءا منها، بينما يتولون حمايتها بكل ما أوتوا من قوة.

من هنا تبدو معركة قوى المعارضة مع هذه الظاهرة بالغة الأهمية والصعوبة في آن، فهي من جهة عنوان الدفاع عن الفقراء وهم القطاع الأعرض من الناس، فيما هي من جهة أخرى بالغة الصعوبة لما ستواجهه من نزق استثنائي من السلطة ورموزها وأجهزتها الأمنية، ولكن لا مناص أمام تلك القوى من خوض تلك المعركة كجزء من معركة الديمقراطية والحريات، وكمسار لا بد منه لكسب ثقة الناس ودمجهم في معركة التغيير الشامل.
"

Israel shakes down China


By Marwan Bishara
Al-Jazeera

".....Veiled threat

According to The New York Times, "In February, a high-level Israeli delegation travelled to Beijing to present classified evidence of Iran’s atomic ambitions.
Then they unveiled the ostensible purpose of their visit: to explain in sobering detail the economic impact to China from an Israeli strike on Iran — an attack Israel has suggested is all but inevitable should the international community fail to stop Iran from assembling a nuclear weapon.
“The Chinese didn’t seem too surprised by the evidence we showed them, but they really sat up in their chairs when we described what a pre-emptive attack would do to the region and on oil supplies they have come to depend on ...”
To add insult to injury, the Israeli official who chose to reveal this nugget asked the paper for anonymity so as not to upset his Chinese counterparts!
In fact, the Israelis do not want to hide their chutzpah.
The official who was permitted to speak to the press seems proud of Israel's audacity to shake down Beijing when the rest of the world is trying to gain China's favour as one of the of the world's two superpowers.
According to the US newspaper," ... the episode demonstrates how Israel — a small country with limited influence on China — has found ways to engage an emerging superpower whose geopolitical heft is increasingly vital to the Jewish state."....."

Thursday, June 10, 2010

The Zionist "Palestinian President": I Would Never Deny Jewish Right to the Land of Israel



Abbas Tells U.S. Jews: I Would Never Deny Jewish Right to the Land of Israel

Al-Manar

"10/06/2010 According to participants of two-hour roundtable discussion, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told U.S. Jewish leaders on Wednesday that he would never deny Jews their right to “the land of Israel.”

Some 30 Jewish leaders from organizations such as AIPAC, the Anti-Defamation League, and the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations took part in the Washington meeting, which focused mainly on the indirect peace talks and violent incitements.

"I am sure some people don't agree with him but the fact that everybody showed up was pretty encouraging," one of the participants told Israeli daily Haaretz.

Abbas said during the discussion that he had in the past proposed creating a trilateral commission to monitor and punish incitement, but that Israel did not agree to it.

When asked what he could offer Israelis to show that he was serious about peace initiatives [Abbas privately offered to submit to a second circumcision by Israel's Chief Rabbi, but was turned down.] , Abbas reminded the participants that he had addressed the Israeli public in an interview on Channel 10. "Why wouldn't Bibi go to Palestinian TV and do the same?" said the Palestinian president.

"I would never deny [the] Jewish right to the land of Israel," Abbas then declared......

During that interview, Abbas also lauded Barack Obama's administration and its efforts to bring forth a two-state solution. "This is the first time we hear from a U.S. administration talking about that the solution of a two-state solution is in the vital interest of the United States," said Abbas.

"The two-state solution is no longer only a Palestinian interest or an Israeli interest or a Middle East interest, but it is also an American interest.""

EXCLUSIVE: New Video Smuggled Out from Mavi Marmara of Israel’s Deadly Assault on Gaza Aid Flotilla

Democracy Now!
With Amy Goodman



"In a Democracy Now! exclusive, we bring you a sneak preview of previously unseen raw footage from the Mavi Marmara that will be formally released at a press conference at the United Nations later in the day. The footage shows the mood and the activities onboard the Mavi Marmara in the time leading up to the attack, and the immediate reaction of the passengers during the attack. We are joined by filmmaker and activist Iara Lee, one of the few Americans on the Mavi Marmara ship. Her equipment was confiscated, but she managed to smuggle out an hour’s worth of footage....."

Obama, the ADC and the Gaza Flotilla

No Regrets

By JENNIFER LOEWENSTEIN
CounterPunch

"Imagine the media coverage that would have awaited us in our local and national newspapers, our radio, facebook, twitter and television news alerts and special bulletins had Iran or another ‘enemy’ nation killed –and in some cases executed – 9 or more Israeli or American Jewish peace activists aboard a Turkish vessel (and therefore a NATO partner). What if that vessel were leading a convoy of 700 unarmed activists aboard ships filled with humanitarian aid to a million and a half Jewish political prisoners held hostage by that nation on spurious and sinister claims of ‘national security’?

Imagine, in the wake of these events, President Obama not even bothering to respond to an invitation to deliver the keynote address at AIPAC, the US’ most influential pro-Israel lobby, as Jews and their supporters from across the United States traveled to Washington DC for AIPAC’s most important annual event – one that coincided with the 30th anniversary of its founding? The political fallout from such an offense would have created a storm of controversy.....

At this year’s Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) gala dinner on Saturday night, June 5th 2010, long-time Lebanese-American activist (on behalf of the American people) and former presidential contender Ralph Nader gave the keynote speech to some 350-400 people. Halfway through his speech, Nader noted that President Obama had been the original choice of the ADC as the keynote speaker. When I asked Dr. Safa Rifka, Chairman of the ADC’s Board of Directors, if he would verify that President Obama had been invited to address the audience that evening, Rifka responded in undisguised contempt, “Absolutely; and you can mention my name as well.” He said he himself had sent the invitation and that the Whoite House hadn’t even bothered to reply [the ADC deserves this contempt for being such a groveling boot licker!]......

Like its US patron, Israel continues to promote state-of-the art-global violence – even when that means executing citizens of US-allied nations for resisting its spiral into madness. When US politicians, pundits and media spokespeople congratulate Israel and its special Naval Commando units for assaulting a NATO partner’s ship carrying 700 peace activists tired and ashamed of the persistent international silence over the sadistic destruction of the land, culture and identity of the Palestinians, Arab-Americans are not the only group of people who should be both sickened and aghast. "

Al-Jazeera Video: As'ad Abukhalil on US-Isareli relations in the aftermath of the Peace Flotilla incident

A Very Good Short Video (Arabic)



"Prof. As'ad Abukhalil http://angryarab.net/, http://angryarab.blogspot.com/,
on AljaZeera In Arabic on 2010.06.03

On US justification and support for Israeli Actions in the high see, and on containing worldwide condemnations. "

Iran sanctions as good as 'used tissue'


By Kaveh L Afrasiabi
Asia Times

"The United Nations Security Council resolution for a fourth round of sanctions on Iran has shattered any pretence of unified support for coercive diplomacy. With President Mahmud Ahmadinejad saying the measures should be "discarded like a used tissue'', the stage is set for a spiral of tension reminiscent of the fiasco that led to the invasion of Iraq....

In the short run, however, given the absence of "crippling sanctions", the incremental heat of the Security Council's resolution will be bearable by Iran, thanks to its ability to withstand sanctions for more than 30 years and a savvy regional diplomacy that has produced close friends and allies in the region and beyond....."

Turkish Doctor Describes Treating Israeli Commandos During Raid - The Lede Blog - NYTimes.com


By Ali Abunimah


"Ali Abunimah, a founder of the Electronic Intifada, argued in a post on his blog that images of the commando being treated by Dr. Uysal, along with other photographs apparently taken during the raid that show bloodied and disarmed commandos in the custody of passengers inside the ship, contradict Israeli suggestions that the aim of the passengers was to kill the soldiers.

In a telephone interview conducted in Turkish, Dr. Uysal said that he had treated three Israeli commandos and argued that this proved that the passengers had no intention of killing them..."

NATO 'Singing Israeli Tunes'


Analysis by David Cronin

"BRUSSELS, Jun 9, 2010 (IPS) - Strategists with NATO are eager to maintain the strong bonds they have developed with Israel in recent times, even though its forces last week attacked a ship flagged in Turkey, a steadfast member of the alliance.

Ever since its inception in 1949, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) has legally been dedicated to the principle of mutual defence. According to this principle, an attack on any one country in the alliance is considered an attack on all of its member states.

Analysts readily concur that Israel posed a fundamental challenge to NATO by storming the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish vessel participating in the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, killing nine peace activists. But while Turkey's government responded swiftly to the assault by convening an emergency meeting in NATO's Brussels headquarters, realpolitik has prevented Ankara from demanding a robust response from its allies....

Despite identifying Iran's uranium enrichment efforts as a threat, NATO has been silent about Israel's own nuclear programme, with which it is widely believed to have developed up to 300 nuclear bombs. The programme has been developed in secret but a new book by the journalist Sasha Polakow- Suransky 'The Unspoken Alliance: Israel's Secret Relationship with South Africa' gives details of documents which appear to prove the existence of Israel's nuclear weapons...."

Moral Failure of American Liberals: A Defence of Helen Thomas


By Jonathan Cook
Palestine Chronicle

"The ostracism of Helen Thomas, the doyenne of the White House press corps, over her comment that Jews should 'get the hell out of Palestine' and 'go home' to Poland, Germany, America and elsewhere is revealing in several ways. In spite of an apology, the 89-year-old has been summarily retired by the Hearst newspaper group, dropped by her agent, spurned by the White House, and denounced by long-time friends and colleagues.

Ms Thomas earnt a reputation as a combative journalist, at least by American standards, with a succession of administrations over their Middle East policies, culminating in Bush officials boycotting her for her relentless criticisms of the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. But the reaction to her latest remarks suggest that, if there is one topic in American public life on which the boundaries of what can and cannot be said are still tightly policed, it is Israel.....

It is with this context in mind that we can draw a more fitting analogy. We should ask instead: How harshly should Ms Thomas be judged were she a black professional who, seeing yet another injustice like the video of Rodney King being beaten to within an inch of his life by white policemen, had said white Americans ought to “go home to Europe”?

This analogy accords more closely with the reality of power relations in the US between Arabs and Jews. Ms Thomas is not a representative of the oppressor white man disrespecting the oppressed black man, as Mr Davis suggests; she is the oppressed black man hitting back at the oppressor. Her comments shocked not least because they denied an image that continues to dominate in modern America of the vulnerable Jew, a myth that persists even as Jews have become the most successful minority in the country...."

A Wasteland Called Peace


by Philip Giraldi, June 10, 2010

"In the first century A.D. the Roman historian Tacitus wrote "Solitudinem fecerunt, pacem appelunt," translated as "they have created a wasteland and call it peace." He was describing the devastating Roman campaigns against the German tribes under the first emperor Augustus in which all the men capable of carrying weapons were slaughtered and the remainder of the population was sold into slavery. It was the Roman way of waging war, complete destruction of a foreign enemy to serve as a warning against challenging the might of the Caesars.

We Americans have inherited the imperial mantle and are the new Romans. For the policymakers in Washington, nearly all of whom have never served in the military, war is an abstraction, like moving chess pieces around or looking at graphs in a power point presentation.......

Four stories I would rather have not read. How did we get into this nightmare? I wish I knew and if it were only a nightmare someday we might wake up. There is no longer any hope that Obama will reverse course on any of this. Perhaps, like the Roman Empire and the British Empire more recently, the United States will just run out of money and manpower and will retire from the international stage. I have to believe that the world will be a better place when that finally occurs."

Gaza's boys and girls come out to play


The UN summer games offer the blockaded territory's children a rare chance of fun. But a terrifying warning from hardliners has cast a shadow over this year's event

By Donald Macintyre in Gaza City
The Independent

"London 2012 it isn't. But on Sunday a relay of 50 schoolchildren bearing an Olympic-style torch will start from Deir el Balah Elementary Boy's School in central Gaza on the 17km road journey along the Mediterranean coast to the UN compound in Gaza City. There, they will light a flame, less to commemorate the notorious white phosphorus bombardment which razed the main warehouse here during Israel's military offensive in January 2009, than to herald the start of something altogether more cheerful: the fourth annual summer games.

Throughout the summer a total of 250,000 children will be brought together every day – girls and boys in separate groups in deference to Gaza's traditionally conservative culture – for a fortnight by the UN Refugee agency UNRWA for something that John Ging, its Gaza Operations Director, points out is all-too rare in Gaza: "a moment of childhood and happiness"......

A few days after a gang of around 25 masked and armed men scorched and vandalised one of 35 camps being prepared for the games, John Ging, Operations Director of UNRWA here, was visited by three 15-year-old girls from Rimal Preparatory School. All three were appalled at the attack which wrought some $20,000 worth of damage and included delivery of an ominously menacing message for Mr Ging himself. The girls' appeal was simple: please don't cancel the games because of what happened.

Mr Ging was touched – and quick to reassure them. Having devised the games four years ago, he told the girls he was not about to abandon them now. As one of the girls, Amani Sansour, later explained in articulate English: "When we met Mr John he told us he will never stop the project. We are very happy that the summer games will not be stopped. It's a big chance for children to have fun and happiness in their lives, and their human rights. They can practise their hobbies and do things like swimming. This is especially good for girls who can't go to swim together without their parents, according to the traditional culture here. Life is very hard here for boys and girls but harder for girls."....."

Afghan president 'has lost faith in US ability to defeat Taliban'


Afghanistan's former head of intelligence says President Hamid Karzai is increasingly looking to Pakistan to end insurgency

Jon Boone in Kabul
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 9 June 2010

(Left: The Three Stooges of the Empire.)

"President Hamid Karzai has lost faith in the US strategy in Afghanistan and is increasingly looking to Pakistan to end the insurgency, according to those close to Afghanistan's former head of intelligence services.

Amrullah Saleh, who resigned last weekend, believes the president lost confidence some time ago in the ability of Nato forces to defeat the Taliban.

As head of the National Directorate of Security, Saleh was highly regarded in western circles. He has said little about why he quit, other than that the Taliban attack on last week's peace jirga or assembly in Kabul was for him the "tipping point"; the interior minister, Hanif Atmar, also quit, and their resignations were accepted by Karzai...."

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Emad Hajjaj's Cartoon

This Cartoon Says it All:

The man with the Turkish flag on his cap is soliciting volunteers to break the Gaza siege. He is carrying a sign that reads, "join your Turkish brothers in breaking the Gaza siege; join the Freedom Flotilla!"

The man with big belly on the left responds:

"I am too busy and besides, I have 4 boys to care for: Nasser (named after the former Egyptian president), Yasser (after Yasser Arafat), Saddam and Nasrallah.

The fifth boy is on the way; I can hardly keep up with them. However, I promise you that I will name the new boy ERDOGAN!"

New Photos Released by Turkish Charity (IHH)

Contributed by "zionism= racism and terrorism"


(Many More; Check Them Out.)

Introducing IKHRAS website


"“Ikhras” is classical Arabic for “Shut Up,” which is “Inchab” in Iraqi, “Sakkir Boozak” in Levantine Arabic, or “Intam” in The Arabian Peninsula. Ikhras was inspired by the Arab and Muslim “activists” and “representatives” that hijacked our identities and name for their own self-aggrandizement and in furtherance of personal ambitions unrelated to our communities’ agenda, interests, and well-being. It was they that made this project necessary and now Ikhras is here to tell them they do not speak for us. Ikhras adds its voice to those resisting US Imperialism and Zionism with a special focus on exposing, ridiculing and holding accountable House Arabs and House Muslims in the US, to borrow Malcolm X’s expression.

Ikhras is being launched at a time when Iraq and Palestine remain occupied and colonized, Iraqi and Palestinian children’s flesh burns from white phosphorus, and unmanned planes conduct deadly fly-bys over Afghan and Pakistani villages slaughtering innocent civilians in their homes or wedding parties. As this takes place abroad American schools shut down, infrastructure crumbles, poverty increases, the disparity between rich and poor continues to grow, institutionalized racism endures, and the “land of the free” turns into the home of the highest documented incarceration rate in the world. These cowardly Arab and Muslim-Americans not only fail to address the ills and crimes of America, but in what appears to be overcompensation for their minority status, they immerse themselves in American political folklore complete with the flag-waving, sloganeering, and transparently phony expressions of patriotism.

Instead of condemning US crimes and warmongering abroad and embracing their natural role on the front-lines of the anti-War movement, these opportunistic, unprincipled Arabs and Muslims posing as representatives of their communities provide a veil of political legitimacy to the ruling class and foreign policy makers that victimize the people they claim to represent. Many of them even help facilitate the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan through translation services, military recruitment, and other forms of quisling-type collaboration with Uncle Sam which is a disservice to both the homeland they left behind and the society they adopted as their new home.

These groveling, kowtowing, obsequious clowns are not the voice of Arabs and Muslims in America. They are members of the mythical “Arab Lobby” eager to demonstrate their loyalty at every opportunity, desperate for approval and validation, busy garnering support among the corporate, news-entertainment industry, and engaging in that never ending quest for acceptance among the power elite. To them we say you are a hindrance to our cause, a blight on our community, and a detriment to better understanding and increased solidarity among Arabs and Muslims and other citizens of this country, and the world.

Your activities have become harmful and counterproductive, and at this point we must ask you to just IKHRAS! — that’s SHUT UP!, considering most of you don’t even speak Arabic. And while we recognize your right to make fools out of yourselves, you do not have a right to do so in our name. Ikhras is a modest tribute to brave Field Arabs who dig tunnels in Gaza to feed their families, throw shoes at their oppressors, and stand up for their people, civilizations, and universal values such as freedom, social justice, and human rights despite overwhelming odds."

Framing the Narrative: Israeli Commandos Seizes Videotape and Equipment From Journalists After Deadly Raid

Democracy Now!
With Amy Goodman



"After the Israeli military raided the Gaza aid flotilla and killed nine of the activists on board, they detained almost everyone else–700 activists and journalists, hauled them to the Israeli port of Ashdod and kept them largely out of communication with family, press and lawyers for days. The Israeli government confiscated every recording and communication device it could find–devices containing almost all the recorded evidence of the raid. The Israelis selected, edited and released footage they wanted the world to see. We speak to two veteran reporters who were covering the Gaza Freedom Flotilla for Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald....."

Palestinian Member of Israeli Knesset Receives Death Threats After Surviving Israeli Raid On Gaza Aid Flotilla


Democracy Now!
With Amy Goodman




"Hanin Zuabi was aboard the Mavi Marmara–the lead ship in the flotilla where all nine activists were killed, and she witnessed some of them bleed to death. When she returned to Israel to speak in the Knesset she was verbally assaulted by parliament members for her participation in the flotilla...."

Al-Jazeera Video: Inside Story - Turkey's role in the Middle East



"June 09, 2010 — A meeting of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Istanbul has focused on Turkey's role in the Middle East in the wake of the Israeli raid on the Turkish aid flotilla and looming fresh sanctions on Iran. On this episode of Inside Story we ask if Turkey will be able to fill the leadership vacuum in the region. "

'We'll be Back - With Bigger Flotillas'


Mel Frykberg interviews HUWAIDA ARRAF, a leader of the Free Gaza flotilla

(Don't miss it!)

"RAMALLAH, Jun 8, 2010 (IPS) - In an exclusive interview with IPS Huwaida Arraf, the chairwoman of the Free Gaza (FG) movement, which tried to break Israel’s crippling blockade on Gaza, explains what happened on the night of May 31 when Israeli commandos raided the FG humanitarian flotilla, shooting nine people dead and injuring dozens more.

Controversy surrounds the events following the deadly commando raid with survivors from among the 700 activists on board the flotilla giving a very different version of events from that of the Israeli government.

Q: Critics have accused FG of deliberately provoking a confrontation with the Israelis and argued that the attempt to break the siege was political and not just a humanitarian relief operation.

A: They are correct to say that FG’s aim was more than just bringing humanitarian relief. We are deeply disturbed by Israel’s deliberate and calculated creation of a humanitarian crisis in the coastal territory and we intended to draw international attention to this.

We are not interested in simply perpetuating the siege and the humanitarian crisis by bringing in aid alone. Gazans are not interested in being aid dependent either. Eighty percent of Gaza’s population is dependent on food aid. This is not the result of a natural disaster but a deliberate and cruel Israeli policy. We are concerned that the human rights of Gazans be respected and they are allowed to live a normal life as human beings.

Q: Did the activists provoke the Israeli commandos into using deadly force?

A: This is nonsense....."

Israel's Cult of Victimhood: 'Barefoot' Soldiers on the High Seas


By Jonathan Cook
Palestine Chronicle

"Why are Israelis so indignant at the international outrage that has greeted their country's lethal attack last week on a flotilla of civilian ships taking aid to Gaza?

Israelis have not responded in any of the ways we might have expected. There has been little soul-searching about the morality, let alone legality, of soldiers invading ships in international waters and killing civilians. In the main, Israelis have not been interested in asking tough questions of their political and military leaders about why the incident was handled so badly. And only a few commentators appear concerned about the diplomatic fall-out.

Instead, Israelis are engaged in a Kafkaesque conversation in which the military attack on the civilian ships is characterised as a legitimate “act of self-defence”, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it, and the killing of nine aid activists is transformed into an attempted “lynching of our soldiers” by terrorists....

The lessons imbibed from this episode -- like the lessons Israelis learnt from the Goldstone report last year into the war crimes committed during Israel’s attack on Gaza, or the international criticisms of the massive firepower unleashed on Lebanon before that -- are the same: that the world hates us, and that we are alone.

If the confrontation with the activists on the flotilla has proved to Israelis that the unarmed passengers were really terrorists, the world’s refusal to stay quiet has confirmed what Israelis already knew: that, deep down, non-Jews are all really anti-Semites.

Meanwhile, the lesson the rest of us need to draw from the deadly commando raid is that the world can no longer afford to indulge these delusions. "

The Gaza Freedom Flotilla: Framing the Narrative

by Amy Goodman
TruthDig

"....I caught up with two veteran journalists who were covering the Gaza Freedom Flotilla for Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald, chief correspondent Paul McGeough and his photographer, Kate Geraghty. They were in Istanbul, where they had been deported from Israel. They had spent time on most of the ships of the flotilla, but were aboard the smaller, U.S.-flagged Challenger 1 when the raid occurred.

Geraghty described how she was shot with a Taser: “I was photographing Israeli commandos coming up a ladder. There was a white flash, this thing hit my arm. I was thrown a meter and a half. It hurt, and I immediately became sick, began throwing up.” She yelled that she and McGeough were from The Sydney Morning Herald, and one of the commandos responded, in English with an Australian accent, “We know you’re from the Herald.” Despite her breadth of experience covering conflict zones around the world, she found her maltreatment by the Israelis “more personal. They knew who we were, they stole my gear, they falsely imprisoned us when we were in international waters covering a legitimate story.”.....

When journalists are free to function, they can report the truth. The Israeli military has been forced to retract its claim that passengers aboard the flotilla were agents of al-Qaida. An Israel Defense Forces press release sent out two days after the assault says approximately 40 flotilla passengers “are mercenaries belonging to the Al Qaeda terror organization.” The independent journalist Max Blumenthal says both he and an Israeli colleague asked the Israeli military press office to substantiate its claim. No evidence was provided, and one day later the press release was modified. The original headline was changed from “Attackers of the IDF Soldiers Found to be Al Qaeda Mercenaries” to “Attackers of the IDF Soldiers Found Without Identification Papers.”....."

The Real Threat Aboard the Freedom Flotilla

By Noam Chomsky
In These Times

"Israel’s violent attack on the Freedom Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza shocked the world.

Hijacking boats in international waters and killing passengers is, of course, a serious crime.

But the crime is nothing new. For decades, Israel has been hijacking boats between Cyprus and Lebanon and killing or kidnapping passengers, sometimes holding them hostage in Israeli prisons.

Israel assumes that it can commit such crimes with impunity because the United States tolerates them and Europe generally follows the U.S.’s lead....

The Freedom Flotilla defied Israel's policy of blocking solutions to the Arab-Israeli conflict based on international decisions, and so it had to be crushed....."

New face of power in the Middle East



Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's handling of the Gaza crisis has brought him into the spotlight – and his country into the centre of regional politics.

Patrick Cockburn reports

"Ever since Israeli commandos stormed a ship carrying aid to Gaza killing nine activists, the face of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan – the man who led denunciations of the raid – has been prominent on front pages and television screens across the Middle East.

The bloody fiasco has led to a crucial change in the balance of power in the Middle East, greater than anything seen in the region since the collapse of the Soviet Union deprived the Arabs of their most powerful ally....."


COMMENT

Advice to Erdogan and to Turkey: Don't Trust the Arab Throngs!

They are the same "masses" which cheered for the former Soviet Union; they have no convictions or real understanding of their interests or of history. They are like lost sheep, looking for an easy way out; Erdogan is the shepherd of the moment. Tomorrow? Who knows....

These are the same gullible throngs that cheered for Lawrence of Arabia 100 years ago and fought the Ottomans. Why? Because the British Colonialists promised them independence. Can you believe that!

Fast forward and you find the same "masses" cheering for Obama in Cairo. Why? Because he promised a "Palestinian State!" Has anything changed?


Hell, most Arab countries (including Syria) conspired with the Empire to destroy Iraq! The Syrian air force proudly joined the USAF in bombing Iraqi forces in Kuwait!

As the Turks say, the Arabs are traitors, even to their own causes.

I will change my mind when I see evidence to the contrary.

Getting His Paycheck From the White House...


PA Chief Discusses Proximity Talks with Obama

Al-Manar

"09/06/2010 US President Barack Obama is expected Wednesday to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House. A senior Obama administration official said that Obama and Abbas “will discuss steps to improve life for the people of Gaza, including U.S. support for specific projects to promote economic development and greater quality of life,” [Take That Joseph Goebbels! The White House is Way Ahead of You!] according to Reuters.

Obama and Abbas are also expected to discuss proximity talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the wake of the deadly Israeli attack on the Freedom flotilla in international waters last week......"

Also see this:

عباس يلتقي قادة منظمة "ايباك" والجالية اليهودية في الولايات المتحدة

Lieberman: It's No Use, Turkey Won’t Change

Al-Manar

"...."It would be a mistake thinking that we could change the Turkish stand against Israel with another effort or gesture, as there has been a strategic change in the Turkish government which stems from deep changes in their society," Lieberman said Tuesday in a meeting with members of the Conference of President of Major American Jewish Organizations in New York.


Addressing the Egyptian decision to open the Rafah crossing permanently, Lieberman said that "maintaining the calm in Gaza is first of all an Egyptian interest and there is a great deal of cooperation between the security forces of Israel and Egypt."

As for Iran, the foreign minister said he hoped to see "real tough decisions against Iran" during the UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday, but added that "the situation is probably slightly different and this is the entire international community's problem."....."

Israel preparing for prolonged ME war


Press TV

"Israel seems to be preparing for a prolonged war in the Middle East, demanding the United States for more military equipment and a boost of US-held arsenals in Israel.

The requests were brought up during recent visits to Washington by high-ranking Israeli defense officials, and in conversations with senior administration and Congress officials, Haaretz revealed in an article published on its website on Tuesday.

Among the requested weapons are US bombs and precision guidance kits, such as Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) that add GPS/INS guidance to bombs.

The JDAM kits have been increasingly used by the Israeli air force in recent offensives, including in the 2006 war against Lebanon and the 2008 Gaza war.

The priority list is said to indicate that Israel is preparing for the prospects of a long war, which would necessitate an extensive use of the air force to attack a large number of targets, along with ensuring enough spare parts and supplies.

Israel is also seeking to increase the amount of gear held by the American army in their emergency stores in Israel by 50 percent — that is from $800 million to $1.2 billion...."

Current Al-Jazeera (Arabic) Online Poll


This brand new poll asks:

Do you support imposing sanctions on Iran because of its nuclear program?

With about 200 responding so far (it is very early), 86% said no.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Al-Jazeera Cartoon



The Arab:

"We ask the International Community to Make a Move!"

The Sickness of Israel knows no limit

It is hard to describe the feeling you get when watching the following disturbing Youtube video. This
one called "we con the world" was publised by a blog that is run by the "Jersulem Post" editor. It's a hit with the israeli public. I could not help but feel sorry for the Israelis who lack basic elements of humanity. If I was an Israeli I would renounce my citizenship and as Hellen Thomas put it so eloquently "Get the hell out of Palestine". Who wants to belong to this ?
The Israeli government later apologized for the video. But that does not change the facts.



مهلا على تركيا


An Excellent Article and Highly Recommended Reading

"
بين الأمل والتمني
صعوبات أمام الحكومة التركية
الظهر التركي
بناء العرب الداخلي
....
لكن يجب ألا ينقلب هذا الشكر إلى عبء على تركيا، أو تحميلها أكثر مما تحتمل. تركيا في النهاية ذات قدرات محدودة من الناحيتين الاقتصادية والعسكرية، ومن الممكن أن تئن فيما إذا قرر خصومها نقل العداء نقلة نوعية تؤثر على بنيتها العسكرية والاقتصادية.

الشكر لتركيا يمكن أن يكون له معنى قوي فيما إذا قررنا نحن الشعب دعم تركيا بالأفعال وليس فقط بالهتاف. نحن العرب نتحمل مسؤولية طرد سفراء إسرائيل من البلدان العربية، وإغلاق مكاتبها التجارية، ومقاطعة بضائعها، ووقف التطبيع معها.

ونحن العرب نتحمل مسؤولية وقف المفاوضات والإعداد لردع إسرائيل حتى لا تجرؤ على الاستمرار في عدوانيتها، وحتى تعترف بالحقوق الوطنية الثابتة للشعب الفلسطيني. وفوق ذلك مطلوب من الشعوب العربية أن تتحرك ضد حكامها الذين يحاصرون غزة.

ليس من المعقول أن نصفق فقط لتركيا لأنها تريد رفع الحصار عن غزة، في حين أننا نرى بعض الحكومات العربية تمارس ما هو أشنع من ممارسات إسرائيل ضد غزة.

إذا كنا نرى في الطيب أردوغان رجلا، فعلينا أن نكون نحن رجالا، ولا أظن أن أشباه الرجال يشدون عضد تركيا. وإذا كنا نرى في نساء تركيا المجد فإن على نسائنا أن يكن ماجدات أيضا.

علينا أن نشمر عن سواعدنا، ونقرر أن تغيير ما نحن فيه لن يتم إلا من خلالنا، وأن هزيمة العرب لا تتحقق إلا بجهودهم التي لا يبذلونها، وأن حكامهم ليسوا على قدر المسؤولية إن لم يكونوا حلفاء المعادين. فهل ننصر تركيا كما تحاول أن تنصرنا؟

تركيا تواجه ورئيس سلطة رام الله يصر على المفاوضات، ووزير خارجيته يقول إن وقف المفاوضات عبارة عن هدية ثمينة لإسرائيل. أما كبرى الدول العربية فاكتفت بفتح مشروط لمعبر رفح. فإذا كان الهتاف لتركيا ضروريا، فإن الهتاف لسقوط أنظمة عربية أكثر ضرورة.
"

The method in Israel's madness


(Cartonn by Khalil Bendib)

By Pepe Escobar
Asia Times

"Israel's heavy-handed attack on the Mavi Marmara carrying activists heading for Gaza was motivated by fear as the ultimate Israeli nightmare has come true. The new key axis in the Middle East is Turkey, Iran and Syria, and it has smashed the divide-and-rule logic Western colonialism has been imposing on the region for more than a century....

Israel's "mad dog" strategy - conceived by former military leader Moshe Dayan - is not exactly an exercise in fitting in. Even centrist Middle East analyst Anthony Cordesman, an establishment icon at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, wrote an essay under the title "Israel as a Strategic Liability?"

Big Brother Washington may be - forever - blind to it; but if you are a state and your strategy is to configure yourself as South Africa at the twilight of apartheid - by the way, at the time Israel was trying to sell nuclear weapons to South Africa - method is the last thing to be found in your madness."