Monday, January 31, 2011

The usual intimidation tactics didn't work this time!

Brooklyn College reinstates teacher fired for scholarship on Palestine

Brooklyn College’s decision today to reinstate Kristofer Petersen-Overton’s teaching position is being hailed as a victory for academic freedom. Petersen-Overton, a PhD student at CUNY’s Graduate Center, was let go just 24-hours after state assemblyman Dov Hikind allegedly contacted CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein to complain of Petersen-Overton’s supposed sympathy for suicide bombers. Hikind, a former Brooklyn College alumnus, previously made his mark in the smear campaign that led to the removal of educator Debbie Almontaser.

The Brooklyn College Political Science Department called an emergency meeting today during which faculty voted unanimously to recommend that Petersen-Overton be hired to teach a course titled “Politics of the Middle East.” This was followed with a unanimous vote by the Political Science Appointments Committee to officially hire him. A meeting between the Chair of the Political Science Department, Provost William Tramontano, President Karen Gould and others then ensued.

Mondoweiss

Read more

The nauseating Netanyahu meets the disgusting Merkel. What do they do? They spin the events in Egypt!


Netanyahu expressed his concerns about Egypt alongside Angela Merkel, the German chancellor
At a news conference alongside Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, on Monday in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said Egypt could wind up with a radical Islamic regime as in Iran.
Read more

Total internet blackout in Egypt

Egyptian protests are set to continue without the help of the internet

Egypt's last working internet service provider, the Noor Group, has been disconnected, a US Web monitoring company said, leaving the crisis-torn country completely offline.

Renesys, a New Hampshire-based firm that monitors internet routing data in real time, said on Monday that the Noor network "started disappearing from the Internet" around 20h46 GMT.

Read more-Al Jazeera

Egypt gears up for gigantic protest

Al Jazeera

Protesters are trickling in to Cairo's Tahrir Square, the planned starting point of a "march of a million", on the eighth day of an uprising that has claimed at least 125 lives in clashes between demonstrators and police.

Another million-strong march is planned in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, as national train services were cancelled in an apparent bid to stymie protests.

Reporting from Cairo, an Al Jazeera correspondent reported that the number of people gathered in Tahrir Square on Tuesday morning was larger than had been seen on earlier days at the same time.

"The numbers are certainly larger than we've seen over the last couple of days, and there's a steady trickle of people walking into the square. A lot of people I've spoken to have said they will be attending, despite reports that there is the possibility that it could turn violent," she said.

Read more

Can the Palestinian Authority Survive?

By JONATHAN COOK

Nazareth.

With the 18-year-long Middle East peace process finally pronounced dead, is the Palestinian Authority finished too?

That is the question being asked by Palestinians in the wake of a week of damaging revelations that Palestinian negotiators secretly made major concessions to Israel in talks on Jerusalem, refugees and borders.

The PA -- the Palestinians' government-in-the-making, led by Mahmoud Abbas -- was already in crisis before the disclosure of official Palestinian documents by Al Jazeera television last week.

Now, said George Giacaman, the head of the Ramallah-based research centre Muwatin, which advocates greater Palestinian democracy, the PA's "back is to the wall".
Read more

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Daryl Cagle


Nobel laureate Zewail’s 4 point Plan for Egypt

Juan Cole
Nobelist in chemistry, Dr. Ahmed Zewail of the California Institute of Technology, is an Egyptian-American who has sometimes been mentioned as a candidate for president of Egypt. He has served as a science envoy to the Arab world of President Obama. In an interview on Aljazeera Arabic, Zewail called for fundamental change in Egypt, not just cosmetic alterations. He gave as the causes for the current uprising.
Read more

We've waited for this revolution for years. Other despots should quail

Change is sweeping though the Middle East and it's the Facebook generation that has kickstarted it.
Read more-The Guardian

Abbas show of support to Mubarak! Loser!

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- President Mahmoud Abbas contacted his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak on Saturday, state media said. “President Abbas affirmed the Palestinian leadership's support for Egyptian security and stability,” Abbas was quoted as saying.
Read more

Global solidarity!

*Solidarity with Egypt in ...Tel Aviv

*LEBANON: Protesters at embassy support Egyptians against regime

*Americans Protest In Support Of Egypt (PHOTOS)

*Protest in San Francisco

*San Francisco Solidarity Protest with Egyptian Revolution #Jan25 (29.1.2011)

*Hundreds at anti-Mubarak protest in Washington

*Great picture from Boston protests: Walk Like an Egyptian

*Toronto rally echoes calls for reform in Egypt

*Australian-Egyptians tell Mubarak to go

*Egyptian protesters in front o/t FreedomPalace i/t Hague,Netherlands. All screaming "Down with Mubarak

*Syrian activists salute Tunisia, Egypt uprisings

From the Angry Arab

Psychological Operations against the Arab people
Watch out. Be careful. There has been political psychological operations against the Arabs in publications close to the Mossad (like the Telegraph in the UK and that lousy site, Debka--or whatever it is called). They intend to imply that the US is orchestrating the protests in Egypt. Those rumors aim at 1) Imply that Arabs have no agency. That they can't act on their own and out of their own volition. 2) to exaggerate the ability of the US to control events in the Middle East. 3) to imply that the US never is hit in the face in the region. 4) to enhance the image of the US as one that is on the side of the people. 5) to discredit the protest movement in the eye of the Arabs to make it an American plot. Beware.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/01/psychological-operations-against-arab.html

Keep talking, we're very interested.

Clinton says US wants "orderly transition" in Egypt
WASHINGTON, Jan 30 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Sunday the United States wanted to see an orderly transition of power in Egypt, where anti-government protests have threatened the rule of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Read more

Egyptian protesters again defy curfew; many police stand down

The second day of a government-imposed curfew doesn't deter thousands of demonstrators, who are essentially given free rein through the center of Cairo. For the most part, police are absent and protests in the downtown area are peaceful for much of Saturday. Egyptian protesters defied a government-imposed curfew for a second night and lawlessness spread across Cairo as police backed off from confrontations in most areas of the capital, allowing thousands of demonstrators free rein through the city center.
Read more

On the ground with Egypt protesters

BBC correspondent Lyse Doucet gets caught up in protests on Cairo's Tahrir Square, the focal point of the demonstrations in the city.
Read more

Understatement of the day!: Pressure builds on Mubarak

Protests continue as world leaders keep up pressure, urging for sweeping reforms in Egypt. The United States and other leading European nations have urged Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, to refrain from violence against unarmed protesters and work to create conditions for free and fair elections. Washington told Mubarak on Saturday that it was not enough simply to "reshuffle the deck" with a shake-up of his government and pressed him to make good on his promise of genuine reform.
Read more

Police shoot dead 17 attacking Egypt police stations

CAIRO, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Egyptian police shot dead 17 people trying to attack two police stations on Saturday in Beni Suef governorate, south of Cairo, witnesses and medical sources said.
Read more

Cyprus Recognizes Independent Palestinian State

Cyprus announced Sunday that it recognizes a Palestinian State in the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. Cyprus is the first European Union member country that officially recognizes the Palestinian right to statehood .

cyprus.jpg

The official Greek recognition came in a latter handed by its president Dmitri Christofias to the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas.

The letters also confirmed the historic and close ties with the Palestinian people. It also called for a peaceful solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in which a democratic and viable Palestinian state can be established with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The letter also stated that Cyprus will not recognize any Israeli changes to the geography and demography of the occupied Palestinian territories, including in occupied East Jerusalem.
Read more

This is how much on Fox News, they know about Egypt!

Women at the forefront!


Gideon Levy: Israel will never get a better deal than the one it rejected

This hackneyed tale has now been revived, emerging from the Palestine Papers leaked to the Arabic satellite channel Al-Jazeera.

One upon a time there was a farmer who wanted to save on feed. Every day he would reduce the amount of food for his horse, see that it worked, and continue cutting and cutting until the horse had nothing to eat. The horse died.

East Jerusalem Har Homa







This hackneyed tale has now been revived, emerging from the Palestine Papers leaked to the Arabic satellite channel Al-Jazeera.

The Israeli farmer closed his hand, and the Palestinian horse was fit to die. One of them saved, the other expired. The Palestinians had already conceded most of their world, and greedy Tzipi Livni insisted: what about Har Homa and Maaleh Adumim?

Terror has stopped, they're coordinating targeted killings to serve Israel. Selling their souls to the devil, they're for the closure on Gaza. Mahmoud Abbas explains, like an Israeli propagandist, that the return of the refugees will destroy the state of Israel. Maybe 10,000 a year, they're still trying - in vain. Livni doesn't agree.

Read more

Gideon Levy: The Egyptian masses won't play ally to Israel

As long as the masses in Egypt and in the entire Arab world continue seeing the images of tyranny and violence from the occupied territories, Israel will not be able to be accepted, even it is acceptable to a few regimes.

Three or four days ago, Egypt was still in our hands. The army of pundits, including our top expert on Egypt, Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, said that "everything is under control," that Cairo is not Tunis and that Mubarak is strong. Ben-Eliezer said that he had spoken on the phone with a senior Egyptian official, and he assured him that there's nothing to worry about. You can count on Fuad and Hosni, both about to become has-beens.

On Friday night everything changed. It turned out that the Israeli intelligence estimates, which were recited ad nauseum by the court analysts, were again, shall we say, not the epitome of accuracy. The people of Egypt had their say, and had the nerve not to fall in line with Israeli wishes. A moment before Mubarak's fate is sealed, the time has come for drawing the Israeli conclusions.

Read more

Saturday, January 29, 2011

From the Angry Arab: Word of caution

"Comrade Joseph sent me this (I cite with his permission): "I am very worried that the Americans have taken over the direction of the Egyptian revolution. Let us remember that all possible candidates to replace Mubarak that even al-Jazeera is mentioning today are all handpicked by the Americans, including Barad’i, as well as Army chief of staff Anan, or anyone else for that matter. Obama has proven once more that the biggest anti-democratic force in the Arab world remains the United States, and the biggest enemy of Arab democracy since WWII till now remains the US. This has to be constantly repeated and the Egyptian people must be very cautious in what happens next. The United States wants to mortgage the freedom of all Arabs, including 84 million Egyptians to Israeli security and American profits. This is the crucial game being played today in Egypt in preparation for the maintenance of US power and influence in Egypt. Al-Jazeera must make this the main topic of discussion today." I am not as worried; there is so much that the US can do to control the situation."

You go girl!!!


What an amazing photo! Should make it to the "Best Photo 0f The Year" Award

Egypt's uprising and its implications for Palestine

Ali Abunimah, The Electronic Intifada, 29 January 2011

Egyptians call for Mubarak's ouster at Tahrir (Liberation) Square in Cairo, 29 January 2011. (Matthew Cassel)

We are in the middle of a political earthquake in the Arab world and the ground has still not stopped shaking. To make predictions when events are so fluid is risky, but there is no doubt that the uprising in Egypt -- however it ends -- will have a dramatic impact across the region and within Palestine.

If the Mubarak regime falls, and is replaced by one less tied to Israel and the United States, Israel will be a big loser. As Aluf Benn commented in the Israeli daily Haaretz, "The fading power of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's government leaves Israel in a state of strategic distress. Without Mubarak, Israel is left with almost no friends in the Middle East; last year, Israel saw its alliance with Turkey collapse" ("Without Egypt, Israel will be left with no friends in Mideast," 29 January 2011).
Read more

The faceoff: People versus a police state!

Wikileaks [38]: "NDP INSIDER: Military will ensure transfer to Gamal Mubarak

Dessouki is an NDP insider who has held a number of key positions. His assurances that the Egyptian military and security services would ensure a smooth succession to a civilian (by implication Gamal Mubarak) were unusually straightforward and blunt. The idea that the military remains a key political and economic force is conventional wisdom here. However, other observers tell us that the military has grown less influential, more fractured and its leadership weaker in recent years (reftel). They suggest that in a succession scenario in which President Mubarak is no longer present, outcomes are less predictable. End comment.
Read more

Looters are Policemen in disguise!

2 looters were just caught in Muharram Beyh neighborhood of Alexandria who had police ID cards and were members of undercover plainclothes force.
Read more
(Thanks vza)

Egypt supporters rally worldwide

Protests held across globe in a show of solidarity with Egyptian demonstrators attempting to oust president.
Read more

Egyptian Intifada photos


http://cassel.photoshelter.com/gallery/Egyptian-Intifada-Imbaba/G0000NxTVSKl2mxw/

Other pictures
http://yfrog.com/h29coprj
http://yfrog.com/h36lrcj
http://yfrog.com/gy1eenlj
http://yfrog.com/h0dosbpj
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ramyraoof/

Not this time hopefully, king Tut! Tut!

In revolutionary lingo, it's called Fraternisation.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs783.ash1/167313_184594838238388_183109598386912_507299_2523557_n.jpg

Arab League's Amr Moussa endorses protesters’ demand for regime change

“I respect all people’s demands,” Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, told Al Jazeera on Saturday. The people’s main demand during the last four days of protests has been to oust the current regime. After President Hosni Mubarak's public address to the nation--in which he pledged to sack the current cabinet--people continued protesting on Sunday, but modified their demand to “The people want the president to go.” “Reforms have to take place immediately and they have to be sustained. The message of the people is clear,” said Moussa.
www.almasryalyoum.com

Shafiq prime minister; Suleiman vice-president

Former air force commander Ahmed Shafiq named prime minister while Omar Suleiman assumes vice-presidency position vacant for 30 years after cabinet forced to resign.
Read more
The Angry Arab's comment:
Flash: `Umar Sulyaman vice-president, As`ad Abukhalil
This just in. The chief of Egyptian intelligence, `Umar Sulayman, has just been appointed vice-president for Mubarak. As is known, Mubarak has resisted for decades naming a vice-president. The announcement reveal two things: 1) that he is officially and in a subtle way informing the Egyptian people that Jamal Mubarak is no more his successor. 2) that reveal a US coup at the top. The US and Israel want a continuation of the regime but without Mubarak. The rest depends on the Egyptian people, and how hard they will press. I tend to think that they won't be fooled, even if the process of change take a while, a year or more.

Will be back to finish it off, one hopes!

ISRAELI FLAG REMOVED FROM CAIRO

Matthew Cassel sent me this from Cairo: "i just drove by what used to be the israeli embassy in cairo. it's now completely empty, the staff has fled. there is no longer an israeli flag hanging in cairo or anywhere else in egypt."
angryarab.

Bon vent!

Dozens of Israelis flee Egypt on emergency flight
The Israeli embassy in Cairo has been closed since the riots broke out, and will remain closed on Sunday; Netanyahu has not yet voiced a political stance on the protests.
Read more .haaretz

12 killed in Bedouin skirmish at Gaza border

SINAI PENINSULA, Egypt (Ma'an) -- Palestinian sources say 12 people including Bedouins and Egyptian police officers were killed Saturday in clashes in the Sinai Peninsula, in what appeared to be an attempt by tribes in the region to take control of the swath of land south of the Egypt-Gaza border.
Read more

Over 20 bodies in Egypt's Alexandria - Jazeera

DUBAI, Jan 29 (Reuters) Al-Jazeera television said on Saturday its correspondent had seen more than 20 bodies in the Eguyptian city of Alexandria, following massive demonstrations and clashes with security forces on Friday.
Read more

Hospital says police shooting to kill

A resident doctor at the hospital who was assisting with surgeries yesterday told Al-Masry Al-Youm today that most of those admitted were not wounded, but dead. He estimated the number at more than 50.
Read more- Al Masry Al Youm

Egypt riots escalate; political prisoners shot

Riots break out at Egypt jail holding political prisoners, including Muslim Brothers members; eight detainees reportedly killed. Meanwhile, protests in Cairo, Alexandria rage on, demonstrators try to break into Interior Ministry headquarters

Army protecting Egypt protesters from police (video)

If the Egypt protesters succeed in driving Hosni Mubarak from power, moments like this will be remembered as crucial.
See it here

Egypt's intelligence chief appointed vice-president; Mubarak's family leaves for London

Omar Suleiman is first vice-president in 30 years; embattled Mubarak also names Ahmed Shafiq as prime minister and army chief Lt. Gen. Sami Hafez Anan as defense minister in bid to stem growing popular protests.
Embattled Egyptian President Mubarak appointed on Saturday a former air force commander and aviation minister, Ahmed Shafiq, as the new prime minister, in efforts to stem popular rage against his autocratic regime. The move ensures that men with military links are in the top three political jobs.
An anti-government protester holds a sign reading 'Game Over' in Tahrir square in downtown Cairo, Jan. 29, 2011.
An anti-government protester holds a sign reading
'Game Over' inTahrir square in downtown Cairo.

Sniff!

Without Egypt, Israel will be left with no friends in Mideast
Without Egypt's Mubarak and with relations with Turkey in shambles, Israel will be forced to court new potential allies.
Egypt protest - AP - Jan 26, 2011




An anti-government protester ripping a poster of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo, January 26, 2011.

From now on, it will be hard for Israel to trust an Egyptian government torn apart by internal strife. Israel's increasing isolation in the region, coupled with a weakening United States, will force the government to court new potential allies.

Israel's foreign policy has depended on regional alliances which have provided the country with strategic depth since the 1950s. The country's first partner was France, which at the time ruled over northern Africa and provided Israel with advanced weaponry and nuclear capabilities.

Read more

Beautifully done! Egypt uprising..Watch it.

How did Bill O'Reilly get there?

Egyptian anti-government protesters clash with riot police at the port city of Suez, about 134 km (83 miles) east of Cairo, January 27, 2011. Police fired rubber bullets, water cannon and tear gas at hundreds of demonstrators in the eastern city of Suez, on a third day of protests calling for an end to President Hosni Mubarak's 30 year-old-rule. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El-Ghany

THUD!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Thousands protest in Jordan

Thousands took to the street across Jordan demanding the prime minister step down[Reuters]

Thousands of people in Jordan have taken to the streets in protests, demanding the country's prime minister step down, and the government curb rising prices, inflation and unemployment.

In the third consecutive Friday of protests, about 3,500 opposition activists from Jordan's main Islamist opposition group, trade unions and leftist organisations gathered in the capital, waving colourful banners reading: "Send the corrupt guys to court".

The crowd denounced Samir Rifai's, the prime minister, and his unpopular policies.

Many shouted: "Rifai go away, prices are on fire and so are the Jordanians.''
Read more

Paraguay recognises Palestine as a free and independent state

Asuncion (Paraguay), Jan 28 (DPA) Paraguay recognised Palestine as a 'free and independent' state Friday, within the Palestinian territorial borders prior to 1967.

Paraguay thus joined a host of other South American countries which recogbnise Palestine as an independent state dating back from 1967.

Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Bolivia have moved in recent weeks to recognise Palestine, in decisions that the US and Israel slammed as counterproductive and damaging.

Read more

Top stories from Al Masri Al Youm, online Egyptian newspaper

Top stories

28 Jan 2011
Thousands of protesters storm Misr Helwan road, heading to Downtown. They chanted, "people want the regime to fall." Residents of the Maadi neighborhood rushed to the street to collect their cars. But protesters on the road told...

28 Jan 2011
Police put prominent opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei under house arrest, a security source told AP. The departure of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's regime is "imminent," ElBaradei said earlier, minutes after a crowd...

28 Jan 2011
20,000 protesters battle police on Qasr al-Nil Bridge on Friday.
28 Jan 2011
At least 20,000 protesters take over Qasr al-Nil Bridge, connecting Giza to Tahrir Square in downtown Cario. Police fired hundreds of tear gas canisters which protesters picked up and threw them back at police and into the Nile. Crowds...
28 Jan 2011
Police reportedly refused orders to throw tear gas at protesters in Alexandria.
28 Jan 2011
Hundreds of protesters march from October Bridge and Qasr al-Nil Bridge to break through security cordons blocking entry to Tahrir Square. Police fired tear gas to disperse them as they came off the bridge. Earlier, thousands of...
28 Jan 2011
Fourty thousand protesters in the Nile Delta governorate of Beheira demonstrated on the fouth day of anger. Eyewitnesses said 20,000 people are protesting in the Sa'a Square in Damanhour, the capital city of Beheira. Police fired tear...

28 Jan 2011
Central security surrounded people in prayer in Giza square and has closed Qasr al-Aini Street leading into Tahrir Square. Hundreds of soldiers also surrounded the worshippers in the area of al-Istiqama Mosque in Giza Square and security...
28 Jan 2011
Police threw tear gas at protesters as they left al-Fatah Mosque, in downtown Cairo. There were thousands of protesters according to eyewitnesses. They chanted: "People want to regime to fall." Security failed to stop protesters...

28 Jan 2011
Thousands of protesters reportedly marched in East Cairo towards the Presidential Palace in Heliopolis.
Read more

The road to Jerusalem leads through Tunis and Cairo

Philip Weiss

And the lessons of Iraq and Tunisia and Egypt are that you don't install democracy anywhere; no, democracy must arise from the people themselves, you damage the processes of establishing popular will by seeking to impose such a system. The western democratic revolutions also arose from within.

The lesson of Tunisia and Egypt for American foreign policy is that the United States is the most conservative force in the world, in this region. It didn't see democracy coming because it didn't want to see it coming to the Arab world and to the palaces we supported. And when democracy did come, the U.S. creditably reversed field in Tunisia, but has stuck by its dictator in Egypt.

Barack Obama's failure to honor the Egyptian protesters in his State of the Union speech Tuesday night, and Joe Biden's cold negativity toward them last night (they're not up against a dictator, we can't encourage them, this is not the awakening of eastern Europe) reveal the unwavering influence of the Israel lobby in our public life, and how conservative that influence is. The administration's statements reveal that it prefers stability in Egypt, no matter the cost to civil rights and human rights there, to freedom for Arab people. And why? Because Egyptian stability preserves the Israeli status quo, in which Israel gets to imprison West Bank protesters without a peep from the U.S. government and gets to destroy civilians in Gaza again without a peep from the alleged change-agent in the White House.

Read more

Israel and its American friends want to stop the Egyptian ‘earthquake’

Alex Kane-Mondoweiss

The Israeli government and its many friends in the U.S. media are rushing to support the brutal Mubarak dictatorship as it copes with the most serious challenge to its rule.

As I noted yesterday, Israel is worried about a reliable ally being toppled next door. The Israeli government recently told journalists that there is “an earthquake in the Middle East … but we believe the Egyptian regime is strong enough and that Egypt is going to overcome the current wave of demonstrations.”

M.J. Rosenberg reports on “AIPAC’s Egypt miscalculation” at Media Matters.

Read more

'Something has changed in the Egyptian psyche '

The demonstrations this week against the Mubarak regime have gripped Egypt – while the world has looked on. We asked local bloggers and photographers for their frontline reports
Protesters on the streets of Cairo during the uprising in Egypt.

Protesters on the streets of Cairo during the uprising in Egypt this week.

'Arrests did not scare people, they made them angrier'

I got a Facebook invitation for the 25 January, "anger" day, at the same time I was covering the Tunisian revolution and how it was spreading so delicately, despite its violence, and without any Facebook event. When I checked the Facebook event page and saw what had been written by young Egyptians like me, I felt they were overestimating the situation: revolutions do not happen on Facebook or on a specific date. I thought it would be just another day of small protests downtown where protesters are harassed by the security forces as usual. But how wrong I was.

Read more-The Guardian

WikiLeaks cables show close US relationship with Egyptian president

US embassy cable predicted Hosni Mubarak, if still alive in 2011, would run again for presidency 'and, inevitably, win'
Hosni Mubarak and Barack Obama

Hosni Mubarak and Barack Obama at the White House in 2009.

Secret US embassy cables sent from Cairo in the past two years reveal that the Obama administration wanted to maintain a close political and military relationship with the Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, who is now facing a popular uprising.

A frank briefing note in May 2009 ahead of Mubarak's trip to Washington, leaked by WikiLeaks, reported that the Egyptian president had a dismal opinion of Obama's predecessor, George Bush.

Read more-The Guardian

Protests in Egypt - live updates---ElBaradei detained!

A riot policeman fires tear gas at protestors in Cairo
A riot policeman fires tear gas at protesters in front of the l-Istiqama Mosque in Giza, Cairo, today.
9.43pm GMT: Salon's Justin Elliott talks to major Israeli political pressure groups in the US and finds they are nervous about what happens in Egypt:

The Israelis are worried about, among other things, the possibility that an Islamic movement could gain power if the Mubarak regime were to fall. So I was interested today to see reaction from pro-Israel groups in the United States – which were favorably disposed to the democratic aspirations of the Green movement in Iran last year – to the Egyptian pro-democracy protests.

The speaker of the assembly is the first in the line of succession to become president of Egypt if the incumbent dies or is incapacitated. The New York Times reported in 2009:

Mr Mubarak has never appointed a vice president. If he dies in office, then the speaker of the Parliament, a veteran party leader, Fathi Sorour, would serve as an interim president until an election could be called.

Read more-The Guardian

Will the Arab revolutions spread?

The end of the Tunisian story hasn't yet been written. We don't yet know whether the so-called Jasmine Revolution will produce fundamental change or a return to a cosmetically-modified status quo ante, democracy or a newly configured authoritarianism. But most of the policy community has long since moved on to ask whether the Tunisian protests will spread to other Arab countries -- Egypt, of course, but also Jordan, Yemen, Algeria, Libya, and almost every place else. Most experts on each individual country can offer powerful, well-reasoned explanations as to why their country won't be next. I'm skeptical too.

Read more

Walk like an Egyptian!

Joe Biden says Egypt's Mubarak no dictator!

... and wonders what the Egyptian protesters want.

Vice President Joe Biden spoke to the PBS NewsHour tonight with the most direct US governent comments yet about the gathering Egypt protests against President Hosni Mubarak's 29-year reign.

Mr. Biden's comments are unlikely to be well-received by regime opponents, as they fit a narrative of steadfast US support for a government they want to bring down. About eight protesters and one policeman have died this week as Egypt has sought to bring down the heavy hand of the state against opponents. Since the US provides about $1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt a year, the repressive apparatus of the state is seen by many in Egypt as hand in glove with the US.
Read more

Dial up internet working!

via Fb friends and twitter, news from egypt: "DIAL-UP ISP IS WORKING. Noor dsl is still working on Dial up numbers (0777 7770),(0777 7000) SPREAD THE WORD #jan25"

"I CONFIRM NOOR DSL IS WORKING GOV CAN'T TAKE IT DOWN COZ THE STOCK MARKET & BANKS ARE CONNECTED TO IT"

Spread the word.

The Revolutionary Wave: Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen – is the West next?

by Justin Raimondo, January 28, 2011

It started, of all places, in Tunisia, a land of sunny beaches and sleepy walled cities – the first stirrings of a revolutionary wave that, before it’s crested, may reach American shores.

The spark flared first in the small town of Sidi Bouzid, in central Tunisia, where Mohamed Bouazizi, a 26-year-old graduate student, was accosted by the authorities for selling produce in the souk – the equivalent of a farmer’s market – without a license. Bouazizi, like many in emerging economies, could not find a job in his field – or any other field – and so was forced to resort to hawking olives and oranges to support his family of eight. The officials reportedly humiliated him, and when he went to city hall to try to go "legal," they wouldn’t even let him in the door. These are the circumstances that led to his now famous act of self immolation: in protest, and in full view of passersby, he stood in front of city hall, poured lighter fluid on himself – and struck a match.
Read more

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Egyptian Revolution Jan 25th 2011 - Take what's Yours!

How Users in Egypt Are Bypassing Twitter & Facebook Blocks

Update: Egypt’s Internet is suffering major outages, the Associated Press is reporting. A major Internet provider in the country is saying no Internet traffic is going in or out of the country.

Protests in Egypt are expected to intensify with opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei’s return to Cairo, and reports of Twitter and Facebook being blocked inside the country by Egyptian authorities continue to surface through the social networks themselves, and according to HerdictWeb. Users are also reporting that SMS – short message service – is being blocked as well.

Though it does appear that both Twitter and Facebook are still being blocked, many users are bypassing the blocks through proxy servers and third-party apps. Here is how they’re doing it.

Read more

Complete Internet Blackout in Egypt

After blocking Twitter on Tuesday and, intermittently, Facebook and Google on Wednesday, the Egyptian government has upped the ante, throwing a complete Internet access block across the whole of the country. Additionally blocked are Blackberry service and SMS.

Reports are pouring in, many to Twitterers via landline, that the country has been "cut off" and is now a "black hole."

Egypt cut off from the world!

No internet, no mobile networks, no social media! Activists massively targeted.

"How to Revolt Intelligently"

By Angry Arab

" have just received from Egypt a secret document titled "How to Revolt Intelligently" prepared by the youth activists in Egypt. It is a most sophisticated manual by activist that I have seen. I am not exaggerating. It has very specific instructions as how to deal with the oppression tactics and methods of the Mubarak regime. I would have shared it with you, but the activists are circulating it as a secret document with special instruction against wide distribution for fear of falling into the hands of police. It has specific instruction as to how to deal with tear gas canisters and the repression vehicles and baton of the police. It sets the demands and style of the movement with well-done illustration. It ends with an illustration of Jamal Mubarak nicknamed Jaban Mubarak (Coward Mubarak). It is most impressive and makes me more hopeful about change in Egypt. I have not seen anything like this before, not by any revolutionary or activist movement anywhere. The title in Egyptian accent is:
كيف تثور بحدائة
What you find below is a massive pot-pourri of the latest updates on all areas of interest. There's enough material in there to satisfy (and keep busy) the most avid reader. Just click on the highlighted (brown) headline in order to access the links.

All the headlines, Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, Palestine etc..

Egypt forbids Protests a Day after it was Shaken by Thousands of Demonstrators, 3 Killed, Juan Cole
Egypt was wracked by demonstrations on Tuesday’s “Day of Rage,” called for by the April 6 committee of youth activists on social media last week. The protesters were hoping to profit from the momentum for reform in the region created by the Tunisian revolution, which forced the Ben Ali regime from power nearly two weeks ago.

The First martyr in Egypt : Mustapha Rajab Mahmoud

Fourth Egyptian dies as a result of protests
CAIRO, Jan 26 (Reuters) - A fourth Egyptian died in hospital on Wednesday as a result of protests the previous day that were staged to call for an end to President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule, a medical source said.

Gamal Mubarak reportedly flees Egypt, Longtime president’s son once seen as likely successor
The son of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Gamal Mubarak, has reportedly fled Egypt for the UK with his family. Unconfirmed reports out of Cairo say the younger Mubarak boarded a private jet bound for London with his family and nearly one hundred pieces of luggage. His departure, if confirmed, comes after a day of unprecedented mass protests in the streets of Cairo and other cities throughout Egypt. Over 30,000 people gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to protest the Mubarak regime, which has run the country for 30 years under a state of emergency and with little tolerance for dissent. One riot police officer has been confirmed killed, and about 600 people were arrested in the Cairo protests. Gamal Mubarak’s departure from Egypt comes on the heels of Tunisian President Ben Ali’s flight from Tunisia following violent anti-government protests in Tunis.

Thousands Protest in Egypt in Largest Popular Challenge to Mubarak in 30 Years
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets across Egypt in the largest popular challenge to longtime President Hosni Mubarak since he came into office 30 years ago. Drawing inspiration from the recent uprising in Tunisia, an estimated crowd of 15,000 packed Cairo’s Tahrir Square. We go to Cairo to speak with independent journalist and blogger, Hossam Hamalawy.

Egypt protests: 'We ran a gauntlet of officers beating us with sticks'
Jack Shenker, the Guardian's reporter in Cairo, was beaten and arrested alongside protesters in the capital last night. He made this remarkable recording while locked in the back of a security forces truck next to dozens of protesters. Listen to the audio

Thousands join Cairo protests
Thousands of protesters are marching in Cairo, the Egyptian capital, to demand that Hosni Mubarak, the president, step down. They clashed with riot police in a rare show of strength by the people. Many in the crowds called for a Tunisian style ousting of Mubarak. Rawya Rageh reports from Cairo.

'Remarkable scenes' at Cairo protests
Anti-government protests have broken out in Egypt after an internet campaign inspired by the uprising in Tunisia.


Cairo erupts as Egyptian protesters demand Mubarak resign
Twitter reportedly inaccessible. Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets across Egypt Tuesday, facing down a massive police presence to demand the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak in protests inspired by Tunisia's popular uprising. Gamal Mubarak, son of President Hosni Mubarak, had fled the country along with his family, according to the Adnkronos International news service.


Two Egyptian protesters, one police officer killed in anti-govt. protests
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maZOubw6Hgc


Journalist 'trapped and beaten' in Egypt

MB: We didn't participate in Tahrir Square demonstrations
The Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Egypt's largest opposition group, says it did not take part in a demonstration held in Cairo's central Tahrir Square on Tuesday, one of several “Day of Rage” protests held in several cities throughout the country.

Twitter BLOCKED In Egypt As Demonstrations Turn Violent
As protestors fill Egypt in rare public demonstrations against President Hosni Mubarak, Twitter has been blocked, according to reports.

Today in Egypt
This amazing video (h/t Blake Hounshell) is from today in Cairo, where tens of thousands of Egyptians have taken to the streets in a day of unprecedented protest. We hope to run an on the ground report later today, but in the meantime you can get news by following #jan25 on Twitter.

Pictures
Picture: The scene at the protest at the Lawyers Syndicate in Cairo
http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/2011/1/26/egypt-and-beyond-liveblog-the-day-after-the-day-of-revolutio.html

Must see picture: Tahrir square taken over by protesters
http://yfrog.com/h0nuip


Cairo ... tonight
http://friday-lunch-club.blogspot.com/2011/01/cairo-tonight.html


AP: A demonstrator defaces a poster of Egyptian President Hosni
http://twitpic.com/3tfisp


Demonstrators calling on soldiers to join them. This is AMAZING.
http://twitpic.com/3t9mhg


Egyptian demonstrators hold up placards
http://www.gettyimages.pt/detail/108308684/AFP


Egyptian anti-government protests – in pictures
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2011/jan/25/egypt-protests-in-pictures?CMP=twt_gu#/?picture=371015878&index=0



Video
Anti-Govt Protesters Tearing Pictures of the Egyptian Dictator

Police attack @ 1:20am in cairo, egypt, downtown Tahrir.mp4

Check out all the women protesting

Tear Gas in Tahrir

Banner: "Down with the corrupt regime"

Chasing the Egyptian riot police

More protest videos

Egypt: The January 25 Demonstrations in Photographs

Egypt anti-govt protests escalate
Thousands call for Tunisia-style ouster of president Hosni Mubarak as US, an ally, says government there is "stable" .

Protests in Egypt and unrest in Middle East – as it happened
• Cairo a 'war zone' as demonstrators demand president quit
• Protests continue in Tunisia and Lebanon
• Click here for summary of key events so far

Thousands of Egyptian protesters clash with police
Protesters take to the streets of Cairo to demonstrate against political repression and unemployment under President Hosni Mubarak. It is unclear if the protests in Egypt will mimic those in Tunisia, leading to revolt against the government. Thousands of Egyptian protesters inspired by the revolt in Tunisia rushed police and battled tear gas Tuesday in demonstrations against the political repression and unemployment that have defined three decades of rule by President Hosni Mubarak.

Live updates: Opposition groups protest on Police Day


O Mubarak
Egyptians and Sudanese are the best people when it comes to slogans and chants. Today, in Egypt: demonstrators chanted:
يا مبارك, يا مبارك. السعوديّة بإتنظارك
O Mubarak. O Mubarak. Saudi Arabia is waiting for you.


Egypt's protests, told by #Jan25
Cairo's streets erupted in protest today and Twitter and other social media sites made it clear that today was a big day for Egypt's opposition.

Egypt's unstable regime
TENS OF thousands of Egyptians took to the streets of Cairo and other cities Tuesday in an unprecedented outburst of protest against the regime of Hosni Mubarak. Inspired by Tunisia's popular uprising, they demanded political concessions that Mr. Mubarak's rotting government should have made long ago: an end to emergency laws, freedom for political activity and a limit on the president's tenure in office. The United States has said that it favors such reforms. But when Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was asked about the demonstrations, she foolishly threw the administration's weight behind the 82-year-old Mr. Mubarak.


Hisham Omar Abdel Halim, Maha Bahnasawy, Mohamed Ismail Ghaly, Nashwa el-Hofi, Mary Joseph, Adham Khorshed, and Mahmoud Metwally, "Egypt: The Day of Wrath" (Videos)
"When people see what happened today, more will join the protests -- especially now that Egypt has become a tinderbox waiting for a match to set it alight." -- Amar Ali Hassan

Will Egypt Be the Next Domino to Fall?, Ashraf Ezzat

Ever since the Tunisian uprising managed to topple the dictatorship of former president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and the people in the Arab world are wondering if the Tunisian scenario could be repeated in their countries. Egyptians responded to the news of the overthrow of the regime in Tunisia with great joy and astonishment at the same time. To most Arabs, Tunisia is another Arab country ruled by similar authoritarian regime such as theirs.


A dam breaking in Egypt
Today Egypt experienced the largest outpouring of public fury at the government since January 1977, when cuts in government food subsidies saw hundreds of thousands of Egyptians pour into the streets in an uprising that shook the government of then President Anwar Sadat. That ended three days later with dozens dead but the Egyptian poor who spearheaded the action triumphant: Sadat restored the subsidies.

Aljazeera and Egypt
Many Egyptians are furious that Aljazeera has not been covering the massive protests in Egypt today. Explanation? Mubarak visited Emir of Qatar last month and basically reached an agreement to reduce Aljazeera's critical coverage of Egypt and Mubarak's tyranny.


Arab world waking from 40-year sleep?, Helena Cobban
The Arab world has been in a state of increasing ossification ever since I started following its affairs closely in 1970. That was the year that King Hussein beat back the Palestinian-radical challenge to his regime in Jordan, and that Egypt's President Jamal Abdel-Nasser died. Also, the year that Hafez al-Asad's relatively conservative "Corrective movement" seized power from its more radical Baathist colleagues in Damascus.


Obama plays catch-up on popular movements in Egypt and Tunisia, Philip Weiss
There was no mention of Egypt in tonight's State of the Union Speech, though the State Department released a statement on Egypt (below) that was blandly supportive of the protests. Obama did mention Tunisia-- without any indication that the "dictator" he now denounces was "backed politically and militarily by the U.S. for more than two decades" (as Phyllis Bennis said on PBS).


This Time, Protestors Outnumber Police in Egypt
The days of a 5-to-1 ratio of police to demonstrators appears over. Will the Egyptian regime reform or respond with more deadly force and police state action as they have in the past?


The meaning of today’s events in Egypt, Issandr El Amrani
For the first time in recent memory, Egyptian security has also implemented a communications clampdown. Twitter, Bambuser, Ustream are all reported to have been shut down. Some ISPs, including Vodafone Egypt, say that the problem is not with them but with the national internet link. Communications may have also been disabled in specific areas. It's worth remembering that the US is said to have intervened forcefully against Tunisia's disruption of communications (which went beyond this to include hacking of major social media sites) and that Hillary Clinton launched an internet initiative last year — this gives her traction to act here (if the other reasons aren't enough). Mrs Clinton's initial statement was pretty weak, but also came early in the days' development. Personally, I think the US acted as well as can be reasonably expected in Tunisia and should do the same in Egypt, including reaching out to different elements of the regime to convey dissatisfaction (ahem — major euphemism here). But we'll see their fuller reaction tomorrow.


Egyptian Rap Against the Regimes


Palestine Papers & Cables
Palestine papers show Netanyahu vowed not to link Jerusalem and Ma'aleh Adumim
Claim made in leaked documents contradicts long-standing plan to build a neighborhood of 3,500 homes in area E1.


Erekat: "I can't stand Hamas"
For Fatah, the Annapolis process seems to have been as much about crushing Hamas as about ending Israel's occupation.


MI6 offered to detain Hamas figures
British government also provided financial support for two Fatah security forces linked to torture.

PA questions Tony Blair's role
Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad wondered whether Quartet envoy's initiatives were too small to be helpful.

Cutting off a vital connection
Palestinian officials were often more concerned with applying pressure to Hamas than easing the crisis in Gaza.

Demanding a demilitarized state
Israeli negotiators demanded to keep Israeli troops in the West Bank and to maintain control of Palestinian airspace.

Blair's counter-insurgency "surge"
Former British prime minister's support for Palestinian security forces contributed to decline of EU's influence.

The Palestine Papers: Secret talks over a Jewish state
One and a half million of Israel's citizens are Palestinian Arabs, that is roughly 20 per cent of the population. However, Israel still insists on calling the country a "Jewish state". And the Palestine Papers reveal the human price that they were willing to make that a reality. Al Jazeera's Barnaby Phillips reports from Baqah al Gharbiyyeh, Israel.

'Palestinian Authority closely coordinates security operations with Israel'
New 'Palestine papers' released Tuesday detail meetings discussing security measures, including instructions to kill Hamas militants.'Palestinian Authority closely coordinates security operations with Israel'


PLO urged Israel and Egypt to do more to prevent Gaza smuggling
Leaked documents underline hostility of PLO towards Hamas – but show Palestinian leadership willing to negotiate in long run


Palestinian refugees rule out compromise on return to homeland
Disclosure in Palestine papers that negotiators gave up fight over refugees is greeted with disgust in Bethlehem camp

Palestine papers: Mohammed Dahlan
Former Fatah security chief who had close links to the CIA and Israel's Shin Bet security service

Palestine papers: Shaul Mofaz
Former IDF chief of staff and defence minister who was a key figure in co-ordinating security with the Palestinian Authority

The Palestine papers: a blueprint for security
A British embassy official offers a detailed plan of action to reform and bolster Palestinian security forces, which have failed to stop terrorist attacks on Israel


Refugee rights of little concern to PA, documents reveal
Al Jazeera has released more leaked documents related to several "core issues," including the Palestinian refugees' right of return, as part of the Palestine Papers exposé.

US embassy cables: Israel discusses growing number of terrorist attacks


US embassy cables: Israel weighs up Palestinian aid


Rice: US Army Presence In Iraq Protects Israel
Former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice reassured Israel that the US military presence in Iraq should calm any Israeli security concerns "from the east," minutes from a 2008 trilateral meeting between Rice and the Israeli and Palestinian negotiation teams reveal.


Pressman: One Leaked Document on the Annapolis Process, Juan Cole
As al-Jazeera continues to release more leaked documents from the negotiation office of the Palestine Authority, what do minutes of the back-and-forth negotiations reveal about the core issues? On April 8, 2008, Abu Ala and Tzipi Livni met in Jerusalem for a two-hour meeting on drawing the West Bank borders for a two-state solution. The document is entitled, “Meeting Minutes: On Borders,” April 8, 2008

‘The Palestine Cables’: WikiLeaks exposes Egypt, PA cooperation with Israel during Gaza assault, Alex Kane
This is the fifth installment of my column on WikiLeaks and Israel/Palestine at Mondoweiss. You can read all the installments here.
The left-wing publication Counterpunch has obtained eleven U.S.-authored cables “accessed” from WikiLeaks that deal solely with “Operation Cast Lead,” the 2008-09 Israeli assault on Gaza. Kathleen Christison, a former CIA analyst and co-author of Palestine in Pieces, has the scoop.


Palestinian Zionist's Laughable (and treacherous) Response
Erekat: Al Jazeera's 'vicious smear campaign' puts my life in danger
Chief Palestinian negotiator says in interview that Palestine papers contain misrepresented and made-up quotes, says Al Jazeera is 'asking Palestinians to shoot me.'


Defiant Abbas says he's on 'right path'
Upon his return from Egypt, PA leader promises to weather storm over leaked peace process documents; hundreds gather outside Arab channel's downtown Ramallah office, chant 'Al-Jazeera, you whore'.


Al-Jazeera leaks part of plot to topple PA: Erakat (AFP)
AFP - Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erakat accused Al-Jazeera television on Tuesday of participating in a campaign aimed at overthrowing the Palestinian Authority.

Al-Jazeera leaks a 'boring soap opera': Abbas (AFP)
AFP - Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Tuesday dismissed the leak of hundreds of secret files on Israeli-Palestinian peace talks as nothing but a "boring soap opera."


The Lede: Police Reportedly Joined Jazeera Protest
An angry mob that attempted to storm the office of Al Jazeera in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Monday included Palestinian police officers in civilian clothes, a local journalist said.

Abbas welcomed home as hero while Qatar denounced
Reuters - President Mahmoud Abbas got a hero's welcome on Tuesday from thousands of Palestinians who denounced the Qatari regime and its Al Jazeera television channel for accusing their leader of selling out to Israel.


Nablus Governor Calls for Anti-Jazeera Protests on Thursday
Nablus – PNN - Major General Jibreen al-Bakri, governor of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, called for popular protests to be held on Thursday against the “slanders targeting Palestine” released by the Qatar-based Al Jazeera TV station.


This shocking "editorial" from PNN (Today is Palestine's Mon-Fri news aggregator will no longer be featuring any content from their site): Al Jazeera Directs another Bad Movie
By Fadi Abu Sada- PNN Editor in Chief- I can’t believe even for one minute that the so-called Al Jazeera TV “exposure” of Palestinian-Israeli negotiation documents came from the Qatar-based station alone—it was coordinated with the Qatari leadership and I am tempted to say that it was also coordinated with Syria and Iran. As a Palestinian, I do not care what those documents include because they’re only minutes of meetings and during those meetings, one says what one likes. The most important issue is the final deal and what will come out of it.

Gaza govt: PLO not authorized to negotiate for Palestinians
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The government in Gaza on Tuesday said the Palestine Liberation Organization was not authorized and did not have the power to negotiate on behalf of the Palestinian people. The statement was issued in response to a series of leaked PLO documents related to talks with Israel, which reveal the PLO offered Israel huge concession on refugees' rights and Jerusalem.


Arab villagers 'don't want to live in Palestine'
Revelation of former FM Livni's proposal during peace talks to transfer some Arab-Israeli villages to future Palestinian state as part of land swap 'indicative of racism, discrimination against Israel's Arabs,' Barta'a resident says; another villager says 'it would be a good thing for us to unite with Palestinians'

Palestine Papers Analysis
Al-Jazeera becomes focus of leaked documents debate
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Conspiracy, a case of bad timing and a dis-service to the Palestinian people were some of the immediate reactions by Palestinian critics and media professionals, as Qatar-based satellite channel Al-Jazeera continued to release documents from over a decade of mediation efforts with Israel.


Possible source of Palestine papers leak
Israeli TV has reported that the Palestine papers were leaked by a former staffer of the Negotiations Support Unit, a foreign-funded NGO that advises Palestinian negotiators.

Clayton Swisher - Al Jazeera's Palestine Papers Specialist
Yasser Abed Rabbo, Senior Palestinian Official has given the fullest response on the Palestine Papers. He spoke for nearly an hour on the documents. Clayton Swisher, Al Jazeera's specialist on the Palestine Papers analysed Yasser Abed Rabbo's response.

Leaks claim Palestinian 'collusion'
Leaked US cables say Palestinian security forces engage in extensive co-operation with their Israeli counterparts.

Robert Fisk: A new truth dawns on the Arab world
The Palestine Papers are as damning as the Balfour Declaration. The Palestinian "Authority" – one has to put this word in quotation marks – was prepared, and is prepared to give up the "right of return" of perhaps seven million refugees to what is now Israel for a "state" that may be only 10 per cent (at most) of British mandate Palestine.

Palestine Papers: Israel's Peacemakers Unmasked, Jonathan Cook - Nazareth
For more than a decade, since the collapse of the Camp David talks in 2000, the mantra of Israeli politics has been the same: 'There is no Palestinian partner for peace.' This week, the first of hundreds of leaked confidential Palestinian documents confirmed the suspicions of a growing number of observers that the rejectionists in the peace process are to be found on the Israeli, not Palestinian, side. Some of the most revealing papers, jointly released by Al-Jazeera television and Britain’s Guardian newspaper, date from 2008, a relatively hopeful period in recent negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

The view on the ground of the Palestine papers | Laila El-Haddad
The Palestine papers may have sent shockwaves around the world, but they came as no surprise to most Palestinians, particularly those living out the horrific reality on the ground that has been "non-negotiated" over in the occupied territories, like my own family – or in refugee camps outside the occupied territories, like my husband's family in the sidelined camps of Lebanon.

The Palestinian cause has been betrayed. But no more | Osama Hamdan
These stooge negotiators have acted as tools for the repression of their people. We in Hamas must seize back the initiative. The revelations about the conduct of the Middle East peace process made by al-Jazeera and the Guardian over the past few days have shocked people around the world, but they did not surprise the membership of Hamas. They simply confirm what many of us have been warning against for nearly two decades.

Palestine papers: More nations floated for Palestinian resettlement
Al Jazeera's release this week of the so-called 'Palestine papers' – a collection of secret documents from the past decade of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations – revealed a US suggestion made in 2008 that Palestinian refugees be permanently resettled in Chile and Argentina. The disclosure was a slap in the face to the many Palestinian refugees and descendants – the UN Relief and Works Agency estimates at least 4.7 million worldwide – hoping to eventually return to what is now Israel. But it wasn't the first time the idea of permanent resettlement has been floated. Here are some of the countries proposed as permanent resettlement locations.

The Palestine Papers: Offering Palestine, Ramzy Baroud
The Palestine Papers had damaged whatever little credibility the Ramallah-based authority still enjoyed among Palestinians The Palestine Papers, the 1,300 leaked documents that Aljazeera began publishing starting January 23, are the Palestinian response to the Israeli ‘generous offer’, an Israeli diplomatic ruse that was aimed at discrediting Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat following the collapse of the Camp David talks of July 25, 2000. But unlike the fictitious Israeli ‘generous offer’, the Palestinian offer, as revealed by Aljazeera, was barely a testament to the spirit of the famed Arab generosity, but a series of decided and embarrassing concessions that, at times, took even the Israelis by surprise.


The truth that the ‘Palestine Papers’ has broken into the mainstream: Israel is the obstacle to peace, Alex Kane
The release of the "Palestine Papers," Al Jazeera's leak of thousands of documents relating to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, is creating space in the American mainstream for this central truth: it is Israel's fault that there has not been a peace agreement with the Palestinians. Jonathan Cook, a journalist based in Nazareth, writes that "hundreds of leaked confidential Palestinian documents confirmed the suspicions of a growing number of observers that the rejectionists in the peace process are to be found on the Israeli, not Palestinian, side." This fact, which has been obscured by Israeli propaganda since the collapse of the Camp David talks, is pushing its way into U.S. media coverage as well as into the reactions of liberal American Jewish groups to the papers.

A letter to the Israeli people
The US president should write that the US "must withdraw from direct and active involvement in this process."


Palestine Papers confirm Israeli rejectionism

For more than a decade, since the collapse of the Camp David talks in 2000, the mantra of Israeli politics has been the same: "There is no Palestinian partner for peace." This week, the first of hundreds of leaked confidential Palestinian documents confirmed the suspicions of a growing number of observers that the rejectionists in the peace process are to be found on the Israeli, not Palestinian, side.

Diana Buttu on the Palestine Papers - Diana Buttu on the Palestine Papers

Settlers/ Land, Property, Resource Theft & Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing
Demolition orders in Khirbet al Tawil
Jan 26, 2011-- A week ago, Occupation forces delivered final warnings to four farmers from Khirbet al Tawil, east of Aqraba, for the destruction of their homes. The buildings, constructed from mud, have received seven consecutive demolition orders.


'Demolition of Palestinian homes in West Bank's Area C tripled in 2010'
A B'Tselem report reveals that as a result, 472 Palestinians, including 223 minors, lost their homes last year, up from 217 - including 60 minors - in 2009.

Palestinians say new Jerusalem tunnel will damage Temple Mount
Contrary to Israeli claims, parts of tunnel pass just meters from the Western Wall.

Ma'aleh Adumim mayor demands Netanyahu build West Bank corridor immediately
Mayor Benny Kasriel implores Netanyahu to explain latest Palestine papers revealing the premier had reportedly made a secret promise not to go forth with plans to link Jerusalem to nearby settlement.

Siege/Discrimination

Israel denies PLC official permission to travel
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Hamas on Tuesday said Israeli border police at the Allenby crossing between the West Bank and Jordan denied a PLC member passage. In a statement, Hamas said Nasser Abdul Jawad was detained at the border for a number of hours and told he could not pass from the West Bank into Jordan. Jawad was elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council in 2006, He was given no reason for being denied passage, the statement said.


Industrial Fuel – Needs Vs. Supply – Dec 26 – Jan 22

Goods – Needs Vs. Supply – Dec 26 – Jan 22

New Campaign in Israel: "Kosher" Certificate to Businesses that Employ Only Jews
A new campaign has been launched in Israel to provide a “kosher certificate” to businesses that employ only Jews and do not employ “enemies”.


Violence & Detainees
An-Nabi Saleh Popular Committee Leader Beaten, Two Children Arrested
Following the arrests of Karim Saleh al-Tamimi and, his brother, Islam, the leader of the Popular Commitee Against The Wall & Settlements in Nabi Saleh, Bassam Tamimi has been arrested, on Wednesday, along with two fifteen year old boys.


Palestinian detainee in coma
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- A 45-year-old Palestinian jailed in Israel is in a coma, a detainees' center said Monday. Detainees in Be'er Sheva prison in the Israeli desert smuggled a letter to the center detailing Saed Fahmi Salah's condition, the group said. Israeli forces beat Salah when he was detained in March 2008, the letter said, adding that he bled for several days. Since then, he has fallen into a coma several times but doctors have failed to diagnose him, detainees told the center. He has 18 children, the letter added.

War Crimes
No more cancer: Israeli Army admits Jawaher killed by tear gas, Jesse Bacon
In a triumph of the obvious truth over incoherent lies, the Israeli Army now admits that Jawaher Abu Rahmah was indeed killed by tear gas at a demo, not as their anonymous speculation would have it by cancer or an honor killing. These tales violated basic plausibility, but they did provide animplausible denial, which is all Israeli government’s supporters need to fan out online with the narrative that there were “doubts about her death.” The new Army version still blames Palestinians for not treating her better. We know from the Republican Party’s tactics in the United States that such attempt to create doubts actually unfortunately work.


Knesset member calls Turkel Report "professional and moral scandal for Israeli judiciary"
A member of Israel's parliament, the Knesset, has called the Turkel Report "a professional and moral scandal for the Israeli judiciary". Taleb El-Sana MK, who heads the Arab Democratic Party, made his statement about the official Israeli report which exonerates Israel for its assault on the Freedom Flotilla in May 2010. Nine Turkish peace activists were killed by Israeli commandos as they stormed the Mavi Marmara and hundreds more from around the world were taken into custody. The flotilla was in international waters at the time of the murderous attack.


Turkey releases report on flotilla incident, accusing Israel
Turkey publicizes its internal report on the flotilla debacle in response to Israel's Turkel Commission investigation report on Sunday.

Begin: Don’t probe MK Zoabi over Gaza flotilla
Likud minister says Arab-Israeli lawmaker hurt Israeli-Arab relations by joining 'instigator' Raed Salah aboard Turkish vessel last May, but says Knesset should not be used as court.

Hamas denounces results of Israel`s investigation into flotilla raid
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Hamas on Tuesday withdrew its authorization of President Mahmoud Abbas as the head of negotiations. Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya said Abbas' mandate was not valid without the party's recognition. He also dismissed the PA's claim that it negotiated on behalf of Palestinians. Hamas does not participate in talks with Israel.

Other Political Developments
Israel worries over possible EU states' recognition of Palestinian state
JERUSALEM, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Israel's efforts to stem a rising tide of recognition of a Palestinian state received a blow Tuesday afternoon, with Ireland's decision to upgrade the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Dublin to that of an embassy. The announcement, broadcast by Israel Army Radio, followed a symbolic gesture of recognition by Peru on Monday.

Other News
Peace activist's murderer released
Yona Avrushmi, who killed Emil Grunzweig during Jerusalem left-wing rally in 1983, freed after 27 years.

U.S. says U.N. expert should be fired for Sept 11 remarks (Reuters)
Reuters - A U.N. expert on Palestinian human rights who suggested there was a cover-up over the September 11 attacks should be fired, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said on Tuesday.

'Chastity Squad' member sent to prison for store attack
Shmuel Weisfish gets two year sentence for threatening to murder employees of Jerusalem computer store. 'Shame that leaders of this bunch of thugs couldn't make it clear there was line that shouldn't be crossed,' says Judge Bar-Or.

Analysis/Op-ed

Obama Is Looking for New Ideas in All the Old Places
Politico’s Laura Rozen reported earlier this month that the White House has convened two different task forces to provide the Obama Administration with new ideas for moving forward its efforts to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace. At first glance, this would appear to be good news given the rut in which President Obama has got himself mired. An anonymous adviser to the White House stated the obvious: the Administration is “utterly stuck” on how to move forward with there being “no pretense of progress.”


Irish republican bent-knee episode of 1922 suggests that P.A.’s weakness could have virulent consequences, Ed Moloney
With its massive green, copper dome and neoclassical columns, the Four Courts is one of Dublin’s most distinctive landmarks. Situated on the quays by the River Liffey in the heart of the city, it is also Ireland’s most important legal building, housing the country’s Supreme Court, the High Court and the Dublin Circuit Court. Ninety years ago the Four Courts played a short, tragic and very symbolic part in the story of Ireland’s violent and tortured struggle for independence from Britain which left marks on the national psyche that are still visible to this day. Although the parallels are far from exact and there are countless differences between the two situations, Irish people will read the Palestine Papers leaked this week to Al Jazeera and The Guardian and know exactly the pain that many Palestinians must be feeling.

Ignorance is a blessing: UK Jewish leaders cancel trip to West Bank
The only way to continue supporting Israeli policies these days is to enter a state of denial regarding the occupation and its consequences. This is exactly what leaders of the Jewish community in the UK decided to do.


Lebanon
Sayyed Nasrallah: We are a Resistance Not Power Seekers, Don’t Backstab Us


Nasrallah: Naming of Mikati chance to unite
BEIRUT: The appointment of former Prime Minister Najib Mikati to form a new Cabinet provides "a real chance" for feuding Lebanese parties to close ranks and form a government of national salvation, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Tuesday.


Lebanese IDIOT in Beirut ...earlier today


Protesters' assaults on media draw condemnation
BEIRUT: Media watchdogs and parties across the political spectrum condemned Tuesday assaults against the press as demonstrations erupted throughout Lebanon in support of caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri. The protests broke out after Tripoli MP Najib Mikati was designated to head the new Cabinet.


'Facebook Photoshop' by the Lebanese Forces & Phalangists ...



Mini-Hariri self-destructing before your eyes, As`ad Abukhalil
Of course, you can't dramatically announce the demise of leaders or sticks in Lebanon: the sectarian system (and billionaire's money) can always revive somebody's fortunes in a lousy country like Lebanon. But mini-Hariri sefl-destructed fast--before your eyes. When his father left government in 1998, he handled himself much differently: but Rafiq Hariri--as much as I detest him and never miss his destructive role in the region--was smart and very shrewd politically. Western media are not stressing that what happened in Lebanon is the result of a typical parliamentary maneuver in any political system: that one faction in the parliament, decided to shift its alliance. Walid Jumblat--that shifty opportunist--decided to throw his lot with the March 8 and to solidify his alliance with Hizbullah and Syria. Simple. People forgot that the last parliamentary election was "won" (if you can say that because the US and Saudi Arabia clearly manipulated the results and in one Wikileak that remained unexplained, Fu'ad Sanyurah, told David Petreus that his "security assistance" was crucial to winning the election against Hizbullah) by a difference of a handful of votes in parliament. So fortunes shifted and mini-Hariri instead of falsely posing as a statesperson decided to play it thuggishly and it seems to have backfired. They are clearly embarrassed as evidenced by the speech of mini-Hariri and they have scared off the Christian allies of Hariri Inc. Gen. `Awn (the Christian ally of Hizbullah) was beaming today and this is why. Christians still remember when the Hariri Inc sponsored a Salafi demonstration 4 years ago (?) against the Danish embassy in Beirut over the Danish cartoons and it went out of hand and the Salafite Harirites went wild attacking churches and residential buildings. But Najib Miqati may not stick: he has legs made of jello. But then again: it depends what Saudi Arabia decides: there may be sign that Miqati may not have agreed without Saudi consent. Also, this sleaze Saudi website sponsored a survey of Saudi writers, journalists, and "politicians"--there is no such category in the kingdom of horrors, and they agreed that mini-Hariri does not alone represent the Sunnis in Lebanon.

men in shirts
Last week, Hizbullah men gathered peacefully while wearing black t-shirts in various parts of Lebanon. They did not speak and stayed for an hour. The Western and Hariri press treated that as an assault on the city and its civility. Watch and see how the Western press will treat the thuggish and Salafaite protests of today in Lebanon.

Majority rule in Lebanon
Jeffrey Feltman and the various officials of the US government have been stressing since the last parliamentary election that Lebanon should be governed purely according to the majority rule principle (of course, they did not say that about the transition from apartheid in South Africa: there they worried about the rights of white supremacists). I doubt that now the powers in the Lebanese parliament has shifted that Feltman and his colleagues would invoke the principle of majority rule.

Day of Hypocrisy, Qifa Nabki
The political story in Lebanon is changing so quickly that I’m loathe to forecast how things are going to play out over the next couple of weeks. A few quick thoughts, though, on the calculations of the various players and the choices they face.

Dictionary definition of Chutzpah: from the State Department's spokesperson
"We continue to want to see a government that is serving the interests of the people of Lebanon and not the government of other countries. We want to see a government emerge in Lebanon that will continue to support the work of the tribunal and end the era of impunity in Lebanon." I almost want to tell him in colloquial Lebanese Arabic: Wlah. Wlah. You, you of all people the government that has sponsored and supported every Israeli killing spree in Lebanon, think that you are qualified more than the Lebanese themselves to decide what the interests of Lebanon are? You speak for the interests of Lebanon? How dare you, really. How dare you? You think that live in colonial times and you are speaking to the natives like they are children?


Iraq
Blackwater suit tossed 7 years after grisly deaths (AP)
AP - A federal judge has tossed a lawsuit that blamed the security company formerly known as Blackwater for the deaths of four contractors killed in a grisly 2004 ambush on the restive streets of Iraq.

Iraqi journalists face sacks of gold, fists of fire (Reuters)
Reuters - Iraqi journalists who have survived deadly threats through years of war and insurgency now face a new challenge -- whether to accept cash "bonuses" from the government, and even cheap flats and free land.

Tunisia

Hassan Nasrallah, "Feltman in Tunisia"
We heard that [US Assistant Secretary of State] Jeffrey Feltman visited Tunisia. This is a bad omen. The Tunisian people should be on guard: when Feltman wants to discuss processes and elections with the interim Tunisian government, it definitely means an American conspiracy in the making. Wherever this sorcerer Feltman appears, strife and ruin follow him.


Tunisia seeks arrest of ex-leader
Ousted President Ben Ali is wanted to stand trial for theft and currency offences, says the nation's justice minister.

Tunisia protests turn violent
Police clash with demonstrators who want interim-government reshuffle to exclude all members of former government.


Tunisia's military 'will protect revolution': army chief: Video report


The Tunisian people welcome Jeffrey Feltman


Tunisian politicians meet amid protests
Tunisian politicians are working out ways to end the crisis over the fate of interim government amid the protesters' demand for removal of ministers who were part of Ben Ali's government. Nazanine Moshiri reports from Tunis.

Juan Cole: The Corruption Game: What the Tunisian Revolution and WikiLeaks Tell Us about American Support for Corrupt Dictatorships in the Muslim World, Juan Cole
There should be a diplomatic middle path between overthrowing governments on the one hand, and backing odious dictatorships to the hilt on the other.

US: Tunisia example can spur reform
Envoy from US, which backed the deposed Ben Ali, says "example" of uprising can bring reform to other parts of region.
Other Arab Protests
Tunisia political turmoil inspires Jordan protesters

Yemen protests urge leader's exit
Thousands of students, activists and opposition groups stage anti-president protest at Sanaa University.

www.TheHeadlines.org