Sunday, March 2, 2008
Adel Samara - A Global Massacre Against Gaza
source Kanaan Online (thanks to Nadia Hasan for the forward)Note: I certainly need help in answering the following two questions:
· What is going on in the mind of a Palestinian infant in the last moments of his or her life when a US/Israeli rocket strikes him/her?
· What do Israeli military leaders tell their pilot when he shows them the picture of that infant?
The debate on whether Israel will launch a large scale or “limited” aggression against Gaza is pure nonsense and meaningless. Any “limited” aggression against civilians, by an army with most recent US inventions of war machine and Zionist inhuman behavior, will kill many people.
The most important question, however, is somewhere else: What are the reasons and who is really behind this holocaust?
The main reason can be summarized as “No Resistance in the Era of Globalization” (NOREG). This should remind us of the fact that US neo-cons regime, western capitalist regimes, and Arab comprador regimes support and encourage Zionists to wipe out Hezbollah as the main force of resistance in this era. That is why, the war of summer 2006, was a precious gift for Arab regimes. But fortunately, the results were deeply disappointing.
Since 2006, if one does not mention the holocaust in Iraq, Arab regimes and the Palestinian Authority (PA) stand in the camp of: “No Resistance in the Era of Globalization” NOREG.
This is an international camp. It transcends national, ethnic, religious and ideological boundaries. That is why, Arab rulers, Zionists, US neo-cons, Anglo-Saxon, French, German regimes are in one camp.
Accordingly, the war against Gaza is a decision from a terrorist leadership of all these regimes, and the Zionists are its paw. It is the war of regimes and ruling classes that is aimed at liquidating all forms of resistance.
Any Palestinian, Arab or Thirdworld-ist who stands on the line of resistance is a candidate for termination: Baghdad , Gaza , Lebanon , Serbia …etc are all fields for implementing this rule.
Rockets are not the Reason
Those who pretend that rockets are the reason behind the current Zionist massacre are liars. If we have to look for a reason for that massacre, it should be found in the1948 Zionist occupation of Palestine, the eviction of Palestinians from their homeland, and the Zionist insistence on terminating the Palestinian Right of Return (RoR) by all means. Three quarters of the population of Gaza are refugees who were evicted as a result of the occupation of Palestine in 1948, and who are part of a large community of Palestinian refugees amounting to 6.5 million scattered all over the globe. Why shouldn’t they resist?
The Zionist regime, US and most of western capitalist regimes, and later many Arab regimes are hand in hand supporting the Zionist settler and criminal regime working on terminating the RoR. Oslo Accords follow the same direction albeit it is not directly written in their text.
It is worth noting that the Zionist massacre is not only because Hamas stands for the RoR and refuses the recognition of the Zionist regime. It is well known that the Zionist massacres against the Palestinian people had never ceased since 1948, and Palestinian resistance will never stop as well.
It should be also noted that Palestinians are the only native people who still resist the white settlers, while in other white settlements, i.e. USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, the native people had been mainly terminated while some have given up the struggle.
Will there be a big war?
This form of question is a simplification of facts. Israel does not need more than this level of holocaust against civilians. It is in Israel’s interest to force Palestinians into another mass eviction than to kill all of them at once. Zionists have never changed their plans: to occupy Palestine in its entirety, but ….void of its people. That is why; they prefer Palestinians' self- ‘transfer’.
Of course, this does not eliminate the possibility of launching a massive war against Gaza or a massive destruction as the Zionists did in Lebanon 2006[1] considering the fact that the camp of globalization in their support. It is not an exaggeration to note that the transfer of Palestinians is a real possibility now.
One of the reasons for delaying a more extensive war is the Zionist expectation that they will lose more soldiers in a fierce face to face battle, a loss they are never ready for. For a colonial settler entity that fights for importing more settlers, losses of soldiers is of catastrophic consequences. The Zionist entity, Israel, is the only white settler regime that is still ‘buying’ new settlers, while the US white settlement is building a wall against Mexican immigrant workers who are fighting to enter the country even as slaves. During 2007, the number of settlers who left the Zionist regime exceeded the new incoming immigrants.
Bin Laden in Gaza !
A year or so ago, the PA repeated that some al-Qaeda fighters are in Gaza. Later, the PA and some Arab rulers repeated the same lies and accused Hamas of facilitating the infiltration of al-Qaeda militant to Gaza.
This propaganda is another war against resistance. As a matter of fact, many do not buy the story that there is a single al-Qaeda organization. I believe that the NOREG consider any militant all over Arab, Islamic and even Third world as al-Qaeda. Even if there is one single al-Qaeda, the question is: Who created it? Who started terror in the modern world history? It is the western capitalist regimes and later the comprador capitalist classes in the periphery against their own people.
The most dangerous part of the peoples’ enemy propaganda is its ability to mix all Arab and Islamic militants in one pot[2] and show that they are the so-called al-Qaeda or the Salafi!
Unfortunately, some Arab thinkers fall into that trap. In their criticism to Political Islam (PI), they are being lured by the hatred of the Zionist and western leftists towards Arab and Moslem resistance. Some of these writers are keen to proof to the Zionists and western leftists that they are not religious, and they are anti pan-Arabism …etc. They strive to be accepted in western leftist circles!
One of the bad results of this subjugation is that they confirm that Arab people support Salafiyah! That is why; Zionists and many western leftists used the victory of Hamas to ‘prove’ this pretence. These Arab writers failed to explain that in the Occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip and other Arab countries, the people have to choose between PI and the comprador which betray their history, memory, present, and future.
As long as these Arab leftist writers help the deformity of PI groups, they are, whether they mean it or not, placing socialist/Communist Arabs in the camp of imperialism. This, in fact, delays the re-emergence of an Arab radical left.
If Hamas wants to create something, it will not create al-Qaeda; it will create other fighters for Hamas! But, since the war machine is that extensive and is declared against the Palestinian people, why would not Palestinians create many al-Qaedas?
Israel Fights for Arab Regimes as well
This is another dimension or reason of the massacre in Gaza. We must remember that Arab regimes were and still are terrified by the Palestinian struggle. When the first Intifada erupted, the goal of Arab regimes was to keep their citizens away from its influence. When Hezbollah liberated South Lebanon, and later defeated the Zionists in 2006, Arab regimes were devastated.
When Hamas won the Palestinian elections in January 2006, Arab regimes were terrified again, and a global, though gradual, coup d'état started against it. The crisis reaches its peak when Hamas defeated Fateh in June 2007.
Consider the following developments: the Zionist aggression in Gaza is a protection for Arab regimes from the expansion of this phenomenon. One should keep in mind that these regimes are ready to pay any price to avoid the provocation of their suppressed people.
The Two Weak Wings
Anyone who believes that the Zionists will reduce their aggression, is either naïve or cooperating with them. It is an entity that was created against the Arab Homeland especially the Palestinian people. That is why, they have no alternative but to prove and emphasize their role.
If radical people in the region want to re-build their power and to fight for a united Arab socialist Homeland, defeat of the Zionist regime, and achieve the RoR, they must first start their battle against two local groups:
· The ruling comprador classes in Arab Homeland;
· The various groups of local intellectuals: the westernized, renegade communists, NGOized political activists and many academicians who are tied (and financed) in one way or another, by the bloody regimes of the United Sates, many other western regimes, and even the Zionist regime.[3]
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[1] The arrival of the US Cole warship to the Lebanese shores is a direct threat for another destruction of that country.
[2] That is why; the comprador regime in Morocco arrested lately some leftists with Political Islamists. It should be noted that these arrests are in fact directed against the influence of Hezbollah of Lebanon as a new current which is not a fundamentalist. It might attract leftists as well.
[3] A very recent example of those intellectuals is the Moroccan poet Abdullatif Al-Lua’bi, who is visiting the occupied WBG now during the mass extermination of Palestinians in Gaza under occupation invited by the French Cultural Center. For those who are not familiar with the issue of normalization, any Arab who visits the occupied WBG is in fact normalizing with the Zionist occupation and recognizes the Zionist regime.
The Author is a Palestinian Marxist Economist living in Ramallah.
Labels: absolute madness, Arab countries, Gaza, human rights violations, Israel, Nakba, Palestine, Palestinian politicians, philosophy, war, Zionism
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Razan al Ghazzawi - Very Important Rockets
from the outstanding blog Decentering Damascus , an important reflection on how we are "reading" this crisis, and a call to widen our expectations about what is important for Gazans and Palestinians to have. Not just food and gas, but a decent, normal life. (in the photo, Razan with other bloggers in Syria). -mary I don’t appreciate it when Arab bloggers or Arab media agencies report and cover the Gaza blockade merely by talking about the death of children and women – I’m not sure why men's lives don’t count – as if the problem is not death in itself but the “death-of-children”. So the counter argument of Israelis would be by starting counting the Palestinian children who've died due the siege and support their arguments with the lack of recourses:
"More Muslim mendacity. If children were indeed starving, why are there no photos of their swollen bellies?"
According to this logic, one can argue that since there are no photos of the Holocaust Gas chambers in which the Jews were collectively massacred by the Nazis, then one could surmise that the Gas chambers didn't exist.
To get back to my point, the argument to oppose the Israeli apartheid policies on the Gazans and Palestinians in general shouldn’t be through counting/demonstrating dead children and women or even to focus merely on the inhumane situations in which the Palestinians are living, but the argument should address the "apartheid racist logic" that produced such inhumane practices. My problem is not "bringing up" the victims in the Gaza blockade coverage but rather making it "the" argument to oppose Israel as a counter argument. Death, shortage of fuel, food and medicine are only the "visible" practices of an Israeli apartheid state, they're not "the" problem of this state and hence they shouldn’t be our rhetoric and our defense against Israel.
It seems that we have the right to "speak", so loudly, against Israel when we have a picture of a child dying that without this child, we wouldn’t have a case against Israel's inhumane blockade of Gaza.
The Arab rhetoric should renew its arguments, that again, are bombastic and not strategically analytical in reading their own realities in relation to the enemy or in reading the enemy's strategy that constantly presents itself as a "prior" party in the "Palestinian-Israeli struggle." The thing that would damage the core of the Palestinian cause when readers would support us merely as sympathizers with the dead children and not as supporters to Palestinians' right to live securely and equally to the Israeli citizen.
Having said that, I have something to say about the Israeli right of self-defense against Qassam rockets.
Before assuming there is an opponent struggle taking place between the Israelis and Palestinians, one should agree then that the two parties, equally, have the basic right to live peacefully and securely, and accordingly have the right of self-defense. But when Israel, supported by the UN, US and Europe, keep prioritizing the Israeli citizens at the expense of the Palestinian citizens, one should not adhere to the term "Israel-Palestine struggle" since it suggests adversaries. In "Israel-Palestine struggle" there is one party -Israel- who has the right to have a life, hence the right of self-defense, and for that right, it has the right to control the other party's right to live peacefully: it decides on behalf of the Gazans how they should live: "not easily", and block their access to fuel, food and medicine and arbitrary night-raid their homes on their heads.
This Israeli right to live and right of self-defense is embedded in every single report, with or against Israel’s complete closure of Gaza Strip:
“We all understand the security problems and the need to respond to that but collective punishment of the people of Gaza is not, we believe, the appropriate way to do that,” said John Holmes.
So while the world agrees on Israelis right to live securely, the world is sympathizing with Gazans lack of fuel, food and medicine. i.e., lack of life.
With Israel the rhetoric is about its safety and its right to exist and for that it has the right to defend this very existence and life, but with the Palestinians, the rhetoric comes as the right to eat, to have hospitals and the right to be warm in winter.
Palestinians don’t have the right to have a life, nor the right to exist, and certainly not the right to defend themselves, Palestinians are not equal to Israelis, they're inferior. They have the right to be merely fed. While the Israelis are always remembered, the dying Gazans are just now remembered.
Again, the world does prioritize Israelis as they support the Gazans now.
And the Arabs celebrate this utterly biased stand with the Israeli right to be secure when their mere opposition to the siege is dealt on humanitarian basis while they should be arguing for the Palestinians’ right to live equally as the Israelis, securely and peacefully, not just in regards with their basic needs to survive.
Furthermore, all the reports seem to be embeddedly convinced that Israel’s siege on Gaza is a "reaction" to Qassam rockets when they recognize Israel's right to self-defense but shifts its attention to Gazans humanitarian rights. I find this rhetoric as apologetic to Israel’s terrorist policies with the Palestinians: linkage, between Qassam rockets and Israel’s two years siege on Gaza is dealt with on one level, as if the damage on both sides are similar. Let's take a look at Gaza's damages from the siege:
68 Patients killed by Israeli Occupation due to Closure!
1562 patients in need of treatment outside Gaza Strip
322 patients are in serious danger and in need of urgent treatment
22 money holistic are suspended from work due to the siege
107 class of basic medicines are depleted from Gaza Strip
97 sorts of medicines on the verge of depletion
136 medical instrument are stopped or our of order
6 months, Gaza with closed crossings and borders
160 thousand workers are out of work
3000 fishermen become out of work due to siege
$370 millions are the costs of stalled construction projects
$14 million are the wastage of strawberry and flowers season
4500 strawberry farmers become out of work
470 cancer patients are likely to die
And on the Israeli side:
Homemade rockets have killed in a most updated report 12 Israelis including three children, according to Israeli Defence Forces.
Yoram Schweitzer of Tel Aviv's Jaffee Centre for Strategic Studies comments:
"Qassams are very primitive missiles and their main effect on Israelis in the area is psychological torment - a kind of Chinese water torture."
So I wonder how can psychological insecurities be considered parallel to Palestinian damages mentioned above, and how can two years of siege is considered as a reaction to these primitive rockets? Hence the linkage that is meant to be apologetic to war crimes committed on civilians to maintain security not to the lives of Israelis, but to their psychological situation.
I find the argument in B’Tselem report on the closure of Gaza Strip situation stands in its own to unfolding the truth behind the Israeli siege on Gaza:
"Israeli authorities often exploit security threats in order to advance prohibited political interests under the guise of security."
Indeed, Sderot is inhabited by "Mizrachi" Jews and not by Azhkenazis, some of the inhabitants feel insecure not only from the Qassam rockets but by the racist Israeli government:
"The worst part of all this isn't the rocket fire - it's the fact that the government just doesn't care," said a Sderot settler.
"More Muslim mendacity. If children were indeed starving, why are there no photos of their swollen bellies?"
According to this logic, one can argue that since there are no photos of the Holocaust Gas chambers in which the Jews were collectively massacred by the Nazis, then one could surmise that the Gas chambers didn't exist.
To get back to my point, the argument to oppose the Israeli apartheid policies on the Gazans and Palestinians in general shouldn’t be through counting/demonstrating dead children and women or even to focus merely on the inhumane situations in which the Palestinians are living, but the argument should address the "apartheid racist logic" that produced such inhumane practices. My problem is not "bringing up" the victims in the Gaza blockade coverage but rather making it "the" argument to oppose Israel as a counter argument. Death, shortage of fuel, food and medicine are only the "visible" practices of an Israeli apartheid state, they're not "the" problem of this state and hence they shouldn’t be our rhetoric and our defense against Israel.
It seems that we have the right to "speak", so loudly, against Israel when we have a picture of a child dying that without this child, we wouldn’t have a case against Israel's inhumane blockade of Gaza.
The Arab rhetoric should renew its arguments, that again, are bombastic and not strategically analytical in reading their own realities in relation to the enemy or in reading the enemy's strategy that constantly presents itself as a "prior" party in the "Palestinian-Israeli struggle." The thing that would damage the core of the Palestinian cause when readers would support us merely as sympathizers with the dead children and not as supporters to Palestinians' right to live securely and equally to the Israeli citizen.
Having said that, I have something to say about the Israeli right of self-defense against Qassam rockets.
Before assuming there is an opponent struggle taking place between the Israelis and Palestinians, one should agree then that the two parties, equally, have the basic right to live peacefully and securely, and accordingly have the right of self-defense. But when Israel, supported by the UN, US and Europe, keep prioritizing the Israeli citizens at the expense of the Palestinian citizens, one should not adhere to the term "Israel-Palestine struggle" since it suggests adversaries. In "Israel-Palestine struggle" there is one party -Israel- who has the right to have a life, hence the right of self-defense, and for that right, it has the right to control the other party's right to live peacefully: it decides on behalf of the Gazans how they should live: "not easily", and block their access to fuel, food and medicine and arbitrary night-raid their homes on their heads.
This Israeli right to live and right of self-defense is embedded in every single report, with or against Israel’s complete closure of Gaza Strip:
“We all understand the security problems and the need to respond to that but collective punishment of the people of Gaza is not, we believe, the appropriate way to do that,” said John Holmes.
So while the world agrees on Israelis right to live securely, the world is sympathizing with Gazans lack of fuel, food and medicine. i.e., lack of life.
With Israel the rhetoric is about its safety and its right to exist and for that it has the right to defend this very existence and life, but with the Palestinians, the rhetoric comes as the right to eat, to have hospitals and the right to be warm in winter.
Palestinians don’t have the right to have a life, nor the right to exist, and certainly not the right to defend themselves, Palestinians are not equal to Israelis, they're inferior. They have the right to be merely fed. While the Israelis are always remembered, the dying Gazans are just now remembered.
Again, the world does prioritize Israelis as they support the Gazans now.
And the Arabs celebrate this utterly biased stand with the Israeli right to be secure when their mere opposition to the siege is dealt on humanitarian basis while they should be arguing for the Palestinians’ right to live equally as the Israelis, securely and peacefully, not just in regards with their basic needs to survive.
Furthermore, all the reports seem to be embeddedly convinced that Israel’s siege on Gaza is a "reaction" to Qassam rockets when they recognize Israel's right to self-defense but shifts its attention to Gazans humanitarian rights. I find this rhetoric as apologetic to Israel’s terrorist policies with the Palestinians: linkage, between Qassam rockets and Israel’s two years siege on Gaza is dealt with on one level, as if the damage on both sides are similar. Let's take a look at Gaza's damages from the siege:
68 Patients killed by Israeli Occupation due to Closure!
1562 patients in need of treatment outside Gaza Strip
322 patients are in serious danger and in need of urgent treatment
22 money holistic are suspended from work due to the siege
107 class of basic medicines are depleted from Gaza Strip
97 sorts of medicines on the verge of depletion
136 medical instrument are stopped or our of order
6 months, Gaza with closed crossings and borders
160 thousand workers are out of work
3000 fishermen become out of work due to siege
$370 millions are the costs of stalled construction projects
$14 million are the wastage of strawberry and flowers season
4500 strawberry farmers become out of work
470 cancer patients are likely to die
And on the Israeli side:
Homemade rockets have killed in a most updated report 12 Israelis including three children, according to Israeli Defence Forces.
Yoram Schweitzer of Tel Aviv's Jaffee Centre for Strategic Studies comments:
"Qassams are very primitive missiles and their main effect on Israelis in the area is psychological torment - a kind of Chinese water torture."
So I wonder how can psychological insecurities be considered parallel to Palestinian damages mentioned above, and how can two years of siege is considered as a reaction to these primitive rockets? Hence the linkage that is meant to be apologetic to war crimes committed on civilians to maintain security not to the lives of Israelis, but to their psychological situation.
I find the argument in B’Tselem report on the closure of Gaza Strip situation stands in its own to unfolding the truth behind the Israeli siege on Gaza:
"Israeli authorities often exploit security threats in order to advance prohibited political interests under the guise of security."
Indeed, Sderot is inhabited by "Mizrachi" Jews and not by Azhkenazis, some of the inhabitants feel insecure not only from the Qassam rockets but by the racist Israeli government:
"The worst part of all this isn't the rocket fire - it's the fact that the government just doesn't care," said a Sderot settler.
I reject the article altogether and I think it sheds light on something that can be useful to unfolding Israeli government's lies in claiming its "need to protect" its settlers; they're not killing civilians "for" Sderot settlers but "against" Gazans' political background; i.e., Hamas. So the Siege is strictly practiced for political reasons and not for security reasons.
Why is Israel targeting Hamas now? This is where my amateur analysis ends.
Why is Israel targeting Hamas now? This is where my amateur analysis ends.
http://ya-ashrafe-nnas.blogspot.com/2008/01/very-important-rockets.html Be sure to check out the Flickr photo sets. She is an extraordinarily talented photographer too.
Labels: absolute madness, activism, Arab countries, Gaza, hasbara, human rights violations, journalism, occupation, Palestine, propaganda
Rafah! A Victory of the Palestinian People
Infopalestina writes:Rafah. A great victory of the Palestinian people. That cursed wall has been broken. The Palestinian people have demonstrated, once again, to never be resigned to their fate or defeated. No one can close them in a cage or a prison. The struggle of the Palestinians deserves all of our support, all of our respect and the trust that they merit.
Rafah. Una grande vittoria del popolo palestinese
Quel maledetto muro è stato rotto. Il popolo palestinese ha dimostrato, ancora una volta, di non essere mai rassegnato nè sconfitto. Nessuno può chiuderlo dentro una gabbia o una prigione. La lotta dei palestinesi merita ancora tutto il sostegno, il rispetto e la fiducia che gli sono dovuti
VEDI FOTO CLICCANDO QUI
Domenica 3 febbraio, ore 10.30 riunione nazionale
della Campagna "2008 anno della Palestina"
Roma, via Giolitti 231
info: www.forumpalestina.org
Labels: Arab countries, Gaza, good news, human rights violations, occupation, Palestine, somoud, Wall
Friday, January 11, 2008
Gilad Atzmon (double bill) Letter @ Bush / Brighton Bis
Letter to George W BushWhy don't you Bomb Yourself and Save Us All
President Bush had tears in his eyes during an hour-long tour of Israel's Holocaust Memorial on Friday and told Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that the U.S. should have bombed Auschwitz to halt the killing. AP
This is what President Bush said today at the end of his formal visit to Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial.
You see Mr. President, it couldn't work out, because at that time Hitler was working for America, killing 'red Communists'.
At the time, America and Britain had an armistice with Nazi Germany in mind.
You simply couldn't just admit that Hitler was a butcher? No one makes peace with industrial mass murderers.
As if this is not enough, at the time your country's military intelligence didn't really buy the story of Nazi Germany's involvement in mass liquidation. Consequently, your country didn't open its gates to Jewish refugees.
However, if you are truly shocked by Nazi inhumanity and regret your country's impotence at the time of the war, now is the time to act.
You can always save the Palestinians.
You can, for instance, just threaten to bomb Tel Aviv, Haifa or Jerusalem...
This will be enough to liberate the Palestinians in Gaza Concentration Camp.
In case you are still motivated by a genuine humanist call, you may consider bombing yourself, and saving the rest of the Iraqi people from the genocide you apparently inflicted on them.
Mr President, it is never too late to save humanity from yourself and your ilk.
Letter to the Editor of The Argus, the newspaper that did the smear piece on Atzmon.
Crowd to hear speaker were no racists
Thanks to a story in The Argus on Monday, and Jean Calder's comment piece (The Argus, December 29), last night I was able to hear an interesting talk by Israeli jazz musician Gilad Atzmon. Some people attending arrived clutching the article from Monday's paper.
Unfortunately, because one man stuck up threatening posters at the Brighthelm, I had to hear the talk standing up in the kitchen of a private house while Mr Atzmon's talk was relayed by TV from a crowded upstairs room. It turned out that the protester had originally been invited to debate with Mr Atzmon.
Much of the talk was the fascinating story of Mr Atzmon's life as a Jewish person growing up in Israel in the 1970s. He told us that all he wanted to do as a teenager was play the saxophone, so when he was conscripted into the Israeli Defence Forces his "job" was to play in the army band.
Then he recounted his horror at what he saw when taken on a tour of a camp for Palestinian prisoners run by the Israeli Defence Forces in Lebanon in the 1980s. He called it a concentration camp. He said that as a child the only Palestinians he knew were the ones that cleaned his parents' house and that they were taught nothing about Palestinians as people at school.
His experiences in Lebanon made him question his whole upbringing and he eventually decided he could no longer live in Israel.
I can understand why some may find him offensive. He described his grandfather's Zionist militia, who apparently took part in more than 50 massacres of Palestinians in the 1940s, as Jewish nazis - not a term I feel comfortable with. And his sarcastic, humorous speaking style is mocking of everything whether it be jazz, Marxists, leftists or religious tradition, which can make people feel uncomfortable.
But I am certain that Mr Atzmon and all the people crowded into that small house last night would be the first to oppose all forms of racism, anti-Semitism and nazism. What a shame that it is so easy to prevent proper public discussion on such important issues.
Dave Jones, Springfield Road Brighton
Labels: activism, anti-Semitism, Arab countries, Atzmon, call to action, gatekeeping, holocaust, Palestine, propaganda, UN
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
And Blair’s Plan Comes to Palestine
Michele Giorgio reporting from Jerusalem (from il manifesto, 18/12/07)Blair played the role of protagonist also in Paris. The Quartet’s envoy for the Middle East and former British Premier takes seriously the duty of “developing the Palestinian economy”, as he has been entrusted by the American President George W. Bush, his companion in many military adventures. He takes his task so seriously that he’s churning out plans one after another. As many as four are the proposals the Quartet’s envoy has recently put forward for the “Rebirth of the Palestinian economy”, amongst which one with a striking name: “Corridor for Peace and Prosperity”.
It’s been ready for some time now, because it was already conceived by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA). It foresees the development of a large agro-industrial area in the Jordan Valley, the most fertile zone in the Palestinian Territories occupied by Israel 40 years ago. Behind the good-intention rhetoric, the project reveals not only the aim to make the dependence of the Palestinian economy on the Israeli one official, but also the intention of indirectly legalising the Israeli settlements in that portion of Palestinian territory.
Also included in the “Corridor for Peace and Prosperity” are plans for waste management about which some criticism has already come from the people of Jericho. As a matter of fact, the dumping grounds are expected to be built only in the tiny A-area, the one which, according to the outdated Oslo Accords, is controlled (at least formally) by the PNA.
Actually, the plan doesn’t take into consideration building dumping areas in the C-Area, which includes most of the occupied West Bank and is under the full authority of the Israeli army. Evidently, the Japanese and Blair seem to take for granted that, in the future, the C-Area will remain under Israel’s control. Jamal Jumaa, a leading representative of the Palestinian civil society and activist for the “Stop the Wall” campaign, suspects that the plan includes “also managing waste from the Israeli settlements built in that area, for instance the massive Ma’ale Adumim, which by international law, are illegal.”
In contrast with the socio-economical pattern of the Jericho area, comprised of farmers who work their small plot of land, the development plan which has been conceived by the Japanese and approved by Blair, foresees the set up of big agro-industrial enterprises with a remarkable workforce. If one takes into account the indigence in which most of the inhabitants of the Jordan Valley live, it won’t be too hard to guess that it will be the Israelis and the same old Palestinian elite who will dominate the entrepreneurial scene whilst the peasants will be employed as unskilled workers.
In the JICA plan, at pages 8 and 9, reference is made to the primary role for the development of the agro-industrial area that is expected to be carried out by “Israeli migrant firms”, an expression behind which are concealed those Israeli firms operating in the Palestinian Occupied Territories that maintain business relations with the Jewish settlements of the Jordan Valley. “The Corridor for Peace and Prosperity,” Jamal Jumaa warns, “goads the Palestinians, through economic cooperation, into recognising the presence of the Israeli settlements. What’s more, with such starting points, the benefits for the Palestinians will be minimal to say the least, since our farmers will never have the necessary tools to be at the top of the managerial pyramid and therefore they will have to make do with the crumbs that drop off the table.”
Even the building of “Morajat Road” seems to confirm Jumaa’s warnings. Officially, this road, as conceived in the plan, has the task of making the movements of the local goods and farmers along the Jordan Valley easier. Actually, it allows Israel to bar Palestinian traffic from state roads connecting Jerusalem to the Jericho area, thus it has a share in the development of the twofold traffic system—one for the Palestinians and one for the Israelis—which the UN spokesman for human rights himself, John Dugard, has described as being “semi-apartheid”. It is worthwhile to remember that the “Morajat Road” starts and ends with Israeli checkpoints.
Being allowed to criticise the “peace” and “development” patterns that were formulated at the Annapolis conference of the past month, as well as those ones emerging from Blair’s plans, is becoming an increasingly harder feat. Yet, some Arab regimes that maintain close relationships with the Bush administration are starting to have some doubts. Yesterday, while in Paris it was decided to provide Abu Mazen’s PNA with hefty financial aid, more than a few people wondered whether the Arab States will fulfil the obligations they undertook towards the Palestinian President the past month in Annapolis. Egypt and Saudi Arabia, in fact, seem to be reluctant to unreservedly take the side of Abu Mazen and to keep Hamas at a distance, which has controlled Gaza since last June.
Precisely from the Palestinian President’s entourage, it has been rumoured that Saudi Arabia is reconsidering the promise of covering half of the PNA’s yearly deficit (this year: 1.4 billion dollars). What’s more, only 80 out of 421 billion dollars that the Arab States granted to Abu Mazen in 2007 have been delivered.
On one hand, Saudi Arabia sides with Abu Mazen while on the other, it heistates in breaking off relations with Hamas, which represents an important portion of the Palestinian population.
Some day ago, the Hamas leader in exile, Khaled Meshaal, was warmly welcomed in Riyad by the Saudi establishment and therefore it is not surprising that the meeting was harshly criticised by the Palestinian President’s staff.
Translated by Diego Traversa and revised by Mary Rizzo, members of www.tlaxcala.es, network of translators for linguistic diversity.
Italian source:http://www.ilmanifesto.it/Quotidiano-archivio/18-Dicembre-2007/art48.html
Labels: Arab countries, EU, Israel, occupation, Palestine, Palestinian politicians, UK, US
Thursday, December 13, 2007
"Save Darfur" Campaign is a PR Scam
Ten Reasons Why "Save Darfur" is a PR Scam to Justify the Next US Oil and Resource Wars in Africa by Bruce Dixon
Global Research, December 12, 2007
blackagendareport.com - 2007-11-27
The star-studded hue and cry to "Save Darfur" and "stop the genocide" has gained enormous traction in U.S. media along with bipartisan support in Congress and the White House. But the Congo, with ten to twenty times as many African dead over the same period is not called a "genocide" and passes almost unnoticed. Sudan sits atop lakes of oil. It has large supplies of uranium, and other minerals, significant water resources, and a strategic location near still more African oil and resources. The unasked question is whether the nation's Republican and Democratic foreign policy elite are using claims of genocide, and appeals for "humanitarian intervention" to grease the way for the next oil and resource wars on the African continent.
The regular manufacture and the constant maintenance of false realities in the service of American empire is a core function of the public relations profession and the corporate news media. Whether it's fake news stories about wonder drugs and how toxic chemicals are good for you, bribed commentators and journalists discoursing on the benefits of No Child Left Behind, Hollywood stars advocating military intervention to save African orphans, or slick propaganda campaigns employing viral marketing techniques to reach out to college students, bloggers, churches and ordinary citizens, it pays to take a close look behind the facade.
Among the latest false realities being pushed upon the American people are the simplistic pictures of Black vs. Arab genocide in Darfur, and the proposed solution: a robust US-backed or US-led military intervention in Western Sudan. Increasing scrutiny is being focused upon the "Save Darfur" lobby and the Save Darfur Coalition; upon its founders, its finances, its methods and motivations and its truthfulness. In the spirit of furthering that examination we here present ten reasons to suspect that the "Save Darfur" campaign is a PR scam to justify US intervention in Africa.
1. It wouldn't be the first Big Lie our government and media elite told us to justify a war.
Elders among us can recall the Tonkin Gulf Incident, which the US government deliberately provoked to justify initiation of the war in Vietnam. This rationale was quickly succeeded by the need to help the struggling infant "democracy" in South Vietnam, and the still useful "fight 'em over there so we don't have to fight 'em over here" nonsense. More recently the bombings, invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq have been variously explained by people on the public payroll as necessary to "get Bin Laden" as revenge for 9-11, as measures to take "the world's most dangerous weapons" from the hands of "the world's most dangerous regimes", as measures to enable the struggling Iraqi "democracy" stand on its own two feet, and necessary because it's still better to "fight them over there so we don't have to fight them here".
2. It wouldn't even be the first time the U.S. government and media elite employed "genocide prevention" as a rationale for military intervention in an oil-rich region.
The 1995 US and NATO military intervention in the former Yugoslavia was supposedly a "peacekeeping" operation to stop a genocide. The lasting result of that campaign is Camp Bondsteel, one of the largest military bases on the planet. The U.S. is practically the only country in the world that maintains military bases outside its own borders. At just under a thousand acres, Camp Bondsteel offers the US military the ability to pre-position large quantities of equipment and supplies within striking distance of Caspian oil fields, pipeline routes and relevant sea lanes. It is also widely believed to be the site of one of the US's secret prison and torture facilities.
3. If stopping genocide in Africa really was on the agenda, why the focus on Sudan with 200,000 to 400,000 dead rather than Congo with five million dead?
"The notion that a quarter million Darfuri dead are a genocide and five million dead Congolese are not is vicious and absurd," according to Congolese activist Nita Evele. "What's happened and what is still happening in Congo is not a tribal conflict and it's not a civil war. It is an invasion. It is a genocide with a death toll of five million, twenty times that of Darfur, conducted for the purpose of plundering Congolese mineral and natural resources."
More than anything else, the selective and cynical application of the term "genocide" to Sudan, rather than to the Congo where ten to twenty times as many Africans have been murdered reveals the depth of hypocrisy around the "Save Darfur" movement. In the Congo, where local gangsters, mercenaries and warlords along with invading armies from Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Angola engage in slaughter, mass rape and regional depopulation on a scale that dwarfs anything happening in Sudan, all the players eagerly compete to guarantee that the extraction of vital coltan for Western computers and cell phones, the export of uranium for Western reactors and nukes, along with diamonds, gold, copper, timber and other Congolese resources continue undisturbed.
Former UN Ambassador Andrew Young and George H.W. Bush both serve on the board of Barrick Gold, one of the largest and most active mining concerns in war-torn Congo. Evidently, with profits from the brutal extraction of Congolese wealth flowing to the West, there can be no Congolese "genocide" worth noting, much less interfering with. For their purposes, U.S. strategic planners may regard their Congolese model as the ideal means of capturing African wealth at minimal cost without the bother of official U.S. boots on the ground.
4. It's all about Sudanese oil.
Sudan, and the Darfur region in particular, sit atop a lake of oil. But Sudanese oil fields are not being developed and drilled by Exxon or Chevron or British Petroleum. Chinese banks, oil and construction firms are making the loans, drilling the wells, laying the pipelines to take Sudanese oil where they intend it to go, calling far too many shots for a twenty-first century in which the U.S. aspires to control the planet's energy supplies. A U.S. and NATO military intervention will solve that problem for U.S. planners.
5. It's all about Sudanese uranium, gum arabic and other natural resources.
Uranium is vital to the nuclear weapons industry and an essential fuel for nuclear reactors. Sudan possesses high quality deposits of uranium. Gum arabic is an essential ingredient in pharmaceuticals, candies and beverages like Coca-Cola and Pepsi, and Sudanese exports of this commodity are 80% of the world's supply. When comprehensive U.S. sanctions against the Sudanese regime were being considered in 1997, industry lobbyists stepped up and secured an exemption in the sanctions bill to guarantee their supplies of this valuable Sudanese commodity. But an in-country U.S. and NATO military presence is a more secure guarantee that the extraction of Sudanese resources, like those of the Congo, flow westward to the U.S. and the European Union.
6. It's all about Sudan's strategic location.
Sudan sits opposite Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States, where a large fraction of the world's easily extracted oil will be for a few more years. Darfur borders on Libya and Chad, with their own vast oil resources, is within striking distance of West and Central Africa, and is a likely pipeline route. The Nile River flows through Sudan before reaching Egypt, and Southern Sudan has water resources of regional significance too. With the creation of AFRICOM, the new Pentagon command for the African continent, the U.S. has made open and explicit its intention to plant a strategic footprint on the African continent. From permanent Sudanese bases, the U.S. military could influence the politics and ecocomies of Africa for a generation to come.
7. The backers and founders of the "Save Darfur" movement are the well-connected and well-funded U.S. foreign policy elite.
According to a copyrighted Washington Post story this summer
"The "Save Darfur (Coalition) was created in 2005 by two groups concerned about genocide in the African country - the American Jewish World Service and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum...
"The coalition has a staff of 30 with expertise in policy and public relations. Its budget was about $15 million in the most recent fiscal year...
"Save Darfur will not say exactly how much it has spent on its ads, which this week have attempted to shame China, host of the 2008 Olympics, into easing its support for Sudan. But a coalition spokeswoman said the amount is in the millions of dollars."
Though the "Save Darfur" PR campaign employs viral marketing techniques, reaching out to college students, even to black bloggers, it is not a grassroots affair, as were the movement against apartheid and in support of African liberation movements in South Africa, Namibia, Angola and Mozambique a generation ago. Top heavy with evangelical Christians who preach the coming war for the end of the world, and with elements known for their uncritical support of Israeli rejectionism in the Middle East, the Save Darfur movement is clearly an establishment affair, a propaganda campaign that spends millions of dollars each month to manufacture consent for US military intervention in Africa under the cloak of stopping or preventing genocide.
8. None of the funds raised by the "Save Darfur Coalition", the flagship of the "Save Darfur Movement" go to help needy Africans on the ground in Darfur, according to stories in both the Washington Post and the New York Times.
"None of the money collected by Save Darfur goes to help the victims and their families. Instead, the coalition pours its proceeds into advocacy efforts that are primarily designed to persuade governments to act."
9. "Save Darfur" partisans in the U.S. are not interested in political negotiations to end the conflict in Darfur.
President Bush has openly and repeatedly attempted to throw monkey wrenches at peace negotiations to end the war in Darfur. Even pro-intervention scholars and humanitarian organizations active on the ground have criticized the U.S. for endangering humanitarian relief workers, and for effectively urging rebel parties in Darfur to refuse peace talks and hold out for U.S. and NATO intervention on their behalf.
The slick, well financed and nearly seamless PR campaign simplistically depicts the conflict as strictly a racial affair, in which Arabs, generally despised in the US media anyway, are exterminating the black population of Sudan. In the make-believe world it creates, there is no room for negotiation. But in fact, many of Sudan's 'Arabs", even the Janjiweed, are also black. In any case, they were armed and unleashed by a government which has the power to disarm them if it chooses, and can also negotiate in good faith if it chooses.
Negotiations are never a guarantee of anything, but refusal to participate in negotiations, as the U.S. appears to be urging the rebels in Darfur to do, and as the "Save Darfur" PR campaign justifies, avoids any path to a political settlement among Sudanese, leaving open only the road of U.S and NATO military intervention.
10. Blackwater and other U.S. mercenary contractors, the unofficial armed wings of the Republican party and the Pentagon are eagerly pitching their services as part of the solution to the Darfur crisis.
"Chris Taylor, head of strategy for Blackwater, says his company has a database of thousands of former police and military officers for security assignments. He says Blackwater personnel could set up perimeters and guard Darfurian villages and refugee camps in support of the U.N. Blackwater officials say it would not take many men to fend off the Janjaweed, a militia that is supported by the Sudanese government and attacks villages on camelback."
Apparently Blackwater doesn't need to come to the Congo, where hunger and malnutrition, depopulation, mass rape and the disappearance of schools, hospitals and civil society into vast law free zones ruled by an ever-changing cast of African proxies (like the son of the late and unlamented Idi Amin), all under a veil of complicit media silence already constitute the perfect business-friendly environment for siphoning off the vast wealth of that country at minimal cost.
Look for the adoption of the Congolese model across the wide areas of Africa that U.S. strategic planners call "ungoverned spaces". Just don't expect to see details on the evening news, or hear about them from Oprah, George Clooney or Angelina Jolie.
Global Research Articles by Bruce Dixon
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Labels: activism, Africa, Arab countries, Darfur, lobbying, military
Sunday, November 25, 2007
The African Lakes Plateau is an Israeli water playground
By: Ahmad Tuhami Abd Al-Hay from Sudanese Media Centre 26 November 2006Translated by: Adib S. Kawar, revised by Mary Rizzo
Some Egyptian parliamentarians and commentators have recently raised the issue of the crisis between Egypt and the Nile basin States, some of whom such as Kenya and Uganda, signatories of the Nile source agreement, expressed their intention to withdraw from it and use the Nile waters as they desire. This brought to attention the dangers of the "Israeli" infiltration in the Nile basin States, which does not cover only Ethiopia as some may believe. This infiltration was extended to cover the rest of the basin States, the relations of which grew to a considerable extent with the Zionist entity since the mid nineties. Researchers believe that these relations reached a stage equal to that between Ethiopia and the Zionist enemy.
The encirclement strategy:
The goals and benefits of the Zionist entity go beyond these relations. Its policy aims at encircling the Nile basin with extensive "Israeli" military and security activities, and establishing an "Israeli" long arm in the region to encircle Egypt and encompass the Nile Basin.
The "Israeli" policy aims at threatening Arab security including of course that of Egypt through increasing "Israel's" influence in the States controlling the Nile waters at its sources, by concentrating on agricultural projects that rely on pumping its water requirements from Lake Victoria. To reach this goal "Israeli" policy aims at increasing tension between Arab and African States, which shall distract Egypt's attention away from the Palestinian cause. "Israel" also aims at obtaining facilities for establishing military bases in the Nile basin States and the use of their air and maritime bases, as it got facilities in Ethiopia during its 1967 aggression, and the intend upon using these States as bases for espionage against Arab States and also as markets for its military industrial products, creating local military cadres loyal to it.
Besides these goals, "Israel" had always been interested in solving the problem of getting new water supplies, and diverting part of the Nile waters through the Sinai Peninsula to the Negev Desert. This is an old project, it was first presented by to the British government Herzl in 1903, and these "Israeli" intensive trials were repeated since the 1970s. In spite of the Egyptian governmental and popular rejection of the project, the Zionist State never gave up hope, it is a Zionist dream, awaiting the right occasion for it to come true, and to propose it anew and importune for its fulfillment when the political and economic occasion in the region permits.
This is why "Israeli" policy wants to concentrate its efforts towards the other Nile basin States, especially source States, to overcome the Egyptian rejection. Zionist efforts were intensified to achieve this goal after the failure of its old plans. Reports coming since the beginning of the nineties prove that "Israel" is helping the States that are Nile sources to build dams on the tributaries of the Nile in order to plan new agricultural systems, which will decrease the water supplies flowing towards Egypt. As the diplomatic crisis between "Israel" and Egypt intensified in the middle of the nineties, an "Israeli" Foreign Ministry Department of Planning report suggested punishing Egypt in various forms if it continues to adopt a negative stance towards "Israel". Among this punishment would be putting the Nile waters on the multilateral discussion agenda; "Israel" had previously agreed on accepting Egypt's demand not to consider the Nile waters as not being a part of the regional water resources, which are discussed in multilateral negotiations.
The nineties saw dangerous trials to change the international legal basis for the distribution of the river’s waters, completely new concepts were introduced, such as pricing of water and establishing a bank and stock market for water. The project was based on American ideas and those of the International Bank. The Egyptian political elite looks at the American ideas in relation to the Nile sources with extreme caution; because it is connected to supporting "Israeli" aims; the International Bank's support of them does not make it an impartial party in relation to the water crisis; because it adopts the interests of certain parties such as "Israel", Ethiopia and Turkey, and just ignores the interests of Arab parties.
This support fits the requirements of Turkey, Ethiopia and "Israel" against the historically obtained rights of Arab States in the Nile basins, as well as that of the Euphrates and the Tigris; thus the only solution for them - to avoid water wars - is to accept giving their water reserves to "Israel", otherwise they will be denied their water rights; and on the basis of these bargains "Israel" becomes a principal and genuine partner in the development of water sources of the great rivers in the region, through water allying with the sources States, which shall require in this case linking between transporting the water to "Israel", and cooperating with the river waterway and estuary States.
"The Lakes"... An "Israeli center of Barricading:
"Israel" moves around in the lakes plateau (which is the source of 15% of the Nile waters) through a compilation of integrated lines, and the "Israeli" policy relies on making use and employing an integrated system of mechanisms and ways for its political movement in the region, which encompass:
1- Relying on American help
The United States is working hard on establishing spheres of influence in the Nile sources States and central Africa to either control Central Africa, or to get hold of the major cards for the water problem issues that are expected to explode in the region. This is in addition to the new U.S. policy that broke out in the nineties to confront African Islamic movements, and to circumvent Sudan and Iranian influence.
It is noted that the American policy gives utmost priority to the Nile source States; the group of new leaders patronized by both the United States and "Israel" are the leaders of Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Democratic Congo, Kenya, Tanzania and the popular Army for the Liberation of Sudan.
The Zionist entity played a main role in the American/French competition in central Africa. And in spite of the cordial "Israeli"/French relations, Israel darted in secret maneuvers with Ethiopia, Eritrea, Uganda and the Tutsi, overcoming France in favor of Washington. Later years showed the extent of relations and strong influence of "Israeli" intelligence, the "Mossad" have in the region as a result of the arms transactions, and the evacuation of the Falasha, "Jewish" Ethiopians, to occupied Palestine. "Israeli" interference angered France; so the French intelligence organization published the details of the Zionist activities in the lakes region in the French press.
2 - "Israel" took advantage of the Arab-African conflicts
"Israel" took advantage of the Somali/Ethiopian, Sudanese/Ethiopian, Sudanese/Eritrean, and the Egyptian/Ethiopian conflicts to reach its goals; and it is continuously instigating African States against Arabs; to make the Nile basin States believe that they are victims of injustice as a result of Arab extravagance in their overuse of water sources; to be followed by "Israeli" economic and diplomatic support to these States.
"Israel" works on creating tension between Arab and African States through the ancient role of Arabs in slavery and exhausting water sources. For example, after the rise in the prices of oil, Joseph Nereri (the brother of the Tanzanian president) during a parliament meeting in June 1974 to complete an agreement with Arabs by the force of which a gallon of water will be sold at the price of a gallon of oil as long as the river sources are in East Africa. In 1996 Uganda criticized Egypt and Sudan for using more than their requirement of water, stressing on its right to use the water sources, it built dams in the basin of Lake Victoria to generate electricity. Also the Kenyan paper, "The East African Standard” warned against the disagreements between Kenya and Egypt due to problems of commerce, and the Nile basin agreement that Kenyans threatened to withdraw from.
3 - Water and agricultural cooperation
"Israel" succeeded with American help in insuring its control on some irrigation projects in the lakes region, were it supplies technical and technological assistance through “Israeli” companies in the field of building dams. It presented detailed studies to Zaire and Rwanda to build three dams, which is a part of a comprehensive program to fully control the waters of the great lakes. "Israeli" experts made soil tests in Rwanda, where "Israel's" special interest was centered on "Kajera" river, which forms the borderline between Rwanda and Burundi to the northeast.
Uganda and "Israel" signed an agreement in March 2000 during the visit of the "Israeli" Ministry of Agriculture delegation led by the irrigation manager in the ministry, Moshe Don Gholin, working on building irrigation projects in areas affected by draught, and to send a Ugandan delegation to complete the studies of the projects most of which would fall in the North of Uganda near its borders with Sudan and Kenya. Waters flowing out of Lake Victoria will be used for these projects, which shall result in decreasing water flow into the White Nile.
The French language "Indian Ocean News Letter" wrote in February of the same year: "'Israel' is interested in building irrigation projects in the Ugandan district of Karamouja near its border with Sudan, where 247 thousand Ugandan hectares could be irrigated annually by the use of two and a half billion cubic meters, while it presently uses only 207 million cubic meters to irrigate 32 thousand hectares.
The danger of Israel's presence in the upper Nile States is not limited to help extended by its experts and technical cooperation for projects as it is extended to economical and agricultural cooperation by Zionist capital, with the purpose of acquisition of land in the region it is pretending to be establishing projects on, developing and building dams.
Commercial Relations
A commercial relation is one of the most important signs of expansion of "Israeli" economical relations in Africa, where it shows a fast and continuous expansion. There is a most prominent group of African States that are the most prominent partners with "Israel": South Africa, Ethiopia and Kenya.
It is to be noted that the increase of the importance of some of the Nile basin States concerning "Israel's" international commercial relations. As for Ethiopia, imports had increased more than 30 times during the nineties, from 0.4 to 13.9 million dollars per year, while its exports to Ethiopia had increased only three times from 1.9 to 5.8 million dollars per annum.
"Israeli" imports from Kenya doubled two and half times from 8.6 to 29.9 million dollars per annum, while "Israeli" exports to this country doubled about twice from 14 million dollars to 29.3 million dollars.
As for the Congo, "Israeli" imports from it amounted to one million dollars after it was almost zero while “Israeli" exports to it increased from 0.9 to 5.2 million dollars per annum.
The Center of International Cooperation in the "Israeli" Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Moshav, headed by the deputy minister, is the body responsible for planning and executing means of communication with African States. The "Moshav" was the major means of communication with the prime officials in African States, in spite of severance of diplomatic relations, as was the case with Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania and Ethiopia, as economical relations were stronger than political relations.
One of the most outstanding activities that the "Moshav" works on is establishing farms, African/"Israeli" chambers of commerce, and support in the fields of agriculture, health, education and economic development, through cooperation in regional, international organizations, foreign embassies and especially through American aid, USAID, that was activated in the light of the Clinton initiative for cooperation with Africa.
The "Moshav" activities are centered on certain groups such as leaders, women, experts and young people who shall be the future's political leaders. "Moshav" directs its efforts on Islamic and Arab groups, which oppose normalization with "Israel; to gain their support in countries such as Kenya, through granting donations for training to Muslims, and open channels to get in contact with their leaders.
5 - Utilizing racial conflicts
Utilizing racial conflicts through establishing a strong network with certain groups on the account of others; among the most important of them are the ruling Tutsi tribes in Rwanda and the Ugandan regime. "Israeli" intelligence organizations enhance controversies between the Tutsi and Hutu, and supplies arms to both sides; it is well known that the Zionist entity is active in Kigali, and the Zairian armed forces.
"Israel's" role in utilizing racial conflicts in this region is old; it supported the secessionist movement in southern Sudan since its beginning, later it trained the cadres of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Eritrea when signs of its victory became clear. It also supported ruling regimes such as those of Uganda, and the Amharina in Ethiopia, and worked on establishing new relations with "Camba" and the "Killowi" in the framework of its investment in Mombassa and Nairobi.
There are fears in central Africa of national propensity among the Tutsi tribes that spread in Burundi, southern Uganda (the President of Uganda, Mousiviny, who originally belongs to the Tutsi) East Zaire, Rwanda that is trying to fully control the region through American/"Israeli" support, meaning the establishment of the great Tutsi State, and the reshuffling of the regional and international status in central Africa.
Support to Kabilla's forces - which forms the Tutsi backbone - to get hold of power in Zaire, from Eritrea and Ethiopia in the Horn of Africa up to Uganda and Rwanda in central Africa; and while Uganda gave its military and political support, Rwanda gave its human and military support, which had the main effect on Kabilla's victory, and Mobuto's defeat.
6 - Interference through Human Relief
The Zionist entity took advantage of civil wars -especially in Somalia - and moved under a humanitarian cover, it established many centers in the capital, Mogadishu, and in other districts to extend help to the Somalis which is done by a fund supported by the U.S. Department of State and the Zionist International Organization, the Zionist "Bnei Brit" organization, "Junit" organization and other Zionist organizations in the United States. This center was rehabilitated by 250 "Israeli" experts who arrived in Somalia in 1992.
"Israel" tried to build relations with the leaders of the Somali factions by trying to appease them with direct military, economic and health aid that were made through its participation in the second conference for coordinating human assistance for Somalia held in Addis Ababa in December 1992. And it sent search and rescue units after the blowing up of U.S. embassies in Nairobi and Dar Es-Salaam in August 1998, along with medical and human support to Kenya and Tanzania.
7 - Military Activity with the States of the Region
Military assistance opened the door wide in front of "Israel" in the Nile sources states, under the excuse of these states need for arms to ensure their security and protection against coup d'etats organized by internal and external enemies. "Israeli" intelligence organizations extended intelligence services from its own sources, or through Mossad sources in U.S. intelligence sources.
The military and security outlet played a vital role in promoting these relations; due to African leaders’ need for military aid, extremist Marxist militant leaders such as Mangesto allied with the Soviet Union, resorted to "Israel" for military aid.
"Israeli" military exports to the region play a vital role in executing its foreign relations; it is connected to an "Israeli" strategic and security vision, which aims at infiltrating in the Nile sources States; which, in addition to their economic importance, as military exports are considered as the main support for the "Israeli" economy. Shlomo Gazete, (former head of the military intelligence) confirmed that "Israel" cooperated with a great number of African States in the field of armament. Such States included Ethiopia, Zaire, Kenya, Liberia, South Africa and Cameroon.
"Israeli" activities in the region Nile basin States varied between exporting military equipment and arms, and obtaining military bases. Ethiopia received arms from "Israel" against dislodging Falasha Jews. The tribes of the great lakes area received various kinds of "Israeli" arms.
French intelligence reports said that "Israel" armed the armies of Rwanda and Burundi with old arms free of charge; to gain the friendship of the ruling regime and penetrate in the great lakes region.
This is what "Israel" did - and it is still doing so to curry the favor of the upper and sources of the Nile States rulers... But what did Arab States do to tickle their senses? And what did they do to put an end to Zionist interference in an area that is considered one of the most dangerous areas in relation to the water security of the Arab nation and the Islamic world in the Nile basin States?
Translated from Arabic by Adib S Kawar, revised by Mary Rizzo, members of Tlaxcala, network of translators for linguistic diversity.
Labels: Africa, Arab countries, Israel, military
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Israel in Darfur and Arab National Security
By Ahmad Hussein As-shimiTranslated by Adib S. Kawar and revised by Mary Rizzo
"Israel's Success in developing its relations with western African states – especially these falling south of the Great Sahara region bordering Arab African states – shall achieve very important strategic gains for it, which shall overcome areas of its strategic weakness due to the tight band of Arab States surrounding it, to reach to the open Arab back in a place Arabs do not expect"….these are the of words ex Israeli chief of staff, General Hayem Laskoff, describing his country's policy in relation to the African continent, that policy in which the Israel role becomes more apparent whenever conflicts comes to the open in its different arenas, especially after the discovery of natural resources such as oil and uranium in the continent.
Sudan could be a one of the cornerstones of this strategy, due to the consistent trail of Israel's successive governments since the early fifties of the 20th century, to obtain for itself a foothold in that region, whether it is in Sudan proper or the Sudanese province of Darfur.
Tremendous Fortunes
The Darfur province is of vital importance for the co-Israeli/American agenda and their planning for it. Darfur is geographically in a position that is adjacent to a great lake of oil reserves extending from the Sudanese province of Bahr Al-Ghazal through Chad, Niger, Mauritania, Mali, and Cameroon, thus taking control of it is considered a safety valve for them due, to the easiness of drilling and pumping oil produced in this region, and as being one of the biggest oil rich regions in the world, which has not yet been exploited, because of conflicts and wars that have been taking place in Sudan during the last twenty years.
U.S. interest in the province goes far beyond human concern, as the U.S. is well aware that Africa is one of the fastest growing regions in the world in oil production, and by 2012 the U.S. could be in a position to import quantities from Africa equal to those it is presently importing from the Middle East, as per the research prepared by the American Center of Foreign relations in Washington. The province also contains large mineral deposits, the most important of which is Uranium.
Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir noted that Darfur has the richest uranium deposits in the world, and western sources have statistics and documents about mineral fortunes that are dormant in its land.
In addition to oil and uranium, the Darfur province has 40 million fadans of fertile land that only one third of it has been up till now exploited. It has 24 million fadans of forestry and natural pastures that contain huge quantities of gum Arabica trees estimated at 16% of the international production, in addition to big quantities of copper, lead, granite, chrome, rare types of rocks, alluvium and construction stones, which forms 45% of Sudan's exports besides oil.
Surrounding Arab States
The strategic importance of Darfur is not only of great interest to the U.S., it is vital to Israel too, Israel's interference hides behind humanitarian help to execute its secret plans. Israel gave financial and medical help to those harmed in the province or in Chad and other states surrounding Sudan. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs budgeted 20 million shekels in assistance to refugees from Sudan, it also announced that it opened a campaign to collect contributions by all societies and NGOs for the same purpose, and also announced its plan to buy pharmaceuticals and water softening and distilling equipment for a value of US$ 800 000 — From Israeli companies to be transported to refugee camps in the Republic of Central Africa, also constructing field clinics and hospitals, and shall man them by Israeli doctors, and shall establish branches in Kenya to help refugees.
Agents of Israel’s intelligence organization, Mossad, are spread in a vast number of States surrounding Arab countries to encircle them from the south, Israeli policy also aims at using these in case future war breaks out; so as Darfur and most the south Sahara States are a great arena for settling conflicts and disputes between Arabs and Israel. Israeli policy aims at obtaining military facilities in the Nile source Plateau states. Please read the article entitled "The African Lake Plateau is an Israeli Playground", WHICH WILL APPEAR HERE TOMORROW, and using its air and naval bases, in addition to five Israeli bases in Hanish and Halak in Ethiopia, used for espionage on Arab States, as well as marketing its production of military equipment and weapons, and building African military cadres loyal to it.
These donations shall make of Israel one of the ten largest donors to needy refugees in 2007, which is a big step over the past years. Israeli Maariv daily wrote that it budgeted two million U.S. dollars, the U.S. gave 380 million dollars since the beginning of the year. The Sudanese Government openly accused Israel of escalating the conflict in Darfur, as former Sudanese minister of foreign affairs, Mustapha Othman Ismael said. Information available to us confirms what news media wrote that there is Israeli support to insurgents, and the coming days shall uncover Israeli connection with them.
Aid and Politics
On the other hand, Israeli minister of foreign affairs, Tzipi Livni, announced during a meeting with African ambassadors in Tel Aviv, that great numbers of Darfur refugees entered Israel through the Egyptian/Israeli common borderline. Sudanese sources accused Tel Aviv of facilitating infiltrators to sneak into Israel, to utilize the problem in defaming Sudan's reputation. Tel Aviv said that three thousand refugees entered occupied Palestine, among which 40% came from the south, 35% from Darfur and 25% from the Nuba mountains.
Israel aims at achieving two goals, that it is giving humanitarian help for peoples suffering from tragedies, which as per Israel's point of view – shall allow it to build good relations with the inhabitants of the neighboring countries, and gives it the opportunities to have a foothold and future relations that go beyond good human relations. They seek to reduce international pressure on themselves, namely by distracting international attention from the drastic human conditions Palestinians are living in the occupied territories, and guiding the attention of the international community to Darfur.
Colonialist Plans
Israeli/American interest and plans interlink in Darfur, to establish an independent State in western Sudan, under the leadership of the Az-Ghawi tribe that leads the insurgency in the province, besides establishing a technologically advanced military base under common American-British-Israeli observance, the purpose of which is to control security status, and political interactions in Egypt, Sudan, Libya, African states and the Red Sea. It also aims at protecting the oil pipeline that the U.S. is conducting negotiations to build, which shall be extending from Iraq, the Gulf States, to the Red Sea then to the Darfur province through Libya and Morocco to the Atlantic Ocean.
This plan comes as per the strategic report approved by the Congress in the year 2000 on Sudan as a base for the American strategy in the Black Continent, and to fulfill it there, complete with coordination between U.S. intelligence and Israeli Mossad, Darfur insurgents aim at destabilizing the province and creating chaos and terror within its ranks.
It also aims at obtaining international sympathy for deploying international forces in the province, to become a jumping point to get full control over the Horn of Africa, which tallies with its strategy and control on the new oil basin there.
There is no doubt if the Sudanese government approve on deploying international forces in the province it would have opened the door wide for more violence, then the Mossad shall find itself free to create more violence and instability and thus do whatever it desires, to repeat the present scenario presently prevailing in Iraq. Following the same trend the U.S. shall put further pressure on the Sudanese Government to accept the deployment of international forces in the province, through imposing economic sanctions, and accusing Khartoum of committing genocide in Darfur by arming the Arab Janjaweed militias to confront the insurgents, and its trial to abort any Arab initiative to contain the crisis, and create doubt in the ability of African forces in achieving stability in the province.
And lastly, it is clear that what is taking place on the ground uncovers Israeli/American intentions that support first separating the province from Sudan, and later fragmenting Sudan and other African States, to give an overall deadly blow to the Arab national security, thus it would be necessary for Arab States to refuse the deployment of international forces in Darfur, and the continuity the of the presence of African Unity Forces, supporting them with more forces to fill the shortage in power to increase its ability to take control of the situation there, and to abort any Israeli/American plans to enter another Arab State, and so as not repeat the tragic situation prevailing in Palestine.
Original: http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=ArticleA_C&cid=1195032353186&pagename=Zone-Arabic-News/NWALayout
Translated by Adib S Kawar and revised by Mary Rizzo, members of Tlaxcala.
"Israel's Success in developing its relations with western African states – especially these falling south of the Great Sahara region bordering Arab African states – shall achieve very important strategic gains for it, which shall overcome areas of its strategic weakness due to the tight band of Arab States surrounding it, to reach to the open Arab back in a place Arabs do not expect"….these are the of words ex Israeli chief of staff, General Hayem Laskoff, describing his country's policy in relation to the African continent, that policy in which the Israel role becomes more apparent whenever conflicts comes to the open in its different arenas, especially after the discovery of natural resources such as oil and uranium in the continent.
Sudan could be a one of the cornerstones of this strategy, due to the consistent trail of Israel's successive governments since the early fifties of the 20th century, to obtain for itself a foothold in that region, whether it is in Sudan proper or the Sudanese province of Darfur.
Tremendous Fortunes
The Darfur province is of vital importance for the co-Israeli/American agenda and their planning for it. Darfur is geographically in a position that is adjacent to a great lake of oil reserves extending from the Sudanese province of Bahr Al-Ghazal through Chad, Niger, Mauritania, Mali, and Cameroon, thus taking control of it is considered a safety valve for them due, to the easiness of drilling and pumping oil produced in this region, and as being one of the biggest oil rich regions in the world, which has not yet been exploited, because of conflicts and wars that have been taking place in Sudan during the last twenty years.
U.S. interest in the province goes far beyond human concern, as the U.S. is well aware that Africa is one of the fastest growing regions in the world in oil production, and by 2012 the U.S. could be in a position to import quantities from Africa equal to those it is presently importing from the Middle East, as per the research prepared by the American Center of Foreign relations in Washington. The province also contains large mineral deposits, the most important of which is Uranium.
Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir noted that Darfur has the richest uranium deposits in the world, and western sources have statistics and documents about mineral fortunes that are dormant in its land.
In addition to oil and uranium, the Darfur province has 40 million fadans of fertile land that only one third of it has been up till now exploited. It has 24 million fadans of forestry and natural pastures that contain huge quantities of gum Arabica trees estimated at 16% of the international production, in addition to big quantities of copper, lead, granite, chrome, rare types of rocks, alluvium and construction stones, which forms 45% of Sudan's exports besides oil.
Surrounding Arab States
The strategic importance of Darfur is not only of great interest to the U.S., it is vital to Israel too, Israel's interference hides behind humanitarian help to execute its secret plans. Israel gave financial and medical help to those harmed in the province or in Chad and other states surrounding Sudan. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs budgeted 20 million shekels in assistance to refugees from Sudan, it also announced that it opened a campaign to collect contributions by all societies and NGOs for the same purpose, and also announced its plan to buy pharmaceuticals and water softening and distilling equipment for a value of US$ 800 000 — From Israeli companies to be transported to refugee camps in the Republic of Central Africa, also constructing field clinics and hospitals, and shall man them by Israeli doctors, and shall establish branches in Kenya to help refugees.
Agents of Israel’s intelligence organization, Mossad, are spread in a vast number of States surrounding Arab countries to encircle them from the south, Israeli policy also aims at using these in case future war breaks out; so as Darfur and most the south Sahara States are a great arena for settling conflicts and disputes between Arabs and Israel. Israeli policy aims at obtaining military facilities in the Nile source Plateau states. Please read the article entitled "The African Lake Plateau is an Israeli Playground", WHICH WILL APPEAR HERE TOMORROW, and using its air and naval bases, in addition to five Israeli bases in Hanish and Halak in Ethiopia, used for espionage on Arab States, as well as marketing its production of military equipment and weapons, and building African military cadres loyal to it.
These donations shall make of Israel one of the ten largest donors to needy refugees in 2007, which is a big step over the past years. Israeli Maariv daily wrote that it budgeted two million U.S. dollars, the U.S. gave 380 million dollars since the beginning of the year. The Sudanese Government openly accused Israel of escalating the conflict in Darfur, as former Sudanese minister of foreign affairs, Mustapha Othman Ismael said. Information available to us confirms what news media wrote that there is Israeli support to insurgents, and the coming days shall uncover Israeli connection with them.
Aid and Politics
On the other hand, Israeli minister of foreign affairs, Tzipi Livni, announced during a meeting with African ambassadors in Tel Aviv, that great numbers of Darfur refugees entered Israel through the Egyptian/Israeli common borderline. Sudanese sources accused Tel Aviv of facilitating infiltrators to sneak into Israel, to utilize the problem in defaming Sudan's reputation. Tel Aviv said that three thousand refugees entered occupied Palestine, among which 40% came from the south, 35% from Darfur and 25% from the Nuba mountains.
Israel aims at achieving two goals, that it is giving humanitarian help for peoples suffering from tragedies, which as per Israel's point of view – shall allow it to build good relations with the inhabitants of the neighboring countries, and gives it the opportunities to have a foothold and future relations that go beyond good human relations. They seek to reduce international pressure on themselves, namely by distracting international attention from the drastic human conditions Palestinians are living in the occupied territories, and guiding the attention of the international community to Darfur.
Colonialist Plans
Israeli/American interest and plans interlink in Darfur, to establish an independent State in western Sudan, under the leadership of the Az-Ghawi tribe that leads the insurgency in the province, besides establishing a technologically advanced military base under common American-British-Israeli observance, the purpose of which is to control security status, and political interactions in Egypt, Sudan, Libya, African states and the Red Sea. It also aims at protecting the oil pipeline that the U.S. is conducting negotiations to build, which shall be extending from Iraq, the Gulf States, to the Red Sea then to the Darfur province through Libya and Morocco to the Atlantic Ocean.
This plan comes as per the strategic report approved by the Congress in the year 2000 on Sudan as a base for the American strategy in the Black Continent, and to fulfill it there, complete with coordination between U.S. intelligence and Israeli Mossad, Darfur insurgents aim at destabilizing the province and creating chaos and terror within its ranks.
It also aims at obtaining international sympathy for deploying international forces in the province, to become a jumping point to get full control over the Horn of Africa, which tallies with its strategy and control on the new oil basin there.
There is no doubt if the Sudanese government approve on deploying international forces in the province it would have opened the door wide for more violence, then the Mossad shall find itself free to create more violence and instability and thus do whatever it desires, to repeat the present scenario presently prevailing in Iraq. Following the same trend the U.S. shall put further pressure on the Sudanese Government to accept the deployment of international forces in the province, through imposing economic sanctions, and accusing Khartoum of committing genocide in Darfur by arming the Arab Janjaweed militias to confront the insurgents, and its trial to abort any Arab initiative to contain the crisis, and create doubt in the ability of African forces in achieving stability in the province.
And lastly, it is clear that what is taking place on the ground uncovers Israeli/American intentions that support first separating the province from Sudan, and later fragmenting Sudan and other African States, to give an overall deadly blow to the Arab national security, thus it would be necessary for Arab States to refuse the deployment of international forces in Darfur, and the continuity the of the presence of African Unity Forces, supporting them with more forces to fill the shortage in power to increase its ability to take control of the situation there, and to abort any Israeli/American plans to enter another Arab State, and so as not repeat the tragic situation prevailing in Palestine.
Original: http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=ArticleA_C&cid=1195032353186&pagename=Zone-Arabic-News/NWALayout
Translated by Adib S Kawar and revised by Mary Rizzo, members of Tlaxcala.
Labels: Africa, Arab countries, Israel, military, US, war
Friday, November 9, 2007
Adib S Kawar - No one can claim both land and peace
In response to a letter to the editor in the NYT, Adib S Kawar offers a very reasoned response. Too bad the NYT doesn't like to print the truth. So here it is!RE: So Much to Juggle in the Middle East (letters)
Dear Editor,
Re Bruce Dov Krulwich's letter to the editor, he who lives on a land stolen from my people in general, and probably on my own private property in particular, said, "… but misses the pain felt by Israelis on the subject..." and proceeds to write, "If America or anyone else can persuade the Palestinians to stop the rockets and commit to peace without violence, Israelis will be more than happy to take steps toward peace. But it must be true peace, not peace with rockets", noting that this rogue state is practicing state terrorism on the indigenous population in all occupied Arab land and beyond that.
1st, Israel rejected all Arab peace initiatives including the Arab League initiative given a few years ago during the Beirut Arab summit (Land for peace).
2nd, Let's for argument's sake say they had a right to what was given to the Jews by the 1949 partition plan - 55% of historic Palestine, they exceeded that to occupy 78% of the land.
3rd, In 1967 they occupied the remaining 22% plus the Golan Heights and the Sinai Peninsula and 10% of Lebanon for 20 years and only vacated South Lebanon and the Gaza strip as a result of armed resistance to its occupation.
4th, Zionists are still in the West Bank, the Golan Heights and a part of Lebanon, and they are continuously proceeding with their colonization, and meanwhile pretending to be negotiating peace!!!
Re Bruce Dov Krulwich's letter to the editor, he who lives on a land stolen from my people in general, and probably on my own private property in particular, said, "… but misses the pain felt by Israelis on the subject..." and proceeds to write, "If America or anyone else can persuade the Palestinians to stop the rockets and commit to peace without violence, Israelis will be more than happy to take steps toward peace. But it must be true peace, not peace with rockets", noting that this rogue state is practicing state terrorism on the indigenous population in all occupied Arab land and beyond that.
1st, Israel rejected all Arab peace initiatives including the Arab League initiative given a few years ago during the Beirut Arab summit (Land for peace).
2nd, Let's for argument's sake say they had a right to what was given to the Jews by the 1949 partition plan - 55% of historic Palestine, they exceeded that to occupy 78% of the land.
3rd, In 1967 they occupied the remaining 22% plus the Golan Heights and the Sinai Peninsula and 10% of Lebanon for 20 years and only vacated South Lebanon and the Gaza strip as a result of armed resistance to its occupation.
4th, Zionists are still in the West Bank, the Golan Heights and a part of Lebanon, and they are continuously proceeding with their colonization, and meanwhile pretending to be negotiating peace!!!
No one can claim both land and peace!!!
Sincerely
Adib S. Kawar
An uprooted Palestinian Arab
Beirut – Lebanon
Related
Op-Ed Columnist: Present at the Creation (November 6, 2007)
Re “Present at the Creation” (column, Nov. 6):
David Brooks probably reflects the thinking of political leaders and thinkers, but misses the pain felt by Israelis on the subject: We want peace desperately, and will do anything to move toward a life without rockets being shot at us. But such a path doesn’t appear to exist.
Two years ago, Israel did what should have been the first step on a definite path to peace: we withdrew from Gaza, without any promise of anything in return. Plans were put in place about subsequent withdrawals from West Bank areas. But instead of bringing peace, it brought thousands of rockets fired from Gaza into the nearby Israeli civilian town of Sderot.
Rockets are not peace. The Palestinians have made it clear that Israeli withdrawals bring rockets.
The Israeli government has a duty to its citizens not to invite more rockets. If America or anyone else can persuade the Palestinians to stop the rockets and commit to peace without violence, Israelis will be more than happy to take steps toward peace. But it must be true peace, not peace with rockets.
Bruce Dov Krulwich
Beit Shemesh, Israel, Nov. 6, 2007
Labels: Arab countries, Gaza, Israel, Lebanon, Nakba, occupation, Palestine
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Let's try partitioning the US - Linda Heard
Special to Gulf News 10/02/07 "Gulf News" -- -- As if they haven't done enough damage bombing and invading a country on false pretences, destroying its culture and leaving it a charred shell of its former self, they - American lawmakers who gave President George W. Bush authority to go to war - now want to divide Iraq up into easily manageable bite size entities.
Isn't Iraq supposed to be a sovereign nation with an elected government? If so, then why is the US Senate attempting to meddle in its affairs by overwhelmingly passing a resolution calling for the country's partition into three, which is tantamount to ethnic cleansing? Not to put too fine a point the shape of Iraq to come isn't their business.
Moreover, even if they had a stake in the country they are responsible for destroying, which they certainly do not, American senators who may or may not have enjoyed a two-day jaunt to Baghdad's Green Zone are not qualified to be the deciders.
The Iraqi government was quick to put a damper on the proposal. Its spokesman Ali Al Dabbagh said "It's the Iraqis who decide these sorts of issues, no-one else".
According to a recent ABC/BBC poll a mere nine per cent of Iraqis favour the break-up of their country.
The Arab League was equally condemnatory. Its Iraq representative Ali Al Garush called upon Arab nations to stand by the Iraqi people in their opposition to the proposal.
Secretary-General of the GCC Abdul Rahman Al Attiyah said partition would make the situation in Iraq more difficult and complicated. Official statements from Syria and Iran were even more scathing.
With so much Iraqi and regional hostility against the plan what are those 75 senators that voted in favour of it thinking? It was Democratic Senator Joseph Biden a presidential hopeful who initiated the vote.
Biden explained his rationale during a news conference. He maintains his proposal offers a way to bring home American troops while leaving behind a stable Iraq. It's evident that his thinking is based on a series of false premises.
First of all the future of Iraq should not be designed around a convenient exit for US troops. Biden and his fellows should understand a simple principle. American troops are the interlopers not the Iraqi people, who have suffered enough already.
Secondly, the partitioning of Iraq into a loose federation of Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurdish states will not bring stability as he suggests. There would have to be a massive displacement of people, many of whom would end up impoverished or homeless.
Such a division would also lead to friction over natural resources. For instance, Biden's plan calls for just 20 per cent of oil revenues going to Sunnis, who already feel hard done by after losing the political influence they once enjoyed. There is also the question of which mini-state would control oil-rich Kirkuk, an ethnically-mixed city strongly coveted by the Kurds.
Moreover, there is no guarantee that such insular states would not be mutually hostile, further exacerbating existing ethnic tensions.
Thirdly, although many Kurds are amenable to complete autonomy, their neighbours are most definitely not. If a Kurdish state became a reality it's probable that Turkey would invade.
Turkey fears that such an entity would unduly influence its own Kurdish population, which has its own separatist ambitions. Iran also has strong objections.
Fourth, such a break-up would stand as a worrying precedent for vulnerable countries in the region with multi-ethnic populations.
Either Biden is completely clueless and is unaware of the havoc such a breakup of Iraq would wreak, or he harbours a more sinister agenda.
Rendered toothless
If Iraq were to be broken into three, the nation would be rendered toothless for all time in the same way the former Yugoslavia is today.
The US would then have an excuse to stay around in some force "to protect" such tiny fledgling states from each other and from their neighbours. In fact, it would consolidate complete domination of their oil because such small entities would no longer have a voice.
The biggest winner from the partitioning of Iraq would be Israel, whose officials and journalists have long advocated such division.
On the Shalom TV website there is an interview with Joe Biden who refers to Israel as the "single greatest strength America has in the Middle East" and proclaims with pride "I am a Zionist". We should believe him.
Here's a suggestion for the Arab world. How about a vote on the break-up of America?
How about giving California back to Mexico, returning Hawaii to its indigenous islanders and Alaska to the Eskimos and Indians?
Let's restrict Caucasians to the East and West coasts, and package-up a few states in between for African Americans and Latinos. And while we're about it, let's invite foreign conglomerates to buy up the country's oil, gas and timber.
Outrageous ethnic cleansing that might be but that's exactly what Biden and friends think they have the right to do in Iraq. Surely if such uninformed nose-poking is good enough for Washington, it's equally appropriate for the rest of us.
Linda S. Heard is a specialist writer on Middle East affairs. She can be contacted at lheard@gulfnews.com. Response to this article may be considered for publication.
Isn't Iraq supposed to be a sovereign nation with an elected government? If so, then why is the US Senate attempting to meddle in its affairs by overwhelmingly passing a resolution calling for the country's partition into three, which is tantamount to ethnic cleansing? Not to put too fine a point the shape of Iraq to come isn't their business.
Moreover, even if they had a stake in the country they are responsible for destroying, which they certainly do not, American senators who may or may not have enjoyed a two-day jaunt to Baghdad's Green Zone are not qualified to be the deciders.
The Iraqi government was quick to put a damper on the proposal. Its spokesman Ali Al Dabbagh said "It's the Iraqis who decide these sorts of issues, no-one else".
According to a recent ABC/BBC poll a mere nine per cent of Iraqis favour the break-up of their country.
The Arab League was equally condemnatory. Its Iraq representative Ali Al Garush called upon Arab nations to stand by the Iraqi people in their opposition to the proposal.
Secretary-General of the GCC Abdul Rahman Al Attiyah said partition would make the situation in Iraq more difficult and complicated. Official statements from Syria and Iran were even more scathing.
With so much Iraqi and regional hostility against the plan what are those 75 senators that voted in favour of it thinking? It was Democratic Senator Joseph Biden a presidential hopeful who initiated the vote.
Biden explained his rationale during a news conference. He maintains his proposal offers a way to bring home American troops while leaving behind a stable Iraq. It's evident that his thinking is based on a series of false premises.
First of all the future of Iraq should not be designed around a convenient exit for US troops. Biden and his fellows should understand a simple principle. American troops are the interlopers not the Iraqi people, who have suffered enough already.
Secondly, the partitioning of Iraq into a loose federation of Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurdish states will not bring stability as he suggests. There would have to be a massive displacement of people, many of whom would end up impoverished or homeless.
Such a division would also lead to friction over natural resources. For instance, Biden's plan calls for just 20 per cent of oil revenues going to Sunnis, who already feel hard done by after losing the political influence they once enjoyed. There is also the question of which mini-state would control oil-rich Kirkuk, an ethnically-mixed city strongly coveted by the Kurds.
Moreover, there is no guarantee that such insular states would not be mutually hostile, further exacerbating existing ethnic tensions.
Thirdly, although many Kurds are amenable to complete autonomy, their neighbours are most definitely not. If a Kurdish state became a reality it's probable that Turkey would invade.
Turkey fears that such an entity would unduly influence its own Kurdish population, which has its own separatist ambitions. Iran also has strong objections.
Fourth, such a break-up would stand as a worrying precedent for vulnerable countries in the region with multi-ethnic populations.
Either Biden is completely clueless and is unaware of the havoc such a breakup of Iraq would wreak, or he harbours a more sinister agenda.
Rendered toothless
If Iraq were to be broken into three, the nation would be rendered toothless for all time in the same way the former Yugoslavia is today.
The US would then have an excuse to stay around in some force "to protect" such tiny fledgling states from each other and from their neighbours. In fact, it would consolidate complete domination of their oil because such small entities would no longer have a voice.
The biggest winner from the partitioning of Iraq would be Israel, whose officials and journalists have long advocated such division.
On the Shalom TV website there is an interview with Joe Biden who refers to Israel as the "single greatest strength America has in the Middle East" and proclaims with pride "I am a Zionist". We should believe him.
Here's a suggestion for the Arab world. How about a vote on the break-up of America?
How about giving California back to Mexico, returning Hawaii to its indigenous islanders and Alaska to the Eskimos and Indians?
Let's restrict Caucasians to the East and West coasts, and package-up a few states in between for African Americans and Latinos. And while we're about it, let's invite foreign conglomerates to buy up the country's oil, gas and timber.
Outrageous ethnic cleansing that might be but that's exactly what Biden and friends think they have the right to do in Iraq. Surely if such uninformed nose-poking is good enough for Washington, it's equally appropriate for the rest of us.
Linda S. Heard is a specialist writer on Middle East affairs. She can be contacted at lheard@gulfnews.com. Response to this article may be considered for publication.
thanks to Adib, Deb and Chris for pointing out this piece!
Labels: absolute madness, Arab countries, Iraq, military, occupation, US, war
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Beladi!!! A tribute to Palestinian and Arab steadfastness
My friend, talented translator and writer Adib Kawar, has translated this beautiful poem from Arabic. But, today, we have an Adib double-bill, because on Peacepalestine Documents, there is his deconstruction (well documented) of the Zionist Organisation of America's criticism of the CNN program about Jewish Zionist terrorists, "Gods' Warriors". My country is not a palace, an oil well or a terrorist
About the Arab “September”
By: Muhammad Aratban
Translated by: Adib S. Kawar
- 1 –
- Beladi (my country) is not a palace, an oil well or a terrorist…
- Beladi (my country): For strangers unknown to us…our doors are open…
- Beladi: Our doors open for the voyagers who come to call…
- 2 –
- Beladi is not a palace, an oil well or a terrorist…
- Beladi: The simple and good people…
- For strangers who knock, our doors are open…
- Our food is theirs…
- The help they seek is willingly granted…
- Away they go and their names we ask not…
About the Arab “September”
By: Muhammad Aratban
Translated by: Adib S. Kawar
- 1 –
- Beladi (my country) is not a palace, an oil well or a terrorist…
- Beladi (my country): For strangers unknown to us…our doors are open…
- Beladi: Our doors open for the voyagers who come to call…
- 2 –
- Beladi is not a palace, an oil well or a terrorist…
- Beladi: The simple and good people…
- For strangers who knock, our doors are open…
- Our food is theirs…
- The help they seek is willingly granted…
- Away they go and their names we ask not…
- 3 -
- There are in it things disquieting …
- And what is pleasant too…
- In spite of its “roughness”
- For me it remains the most beautiful and noble…
- And the highest land on the earth…
- 4 -
Not a salary at the month’s end is beladi…
From the day of creation to eternity my treasure and fortune it is…
A national anthem played in a national celebration beladi is not…
A folk song that I sing, memorize and repeat whose author remains unknown it is…
And ecstatic I become with its love’s rhythm…
- 5 –
- Beladi, the athan* that the sky pierces… traveling in…
- Spatial voyages, “NASA” shall not be able to imitate ever … nor copy…
- Beladi… the first masjed** it is… All its soil good enough for prayer it is…
- 6 -
- Beladi with its great shyness… to tell me “I love you” it can’t….
- To make you feel, see, and with your hand touch love it can…
- 7 -
- Beladi… the hard cut men that the desert formed…
- When they fall in love they become river tribes…
- Childlike they become…
- Searching for a faraway corner…
- The tears to liberate from their eyes detention camps…
- 8 -
Beladi, “Haya’s” smile and “Al-Hazni’s” songs…
“Talala’s” thunderstorm, God is great I said…
My friend’s effect, like a thunderstorm I thought…
Like “Haya’s” lips… No I said…
Haya’s lips and thunderstorms a great difference there is… Beladi
Najd’s Levantine wind, and passion stories, and songs of glory…
- 9 –
All this concrete destroyed shall it be…
All this iron rusted shall it be…
And one day all this oil dry shall it be…
And beladi: The people destroyed they shall not be…
Their hearts rusted shall not be… And their souls’ wells dry shall not be …
Gone all this shall be… and beladi shall remain…
- 10 -
In the whole ignorant world’s face I shall shout…
- My country is not a palace, an oil well or a terrorist…
- 11 -
- Every year/ every September/ every day…
- You are my beloved, my mistress, my beladi…
* Athan = call for prayer
** Masjed = mosque
- There are in it things disquieting …
- And what is pleasant too…
- In spite of its “roughness”
- For me it remains the most beautiful and noble…
- And the highest land on the earth…
- 4 -
Not a salary at the month’s end is beladi…
From the day of creation to eternity my treasure and fortune it is…
A national anthem played in a national celebration beladi is not…
A folk song that I sing, memorize and repeat whose author remains unknown it is…
And ecstatic I become with its love’s rhythm…
- 5 –
- Beladi, the athan* that the sky pierces… traveling in…
- Spatial voyages, “NASA” shall not be able to imitate ever … nor copy…
- Beladi… the first masjed** it is… All its soil good enough for prayer it is…
- 6 -
- Beladi with its great shyness… to tell me “I love you” it can’t….
- To make you feel, see, and with your hand touch love it can…
- 7 -
- Beladi… the hard cut men that the desert formed…
- When they fall in love they become river tribes…
- Childlike they become…
- Searching for a faraway corner…
- The tears to liberate from their eyes detention camps…
- 8 -
Beladi, “Haya’s” smile and “Al-Hazni’s” songs…
“Talala’s” thunderstorm, God is great I said…
My friend’s effect, like a thunderstorm I thought…
Like “Haya’s” lips… No I said…
Haya’s lips and thunderstorms a great difference there is… Beladi
Najd’s Levantine wind, and passion stories, and songs of glory…
- 9 –
All this concrete destroyed shall it be…
All this iron rusted shall it be…
And one day all this oil dry shall it be…
And beladi: The people destroyed they shall not be…
Their hearts rusted shall not be… And their souls’ wells dry shall not be …
Gone all this shall be… and beladi shall remain…
- 10 -
In the whole ignorant world’s face I shall shout…
- My country is not a palace, an oil well or a terrorist…
- 11 -
- Every year/ every September/ every day…
- You are my beloved, my mistress, my beladi…
* Athan = call for prayer
** Masjed = mosque
Labels: Arab countries, Palestine, somoud, Zionism
