August 08, 2006

End Gestapo Raids in Palestine and release Palestinian Parliamentarians.

H.E. DAN GILLERMAN,
Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations 
israel-un@newyork.mfa.gov.il

Dear Mr Gillerman,

I strong condemn and urge your government to desist the Israeli Gestapo raids kidnapping democratically elected Palestinian members of parliament and demand their immediate and unconditional release. The recent kidnappings of Fadl Hamdan, and the speaker of the Palestinian parliament, Aziz Dweik are a part of Israels systematic operations designed to destroy the democratically elected Palestinian government and its people in tandem with criminal bombardments and aid boycotts.

On 29 June, Israel arrested and detained 64 Hamas officials. Amongst them were Palestinian Authority cabinet ministers and members of the Palestinian Legislative Council. Eight Hamas government members (five of whom in Ramallah) and up to twenty Legislative Council representatives were arrested in the operation.

Among those arrested are Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister Nasser al-Shaer, the Finance Minister Abed Razek; Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Khaled Abu Arfa, Labour Minister Mohammad Barghouti; Religious Affairs Minister Nayef Rajoub; East Jerusalem legislative council member and senior Hamas members, Muhammad Abu Tir and Mahmoud Atuan as well as heads of regional councils, and the mayor of Qalqilyah and his deputy.

The labelling of Hamas as a terrorist organization is absolutely absurd and shows unconscionable hypocrisy given Israel's long history of terrorism against the British, Palestinians and Lebanese. See List of the UN resolutions concerning Israel and Palestine (and Lebanon).

Furthermore, the USA's and Britain's credibilty as defenders of democracy is rendered zero by their support of Israel which itself was established by the efforts of Israeli terrorist groups such as Irgun, Lehi and  Haganah:

Irgun: Leaders within the mainstream Jewish Agency, Haganah, Histadrut, as well as British authorities, routinely condemned (publicly at least; privately the Haganah kept a dialogue with the dissident groups) Irgun operations as terrorist and branded it an illegal organization, as a result of the group's attacks on civilian targets . From about October of 1945 until July 1946, Irgun was in an alliance with the Haganah and Lehi.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irgun

Lehi: The British authorities regarded Lehi as a terrorist gang and called the organisation the Stern Gang (named after its first commander, Avraham Stern), a denunciatory label that persists in many historical accounts. Specifically, Stern believed that the Jewish population should focus its efforts on fighting the British rather than supporting them in World War II; and that forceful methods were an effective means to achieve those goals. He differentiated between "enemies of the Jewish people" (e.g., the British) and "Jew haters", (e.g., the Nazis), believing that the former needed to be defeated, and the latter neutralized. To this end, he initiated contact with Nazi authorities offering an alliance with Germany in return for transferring Europe's Jews to Palestine and the establishment of a Jewish state therein.

Lehi relied on audacious but small-scale operations to bring their message home, as such they described themselves as a terrorist group and adopted the tactics of groups such as the IRA, who had successfully used guerrilla warfare to force the British out of the Southern Republic of Ireland back in the 1920s. To this end, Lehi conducted small-scale operations such as assassinations of British soldiers and police officers and, on occasion, Jewish "collaborators". Another strategy, (1947) was to send bombs in the mail to many British politicians. Other actions included sabotaging infrastructure targets: bridges, railroads, and oil refineries. Lehi financed their operations from private donations, extortion, and bank robbery. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lehi_%28group%29

Haganah: a Jewish paramilitary organization. After the WWII, the Haganah carried out anti-British operations in Palestine, such as the liberation of interned immigrants from the Atlit camp, the bombing of the country's railroad network, sabotage raids on radar installations and bases of the British police. It also continued to organize illegal immigration. Members of the Haganah included: Yitzhak Rabin, Ariel Sharon; Rehavam Zeevi, Dov Hoz, Moshe Dayan, and Dr. Ruth Westheimer. On May 28, 1948, less than two weeks after the creation of the state of Israel on May 15, the provisional government created the Israeli Defense Forces which would succeed the Haganah. It also outlawed maintenance of any other armed force. Irgun challenged the decision which led to a brief clash between Haganah and Irgun. Eventually Irgun laid down their weapons and Menachem Begin transformed his militia to a political party, the Herut. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haganah.

Lehi, Irgun and Haganah groups were all said to be involved in massacres according to Israeli historian Benny Morris, see List of massacres committed during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

I hope that the Government of Israel will act in good faith by respecting the principles of international law and end its terrorist activities against Palestine and Lebanon.

Sincerely

Dr Vacy Vlazna
Coordinator
ACHEH PAPUA MALUKU HUMAN RIGHTS ONLINE

Glad to see someone has done a cartoon on the "birth pangs in the middle east.." as expressed so stupidly by La Madam Rice... I have agonised about releasing my own drawing which I did obviously on the day she uttered these infamous words... But then it was in bad taste... it was in REALLY bad taste... really really bad taste... Imagine some looking into into their own... Ah forget it... too ugly...

Ugly like the unconditional support afforded to Israel by the UK, the US and the small spirited government of our little country, using the most blatant of lies... and the way our media reports the problem, heaping heaps on Hizbollah, while omitting the larger part that would be detrimental to Israel... Slanted, Bias? And when La madam Rice speaks of "a step" she does not have the courage to say "in the right direction" because she knows it is a step towards the abyss...

Taste is always in the eye of the beholder Gus ….

I can only imagine your ‘toon but it could hardly be in worse taste than Vanity Fair’s decision to add the princess of darkness to its International Best Dressed List.

The magazine cited Condoleezza Rice as "immaculately groomed and formidably dignified but with an audacious renegade streak."

says it all really ..... 

Am awaiting with anticipation the transcripts of the interview by Tony Jones — on Lebanon, Israel, and the rest of the middle-east — done last night on Lateline (ABC) with an ultra conservative journalist who was peddling more porkies than rain drops falling down in a hurricane... Unless the cookie on my computer is stuck on the transcripts of the day before, nothing has been posted yet...

Australian Broadcasting Corporation
TV PROGRAM TRANSCRIPT
LOCATION: http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2006/s1710395.htm
Broadcast: 09/08/2006
We must brace for years of violence in the Middle East: Steyn
Reporter: Tony Jones

MARK STEYN: The stakes in the world we live in are nuclear war. The reality of this situation is the Israelis did not know how sophisticated the weapons that Hezbollah has been using. They didn't know they had half of that stuff. The reality is that Iran is talking about Armageddon, about genocide and it has had a 27-year pattern of exercising its power to the fullest of its capability. When it gets nuclear capability, it is going to use it, either directly use it by nuking somebody, or use it for nuclear blackmail. So in a sense...

TONY JONES: I'll come to that, but we were talking about Syria, not Iran.

MARK STEYN: Yes, but we're in a nuclearised Middle East already. We're living with the fact of a nuclearised Middle East. That's the issue. The issue that has really been on the table since September 11th is that the so-called stable Middle East in which so many people have invested has been a disaster. It's been a disaster for the people in that region and it's been a disaster for people all over the world. You know, 3,000 people died in the United States because the [http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2006/s1710395.htm|so-called stability] of the Middle East reached out and destabilised the twin towers in New York. The Middle East has to change.

----------------------

Gus: Apart from the other porkies peddled by this journalist, this one takes the cake... So Bin Laden and his Saudi friends (19 out of 21 terrorists) who "attacked" the Twin Towers really did not have anything to do with it? And the Middle East has to change with bombs and boots up the arse? This is going to improve the situation, sure: the more you hit, the more peaceful they become... No Mr Steyn... The more you hit, even if you win "big battles" you create resentment, you create vengeance and the more likely you're going to be hit back... It's called giving a first class reason to a latent problem that was slowly but surely fading away... Nothing that could not be settled with a bit more give and take, and much much less hypocrisy... But the conflict was re-launched by the likes of Bin Ladden AND the most stupid reaction of the USA to go and beat the shit out of Iraq for it... Have things improved? not a bit... before 9/11, there were a bit of tensions but nothing that couldn't be contained by negotiations and a bit of work... since the tensions were cooling off slowly... And "Iran is talking about Armageddon"?... What about the Christian and Jewish popular zealots?... Lebanon was slowly become wealthy again, as it should be... Hizbollah was only responding to the incursionary tits by Israel and Israel doing the same thing but over all, things were cooling off [http://representativepress.blogspot.com/2006/07/where-exactly-were-those-israeli.html|until...] see "representative press [Tom Murphy]" below
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Saturday, July 22, 2006

Where exactly were those Israeli soldiers when Hezbollah captured them?

UPDATE: Could the first translation be what Associated Press Writer Joseph Panossian based his initial report on? The second translation sounds better worded and based on that and Jonathan Cook's reporting, I think the second one is the accurate translation. See Translations that don't match

On July 12th, the Associated Press reported "The militant group Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers during clashes Wednesday across the border in southern Lebanon, prompting a swift reaction from Israel, which sent ground forces into its neighbor to look for them." This is from the article Hezbollah Captures 2 Israeli Soldiers By JOSEPH PANOSSIAN , 07.12.2006, 05:41 AM

This AP news article was run by several news outlets on July 12th like ABC, CBS Forbes, The Boston Herald etc. but this version was probably based on a bad translation.

Changing the Story Two Times ( the first version probably was based on a bad translation):
5:41 AM ET, Associated Press Writer Joseph Panossian originally reported "The militant group Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers during clashes Wednesday across the border in southern Lebanon"
7:09 AM ET, Associated Press Writer Joseph Panossian had changed his report to read: "The Hezbollah militant group captured two Israeli soldiers during clashes along the Lebanese border on Wednesday."
4:13 PM ET, Associated Press Writer Joseph Panossian had again changed his report, this time to read: "Hezbollah militants crossed into Israel on Wednesday and captured two Israeli soldiers. "

On July 12th, Anthony Shadid, Scott Wilson and Debbi Wilgoren, of the Washington Post Foreign Service, did not say which side of the border in their article Hezbollah Captures 2 Israeli Soldiers , "The militant Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers along the Israel-Lebanon border Wednesday morning, and Israeli officials said seven more soldiers were killed after tanks and troops moved into Lebanon in response to the attack." [as seen in google cache.] But that article was rewritten and on July 13th it read: "The Lebanese Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah infiltrated the Israeli border Wednesday in a brazen raid, capturing two Israeli soldiers, killing three others and prompting Israeli attacks on the airport in Beirut and bridges, roads, power stations and military positions across the hillsides of southern Lebanon."
Asking this question "Where exactly were those Israeli soldiers when Hezbollah captured them?" is an attempt to get to the bottom of this specific fact. Note in my update that I quote Jonathan Cook who writes, in a July 25th article, Five myths that help Israel's war crimes, "Early on July 12 Hizbullah launched a raid against an army border post"
Jonathan Cook mentions in his article that " We now know from reports in the US media that the Israeli army had been planning such a strike against Lebanon for at least a year." see Israel set war plan more than a year ago
See Translations that don't match

read the rest of the dangerous drivel at the ABC

From Al Jazeera

Arab League slams UN inaction

Wednesday 09 August 2006, 1:27 Makka Time, 22:27 GMT

The Arab league [http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/93AD0506-8B95-4F18-A645-CF50A9911685.htm|has accused the security council] of doing nothing while weeks of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah sow "the seeds of hatred and extremism" in the Middle East.

Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani, the Qatari foreign minister, spoke for an Arab league delegation at a special UN security council meeting.
He said: "It is most saddening that the council stands idly by, crippled, unable to stop the bloodbath which has become the bitter daily lot of the defenceless Lebanese people.
"What is happening will sow the seeds of hatred and extremism in the area and provide a pretext for those who feel that the international community is taking sides and lacks fairness as to this dispute."
Al-Thani said any UN resolution should call for "an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli forces behind the Blue Line" - the unofficial frontier between Israel and Lebanon.

 

re: "Best Dressed List"

I wonder if those shoes were among the ones she was busy buying while New Orleans drowned? "Imelda" Rice scares me almost as much as her hus....... err, boss.

I always wanted to see a woman elected President of the USA, but if Rice and Clinton are the only 2 choices for a female pres, count me out of the fan club.

You just need to be a flea against injustice. Enough committed fleas biting strategically can make even the biggest dog uncomfortable and transform even the biggest nation. ~~ Marian Wright Edelman

little 911s everywhere Gus .....

‘Israel’s “economic freedom” depends in large part on its ability to become a central petroleum-depot for the global oil trade. In Michel Chossudovsky’s recent article “Triple Alliance: US, Turkey, Israel and the War on Lebanon”, the author provides a detailed account of the alliances and agreements which underscore the current war. As Chossudovsky says, “We are not dealing with a limited conflict between the Israeli Armed Forces and Hezbollah as conveyed by the Western media. The Lebanese War Theater is part of a broader US military agenda, which encompasses a region extending from the Eastern Mediterranean into the heartland of Central Asia. The war on Lebanon must be viewed as ‘a stage’ in this broader ‘military road map’”.

Chossudovsky shows how the recently completed Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan pipeline has strengthened the Israel-Turkey alliance and foreshadows an attempt to establish “military control over a coastal corridor extending from the Israeli-Lebanese border to the East Mediterranean border between Syria and Turkey.”

Lebanese sovereignty is one of the unfortunate casualties of this Israel-Turkey strategy.

Most of the oil from the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan pipeline will be transported to western markets but, what is less well-known, is that a percentage of the oil will be diverted through a “proposed” Ceyhan-Ashkelon pipeline which will connect Israel directly to rich deposits in the Caspian. This will allow Israel to supply markets in the Far East from its port at Eilat on the Red Sea. It is an ambitious plan that ensures that Israel will be a critical part of the global energy distribution system. (See (Michel Chossudovsky, The war on Lebanon and the Battle for Oil, July 2006).

Oil is also a major factor in the calls for “regime change” in Syria. An article in the UK Observer “Israel Seeks Pipeline for Iraqi Oil” notes that Washington and Tel Aviv are hammering out the details for a pipeline that will run through Syria and “create and endless and easily accessible source of cheap oil for the US guaranteed by reliable allies other than Saudi Arabia.” The pipeline “would transform economic power in the region, bringing revenue to the new US-dominated Iraq, cutting out Syria, and solving Israel’s energy crisis at a stroke.”

The Israeli Mossad is already operating in northern Iraq where the pipeline will originate and have developed good relations with the Kurds. The only remaining obstacle is the current Syrian regime which has already entered the US/Israeli crosshairs. The Observer quotes a CIA official who said, “It has long been a dream of a powerful section of the people now driving this administration and the war in Iraq to safeguard Israel’s energy supply as well as that of the US. The Haifa pipeline was something that existed, was resurrected as a dream, and is now a viable project—albeit with a lot of building to do.”

Former US ambassador James Atkins added, “This is a new world order now. This is what things look like particularly if we wipe out Syria. It just goes to show that it is all about oil, for the United States and its ally.”

The Middle East is being reshaped according to the ideological aspirations of Zionists and the exigencies of a viciously-competitive energy market. Behind the bombed-out ruins of Qana and the endless sorties laying Lebanon to waste, are the tireless machinations of the energy giants, the corporate media, the banking establishment and Israel.

Don’t expect a quick return to peace. This war is just beginning.’

Israel, Oil & The "Planned Demolition" Of Lebanon

The United Nations has stopped deliveries of aid to southern Lebanese villages because of the danger on the roads & because the last bridge over the Litani River north of Tyre had been blown up.

The World Health Organization warned that if fuel is not delivered soon, 60 percent of the hospitals in Lebanon will 'simply cease to function.'

‘More than 100 Labour MPs yesterday demanded a recall of parliament to debate the Lebanon crisis, as Israel launched a major ground offensive and a UN peace propos al appeared close to being accepted.

Organisers of the call for an emergency session - backed by a number of ex-ministers - said they expected more than a quarter of all the country's 646 MPs to support the move.

In a letter delivered yesterday to John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, they said the long summer break should be cut short "as soon as practically possible".

The numbers underline the strength of feeling on Tony Blair's backbenches, and elsewhere, over the government's policy towards the battle between Israel and Hezbollah.

The Prime Minister's failure to join calls for an immediate ceasefire, and the use of UK airports for American arms flights to Israel, have fuelled growing hostility.’

Over 100 Labour MPs Demand A Recall Of Parliament

Tony Blair's Barbados holiday hasn't been disturbed, but there's still time.

"Plots, more plots, 45 heinous plots!" 

The Lord Protector of the USA is coming under scrutiny, too.

From In Your Guts, You Know He's Nuts: 

The word is circulating in high-level Republican Party circles that former President George H.W. Bush is profoundly worried about the mental state of his son, the current President. According to the sources, Bush 41 has been communicating with his own intimate circle, including former National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft, and former Secretary of State James Baker III, along with former President Bill Clinton, about G.W.'s over-the-top support for Israel's current self-destructive assault on Lebanon. The ex-President has reportedly conveyed to his close associates that he fears that G.W. is in a messianic state and is "unreachable," even by such close advisors as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Insight magazine, the online publication of the Washington Times, buttressed this account, reporting in early August that, for the first time, a rift has developed between Rice and President Bush, over the President's one-sided support for Israel, in the ongoing Israeli Defense Forces invasion of Lebanon. ...

Tighten those laws, Senators! 

‘President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice may be quite right about a new Middle East being born. In fact, their policies in support of the actions of their closest regional ally, Israel, have helped midwife the newborn. But it will not be exactly the baby they have longed for. For one thing, it will be neither secular nor friendly to the United States. For another, it is going to be a rough birth.

What is happening in the broader Middle East and North Africa can be seen as a boomerang effect that has been playing out slowly since the horrific events of Sept. 11, 2001. In the immediate aftermath of those attacks, there was worldwide sympathy for the United States and support for its declared "war on terrorism," including the invasion of Afghanistan. Then the cynical exploitation of this universal goodwill by so-called neo-conservatives to advance hegemonic designs was confirmed by the war in Iraq.

The Bush administration's dishonest statements about "weapons of mass destruction" diminished whatever credibility the United States might have had as liberator, while disastrous mismanagement of Iraqi affairs after the invasion led to the squandering of a conventional military victory. The country slid into bloody sectarian violence, while official Washington stonewalled and refused to admit mistakes. No wonder the world has progressively turned against America.’

The 'New Middle East' Bush Is Resisting

Hezbollah leads reconstruction race

By Rob Winder in Beirut
Friday 13 October 2006, 13:59 Makka Time, 10:59 GMT

In Beirut's southern suburbs, the evidence of a month of devastating Israeli airstrikes remains.
It is almost two months since the conflict ended, but the crater-lined streets of the district of Dahiya are still piled high with rubble. Mattresses, furniture and clothing lie mixed with the debris, evidence of the thousands of lives disrupted by the war.
Reconstruction work is under way, however, and mechanical diggers scoop up mounds of dirt, wrecking balls pulverise half-demolished buildings and teams of uniformed workmen shout instructions at each other.
But the work is not being carried out by the Lebanese government or international donors - but by Hezbollah's own reconstruction organisation, [http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/3926AC1A-5C6A-4E97-BC75-BC48F60FF82C.htm|Jihad al-Binaa or "reconstruction campaign"].
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Gus: the priority of US capitalistic enterprises in this situation would be to see how much profit can be extracted from the process and to some extend how much overcharging one can get away with... For this simplistic statement see Katrina, etc... This is private enterprise with the might to make a buck. While what Hezbollah is doing is to some extend socialistic and caring... Sure, some toffee right wing will say there must an ultimate sinister motive... Ah yes provide comfort to their supporters that Israel tried to wipe out... I can see anything wrong here...

[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/21/world/middleeast/21land.html?ei=5094&en=2e03da87b76e6581&hp=&ex=1164171600&partner=homepage&pagewanted=all|Israeli Map] Says West Bank Posts Sit on Arab Land
By STEVEN ERLANGER
Published: November 21, 2006

JERUSALEM, Nov. 20 — An Israeli advocacy group, using maps and figures leaked from inside the government, says that 39 percent of the land held by Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank is privately owned by Palestinians.

About 86 percent of Maale Adumim, an Israeli settlement, sits on privately held Palestinian property, according to government data.

Israel has long asserted that it fully respects Palestinian private property in the West Bank and only takes land there legally or, for security reasons, temporarily.

If big sections of those settlements are indeed privately held Palestinian land, that is bound to create embarrassment for Israel and further complicate the already distant prospect of a negotiated peace. The data indicate that 40 percent of the land that Israel plans to keep in any future deal with the Palestinians is private.

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Gus: we've already alerted readers a few months ago about the map of greater  Israel... in which no Palestinian land appear...