Friday, August 19, 2011
Protest in Cairo: Israeli ambassador must leave
At the #Israeli embassy in Cairo few hours ago. Protesters refused to leave or negotiate before the ambassador leaves. #Egypt #IsraeliEbassy #Determination.
Robert Fisk: It's his fast-disappearing billions that will worry Assad, not words from Washington
Nearly 10 per cent of Syria's deposits went in the first four months of 2011, some ending up in Lebanese banks
The real fear for Bashar is not oil sanctions but banks – especially the £12bn in foreign reserves that existed in Syria's Central Bank in February, a sum which is now being depleted by around £50m a week. In May, Syria's foreign minister – the mighty (physically) Walid Moallem – asked Baghdad for cheap Iraqi oil. Nearly 10 per cent of Syria's banking deposits disappeared in the first four months of 2011; £1.8bn was withdrawn, some of it ending up in Lebanese banks.
Read more
The real fear for Bashar is not oil sanctions but banks – especially the £12bn in foreign reserves that existed in Syria's Central Bank in February, a sum which is now being depleted by around £50m a week. In May, Syria's foreign minister – the mighty (physically) Walid Moallem – asked Baghdad for cheap Iraqi oil. Nearly 10 per cent of Syria's banking deposits disappeared in the first four months of 2011; £1.8bn was withdrawn, some of it ending up in Lebanese banks.
Read more
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Lessons of two wars: We will lose in Iraq and Afghanistan
Stephen M. Walt
The truth is that the United States and its allies lost the war in Iraq and are going to lose the war in Afghanistan. There: I said it. By "lose," I mean we will eventually withdraw our military forces without having achieved our core political objectives, and with our overall strategic position weakened. We did get Osama bin Laden -- finally -- but that was the result of more energetic intelligence and counter-terrorism work in Pakistan itself and had nothing to do with the counterinsurgency we are fighting next door. U.S. troops have fought courageously and with dedication, and the American people have supported the effort for many years. But we will still have failed because our objectives were ill-chosen from the start, and because the national leadership (and especially the Bush administration) made some horrendous strategic judgments along the way.Replanting Resilience: Replanting million trees that have been uprooted
"Our main project in Palestine at the moment is the Million Tree Campaign, where we plan to replant trees that have been systematically uprooted by Israel. Indeed, only a few weeks ago, we celebrated planting the millionth tree, immediately thereafter launching the second project for the next million trees.'
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Quartet alarmed by Israel's settlement plans
Mediating group says it is 'greatly concerned' by recent announcement to advance planning for new housing units.
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| Israel approves the building of almost 300 new homes in Ariel, inside the occupied West Bank
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The Middle East Quartet, consisting of the US, Russia, the EU and the UN, has expressed concern over Israel's move to build 277 houses in the occupied West Bank and 900 houses in occupied East Jerusalem.
"The Quartet is greatly concerned by Israel's recent announcements to advance planning for new housing units in Ariel and east Jerusalem," the the mediating group said in a statement on Tuesday.
"This comes at a critical juncture with Quartet efforts ongoing to resume negotiations which are the only way to a just and durable solution to the conflict," the statement said.
The statement came amid intense efforts by Tony Blair, the Quartet's special envoy, to get Palestinians and Israelis back into direct talks.
Assad to UN: Syrian operations over (yeah, right!)
President tells UN that police and military operations have stopped, as world body set to discuss country's crackdown.
Military and police operations against protesters in Syria have stopped, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the world body said in a statement.
The announcement comes ahead of a UN Security Council meeting on Thursday at which the UN's human rights chief, Navi Pillay, could call for Syria's crackdown on protesters to be referred to the International Criminal Court, according to diplomats.
Israel firm on not apologising over flotilla
| Israel sticks to refusal to apologise to Turkey for killing nine of its citizens on Gaza-bound aid ship last year.
Israel says it will stick to its refusal to apologise to Turkey for killing nine of its citizens on a Gaza-bound aid ship, an Israeli official has said. Wednesday's announcement, which the official said Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu conveyed to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a telephone call a day earlier, was made days before the publication of the findings of a UN inquiry into the deadly raid of the Mavi Marmara boat last year. The so-called Palmer report was repeatedly delayed to allow for Israeli-Turkish reconcilliaiton talks amid concern in Washington at the rift between two countries that had been strategic partners in an increasingly volatile Middle East. |
Left and right in Israel: As the French say, 'bonnet blancs et blancs bonnet' (same sh*t)
Leading Labor Party candidate: I don't see Israeli settlements as a crime
Shelly Yachimovich claims settlement building was completely consensual move; says it was Labor Party that founded the settlement enterprise in the territories.
Prospective Labor Party leader Shelly Yachimovich has defended her party's role in the establishment of the settlements, saying, "I certainly do not see the settlement project as a sin and a crime." In an interview to be published in Haaretz Magazine Friday, MK Yachimovich added, "In its time, it was a completely consensual move. And it was the Labor Party that founded the settlement enterprise in the territories. That is a fact. A historical fact."
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Shelly Yachimovich claims settlement building was completely consensual move; says it was Labor Party that founded the settlement enterprise in the territories.
Prospective Labor Party leader Shelly Yachimovich has defended her party's role in the establishment of the settlements, saying, "I certainly do not see the settlement project as a sin and a crime." In an interview to be published in Haaretz Magazine Friday, MK Yachimovich added, "In its time, it was a completely consensual move. And it was the Labor Party that founded the settlement enterprise in the territories. That is a fact. A historical fact."
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Tuesday, August 16, 2011
U.S. Senator seeks to cut aid to elite IDF units operating in West Bank and Gaza
Senator Patrick Leahy claims Shayetet 13 unit, undercover Duvdevan unit, and the Israel Air Force Shaldag unit are involved in human rights violations in occupied territories.
U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy is promoting a bill to suspend U.S. assistance to three elite Israel Defense Forces units, alleging they are involved in human rights violations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Leahy, a Democrat and senior member of the U.S. Senate, wants assistance withheld from the Israel Navy's Shayetet 13 unit, the undercover Duvdevan unit and the Israel Air Force's Shaldag unit.
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U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy is promoting a bill to suspend U.S. assistance to three elite Israel Defense Forces units, alleging they are involved in human rights violations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Leahy, a Democrat and senior member of the U.S. Senate, wants assistance withheld from the Israel Navy's Shayetet 13 unit, the undercover Duvdevan unit and the Israel Air Force's Shaldag unit.
Read more
Nurit Peled-Elhanan on Israeli textbooks: ‘I didn’t know I would fall on so much racism’
Nurit Peled-Elhanan interviewed for the book "Abraham's Children."
Peled-Elhanan: I didn't know I would fall on so much racism.....
Palestinians are, if they are represented, usually they're are not represented at all..........they don't exists, nothing of their culture/customs nothing only as problems..and to represent people as problems is racism. Visually you don't see even in all Israel books....in none of them can you find a photograph of a Palestinian person..a teacher a doctor whatever nothing you only find racists icons of Ali Baba
Monday, August 15, 2011
Israel approves 277 new homes in West Bank settlement
The Independent
Israel has approved the building of 277 apartments in the Jewish settlement deepest inside the West Bank, defying US criticism of continued construction on land the Palestinians claim for a state.
The planned construction in Ariel — the core of the settlement bloc farthest inside the West Bank — is the third project on disputed (disputed?!!) lands to be advanced in the past week.
The World Should Be Watching Tahrir Square
Global media coverage of news from Egypt over the last week was focused on the trial of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. It ignored--or gave only footnote status to--a more important development: the forcible expulsion on Monday, August 1, of democracy activists from Tahrir Square in Cairo, and the occupation of the square by the Egyptian military and police. Armed forces now surround the central square area, literally taking up the space occupied by the democracy movement only a few days ago.
The trial of Hosni Mubarak, who oversaw his government’s killing of more than 1,000 Egyptians, whose only crime was peacefully protesting for basic human rights and dignity, is an important step toward establishing the rule of law in Egypt. But, it is only one step toward democratic reform. That the ruling Egyptian Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) saw fit to shut down Tahrir Square shows, at best, that they don’t understand the importance of that place for the democratic development of Egypt.
Tarzan and Arab: the Gaza artists determined to make it against all odds
Despite a lack of training, equipment, funding or an audience, Gaza's twin artists are determined to succeed as film directors
"As artists we are restricted by living in a conservative and tough community," says Arab. "Let's be realistic. Our life is under siege, under control. People don't have time for art. They spend all their time looking for crumbs. They say, 'What use is art? Art will not give you bread.' "
Read more
(thanks vza)
"As artists we are restricted by living in a conservative and tough community," says Arab. "Let's be realistic. Our life is under siege, under control. People don't have time for art. They spend all their time looking for crumbs. They say, 'What use is art? Art will not give you bread.' "
Read more
(thanks vza)
Sunday, August 14, 2011
US porn : Congress does Israel
Photo from the Israeli Embassy of that congressional junket to Israel. These are Dems, I figure; that's Steny Hoyer, seated, with Shimon Peres.
Via Mondoweiss
Mainstream Economist Nouriel Roubini: Marx Was Right. Capitalism May Be Destroying Itself
Nouriel Roubini is a mainstream economist who teaches at New York University and may be best known as one of the early predictors of the '08 crash.
He is no Marxist.
But today, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Roubini admitted that Marx was right about Capitalism and raised the possibility that Capitalism is destroying itself in the way Marx outlined more than a century and a half ago.
I've produced a rough transcript (Roubini's accent gives me some trouble) of the critical portion of this very interesting interview. I urge you to read each word carefully at least once, if not twice.
US censures report on drone casualties. Possibly up to 168 children have been killed in drone strikes in Pakistan
Officials reject independent UK study's finding that up to 168 children have been killed in drone strikes in Pakistan.
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US officials have strongly rejected allegations in an independent UK study that a covert drone war in Pakistan has killed large numbers of civilians, saying the numbers are "way off the mark".
On Friday, US officials criticised the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism report's finding that there had been many more CIA attacks on alleged al-Qaeda and Taliban targets and far more civilian deaths than previously reported.
The report said that bombing raids by unmanned aircraft had killed up to 168 children in Pakistan over the last seven years.
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