GENERAL BETRAEUS TELLS HIS TROOPS: SET UP
CAMPS "AS CLOSE TO CIVILIANS AS POSSIBLE".
As helicopter crews learn through Wikileaks
that Afghans have upgraded shoulder missiles,
the US army resists the draft, by ordering all
National Guard reservists, etc, to join up,
as soon as the Pentagon requires them to "serve".
Meanwhile, our great overlord of earth -
general "ar*e kissing little chicken sh*t",
as Mullen his boss so memorably called him,
says his great new idea is to place civilians
all over Afghanistan in even greater danger
... by illegally using them as "human shields".
JUST LIKE ISRAEL DID IN "OPERATION CAST LEAD"
This general - so wise, so fair - is a criminal.
If our soldiers arrest him - not innocent Afghans
- they will truly be acting as "global police".
Two Italian soldiers are killed by a roadside
bomb in Afghanistan on Wednesday, moments after
dismantling an IED, the defence ministry says.
Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's wealthy media mongrel
and permanent Premier, offers his simple genuine
condolences to the families of the dead soldiers,
but stresses that Italian troops MUST remain.
The Italian Senate and lower chamber of deputies
observe a minute of silence after hearing of their deaths.
Italy has 3,300 soldiers in Herat and Kabul.
29 Italian soldiers have lost their lives there,
including the two soldiers killed yesterday,
& the suicide of a soldier over the weekend.
*************************************************
WAR ISN'T PEACE - IT'S COMPLETE HELL
A soldier of the US-controlled ISAF, is killed
in southern Afghanistan, officials say.
'An ISAF service member died following an explosion
in the south of the country on Monday,'
a US/NATO statement says, with no details.
Five fighters are killed and 10 injured by
Afghan and ISAF forces in Chardara district,
police chief Mohammed Razaq Yaqobi says.
A spokesperson for the fighters, Zabiullah Mujahid,
says talk of fighters' casualties is a lie,
& that 5 NATO troops are killed by fighters.
So war brings death and a complete breakdown
of trust. Not Peace.
The Germans now face - through the Wikileaks
papers - the certain knowledge that they are
guilty of the mass murder of civilians there too.
After their "peace-loving" troops started being
slaughtered by fighters, the US moved a top secret
assassination unit right into their "peace" camp.
The result of their first "specialist" ops raid?
A slaughter of 11 Afghan children, hastily hidden.
Many Northern European countries are very excited
by the Wikileaks revelations, as they prove that
Europeans are having their solidarity with the US
severely abused... but Germany stays eerily quiet.
Until today... when Der Spiegel & others open
up the debate, and many say "it's time to get out"
The biggest lie exposed by Wikileaks is that US
troops are acting under "restricted" rules of
engagement. Just think of all those articles
in the media you read, by "experts", saying so!
But the Wikileaks Papers expose, time & time again,
that bands of cold blooded professional murderers
are being used against Asian civilians... secretly
... all known by "our" leaders, & in OUR NAME.
*************************************************
THERE'S A BETTER WAY...
As the EU's political class falls over itself
to explain that its latest sanctions against
Iran are an "alternative" to launching attacks,
former Cuban leader Fidel Castro says that the
US should stop "using force and violence" and
respect the sovereignty of other countries.
His comments are sent in a letter broadcast by
Tuesday's official "Mesa Redonda" TV program.
Quoting the poem "The Pirate Song" by Spanish
poet Jose de Espronceda (1808-1842), the letter
strongly criticizes the US, for "using violence
to loot other countries."
***********************************************
52 civilians die in US drone and other attacks
in Afghanistan on Friday, news stations report.
***********************************************
IRAN IS INVESTING $46 BILLION IN REFINERIES
Iran is investing $46 billion to develop and
optimize its petroleum refineries, Iranian
Deputy Oil Minister Alireza Zeighami announces.
Seven new refineries are under construction,
and will make the country self-sufficient in
petrol production within two years, Zeighami
tells reporters at a press conference.
Approximately $8.5 billion of the $26 billion
required for the refinery construction project
has already been spent, he notes.
Iran's daily petrol production is 45 million litres,
and the country consumes 65 million litres per day,
but when the new refineries come on stream in two years,
petrol production will increase by 25 million litres per day,
Iran's deputy oil minister adds.
He says that the sanctions imposed on Iran are "ineffective"
and that constructing refineries is not a problem for Iran.
"We'll provide funds for the refinery projects
through banking consortiums, and there is no
concern in this regard," the Oil Ministry's
official website quotes Zeighami as saying.
On Monday, EU Foreign Ministers side-stepped the
EU Parliament to impose new sanctions on Iran,
which mainly target investment in, & technical
assistance to, Iran's refining, liquefaction,
and liquefied natural gas sectors.
They say that they are NOT aiming to hurt Iranian
citizens, but must put pressure on its leaders,
as the Iranian nuclear scientific research MIGHT
lead to the creation of nuclear weapons...
Iranian officials say that, as a signatory to
the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran has
the legal right to develop or acquire nuclear
technology, for power generation & medical use.
Tehran repeatedly declares that it will not
relinquish the legitimate nuclear rights
of the Iranian nation, now matter how much
pressure Western powers put on the country.
*************************************************
CHOPPER DOWN IN KABUL
A helicopter has crashed in eastern Kabul,
Defense Ministry spokesperson Zahir Azimi says.
He adds that the chopper belongs to US-led
NATO-led troops & that there are no casualties.
The crash occurs during landing, he says.
US-led NATO-led troops have yet to comment.
This is the second helicopter crash in July,
as news reports reveal that fighters are now
equipping themselves with mobile missiles.
In the previous helicopter crash, just outside
Helmand's provincial capital, Lashkar Gah,
last Thursday, two "NATO" soldiers are killed.
*************************************************
IRAN EXPANDS BUSINESS WITH TURKEY
Iran has signed a 1.3 billion-dollar agreement
with a Turkish firm to build a pipeline for gas
exports of 60 million cubic meters (2.1 billion
cubic feet) a day in 3 years, press reports say.
"The contract to build a gas pipeline stretching
660 kilometers (410 miles) and worth one billion
euros was signed in the presence of Iranian and
Turkish energy and oil ministers," the Arman
newspaper says, quoting an oil ministry statement.
Deputy Oil Minister Javad Ouji, who is also the
director of the state-owned National Iranian Gas
Company, signed contracts with Turkey's privately
owned ASB group. "With the construction of the
new pipeline, our country will be able to export
50 to 60 million cubic meters of gas a day to
this country and Europe, in 3 years," Ouji says.
Turkey already receives 15 to 18 million cubic
metres (between 525 and 630 million cubic feet)
of gas a day, through an existing pipeline,
which runs from the Iranian city of Tabriz to Ankara.
************************************************
FIVE US SOLDIERS BLOWN UP AND TWO MORE CAPTURED
Two US soldiers "went missing" in Logar province,
60km south of Kabul - on Friday - locals say now.
The US military press department spokesperson
in Logar, says he's checking and will call back.
But, of course, he doesn't.
Meanwhile, a fighters' spokesperson, Zabihullah
Mujahid, in talks with the media via telephone
from an unknown location, claims responsibility
for their abduction and says, "Fighters captured
two US soldiers, with two cameras and two assault
rifles, from Charkh district, on Friday."
These are the third US soldiers to have been
captured by fighters. Previously, fighters
captured a US soldier in Paktia province in
2009. Spc. Bowe Bergdahl of Hailey, Idaho,
disappeared on June 30th, 2009. He is still
in captivity and regularly appears on videos.
Mohammad Nasir Medaruz, director of radio station
Meli Pegham, or "National Message," says that
after the latest two soldiers "disappeared",
he received a phone call from coalition officials
asking that he broadcast a message offering $10,000
for information about each missing service member.
"I told them that Logar is not a safe area
and if I broadcast that, I could get attacked."
Now we know that one of the US soldiers is dead.
On Saturday in the same district in Logar,
the manager of an Afghan construction company
and his driver are kidnapped, according to Din
Mohammad Darwesh, spokesperson for the governor
of Logar province. The two captured worked with
the Afghan Korean Construction Co., he says.
The son of Afghanistan's Information & Security
minister is shot dead by fighters as "a warning".
Five US occupation soldiers are killed Saturday
in a bomb attack. The US's NATO's ISAF says
the five were killed in two separate attacks
involving IEDs, the main weapon deployed by
fighters demanding that the occupation end.
An ISAF spokesperson confirms that the five were
US denizens. An incident early in the day claims
the lives of four of them, while the fifth is
killed later Saturday, say ISAF statements.
Both attacks take place in southern Afghanistan,
where resistance is fiercest, "ISAF" says.
Their deaths bring to 397 the total number of
foreign soldiers killed so far this year,
compared to 520 for all of 2009. The death
toll is climbing closer to the 2,000 mark.
A tally kept by the icasualties.org website
puts the number of soldiers to have died
since the 2001 Afghanistan invasion at 1,964,
with 1,204 of them US denizens.
IEDs are the main cause of occupation soldiers'
deaths, according to military officials, who say
the power of the crude home-made bombs is rising
as fighters adapt to new defenses by the foreign forces.
The US & Europe now have almost 150,000 troops
in Afghanistan, with the surge of 30,000 more
US soldiers ordered by US President Barack Obama
now almost fully deployed, with most of them in
Kandahar and Helmand, in the south.
*************************************************
TWO HONOURABLE MEN - IN A STINKING TOILET
Dennis Kucinich & Ron Paul join forces to propose
a bill this week demanding the withdrawal of all
US troops immediately - from Pakistan.
"We have known that US forces have been operating
in secret inside the territories of Pakistan
without congressional approval," Democrat Kucinich
says, adding that the US is building up its
troop & "hearts & minds" presence there.
Kucinich says the covert operations are an obvious
"violation of the 1973 War Powers Resolution
introduced after the Vietnam War, that allows
a US president to send US armed forces into
military operations abroad, ONLY if Congress
approves the decision, or if the US is under
a serious threat or attack."
"It is our constitutional responsibility as
members of Congress to act," Kucinich adds.
Ron Paul agrees, & says the US military has
"significantly increased" operations in Pakistan,
especially unmanned drone attacks, since Obama
came to office, a year and a half ago:
"This increasing US military activity in Pakistan
has little to do with protecting the US & in fact
is creating more enemies than it is defeating.
"The administration, like its predecessor,
is misusing language in the original post-9/11
resolution, to prosecute a wider regional war
& Congress is sitting quietly on the sidelines.
This must stop."
We shall see how many politicians in Washington
are as open to being wise, as these two are.
The vote on their resolution is due THIS week.
************************************************
TOP PENTAGON OFFICIALS FOUND WATCHING CHILD PORN
The poor old Vatican has enough troubles these days,
what with paedophile priests, etc, but what most
people don't know, is that the overwhelming majority
of child abuse cases found, occurred in the US.
Now Federal investigators have identified
"several dozen" Pentagon officials & contractors
who have high-level security clearances, allegedly
purchasing and downloading child pornography.
Some used government computers to do it,
according to investigative reports.
The investigations have included employees of
the National Security Agency, the National
Reconnaissance Office, and the Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency — which all deal with
the most sensitive work in intelligence & defense
among other organizations in the Defense Deptment.
The number of offenders is a small percentage
of the thousands who work for the Pentagon -
but they include those with access to government
secrets - putting national security agencies
“at risk of blackmail, bribery, and threats,
especially since these individuals typically
have access to military installations,"
according to one report by the Defense Criminal
Investigative Service from late 2009.
Some of the individuals have been prosecuted,
and other cases have been dropped, while more
have gone years without resolution, according
to previously undisclosed documents.
The lack of prosecutions reflects "difficulties
in bringing prosecutions", say specialists.
John Sheehan, executive director of the exploited
child division at the National Centre for
Missing and Exploited Children, says:
“Some are in high-ranking positions, in positions
of trust. There isn’t a profile or stereotype,
which makes it even more challenging for law enforcement."
One case was simply "dropped" after evidence was
destroyed. Another in August 2007 involving a
Defense Department contractor was closed
“due to a lack of resources,’’ a November 2009
report from Pentagon criminal investigators says.
************************************************
EU & US DESPERATE AS IRAN BLOSSOMS
Iran announces it's building a nuclear fusion plant -
when no country in the world has achieved this successfully.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also now says
that Iran is to send a man into space by 2019,
16 years earlier than originally planned, Iran's
media report, after announcing new all-Iranian
submarines, air-defence systems, & other defences.
Ahmadinejad says the date has been brought forward
to counter any pressure from the Western powers.
"In response to threats & Security Council
resolutions against Iran, the plan is pushed
forward," Press TV cites Mr Ahmadinejad as saying.
He also says Iran's Sanjesh Satellite will be
launched from an all-Iranian launch pad, and
controlled by an all-Iranian control station.
The president says sending a person into space
was planned to take place in 2035, but the
launch date was reviewed at a cabinet meeting this week.
In February, Iran successfully test fired the Kavoshgar-3 rocket
which carried a rat, turtle and worms into space.
The country launched a domestically made satellite
into orbit for the first time, in 2009.
Telecommunications Minister Reza Taghipoir says
the country intends to launch another satellite,
Rasad 1, in the last week of August.
Levels of trade, education, scientific discovery,
and confidence have all grown massively in Iran.
So Chicken hawks & warmongers in the House of Representatives
are now lobbying for the US House to pass a law
openly calling on Israel to attack Iran's facilities,
& the EU right now is busy with new sanctions
designed to cripple Iran's energy sector...
Parts of the proposed EU sanctions could stop
all airfreight out of or into Iran. This is
a not very thinly disguised declaration of war.
You can help stop this - pressure your "servants"
at Westminster - phone them, email them - make
them feel as uncomfortable as possible...
Are Europe & the US - racist colonialists to the end -
going to ruin life on Earth, to "stay on top" ?
They say a leopard can't change its spots...
But we're not leopards... And a third World War,
will give us more than just a bad skin condition.
***********************************************
HELICOPTER DOWN IN S AFGHANISTAN
Two soldiers of the US-NATO-led forces lose
their lives as a helicopter crashes in south
Afghanistan today (Thursday), a press release
from the US-dominated alliance says.
There is no mention of the exact place or the
cause, as an "investigation" is underway.
Meantime, a fighters' spokesperson, Qari Yusuf
Ahmadi, claims six foreign soldiers are killed
in the incident. He says fighters shot down
the helicopter by a rocket propelled grenade,
in Helmand province. He speaks via cell-phone.
Daud Ahmadi, spokesperson for Helmand's provincial
administration in south Afghanistan, says the
chopper crashed outside Helmand's provincial
capital, Lashkar Gah, at around 3pm local time.
He does not comment on casualties.
*************************************************
US SOLDIER DIES AS IRAQ CAULDRON BUBBLES
In Diyala province, buildings collapse, illegal
arrests continue and a US soldier is admitted
as killed by IED (but not "in combat") - while
Biden & US governors visit like feudal overlords,
saying that 50,000 US troops will stay "beyond 2011".
The UK's Lib Dems' Clegg might score brownie points
with his battered supporters - by describing the Iraq
invasion as illegal - but only "after the event".
Why doesn't he condemn the assassination of leaders
by drone in Afghanistan & Pakistan? That's illegal
too, and going on RIGHT NOW! He doesn't because
the Lib Dems are Wusses ( Wus comes from the Welsh,
Gwas... a servant ) and we all know their role
is to castrate progressive youth before their
opposition to war becomes "too challenging".
Servants of the Tories & their mission:- war
on those who oppose the super-rich's arrogance.
*************************************************
THAT "PAIN RAY" IS WITHDRAWN FROM AFGHAN WAR
The Pentagon has withdrawn its "cooking people"
weapon from Afghanistan... because its "benefits"
as a crowd control weapon of fear, seem to be far
outweighed by the negative propaganda value.
Yet cluster bombs, and the other weapons of choice
for USUK & Israel, are still killing and maiming
in Vietnam, Iraq, Lebanon, etc. The US can still
kill all hope for this vile weapon's removal.
The US has the largest stockpile of cluster bombs,
and Poland and Romania, who possess & manufacture
them, still refuse to support an end to them.
Hundreds of these bombs are still hidden,
killing & mutilating & making farms bankrupt.
*************************************************
1ST WORLD GET OUT OF 3RD WORLD - IT'S ONE WORLD !
Mayors in the Bolivian Amazon Expel USAID
In Bolivia, the mayors of the municipalities of
the autonomous region of Pando, in the Amazon,
have decided to expel all the NGOs, foundations
and companies operating in this area funded by
USAID, since they "generate internal conflicts
within the country; interfering in our political
process of national liberation, to undermine the
democratic legitimacy of our government."
Officials paid by USAID, they say, tried to
provoke a split within the indigenous movement;
trying to position peasant organizations in the
Bolivian Amazon to oppose the elected government
which - for the 1st time in written history -
represents them and their true interests.
The mayors of Pando have decided to:
"expel from each of our municipalities NGOs,
businesses, organizations & projects funded by
USAID and its allies to end the deception of
the international traffickers of biodiversity,
ending the political maneuvers of the US government
in our rich Amazonian territory and liberate ourselves
from old practices imposed by this perverse 'cooperation'
whose cents degrade the conscience of our people,
our brave peasants & indigenous representatives."
The NGOs & foundations that must now leave Pando,
include the "Conservation Strategy Fund (CSF)",
"Inheritance," "Puma", 'WCS Rainforest Alliance"
and "Harmony". Before they go, they are required
to submit reports on their programs, projects,
activities & sources of funding.
"Otherwise, we will act, as part of the new
State Constitution, before the courts of justice
for violating our territorial and institutional
independence and our sovereignty."
The notice explains that through programs known
as "Madre de Dios, Acre and Pando (MAP) and
the "Initiative of the Amazon Basin" (ICCA),
USAID and its NGO's converted the Amazonian
Pando region "into a alienated land and acted
inappropriately." They are accused by the mayors
of using slogans like the "fight against poverty,"
the "protection of the environment," and the
"Protection of Indigenous Sceneries," with racist
and capitalist approaches which tried to replace
the authority of municipalities & clandestinely
circulated billions of dollars in the autonomous
indigenous communities and rural areas to put
the people against their own government, seeking
to destabilize the regime which is governed by
the indigenous leader, Evo Morales.
The so-called "effective management of biological
diversity and environmental services," they say,
"is just a pretext for transnationalizing our
natural resources, intervening in social
organizations: seeking to align them with the
interests of the empire, for complete domination
of our territories, forests and biodiversity."
In the sovereign exercise of its powers under
the new regime of autonomy established by the
Constitution of Bolivia's current state,
pandino municipalities declare the Pando region
"Free Amazonian Territory" - free from USAID.
"This is an historic, sovereign and exemplary gesture,
aimed at achieving respect against arrogant
foreign interventionism," says the document.
It is an addition to the declaration a state of
emergency in our cities, to defend our dignity
& national sovereignty in the face of democratic
destabilization, brought about by the internal
and external enemies of this process of change."
The Pando region is in the north of the Republic
of Bolivia, in an area of 64,000 sq kilometers;
with over 50,000 inhabitants organised into five
provinces, 15 municipalities and 51 districts.
It is one of the richest areas of biodiversity
in Bolivia and has public lands available for
distribution to landless indigenous peoples
from other parts of the country, a process that
US interference has tried to reverse in the
interests of landowners. A campaign which led
to the massacre of Indians on September 11th,
2008, in the city of Porvenir.
Damn the "1st World"... not superior at all...
just greedy, racist, arrogant killers of humans.
*************************************************
CONFERENCE SAYS PEACE AS OFFICIALS SAY WAR
The head of NATO & other unelected officials all
say the war will continue for years & years...
in an Afghan adventure which is obviously failing.
Two US "civilians", a "foreign" soldier & at least
2 Afghan soldiers are reported killed on Tuesday,
in another attack by an Afghan soldier on foreign
forces at a weapons training area in the north of
the country, the US military says.
Afghan puppet & US-led NATO forces are still
"investigating the circumstances" which also
led to the death of the fighter, & the wounding
of another foreign soldier & an Afghan soldier.
Provincial sources say a "renegade" Afghan,
killed two NATO soldiers.
This occurred at a military training camp
near the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif,
& the US military says the killed "suspect"
is "thought to be an Afghan army trainer."
"A joint investigation is under way to determine
the circumstances surrounding the shooting by
an Afghan army soldier that led to the death
and injury of several individuals," it says.
The US-dominated military coalition also says
in a statement issued today (Wednesday) that
"militants" attacked government buildings in
Baghlan province's Dahanah-ye Ghori district.
Fighters killed all the police officers inside.
These illuminating attacks come on the day that
a major international conference in Kabul agrees
that Afghanistan should have the "leading role"
in its own security across the country by 2014,
and in some areas by the end of this year.
In other words, the West is trying to "Vietnamise"
Afghanistan, by training and paying Afghans to
crush themselves... which is why all non opium
farming businesses have been destroyed by the West
As the "Conference" starts, Mullah Omar calls on
fighters to resist the US/EU invasion forces...
and not pause or stop until they are driven out.
He calls on fighters to capture or kill members
of the coalition forces at every opportunity,
enlist those with connections to the coalition,
and to take control of, or destroy its weapons.
He also asks fighters to kill all collaborators.
************************************************
ON THE EVE
Two US occupation soldiers are killed Monday by
IED attacks in southern Afghanistan on the eve of
a major international conference, officials say.
The Kabul conference is meant to bring peace
through engaging fighters, yet the conference
venue itself is mortared yesterday evening.
************************************************
UK MERCENARY KILLED IN IRAQ
A suicide attack on a UK security convoy
kills one UK man and three "others".
The suicide car bomber ploughed into a convoy of
a UK security company in northern Iraq on Monday,
killing four foreigners and wounding five Iraqi
civilians, Iraqi security officials say.
The nationalities of the "others" are not known.
The suicide bomber targeted the last vehicle of
the convoy in restive Mosul, and the force of
the blast threw the armoured vehicle 40 metres
into a ravine, killing everyone in it, police say.
"I saw the other members of the convoy bring out
4 dead foreign civilians from the smashed vehicle.
One of them was beheaded," an Iraqi military officer,
asking not to be named, said by telephone
from the site of the attack in northern Mosul.
A Foreign & Commonwealth Office spokesperson says
"We can confirm that a British national was killed
in an attack on a British private security company
convoy in Mosul this morning. We have offered
consular assistance and next of kin are aware."
She could not confirm the name of the company
or the UK man who died in the bombing.
**********************************************
NO PIPELINE, NO "VICTORY" - JUST DEATH
Another US soldier is reported killed in Southern
Afghanistan, as a new poll shows that Afghans want
the invasion forces out, and for fighters to join
the Afghan government. The UK says now that almost
the entire UK invasion force will be gone by 2014.
Leaving the US to try to withdraw without being
harassed and humiliated by victorious fighters.
So much for the West's "humanitarian" intervention.
*************************************************
ISRAEL's CURRENT LEADERS "LIARS"
Emine Erdogan, the wife of Turkey's PM,
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accuses the Israeli
President Shimon Peres, of being a liar,
at a meeting with Palestinian businesswomen in Ankara.
Recalling her husband's confrontation with the
president at the Davos Summit in January 2009,
Emine says she thought to herself:
"G-d, he is such a liar, someone must stop him."
The Turkish prime minister stormed off the stage,
angry after being cut off by a panel "moderator",
after listening to a long diatribe by Peres
defending Israel's 22-day war on the Gaza Strip.
According to Palestinian newspaper Al-Ayam,
Erdogan's wife says her husband's reaction
with Peres was not intended, & that she also
was "close to madness" when she heard Peres
defending the 2009 Gaza killings.
"How is it possible that Israelis lie like that,
their president Peres uttering a chain of lies
in front of the entire world? I told myself,
G-d, shut that man up. And suddenly I saw
Prime minister Erdogan's head exploding, and I
started to cry. When asked why I was crying,
I said 'because, that man, Peres, is a liar'."
Emine adds that she does not usually respond
on political matters, but that "Peres pushed
me to my limits, as he constantly lies."
************************************************
NETANYAHU CAUGHT ON CAMERA
Nine years ago, when the government of Ariel Sharon
reinvaded the main cities of the West Bank
to crush Palestinians in the 2nd intifada,
Netanyahu was out of government temporarily.
While visiting a settlement in Ofra in the West Bank
to pay condolences to the family of a settler
killed in a Palestinian shooting attack, he made
a series of boasts about his first time as prime
minister, from 1996 to 1999.
He says in the film footage that, by deception,
he, Netenyahu, killed the US Oslo peace process.
He goes on to mock the US as “easily moved in the right direction”
and laughing, calls the extremely high levels
of US public support for Israel, “absurd”.
He is heard saying that Israel’s harsh military
repression of the Palestinian uprising, was not
at all defensive, but designed chiefly to crush
the Palestinian Authority led by Yasser Arafat
so that it would be more pliable for Israel.
In the film, Mr Netanyahu says Israel must
inflict “blows that are so painful the price
will be too heavy to be borne. A broad attack
on the Palestinian Authority, to bring them
to the point of being afraid that all is collapsing”.
When asked if the US will object, he responds:
“America is something that can be easily moved.
Moved in the right direction. They won’t get
in our way. 80% of the Americans support us. It’s absurd.”
He then recounts how he dealt with President
Clinton, whom he refers to as “extremely pro-
Palestinian”. “I wasn’t afraid to manoeuvre
there. I was not afraid to clash with Clinton.”
His approach to White House demands to withdraw
from Palestinian territory under the Oslo accords,
he says, drew on his grandfather’s philosophy:
“It's better to give 2% than to give 100%.”
He therefore signed the 1997 agreement to pull
the Israeli army back from much of Hebron, the
last Palestinian city under direct occupation,
as a way to avoid conceding more territory.
The “trick” that stopped further withdrawals,
Mr Netanyahu adds, was to redefine what
“specified military site” meant in the Oslo accords.
He wanted the White House to approve in writing
the classification of the Jordan Valley, a large
area of the West Bank, as such a military site.
“Now, they did not want to give me that letter,
so I did not give the Hebron Agreement.
I stopped the government meeting, I said:
‘I’m not signing.’ Only when the letter came
did I sign the Hebron Agreement. Why does this
matter? Because at that moment I actually
stopped the Oslo accord.”
The 10-minute video clip has been broadcast
only in Hebrew on Israel’s Channel 10.
I bet there'll be a subtitled Youtube version soon!
Its contents greatly embarrass not only Mr Netanyahu
but also the US administration of Barack Obama
and the entire American people. He thinks they're
laughable, easily manipulated fools !
Mr Netanyahu is again Israel’s prime minister
stopping all attempts by the US to draw him
into a peace process opposed to his political agenda.
Just like before, he is making public concessions
– agreeing in principle to a Palestinian state,
holding indirect talks with Palestinian leaders,
and temporarily freezing settlement building.
But really, opposing peace, supporting expansion,
and exerting pressure on the White House,
by mobilizing the pro-Zionist lobby in the US.
The contemptuous view of Washington Mr Netanyahu
demonstrates in the film, confirms the view of
many observers – including Palestinian leaders –
that his current professions of good faith
can not be taken seriously.
The pace of settlement building in the West Bank
and Jerusalem especially, has increased during
the 10-month "freeze", due to end in September.
This makes the establishment of a Palestinian
state – viable or otherwise – far less likely.
Writing in Haaretz, the columnist Gideon Levy
calls the video “outrageous”, & says it proves
that Mr Netanyahu is a “con artist … who thinks
that Washington is in his pocket and that he
can pull the wool over its eyes”. He adds that:
“Such a crooked way of thinking does not change over the years.”
Last week, after meeting Mr Obama in Washington,
the Israeli prime minister gave an interview:
“Can we have a negotiated peace? Yes.
Can it be implemented by 2012? I think
it’s going to take longer than that,” he said.
************************************************
FOUR MORE UK SOLDIERS KILLED IN 24 HRS
Four more UK soldiers are killed in separate
incidents in Afghanistan.
Two are killed on Friday and another two lost
their lives yesterday. All are expected to be
named by the UK's MoD today (Sunday).
The latest is that of a soldier from the Royal
Logistics Corps in a blast in Nahr-e Saraj.
According to Task Force Helmand spokeperson
Lt Cl J Carr-Smith: "The soldier was part
of an improvised explosive device disposal team"
Earlier on Saturday, the MoD announced a soldier
from the Royal Dragoon Guards was killed in
another blast in the Nahr-e Saraj district.
On Friday a marine from 40 Commando Royal Marines
died in an explosion on foot patrol in Sangin
and an airman from the RAF Regiment died in an
accident near Camp Bastion.
The airman was part of a vehicle patrol
"conducting security operations in the area
to the north of Camp Bastion".
************************************************
IRAN IS TO RETALIATE IF SHIPS SEARCHED
Iranian MPs today approve a bill obligating Tehran
to continue 20% uranium enrichment, Fars reports.
"The outlines of the bill were adopted by 171 MPs
out of 200 present," Fars says. The bill still
needs to be approved by the Guardians Council.
The bill, entitled "Combating US & UK plots
to protect nuclear achievements", stipulates
that Iran must also retaliate against inspection
of any of its ships & any refusal to give fuel
to Iranian planes at international airports.
Fars says: "If the bill is finally passed
the Atomic Energy Organisation will be required
to make provision for the production & supply
of 20% enriched fuel."
************************************************
ITALIAN HELICOPTER DOWN IN AFGHANISTAN
Three Italian soldiers are reported injured
yesterday (Friday) in a battle with fighters
in western Afghanistan, officials say.
News reports say one of the Italians is in a
serious condition, but a military spokesperson
says he can not confirm or deny the reports.
An Italian military helicopter is "damaged" in
the clash which takes place near Bala Murghab,
a spokesperson with NATO's Regional Command West
in Herat, Antoni Caliandro, tells Italian news
channel Sky TG 24, last night.
3,000 Italian soldiers are helping the occupying force.
*************************************************
UK's "DEMOCRACY VILLAGE" APPEALS - AND LOSES
Although the tent village is ordered to go,
the judges grant the appeal of Brian Haw
and his supporters whose longstanding presence
on the pavement on the east side of Parliament
Square is not challenged in the proceedings -
except for his encroachment on to a small part
adjoining the Gardens where he'd pitched a tent.
Mr Haw is a separate issue to the Democracy
Village protesters, says Lord Neuberger &
there is no suggestion that his presence
had discouraged other visitors or demonstrators
or damaged the flowers. He concludes that the
question of whether it is "proportionate" to
make an order for possession against Mr Haw,
be remitted for reconsideration by the High Court.
He says he has "significant doubts" as to
whether Mr Haw would be able to persuade a judge
that he should be able to maintain a tent on the
grassed area, but is entitled to have his case
decided on the basis of the evidence he wishes
to put before the court. In the meantime, the
order for possession against Democracy Village
excludes the area occupied by Mr Haw's tent.
US LOSES 2 MORE TROOPS AS ARMY SUICIDES, WOUNDED,
& CONTRACTOR DEATHS HIT NEW RECORD HIGHS
Nothing changes in USUK strategy or arrogance,
as US army suicides hit an all time record,
and the wounded US troop levels in Afghanistan
are said to be reaching higher levels in 2010,
than for the whole of last year.
And mercenary/contractor deaths - which are
being kept "secret" - start reaching "the hundreds".
Arab news media also report that the Israeli siege
is as tight as before, despite propaganda claims.
*************************************************
The Gaza-bound Libyan aid ship docks in Egypt's
El-Arish port around midday thursday after it is
prevented from sailing directly to the Gaza Strip.
Please scroll down to Gaza section for full report
As every single country in the world shows huge
majorities wanting the West to withdraw its troops
from an increasingly costly & failing occupation,
the unelected Head of NATO, Andrs Fogh Rasmussen,
says the West MUST give political support to war.
He says that fighters will be encouraged to attack
"if" support weakens for his chosen policy of a
never-ending war in Afghanistan.
"If they discover (sic) that through their attacks,
they can weaken the support for our presence in Afghanistan,
they will just be encouraged to step up their
attacks on foreign troops."
12 NATO occupation soldiers are killed there in just two days, officials say today.
Fighters are now openly attacking NATO bases
from the inside & in frontal attacks, as US
supply lines are proving increasingly vulnerable.
Andrs Fogh Rasmussen refuses to assign a date
for the occupation forces to withdraw from the
war-torn country:
"We can have our hopes, we can have our expectations,
but I cannot give any guarantee as far as an exact date
or year is concerned," the NATO secretary general says.
General - don't blame the public or try to stop
the reports - get the troops out NOW !
You look to the world like a buffoon, playing with
your soldiers lives, on a fool's errand. Grow up.
Fidel Castro says now that “The USA is not playing fair
or telling the truth”. He notes that the budget
of its Defense Department was over $316 billion
in 2001 and is $565 billion in 2010. That is a
2.16-fold increase in just 9 years.
Fidel says that he has started speaking out,
because that spending - & the N Korea boat incident -
have made him realise that a World War is imminent:
“I started writing about this subject after the
accusation was made against North Korea, which
was accused of sinking the very sophisticated
South Korean submarine, one of the US industry’s
most modern models, which uses special metals,
items that they do not sell to North Korea.”
He scorns the accusation made that N Korea did it,
by using an old torpedo manufactured in the 1950s:
“Imagine that! An old torpedo against that sophisticated boat!”
He says a US analyst provides a much more logical explanation:
“South Korea was engaged in maneuvers with its ally,
the United States. The worst thing about this event,
one which is very difficult for the US to admit,
is that it was the US who sank the sophisticated
South Korean vessel. 46 men died. A boat like that
could only have been blown up with a mine.
And they did it.”
Fidel recalls what the Koreans then said:
“There will be a sea of fire, of flames.”
He acknowledges that “this was what I had thought
initially, that the problem was going to break
out there, because the resolution on Iran...
had not yet been passed.”
After its being passed, Fidel says:
“It became evident that conflict would first
be unleashed against Iran, and then in Korea.
The people who should pay most attention to
what happens in Iran are those in North Korea.”
Fidel says that an alleged eventual aggression
by North Korea against South Korea is the pretext
for the US to maintain its military bases in Japan
"It's very curious that this alleged aggression
(on the South Korean ship) coincided with the
request of the new Japanese leader to return the
territory in Okinawa occupied by US troops."
After noting that the Koreans are not going to
just wait for an attack, he says an initial war
could also trigger a nuclear war in that area.
"It would be one war immediately after the other,"
he adds, to highlight the gravity of the issue.
“Iran is the big apple of discord, because it is
a certain fact that they will not be able to
carry out their inspections." (on Iran's ships)
"Thirty-one years ago, when they launched their
chemical war (via Iraq) against Ayatollah Khomeini,
who managed to overthrow the Shah of Iran
without the use of weapons, there was no army,
they just had the Revolutionary Guards.”
“Ahmadinejad is not an improviser – you may or
may not be in agreement with him – but he is not
an improviser. To make a calculation on the basis
that the Iranians are going to come running out
to ask the yankis for forgiveness is absurd.”
The Iranians, he says, “have spent 30 years
preparing themselves with industrial development,
acquiring planes, radars, anti-aircraft weapons…"
"All the planes that they have been able to buy,
they have bought. They have Russian weapons.
They have hundreds of rocket launchers alone.
The Army also has its forces, in the air, on
land and sea. The Navy also has air, land and
sea capability. Soldiers? Just the Revolutionary
Guards alone, are more than one million strong.
"They are training everyone above 12 years of age
and younger than 60. And there are 20 million
Shiite Muslims. Who is going to sympathize with
their enemy - who wants to destroy everything
- and announces it as well?”
In Fidel's opinion, the real reason for the US
military build up, and threats of war is:
“the control and the influence that the state of
Israel has over the US. A country that has become
a nuclear power in the space of a few years.”
“We have lived under the threat of being attacked.
During the Reagan government, they carried out a
nuclear test in the ocean. In a boat. We guessed
that (it was done) because we had troops on their
way to Namibia.” Then Fidel drops his bomb shell,
by claiming that Israel didn't just OFFER South
Africa nuclear bombs - but GAVE them:
“They provided the South Africans with fourteen
nuclear weapons: more powerful than those that
were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
"We were there with 60,000 men advancing."
Go on... read Granma for the whole article!
(Nelson Mandela says that - to this day - he still
doesn't know where those bombs are hidden.)
************************************************
US TREACHERY FUELS IRAN
Russia says that, after its "reset" with the US
is deliberately betrayed, it is ready now to
ship oil products to Iran, after other foreign
companies halt their deliveries to the country
in response to the US & EU unilateral sanctions.
"Russian companies are prepared to ship oil
products to Iran," says Russian Energy Minister
Sergei Shmatko, after meeting his Iranian
counterpart Masoud Mir-Kazzemi in Moscow.
"There are opportunities to supply oil products
to the region if there is commercial interest,"
the Russian official adds.
The two ministers sign a joint statement on
expanding cooperation in energy between the
two countries, Interfax reports.
The document agrees the development of projects
in the natural gas and oil sector, with oil
trade between the two countries, the creation
of joint ventures and the establishment of a
joint energy investment bank.
Foreign companies, notably Total, Shell and the
critically troubled BP, have halted all their
deliveries of oil products to Iran.
Russian officials say no sanctions will affect
Russia's energy & military cooperation with Iran.
*************************************************
FIGHTERS CLAIM 8 UK SOLDIERS DIED
A single Afghan army soldier (or a group of
Afghan soldiers - no-one really knows) attack
a joint UK-Afghan patrol base in central Helmand
at 2.30am on Tuesday.
The UK's Prime Minister immediately blames a
“rogue element” in the Afghan Army and swears
that the military will not change the way that
it works with and trains local forces. (Tell
that to the soldiers!) Fighters claim that the
soldier(s) are now in an area controlled by them.
An investigation is under way.
“It’s absolutely essential that we don’t let this
appalling incident change our strategy or our
approach,” Mr Cameron says.
In a seemingly well-planned onslaught that lasts
over 15 minutes, rocket-propelled grenades are
fired inside the operations room of Patrol Base 3,
the nerve centre of the camp at the command team.
Machine gunfire is sprayed at a tent where UK
troops from 1st Battalion, The Royal Gurkha
Rifles Battle Group are sleeping. Hand grenades
are also believed to have been used.
Although fighters say at least 8 are killed in
the sustained attack, the UK says only 3 were
killed outright. As well as the dead, four are
said to be wounded. The names of the dead
are supposed to be released Wednesday.
Today they are finally named as:
Major James Joshua Bowman, Lt Neal Turkington
and Cpl Arjun Purja Pun, all of 1st Battalion
The Royal Gurkha Rifles.
Brigadier Felton pays a visit:
“This is an aberration,” he says “Just seeing the
shock & embarrassment in the Afghan chain of
command, proves to me that this is a one-off.
“If this had insurgent motivation, then it is
the insurgents trying to drive a wedge between
us and our Afghan partners, because we're having
a pretty significant success working together.”
UK officials are insisting that the attack is
the work of a lone renegade, but a senior Afghan
commander in Helmand says he thinks this attack
is a successful infiltration.
All General Sayed Molok Paktiawal, the 215 Corps
Commander will say, is that: “We have started
an investigation into this attack."
Back in Kabul, Lt-General N. Parker, the top UK
commander in the country, describes the attack
as “a really serious breach of trust”.
Just imagine; you illegally invade a country, again,
& find you can't trust the people who live there.
Shocking, old chep !
*************************************************
MASSIVE SWING AGAINST AFGHAN WAR IN US
Most US people now believe - and this is the
first time a majority believe it - that things
are going badly for the US in Afghanistan, and
this huge shift in US understanding has happened
in a little over a month, a CBS News poll shows.
Most also now want a timetable for withdrawal.
62% now believe the war is going badly,
up from 49% in May. And just 31% believe
the war in Afghanistan is going well.
Only 35% are willing to have troops stay
longer than two years from now.
Most - 54% - think the US must set a timetable
for withdrawal from Afghanistan. 41% disagree.
***********************************************
THE END OF PEACE
As the media muppets of the West (including those
you thought were on your side) talk of Fidel Castro's
latest appearance on TV, not one of them tells the
world what the US & EU are planning to unleash
on Iran, if it doesn't abjectly surrender soon.
Yet Fidel (and anyone can read his words on the
Cuban website "Granma") is currently screaming
to us at the top of his voice, that the lunatics
of the US, NATO & the EU, are going to blast Iran
with overwhelming destruction, as soon as Iran
fails to bow to the dictates of that infamous UN
resolution so cravenly passed by China & Russia.
It REQUIRES that Iran accept the boarding of its
ships within a specified number of days and tells
the UN by written statement that it agrees...
It REQUIRES that it tells the AIEA- by written statement -
it has suspended ALL peaceful nuclear processing
or "OTHER ACTIONS" can be taken.
(giving the US "justification" to attack)
Let the people of the world WAKE UP and DEMAND
that this strike - really - MUST NOT TAKE PLACE !!!
Iran is a country that has attacked NO-ONE
yet is pursuing technology and policies
which stop the rich bankers and monopolies
of the West from plundering willy-nilly...
We all saw Iraq placed in HELL for this.
For it to now occur in Iran, millions must die?
To stop a small brave country opposing the US,
millions must be crippled? The world plunged
into untold, unspeakable misery? WAKE UP !!!
Whether you are a Zionist or a Sufi, an atheist
or a stamp collector, you are all responsible.
Every single one of us on this planet is guilty,
if we do nothing to stop a third world war.
CAN YOU HEAR ME?
HELP STOP THE WEST ATTACKING IRAN !!!
EMAIL - TELEPHONE - SHOUT to your MP !!!
DO IT NOW, or stand cursed by your children
and their children for generations to come.
STOP THE WAR ON IRAN - NOW. Just do it.
***********************************************
THE END OF WAR
Israel now has no option but peace or destruction.
Despite all its present provocation and bluffs -
the assassinations, bulldozing of Jerusalem homes
and the furore over aid ships, etc - Israel must
know the truth. In a future war, it faces ruin.
Hezbollah leader sheik Hassan Nasrallah says
the group now can hit anywhere in Israel.
"Let the enemy's leaders know that we have a bank
of targets that is full - & they all know that -
all their drills and threats will collapse
in front of the resistance's surprises,
in any future war."
*************************************************
ARMS MANUFACTURERS RUB THEIR HANDS AS LIVES LOST
Muslim fighters armed only with courage & faith
are destroying the technically better equipped
West as at least 5 NATO soldiers are killed
in a single day on Saturday. (We say "at least"
because antiwar.com says another soldier dies in
an "accidental explosion" in the South.)
ISAF in a statement confirms that five soldiers
have lost their lives in the South & East since
early Saturday morning.
"One ISAF service member died as a result of
small-arms fire, another died following an
IED strike & a third died following an
"insurgent" (sic) attack, in eastern Afghanistan
today," the statement says.
Two more ISAF service members died following
separate IED strikes in southern Afghanistan
on Saturday, the statement adds.
Kandahar is shocked Saturday afternoon as a
motorbike bomb rips through a bazaar, killing
at least one civilian & destroying two cars.
Also on Saturday, a suicide car bomb targets a
NATO-led troop convoy in Ismail Khil district
of Khost province, a local official says.
The official says a suicide bomber driving a car
packed with explosive devices blew himself up
near a NATO-led military convoy at 8am local time.
A fighters' spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid,
says huge casualties were inflicted on the convoy.
Afghan forces killed a suicide bomber during an
attempt to storm a military base in the southern
Zabul province, the Afghan puppet government's
Defense Ministry says, in a statement.
A spokesperson for the fighters, Qari Yusuf Ahmadi
says 11 Afghan soldiers were killed in the clash.
Fighters also set a school on fire in the Bust
area of Helmand province on Saturday, a deputy
to provincial police chief Kamaludin Khan says.
A roadside bomb in the northern Kunduz province
on Saturday morning, injured two NATO soldiers
& damaged two military vehicles, a spokesperson
for the US-led West's military alliance in the
province, Lieutenant Colonel Webber says.
A fighters' spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid,
says that two roadside bombs destroyed two tanks
and inflicted many casualties on NATO troops
in Chardara district of Kunduz province.
More tanks destroyed = more tanks replaced =
more profits for the West's arms merchants!
*************************************************
*************************************************
PLEASE GO TO MOST AFGHAN NEWS BY SCROLLING
WAY DOWN - TO AFGHAN SECTION - THANK YOU !
*************************************************
*************************************************
THE LUCK OF THE IRISH
The EEC tried to sneak through a measure which
would have passed on sensitive information about
all EEC citizens to the assassins of the Israeli
secret service... but Ireland stopped it!
The intervention by Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern
reflects “profound concern” over transfers being made
following the use of eight fake Irish passports
by the "alleged" Israeli assassins of Hamas'
activist, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, murdered in Dubai.
Dubai police accuse Israel’s intelligence agency
Mossad of orchestrating the killing by using
fraudulent British, French, German & Australian
passports along with the fake Irish passports.
Israel doesn't confirm or deny involvement.
The commission wanted European governments
to approve a declaration that "recognises"
Israeli data protection standards as being
sufficient to allow member states to transfer
personal data to Israel. Two days ago, however,
Irish officials called to stop the procedure
by which EU governments were to endorse the
commission’s declaration. Without a declaration,
the transfer of personal data to Israel is prohibited.
“It may well be the case that Israel provides
data protections which meet EU standards,”
says a spokesperson for Mr Ahern.
“But the Minister believes the EU committee
has to take very serious account of the forgery
of EU passports – including Irish ones – by
Israel in recent months.
“Personal data provided innocently to Israeli
officials by Irish citizens was used in forging
passports. Other EU countries, particularly the
UK, had similar experiences and that is a matter
of the gravest concern.”
The Government, which last month expelled an
official from the Israeli embassy in Dublin
as a result of the affair, believes the data
used in the forged Irish documents was stolen
from the official inspection of travellers’
passports. Because of its formal objection
to the declaration, EU governments will be
asked to debate the issue openly in a committee
that deals with protection of personal data.
The commission tried to sneak in the declaration
by way of a written procedure after a meeting
of the committee where there was no quorum.
Under the “silence” procedure in question,
the decision to make the declaration would
have taken effect automatically - if no member
state had raised an objection by Tuesday’s deadline.
“There will now have to be a full hearing of
the proposal at the committee, where Ireland
will be able to voice our profound concerns
at such a proposal,” Mr Ahern’s spokesperson says.
Well done the Irish - Nár laga Dia do lámh !
************************************************
POLICE "BRUTALITY" IN ETHNIC CLEANSING OF JERUSALEM
Every weekend, Israelis demonstrate with Arab
locals against settler activity in the Arab
neighborhoods of Jerusalem. The demonstrators
demand settlers stop taking over Arab homes.
Participating in Friday's protest is world famous
Israeli author David Grossman & former Meretz MK Zahava Gal-On.
Violence occurs as demonstrators try to reach
the contested homes. Gal-On and Grossman say
they were pushed aggressively by police officers.
Mr Gal-On: "it was one of the more violent events.
We wanted to enter the neighborhood, but the
police brutality was unprecedented."
"They pushed, and I too got hit. They just kicked
the young people who were lying on the ground."
Gal-On adds that former attorney general Michael
Ben-Yair pleaded with the police to calm the
situation, but they were just "unco-operative".
Six weeks ago, several hundred Hebrew University
students and lecturers marched from the Mount
Scopus campus in Jerusalem to Sheikh Jarrah
to demand that the settlers' takeover of local
residents' homes be stopped. The march included
such prominent professors as Ze'ev Sternhell,
Yaron Ezrahi, Ariel Hirschfeld & many others.
They carried signs calling for all settlements
in East Jerusalem by settlers to stop now.
"Democracy stops at Sheikh Jarrah," some signs
said, while others read "stop ethnic cleansing."
************************************************
PENTAGON PROMOTES "FUN" KILLER
We all laughed when Admiral Mullen welcomed
squeaky clean Petraeus as in command of Afghan
invasion troops. After all, this was the man he'd
previously described as an "**se-kissing chicken s*it".
Now the Pentagon "announces" Mattis as its nominee
as Petraeus' Centcom overlord, "in charge" of Iraq
and Afghanistan. Yet in 2005, the then Lt. Gen.
Mattis spoke of his “fun” experience in Afghanistan
at a forum in San Diego, describing killing
as “a hell of a hoot.” After laughter from
soldiers in the audience, Mattis went on to
declare that “it’s fun to shoot some people.”
He's also the war criminal who oversaw the mass
killing of civilians in Fallujah. If the US Senate
confirms this psychopath, it will reveal a moral
decadence ... that laughs out loud as it kills.
*************************************************
CANADA's APPEAL COURT GIVES BOOST TO US SOLDIERS
Canada's appeals court rules now that a US Army
deserter's beliefs must be taken into account.
A three-judge panel at the Federal Court of Appeals
issues a unanimous decision that a Canadian
immigration officer's decision to turn down
Jeremy Hinzman application for permanent
residency is "significantly flawed & therefore
unreasonable" as the officer didn't consider
Hinzman's beliefs & motivations, Canwest
News Service reports.
Hinzman, who served in Afghanistan in 2002 and
2003 but became an opponent of the war in Iraq,
fled to Toronto in 2004. He seeks to stay in
Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.
His case now goes for another hearing before
a different immigration officer.
Michelle Robidoux, a spokesperson of the War
Resisters Support Campaign, says the ruling
is important for other war resisters in Canada.
"It's time for the Harper government to stop
deporting them & let them stay in Canada," she says.
There is no immediate reaction from Federal Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.
************************************************
US MUST CLARIFY POSITION ON ISRAEL FIRST
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says now
that the US MUST make its position on Israel's
nuclear strategy clear - and its own - since
Obama's threats to drop nuclear bombs on Iran,
before ANY talks on Tehran's atomic programme can resume.
Speaking in Nigeria after a summit of the D8
group of developing nations, Ahmadinejad says
Iran supports dialogue, but blames the US
for the failure of previous talks.
"The first condition is they should express their
views about the nuclear weapons of the Zionist regime.
Do they agree with that or not. If they agree
that these bombs should be available to them,
the course of the dialogue will be different," he says.
The audience applauds him as he states that the
West has stolen from Africa for hundreds of years.
Nigeria is the most populous state in Africa,
and many there see Iran as leading the defence
of developing countries against an unrepentant West.
And it is in technological development that Iran
is challenging - not just speeches. Iran launches
its own satellite into space orbit in August,
using its own launch vehicles, & the satellite
has cameras & other high technology components
that check the West. Let's face it, the West is
trying to stop "developing nations" through its
lead in technology, and Iran's nuclear research
is a small yet highly symbolic part of that.
The days when the West could shoot down the
"fuzzy-wuzzies" with machine guns and jets...
is drawing to an end. Hurrah !!!
How the West hates an Iran which can offer Africa
technology to stop the West's greed for profit !
*************************************************
SOON THE SUFFERING OF THE PALESTINIANS WILL END
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says
the US is a global dictator, & lashes out at Israel
after arriving in Nigeria to meet fellow Muslim
leaders at the summit.
"They are the self-proclaimed leaders... and
everybody knows that self-proclaimed leadership
is dictatorship," says Ahmadinejad to an audience
of hundreds at the Iranian embassy in Abuja.
"The era of dictatorship is over," he adds,
through an official translator.
The Iranian leader says "the occupiers should
dismantle their evil forces from the face of
the earth." Ahmadinejad's appearance in the
West African country, where Muslims make up an
estimated half of the 150 million population,
draws a rapturous welcome from the crowd,
which chants "Nigerians support Iran."
"We are going to put an end to the suffering
of the people of Palestine," he says.
"Palestinian refugees will return to their homeland.
Soon we are going to celebrate our victory."
************************************************
POLITICAL EXPLOSIONS OVER AMBASSADOR's REMARKS
John McCain, the ex president candidate, infamous
for singing "Bomb, bomb, Iran", says there is
"no attack" planned for the immediate future by
either Israel or the US on Iran. His remarks are
clearly meant as a riposte to Fidel Castro's
clear warnings of impending attacks due to take
place during this World football championship.
Yet the UAE ambassador is - at the same time -
assuring his N American audience that he thinks
the US SHOULD bomb Iran's nuclear plants.
This disgraceful invitation by a fellow Muslim
to bomb another Muslim country must be clearly
punished. Soon! How DARE he - a person in a top
diplomatic position - advocate bombing Iran !
He must learn that at this stage of world events,
there is no room at all any more for those who
are on the side of invaders and their slaves.
************************************************
RHONDDA's DR KELLY:- CALL FOR AN INQUEST
A good friend of former weapons inspector David Kelly,
US Air Force officer Mai Pedersen, has written
to the UK Attorney General, and she is calling
for an independent review into his death.
The Attorney General, Dominic Grieve, says he is
concerned about the Kelly case, and is interested
in exploring how to best take the matter forward.
Dr Kelly is a Rhondda man, born here in 2003,
and, unusually, no inquest was held into his
death, under mysterious circumstances, just days
after being identified as one of the most expert
sources questioning Blair’s case for war in Iraq.
The Hutton "Inquiry" into his death tried to
persuade us that he killed himself... by slitting
his left wrist & swallowing 29 painkillers.
But Mai Pedersen says he had an injury to his
right elbow, which would have made it almost
impossible for him to cut himself with a knife
in the way that the Hutton "Enquiry" said he did.
Just before his tragic end, he was unable to cut
even a steak while dining with her, she says.
She also says that he had a great dislike of pills
so it was extremely unlikely that he would have
chosen that method of ending his life, if he did.
In the letter she writes: “We understand you
have indicated a willingness to consider
possibly re-opening the investigation into
the continuing controversy into the death of Dr Kelly.
“Given the absence of any coroner’s inquest and
the perpetual secrecy surrounding the post-
mortem examination, it is painfully obvious
that this matter continues to cry out for a
formal, independent and complete review.
“The passage of time does not diminish
either the public’s interest or the
Government’s responsibility to ascertain
the full truth, whatever that might be.”
A spokesperson for the Attorney General:
“The Attorney remains concerned about this issue
and is keen to explore how the matter might be
taken forward, with ministerial colleagues.”
Mr Grieve could make an application to a coroner
for an inquest now Mai's statements, along with
many others, show there is more than enough
evidence to support it. But will he? After all,
if the "suicide" turns out to have been what
many suspect, Blair had good reason to turn pale
when he heard the news. After all, we British
don't assassinate our best public servants, if
they stand in the way of illegal wars... do we!?
*************************************************
LET GERMANY SPEAK
If the EEC is seen as divided and subordinate
to an overly aggressive US, aided by a UK as
spiteful as ever, and a French President who
repeatedly attacks Iran fiercely in his speeches,
the recent moves to attack Iran through sanctions
ship "interceptions", banking bans and even fuel,
paint a grim future for a world teetering on the
edge of a World War.
So it comes as a relief this week to read that
Germany's Transport Ministry says the refuelling
of Iranian planes is NOT banned under EU or UN
sanctions and that a future ban of this order
is not foreseeable. Now tell it to that crass
polluter, British Petroleum, which has declared
a "Europe-wide" ban on refuelling Iranian planes.
"There is no ban," a spokesperson for the
ministry tells Reuters, adding that he cannot
comment on whether any individual providers
are refusing to fuel Iranian aircraft.
B.P. - MORE POWERFUL THAN GOVERNMENT - THEY THINK!
**********************************************
UK THUMBS ITS NOSE AT EEC TO HELP SIKHS
After pressure from Sikhs, the UK government is
telling security staff at all UK airports, to
stop hand-searching Sikh turbans.
In May, under European legislation, security
staffers were told that they could pat down
and unravel a Sikh’s turban if the metal detector
bleeped as they walked through. But the Sikh
community leaders in the UK said this was "unacceptable."
Now the department for transport has been forced
to issue a memo to airports warning them to
stop the searches.
Sikhs who set off alarms at airport body scanners,
will now have their turban scanned by a hand held wand,
and will only be subjected to searches by hand
if metal is detected in the turban.
A group of activists who broke into an arms
factory near Brighton last year and caused
damage costing around £180,000 ($275,000)
are found not guilty of causing criminal damage.
In a lawsuit filed in October, seven British
activists claimed they were legally justified
to break in and sabotage the factory of EDO MBM
Technology near Brighton, on the south coast of
England, at the time of Operation Cast Lead.
Believing that the company was violating export
license regulations and sending arms components
to Israel, the activists, from a group called
Smash EDO, said they wanted to “slow down” the
manufacture of components that were allegedly
being sold to the Jewish state.
The protesters threw computers and file cabinets
out of the factory windows and smashed machinery
using hammers, claiming they were seeking to
prevent “Israeli war crimes in Gaza.”
The seven admit breaking in & causing the damage,
but are acquitted, despite video-tape interviews
of the activists outlining their intention to
cause criminal damage and “smash up” the factory.
The activists used the “lawful excuse” defense –
committing an offense to prevent the more
serious crime of “complicity in war crimes.”
Judge George Bathurst-Norman tells the jury:
“You may well think that hell on earth
would not be an understatement of what
the Gazans suffered in that time.”
*************************************************
PAKISTAN IS TESTED BY ITS ENEMIES
As the federal government calls for a review,
Pakistan's top opposition leader says Saturday
that the government should negotiate with the
country's Islamic militants to achieve peace.
The attacked Sufi shrine is in the province
controlled by the Pakistan Muslim League-N.
Sharif says Islamabad shouldn't wait for orders
from Washington on how to deal with its problems.
"We have this problem in our home. Why shouldn't
we take initiatives?" he says in live broadcast.
He says the government should talk to those
"Taliban who're ready to talk & ready to listen."
The Pakistani army is believed to have reached
"understandings" with militant groups based in
Pakistan, who focus on the fight in Afghanistan
— much to Washington's displeasure.
When asked which of the many groups should be
talked to, and reminded of past failed peace
attempts with them, Sharif says just this:
If "Peace is the priority. Ways can be found."
*********
Sufis emphasise tolerance, and bombing the most
famous and revered Sufi Shrine in the "political
hub" of the Punjab is a severe test for Pakistan.
Just as in Iraq, where different Shrines were
attacked to provoke civil war, so Pakistan's
greatest Shrines are now being targeted.
But - so far - Pakistanis are responding with
massive shows of solidarity. A strike in Lahore
and statements by analysts, suggests that their
public is wise to blame "outside countries"
wishing to destroy Pakistan. Almost all who are
interviewed immediately after the attack, say
that (even if it was carried out by Pakistanis)
it is the US, and especially its unwelcome presence
in the region, which is obviously to blame.
"US! - withdraw from Afghanistan", is a repeated
call by demonstrators attending public meetings.
Only a government spokesperson blames "militants"
- in order to justify its collusion with the US.
***********************************************
AND WHAT OF IRAQ, NOW?
The "withdrawal" of US troops "promised" by Obama
is now seen for what it is; a drawdown of just some
troops, and the renaming of the thousands left
as "non-combat". Perhaps this is why almost all
troop deaths now are being described as "non-combat"?
If lying by omission is the best way to con you,
then the Western media are doing a brilliant job!
Yesterday a Shrine was bombed, a top Sunni cleric
murdered by "unknown gunmen", there were - as usual -
several attacks on US patrols (which continue to
arbitrarily break into people's houses to "detain").
At least one troop carrier is completely destroyed
(and apparently, with not one casualty - again!).
There are air strikes on the Kurdish puppet enclave,
oh - and two more US troops are reported killed...
but yes, you're right, they're both said to be
"non combat" deaths. They must lack Love, those
who knowingly lie to us all in the name of Evil.
*************************************************
FEEL SORRY FOR THE SOLDIERS
The West's attack on the Muslim world is failing.
Muslim finance in line with Sharia law is booming,
just as the West imposes such cuts on its public,
that recession is now inevitably becoming slump.
Everyone knows that the attempt to bribe Afghans
with nice toys and the West's sleasy female "freedom",
has failed absolutely....
- only if the US turns into the Waffen SS -
and adopts a "scorched earth" policy, can they "win".
Yet the US is still pouring troops in, to just
support its policy of aggressive corporate greed.
It appears to have nearly worked in Iraq,
where despite the ongoing "insurgency",
the US - through news manipulation, civil
war, and the assassination of true leaders -
has forced the Iraqis not to drop the dollar,
or partner with China exclusively. The West's
Shell and others are keeping their snouts fed.
But the Iraq war has also ruined the West's finances,
so let's call it a draw. At such human cost!
Now our soldiers are dying in an Afghan debacle
which is permanently being described by experts
as "unwinnable" "hopeless", a "morass", etc...
Don't you feel sorry for the soldiers still dying?
************************************************
MAKING PEACE IMPOSSIBLE
The US has now followed the UK in making peaceful
dialogue between warring parties, a criminal offence.
As soon as Bush started, he ripped up laws designed
to stop aggression. Now Obama is presiding
over a country where, if you associate in any
way with an armed enemy, to start peaceful
dialogue, you will be imprisoned for 15 years.
Northern Ireland would still be a Hell-house,
if USUK's "anti-terrorism" (or anti-peace) laws
had been in effect in the past.
Our MPs are supposed to be law makers who
are intelligent enough to "represent" us.
Since most of us want Peace, is it venality
or blindness that keeps them from enacting
laws which could bring real justice & real peace?
Afghanistan and other "hot spots" might claim
the headlines, as over 100 Western troops die
in June - to "put the wogs down".
No-one blinks an eye, as people are immersed in
the activity of their own lives...
But now, Russia is complaining furiously to
the UN Security Council, over the seizure of
one of its ships on its way to Iran, by the
German government, & its boarding & ransacking.
The EEC sanctions on Iran, along with the US
ones, are designed to weaken Iran, for a war
to the death - and are NOT truly aimed at its
so-called nuclear bomb program. Its proponents lied.
This week, Total announces a complete stop to its
refined petroleum exports to Iran. President
Ahmadinejad says Iran will grow even stronger
as a result, & is now stopping all negotiations
"until the end of August".
Now we enter a new and VERY dangerous phase
in world history. We are doing to Iran,
what the UK did to Europe to stop the rise of
France, and then Germany, to keep the UK "on top".
This "winner takes all" approach, led to the UK
trying to suffocate Europe's people through sanctions
backed up by naval blockade... and then led to
Europe's murderous World wars. Why? Why are we
allowing the same foolish mind set to rule our fate?
- the best way to deal with this situation
and avoid a ruinous outcome, is either to seek
a "win-win" solution, where the West trades with
the Middle East as partners, or to stop the West
trying to dominate through force. I fear that the
first option is not being seriously considered
at all - for Israel's sake. Both Israel & Iran
now face being crippled and humiliated by their
declared mortal enemies - and both WILL, if
not engaged and influenced, fight to the death.
The materials on board the Russian ship, are
equipment for a CIVILIAN reactor. Peaceful!
The world can now either keep moving along the
path towards cataclysmic wars in the Middle East
- and risk ending life on this planet -
or WAKE UP ! - and start to call for peace NOW !!!
Israeli and US ships are already positioned
all around Iran's coast, itching to stop
and search Iranian vessels, with a mission
to strangle its economy and/or provoke a fight.
The US recently deliberately attached a mine
to the South Korean ship which was sunk, to
provoke a war between the North and South.
These are not small idle acts... the rich lunatics
who control the US & UK are now so out of control,
that it takes the Head of the UK's army, to speak
out in favour of peace talks with Afghan fighters,
because these days, no-one else has the bloody guts
to even admit to the US course's present madness.
Our politicians in both the US & UK, have so little
real power, compared to the wealthy City few,
that they're reduced to leveraging back-handers.
Only the millions who see, and haven't yet acted,
are capable of stopping a final third World War.
Join together now, and tell these MPs, that
we are organising a true coalition. For Peace.
A coalition determined to act with intelligence,
and speed - not the moronic generation of Gadarene
swine, that these rich devils obviously think we are!
Join together NOW - CHOOSE LIFE ! ACT !!!
***********************************************
BUILDING BRIDGES: THE WAY TO PEACE
The President of China has accepted an invitation
from Obama, for a state visit to Washington.
We applaud the role of those who prefer to solve
the problems of the world by co-operation.
Yet there are still some states who see life as
a fight between those who are "superior" or "special",
and cause most wars on this planet, as a result.
Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez describes
Israel on Saturday, as a genocidal state,
that acts as an assassin for the United States,
and predicts that one day, it wil be "put in its place."
The socialist Chavez is a harsh critic of both
Israel and the United States, and cut relations
with Israel, after accusing it of creating a
"holocaust" during its 2009 offensive in the
Gaza Strip, where it killed over 1,400 Palestinians,
including 420 children, and injured over 5,300.
"It has become the assassin arm of the United States,
no one can doubt it. It is a threat to all of us,"
Chavez says, during a visit to his country
by Syrian President, Bashar Assad.
Chavez says he supports a peaceful way to return
the Golan Heights to Syria, which were captured
by Israel in 1967. "The territory will one day
return to Syrian hands," Chavez says, adding:
"Of course we want it to be peaceful,
because we don't want more wars."
"But one day the genocidal state of Israel
will be put in its place, and let's hope
that a really democratic state emerges there,
with which, we can share a path and ideas."
US attempts to isolate Syria & reshape the Middle East,
he says, have failed, & Israel is fast losing its allies.
Yet we see that Israel too, is at least moving
in the direction of softening its stance; last
week easing its land blockade of the Gaza Strip,
and allowing in all goods, except arms & related materials.
President Assad is next visiting Argentina,
Brazil & Cuba; raising its international profile,
and shrugging off Western efforts to weaken it.
Syria is now busy developing ties with Turkey,
a former enemy, and with Russia - as well as with
many of the Latin American nations.
Syria is also aiming to attract $44 billion
in private foreign investment over the next
five years, to repair its infrastructure.
President Assad applauds Chavez's criticism of
the United States and Israel. "Few politicians
are brave enough to say no, when it is necessary
to say no," Assad says, as he arrives at the
Miraflores presidential palace.
"He has shown a Venezuela in resistance, creating
a place for Venezuela on the international map.
He has been on the side of just causes, not only
in Latin America, and in our region, the Middle
East, but throughout the whole world."
*************************************************
HELP THE ISRAELIS SEE
"If by the end of this year we do not have a two-
state solution, you will sweat, you will sweat,"
Palestinian Chief Negotiator Saeb Erakat warns
Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor on Friday.
During a meeting at the International Peace
Institute in New York, Erakat says Meridor
and the Netanyahu government are refusing
to answer key questions: Will Israel begin
negotiations where they left off in December
2008, accept East Jerusalem as the capital
of Palestine and accept the 1967 border as
a baseline for a two-state solution?
Erakat says: "This government of Israel has a choice,
settlements or peace. They can't have both."
He explains that the Palestinian Authority
was founded to establish the institutions
for a Palestinian state, not to keep Israel
as a source of authority forever:
"If Israel insists on maintaining control,
the Palestinian Authority cannot stand - it's irrelevant."
"Israel has three options," he says,
"a two-state solution, a single state including
Jews and Palestinians, or a continuation of
Israel's racist and apartheid system in the West Bank
where Arabs and Christians can't use roads
reserved only for Israelis."
For his part, Meridor says Israel wants to return
to direct negotiations with the Palestinians and
indicates that the talks with US special Middle
East envoy George Mitchell, are making progress:
"I do hope that in the coming weeks, negotiations
will skip over these strange proximity talks..
into real talks. We need to talk to each other
and make the tough decisions needed, and if this
is done, we'll see progress this coming year."
"It should not be all or nothing. We all wish for
all, but if we can't get it, we should be very
cautious not to risk everything on that.
"The future of Palestinian refugees is the most
crucial issue for Israel. Any peace agreement
that did not settle the refugee issue, would
mean there is no end to the conflict."
************************************************
TORTURE, DRUGS AND HEROES
While the UK held its own "special" Armed Forces Day,
the UN had two big days - one against torture,
and one against illicit drugs. You might wonder
why the UN would be so foolish as to place both
on the same day, but they're - as Asians know
only too well - very much connected.
The UK tried to conquer even China, through
forcing opium wars on that proud civilization.
On Friday, however, potential Egyptian presidential
candidate Mohamed ElBaradei, led thousands of
Egyptians in an anti-torture protest, uniting
groups representing millions in a common cause.
Many thousands joined ElBaradei, 68, the former
nuclear inspector, as he visited Alexandria to
offer condolences to the family of Khaled
Mohammed Said, an Egyptian whom rights groups
say, was beaten to death by Egyptian police.
The crowds chanted pro-democracy slogans & waved
images of Said. Many from political and online
groups including the Facebook group "ElBaradei
for presidency of 2011", joined the protest.
Some chanted "Down, Down, Hosni Mubarak"
and "Said, you are a martyr".
Said's death is a rallying point for government
opponents, who are now demanding an end to 30
years of emergency law, which they say allows
police to abuse citizens with impunity.
"This gathering of people from all walks of life
and the anger they expressed against practices
of torture, is a message to the regime that
Egyptians are against such inhumane practices,"
ElBaradei tells Reuters.
"Breaking the barrier of fear is an incremental
process that takes time. But with democracy,
we will have no fear."
Thousands of riot police spread across the city
and surrounded the mosque, forming a cordon
around the massed crowd, after ElBaradei was
past them and away from the area.
60 armoured trucks full of riot police were there.
Earlier protests against police brutality have
been forcibly broken up by police & many detained.
Egyptian authorities say Said died because he
choked on drugs and - despite signs of beating -
they say that was not the cause of death.
Numerous witnesses gave Human Rights Watch (HRW)
corroborating descriptions of Said being beaten
to death, & the rights group is calling on Egypt
to prosecute those responsible.
************************************************
RHONDDA RECORDS SHEDS A TEAR
The sad news has reached us of Sheikh Bukhari's death.
He passed away on the day of Israel's strike on
the Peace Flotilla.
You can read about his beautiful life
in the penultimate piece on this page...
(scroll down to the bottom of the page,
and then up one article)
In the last few days of his life, Sheikh Bukhari
was planning a trip to Turkey with Rabbi Menachem
Froman, to meet with Erdogan, the Turkish Prime
Minister, to present a plan for Mid-East peace.
We mourn his passing.
**********************************************
WORLD WAR IS COMING - UNLESS YOU ACT NOW !
Kier Hardie's heart gave way when the first
World War started, and all the horror of
knowing that humans turned away from caring...
destroyed a beautiful fighter for God's love.
The rich may own the media, but they do not
own your heart. Don't be distracted by any
news items now. Just because Obama has sacked
a general, just because six more US/NATO troops
die on any particular day "defending" Afghanistan...
The Israeli Air Force is readying for a war
which will end human life on this planet, and
both Egyptian and Saudi governments are colluding.
Erdogan has closed Turkey's airspace, but others
are RIGHT NOW helping the very Devil to attack
Iran - which has US troops surrounding them.
Following last week’s reports by Al-Quds Al-Arabi
newspaper and UK daily The Times, in which they
said that Saudi Arabia has given the green light
for the IAF to use its airspace in order to
launch an attack against Iran, a semi-official
Iranian news agency reports that Israeli Air
Force helicopters recently landed at a Saudi
airport and unloaded equipment intended for
attacking targets in "a Muslim state".
This follows last weekend's reports of a US fleet
passing through the Suez Canal, triggering fears
that the US and Israel are preparing for an
attack on Iran, with Egypt's cooperation, the
Arabic language newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi says.
The Israeli aircraft reportedly landed at Tabuk
Airport on June 18th & 19th & the Saudi airport
canceled numerous flights to enable the Israeli
aircraft to land, the FARS agency says, in an
unconfirmed report titled "Suspicious military
activity of the Zionist regime in Saudi Arabia."
The agency quotes a Saudi passenger as saying
that the aviation authorities canceled a flight
scheduled to take off from Tabuk Airport, and
did it "without giving any reason".
The UK daily The Times reported some 10 days ago
that Saudi Arabia had agreed to open its air space
to Israeli aircraft as part of the preparations
for a possible attack on Iran. The report claimed
the Saudi air force had begun training to enable
safe passage for the Israeli planes: shortening
the flight time to the Persian Gulf considerably.
Israel did not comment on this report,
but Saudi Arabia firmly denied it.
Arab news sites report that, following the
flotilla affair, Turkish PM Recep Erdogan has
canceled a number of agreements for military
cooperation with Israel, including one enabling
IAF training in Turkish air space. According to
the reports, Israel was planning, under this
agreement, to fly to Georgia and from there
... to continue toward Iran.
Over the weekend, Egyptian sources say that a US
fleet, consisting of 11 frigates and an aircraft
carrier, believed to be the nuclear-powered
aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman, crossed the
Suez Canal from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea.
The report, in Al-Quds, says commercial boat
traffic was suspended for several hours to
enable the fleet to pass. Eyewitnesses are
quoted as saying the fleet also included an
Israeli frigate. The report alleges that
thousands of Egyptian soldiers were deployed
along the Suez Canal to guard the ships' passage
while two Egyptian fighter helicopters circled above.
Al-Quds says that Egyptian opposition lawmakers
are warning the government not to repeat the
mistake of opening the canal for US ships to
attack Iraq. They are also repeatedly warning
the government not to cooperate with the US and
Israel, saying that the Arab and Muslim world
will not take it lying down this time.
For the love of God and your fellow humans,
please, we beg you, demand NOW of your MP,
that he or she act to stop this slaughter.
This is no time to turn away. Please check out
these reports now & at least confirm or refute them.
************************************************
BELGIUM HONOURS LAW AS UK LAWYERS DISGRACE THEIR PROFESSION
The Jerusalem Post reports that an indictment has
been filed in Belgium calling for various Israeli
officials including Defense Minister Ehud Barak,
opposition leader Tzipi Livni, and former prime
minister Ehud Olmert, to be tried for war crimes.
The 70-page indictment is submitted by a group of
14 people, mostly Gazan Palestinians, & relates
to events during Operation Cast Lead in January 2009.
Belgium's Universal Jurisdiction law is the same
as the UK's... but the chance of UK lawyers being
prepared to honour Justice above their careers,
is as likely as UK MPs passing beneficial laws.
The indictment defines several Israeli actions
as war crimes, including an attack on a mosque
in which civilians were killed, as well as the
systematic attacks on farms and water systems.
*************************************************
LEBANON-GAZA PEACE BOATS ARE SAILING
Al Manar reports that Lebanese Transport Minister
Ghazi Aridi confirms that the ministry IS
allowing organizers of a Gaza aid flotilla to
sail from Tripoli to Cyprus before heading to
the Strip, Lebanese newspaper an-Nahar reports.
The vessels will pass through Cyprus so as not to
violate UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
The minister adds that one of the vessels is
undergoing a technical checkup before it sails
from Tripoli and that the Lebanese government
is responsible for the decision.
Diplomatic sources in the UN say that the UNIFIL
headquarters in New York has been warning that
UN naval forces would not allow any violation of
Resolution 1701, & would stop any violation.
Israel is "warning" the UN, that the security
situation in the Middle East may be totally
undermined as a result of the Lebanese flotilla.
In a letter passed on to Ban Ki-moon, Israel's
Ambassador to the UN Gabriela Shalev, said the
"provocative" sail affects security in the entire region.
Two ships are expected to leave from Lebanon to Gaza:
Naji al-Ali – carrying 25 European activists,
including parliament members, and some 50 journalists –
and Maryam – which is said to carry female activists
with chemotherapeutic medication for women and children
and humanitarian aid. It's unclear when they will
be setting sail on their humanitarian mission.
Activists are reported to be on their way to
the country to take part in the latest attempt
to break Israel's sea blockade on the Strip.
The participants, including several nuns, have
yet to arrive in Lebanon from various European
countries, but will be coming "very soon".
*************************************************
PAKISTAN LIFTS ITS HEAD
The Prime Minister of Pakistan says the Iran gas
agreement stands, despite constant US negativity.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi,
says on tv, that Islamabad IS taking the $7.5
billion Iran gas pipeline project forward,
despite any impending US sanctions on Iran.
Qureshi's comments come hours after US "Special
envoy" for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard
Holbrooke, warns Pakistan against the pipeline,
which is to bring huge amounts of much-needed
natural gas to the energy-starved country.
Pakistan & Iran have already formally signed the deal
in Tehran (on June the 13th,) under which,
Iran will supply Pakistan with natural gas
using the pipeline from mid-2014.
"The gas pipeline project with Iran is in
Pakistan's interests," Pakistani's Foreign
Minister tells a news conference in the city
of Multan, in the Punjab.
Qureshi says Pakistan's experts are of the opinion
that sanctions on Iran will not affect the gas
pipeline project, as it is a bilateral agreement
& both countries have already finalized the deal.
He says the gas pipeline deal with Iran, doesn't
break or offend international laws, adding that
Pakistan is focussing on its interests - & will
not violate any international laws.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister adds that visiting
US envoy, Mr Holbrooke, had been silent when
he was asked about the pipeline one day before.
He also says that this is fourth time Iran has
been sanctioned, adding that if sanctions have
been imposed under chapter 7 of the UN, then
they obviously apply to all UN members, and
that, if so, Pakistan will respect them, just
like all other countries.
The pipeline was initially conceived to carry gas
from Iran to Pakistan and then on to India, but
India withdrew from the negotiations last year,
after signing their nuclear deal with the US,
yet says it has "kept open" an option to rejoin
the Iran gas pipeline project at a later stage.
Iran is to export more than 21 million cubic metres
(742 million cubic feet) of natural gas daily
to Pakistan, according to the signed agreement.
The Iranian ambassador in Islamabad, Mash' Allah
Shakeri, says the $multi-billion pipeline has
enhanced Pakistan's strategic importance, in
particular, to that with India.
"In addition to the added economic value of
billions of dollars, the Iran gas pipeline
agreement has boosted the strategic value of
Pakistan in the region. If there is any third
country recipient, they have to recognize that
Pakistan is going to provide peaceful passage,"
Shakeri tells Express TV, in an interview.
*************************************************
NEW LIST FROM ISRAEL ANNOUNCED ON GAZA SEIGE
The Israeli government announces the steps
it is taking to loosen its blockade on Gaza.
Following a security cabinet meeting, Israeli
PM Benjamin Netanyahu's office releases a
statement, listing the changes.
Instead of the current practice of
listing goods that are permitted,
the Israeli government is now to
use a list of banned products,
and is expanding the range of materials
that can now enter the Gaza strip.
The Israeli government is now also allowing in
construction materials for civilian projects
...under international supervision.
Entry of any goods by sea, though, is still prohibited.
Israel now, therefore, faces a shipful of women,
including Muslims and Christian nuns, whom the
Israelis are threatening to stop by "all means",
including sinking the boat, and/or violence.
The Israelis' stated reason, is that the boat
is coming from the Lebanon, so, obviously, must
be a Hezbollah plot. And that's what they surely
said to the Vatican, in Israel's official flurry
of threats & pleas to stop the nuns from sailing.
Even a new war with Lebanon has been mooted,
but the Lebanese government is standing firm.
***********************************************
GERMANY SAYS ISRAEL "MAKING IT HARD" FOR FRIENDS
As the German Development minister is barred from
inspecting his own subsidised project in Gaza, the
ground is moving under German support for Zionism.
Please scroll right down to the Gaza section for more...
Eleven US battleships and an Israeli one
cross the Suez Canal together on Friday,
en route to the Red Sea, al-Quds al-Arabi
newspaper reports. The US Navy vessels
include an aircraft carrier carrying troops,
with armored vehicles, ammunition & troops.
A strike by Israel now is possible, if Fidel
Castro is right when he says that the Saudis
have agreed to allow the Israelis to fly over
Saudi airspace... to attack Iran.
Fidel also claims that the US planted the mine
which blew up that South Korean ship, leaving
North & South Korea at the brink of an abyss.
How many wars does the wealthy elite which pulls
the strings behind the scenes need or want?
The West is sliding towards unthinkable slaughter
in the name of money, as working people, faced
with savage cuts in services to the poor and old,
struggle to adjust to a world where work leaves
them worse off than staying "on the sick".
Nearly 40% of Wales' population is now classed
as "economically inactive", and being driven
towards jobs which don't exist.... by threats.
Welcome to the world my generation helped to
create - by failing to get rid of the parasitic
stinking rich - a world racked with barbarity,
and permanently at risk of more and more war.
************************************************
IRANIAN NATION: SANCTIONS UNFAIR & ILLEGITIMATE
Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC)
responds officially to the recent UN Security
Council sanctions resolution against the nation,
local satellite channel Press TV reports:
""Contrary to all expectations, the resolution
has focused on Iran's nuclear program, without
so much as a word about the Israeli regime's
criminal activities & its attack on the Freedom
Flotilla convoy carrying humanitarian aid to the
Gaza Strip," the SNSC is quoted as saying.
The declaration goes on to say that the UN
resolution ignores 11 proposals put forward
by Iran at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty Review Conference held last month,
which were welcomed by the world's countries.
"The council takes issue against the adoption
of the resolution, particularly since it came
despite constructive cooperation and the release
of a new report by the IAEA confirming the non-
diversion of Iran's nuclear material for the
22nd consecutive time." says the statement.
The SNSC adds that the resolution is grounded
on "baseless accusations" and ignores all the
positive steps taken by Iran, such as the Tehran
declaration, whereby the country agreed to send
1,200 kg of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey
in return for the 20% enriched fuel it requires
to produce medical isotopes at the Tehran
Research Reactor, the report says.
"This clearly shows that Washington's commitment
to Israeli security will never allow the UN
Security Council to fulfill its obligations;-
ie, to secure the safety & rights of different
nations," the statement notes.
The council also points out that all the UN
Security Council interference in Tehran's
nuclear case is illegitimate - as it breaks
article 39 of the UN's own charter, and that
of the charter of the IAEA.
"Iran will respond appropriately to any attempt
to violate the legal and legitimate rights
of the Iranian nation," the statement adds.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva,
criticizes Europe for failing to act quickly
enough to solve the Greek debt crisis.
"If Europe had solved Greece's problem sooner,
it would not have got to Portugal, Spain & Italy,"
he suggests. He also criticizes the US, which, he says,
could have saved the Lehman Brothers bank in 2008.
But the countries Lula really knocks are those
which don't respect the resolutions passed at
G-20 meetings, especially those who broke the
pledge to give enough financial resources to
the IMF to stop developing countries losing
billions, because of the West's malpractice
and the subsequent world economic nightmare.
***********************************************
MARY IS ON OUR SIDE, SAY LEBANESE WOMEN.
Women activists about to sail to Gaza, all gather
near a statue of the Virgin Mary in south Lebanon
to pray for her blessing on their Gaza aid flotilla,
which they have christened "Mariam" in her honour.
"Mariam has begun to achieve its goals and aims,
as Israeli officials expressed fear and sent out
warnings and threats before deciding to ease the
blockade on Gaza," says spokesperson Rima Farah.
"Our only weapons are faith in the Virgin Mary & in humanity."
Tens of Christian & Muslim women gathered in prayer
in the cave, near Our Lady of Mantara in Maghdushe,
where Mary is said to have waited for Jesus
while he was preaching nearby, 2,000 years ago.
Along with European activists and journalists,
they are sailing for Gaza with an aid ship
loaded with medical supplies in just one of
the latest international efforts to stop
Israel's illegal, collective punishment.
Iran, Turkey, the UK, independent journalists,
many other countries - and even German Jews -
are now sending waves of ships to help Gaza.
But Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak reserves
his most stern warning for the Mariam fleet women.
Yesterday, he warns Lebanon that the whole country
will be held by Israel as "responsible", if any
"violent & dangerous confrontation" occurs with
the courageous women of the Mariam fleet.
Mariam organiser, Samar al-Hajj, thanks Israel
"for its threats, which only strengthen the
women's willpower to make the trip."
"The ship is now ready," she tells AFP.
"We are not afraid."
*************************************************
"MONEY" UNDERNEATH DEMOCRAT & REPUBLICAN WARS
Ethan McCord, one of the soldiers seen in the
now-famous Wikileaks video in which two US
Apache helicopters fire upon civilians in Iraq,
insists in an interview with World Socialist
Website, that he witnessed the indiscriminate
slaughter of civilians in Iraq after IED attacks,
on "innumerable" occasions.
He now openly opposes the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan,
and wrote a letter of apology for his part in
the deaths of the children to their mother, who
has accepted his apology. The mother's husband
was killed in the attack and found with his body
shielding the corpse of one of his children.
"We had a pretty gung-ho commander, who decided
that because we were getting hit by IEDs a lot,
there would be a new battalion SOP [standard
operating procedure]. He goes, "If someone in
your line gets hit with an IED, 360 rotational
fire. You kill every motherf*cker on the street."
Myself and Josh and a lot of other soldiers
were just sitting there looking at each other
like, "Are you kidding me? You want us to kill
women and children on the street?" And you
couldn't just disobey orders to shoot, because
they could just make your life hell in Iraq.
So like with myself, I would shoot up into the
roof of a building instead of down on the ground
toward civilians. But I've seen it many times,
where people are just walking down the street
and an IED goes off and the troops open fire
and kill them."
The deliberate killing of civilians is a war crime
(Nanking 1937, Hankow 1938, German Invasion of
Poland 1939.) McCord is one of a growing number
of soldiers and support groups who now renounce
and regret their actions in Iraq. He says:
"I was the gung-ho soldier. I thought I was going
over there to do the greater good. I thought my
job over there was to protect the Iraqi people
and that this was a job with honor and courage and duty.
I was hit by an IED within two weeks of my being
in Iraq. And I didn't understand why people were
throwing rocks at us, why I was being shot at
and why we're being blown up, when I have it in
my head that I was here to help these people."
McCord says the scenes captured in the Wikileaks
video are "an every-day occurrence in Iraq."
McCord says that when he found the two children
wounded in the van, another soldier began to
vomit and ran off. Then he recounts:
"That's when I saw the boy move with what
appeared to be a labored breath. So I started
screaming, "The boy's alive." I grabbed him and
cradled him in my arms and kept telling him,
"Don't die, don't die." He opened his eyes,
looked up at me. I told him, "It's OK, I have
you." His eyes rolled back into his head, and
I kept telling him, "It's OK, I've got you."
I ran up to the Bradley and placed him inside.
My platoon leader was standing there at the
time, and he yelled at me for doing what I did.
He told me to "stop worrying about these
motherfucking kids and start worrying about
pulling security." So after that I went up
and pulled security on a rooftop.
McCord says about his mental state afterwards:
"I went to see a staff sergeant who was in my
chain of command and told him I needed to see
mental health about what was going on in my
head. He told me to "quit being a pussy" and
to "suck it up and be a soldier." He told me
that if I wanted to go to mental health, there
would be repercussions, one of them being labeled
a "malingerer," which is actually a crime in the US Army."
McCord says the greater story is being overlooked,
and that rather than blame individual soldiers,
the Army itself should be examined, and its
system of training soldiers.
"Instead of people being upset at a few soldiers
in a video who were doing what they were trained
to do, I think people need to be more upset at
the system that trained these soldiers. They are
doing exactly what the Army wants them to do."
McCord says he blames "money":
"I am not part of any party. Was I hopeful? Yes.
Was I surprised that we are still there? No.
I'm not surprised at all. There's something else
lying underneath there. It's not Republican or
Democrat; it's money. There's something else
lying underneath it where Republicans & Democrats
together, want to keep us in Iraq & Afghanistan."
And the ongoing effects of war?
McCord says it's different for the rich:
"I still live with this every day. When I close
my eyes I see what happened that day and many
other days like a slide show in my head. The
smells come back to me. The cries of the children
come back to me. The people driving this big war
machine, they don't have to deal with this. They
live in their $36 million mansions & sleep well at night."
***********************************************
ICELAND BEATS UK WITH THE LAW
Wikileaks, which first broke the Apache video
story, now faces daily attacks for being so open,
& for their brave attempts to protect "whistleblowers"
from malicious libel cases - usually brought in
by UK courts, where the law is skewed to protect
wealthy litigants and effectively gags the truth.
So Iceland - always a friend & joy to the UK -
(especially after the cod wars & the debt crunch)
has now passed a series of laws designed to set up
Iceland as a new centre for News organisations to
register... and where they will be protected from
the malicious litigants so well helped by the UK.
************************************************
UN TO VOTE TO HELP STOP WEST's ISLAMOPHOBIA
Muslim states realise that "islamophobia" is
sweeping the West and its media and are now
demanding that the UN must act to help stop it.
Delegates from Islamic countries at the UN's
Human Rights Council say that the treatment
of Muslims in Western countries is clearly
racist - and must be challenged and fought.
Pakistan, speaking for the 57-nations of the
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC),
says the council's special investigator into
religious freedom, should work to combat such
racism, by working closely with newspapers &
other media outlets, "especially in Western societies."
On behalf of the OIC, Pakistan has tabled a
resolution at the council instructing its
special investigator on religious freedom
"to work closely with mass media organizations
to ensure that they create & promote an atmosphere
of respect & tolerance for religious & cultural diversity."
The resolution also instructs the investigator to
make recommendations to the Human Rights Council
on how this can be best achieved, in practice.
************************************************
US MAKES ICC GLASS HALF FULL - OF US POISON
The US under Obama has started to work with
the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
This has provoked criticism from the US right, as
they don't wish to legitimise a court which could
eventually tie US hands & prevent it launching
wars of aggression for gain or influence.
The critics point to this week's ICC meeting
as a case in point, since Obama's policy of
"engagement", has failed to prevent the ICC
from including the crime of “aggression,” as
part of its remit - a move opposed by the US.
At the 111-nation ICC’s first review conference
in Kampala, delegates did vote to include the
crime of aggression as within its authority to prosecute.
But US State Department officials say the US, by
engaging, while still not a signatory to the ICC,
has managed to put off any prosecution of the new
international crime - until at least 2017.
State Department legal adviser Harold Koh also
says that, by engaging, the US has changed the
“aggression” statute’s wording, so that all US
forces will still be completely safe from justice.
“No US national can be prosecuted for ‘aggression’
while the US is not a signatory” to the ICC, he says.
HAMAS HONOURS MUSLIM PROMISES MADE TO IRAQI SHOE THROWER
Hamas is offering money plus a Palestinian wife
to Muntazar al-Zaidi, the brave Iraqi journalist
who publicly threw his shoes at ex-US President Bush.
Hamas’s offer is made after they hear that Arabs
and Muslims have not fulfilled the promises made
to help him financially, after his release.
Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh says his
government is prepared to cover all the expenses
of a wedding, and will even help him find a bride
from the many beautiful women of the Gaza Strip.
“We're prepared to receive him here in the Gaza Strip
and to cover all the expenses of his wedding,”
Haniyeh tells the Elaph Web site. “We are even
prepared to find him a bride here. He is most
welcome in the Gaza Strip.”
The UK's Observer ran an article recently, in
which it was revealed that all those promises
of cars, gold-saddled horses, money, camels
and brides were never kept. Muntazar Zaidi
is quoted in the article as saying that his
only regret, after those 9 months in prison,
is that he is still a relatively poor man.
“I blame the media because they said I would
become rich for doing what I did, that I'd
become a multimillionaire,” Zaidi says.
“All the promises about gifts I heard when
I was in prison were just empty. The only gift
I’ve got since my release, is from Canadian TV,
who made me their man of the year and gave me
... a pair of golden shoes.”
Yet another US soldier dies of "non-combat" injuries
on Tuesday, among unconfirmed reports of
numerous attacks across Iraq by fighters.
The US army refuses to comment on whether
their news ban on "incidents" still applies.
************************************************
RED CROSS FINALLY ADMITS GAZA SIEGE "ILLEGAL"
The ICRC on Monday states that the Gaza siege is
"collective punishment" and therefore illegal
under International law. They say it MUST end.
***********************************************
THE WEST's LOVE OF WOMEN
I grew up in Newport, South Wales, and chatted
to a lovely teenage girl on the bus into town,
who killed herself - jumping from Newport bridge.
I could hardly believe it when I heard, and
wondered what hidden pain had caused such a
pretty cheerful person to take her own life.
What made it upsetting and wrong to me,
was that she represented - to me, a
young lad - the life-giving beauty of
the world I was then just exploring.
A few days ago, a young lady of 19 years,
Elizabeth Lynch-Gonzalez, jumped from the
Tappan Zee Bridge early in the morning.
Her mother says her daughter was upset that
her assignment to Fort Bliss (sic) in Texas
had been moved up to that day, without warning.
The mother says her daughter, a 2009 High School
graduate, was "greatly upset" when she found out.
The mother's comments came moments before police
confirmed to her that a body found in the Hudson River
a few miles south of the bridge, was her daughter.
The body was washed ashore in Dobbs Ferry just
after midday, 10 hours after the young woman
jumped from the middle of the Tappan Zee Bridge.
A construction worker on the bridge saw her jump.
State police called out marine units, fire
department boats and divers from both sides
of the Hudson River, to search for her, but
their frantic mission became a body recovery.
"This is a tragedy," says Jim Van Develde,
communications director for Lakeland Central
School District. "People here are reacting
with a great deal of sadness."
The young woman is the second military member
this year, to jump from the bridge. In March,
the body of Wolf Aristilde, 22, of Spring Valley
was found on the banks of the Hudson near Yonkers
after he'd hurled himself from the same bridge on
January the 3rd of this year.
Aristide was an Army reservist with the 325
Military Intelligence Battalion in the Bronx,
& was told he was to be deployed to Iraq this month.
*************************************************
UK's SLIMY ROLE REVEALED
When Tony Blair was appointed as a Peace Envoy
to the Middle East, people were amazed. Until
they found out that Blair was fronting corporate
interests in a huge gas field off the Gaza coast.
Now the picture becomes much clearer and much
more dangerous, as Israel is caught seeking to -
with UK "help" - steal the Lebanon's gas as well!
According to a report published in Lebanese daily
As-Safir, the newly discovered Leviathan gas
site extends into Lebanese territorial waters.
Hilmi Moussa, As-Safir's Israel affairs analyst,
relying on Israeli reports, says "the region
where the find was made lies mostly off the
Lebanese shores and in international waters
between the sea border of Palestine and the
sea border of Cyprus."
"However, Israel has received a guarantee from
Britain, which has no rights in Palestine, to
search for oil in the area near Lebanese shores.
The map of deposits, as published in Israeli
economic papers, shows the scope of the
deviation into Lebanon's international rights."
Moussa, whose report appears on the front page
of the newspaper under the headline: "Israel
preparing to steal gas fields in Lebanon's
waters", says, "If these preparations and
studies are true – the region will quickly turn
into a new conflict between Israel and Lebanon,
which will defend its rights in the water.
"This means that international interest in the
region, and its economic aspects, will increase,
not only due to the scope of the amount of gas,
but also due to its proximity to European shores."
The analyst adds, "the drill sites, 'Rut',
'Tamar', 'Leviathan' and 'Alon' are included
in areas that penetrate sites off Lebanese
shores or in areas that are situated very far
away from the shores of the occupied territories.
"The data shows that the companies Nobel Energy
and Delek received privileges from Israel to
drill at the sites Alon A. and Alon B. which
extend to the shores of Cyprus, and that Nobel
Energy is not hiding the fact that the research
it's basing its assessments on, covers an area
by the name of Block 12 in Cyprus' waters."
*************************************************
ISRAEL FLOUNDERS IN A SEA OF HATRED
Israel's reliance on the US and an interminable
"Peace process", is falling apart, as the entire
world continues to react to the Gaza flotilla massacre.
Turkey says it will mend relations ONLY if the
Israelis allow a fair International Enquiry,
but Israel and the US are determined to create
an Israeli-controlled "whitewash" one.
So Turkey will continue to distance itself from
an Israel determined to cause maximum damage to
its Arab and Muslim neighbours, and has already
closed a "listening station" spying on Iran.
You can hear the scurry of rats in a panic, as
the Kadima party launches yet another motion of
"no confidence", and Israel, "provoked" by the
Turkish position, is shouting more threats.
The reports suggesting that Turkish PM Erdogan
is to travel to Gaza aboard a Turkish navy
vessel in a new attempt by flotilla boats
to break the blockade, is sending the Israeli
High Command into hysterics.
One Israeli occupation commander says now:
"If he comes here with Turkish warships there can
be no doubt that it will amount to a declaration
of war," Major-General Uzi Dayan tells Army Radio.
"We need to draw a clear line and say that
whoever crosses it will not be boarded but sunk."
************************************************
STILL LYING ABOUT IRAQ
A bomb blasts a US patrol in Kirkuk, and others
elewhere in an Iraq where there are still many
daily attacks on US invasion troops.... but still,
there are no casualties reported. A US soldier
IS admitted killed - but only in yet another
"vehicular turnover", this time near Kuwait,
the US says, and keeps a straight face.
*************************************************
UK SEA CAPTAIN SAYS ISRAEL DISRESPECTED WOMEN
The UK captain of one of the flotilla boats
says Israeli commandos roughed up women passengers
and humiliated many others: "It was traumatic;
we were obviously expecting some hassle from
the Israelis -- but nothing like they dished out,"
55-year-old Cyprus-based British skipper, Denis
Healey, tells the Cyprus Mail.
"We were travelling at around 18 knots, so we
managed to hold them off for about 20 minutes;
then they sent one of their bigger steel vessels
so I thought they were going to ram us or shoot
us with the gun on the front," Healey says.
"I had to slow down because I was fearful of
being rammed, then the commandos boarded -
there were no shots fired -- but they used
a taser on one female Australian journalist
then they shot a paintball in the face of a
Belgian woman, which made her nose bleed.
They were very rough with the female passengers.
"The commandos had stun guns, tasers, paint balls,
machine guns and they even brought a dog on board
- poor thing. The passengers on the lower decks
were trying to conduct a non-aggressive defense
of the boat by linking arms, but the soldiers
just pushed them down and even walked over them."
Healey was ordered to sail to the port of Ashdod
under military escort, before being pulled off
the ship, paraded before local tv cameras and
taken to a makeshift detention centre.
"They lined up their police and marines on the
quayside to make a spectacle of us: they had
people with cameras. We were then taken into
detention. They denied us access to telephones,
& they wouldn't let the UK consulate in to see me.
They told me nothing - their policy is to say
nothing - and when they do, its lies."
Captain Healey, from Portsmouth, has captained
boats before, on aid journeys to Gaza, including
one two years ago in which his boat was rammed
by an Israeli gunboat. "I would do it again,"
he says in the interview: "Yes, I think I would - yes."
************************************************
OBAMA THREATENED LEBANON OVER IRAN SANCTIONS VOTE
In a pathetic and continuing bid to make Iran
(and therefore not Israel) to blame for the
explosive Middle East, Obama blackmailed
every country to vote the US/Israeli way,
even leaning on brave little Lebanon.
Lebanon's leader told him that voting for
sanctions against Iran could lead to him
being replaced. "Doesn't matter", said Obama.
************************************************
"LET WORLD IN TO JUDGE" SAY ISRAELI OFFICERS.
Our media is full of doctored audio & video tapes
"proving" that the aid flotilla shouted anti- semitic
slogans and insults at the Israeli commandos.
Yet Israel is point blank refusing an open enquiry.
Now, a group of top Israel Navy reserve officers
is publicly calling on Israel to allow an external
probe into its deadly raid on the Gaza-bound
humanitarian aid flotilla last week.
In a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi
Ashkenazi, the Navy officers denounce the raid
as having "ended in tragedy both at the military
and diplomatic levels."
"We disagree with the widespread claims that this
was the result of an intelligence rift," say the
officers. "In addition, we do not accept claims
that this was a 'public relations failure', and
we think that the plan was doomed to failure
from the beginning."
"First and foremost, we protest the fact that
responsibility for the tragic results was
immediately thrust onto the organizers of the
flotilla. This demonstrates contempt for the
responsibility that belongs principally to the
hierarchy of commanders & those who approved the mission."
*************************************************
WORLD PROTESTS AIMED AT ISRAEL
Jews and Muslims march together all over the world
in the UK, France, Australia, New Zealand, and
so on, in an unprecedented show of unity against
the illegal activities of Israel's current hard-line rulers.
Swedish dockworkers launch a weeklong blockade
of Israeli ships and goods to protest against
the attack on the Gaza-destined aid flotilla.
Swedish Port Workers Union spokesperson Peter
Annerback says workers are refusing to handle
Israeli goods and ships during the June 15-24
blockade. The union has some 1,500 members
and sponsored "Ship to Gaza", which took part
in the flotilla. The reason for the blockade?
"The unprecedented criminal attack on the
peaceful ship convoy."
***********************************************
PUT THEM IN COURT !!!
Qatar is solidly behind fellow Arab states that
take Israel to the International Court of Justice
and says it will meet ALL expenses incurred in
their legal proceedings.
Qatar is also funding a worldwide media campaign
to expose Israel, its blockade of the Gaza Strip
& the aggression it has been perpetrating there.
Secretary-General of the Arab League, Amr Moussa,
says Qatar’s PM & Foreign Minister, H E Sheikh
Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani, has assured
the League of the country’s moral and financial
support on the above issues.
It was at Qatar’s request that foreign ministers
of Arab League member countries met in Cairo on
Wednesday and Thursday to discuss the Israeli
raid and its Gaza blockade.
“We heartily appreciate Qatar’s commitment to
meeting the expenses of taking Israel to court
for the crime (the flotilla attack) and launching
a global media campaign to expose the Israeli
blockade of & aggression in, Gaza,” says Moussa.
Qatar is known for its heroic & humanitarian role
in supporting the cause of the people of Gaza,
the Arab League Secretary-General says.
The foreign ministers of Arab countries decided
in the Cairo meeting to break the Israeli siege.
The Rachel Corrie international aid ship is
intercepted early Saturday by the Israeli navy.
Greta Berlin, a spokesperson says the takeover is
"another outrage to add to the nine murdered"
and says Israeli claims that the troops were
invited aboard, are not true.
Ms Berlin, speaking from the group's Cyprus
office, says they will send more ships, and
that four captains have already volunteered
for the next, international mission.
The UK's Foreign Secretary William Hague says
he is glad the interception was peaceful,
and repeats his call for a full, credible,
impartial & independent investigation into
the loss of life.
"We continue to stress to the Israeli government
the importance of an investigation that ensures
accountability and commands the confidence of
the international community, and includes
international participation."
Onboard the ship were a group of Irish and
Malaysian peace activists, including Nobel
Peace laureate Mairead Corrigan-Maguire.
It was loaded with construction materials,
paper and other supplies.
Israel would not allow any ship to reach Gaza,
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said
the thursday before, at a cabinet meeting to
discuss how to "deal with" the aid ship.
*************************************************
GAZA SIEGE WILL BE BROKEN
As the US and Israel try to hide, tens of
thousands march in Istanbul, shouting:
"Israel is the Angel of Death", and UN General
Secretary Ban Ki-moon calls on Israel to lift
its blockade of the Gaza Strip "immediately".
Ban says the problem behind the tragedy is the
"counter-productive, unsustainable and wrong"
Israeli siege of Gaza.
Ban says the Israeli authorities must now provide
a "full & detailed account" of the commando raid.
Ban adds that he is looking at "various options"
to conduct the "prompt, credible, impartial and
transparent" investigation of the incident,
which the UN Security Council has called for.
He also notes that the Geneva-based UN Human
Rights Council has already set up an
"independent international investigation" into the raid.
"Everything must be done to prevent another
incident of this kind," Ban says. "All
concerned should act with a sense of care
& responsibility, in accordance with international law."
********* ********* *********
President Obama now says the Gaza siege is
"unsustainable". Israel is colliding now,
with the entire world.
********* ********* *********
"Breaking the Israeli siege imposed on the Gaza Strip
immediately and by all means."
This decision is at the top of a "package of
measures" announced by Amr Moussa, Secretary
General of the Arab league, at the closure of
an emergency meeting of Arab Foreign Ministers.
Their meeting is held at dawn, three days
after the Israeli massacre of the "Freedom Flotilla".
"The Council adopted a package of measures and decisions,
on top of which is challenging and breaking the Israeli siege
imposed on the Gaza Strip immediately and by all means,"
Moussa tells a news conference.
Moussa says Arab Foreign Ministers have also
agreed to take the issue "in full coordination
with Turkey" to the UN Security Council,
"in order to obtain a binding decision that will
commit Israel to end its illegal siege of Gaza immediately."
*************************************************
MANY MORE SHIPS ARE ON THEIR WAY, NOW !!!
The European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza
announces that they've received funding for
three more ships to be part of a new Gaza-
bound flotilla called "Freedom 2".
Dr. Arafat Madi, head of the group, based in Brussels,
says they're planning a new Gaza flotilla, with
many more ships and pro-Palestinian activists
than the first one.
"Following the massacre by the Israeli army
in international waters, the world's calls
for another flotilla are even more pressing."
The new flotilla is expected to sail in weeks,
and the head of the group doesn't discount
the possibility of Turkey's semi-official
participation in funding or organizing.
************************************************
GETTING A TASTE
Three Gazans are shot dead by Israeli troops
as residents of the illegal Yitzhar settlement
set fire to more than 100 dunums of Palestinian
land near Urif village, southwest of Nablus on
Wednesday afternoon, Palestinian officials say.
Local official in charge of the settlements file
in the northern West Bank, Ghasan Daghlas, says
the fire is lit in the Jabal Marwes area, the
hill separating the villages of URif and Asira
Al-Qaliya, into which Yitzhar's "municipal area" extends.
"The settlers set fire to the area, and it spread
across a large swathe of agricultural land."
When Palestinians see the fire, dozens rush to
put it out, Daghlas states, but says hundreds of
almond and olive trees are now destroyed.
"Clashes broke out between the Palestinians and
the settlers who had lit the fire," Daghas says,
& Israeli forces used tear gas to end the fight.
The fields, village official Fawzi Shaehada says,
belong to Mohammad Salamh A’mer As-Aafadi from Urif.
An Israeli military official says a fight broke
out in a "disputed area" & "mutual rock throwing"
took place. She notes that Israeli border police
dispersed the fight & that there were "no arrests".
*************************************************
AND GET REAL IN RESPONSE
In the 1950s, Israel offered to arm South Africa
with nuclear weapons. One racist apartheid state
offering to help another. The world forced its
governments to shun South Africa's racist clique,
bringing a new era of hope to Africa's millions.
Yet the sole remaing apartheid state on earth, is
not even being subjected to a hint of the same !
Many fine words from our politicians after Israel
is obviously seen committing murder, yet these
same governments appear reluctant to fit actions
to suit their words. Only Nicaragua has cut ties
with Israel over this, joining Qatar, Venezuela,
Bolivia & Mauritania in cold-shouldering Israel.
Cynthia McKinney goes further....
"Earlier this month, Israel was granted admission
to the Organization of Economic and Community
Development (OECD), a direct affront to ongoing
Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) efforts
across the world. Once again, Israel has thumbed
its nose at the global community - with bloody
results - because it can.
I am proud to serve on the Bertrand Russell
Tribunal on Palestine. Its next sitting will
be in London, where we will examine corporate
complicity in Israel's crimes against Palestine.
The Tribunal will sit from November 5th - 7th.
Please put this on your calendar. We all must do
what we can, where we are, to end wars against
the people at home & wars against human rights abroad.
Finally, a friend just sent a message to me
saying that the Israelis had lost their minds.
Sadly, based on the past, the Israelis could
very well conclude that they can do anything -
imprison me for trying to take love to the
children of Gaza and kill humanitarian activists
trying to do the same - because they know, in
the end, they'll get away with it. Instead, I
would suggest that we are the ones who have lost
our minds, our souls, our spirits, and our human
dignity if we allow the Israelis to get away
with murder - again - and we do nothing.
I am calling on the people of the United States
to change course now."
US BLOCKS SECURITY COUNCIL CRITICISM OF ISRAELI RAID
Israel faced heavy criticism in the emergency
session of the UN Security Council last Monday,
but attempts to issue a formal statement
condemning Israel died, as the US rejected
even naming Israel, & is still refusing the
strong condemnation sought by most states.
Turkey proposed a statement condemning Israel
for violating international law, calling for
a UN investigation and the prosecution of those
responsible for the raid. It also called for
an end to the inhumane Gaza blockade by Israel.
But the US administration refused to endorse any
statement that singled out Israel, and proposed
instead, a broad condemnation of violence which
included the aid ship killings by Israeli troops.
While condemnation of Israel in the Security
Council is quite frequent, the criticism at
this emergency session was notable for both its
passion and for the massive army of countries
who are now demanding an investigation into the
decision to fire on humanitarians on a mission.
But the US is still blocking a real investigation,
saying that the Israelis are perfectly capable of
conducting any "impartial" investigation the UN
security council has demanded. What a joke!
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu of Turkey calls
the Israeli attack "tantamount to banditry and piracy;
it is murder conducted by a state."
Is it normal for murderers to investigate their crime?
*************************************************
NATO MEMBER TURKEY: "WE'LL PROVIDE NAVAL ESCORTS"
Turkey's Navy is to protect future aid ships.
The attacked ship was Turkish in origin and at
least two of the killed were Turkish citizens.
Turkey says future aid ships will be dispatched
with a military escort to stop Israeli attacks.
Prime Minister Erdogan calls the Israeli blockade
of Gaza “inhumane” & says, “Israel cannot ensure
its security by drawing the hatred of the entire world.”
*************************************************
ARAB LEAGUE TO CALL ON EGYPT TO STOP SIEGE
The Arab League holds an emergency meeting
and several diplomats suggest that Egypt
will not be able to resist solidarity calls.
Well.. is the siege ending? Egypt? Are you there?
***********************************************
SHOCK AS PEACE HEROES DIE
The UN Security Council may be hijacked by the US,
but Ban Ki Moon & all honourable UN officials
responsible for the region, express condemnation
for the mass killings and the illegal action.
The French Foreign Minister joins many around the
world in condemning Israel's military attack on
the international aid flotilla to Gaza, saying
he (& the whole ministry) is shocked at the news.
Austria and others, including Belgium, Bulgaria,
Denmark, Egypt, France, Greece, Ireland, Jordan,
Spain, S Africa, Sweden, many others, have all
either recalled their ambassadors, or called the
Israeli ambassador - to express their criticism
of murder on the high seas... but not US-UK.
Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner says in a
statement he is shocked & can't understand
Israel's attack, as the flotilla's initiative
was so obviously being watched by the world.
"Nothing can justify the use of such violence,
and we condemn it," Kouchner says.
"Light must shine on the circumstances of this
tragedy & we hope that a thorough investigation
is implemented without delay," the minister adds.
The minister says this new act proves that
the current situation in Gaza is not stable
and calls for an "urgent" policy response
to address the rising stress in the region.
Israeli tv reports: "Israeli forces attack
an international flotilla carrying aid to Gaza,
killing up to 16 and wounding over 30 others."
The UK Guardian, supposedly guarding the truth,
says ten die, and that Israel has provoked
the "fury" of "Muslims and Arabs". (sic).
The UK's BBC'S HEADLINE is:
"Deaths as Israel storms aid ship.
More than 10 people die when Israeli commandos
storm a convoy of ships carrying aid to Gaza."
Sounds almost romantic, doesn't it !
We are being invited to world war.
Muslims against Israel, and those Christians
who believe that "Armageddon" is to be welcomed.
But Armageddon is a SPIRITUAL battle,
and we shall see if the death wish of
millions can be outweighed by the
spirit of Love... and soon !!!
Whose side are YOU on? My country/race/religion,
right or wrong...? Or Justice and Love?
Israeli officials are praising the attack
and shrugging off the large civilian toll.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists
that the massacre constitutes “self defense”
and Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon
accuses the aid workers of secretly being
terrorists in league with al-Qaeda...!
The killings have sparked massive rallies across
the Middle East, demanding justice, as Israeli
police, out in force, are arresting anyone in the
country who tries to protest against the attack.
*************************************************
KILLING FOR PROFIT...
UN CALLS ON US TO STOP CIA MURDERS
Targeted killings, including those using drones,
are in violation of international law, according
to a report issued Wednesday by a UN expert.
The report by special rapporteur Philip Alston
is given to the UN Human Rights Council.
It says "this strongly asserted but ill-defined
license to kill without accountability is not
an entitlement which the US or other States can
have, without doing grave damage to the rules
designed to protect the right to life and
prevent extrajudicial killings."
The US and Israel - outlaws.
*************************************************
WHISTLING IN THE MORASS
US Commander in Iraq General Ray Odierno, presents
US President Barack Obama with a positive report
on Iraqi security, as another US soldier dies
from injuries sustained in a "non-combat" incident,
three US vehicles are completely destroyed by IEDs
(with "no injuries" to the US troops inside!),
and Iranian troops invade Kurdish-controlled Iraq.
NPT CONFERENCE "SNATCHES VICTORY FROM THE JAWS OF DEFEAT"
Weary diplomats reached unexpected consensus
on a final document signaling success for the
month-long NPT conference held every five years.
Out of 189 nations claiming membership, only 172
attended, but they spoke, in the end, for all 189.
India, Israel and Pakistan are the only three
UN members not signatories to the accord.
The conference was held while the UN Security
Council veto-wielding permanent five members
- all states with nuclear weapons - debated
how to punish Iran for a research program which
the nuclear-armed Western powers allege is really
aimed at developing nuclear weapons.
Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and
a Nuclear free Middle East, were, instead,
the major concerns of the NPT conference.
Early in the week the chance of success seemed
so poor, that UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon
exhorted all the nations there, to look beyond
their own interests to achieve the world's needs.
"There is too much at stake for the conference
to end in failure, as it did last time," Ban
said on Monday, urging delegations to embrace
pragmatism and abandon rhetoric.
"We have a choice: to leave a legacy of fear and inaction
... or to act with vision, courage and leadership."
The NPT conference chair, Philippine Ambassador
Libran Cabactulan, said at the closing session
on Friday night that the final declaration was
"carefully balanced" to reflect demands by all
parties and that its adoption would allow:
"all the seeds of hope planted throughout
the conference to bear fruit."
It was adopted by consensus and includes now
what many thought would be impossible, a call
for a conference on a Middle East nuclear weapons free zone.
Diplomats & leaders are issuing formal statements
welcoming the accord, as some voice reservations.
But non-governmental organizations attending the
conference are quite ecstatic about the success:
"The Review Conference snatched victory from the
jaws of defeat. It has produced a real success,"
says Anne Penketh, program director of the
British American Security Information Council (BASIC).
"In particular, the decision to convene a
conference in two years' time to move towards
a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons
and other weapons of mass destruction
is a major achievement, after 15 years of inaction.
It is a creative way of bringing Israel and Iran
to the same table to address pressing security concerns."
Jonathan Granoff, president of the Global
Security Institute & official conference
observer, says "The success was in no small
measure to the astute diplomatic maneuvering
of the president (Cabactulan), who expressed
a balanced approach & deserves an Academy Award.
Success here is more important than winning the World Cup."
Ban Ki Moon's spokesperson says the secretary-
general welcomes the successful outcome - an
action plan to advance nuclear disarmament,
non-proliferation and the peaceful uses of
nuclear energy over the next five years.
A strong spirit of compromise and cooperation
has delivered a significant agreement, he says.
On Saturday, the Israeli government balked at
being named and says it will not participate.
Israel is still trying to pretend that it
might not have any nuclear weapons!
Ellen Tauscher, US undersecretary of state for
disarmament, says Washington has "long-supported
such a zone." Yet the US tried to make any Mid
East Nuclear Conference wait for successful peace
talks between "Israel and its neighbours". Such
an obvious stone-walling tactic, it deserved to fail.
Yet the US is gracious and diplomatic in its way:
"We will work with the countries in the region to
create conditions for a successful conference,"
she says. "We note, however, that our ability to
do so has been seriously jeopardized because the
final document singles out Israel in the Middle
East section, a fact that the US deeply regrets."
Ambassador Abdul Minty, South Africa's special
representative on disarmament,says the prospects
for consensus were bleak, and that many states
voiced opposition to elements in the declaration.
"I think the last five or six days have often
been on a knife-edge," he says, admitting talks
continued outside the formal sessions until
"we found wording that eventually satisfied
a few of the competing countries."
Ambassador Maged Abdelaziz of Egypt, for the Non-
Aligned Movement (NAM), pressed for the Middle
East conference. The NAM also seeks Israel's
accession to the treaty "and the placement of
all its nuclear facilities" under the IAEA.
Diplomats say NAM put pressure on Iran to sign,
to achieve a success for the Middle East Event,
even though the document calls for stricter
Iranian adherence to IAEA guidelines, which
Tehran is accused of being lax in following.
*************************************************
THAT FLOTILLA ...
Hamas leader Mishal, said before the attack,
that even if the Israelis - by acting like
pirates - were to stop the aid, the world
would see Israel for what it is, and Hamas
and the Gazan civilian population "will have won".
************************************************
IRAN AND PAKISTAN DEFY US WITH GAS PIELINE
Iran & Pakistan officially sign an agreement to
increase Iranian gas exports to ease Pakistan's
energy problems, as the Pakistani PM calls for
Pakistan to throw off US threats and build its
own civilian nuclear programme - just like Iran !
Hezbollah marks the 10th anniversary of
Resistance and Liberation Day, at which
Hezbollah Sec. General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah
delivers a speech on recent developments.
The Hezbollah chief says that Hezbollah will
attack Israel-bound ships if they try to impose
a sea blockade again on Lebanon:
"When the world witnesses how these ships are
destroyed in Palestine's regional waters, nobody
will dare arrive at our coast," his eminence
informs thousands of supporters.
He reminds them of how some in Lebanon and the
Arab world ridiculed Hezbollah when its leaders
spoke about another victory to come over Israel
in driving Israeli troops out of South Lebanon.
“When Sayyed Moussawi said in 1991, that Israel
was failing and that it would move out of Lebanon
humiliated, some mocked him. But the year 2000
arrived and the resounding victory happened, and
now I ask all the Lebanese and the entire world:
Who would have thought that Israel would withdraw
from Lebanon humiliated? What was mocked by many,
has happened for real - and all of you saw it.”
Sayyed Nasrallah says some Arabs colluded against
Lebanon before the 2000 pullout. “May 26th is
another day with a different shape to the region.
The Zionists realize this & Arab leaders do too.
Israel has revealed that some Arab official sides
contacted their Israeli counterparts to urge the
Zionist entity not to withdraw. This isn't odd,
because we know that in 2006, some Arab states
contacted Israel & urged them not to stop the war
so that Hezbollah & Lebanon wouldn't come out victorious.”
The Secretary General says that now, Israel’s
home front - safe before - is no longer safe.
“This era has ended. Today the Israelis, through
their civil maneuvres, are trying to reassure
their home front; trying to convince their people
that they are strong and ready for any new war.
Others say: Let’s see what maneuvres will achieve
when rockets shower all of occupied Palestine.”
“Israel used to wage wars knowing that its home
front was safe. This ended after the 2006 war.
We have our home front and they have theirs.
They bomb us, we bomb them. They kill us, we
kill them. This is their strategic weakness
today,” his eminence states.
As to the future, Sayyed Nasrallah quotes Hillary
Clinton’s speech at the AIPAC conference:
"Clinton said: In the face of these unforgiving
dynamics of demography, ideology, & technology,
it becomes impossible to entrust our hopes for
Israel's future in today's status quo. These
challenges cannot be ignored or wished away.
Only by choosing a new path can Israel make
the progress it deserves to ensure that their
children are able to see a future of peace,
and only by having a partner willing to
participate with them, will the Palestinians
be able to see the same future. We cannot be
blind to the political implications of continued
conflict. There is today truly a struggle, maybe
for the first time, between those in the region
who accept peace and coexistence with Israel
and those who reject it and seek only continued
violence. The status quo strengthens the
rejectionists who claim peace is impossible,
& it weakens those who would accept coexistence.
That does not serve Israel's interests or our own.
Those willing to negotiate need to be able
to show results for their efforts,” Sayyed
Nasrallah reads. He quotes Clinton again,
on technology: “She finally says: we must
recognize that the ever-evolving technology
of war is making it harder to guarantee Israel's
security. For six decades, Israelis have guarded
their borders vigilantly. But advances in rocket
technology mean that Israeli families are now at
risk far from those borders."
Sayyed Nasrallah elaborates: "Their patriots and
their Iron Dome will not be effective against
our missiles. Technological developments today
put every town and every settlement within the
Zionist entity under threat; this is what the
Israelis cannot tolerate. Clinton was trying
to push the Israelis into striking a deal.
"I believe that their arrogance and racism
will push them into the abyss. Therefore, to
those who claim to be intellectual, I say:
"That was Clinton, US Sec. of State speaking.
Americans are telling the Israelis that if they
don’t help the US conclude a peace agreement,
the Jewish state will not have a future, and
won't ever find anyone to strike a deal with.
We believe in the future Clinton forecasts."
The Hezbollah Sec. General concludes with this:
“We tell the Israelis - you be afraid of us.
If a war, which we don't want, yet are not
scared of, breaks out, it will change the face
of the region – and Clinton agrees with me.
We've said the Israeli home front is exposed and
vulnerable - and we know everything about it;
therefore we know where to strike.
In 2006 and before, Israeli vessels deployed in
Lebanese waters and besieged our coast; so today
we add the sea to the battle terrain. I am not
announcing that we possess a new weapon, but in
2006 we destroyed the Saar 5 vessel. What I am
saying, is that if you besiege our shore and our
ports in any coming war, all of your military
and commercial ships heading to Palestine will
be under the fire of the Islamic Resistance
across the Mediterranean (& the Red Sea...)
No one will dare sail to any port in occupied
Palestine. However, if a ship with Israelis on
is leaving occupied Palestine, we might let it
pass." (laughter from the crowd) "Their military
power used to scare others, but not today...
because our hearts are as solid as a rock.
"Let us flip the picture around. Let us make
Israel afraid & looking for someone to reassure
it. For those who still call for disarming the
resistance I tell them - we shall confront the
next war, we shall win and we shall change the
face of this region" Sayyed Nasrallah concludes.
*************************************************
ON THE WRONG ROAD
The world speaks of genocide and the guilty forget
that it was Europeans who invaded other countries
such as America - killing 10 million within a decade
and forcing the rest into reservations where
they could be "handled" easier.
Now the US - with active European support -
is forcing millions throughout Asia and the
Middle East into "refugee camps".
The single most racist and delusional example of
the genocide these "inferior" "non-Christian"
races can expect, is the US-backed expansion of
an Israel based not on principles of behaviour
or law, but on as blatant a racism as any witnessed so far.
The US Agency for International Development
(USAID) is helping Israel to construct an
apartheid road infrastructure in the occupied
Palestinian West Bank, primarily for the benefit
of (often ex-US) Israeli "settlers".
USAID’s figures state that the agency has
financed 235km of roads in the West Bank
in the past decade, and is preparing to add
another 120 km by the end of this year,
reports Jonathan Cook in the UAE's The National.
According to the Applied Research Institute of
Jerusalem (ARIJ), USAID has helped build 114 km
of segregated roads in the Palestinian territory
despite assurances from Washington six years ago
that it would not assist in their construction
after the Palestinian Authority (PA) protested.
Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem
reports that 170 km of roads in the West Bank
are either off-limits to Palestinians or highly
restricted, but that the PA is being, like the
US red Indians, railroaded into accepting "help".
“What happens is that USAID presents a package
deal of donations for infrastructure projects
in the West Bank and the Palestinians are faced
with a choice of take it or leave it. That way
the PA is cornered into accepting roads it does
not want,” says Suheil Khalilieh from ARIJ.
In 2004 Israel started building a segregated road
system allowing Israeli settlers exclusive use
of highways linking illegal Israeli settlements
with towns and cities in Israel proper.
Banned from these "super-highways" Palestinians
are left using poorly-maintained smaller roads
and often dirt tracks and tiny lanes.
This imposed apartheid road system, just like
the "Jim Crow" laws until recently in the US,
holds Palestinian development back, not to
mention the human cost of loss of access to
families, schools, medical help, and work.
Many of the roads are built on Palestinian land.
Farms are "expropriated" & homes demolished,
to make way for these apartheid roads.
The Israeli court has ordered one of the West
Bank’s major highways to be open to Palestinians,
but the IDF overruled the court’s decision,
saying that only PART of the highway could be
open to Palestinian traffic and only after the
Palestinain motorists got through a security
checkpoint where the traffic joins the highway.
The road infrastructure makes the establishment
of a Palestinian state much more difficult.
The West Bank is now three cantons or Bantustans.
*************************************************
WHAT DID YOU DO TO STOP THE 3RD WORLD WAR?
As the Organization Of Islamic States backs Iran,
and Israel practices mass evacuations of its cities,
you might spare a thought for the world's future,
currently hurtling to a war that will engulf the world.
Do something NOW ! Phone your bl**dy MP !
Ask why your country backs attacking the Muslim world
in order to defend an Israeli regime breaking all
civilised laws and norms of behaviour !
************************************************
ISRAEL WILL BE DESTROYED "WITHIN ONE WEEK"
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's chief of
staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, says Wednesday,
that if Israel attacks Iran it will be destroyed
"within a week".
Mashaei, formerly a vice president, adds
that any new sanctions imposed on Iran over its
nuclear program will only harm Western countries.
On a visit to Saudi Arabia recently, Mashaei says
that removing the current Zionist settler regime
is now a necessary goal for the whole world.
He explains to Sudan's President, Omar al-Bashir,
that "the corrupt and criminal Zionist regime
is harming not only the Arab and Islamic world,
but all of humanity."
************************************************
IRAN SHOWS PATIENCE AS US FORCES PACE
Iran says now that it is unimpressed by the US
push for new UN Security Council sanctions, and
that it remains patient.
“We will wait as, like before, they will not gain
anything with a new resolution and there are
definitely some wise people among them who will
prevent renewed sanctions,” atomic chief Ali—
Akbar Salehi is quoted as saying, by the news
network Khabar. “The issue of sanctions has
lost its colour and is a futile effort, just
discrediting internationally acknowledged
regulations,” Mr. Salehi says, after a cabinet
session in Tehran, The Hindu reports.
Iranian National Security and Foreign Policy
Commission spokesperson Kazem Jalali says,
the fact that the US is still insisting on
the imposition of a new round of sanctions,
is "a type of modern barbarism."
But Esmail Kowsari, deputy chair of Iranian National
Security and Foreign Policy, says that the draft
is a testament to the US and its allies' desire
to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue by force
only, and that the situation is now "beyond
negotiations", Ynetnews informs its readers.
*************************************************
PEACE AND JUSTICE IS WHAT THE WHOLE WORLD SEEKS
Iran signs an agreement that calls the US bluff,
by sending "most" of its uranium outside the land
for enrichment abroad. The "Redshirts" in Thailand
agree to hold talks to prevent "further bloodshed".
Will the US and its allies, stop and think,
or show themselves even more, as blood crazed?
Now we know. There is no mercy in the hearts
of those who hold wealth and power. The US
immediately pushes for a sanctions & ship search
regime which is a declaration of war on Iran;
and the Western backed Thai ruling-class orders
its army to shoot to kill, then breaks its
"elections in November" promises.
*************************************************
US INTELLECTUALS, STARS, LAMBAST OBAMA's CRIMES
US intellectuals join a list published on Friday
of nearly 2,000 people accusing President Barack Obama
of allowing human rights violations & war crimes.
"Crimes are crimes, no matter who does them,"
the statement reads over pictures of Obama
and his predecessor George W. Bush, in the
New York Review of Books.
The statement, published as a paid advertisement,
accuses Obama of continuing Bush's illegal
approach to human rights in Iraq & Afghanistan,
and in domestic "security".
Obama's decision to authorize the killing of US
citizens, including radical Islamic cleric and
US citizen Anwar al-Awlaki, is slammed hard.
"In some respects this is worse than Bush,"
the statement says. "First, because Obama
has claimed the right to assassinate US citizens
whom he suspects of 'terrorism,' merely on the
grounds of his own suspicion or that of the CIA,
something Bush never claimed publicly."
Among the signatories are linguist Noam Chomsky,
"L.A. Confidential" actor James Cromwell,
actor Mark Ruffalo and prominent Bush-era
anti-war protestor Cindy Sheehan.
They lambast Obama for refusing "to prosecute any
members of the Bush regime who are responsible
for war crimes, including some who admitted to
waterboarding and other forms of torture,
thereby making their actions acceptable for him."
*************************************************
EUROPE FOLLOWS "INEPT" US TO CATASTROPHE
An "inept" US cannot fix Afghanistan's problems
and should focus on "chasing the terrorists" -
then get out quickly, former Saudi intelligence
chief Prince Turki al-Faisal says last Saturday.
The ex-ambassador to the US also challenges Obama
to produce results in the just-started Middle East
informal peace talks, and he baldly accuses US
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of ruining
efforts to make the region nuclear-free.
In a speech in Riyadh before diplomats, Turki
says US-led NATO troops have irrevocably
alienated the Afghan people, and have no hope
at all of rebuilding the country.
"What Afghanistan needs now is a shift from
nation-building to effectively countering
terrorists," Turki tells the Arab News conference.
Obama, he stresses, "should not be misdirected
into believing that he can fix Afghanistan's
ills by military means."
"Hunt down the terrorists on both sides of the
Afghan-Pakistan border, arrest them or kill
them, and get out, and let the Afghan people
deal with their problems.
"As long as GI boots remain on Afghan soil,
they remain targets of resistance for the
Afghan people and ideological mercenaries."
Turki, who has long served a central role in
Saudi-Afghan relations, scolds Washington's
handling of relations with Kabul.
"The inept way in which this administration
has dealt with President Karzai beggars
disbelief and amazement.
"Both sides are now filled with resentment
and have a sour taste in their mouths," he
says. "How can they both get out of that
situation? I don't know."
The chair of the King Faisal Centre For Research
and Islamic Studies, Turki is believed to reflect
high level thinking in the Saudi government.
Turki says Arab states have given Washington
four months to show progress in US-guided
Palestinian-Israeli peace talks.
"The Arab world has given Obama until September
to get things done. It is not enough to talk
the talk. He has to walk the walk.
"When he does not succeed, then I ask President
Obama to do the morally decent thing & recognise
the Palestinian state he so ardently wishes to exist.
"He can then pack up and leave us in peace
and let the Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese
negotiate directly with the Israelis. No more
platitudes and good wishes and visions, please."
Turki also faults the US & EU approach in trying
to halt Iran's alleged efforts to build a nuclear weapon.
"The discussions on Iran's nuclear ambitions
have started off on the wrong foot. The carrot
and stick approach does not work," he says.
He says the US and EU use double-standards
in dealing with Iran on the one hand,
and other nuclear countries on the other.
"You cannot ask Iran to play on one level
while you allow Israel, India, Pakistan,
and North Korea to play on other levels."
Turki says a successful strategy toward Iran
requires even-handedness, a "universal nuclear
security umbrella" for countries in the area,
and "a good military option" against any
regional country which does not cooperate.
He says Clinton has already undermined efforts
to move toward a regional nuclear-free zone,
after the UN Security Council's five permanent
members recently expressed support for the idea.
"Alas, Clinton then voided the issue of its value
by stating that the "conditions do not yet exist"
for establishing the zone," he says.
"Why, then, did she join the other members
of the P5 in issuing their statement?"
Turki says he hopes Obama "will find the way to
correct his secretary of state's nullification
of making our area free of weapons of mass destruction."
Turki then warns of rising violence in Iraq
after the pullout of US troops next year,
warning that both internal and external groups
will seek to carve up the country.
"Imagine what will happen once internal strife &
fighting escalates" following the US pullout, he says.
Without a UN Security Council effort to protect
Iraq's current borders, the consequence could be
"regional conflict on a scale not seen since
the Ottoman-Safavid wars of the 17th & 18th centuries."
*************************************************
US HELICOPTER DOWNED IN IRAQ... no details.
*************************************************
END COLLABORATION WITH ISRAEL, SAY PARLIAMENTS
Two Arab Parliamentary committees now call on
all Arab League members to halt "all direct
& indirect contacts with Israel".
Both the Foreign Affairs and Policy Committee
and the National Security Committee suggest
that all ties be severed "amidst [Israel's]
continued settlement policy."
"All relations should be severed in protest at
the policy of expulsion Israel carries out in
Palestine, the latest decision being the
expulsion of tens of thousands of Palestinians
living in the West Bank into Gaza, which is a
new chapter of ethnic cleansing," the panels say,
in reference to 2 military orders enforced in April
which expand the definition of an "infiltrator,"
and render thousands of Gaza residents in the
West Bank susceptible to arbitrary deportation.
"Intensified settlement activity in the occupied
Arab territories, affirms that Israel does not
wish to reach a just peace in the Middle East,
rejecting any mediations aimed at stopping
settlement growth, or withdrawing from all
occupied land to the 1967 borders, or establishing
a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital."
In March, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa
said that the body would discuss withdrawing the
Arab Peace Initiative - a plan offering
normalization with Israel for the creation of a
Palestinian state - amidst ongoing settlement activity.
However, after the first round of indirect talks
with Israel were derailed shortly after, the
Arab League re-endorsed the US-backed proximity
talks in April. President Mahmoud Abbas said on
the eve of endorsement, that the US had offered
"guarantees" that Israel would stay settlement
expansion for the duration of indirect talks,
which were given a four-month cap.
However, several plans have now been revealed
for settlement growth throughout East Jerusalem
and the West Bank, since talks began last week,
including an expansion of Jerusalem's municipal
borders into the West Bank, plus a plan for a
huge shopping centre for a new settlement in
the middle of Arab occupied East Jerusalem.
*************************************************
ONE LAW FOR THE RICH?
Russia's Foreign Minister, Mr Lavrov, says
countries facing Security Council sanctions
"cannot under any circumstances be subjected to
one-sided sanctions imposed by any government".
Sergei Lavrov warns the US & other Western nations
against imposing unilateral sanctions on Iran
over its nuclear program, Interfax news agency reports.
The EU has said it may impose unilateral sanctions
if a UN Security Council resolution fails,
but these would be illegal, and an act of war
under international law, he believes.
Lavrov warns his fellow parliamentarians, however,
that the US seems to believe that it is above the law.
Lavrov warns that by-passing the Security Council
is a red line the US should not cross.
He says countries "cannot under any circumstances
be the subject of one-sided sanctions imposed by
one or other government bypassing the Security Council".
"The position of the US today does not display
understanding of this absolutely clear truth."
Lavrov's warning comes just before the arrival
in Russia of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
of Brazil, a non-permanent member of the Security Council
that is also opposed to further sanctions against Iran.
Lavrov, speaking to deputies from Russia's upper
house of parliament, says the US tends not to
see international law as having pre-eminence
over its own national laws.
"We are now confronted with this problem
during discussions on a new United Nations
Security Council resolution on Iran."
***********************************************
WHY ARE WE, THE USUK PUBLIC, FACING SPENDING CUTS?
The number of US servicemembers in Afghanistan
rises to 87,000, plus 47,000 from the UK & others.
By next year, Afghanistan will have 102,000
US servicemembers and Iraq will have 43,000.
Afghanistan is costing $105 billion in 2010,
including most of the $33 billion in "additional
spending" requested by Obama of Congress.
Iraq this year, is costing about $66 billion.
In fiscal 2011, Afghanistan is projected to cost
$117 billion, and Iraq, $46 billion.
Total war spending in Iraq is now $620 billion,
and $190 billion so far, in Afghanistan.
Costs per servicemember in Afghanistan are double
what they are in Iraq. This is due to it being
landlocked, plus the lack of highways, leading
to much higher fuel and supply costs.
"The cost just cascades," says Todd Harrison of
the Centre for Strategic & Budgetary Assessments.
"That's always been an issue in Afghanistan."
"Iraq, logistically, is much easier," says
Lawrence Korb of the Centre for US Progress.
"You get the stuff to Kuwait & just drive it up the road."
These costs mean public spending cuts for us -
& huge war profits for the rich. Sound fair to you?
*************************************************
USUK CLEARS THE DECKS FOR THEIR WAR CRIMES
Now that USUK have both co-opted the "soft" left
into government; in the US, through splitting the
anti-war Dems by "electing" Obama - a "pretend"
progressive black - and in the UK, by "electing"
a coalition of "nice" Tories & Lib Dems, will we
all just sit back and watch, as "our" society
plunges forward into the killing fields of Asia?
Or will the Anti-war movement energise & change
to become much more effective, just as "our"
ruling class and its slave politicians have;-
as the war moves closer and closer to Iran,
World War, & an ignominious end to life on this planet?
*************************************************
GERMANY MOVING TO PEACE AND LOVE
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's party CDU and
its alliance FDP last Sunday, lose control of her
country's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW).
Latest exit polls from local television ZDF
show the Christian Democrats (CDU) only got
34.3 percent of the vote, 10 points lower than
the election five years ago, while its alliance
the Free Democrats (FDP) got 6.6 percent.
Their major rivals, the Social Democrats (SPD),
got 34.7 percent, the Greens 12.4 percent and the
Left Party 5.7 percent, which means the current
CDU-FDP local government falls now.
As support for the CDU and SPD is very close, the
final make up of NRW's next government is still unclear.
The choices look like either a big coalition
government formed by the CDU and SPD, or one
formed by the SPD plus the Greens.
"The SPD is back!" the party's leader in NRW,
Hannelore Kraft, tells jubilant supporters
after the first exit poll results, adding that
she wants to rule with the Greens.
***********************************************
GERMANY CHINA & RUSSIA CELEBRATE VICTORY OVER FASCISM
As the French, UK, & others celebrate in their way,
Russia celebrates marking the 65th anniversary
of its victory over Nazi Germany in their
Great Patriotic War, with a military parade
at the Red Square in central Moscow.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev & PM Vladimir Putin,
are joined by leaders from over 20 countries,
including China and Germany, at the Red Square,
to watch a grand parade that's the centre-piece
of their weekend celebrations.
At 10 am. Moscow time (0600 GMT), the parade starts
as Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov
& Moscow Military District Commander Valery Gerasimov
inspect and salute the troops with festive greetings.
"I congratulate you on this jubilee of the great victory,"
Medvedev says, in an address to the guests and
thousands of servicemen at the iconic square.
"This war made us a strong nation. We won not
simply a military victory, but also a moral one."
He calls for united international efforts to
face the many new challenges and to prevent
any new tragedy occurring, similar to World War II.
"The joint march symbolizes our readiness
to defend peace, to prevent the revision
of the results of the wars, and to prevent
new tragedies," he says.
*************************************************
US FORCED TO CUT MILITARY EFFORT TO STAY SOLVENT
US Defence secretary Robert Gates has a clear
and pointed message for the US military:
Take “a hard, unsparing look” at what you’re
costing the US taxpayer during difficult economic times,
and look for serious belt-tightening measures.
In a speech Saturday at the Eisenhower Library
in Abilene, Kansas, Secretary Gates says:
“In each instance we must ask: First, is this
respectful of the American taxpayer at a time of
economic and fiscal duress? And second, is this
activity or arrangement the best use of limited
dollars, given the pressing needs to take care
of our people, win the wars we are in, and
invest in the capabilities necessary to deal
with the most likely and lethal future threats?”
Gates notes that Eisenhower – who led the allies
to victory in Europe in World War II, had a
“passionate belief that the US should spend
as much as necessary on national defense –
and not one penny more.”
“And with his peerless credentials and standing,
he was uniquely positioned to ask hard questions,
make tough choices & set firm limits," Gates says.
Other defense secretaries have tried and failed
to rein in unnecessary Pentagon spending, especially
those prestige items (like Trident in the UK)
beloved by the defense contractors, and their
champions in Congress – the “military-industrial
complex” Eisenhower so famously warned of in his
1961 farewell address to the nation.
Secretary Gates says: "looking back from today’s
vantage point, what I find so compelling and
instructive, is the simple fact that when it
came to defense matters, under Eisenhower,
real choices were made, priorities set & limits
enforced. This became increasingly rare in the
decades that followed, despite the best efforts
of some of my predecessors and other attempts
at reform over the years.”
Gates notes that, since 911, the Pentagon’s base
budget has almost doubled – not including the
wars of choice in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Anticipating the fights he no doubt faces
with corrupt Senators on Capitol Hill, Gates asks:
“Should we really be up in arms over a temporary
projected shortfall of about 100 Navy and Marine
strike fighters relative to the number of
carrier wings, when America’s military possesses
more than 3,200 tactical combat aircraft of all
kinds? Does the number of warships we have and
are building really put America at risk when the
US battle fleet is larger than the next thirteen
navies combined, 11 of which belong to allies
and partners? Is it a dire threat that by 2020
the United States will have only 20 times more
advanced stealth fighters than China?”
Specifically, in addition to the weapons systems
he wants to cut, Gates is demanding a 3% reduction
in overhead costs in the fiscal 2012 budget.
“These savings must stem from root-and-branch changes
that can be sustained and added to over time.”
In a discussion with reporters before his speech,
Gates says: “It is not a great mystery what needs to change.
What it takes is the political will & willingness
that Eisenhower possessed, to make hard choices –
choices that will displease powerful people
both inside the Pentagon and out.”
************************************************
THE EMPEROR's CLOTHES
The emperor strode down the main road, crowded
with people. Women screamed as drones flew out
of his head, and he wiped bystanders out of the way,
shouting loudly, "Just let me get those pesky Iranians !"
A little girl lifted her head up to me and enquired:
"Why are people worried about his pretend threats,
when his advisors are already paying 7 billion dollars
to the Pakistani government to force their fighters
out into the open to be killed by drones,
and scream for them to attack North Waziristan,
which will destabilise a Sunni Muslim country
armed to the teeth with nuclear missiles?"
I stared at her and then at the Emperor.
He was naked, and his face glowed bright red.
Of course, the UK public is entitled to breathe
a sigh of relief, as an arrogant Thatcherite style
majority government has been averted in London,
once again, by the voters of Scotland, the North
of England and Wales. Yet - no matter who picks
up the pieces, little children in far off lands
will still have their faces blown to shreds...
as every single major political party supports
these disgusting illegal occupations, supposedly
to bring "democracy" to savage "tribespeople".
Only a coalition which has the political will
to reach a "peace dividend", can save us from
savage cuts in people's living standards,
to solve the UK's huge growing debts.
*************************************************
FRAUD ALLEGATIONS GROW IN UK GENERAL ELECTION
Greater Manchester Police say they have received
reports of electoral fraud in the Rochdale,
North Manchester, Oldham and Bolton areas,
relating to breaches of the electoral Code of
Practice. They say officers are working with the
Electoral Commission and local election officers,
to see if crimes have been committed.
West Yorkshire Police are also investigating
allegations of fraudulent postal voting in the
Bradford area. No arrests have yet been made,
a police spokesperson says.
In London, the Metropolitan Police say they have
received a number of allegations concerning
false registration of voters' addresses in Tower
Hamlets. Its four ongoing investigations there,
are being combined into one investigation,
along with a second investigation into election
irregularities in Ealing.
And this, before the elections, which refuse
many late queuers a vote, have even taken place!
Western democracy - coming soon, to a place near you !!!
************************************************
FIDDLING THE FIGURES - TO SAVE US BLUSHES
On Wednesday the US DoD says two more US soldiers
are dead in Iraq through "non-combat" injuries.
Despite regular attacks on their bases & patrols,
almost no soldiers die in Iraq from the US army
being attacked, or so it appears - if you believe
the US army statements. Instead, we are asked to
believe, that there are more deaths now, through
suicide, in the US army, than are killed in combat.
Near Kirkuk, a US patrol is attacked by a thermal
bomb. Reports say: "no casualties".
I don't believe for one second, that US soldiers
are so self-destructive. What's far more likely,
is that the US leadership's desire to pretend
that Iraq is a "success", & the resultant lies
to conceal the failure of its leaders' policies,
is making the US elite paint its own troops as
suicidal. The elite which promised US world
dominance through fighting multiple wars, now
faces the cost. A loss of US influence, a supine
corrupt media, a crumbling economy, & most of
its citizens poorer, many, by far.
World dominance through wars, eh?
Now, where have we heard THAT before?
Japan's Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama abandons
any plan to move an unpopular US airbase
entirely off the southern island of Okinawa.
*************************************************
SLAVES TO USA - NEW LABOUR's FOREIGN LEGACY
The Times exposes the criminal nature of the "New"
Labour policy of being subservient to the US, by
focussing on two stories which bring shame on us.
The first states that hundreds of Iraqis are now
suing us for sexual humiliations and torture.
For those who say "this is normal in war", perhaps
it cannot be stated often enough that this was
during an occupation, and deeply criminal.
The second headline involves the obscenity of babies
being born in Fallujah with two heads, or with their
guts OUTSIDE their fragile little bodies...
traumatising the mothers & relatives for life.
The warcrime which led to this occurred during
an attack on Fallujah, with the active involvement
of UK troops, (requested by the US) despite last
minute advice by Lord Goldsmith, that the UK
should withdraw its forces from the attack,
because illegal weapons based on radiation
filled shells and phosphorus were about to be
rained down on a population which had stayed.
Now the US CAN'T be prosecuted, because they are
NOT signatories to International agreements which
can hold them accountable. But the UK IS !!!
The result? The UK is going to face being known
as criminal, while our masters laugh behind our backs.
And behind the US establishment?
Those who planned all of this, were in conspiracy
to make an illegal settler regime of (mainly) US
migrants, safer to keep stealing land, dignity
and often life, from our fellow humans in Palestine.
Germany, too, is now criminal, as they are bound
by their own laws, NOT to operate outside their
own borders, unless "peace-keeping". Yet they
stay in Afghanistan's North, where the uprising
against occupation now includes ALL ethnic tribes
in a brave attempt to keep their own land.
Some people - foolishly in my opinion - think that
all this is a precursor to Armaggedon, & therefore
to be welcomed, as leading to a new Heaven on Earth.
It's not - it's the precursor - UNLESS WE ARE
WILLING TO CHANGE - to a (further) descent into HELL.
It's up to us - are we Masters of our own minds,
or slaves to those who treat humans as filth?
*************************************************
This Tuesday, the US Department of "Defence" (sic)
reports the April the 27th death,
of a US soldier, "wounded" by a missile attack
by Iraqi patriots in Iskandariya.
*************************************************
ANTI-ZIONIST POLICIES SUPPORTED BY EUROPEAN JEWS
Over 3,000 European Jews, including prominent
intellectuals this May, sign a petition speaking
out against Israeli settlement policies and
warning that automatic support for Israel's
current government is "dangerous" - to Israel.
The petition's signatories include philosophers
Bernard-Henri Levy and Alain Finkielkraut.
They are building a European "Jewish lobby
that is both "committed to the state of Israel,
& critical of the current choices of its government."
The petition is entitled "Call for Reason", and
can be accessed online at http://www.jcall.eu
It says Israel faces a threat because of the
"occupation and the continuing pursuit of
settlements in the West Bank and in the
Arab districts of East Jerusalem.
"These policies are morally and politically wrong
& feed the unacceptable delegitimization process
that Israel currently faces abroad," it says.
It adds that "systematic support of Israeli
government policy is dangerous and does not
serve the true interests of the state of Israel."
*************************************************
SHOOTING THE MESSENGER
As with people, ignorant countries try to deny
or repress facts they can't cope with.
Many in the US don't want to hear what Dr Ahmadi-
Najad has to say about US & Israeli nuclear weapons,
so they scream and walk out of UN meetings.
Those who will be displeased if the price of raw
materials like oil, rises, benefitting his country
also want to shut up news reports from Nigeria:
Rebels in Nigeria's Niger Delta on Friday blow
up a Shell pipeline and threaten further attacks.
But Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell "cannot confirm"
the attack. "There is no report of an incident
in the area," a company spokesperson tells AFP.
Yet the Joint Revolutionary Concil (JRC), says
the attack targeted a pipeline operated by Shell
in Buguma in Nigeria's main oil producing state of Rivers.
"This is in continuation of our armed campaign
for the dissolution of Nigeria & the establishment
of an independent Niger Delta state," says JRC.
Buguma is in Rivers State, whose capital Port
Harcourt is Nigeria's oil hub and the base for
most whites working in the Niger Delta.
A "special military team" deployed in the area
says it's "not aware" of any attack in Buguma.
"We have to exercise circumspection about claims
by these charlatans & opportunists who are
trying to create confusion and panic," says
joint task force spokesperson Timothy Antigha.
But JRC warns the attack "is child's play
compared to what is expected in the coming days".
"We shall strike in a way that the international
community will be forced to come into this conflict."
The International community could listen to the
Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), which is
trying to alert police in the country's capital
to a plot to kill four journalists, & is urging
adequate security for them and their families.
The petition by the NUJ to the Abuja police comes
barely a week after three journalists are killed
in two separate incidents in the country.
"By this protest letter, we are handing over
these journalists to your protective custody
and hope that no harm will come to either them
or members of their families," NUJ chair Jacob Edi says.
He says "unidentified persons" have sent a phone
text message to Gbenga Aruleba, Yusuf Ali,
Olusola Fabiyi and Chuks Okocha -
all working for private media houses in Abuja -
threatening to kill them.
The NUJ says it is "worried" by the threat,
after the killing of three journalists last week.
Edo Sule Ugbagwu, a 42-year-old court reporter
with the Nation daily, was shot several times
in the head at close range on Saturday evening.
Two journalists, working for a Christian journal,
were also slain the same day in the city of Jos,
the epicentre of deadly violence that has killed
some 1,500 people since January.
In September 2009, a senior editor with the
influential Guardian newspaper in Lagos,
Bayo Ohu, was gunned down.
Two senior journalists with This Day newspaper,
Godwin Agbroko and Abayomi Ogundeji, were shot
in similar circumstances in 2006 & 2008 in Lagos.
A media association in southwestern Ogun State
says today it has uncovered a plot to
assassinate eight journalists in the state.
This is a fight for Nigeria's future...
USUK's huge oil multi-nationals are determined
to continue sucking Nigeria's oil wealth dry.
And some people will kill to stop any protests
or movements to help the women & children who
live there and deserve better than the West's
complicit silence. Shout it from the hills !!!
In the last 14 years, well over 1,500 journalists
across the world have been killed while working.
Across the world, in Greece, South America,
Russia, and most countries, people show how
the struggle for Justice for working women & men
is STILL the priority of most decent humans.
In the US, Cuban-born pop singer Gloria Estefan
joins other Hispanic activists in leading off
a march and rally in Los Angeles, demanding
reform of the immigration legislation.
"We're good people," shouts Grammy-winning Gloria
aboard a flatbed lorry. "We've given a lot to
this country. This country has given a lot to us."
Nativo Lopez, president of the Mexican American
Political Association, says the Arizona law
"only gives working people, immigrants, youth,
women, trade unionists and their sympathisers,
more reason to march."
Tens of thousands of protesters pack the streets
in downtown Los Angeles and chant:
"Si, se puede" in Spanish ("Yes, we can").
*************************************************
A PARADIGM SHIFT
A Wall Street Journal article, a day before
the President of Iran addresses the UN, suggests
that Egypt & the US are moving towards a "nuclear
free zone" in the Middle East. Even if this is
only seen as a blatant attempt to cut the ground
from under Iran, and is hedged with the massive
"but" that it must be accompanied by a "comprehensive
peace agreement between all parties, to give
Israel a secure future, this does now represent
a huge shift towards a safer, more sustainable world.
Let's all work to pressure OUR governments to
join in dismantling the system we have in place,
which WILL destroy all human life - if not changed.
If the UK, for example, scraps Trident "upgrading",
there is no need to talk of cuts in public spending
that hurt our present services & our children's future.
So far, human beings have made it their life's
work, to concentrate on converting limited and
often unhealthy materials into energy.
The next great leap forward will be for us to
concentrate our genius on creating a material
world from the energy the universe provides us
with in abundance: the sun and all other energy
sources associated with it. A true "movement"!
A Happy May Day for life - to all who visit us !!!
************************************************
THE VILENESS OF YOU
If you are a US "citizen", your country is now
responsible for the deaths of four innocent workers
who died last Wednesday, after President Mubarak,
the US subsidised authoritarian ruler of Egypt,
ordered his minions to gas a tunnel offering
the only way to transport food to the starving
people trapped in Gaza.*
(Israel is currently "allowing" ONE THIRD
of the food needed, to enter the checkpoints...
and MOST of the people in Gaza are CHILDREN !!!)
Your government is also responsible for pressuring
Angela Merkel (whose name means Angel of the Wasteland)
to NOT stop US investors from smashing the Eurozone.
Your government is responsible for the vile war
in Afghanistan, where 13 leaders have been assassinated
by death squads this week in Kandahar.
Your government is using NATO in its wars, just like
the worst tin pot dictators have always done.
Keeping their followers slavish through war.
If Afghanistan is the glue that holds NATO together,
it's a glue made with the bones of human corpses.
Your government, now owned by the US military,
is responsible for the corruption of billions of humans
across this planet, as your country bribes officials
to follow US plans and designs... with filthy money.
Your government refuses to convict criminals
in its own government, who would ALL have been
hung at Nurenburgh, and STILL tortures and
holds people without trial - indefinitely.
If there is one case which highlights your vileness,
it is the imprisonment of Leonard Peltier,
a native American kept in solitary confinement
and permanently refused a retrial, even though
the authorities AND YOU, know his first trial
was an obvious lie. His "crime"? Fighting for
his peoples' land to NOT be used as a dump
for uranium, which would desecrate the graves
of his people and poison their children's future.
He has been in a prison for FORTY-THREE YEARS.
You people of the US act and think in such a vile way,
that many are tempted to hate you.
Yet the world still says it loves you - and wishes
and hopes that NOW, TODAY, NOW - you repent!
* Footnote: The Egyptian government denies gassing,
explaining the deaths as being a result of their
blowing up tunnel entrances, which sucks air out
of the tunnels and asphyxiates those inside.
*************************************************
"CHANGE THE LEADERS" TO GAIN YOUR HOMELAND !!!
Politburo member with the PFLP in Damascus Laila Khalid,
is calling for the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority
"if that body is the cause of Palestinian division."
Khalid says division among the Palestinians
"is threatening the Palestinian national project."
She says Palestinians "have not struggled
throughout their history for an authority,
but for a homeland for a displaced people
and people under occupation."
Khalid speaks at a Damascus event held in solidarity
with prisoners of Israel affiliated to the party.
The event is held in the Jermana refugee camp,
& attended by leaders of the PFLP & other Palestinian factions.
"In the light of the division, no one has the right
to appoint himself as an authority of the homeland
and the people," Khalid explains, saying that
"the Authority does not represent our people,
because it is the product of the Oslo Accords,
& anyone behind the division is behind the occupation,
which only propagates our geographical separation.
"What is obstructing the restoration of unity
is sitting in Ramallah and Gaza, and both are
serving the occupation and its plans," she says.
She calls for Palestinians in refugee camps
across the region to reject division and
communicate this to the Palestinian leadership:
"If they remain committed to their current stances,
then they are not our leaders and representatives."
Khalid dismisses Israeli gestures toward a renewal
of peace talks, saying the state's stance is
"crystal clear," particularly on their refusal
to stop settlement construction. "The occupation
does not want to resolve the conflict," she says.
*************************************************
THOSE "DESPICABLE" COUNTRIES... ARE US!!!
Amnesty International accuses 5 EU countries of
breaking UN directives by using force to return
Iraqi refugees back to dangerous parts of Iraq.
They warn that continuing political uncertainty
means that there is now a grave risk of further
violence in the country, seven years after a
US-led invasion to oust President Saddam Hussein.
The report “Iraq — Civilians under fire” states:
"In 2009, the authorities in Denmark, the Netherlands,
Norway, Sweden and (who else?!) the UK
forcibly returned scores of Iraqis to unsafe
parts of Iraq, such as central Iraq, in breach
of UN High Commissioner for Refugees guidelines".
UK authorities forcibly repatriated 44 Iraqi
asylum seekers to Baghdad last October;
Norway returned 30 in December and 13 in January.
Meanwhile the group warns of an increase in
violence amid the continuing post-election limbo.
Amnesty’s Malcolm Smart, (Middle East & North Africa):
“Both the Iraqi authorities & the international community
must act now to prevent more unnecessary deaths."
*************************************************
THE WORLD TURNS ON A LOST SUNDAY
As Thailand's "red shirts" face the Eton & Oxford
"educated" Thai unelected Prime Minister, the army
is - once again - used to preserve the status quo.
The world turns on its head, as, instead of an
"industrial proletariat" leading to a new future,
those closest to honest work on the land are left
seething with anger as soldiers keep Thailand as
a place where western men who need an ego boost
can brutalise boys from the countryside made to
grow breasts and endure being sex toys in a city
life where poor migrants have been trapped into
prostitution and evil for generations.
Those pony-tailed middle-aged white men who
"enjoy"
their liasons with young men and women are now
given back their habits by the army, in a country
which has had 9 army coups forced on it, so far,
by the West. And we say we're against slavery!
We appealed to the ordinary soldiers to join their
brothers and sisters and many police and officials
who saw the redshirts revolt as an opportunity to
live gloriously. But the honest people of Thailand
have been refused permission to finally throw off
the army-backed white Paedophile Paradise, which
brings nothing but shame to Asia.
*************************************************
130 countries - 4/5 of the world population -
support Iran's peaceful Atomic Energy program.
IT'S RACISM - AND HATRED !!!
The US says it will nuke Iran if they don't do
as they're told - like good little piccaninnies.
And the Chinese - how DARE they "threaten"
the US by taking Iranian, Iraqi, South American
and African oil and other raw materials?
Don't the "slanty eyed chinks", as our Queen's
consort so famously called them, realise that
the other countries on this planet are OURS !!!
Iran's Revolutionary Guard hold war exercises
this week in the Persian Gulf's Hormuz Strait,
after Barack Obama's new nuclear policy is
revealed as more illegality and aggression.
Ahead of the naval maneouvres, Ayatollah Khamenei
says the US is trying to dominate the world
through its nuclear arsenal and promises that
Iran will not yield to implicit atomic threats.
Iran has been holding naval exercises in the
Persian Gulf annually since 2006, but this year
it brought them many months forward - & with new
weapons & tactics - as a warning of the consequences
if the US or Israel try to attack Iran.
The exercises show an Iran quite determined to
shut the Strait of Hormuz, through which almost
HALF of the world's oil and gas supplies pass,
which, just of itself, will cause most Western
economies, already weakened, to collapse.
The US says it will "prevent" this, but in simulated
war-games held in the US - just a few power boats
with missiles sank several carrier ships and the
US could only cope by cheating in the simulation
and pretending it didn't happen! That was with a few boats.
This week's exercises involve naval, air and
ground units from the Revolutionary Guard,
and the three day maneouvres are also using
THREE HUNDRED and THIRTEEN SPEED-BOATS.
Yesterday, Iran unveiled a new attack speedboat,
describing it as "ultra-fast and smart".
It's name? "Ya Mahdi." Iran says the 313 smaller
speedboats can fire both rockets and missiles.
State television has shown one Ya Mahdi vessel
firing rockets at an ocean-going target,
while dozens of the smaller speedboats launch
rocket-propelled grenades at it & troops board it.
US officials are poo pooing all signs of Iranian
strength and resolve. Pentagon press secretary
Geoff Morrell says, through gritted teeth, that
the early, massive exercises, with new technology,
"don't seem out of the ordinary".
He claims that Iran's technology advances are
"often exaggerated". Poor Geoff - making his
money as an obvious and foolish liar. Ho hum.
Iran are developing a space program under sanctions
while the US is having to buy 2nd hand soviet rockets.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, meanwhile,
in Zimbabwe, is warmly welcomed by President
Robert Mugabe — two leaders united in the face
of ferocious racial hatred from USUK.
Iran is the biggest exhibitor at a trade exposition
Ahmadinejad opens in Zimbabwe's second city,
Bulawayo, on Friday. Zimbabwe's economy is now
stabilizing as China trades with them, having
softly moved aside USUK, after they used their
economic links to try to smash the Zimbabwean economy.
Why did they do it? Because Zimbabwe's leaders
want to empower black people rather than rob
their own people to serve their "superiors".
Any attempts to provoke an economic meltdown
in Iran, as was tried by USUK in Zimbabwe,
will fail, as Iran has huge natural resources.
The days of an arrogant racist evil West,
are coming to an end. Three cheers !
*************************************************
The apology below from the US army, although fine,
honest and welcome, is simply NOT ENOUGH ! Why?
Because it requires the people of the US & the
cold Home Counties English, to have living hearts.
May God help the people of the US & England.
Here in Wales, we can revive a better way of
living than conning & raping the world's poor,
by using that EIGHTY PERCENT of our uplands
which lie fallow, and by developing strongly
branded products using wise science & locally
grown fresh crops. Our country can truly blossom!
But in England and the US, finance and a cold,
corrupt immoral leadership now dominate.
These are countries which would literally starve
if they stopped stealing all they can from others:
it will take the rest of the world to stop them.
What we in Wales can do, is shake our heads in
love and pity, and get on with a better way....
through co-operation; respect for our land, and
for each living creature on it.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
AN OPEN LETTER OF RECONCILIATION & RESPONSIBILITY
TO THE IRAQI PEOPLE
From Current and Former Members of the US Military
Peace be with you.
We are both soldiers who occupied your
neighborhood for 14 months. Ethan McCord pulled
your daughter and son from the van, and when
doing so, saw the faces of his own children back
home. Josh Stieber was in the same company but
was not there that day, though he contributed
to your pain, and the pain of your community
on many other occasions.
There is no bringing back all that was lost.
What we seek is to learn from our mistakes
and do everything we can to tell others of our
experiences and how the people of the United
States need to realize what we have done and are
doing to you and the people of your country.
We humbly ask you what we can do to begin
to repair the damage we caused.
We have been speaking to whoever will listen,
telling them that what was shown in the Wikileaks
video only begins to depict the suffering we
have created. From our own experiences, and the
experiences of other veterans we have talked to,
we know that the acts depicted in this video
are everyday occurrences of this war: this is
the nature of how US-led wars are carried out in this region.
*************************************************
TIME WOUNDS ALL HEELS
You might think, if you live in a sleasy corrupt
country, where politicians cling on, even after
being found guilty of perfectly disgusting crimes,
such as dishonestly claiming expenses, or lying
to drag us into wars of invasion and torture,
that this world rewards evil, and despair.
Don't be fooled by your decadent twisted media !
All over the world those who choose evil ARE
being punished - & those who seem powerful now,
will come to understand that their turn is due.
Argentina's last dictator has just been convicted
of the tortures and kidnappings committed during
his 1976-1983 US-backed military regime, and he
is now forced to spend his final days in prison.
Reynaldo Bignone, 82, is convicted (with five
other former military officers) of 56 cases
of torture, illegal detentions and other crimes
in one of Argentina's largest torture centres;
Campo de Mayo military base, PA news agency says.
Over 4,000 dictatorship opponents were held at
the Campo de Mayo execution and torture centre.
Bignone rose to power as a result of Thatcher's
war over the Falkland Islands, Buenos Aires News says.
Like Thatcher, he waged war on his own people.
Unlike Thatcher, he can't "enjoy" his dotage
now, as a psychopathic drunk. (Unless he enjoys
gulping down a few boot-polish cocktails.)
Those corrupt politicians & civil "servants",
beware! You WILL face Justice.
***********************************************
MORE PALESTINIANS OPTIMISTIC - & FOR "ONE STATE"
In 2001, 18.3% of Palestinians in the West Bank
& Gaza favored a one state solution, say JMCC polls.
In June 2009, 20.6% favored a one state solution.
Now, support for a one-state solution
is the highest it has ever been, at 34%.
Only a shrinking 43.9% now support a two-state solution,
today's JMCC poll finds.
30% also believe that the peace process is dead
and that there is no chance that negotiations
between Israel & the Palestinians will be resumed.
46.2% are uncertain, & 18.4% believe the peace
process is alive and well. (Are they mad?)
The poll shows a rise in Palestinian optimism.
68% now say they're optimistic about the future.
*************************************************
MOST GITMO PRISONERS INNOCENT - & WE KNEW IT !
Colonel Lawrence B. Wilkerson, Chief of Staff to
US Secretary of State Colin Powell, says in a
sworn legal statement that hundreds of the men
tortured & jailed at Guantanamo were innocent,
& that the top people in the Bush Administration
KNEW they were innocent, & hid it from the public.
Wilkerson says that Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld
“indefinitely detained the innocent for political reasons”
and that many in the US administration knew it.
He says the innocent weren't released because
the US leadership didn't like to admit (&/or
didn't care) that they'd made mistakes.
Colonel Wilkerson, who served in the US Army for
thirty years, states that he found out in August
2002 that the US knew that many of the prisoners
at Guantanamo were not enemy combatants at all.
In August 2002, Wilkerson was appointed Chief of
Staff to the Secretary of State. He attended
daily classified briefings where he met over
fifty senior State Department officials and
Guantanamo prisoners were often discussed.
It became clear at these meetings “that many of
the prisoners detained at Guantanamo had been
taken into custody without regard to whether
they were truly enemy combatants, or in fact
whether many of them were enemies at all.”
The people who ended up in Guantanamo, he says,
were turned in by Afghan warlords and others
who received bounties of up to $5000 per head
for every single person they turned in.
The majority “had never seen a US soldier
in the process of their initial detention.”
Military officers told Wilkerson that:
“Many detainees were turned over for the wrong reasons,
particularly for bounties and other incentives."
"The likelihood was high that some detainees had
been turned in to US forces in order to settle
local scores, for tribal reasons, or just as a
method of making money.”
Wilkerson says US officials knew that “there was
no real method of knowing why the prisoner had
been detained in the first place.”
Wilkerson says the US population have no idea
of the “utter incompetence of the battlefield
vetting in Afghanistan during the initial stages.
"Simply stated, no meaningful attempt at discrimination
was made in-country by competent officials, civilian or military,
as to who we were transporting to Cuba for detention & interrogation."
"This was a factor of having too few troops in
the combat zone, the troops and civilians who
were there having too few people trained and
skilled in such vetting, and the incredible
pressure coming down from Secretary of Defense
Donald Rumsfeld and others to
‘just get the bastards to the interrogators.’"
"There was no meaningful way to determine whether
they were terrorists, Taliban, or simply innocent
civilians picked up on a very confused battlefield
or in the territory of another state such as Pakistan."
"A separate but related problem was that often
absolutely no evidence relating to the detainee
was turned over, so there was no real method of
knowing why the prisoner had been detained in the first place."
"The initial group of 742 detainees had not been
detained under the processes I was used to as a
military officer. It was becoming more and more
clear that many of the men were innocent, or at
a minimum their guilt was impossible to determine
let alone prove in any court of law, civilian or
military. If there was any evidence, the chain
of protecting it had been completely ignored."
The US leadership became aware "of the reality
that many of the detainees were innocent of any
substantial wrongdoing, had little intelligence
value, and should be immediately released."
"To have admitted this reality would have been a
black mark on their leadership from virtually
day one of the so-called War on Terror and these
leaders already had black marks enough: the dead
in a field in Pennsylvania, in the ashes of the
Pentagon & in the ruins of the World Trade Towers."
"They were not about to admit to their further
errors at Guantanamo Bay. Better to claim that
everyone there was a hardcore terrorist, was of
enduring intelligence value, and would return
to jihad if released. I am very sorry to say
that I believe there were uniformed military
who aided and abetted these falsehoods, even
at the highest levels of our armed forces."
Even if the US released them to another country
and that country found them innocent, it would
make the US look bad, says Wilkerson.
"Another concern was that the detention efforts at
Guantanamo would be revealed as the incredibly
confused operation that they were. Such results
were not acceptable to the Administration and
would have been severely detrimental to the
leadership at the Department of Defense."
So Secretary Rumsfeld, "just refused to let detainees go."
"Another part of the political dilemma originated
in the Office of Vice President Richard B.
Cheney, whose position could be summed up as
‘the end justifies the means’, and who had
absolutely no concern that the vast majority
of Guantanamo detainees were innocent, or that
there was a lack of useable evidence for the
great majority of them. If hundreds of innocent
individuals had to suffer in order to detain a
handful of hardcore terrorists, so be it."
"My own view is that it was easy for Vice President Cheney
to run circles around President Bush bureaucratically
because Cheney had the network within the government to do so.
Moreover, by exploiting what Secretary Powell called
the President’s ‘cowboy instincts,’ Vice President Cheney
could more often than not gain the President’s acquiescence."
Colonel Wilkerson is disclosing this now, because
he wants to assist the International Human Rights Clinic
at Willamette University College of Law in Oregon
and the Federal Public Defender, who are suing
US officials for the wrongful detention & torture
of one man - Adel Hassan Hamad. Hamad was an aid
worker from the Sudan, working in Pakistan, when
he was kidnapped from his apartment, tortured,
and shipped to Gitmo, where he was held for five
years, before being released.
At the end of his nine page sworn statement,
Wilkerson explains his more personal reasons
for telling the truth, and coming clean:
“I have made a personal choice to come forward
and discuss the abuses that occurred, because
the knowledge that I served an Administration
that tortured and abused those it detained at
the facilities at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere,
& indefinitely detained the innocent for political reasons,
has marked a low point in my professional career
& I wish to make the record clear on what occurred.
I am also extremely concerned that the Armed Forces
of the US, where I spent 31 years of my professional life,
were deeply involved in these tragic mistakes."
"Whether the truths about the detainees at Guantanamo Bay
will be revealed in the way they should be,
or Congress will step up and shoulder some of the blame,
or the new Obama administration will have the courage
to follow through substantially on its campaign promises
with respect to GITMO, torture and the like,
remains indeed to be seen."
Well done, Colonel... & over to you, US people !!!
**********************************************
LET's MAKE PEACE OUR BUSINESS
94% of the people in Kandahar want Peace, says
the US army's recent survey. They don't want a
war, and they trust their own families & neighbours
to look after them, more than they trust the US
"aid" they're currently receiving. They just ask
the invading troops to leave, please.
Their neighbours in Pakistan are increasingly
looking to trade with the world, instead of
being a recipient of US "aid", which has brought
them military coups and bombing their own people.
Pakistan’s government delegation to the EU summit
this week, isn't asking for more "foreign aid",
either. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Mehmood Qureshi
says what Pakistan asks for, is simply for people
in Europe to lower those trade barriers which are
stopping Pakistan's economy from flourishing.
Qureshi says the delegation is focussing
all of its efforts on winning GSP+ status.
The “Generalized System of Preferences Plus” list
means much lower tariffs on Pakistani goods in
the EU, which Qureshi estimates could mean $6
billion in additional trade and create over a
million jobs in his country.
*************************************************
A US Soldier is killed and three others wounded
in a helicopter crash in northern Iraq in the
late hours of Saturday night, according to a
US army statement:
“The incident didn't involve any shooting.
The crash is under investigation,” reads
the statement, as received by Aswat al-Iraq.
************************************************
ETERNITY IS ON OUR SIDE - TIME ISN'T
Jordan is warning that war will begin this Summer
in the Middle East - unless the peaceful road is
cleared - and quickly. Asked about the direction
in which Netanyahu is taking Israel, Abdullah
replies that he’s become “extremely frustrated”
with the current government’s stance. “I believe
Israel’s future is to be integrated into the region.
But if the powers that be look at Israel’s future
as Fortress Israel, that means bloodshed will
continue for decades,” he warns, referring to
a state in which Israel chooses to be isolated
and cut off from the rest of the region.
“In the Arab-Islamic peace proposal, it’s not
just opening trade offices, it’s full diplomatic
relations,” Abdullah explains. “They’re looking
at Israel being integrated into the region, not
just having embassies so that it looks good for
the cameras, but having relations with the Arab
and Islamic world. Fifty-seven nations is a
third of the United Nations; that’s a third of
the UN that does not recognize Israel today,” he says.
“Indirectly, what the Arabs are saying is, we
will be the ones to ensure the security and
the survival of Israel,” he continues. “You
don’t need to have those walls, you don’t need
to be Fortress Israel because you’re one of us now.”
Abdullah warns that the pressure for war is now
so dangerous, that a war which makes EVERYONE
sorry, can only be stopped if peace is embraced.
The moderate way his country proposes, is now
the ONLY way to both achieve Peace - & AVOID WAR.
If the Divine - that is eternal - will, is that
peace be brought to those who live here on Earth,
only man, it seems, can now mess this up.
What the world needs now is REAL Love:
Peace Love.
NOW !!!
************************************************
YOU'D BETTER BELIEVE IT !!!
Iran's supreme leader tells a nuclear disarmament conference in Tehran
that the US's nuclear weapons are a tool of terror and intimidation.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says Saturday that the US deceptively calls
for non-proliferation while holding on to its own weapons.
The two-day conference brings together representatives from SIXTY countries,
as well as scores of delegates from international bodies & non-governmental organizations.
The US's "summit" in Washington last week, on nuclear security,
attracts just 47 countries. The US doesn't invite Iran.
Just WHOM, is isolated?
*************************************************
BRIC ESCAPING US MORTGAGE DEATH GRIP
The leaders of Brazil, Russia, India & PR China,
the world's four major emerging economies, meet
this Thursday at the BRIC Summit in Brasilia.
The issues discussed are mainly economic, with
energy and infrastructure outstanding.
For Dmitry Medvedev, the main objective is to
pool ideas to continue the recovery after the
collapse of the economic and banking system
and to draw up a common plan to ensure that
this situation is never repeated.
Medvedev declares at the Summit:
"Our main objective today is to develop our
cooperation to face the challenges of the post
economic crisis, to support financial institutions
and to create an international system which is
generally more democratic and just."
To the President of the Russian Federation, BRIC
is becoming a global force capable of taking
decisions affecting the international community:
"The BRIC format is fully developed, enabling us
not only to coordinate our efforts but also to
take concrete decisions."
Among the issues discussed are the role of the
G20, energy security, climate change & the fight
against terrorism, crime and drug trafficking.
In his meeting with the President of Argentina,
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, before the BRIC
summit, he signs documents for the participation
of the Russian Federation in building a nuclear
power plant in Argentina, the combined use of
the Russian global navigation system GLONASS,
and the supply of icebreakers and helicopters
for the Argentine Antarctic expeditions.
They end their meeting with a joint statement
& a commitment to follow international law.
*************************************************
US & HONDURAS OPEN "JOINT" NAVAL BASE
The US deepens its policy of militarising Latin
America, with a new military base in Honduras,
on the endorsement of the US engineered Cabal
of Porfirio Lobo. The US & Honduras inaugurate
a "naval base" on the border with Nicaragua, with
the stated purpose of fighting drug trafficking.
The US ambassador Hugo Llorens tells guests at
the ceremony that his country has invested two
million dollars in construction, in addition to
donating four vessels and facilitating advisers.
Llorens says the base is multifunctional and has
a new operations centre that increases capacity
for more personnel and a dock for patrol boats.
The base is under the "command" of Naval Forces
assisted by officers from the US Army Southern
Command, an official spokesperson states.
With the Colonel Soto Cano air base in Palmerola,
in the central state of Comayagua, the US has the
capacity to land jets with its extended runway.
Porfirio Lobo Llorens sends Obama, "the thanks
for this magnificent contribution, which is
a big step in fighting drug trafficking."
The state of Gracias a Dios is considered to
be the poorest in Honduras.
Palmerola base is where the deposed popular leader
Zelaya, was driven first, after he was kidnapped
and forced from power, on June 28th, 2009.
*************************************************
IRAN WANTS PEACE - SO IT PURSUES JUSTICE
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is
demanding a UN probe into the presence of
those Western powers in Afghanistan & Iraq.
In a letter to UN chief Ban Ki-moon, Ahmadinejad
accuses the US & NATO of staging military actions
in the two countries on the pretext of fighting terrorism.
"Following the September 11 attacks, and on the
pretext of fighting against terrorist operatives,
more than a million people in our region have
been victimized and several millions more have
been displaced," he says.
"Two members of the UN have been occupied by NATO
& US military forces, and a third country is
susceptible to military aggressions."
Since the presence of American & NATO forces,
"cultivation of an illicit crop has also
multiplied, and the peoples of our region
continue to live under the shadow of threats," he says.
"The current method of combating terrorism, even
if the claims of its proponents are accepted as
true, has obviously failed," Ahmadinejad says.
The Iranian president says he believes that the
settlement of problems in the region "does not
need wide-scale military expeditions or actions."
The Iranian leader is urging the UN secretary-
general to "appoint an independent fact-finding
team which is trusted by the countries of the
region, to launch a comprehensive investigation
into the main intentions of the NATO military
presence in Afghanistan and Iraq, the methods
used, and the outcome of their presence and
engagement, with the results to be presented
to the UN General Assembly."
UN spokesperson Farhan Haq says the secretary-
general has received the letter, which is
"going to be studied."
***********************************************
GEORGE BUSH AND TONY BLAIR ARE GUILTY OF WARCRIMES
Mohammed ElBaradei doesn't mince his words.
In the UK's Guardian he says that those who
launched the war in Iraq are responsible
for killing a million innocent people and
can be held accountable under international law.
He is clearly referring to Bush, Blair, AND
their top military and security aides.
It's his first interview with an international
publication since his return to Egypt & he says:
“I would hope that the lessons of Iraq, both in
London and in the US have started to sink in.
Sure, there are dictators, but are you ready
every time you want to get rid of a dictator
to sacrifice a million innocent civilians?
"All the indications coming out of Chilcot,
are that Iraq was not really about weapons of
mass destruction but rather about regime change,
and I keep asking the same question ― where do
you find this regime change in international law?
And if it is a violation of international law,
who is accountable for that?"
This suggestion that Bush and Blair ARE definitely
guilty of war crimes, coming from a high-ranking
former UN official, is MAJOR NEWS.
The Guardian interview is reported by the main
UK and French news agencies, Reuters and AFP,
but the entire US corporate media gives it
no coverage at all. NOTHING. Not a blip.
Not ONE US newspaper or television network
even refers to it or mentions it.
The US is now a blind aggressive monster.
Shall we follow it as it dreams and screams?
*************************************************
BBC's SLY PROPAGANDA SHOT DOWN
The BBC reports a crash, & it appears fair...
Their Headline is:
Nato aircraft crashes in Afghanistan, killing four
Their report goes on to say:
At least four people have been killed, and
several others injured after a Nato aircraft
crashed in southern Afghanistan, officials say.
The helicopter came down close to Qalat city,
capital of Zabul province. Three US soldiers
were among the dead.
A Taliban spokesman said the aircraft had been
shot down, the AP news agency reported. But Nato
officials say the cause of the crash is unknown.
Taliban spokesman Qari Yusuf Ahmedi told the
Associated Press that militants had shot down
the helicopter near the village of Haiz, 6km (4 miles)
from Qalat, at about midnight (1800 GMT on Thursday).
But Mohammad Jan Rasool Yar, spokesman for the
governor of Zabul, told AFP news agency that
the helicopter "crashed last night due to technical problems."
Fair so far... apart from the use of the PAST tense
throughout, to deaden affect, (except when quoting NATO)
but then they add their spin, by mentioning TWO
"similar crashes" over the last two years ...
as if, by implication, that was all !
Fighters have claimed, and there have certainly
been, many many more than two - most quite recently.
And it WASN'T a helicopter that was destroyed, but
a CV-22 Osprey — the special operations version
of the controversial MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor.
The aircraft, which can take off and land like
a helicopter, then transition to forward flight
like a fixed-wing aircraft, has a long and
controversial development history. But Marines
say they rotated two Osprey squadrons through
Iraq - "without any major incidents"...
Yet Richard Whittle, author of the newly published
The Dream Machine: The Untold History of the
Notorious V-22 Osprey, tells the news service
Danger Room: "No one’s ever claimed the Osprey
is invulnerable, and since the war in Afghanistan
began in 2001, the US has lost more than 300
rotorcraft there and in Iraq, from various causes
in crashes that killed nearly 500 people."
Whittle adds: “If the cause was aerodynamic — if
this Osprey lost its engines for some reason and
was trying to autorotate to a landing, meaning
float down on the cushion of lift even unpowered
rotors can provide — then the critics who warned
that this was a fatal weakness in the Osprey are
going to be able to say ‘I told you so.’"
Each Osprey costs more than 70 million US Dollars.
Somalia's al Shabaab say on Friday they've
taken the BBC off the air for spreading
anti-Muslim and pro-Christian propaganda.
Al Shabaab also say they have confiscated the
BBC's transmission equipment.
"Starting from today all BBC FM stations in the
areas controlled by al Shabaab will be off air
and their equipment will be taken over," the
group says in an emailed statement.
"The BBC is owned by England and it spreads a
colonial and Christian agenda in the Muslim
world. The BBC fights Islam. It is against
the Islamic administration in Somalia."
A Mr J Timmins, BBC Head of International
Relations & Africa Region, says, "We are
disappointed in this interference with our
broadcasts in Somalia as - in the end - it
is the Somali people who are most affected."
"It is essential for the people of Somalia,"
he says, "that the BBC is allowed to continue
to report accurately and impartially (sic)
on the situation in the country without undue
interference from anyone," he says.
Somalis living in al Shabaab territories say
the BBC is now off air on local frequencies.
Al Shabaab governs virtually all of Somalia
leaving the puppet clique backed by the West,
in control of a few streets in Mogadishu.
***********************************************
AL SHABAAB PENETRATE MOGADISHU COMMAND CENTRE
Two vehicle bombs explode within the "secure"
compound of the AU in Mogadishu on Friday,
killing 16, including the AU's deputy commander.
The attackers use two captured UN SUVs. These
allow them to beat security checks at the gate.
The BBC report it like this:
“A security official, who wished to remain anonymous,
said the soldiers at the gate had assumed the vehicles
were on UN business and let them enter the base”.
Clearly the BBC thinks that non-English people
are a bit thick. Their "anonymous" source is
also odd, since many other officials are very
willing to give interviews in their own names !
Reuters say the Somali information minister says
they were fooled "because the drivers spoke English
and could identify themselves as from the UN."
Once inside the compound, one vehicle is detonated
by a petrol tank, while the other appears to have
targeted a meeting of the AU leadership with top
Somali collaborators, suggesting "good intelligence".
Al-Shabaab claim the attack, saying it is payback
for the US' assassination of Saleh Ali Saleh
Nabhan, a top Muslim fighter & ideologue.
After the filthy war, occupation, death squads,
torture, destruction of their economy, deliberate
attempts to foment a sectarian civil war and still
not able to enjoy the civil infrustructure we take
for granted, Iraqis turn out in their hundreds
of thousands to say "Yes" to unity and to an Iraq
free of US occupation troops.
Protests bring both Shia and Sunni Iraqis together
Iraqis hold demonstrations throughout Iraq to
mark the fall of Baghdad in the US-led invasion.
Marchers call for an end to what they say is the
continued occupation of their country by hundreds
of thousands of troops & military contractors.
Supporters of Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr
turn out in massive numbers in Najaf.
Iraqi broadcaster Alsumaria says they wave Iraqi
flags, and trample on US, UK and Israeli flags.
Marchers chant slogans - "yes, yes to unity" &
"Sunni & Shia Muslims, we won't sell this country".
Sheikh Hazem al-Araji tells Sadr supporters
during Friday prayers that the country is
"entering a new era, which has no place for
occupiers and oppressors ... and people who
put in jail those who resisted".
"Those who cling to their posts must not remain,"
he says, a comment apparently aimed at Nouri al-
Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister.
In Baghdad, a protest draws Shia and Sunni Iraqis.
Demonstrators gather in the predominantly Shia
district of Kadhimiya, near the shrine of Imam
Musa al-Kadhim. From there they march east,
across al-Aaimmah bridge, to the predominantly
Sunni neighbourhood of Adhamiya.
The group has Shias and Sunnis unite in prayer
and together call for an end to the presence
of US and other foreign forces in the country.
*************************************************
ISRAEL BOMBING FOOD FACTORIES IN GAZA
Israeli warplanes bombed the Dalloul dairy in
southern Gaza City shortly after midnight last
Thursday and all through Friday night, leaving
the building, all equipment & the distribution
van completely destroyed.
This isn't the 1st Israeli attack on the factory.
"During the January 2009 war on Gaza, Israeli
warplanes hit my factory, inflicting an estimated
loss of half a million dollars. However, my
brothers and I decided to rebuild it, so we
now have a newly-destroyed dairy," the owner,
Mr Dalloul says. He estimates losses from the
latest attack to be at least $100,000.
The Dalloul dairy is located in southern Gaza
City, far away from the Gaza-Israel boundary.
The factory distributed produce all over the city.
"At least 60 family members used to be supported
from the work at this diary. I myself have a
family of nine, including myself and my wife.
My two brothers along with a number of other
workers used to work at this factory, trying
to get by under these harsh circumstances,"
Dalloul patiently explains, despite his loss.
The attack is part of about a dozen air raids
carried out across the Gaza Strip in what Israel
says is a response to rockets fired from Gaza
into nearby Israeli towns.
Palestinian resistance factions say their rocket
fire is a response to constant Israeli attacks.
Ismail Haniyeh, is calling for world intervention
to prevent more destruction. Al-Quds al-Arabi
newspaper reports that on the 5th of April,
all Palestinian factions in Gaza, except Fatah,
which declined to attend, met to discuss a halt
on rocket fire into Israel, while reserving the
fundamental right to self-defense.
"I cannot imagine what my factory has to do
with the ongoing situation," Dalloul says.
"Can you see a homemade rocket? Can you see
a single bullet? Can you see a gun? Why did
they attack my dairy?"
Since June 2007 - when Israel tightened its
blockade - Gaza's economy has been smashed.
Poverty among the 1.5 million residents is at
unprecedented levels with over 80% dependent on
food aid provided by UNRWA, the UN agency for
Palestine refugees. Although Israel erratically
opens border crossings for the import of food
and other basic necessities, only a fraction
of the people's requirements get in.
Mustafa al-Qayed, resident, expresses resentment:
"The destroyed factory used to provide our
neighborhood with milk and cheese daily."
He says prices of locally-made products were
much lower than the Israeli products that
are occasionally "allowed" into Gaza.
According to economic assessments in Gaza,
95% of Gaza's local industrial facilities
have been forced to shut down because of
the closure of Gaza's commercial crossings.
The closing of these facilities has made more
than 70,000 Gaza laborers jobless. Dalloul's
dairy, along with workshops Israel also destroyed
in the latest attacks, were vital to Gaza's economy.
During its last war on Gaza, Israel destroyed
the al-Badr flour mill - the only functioning
one - and the Sawafiry chicken farm, which
supplied almost all of the territory's eggs.
The UN-commissioned Goldstone report found that
the attacks on Gaza's water, food & agricultural
infrastructure, appear as part of a deliberate
pattern and constitute violations of the right
to food, adding to the Zionist regime's other
war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Manufacturers like Dalloul refuse to give in.
"The same way we rebuilt our factory that was
bombed during the war, we are determined to
rebuild this one," Mutassim Dalloul says.
"We are determined with a great deal of hope
to resume our production, to say to our enemy
that whatever you do will never make us succumb."
*************************************************
GAZA STRIP SHUT DOWN & IN DARKNESS
After two days of total blackouts for at least
half of the Gaza Strip when fuel supplies ran
out, the latest limited supply of industrial diesel
and domestic-use gas is expected to permit
limited functioning of the Gaza Power Plant.
Even in a best-case scenario, however, rolling
blackouts will continue 8-12 hours a day, as
they have over the past months and weeks,
according to reports from the UN Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The power plant shutdown is the second in 2010,
with plant officials shutting down two of the
four generators at the start of February,
and shut completely by the 13th.
The Gaza Strip is still under siege, in a week
of "limited" fuel imports.
Vice-President of the Palestinian Energy Authority Kanaan Ubeid:
"Supply has reduced from 2,200 units per day to 750,
and this is not enough to run even one generator on," Ubeid says.
Shortages have plagued the power plant since December,
when EU officials handed over responsibility
for fuel transfers to the Palestinian Authority,
reportedly at the PA request, so EU aid could be
channeled into their civil servant salaries.
Since the transfer, and corresponding closure
of the main fuel transfer terminal at Nahal Oz,
Ubeid says, imports have fallen by 50%.
Records from the UN Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs show imports for the last
week of March represent only 46% of the weekly
amount of fuel required for the power plant’s
full operation. However, fuel imports have been
below-need since the siege on Gaza began in 2007.
Ubeid blameds the Ramallah government for the shortages.
In earlier reports, Ramallah officials have said
that "funds are tight", and suggested that Gaza
power officials should start collecting the
$6 billion of unpaid electicity bills of Strip
residents, where 7o% plus, are now unemployed.
The Kyrgyz president is now Roza Otunbayeva,
the country's former foreign minister and
leader of the Social Democratic faction.
Most of the opposition leaders who were detained
by the government have been released.
Analysts say that after it seized power through
a "colour revolution," the current government
failed to properly address economic and
livelihood issues. With rampant corruption and
nepotism, public discontent was growing.
Late last year, the government decided to
double electricity and heating fees, and sharply
raise water prices, which led to strong public dissatisfaction.
On March 10th, demonstrators held massive rallies
in Naryn, asking the government to withdraw its
decision on price increases & large-scale privatization.
On March 17th, the opposition decided to hold
rallies across the country, demanding
implementation of economic & political reform.
External factors also played a role in the change
as the government's growing relations with the West
caused concern & dissatisfaction in the opposition.
On Dec. 3rd last year, France announced that it
would open an embassy in Kyrgyzstan. On Feb. 10th
this year, the EU opened an embassy in Bishkek.
The US recently decided to allocate $5.5 million
for the construction of a counter-terrorism
training centre in Kyrgyzstan.
One of the issues raised is that the US must
withdraw troops from the country's Manas air base.
The armed forces are in agreement with the new
government that they form an interim administration
for six months while elections are organised.
Putin is offering the new government Russian aid.
************************************************
2 US SOLDIERS ADMITTED DEAD BY ENEMY FIRE IN IRAQ
Two US occupation soldiers are killed and five
other US troops wounded during combat operations
in northern Iraq, the US military says.
The deaths occur during a patrol, the US army
statement says, adding that the five injured
soldiers are being treated in hospital.
In total, 4,389 American troops have been admitted
killed since the beginning of the US-led invasion
of Iraq in 2003, according to an AFP tally based
on the independent website www.icasualties.org.
+++++++++
BLACK US MUSLIM IMAM KILLED TREATED "WORSE THAN A DOG"
A Muslim civil rights group releases crime scene
photos of the body of a US mosque leader who is
shot 20 times during an FBI raid — images the
group's director says suggest the imam had to
defend himself against a vicious dog attack
before he was killed.
FBI agents murdered Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah
during a raid on a warehouse in Dearborn, a
Detroit suburb. The FBI say Abdullah resisted
arrest and fired a gun, prompting agents to
fire on him. An FBI dog was killed in the raid.
Dawud Walid, head of the Council on American-
Islamic Relations' Michigan chapter, says photos
show Abdullah sustained facial wounds which he
believes were caused by the dog. He says large
wounds are shown on Abdullah's head, indicating
that they were inflicted while he was struggling.
"It appears to be obvious that the dog wasn't
scraping on him or chewing on him when he was
dead," says Walid, whose group is conducting
its own investigation and has sent the autopsy
report and all 75 photos to an outside expert.
"We don't know if he had a weapon or not, but
most people, if they're being mauled by a dog
and they have a gun, they're not going to think
about whether they're going to be shot," Walid
says. "Their imminent threat would be the dog."
AP has chosen not to distribute the photos
due to their "graphic nature".
US authorities are still "investigating" and
will not talk about what happened on the raid.
An FBI spokesperson, Sandra Berchtold, says the
bureau will not comment until investigations
are completed. Dearborn police Chief Ronald Haddad
says his department's investigation will take
"several more weeks". City spokesperson Mary
Laundroche says Haddad is on vacation.
Walid says CAIR was denied its request for video
surveillance footage of the clash or the results
of the examination of the dog's body. He says
CAIR has sent the photos & an autopsy report to
noted Pennsylvania pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht,
who conducted autopsies of Elvis Presley & child
beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey.
Abdullah was the imam of a mosque in Detroit
that served mostly black Muslims. The raid
was part of an FBI investigation of Abdullah
and 11 associates for various allegations,
one of them "conspiracy to sell stolen goods".
All were arrested without incident, yet Abdullah
was mauled by a police dog & killed, apparently,
but will the truth come out?
The FBI accuse Abdullah of calling for an Islamic
state in the US. His family & supporters deny this
& say the shooting is an act of brutality towards
a black Muslim. The government has no terrorism-
related charges against anyone in the case.
Walid says Michigan's Muslim communities are
raising concerns about preferential treatment
shown for the dog, which was airlifted for medical
care and given a memorial service.
Wherever he speaks, Walid says, "there's at least
one person who says that they treated a man like
a dog ...and a dog like a man."
"Technically, that dog may have been a law
enforcement officer, but that dog wasn't a
human being who swore an oath to uphold the
Constitution of the US," Walid says. "It really
has offended a lot of people's sensibilities."
*************************************************
USUK TO START 3RD WORLD WAR SOON?
Hundreds of US “bunker-buster” bombs are being
shipped from California to the UK's stolen
island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean
in preparation for a possible attack on Iran.
The Sunday Herald says the US government signed
a contract in January to transport 10 ammunition
containers to the island. According to a cargo
manifest from the US navy, this includes 387
“Blu” bombs for blasting hardened underground structures.
Although Diego Garcia is supposed to be part of
the UK Indian Ocean Territory, it is used solely
by the US as a military base under an "agreement"
made in 1971. Two thousand protesting native
islanders were forcibly evicted as a result,
to the Seychelles and Mauritius.
Contract details for the shipment to Diego Garcia
were posted on an international tenders’ website
by the US navy, so this might be a "scare story".
But what if it isn't? Please contact your elected
representatives today and ask them what the Heck
is going on, before it's too late !!?!!
“They are gearing up totally for the destruction
of Iran,” says Dan Plesch, director of the Centre
for International Studies and Diplomacy at the
University of London, co-author of a recent study
on US preparations for an attack on Iran.
“US bombers are ready today to destroy
10,000 targets in Iran in a few hours,” he adds.
The preparations are organised by the US military,
but it's up to Obama to make the final decision.
“The US is not publicising the scale of these
preparations to deter Iran, tending to make
confrontation more likely,” says Plesch “The
US is using its forces as part of an overall
strategy of shaping Iran’s actions.”
Ian Davis, director of new independent thinktank,
Nato Watch, the shipment is a major concern.
“We would urge the US to clarify its intentions
for these weapons, and the UK Foreign Office to
clarify its attitude to the use of Diego Garcia
for an attack on Iran,” he says.
Alan Mackinnon, chair of Scottish CND, says the
news report is “extremely worrying”:
“It is clear that the US government continues to
beat the drums of war over Iran, most recently
in the statements of Sec of State, Hillary Clinton.
“It is depressingly similar to the rhetoric
we heard prior to the war in Iraq in 2003.”
The UK's MoD has said in the past that the US
government would need permission to use Diego
Garcia for offensive action. It has already
been used for strikes against Iraq during the
1991 and 2003 Gulf wars.
About 50 UK military staff are now on the island,
with more than 3,200 US personnel. Part of the
Chagos Archipelago, it lies about 1,000 miles
from the southern coasts of India and Sri Lanka.
The US's DoD does not respond to any requests
for a comment, so it's up to you.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DISCONNECTED FROM REALITY
As Israel distributes gas & biological weapon
masks to its entire population, a spokesperson
says it is "unrelated" to current events!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
'UP YOURS, COWBOY', SAYS AHMADINEJAD
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says that
Barack Obama is speaking with the "language of
bombs and bullets", as a top Iranian general
warns that no US soldier will return alive to
his country, if the US attacks the Islamic
republic, the Fars news agency reports.
"If the US takes action against Iran,
then the threats against it will become
a thousand times more, its economic problems
will increase and it will lose more markets,"
the agency quotes General Firouzabadi as saying.
"And none of the US soldiers in the region
will go back to America alive."
The general calls Obama a compassionate man,
but says that "he is unable to act."
"He is a black from an underprivileged social
stratum with an east Asian background and has
compassion towards humanity in his heart, but
he is stranded in the terrifying US apparatus
and is not able to do anything," he charges.
The Iranian president says the US obviously talks
like cowboys in old films, because as they see
anyone opposing them, they immediately start
talking the language of bullets & bombs, saying:
"They have killed more than 300,000 people
in Afghanistan & Iraq."
His comments come as Obama reveals Washington's
new nuclear policy. The US now openly states that
it will use nuclear weapons on non-nuclear states,
if they oppose US ambitions - or, as Obama puts it
- they are "outliers". Iran's President warns:
"I hope these published comments are not true… he
has threatened with nuclear and chemical weapons
those nations which do not submit to the greed
of the United States."
"Be careful. If you set step on Mr Bush's path,
the nations' response will be the same tooth-
breaking one they gave Bush."
President Ahmadinejad also says that he won't beg
the world powers not to hit the Islamic republic
with another set of United Nations sanctions.
"When the enemy says 'we want to impose sanctions
on you' we should say - 'go ahead and do it.'
Of course we don't like sanctions, but when
they talk about it we won't beg them" he says,
and is quoted by the Mehr news agency.
Israeli police have arrested six men suspected
of being involved in an organ trafficking ring,
the Israeli daily Haaretz reports.
Among the suspects are an Israeli army reserve
brigadier-general & 2 lawyers, says the report.
Police say that during the investigation, they
uncovered a large, very well-organized industry
of organ trafficking, the newspaper reports.
The ring reportedly includes organ traffickers,
agents, and lawyers.
"The ring is operating throughout Israel, not just
in the north & appeals to the public through both
local media & the internet," a police official
tells the newspaper. "The organ traffickers somehow
receive details about potential transplant candidates
and then offer them their services."
************************************************
OKINAWA MAYORS WANT US BASE OUT OF JAPAN
Okinawa mayors are calling for the immediate
closure of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma
and for moving the air base outside Japan.
“It is significant that all 11 mayors united
to express the voice of the people of Okinawa,”
Naha Mayor Takeshi Onaga says.
The mayors are delivering their resolution to Tokyo
before the main anti-base rally on April the 25th,
on Okinawa, he says.
In March, the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly
unanimously passed a similar resolution.
Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima is also
vocal in his opposition to the US bases,
which are notorious for repeated rapes,
assaults & other crimes - almost never
punished. The latest horror was the gang-
rape of an under age civilian girl outside
the base. Okinawans say they've had enough.
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama’s left-centre
government campaigned on a promise to review
the 2006 U.S.-Japan bilateral agreement that
called for shifting the Marine Corps air assets
to Camp Schwab on Okinawa’s Henoko Peninsula.
Hatoyama may have missed his own recent deadline
to select an alternate site, but he continues
to work toward an end-of-May deadline to reach
a new agreement with the US on their bases.
************************************************
US -BACKED COLUMBIAN MILITARY BOMBS INDIAN RESERVATIONS
Brigade 17 of the Army & the Colombian Air Force
bombed the Indian community Reservation of
Alto Guayabal Urad Jiguamiandó, on January 30th.
Several Indians were badly wounded as a result
of this attack and a newborn Indian baby died.
The bombing was designed to displace the indians
& blacks, for the Northern Mandé mining project.
For gold, copper and a mineral called molybdenum,
the US - backed Uribe government has given the
Muriel Mining Co., Anglo Gold Ashanti & Glencore
all possible concessions and given them power
over an area of 16,000 hectares.
These collective lands are owned by the black
communities of Jiguamiandó and the native Indian
reservations of Urada-Murindó Jiguamiandó plus
the Embera-Katio ancestral territories.
These settled communities oppose the development,
which is why the Colombian government, violating
all domestic and constitutional principles,
international standards and human rights, has
ordered a militarization of the territories &
the bombing & burning of the Tambo (Indian dwellings).
Brigade 15 of the Colombian National Army has
already invaded the indigenous reservation in
the Urada Rica Area, where the military burned
catch pan plantings and fruit trees, building
helipads that are used by the concessionaire
for the transportation of its employees.
Three hectares of forest have been cleared by
the company, Muriel Mining, smashing the sacred
cemetery located in the Rica area.
On May 4th, 2000, three members of the community
of high guava disappeared. Missing are: Rubiano
Reguina, 65, bariquin Pablo Emilio Domico, 45,
and Domico Blancaina, aged 16 years.
In the same operation eight Indian drums were
burned, and food, holy vessels & livestock were
stolen. On June 22nd, in 2007, the indigenous
community was bombed. On February 8th, 2008,
the cemetery of the indigenous communities and
Coredo Island was bombed.
In La Rica one company and the military built
huts and camps in which they remain. They have
installed "safety devices" and now say that the
indigenous land owners cannot "trespass" on it.
The soldiers provide security for the mine owner
multinationals, ignoring the ancestral rights of
indigenous and black Colombians and putting at
risk the rights & lives of these communities.
Terrified by the situation and the serious threat
hanging over them, Embera Katío make an urgent appeal
asking for national and international support
to end the militarization of their territories
and prevent forced displacement.
Please visit the web page following this article,
where you will find a sample letter that can be
sent automatically to the Colombian authorities,
which reflects the requirements of the Embera Katío.
ISRAELIS "BRUTALLY ASSAULT CHRISTIANS" IN JERUSALEM
As Palestinian Christians from the West Bank,
Gaza Strip and Israel arrive in occupied East
Jerusalem to celebrate Holy Fire last Saturday,
they are forced back by thousands of Israeli police.
Young men break through one police barricade
preventing them from accessing the Church of
the Holy Sepulcher, as disquiet over entry
policies is reported throughout the ancient
district, including the Christian Quarter
and around the Roman Orthodox convent.
Injuries are reported among worshipers.
The Roman Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III of
Jerusalem says that "all of the people have
the right to access their holy site without
harassment, to practice their traditions that
have been performed for hundreds of years
without any obstacles."
"The Jerusalem Patriarchate announces its total
rejection of all procedures that prevented followers
and those of other denominations from reaching
the holy Church of Sepulcher during Good Friday
and Holy Fire Saturday," he says.
The patriarch adds that the orthodox church has
worked to secure the access of worshipers to
the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, "yet Israeli
forces, particularly some deployed near the
Christian area, have prevented many worshipers
from reaching the church."
A convoy of buses of Palestinian Christians
from the "Green Line" arrive at the Old City
to participate in religious services, with
the trip organized by the National Coalition
in the Holy Land and headed by Demetri Diliani.
Diliani tells worshipers that "as we are
celebrating the most religious & traditionally
significant Christian holiday, we are repeatedly
being subject to Israeli violations of our God-
given right to freedom of worship."
Palestinian worshipers are now being banned by
Israeli police from either entering Jerusalem
or reaching the centre of the Sepulcher Church,
Diliani says, adding that Christian worshipers
are being replaced by thousands of armed Israeli
soldiers and police who "brutally assaulted tens
of Christian worshipers during ceremonies,"
a statement reads.
"Israeli restrictions on our freedom of worship
constitute a deliberate form of religious persecution.
This persecution is ideologically driven
as evident by the discriminatory practices
executed by consecutive governments of Israel
against Christians and Muslims in the occupied
Palestinian territories, especially in East
Jerusalem," Diliani says.
The coalition head warns that repeated assaults
against worshipers can only lead to more unrest
in Jerusalem. "It is sadly ironic that Israel
still gets away with it's superficial claims
to democracy at a time it rules 3.5 million
Christian and Muslim Palestinians against
their will and systematically infringes our
human, national and religious rights,"
the statement adds.
Diliani praises the public position of Churches
in the Holy Land, which reject unwarranted
interference in religious affairs, and condemn
assaults on worshipers by Israeli police during
Holy Fire celebrations and Easter Sunday.
An Israeli police spokesperson does not
immediately return calls seeking a comment.
Palestinians are required to obtain permission
from Israel to enter Jerusalem for religious
services, family or medical visits, or, for that
matter, for any other purposes.
************************************************
OBAMA GIVING THE OK TO ANOTHER GAZA WAR
Ahmad Bahar, deputy speaker of the Palestinian
Legislative Council, says the US stance urging
Israel and Hamas to end escalating violence
is biased toward Israel.
"The US's position with Israel and Hamas,
places them on an equal footing, putting
criminal and victim in the same category,
which is biased toward the Israeli occupation
and in complete disregard of both Arab and
Muslim reasoning," Bahar says in a statement.
Bahar adds that the US is promoting Israeli
incitements in Gaza, "which give Israel the
green light to target Hamas and strike Gaza.
... The US administration is trying to cover up
the reality of Israeli crimes committed against
the Palestinian people and is working to justify
it - by all means."
************************************************
OLD COLONIAL POWER IGNORES UN RESOLUTIONS
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez
condemns Britain for keeping the Malvinas
Islands as colonies in the 21st century.
"Malvinas is a boil that must be healed & erased,"
Fernandez says, demanding action from other states
to pressure the UK to agree to negotiate on the
territorial sovereignty of the Malvinas Islands,
(known as the Falkland Islands in the UK).
"With intelligence and perseverance we must work
on all fronts and in all international forums
to expose the injustice & incoherence of a country
that says it wants to live in peace & respect borders,
yet has a seat on the UN Security Council
& does not respect UN resolutions," Fernandez says.
"To pretend to sovereignty 14,000 kilometers away
is not sustainable historically, judicially or
geographically, but above all, it is not sustainable
with common sense. It is not an exercise in
sovereignty, but an act of colonialism,
perhaps the last one," the president says.
"It is not possible to demand that weak countries
fulfil UN resolutions in all aspects, while a
stronger one systematically violates them, &
has done so since 1965," she says.
Fernandez also says that UK allegations about
Argentina launching a military raid to recover
the Malvinas Islands are "ridiculous" and she
describes these as "old intelligence" from
"an old colonialist power."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
US PILOTS ON PROZAC NOW "FIT TO FLY" SAYS US !!!
From this Monday, US pilots on anti-depression
drugs will legally be allowed to fly you to
any destination.
The bog mindles !!!
************************************************
HEZBOLLAH LEADER: ISRAEL HAS NO FUTURE.
Sayyed Nasrallah, the respected leader of Hezbollah
says Israel as a Zionist entity has no future
because it is relying on two options which are
now crumbling: the US as a sole superpower, and
a "settlement" policy which is being revealed
to the whole world as terrorism and theft.
He is honest about Israeli policy on Jerusalem:
"We are used to being frank with the people
even if it is painful. People and governments
should have no delusions about the future of
Jerusalem. The Israelis may dispute over Gaza
and Golan, but Israel is resolved to establish
the Jewish state with Jerusalem as its eternal
capital. We’ve heard Netanyahu’s challenging
speech in Washington and in the AIPAC conference.
He says that settlement building will continue
in Jerusalem. This means that settlements in the
West Bank can be seen as a delusionary tactic.
"Jerusalem is the determining matter for Israel
and the Israeli plot is to make it a Jewish city
by gradually forcing Palestinians and Arabs out.
"I believe that the Israeli scheme is to destroy
the Al-Aqsa mosque and they are seeking the right
opportunity. How will they destroy it, and in
what way? If the excavations continue underneath
it, we’ll see the mosque tumble down one day
& we’ll hear Israel denying any responsibility.
"This is where they want to get to, and this
is what we have to open our eyes to.
We have to know that things will go this far
if things are left as they are today.
He says that the "International community's"
promises can not be relied upon - ONLY resistance:
"I know that in the wake of the Gaza war, a great
conference was held in Egypt’s Sharm El-Sheikh
where donations were made to reconstruct Gaza.
"What has happened to Gaza? They don’t let
anything into it, not even raw materials.
Will these donations reconstruct the demolished
homes in Jerusalem? Where will this money be spent?
"Resistance has led to many accomplishments
in terms of gaining back the initiative
and the balance of deterrence. It has put
the entire Zionist plot in jeopardy.
This is what resistance has accomplished
at a time when settlements give the Zionists
the time they need to execute their scheme.
"Whether we say Obama agrees or he disagrees,
(with the settlements) the result is the same.
Either he wants to, but he’s incapable,
or he doesn’t want to. The US hasn't taken
concrete steps to stop settlement building
even in the West Bank. The more anyone bets
on the US, the more they will reap failure."
Nazrallah's message to the Palestinians is this:
"The Palestinians have proven to be an
exceptional people with exceptional powers
of endurance, patience, and steadfastness.
"I urge the Palestinians not to let despair
conquer them. The status-quo in the region
will change. The options, clarity, the vision,
and the level of consciousness and awareness,
the reliable choice of resistance, and the
weakness of the settlement option are all unfolding.
"I say that Israel doesn’t have a future in our
region. Even those buildings they are erecting
in Jerusalem to Judaize the city;- there will
come a day when its real owners will reside in them.
"I call for re-adopting the choice of resistance.
If the Palestinian Intifada had continued,
it would have put the Israeli scheme and all
of the Israeli entity on the verge of collapse;
it was an abandoned Intifada.
"We should go back to the real choice of
resistance in Palestine. Supporting this choice,
by all resistance factions and resisting states,
is the only way to save Palestine and Al-Quds.
"Of course Hezbollah back them & we are their partners
in struggle, resistance, sacrifice & martyrdom."
The US embassy in Nigeria says it is raising
its security alert status because of
"continuing worldwide terrorist threats against US citizens."
"Due to continuing worldwide terrorist threats
against US citizens, US government facilities,
& US interests, the US Mission (sic) in Nigeria,
which includes the US Embassy in Abuja and the
US Consulate General in Lagos, has increased
its alert status," the notice says.
8 8 8
A crew member is missing and three others are
now rescued as a US Navy radar plane supporting
Afghanistan aggression plunges into the sea,
near Iran, the US Fifth Fleet says.
The E-2C Hawkeye aircraft "was returning from
conducting operations in support of Operation
Enduring Freedom" when it malfunctioned, the
Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet says in a statement.
The "crash" is under investigation.
The E-2C Hawkeye is used to provide "all-weather
airborne early warnings, battle management and
command and control functions." It is also used
for "ground surveillance, strike coordination
and communications relay."
According to the US Navy website, an E-2C
costs over 80 million dollars.
Hawkeye aircraft provided command & control
support during the 1991 Gulf War, for late-
1990s NATO operations over the former Yugoslavia,
& "critical" support for US aggression in Afghanistan & Iraq.
8 8 8
120,000 inhabitants of 73 Jewish settlements are
being left outside the barrier that now seals off
the West Bank from Israel.
Alarmed by Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip,
a growing number of these settlers know they will
have to leave their homes sooner or later.
And now, constant security concerns & worsening
economic prospects make waiting for peace,
an extremely unattractive prospect.
"In these places, the people know that there is no hope
and there is no future. They understand that,
at the end of the day, Israel will not keep
these places," says Avshalom Vilan, from the
leftwing Meretz party.
Mr Raz estimates that at least two-thirds of the
settlers east of the barrier - 80,000 people -
are eager to leave. His assessment is based on
a poll conducted by One Home, the campaign group.
Observers of the settler movement say that
Jewish inhabitants of the West Bank fall into
three groups: ideological settlers, economic
settlers and ultra-orthodox religious settlers.
Analysts believe that most in the latter two
categories could be brought back to Israel
with a decent promise of equivalent housing.
"If you leave an envelope outside every front
door with the keys to a house in Israel, most
of these places will be deserted overnight,"
says Akiva Eldar, an Israeli journalist and
author of a book on the settlement "enterprise".
8 8 8
A Pakistani court opens the trial of five US citizens
charged with terrorism and plotting attacks,
which could see them jailed for life, lawyers say.
The five men aged 19 to 25 deny the charges.
8 8 8
Among the long and expensive list of materials
that the US military has had to ship to Iraq
since 2003 & is now shipping out again, is sand.
8 8 8
People in New York say the presence of police
officers with machine guns through the city's
subway tunnels is an unnecessary response to
the subway bombings in Moscow.
"I think it's ridiculous," Torey Deprisest, a
tourist from Ohio, tells the New York Post.
"The attack happened in a different country
and had nothing to do with Americans.
I'd be nervous seeing cops with machine guns
on the train. It makes people afraid
when they don't need to be."
Queens resident Holly Celentang describes
the police response as excessive.
"...you have families with young kids on the subway,
and I'm sure cops with machine guns would scare them.
I feel there should have been a bit more
of a thought process before they did this."
"By the time most people awoke to news of
yesterday's twin terror blasts that killed
dozens, the NYPD had flooded city subways
with extra cops," says the New York Daily News.
"Officers with bomb-sniffing dogs swept train
cars, and cops set up tables near turnstiles
to do random bag checks."
8 8 8
Federal judge Vaughn Walker rules now that the
Bush administration’s warrantless surveillance
program was illegal. He says plainly that the
Bush Administration was "a criminal conspiracy".
8 8 8
ElBaradei, the former IAEA chief slams US and
Western support for tyrants, and calls for a
better policy based on dialogue & intelligence.
US policy in the Middle East is a 'total failure'
& is creating a new generation of radicals, he says.
"Western policy towards this part of the world
has been a total failure, in my view. It has not
been based on dialogue, understanding, supporting
civil society and empowering people, but rather
it's been based on supporting authoritarian
systems as long as the oil keeps pumping."
"People feel repressed by their own governments,
they feel unfairly treated by the outside world.
They wake up in the morning & what do they see?
They see people being shot & killed, all Muslims,
from Afghanistan, Iraq & Somalia, to the Sudan.
"If you bet on individuals, instead of the people,
you are going to fail. And western policy so far
has been to bet on individuals, individuals who
are not supported by their people and who are
being discredited every day. The policy should
be: 'We care about you, we care about your
welfare, we care about your human rights.'"
*************************************************
ISRAEL STOLE "THOUSANDS" OF PASSPORTS,
INCLUDING TOP DEFENCE & SECURITY OFFICERS.
The UK believes thousands of its passports have
been copied by airline staff working for the
Israeli intelligence agency Mossad.
News of the World reports that MI6 believe
UK citizens flying to Israel have been targeted
for months and their documents cloned.
The UK Foreign Office has held top-level talks
on whether to issue a warning against flying
with "certain airlines", the report says.
Police officials reportedly believe documents
were also copied during searches at a September
terrorism conference in Israel.
"It was said to be routine, but the searches
did not apply to all nations," one of the
participants is quoted as saying. "There is now
a real concern that some of these high-ranking
officers & officials have also had documents cloned."
The UK was forced to expel an Israeli diplomat;-
Mossad's top agent operating in the country.
Two IDF soldiers are killed on Friday as they
confront Palestinians laying explosive charges
against the "separation" wall, or so the Israelis
say. Hamas says the troops were in Gaza's land
and the fighters acted defensively. A tank fires
and two fighters are killed outright. Then Israel
invades further into Gaza with more tanks.
According to the Israeli press, Obama is asking
two questions to Netanyahu, which are just as deadly.
The first question: "To what extent are you
ready to divide Jerusalem?” The second question:
"In what timeframe do you want to accomplish the
process of reconciliation with the Palestinians?”
The Israeli leader has returned to the Israeli
Embassy in Washington for "consultations", on
how to answer these questions.
If he answers that he won't divide Jerusalem
and doesn't want to reconcile with Palestinians,
he will expose Israel to sanctions by the Quartet
and the whole international community.
If he says he is willing to partition Jerusalem, his government will fail.
Tzipi Livni says she is ready to replace the right
wing extremists in Netanyahu's government, if they
resign as a result. Interesting.
*************************************************
EEC COMPLICIT IN GAZA ATROCITY SAYS RUSSELL TRIBUNAL
In early March, the tribunal created by the
philosopher Bertrand Russell (of Welsh origin)
and named after him, met in Barcelona.
It was originally constituted to judge the war
crimes committed in Vietnam, and subsequently
in Latin America, where US-backed death squads
roamed at will. The EEC didn't object much then,
because every EEC banker knows that killing
Trade Unionists increases profits nicely.
This time, the Russell Tribunal has issued a
ruling on the European Union itself, finding
it guilty of failing to influence Israel,
in order to prevent it launching Operation Cast
Lead which, from December 2008 to January 2009,
caused the deaths of 1,412 Palestinians and
destroyed the scant infrastructure of the Gaza Strip.
The testimony of Belgian Euro Deputy Véronique
de Keyser, member of the Flemish Socialist
Party, revealed in those sessions that the
European Commission knew beforehand about
the plan to bombard Gaza, because ex Israeli
foreign minister Tzipi Livni had personally
communicated Tel Aviv’s military intentions
during a meeting with the EU Foreign Affairs
Commission. That body, far from trying to
stop the military operation, agreed to
strengthen its ties with Israel!
For that reason, the court considers the EU
to be complicit in the massacre.
The 1st international session of the Russell
Tribunal on Palestine has ended in Barcelona.
It covered the Palestinians' right to self determination
and the global responsibility for ending Israeli
crimes against Palestinian civilians.
The participants at the three-day event conclude
that the EU is complicit in aiding and abetting
Israelis to carry out their horrendous crimes.
They point out that Israel is clearly guilty of
major crimes while pursuing expansive aggression
and call on EU member states — especially France,
Germany and Romania — to stop selling weapons to
Israel. They also demand a ban on the import of
Israeli products made in occupied territories.
The Tribunal involves 4 sessions. The remaining
sessions are in London, South Africa & Washington.
Those in London will examine the involvement
of corporations in Israel's violations of
international law. Those in South Africa are to
consider apartheid in Israel, and finally, the
US sessions next year will evaluate the decision-
making processes used to deal with violations of
international law, and reappraise UN actions.
*************************************************
IF YOU WANT TO STOP THE 3RD WORLD WAR
The conditions for a 3rd World War are now in place.
Armaments have flooded in to those areas where
the conflict between the West - rich, selfish
and owning a class of corrupt politicians -
and the majority of nations which are struggling
to keep a sense of community, is most sharp.
We see Muslim nations barely able to stop wars
deemed illegal after the resource wars of the
last Century, and an unheard of level of
corruption in Western politics.
Last week came word of a major scandal from the
UK's Daily Mail. In the three years since he
stepped down as prime minister, Blair took more
than $30 million in oil revenues from a South
Korean oil consortium, UI Energy Corporation.
Despite his efforts to keep the connection
to UI secret, word is spreading in the U.K.
Why would anyone care? Mr. Blair is the West's
bought & paid for envoy to the Middle East.
Stopping the coming 3rd World War, depends on YOU,
the public, bringing the level of corruption
that Blair so obviously represents, to an end.
Many of the top leaders of NATO are "employed"
by greedy oil companies & arms manufacturers
who profit from wars and groan for resources from
countries which will not willingly give up their
communities' assets for the usual bribes or threats.
Do you honestly believe that an unreformed political
leadership which rejoices in millions of dollars
at the expense of millions of innocent lives,
is capable or willing to stop the coming Hell?
Currently, the West (NATO) is illegally occupying
Afghanistan & Iraq, illegally bombing Somalia and
the Sudan, and threatening Iran with obliteration.
To threaten another country like this, is itself
illegal. Yet our political "leaders" do it !!!
Why? Because they're bought and paid for.
Pakistan is now being illegally attacked with drones,
and can no longer feed or power its own people.
Why? Because Pakistan is pivotal in the mad West's
desperate attempts to stop China's rise.
The Chinese will be the world's top economy
in 25 years or less - unless the West acts rashly.
The level of armaments being fed into a world
in desperate need of peace and co-operation is
not sustainable. Get involved ! Join your local
political parties and tell them - you want to
see your leaders subject to moral & legal discipline.
It's time to bring the circus in the West to a
quick full stop. Bring these criminals to court!
End the corrupt leadership in our politics.
The next war will have no winners.
And it's already started, thanks to
monsters like Bush and Blair.
And MPs who fiddle expenses and are obviously
open to being bribed and corrupted, WILL NOT
resign voluntarily... we need to act, and soon.
*************************************************
BLACKOUTS & DEATH FOR PAKISTAN
What benefits does Pakistan gain from being
subservient to the US? Pakistani warplane
attacks on the Orakzai Agency include a mosque,
a school & a pacifist religious seminary, killing 61.
Officials say all 61 are “suspected militants,”
but locals say many - if not most - are innocent civilians.
Most casualties occur when planes bomb Tableeghi
Markaz, a seminary belonging to the pacifist
missionary group Tableeghi Jamaat (Society for
Spreading Faith). Pakistani officials said they
had reports that Taliban commanders may have
been at or near the seminary, but cannot confirm
if any at all were actually killed.
48 people are officially killed in the Markaz,
and dozens wounded. The numbers are likely to
be much higher, as the seminary is said to have
been full at the time of the attack.
The two other attacks hit a mosque and a school,
killing 13 others.
*************************************************
WESTERN PRESSURE ON PAKISTAN "NOT VALID"
There is "no valid reason" why the Pakistani
government should not purchase gas or electricity
from Iran - especially at a time when the whole
country is suffering blackouts - Senator
Professor Khurshid Ahmed says.
He says "US pressure" is the main reason behind
the hesitation to solve Pakistan's problems.
He says the US lobby that is working against
the interests of Iran, is also creating hurdles
for both the Iran-Pakistan Pipeline Project
and the provision of electricity from Iran.
We're all familiar with the Qoran being selectively
quoted as revealing Muslim prejudice, yet few
understand the horror of the Zionists' vision.
In their religious writings - The Torah - non-jews
are described as beasts in human form, fit only to
serve the chosen race.
Yet now the UK kicks out Mossad's spy chief,
and the Quartet, UN Chief Ban Ki Moon, the Arab League
the EU, the Islamic Conference & all the world's countries,
including the current US administration, call
for building in occupied East Jerusalem to stop.
The UN Human Rights Council votes to condemn
Israeli settlement building in the Occupied
Territories including East Jerusalem, & they
shrug off the usual lone US opposition.
The US is the only state in the 47 member council
to vote against the resolution.
All the other member states, including several
European countries, support the resolution, which
"condemns the new Israeli announcement on the
construction of 1,600 new housing units for new
settlers in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood
of Ramat Shlomo."
The resolution deplores recent Israeli announcements
of housing construction for settlers in and
around East Jerusalem, warning that
"they undermine the peace process" and urges
Israel to halt and reverse overall settlement expansion.
Despite its stance in the UN Human Rights council,
the US is also supposedly demanding a freeze
in settlement construction, leading to a frosty
standoff with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu says peace efforts will be held up
by what he calls "unreasonable" demands for
a freeze on new settlers homes in east Jerusalem
and the West Bank.
Obama is asking Netanyahu to take steps to build
"confidence" in the peace process in "honest and
straightforward" talks, the White House says.
Saudi Arabia says Israel's arrogant policies
in Jerusalem are challenging the world and
denying the rights of Arabs and Muslims
in the holy city.
A Saudi government statement criticizes Netanyahu
for saying in Washington that his government
will not stop construction in Jerusalem, and
for calling it the capital of Israel.
The statement says Netanyahu's comments deny
the rights of Palestinians & Muslims in Jerusalem
& ignore international efforts to relaunch peace talks.
The kingdom asks the Quartet - the US, Russia,
the UN & the EU, to explain Israel's "arrogant"
policies which insist on challenging the world.
Jordan's king warns Israel in a rare public rebuke
that it is "playing with fire" with its settlement policy,
and says the Jewish state must decide
whether it wants peace or war.
The comments from King Abdullah II, whose country
signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994,
show the Jordanian leader's frustration with
recent Israeli announcements of new housing
for Jews in disputed east Jerusalem, which the
Palestinians claim as capital of a future state.
The Israeli plans come just as long-stalled
indirect peace talks were to begin under US
mediation. The housing announcement is enraging
Arabs, and triggering sharp condemnation from
Washington and the international community.
"We have warned repeatedly that Israel is
playing with fire," Abdullah says in an
interview published with local newspapers.
He says Israel "must decide if it wants conflict
or peace," adding that if it is indeed peace,
then Israel must take "tangible actions" toward
ending settlements & return to negotiations.
"People are fed up with an open-ended process
that does not lead to results," he says.
Abdullah opines that a two-state solution is
the "only solution" to the crisis, and warns
that if no progress is made toward peace soon,
then a new cycle of violence will erupt
for which "the whole world will pay the price."
Despite pressure from the US and intense pressure
from the international community, Israel is
refusing to alter the plans for 1,600 new Jewish
homes in east Jerusalem, insisting the holy city
is Israel's capital and not a settlement.
Abdullah firmly rejects the plans, saying Jordan
"condemns all Israeli measures to change the
identity of Jerusalem and empty it of its
Arab, Christian and Muslim residents."
He also reiterates his rejection of the so-called
'Jordan option,' an idea espoused by some Israeli
hard-liners to turn Jordan into a Palestinian state.
"No one can enforce such a solution and whoever
speaks of such illusions is talking about an
impossible scenario," he says.
************************************************
JUST IN CASE...
you thought that Hollywood history is REAL,
The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism,
which represents the 1.5 million Conservative
Jews in the US, has just issued a new Torah & commentary...
It says that Abraham, the Jewish patriarch,
probably never existed. Nor did Moses.
The entire Exodus story as recounted in the Bible
probably never occurred. The same is true of the
tumbling of the walls of Jericho. And David, far
from being the fearless king who built Jerusalem
into a mighty capital, was more of a provincial
leader whose reputation was later magnified to
provide a rallying point for a fledgling nation.
And the historical Zionist claim on Jerusalem falls.
Lawmakers from the Muslim Brotherhood,
Egypt's largest opposition group, are
asking the government to withdraw its
ambassador to Israel, kick the Israeli one out,
and stop subsidizing Israel with gas,
the Egyptian daily al-Shorouq reports.
***********************************************
ISRAEL DEFIES QUARTET
As Ban Ki Moon tells Gazans the siege is bad
(because it isn't working & encourages terrorists!)
Israeli jets bomb Gaza, & 4 Palestinians lie dead,
as Israel "announces" new land seizures & colonies
all over land owned by Palestinians.
AND MOON REFUSED TO MEET GAZA's ELECTED LEADERS -
(those few that aren't in Israeli prisons!)
**********************************************
THE DEAD MARTYRS...
Israeli soldiers shot dead two Palestinians
near Nablus in the West Bank last Sunday.
Palestinian security sources identify the victims
as 19-yr-olds Muhammad Faysal & Salah Muhammad Qawariq.
Both farmers were from Awarta, southeast of Nablus,
and were en route to farmland carrying
agricultural tools & pesticide, the sources say.
The Israeli army say the two attempted to stab
a soldier who was on a "routine patrol" near
the Awarta military checkpoint. "In response,
forces opened fire and identified a direct hit,"
a military spokesperson says.
They are the third and fourth killed in 24 hours
in the northern West Bank. A teenager died earlier
from injuries sustained in clashes the day before,
when another boy was shot dead.
Useid Qadus, 16, was shot in the stomach by
Israeli forces, medics say, and Muhammad Qadus,
also 16, died of a gunshot wound to the chest
shortly after a protest in Iraq Burin, a village
south of Nablus.
The Israeli military says its forces opened fire
with riot-control means to disperse a violent
riot, denying allegations its soldiers used live
ammunition against the two teenagers.
Medical officials and human rights advocates
have disputed the army's version of events,
pointing to photographic evidence and an X-ray
they say proves the army used live fire.
***********************************************
ZIONISTS BURN CARS THROUGHOUT EAST JERUSALEM
Jewish extremists set fire to Palestinian vehicles
in several areas of East Jerusalem last Saturday.
Cars were set ablaze in Ras Al-Amoud, Wadi Al-Joz,
Salah Ad-Din Street, and Sultan Suleiman Street.
An Israeli police spokesperson didn't return calls.
The previous week, ultra-Orthodox Jewish groups
distributed a flyer threatening to assault
residents of Jerusalem.
Israeli police offer contradictory statements
on whether or not the rally is approved.
Israeli soldiers at the entrance to Shu'fat
refugee camp north of Jerusalem close the
crossing to vehicular traffic, allowing
only pedestrians to cross in and out on foot.
Fifteen were injured before being detained after
Israeli forces besieged them inside a building.
Witnesses say all of the injured detainees were
beaten bloody during their detention.
Palestinian men under the age of 50 are being
turned away en route to Jerusalem.
The army denies closing the West Bank, but
Border Guard officers say they turn away
Palestinians of certain ages because they
might be planning to attend demonstrations.
IS THE US CONGRESS CONSTIPATED OR JUST TOO CORRUPT?
Democratic Caucus Chair, John Larson (CT) says
people are tired of the House passing legislation
that then stalls forever in the Senate.
What does he expect, in the most corrupt Senate in history?
Some of the bills passed by the House include
a financial reform bill on Wall Street’s abuses,
an omnibus energy bill, Postal Service pension payments,
vision care for children, a job security act
for wounded veterans, a paycheck fairness bill,
an elder abuse victims bill, a water use
efficiency and conservation research bill,
an act to prohibit the importation of certain
low-level radioactive waste into the U.S.,
additional taxes on executive bonuses awarded
by financial companies under the bailout,
a mortgage reform & anti-predatory lending bill,
food safety legislation, stronger authority
for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC),
and a student aid and fiscal responsibility bill.
These are some of the 290 bills being stopped
by Rule 22 — the notorious filibuster mechanism —
which Senators bribed by corporate campaign cash
are using to stop the USA in its tracks.
All Minority Leader Senator Mitch McConnell
(Rep. KY) has to do is notify Majority Leader,
Senator Harry Reid (Dem. NV) of the intent to
filibuster and a minority of forty-one Senators
defeats the majority rule of fifty-nine Senators.
A bought and paid for Senate controlled by AIPAC
is holding back the US & driving for a 3rd World War.
Organize Congress Watch Locals in every state,
US citizens, for only YOU can save us all.
************************************************
IT'S A SCREAMING SHAME
"New Europe" is following the US to new depths.
As the European Parliament sets about issuing
resolutions on human rights violations, it
cannot or does not want to look within, where
more than one of its nations is exporting Hell.
European companies now sell instruments of torture
all over the world. Handcuffs that release electric
shocks of up to 50,000 volts, thumb cuffs, and
electroshock weapons are being bought by police
and security forces to torture people, even though
Europe banned the international sale of these
types of instruments completely ...in 2006.
Several European countries are not complying with
the regulation. The website Red Adital reveals
that from 2006 to 2009, the Czech Republic
issued export licenses for foot cuffs,
electroshock weapons and chemical sprays,
and Germany did so for foot currents & chemical sprays,
to nine countries where police and security forces
have previously used these to inflict torture and abuse.
The website also reveals that Hungary, a member
of the EU, has stated that it intends to introduce
instruments such as paralyzing electric belts
into its prisons and police stations.
These types of apparatus are currently banned,
because their use constitutes torture or abuse.
Since the US leads the way to OK torture,
this isn't stopping them!
Fierce clashes erupt between Palestinians &
Israeli forces at the Qalandiya checkpoint
between Ramallah and Jerusalem, as marchers
across the West Bank demand justice.
The Betillo village junction, west of Ramallah,
sees more clashes between protesters & soldiers.
Witnesses say violent confrontations occur
at the Beita junction, south of Nablus.
An Israeli military spokesperson says armed
forces use riot-control measures against 100 rioters.
Meanwhile, witnesses say that Israeli forces
have expelled workers in the farmers market,
and have shut it down "until further notice".
Locals say forces manning the Huwara checkpoint
have been preventing Palestinians from transit.
As a result, extensive traffic jams are reported,
with many workers unable to return to their homes
or reach their workplaces in Ramallah.
In Hebron, the army says about 20 Palestinians
threw rocks in Anoun, north of the illegal
Kiryat Arba settlement.
Israeli forces reportedly stormed the village of
Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, overnight,
detaining Ibrahim Said Mahmud Awad, 17, Amir
Ibrahim Sabarna, 20, and Iyad Omar Sabarna, 20.
Locals report Israeli forces deployed around a
school in Adh Dhariyia, south of Hebron, adding
that troops there used riot-dispersal measures,
including rubber-coated bullets and tear-gas.
The town saw another early morning incursion
by Israeli troops, who occupied the municipality
building and used the roof as a military outpost,
witnesses say. The homes of Shukry Abu Alan and
Muhammad Al-Masri were stormed, they say.
Additionally, locals say troops surrounded the
Ismail Ghaith Al-Farroukh School at the entrance
of Beit Einon, east of Hebron.
Palestinian Authority police prevented students
from protesting near Beit Jala.
However, the students march from the Al-Ubeidiya
& Dar Salah schools east of Bethlehem to the
Qaber Hilwa. Dozens of students participate,
chanting slogans in defense of Jerusalem.
In Tuku, south of Bethlehem, demonstrators throw
stones at settlers' vehicles passing the road.
Locals say Israeli forces raided Hussan village,
west of Bethlehem & detain Shadi Khairy Za’oul, 17.
This violence came one day after confrontations
over access to holy sites in occupied East
Jerusalem injured dozens of Palestinians & police.
Over 91 Palestinians were injured & 60 detained.
About 40 were wounded by rubber-coated bullets
fired by Israeli forces, & seven sustained
injuries to their eyes. An international
journalist was injured in Eisawiyyah, an
East Jerusalem neighbourhood.
An Israeli police officer was shot in the hand
north of Jerusalem, police said. He was among
14 officers injured, 4 requiring hospitalization.
For Hanniyeh says 'war to enflame Israel' -
scroll down to Gaza section.
*************************************************
ISRAEL PUTS OUT ITS EYES
The campaign against Israeli dissidents is now
taking the form of attacks on human rights;
on both activists and jurists, including Justice
Goldstone. It includes a bill before the Knesset
which will imprison the leaders of Israeli human
rights groups if they fail to comply with
crippling new registration conditions.
Human rights activists from outside Israel
who work in the Palestinian territories
are being rounded up and deported.
The government is refusing to issue work visas
to employees of 150 NGOs operating in the West
Bank and East Jerusalem, including Oxfam, Save
the Children and Médecins Sans Frontières
(Doctors Without Borders).
The new tourist visas bar these employees from
Palestinian territory under Israeli occupation.
Foreign donors to the NIF, as well as other
human rights groups, are being pressured by
Israeli officials to halt contributions.
Professor Naomi Chazan, Israeli head of the NIF,
with donors in the US, is being publicly vilified
by ultranationalist groups such as Im Tirzu.
Posters around Tel Aviv and Jerusalem have a
picture of Chazan, with a horn growing from her forehead.
The front organization behind these and many other
attacks, includes among its financial backers,
John Hagee Ministries & the New York Central Fund,
which support extremist settler organizations.
The Knesset bill forces human rights groups to
register as political bodies and turn over
identification numbers and addresses of all
members to the government. These groups also
lose their tax-exempt status.
Most governmental organizations, such as the EU,
which massively funds Israeli human rights organizations,
cannot legally pay taxes to another government,
so the new law will effectively end EU & other
outside funding. The groups will be ordered
to provide the government with the records of
all foreign donations and account for how these
donations were spent. Any public statement, event
or speech, by these groups, must include a
declaration that they are being supported and
funded by a foreign power. Those who fail to
follow these guidelines, including local
volunteers, will face a year in jail.
Finkelstein says:
“This is the first time the human rights dimension
of the Israel Palestine conflict has moved centre
stage. It has temporarily displaced the fatuous
peace process. It is the first time that human
rights reports have counted. There are literally,
because I have read them, tens if not hundreds of
thousands of pages of accumulation of human
rights reports condemning Israel going back
roughly to the first intifada to the present.
The human rights organizations since the 1990s
have been quite sharp in their criticism of
Israel human rights policy, but nobody ever
reads the reports. They are never reported on,
with maybe a couple of exceptions, in the
mainstream media. The Goldstone report was the
first time the findings of these human rights
organizations moved centre stage. People
stopped talking about the peace process and
started talking about Israel’s human rights record.”
After 115 years of modern Zionism, the Jewish and
Israeli people are being asked to make it clear
to the world, and to themselves, whether they are
perpetual colonizers, international law abusers,
and serial land thieves, or members of a state
that asks for the Jewish people to live in peace,
in the land to which they have been attached
as a distinct people for thousands of years.
Maj. Gen. Avi Zamir, the head of the Israeli
military’s Personnel Directorate, admits that
increasing numbers of Israelis are refusing
to serve in the occupied territories.
“Taking into consideration Israeli Arab youth,
we’re facing a situation in which 70% of youths
will not enlist in the military,” the general
tells PA news agency. This discontent, and the
international voices of condemnation, inhibits
Israel’s ability to make further attacks.
Finkelstein says:
“Israel attacked Gaza to restore what it called
its deterrence capacity, its ability to
terrorize the Arab world into submission,
But it actually diminished its deterrence capacity
because it can’t attack. If they were to attack now,
anywhere, all hell would break loose and they wouldn’t get sympathy.”
The numbers of refuseniks are proliferating with
groups like Courage to Refuse, Shministim and
New Profile supporting those who will not serve
in the Israeli Defense Forces.
Of course Israelis have a conscience, and can
clearly tell right from wrong; but the Netanyahu
government is determined to silence these
courageous voices within Israel - along with
those of the Palestinians.
The Fatah party and Islamic Hamas movement declare
unity in Jerusalem to defend al-Aqsa Mosque, as
Palestinian demonstrators clash with Israeli
soldiers north of Ramallah.
Witnesses and medical sources in Ramallah say
that five Palestinians are injured as dozens
of Palestinian students organize a procession
at Attara Israeli army barrier north of the city.
The demonstrators throw stones at the soldiers,
who fire gas & rubber-coated bullets in return.
The witnesses say that before the clashes erupt,
demonstrators burn tires & chant slogans against
the recent Israeli measures near al-Aqsa Mosque
in the old city of Jerusalem and the Israeli
government's decision to expand settlements
in the eastern part of the holy city.
Several Palestinian factions, including Hamas
movement which rules the Gaza Strip, as well
as other national factions, call on Palestinians
to begin a third Intifada, or uprising, against
the recent Israeli measures in Jerusalem.
Witnesses say the scenes at these clashes
remind them of the first Intifada in 1987.
Hamas & other factions say in separate leaflets
sent to reporters that as long as the Israeli
government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
insists on Judaizing Jerusalem, building new
settlements & imposing tighter security measures
on Palestinians, "the only choice remaining is
to go for a third Intifada."
Israeli Radio quotes an Israeli army spokesperson
as saying that at least one Israeli soldier is
injured by a stone during the clashes north of
Ramallah, adding that dozens of Palestinians are
taken to Ramallah hospital receiving medical
treatment for gas inhalation & light injuries.
Jewish organizations have opened a synagogue at
the Noble Sanctuary which contains al-Aqsa Mosque.
Palestinian observers expect that violence in
the West Bank and East Jerusalem will escalate
as Jewish organizations open the synagogue and
the Israeli government is determined to continue
its massive settlement plans.
A senior Palestinian official says Palestinian
factions in East Jerusalem have united to face
any extremist Jews entering al-Aqsa Mosque's compound.
Fatah party and Islamic Hamas movement have
"started actual coordination in East Jerusalem
to counter the radical Israeli attack in the
holy city," says Hatem Abdul-Kader, the Fatah
representative in Jerusalem.
"We have held several meetings with all the factions
to discuss what we should do," Abdul-Kader says.
A senior PLO official is urging Arab states to
"go to the Security Council" to stop Netanyahu
building settlements in Palestinian territories.
"The Arab states are asked to play a more active role,"
Yasser Abed Rabbo of the executive committee of
the PLO tells Palestinian Radio Voice of Palestine.
He adds that "resorting to the UN Security Council
will help to put an end to the Israeli activities
that block the peace process."
From now, the Palestinian leadership "wants
international guarantees" before restarting
peace negotiations, says Abed Rabbo, who accuses
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu of being "an
extremist adventurer" trying to block the peace process.
************************************************
STRIKE AND FIGHT FOR JERUSALEM's AL AQSA !!!
Palestinian national & Islamic groups in Jerusalem
release a statement calling on Jerusalemites and
Palestinian citizens of Israel to go to the Al-
Aqsa Mosque.
The statement is released following a meeting
at the Ambassador Hotel in Jerusalem, where
leaders & residents discuss plans to protect
the mosque & prevent the site being attacked.
Present are representatives of Jerusalemite
foundations and families. Fatah's Jerusalem
affairs chief Hatim Abdul Qadir says discussion
also touches on Israeli forces shutting off
access to the Old City and the mosque to non-
Jerusalemites. City residents under 50 without
addresses in the Old City are also being
denied entry into the mosque.
Jerusalem sheikh, Abdullah Alqam, delivers a
speech at the event urging Palestinians from
all corners to take up the mantle of
responsibility for Islam's third holiest site,
and the centre of Palestinian Muslim heritage.
************************************************
ISRAEL RAIDS AL AQSA & EXPELS WORSHIPERS
Dozens of Israeli police break into the Al-Aqsa
Mosque after night prayers, forcing out some
20 Palestinian worshipers.
All had their id cards seized 7 were "ordered"
to appear at the Al-Qashla investigation centre
in the Old City & the Russian investigation
centre near the East-West Jerusalem divide.
No Israeli police spokesperson is available for comment.
************************************************
ZIONIST LEAFLET SAYS: "ALL NON-JEWS MUST GO" !
Right-wing ultra-orthodox Jews hand out Arabic
fliers calling on "non-Jews to leave the land
of Israel," in the streets of Jerusalem.
The fliers, quoting Torah & Qur'an, use scripture
to tell Palestinians living in the city to leave.
"The Old Testament says the land of Israel is
small and belongs to Jews only. Others are not
allowed to stay permanently," the flier reads.
Jewish exile from ancient Israel was due to a
failure of compliance with divine orders, the
leaflet says, adding "now, after the Jewish
people have returned to Israel, the people of
Israel have complied with divine orders.
"Thus, we ask you to leave the land of Israel
in order to guarantee peace in this land.
There are verses in the Old Testament and in
the Quran that prove this."
The leaflet continues, "After you have seen
divine explanations, and as Islam is a religion
of manners, you have many countries in which
you can live.
You have to understand that we are complying with
the orders in the Old Testament, so we suggest
you negotiate with Israel to get reimbursement."
No organization is identified as being behind
the leaflet, and phone calls to the number
provided go unanswered.
*************************************************
VENEZUELA STRENGTHENS ITS FORCES TO STOP US AGGRESSION
Venezuela tests six training & light attack jets
bought from China, after the US tried to enforce
a ban on sales of any US made weapons, or weapons
containing US manufactured parts, to Venezuela.
President Hugo Chavez orders 18 K-8 jets built
by China, after a plan to buy similar jets from
Brazil's Embraer is stopped by the US, apparently
because they include US electrical systems.
"Thank you, China. The empire wanted to leave us
unarmed. Socialist China, revolutionary China
appeared and here are our K-8 planes," he says,
during a test run of the jets' capabilities.
Officials at the tests say the jets will be used
to train pilots and intercept drug traffickers
who try to use Venezuela as a stop off point
to take Colombian cocaine to the US, their main market.
Washington is forcinging an arms race in South
America, with neighbouring Colombia "giving"
the US massively expanded military bases there.
Colombia is the biggest military spender in
S. America, as a proportion of its GDP.
Venezuela is determined not to be the US's victim,
and has bought a network of 10 radars from China
plus Russian weapons including fighter jets to
replace their rusting F-16 planes, because of
the US embargo against Venezuela, which started in 2006.
"With God's help, Venezuela is going to be a socialist power,"
Chavez says. "We need to be well equipped and trained
to protect our skies, our soil, our territory,
which has one of the world's biggest riches
of water, oil, energy and gas."
He says Venezuela took delivery of a navy patrol
boat from Spain a few days ago & that the first
of 92 Russian T-72 tanks ordered will arrive soon.
Perhaps the US will work it out one day...
that if you constantly treat others as scum,
they will join together and help each other!
Selling arms to Taiwan or Georgia doesn't help !!!
************************************************
AS YOU JUDGE...
For decades the US has cast its eye on every
country in the world, criticising them for
"human rights" abuses. Now China is striking back.
Their condemnation of the US rapes, child abuse,
racism, spying on its own citizens and dangerous
misuse of armaments sales, go on and on...
Indirect talks with Israel are to stop unless
Israeli government plans to construct 1,600
settlement homes in East Jerusalem are axed,
chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat says.
His statement follows Arab League boss Amr Moussa:
"The Palestinian president decided he will not
enter into those negotiations now. The
Palestinian side is not ready to negotiate
under the present circumstances."
Moussa, later: "The talks have already stopped."
Erekat gives the conditions for any resumption
of talks: "We want to hear from Mitchell that
Israel has canceled the decision to build
housing units before we start the negotiations."
These announcements follow waves of criticism,
from Palestinians & US Vice President Joe Biden,
who warns that the settlement announcements are
"poisoning the atmosphere" for peace talks.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon condemns the
settlements move, saying in a statement that
"settlements are illegal under international law."
Ban stresses that "settlement activity is
contrary to Israel's obligations under the
Road Map and undermines any movement towards
a viable peace process."
1,600 ANNOUNCED - 50,000 MORE TO COME !
Israeli media reports say another 50,000
settlement units are in various stages
of planning and approval.
Haaretz cites documents from the country's
Planning office, saying 20,000 settlement
unites "are already in advanced stages of
approval and implementation, while plans
for the remainder have yet to be submitted
to the planning committees."
Meanwhile, the EEC parliament deals Zionism
a punch, by endorsing the Goldstone Report.
************************************************
TEACHERS AND CHILDREN CRY OUT IN WEST BANK TOWN
For the second day in a row, Israeli forces
prevented teachers from accessing Ad-Dab’a village
school, south of Qalqiliya behind the separation wall.
New machinery is installed at the Ras Atiya
checkpoint,where teachers enter the walled-
off area, and soldiers demand that male and
female teachers MUST submit to a search, as
well as pass through body scanners, the school's
manager, Muhammad Awda says.
The school in Ad-Daba has 250 students and serves
three villages, all located south of the Alfe
Menashe settlement, and north of a swathe of
the separation wall, cutting east into the West
Bank, south of Qalqiliya.
According to Awda, for the past seven years,
teachers at the school were granted permits
from the Israeli Civil Administration and could
pass through the checkpoint relatively quickly
in order to get to class. Awda says none were
ever subjected to a search.
Now when teachers arrive at the crossing, they
are ordered to enter a special room, which
Awda says contains x-ray body scanners.
Teachers are refusing to submit to scans,
because of concerns about the health of
pregnant women in the group.
Teachers are told that they MUST submit to a
search before entering the area. The educators
have started protesting at the checkpoint from
7am to 10am, while students from the school
rally on the north side of the wall, demanding
that their teachers be allowed into the area.
*************************************************
NO KILLERS & RAPISTS WANTED BY JAPANESE CITY
The elected representatives of the city in Japan
slated to take the moving US base, have voted
unanimously to refuse the relocation.
One is quoted as saying: "Since the second World War,
US soldiers have been killing & raping our citizens.
We do not want these killers & rapists here."
*************************************************
FREE WOMEN PRISONERS IN PALESTINE
As the world celebrates International Women's Day,
Iman Muhammad Hassan Ghazawwi
marks her 9th year in Israeli custody.
Ghazawwi, 33, was sentenced to 13 years,
accused of planting an explosive device near
an Israeli military patrol, says Detainees'
Support Committee spokesperson Riyad Al-Ashqar.
Ghazawwi is one of the longest-serving female
prisoners in Israeli detention.
Her two children, Samah, 13, and Jihad, 12, live
with their grandmother, as Ghazawwi's husband,
Shaher Barakat Isheh, is serving 20-years,
having been detained five months after his wife.
Al-Ashqar says Ghazawwi has difficulty moving
and suffers from breathing problems,
as a result of medical neglect.
The spokesperson adds that while the world
marks International Women's Day, "it seems
that all women around the world have rights,
except female prisoners in Palestine."
*************************************************
USING THE LAW FOR GOOD
Senator Jorge Enrique Robledo is asking the
Constitutional Court of Columbia to declare
that the treaty allowing the US exclusive use
of seven Colombian bases, is unconstitutional.
Robledo makes his request during proceedings on
a constitutional claim presented by a group of
citizens. According to the Congressperson from
Polo, the agreement violates the Constitution,
because it uniquely allows a foreign power the
ability to directly intervene in its internal affairs,
and because the Columbian Senate is required,
by Columbia's constitution, firstly to hold a
Congressional vote before it can be adopted.
*************************************************
FROM THE REICHSTAG FIRE TO 9/11
Over 1000 architects & engineers sign a petition
which is sent to every congressperson, requesting
a new 9/11 Investigation. Solidly with them,
are over 100 firemen & women, who've signed their
own petition. They say New York's own investigation
manual, calls for a demolition evidence search
in the dust... that is being totally ignored.
If the suspicions of these experts and concerned
US citizens are correct, then 9/11 and many of
the recent terrorist scares, are "false flag"
operations designed to move society towards fear.
************************************************
IRAN SAYS 9/11 IS "A BIG LIE"
Iran's President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, adds his
considerable weight to the public's suspicion
that 9/11 was an "inside job".
He states publicly that the official version of
the September 11th collapse of both towers, by
'plane crash only, is a "big lie", being used
by the US, in "The War Against Terror" (TWAT).
Ahmadinejad's accusation is made, during an
address to Iran's Intelligence Ministry staff.
"September 11 was a big lie, and a pretext
for the war on terror & a prelude to invading
Afghanistan," he is quoted by state TV.
He calls 9/11, an act of "complex intelligence."
and says the official scenario is a "big lie."
In 2007, New York officials refused his request
to visit the World Trade Centre site, while he
was in the city for a United Nations meeting.
The president said then, during his lecture in New York,
that the causes & conditions that led to 9/11,
as well as whoever it was who orchestrated them,
still need to be examined properly & publicly.
He also questions the death figure of over 3,000,
saying that the names of only 2,750 victims
were ever read aloud at any memorial ceremony.
*************************************************
RADAR EVADING CRUISE MISSILES CAN SINK US SHIPS
Iran launches a new production line of highly
accurate, short range cruise missiles,
capable of evading radar, state TV reports.
Iranian defense minister Gen. Ahmad Vahidi says
the Nasr (Victory) 1 is capable of destroying
"targets" of up to 1,000 tons in size.
The missile can be launched from the surface
& is being modified to be fired from helicopters
and submarines, he states.
Gen. Vahidi says it took two years for an Iranian
scientist to develop the production line, and that
it strengthens Iran's naval power.
************************************************
BROWN TRIES TO SWING BOTH WAYS
Gordon Brown expresses sorrow for the loss of life
in Iraq, but insists that it was the "right decision"
to illegally invade Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein.
In an astonishing piece of arrogance, he says
Iraq HAD to be invaded, as it was a "serial
violator" of international law.
This is either arrogance, or unclear thinking.
There are many countries who're serial breakers
of international law. Israel is one. The US is
another. The UK is regularly taken to EU & other
international courts, and to the UN assembly.
Is he saying we HAVE to invade the US? Or Israel?
Or be ourselves invaded by other countries,
who're OUR "moral superiors" & must "police" us?
Yes, Iraq was a serial violator. Just like the UK.
But a war can only legally be launched if there is
a clear DEFENSIVE need. This certainly did not apply.
Were Saddam's troops massed on the US' or UK's borders?
No! So the war was illegal. Brown, now, is trying
to have it both ways. That makes him an accessory
both before, during, and now after, the fact.
He then expresses "regrets" over the supposed
failure to "plan properly for the aftermath"
when we all know the aim was to destroy, not
build, and - by using terror - to enforce the
will of the US & Israel that all opposition to
Israel's hegemony in the Middle East be broken.
He rejects claims that, as chancellor, he failed
to provide the UK armed forces with resources
they needed, when grieving parents of dead soldiers
are currently suing the government for exactly that.
(That it's sub judice, doesn't matter to him!)
"Every request that military commanders made to us
for equipment was answered. No request was ever
turned down," he says, keeping a straight face.
He begins and ends his four hours by praising
the 179 British servicemen and women who lost
their lives in the illegal invasion, and he then
"acknowledges" the huge death toll among Iraqi civilians.
The UK & US acted for the "right reasons" he says,
and important lessons are "being learned".
"Obviously the loss of life is something that
makes us all sad. We have got to recognise
that war may be necessary, but it is also tragic
in the effect it has on people's lives."
Mr Brown says he was "fully informed" about
the build-up to the invasion in March 2003
but was not central to the decision-making.
"I cannot take personal responsibility for
everything that went wrong."
NO. But you CAN stand condemned as an accomplice.
*************************************************
LATEST NEWS
ISRAELI FORCES RAID AL-AQSA COMPOUND
Dozens of Palestinians are injured as Israeli
forces enter East Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque
compound following the weekly Friday prayers,
firing tear gas, rubber-coated bullets & stun grenades.
*************************************************
Please scroll down to Gaza section for more....
*************************************************
DRONES TO ACT AS NEW US AMBASSADORS
A 700% increase in funding for US drones is passed.
The drone plans include ones which re-land on carriers,
and a new generation able to fly at Mach 7, and
capable of killing all below with huge bombs.
The "best" till last - the US also plans to
have long range intercontinental nuclear drones.
With current US policy to invade, kill, torture
and indefinitely imprison all who cross the US,
breaking international laws, families, & people's hearts,
it now appears to be planning to replace its current
slurry of arrogant diplomats, with a one word answer
- agree with us - or be blown to bits by our drones.
Does the US seriously believe this will go unpunished?
*************************************************
FALLUJAH BIRTH "DEFECTS"
Health workers in Fallujah are seeing an increase
in birth defects, of hearts & malformed babies.
A community where the bombing was most intense,
is now the main focal point of these defects.
Some are born with one eye, and a baby was born
with three heads. But perhaps this isn't the worst
of it. Imagine your local doctor advising you that
it will be "better" if you and your spouse do not
plan to have any children at all. That's what
many couples are now being advised, in Fallujah.
Thanks to the US.
*************************************************
HALF OF US "MATERIAL WITNESSES" STILL IN PRISON
....AREN'T ALLOWED TO SPEAK !!!
Steven Brill, author of
"After: How America Confronted the September 12 Era",
says US "Justice" is now so corrupt after its
reaction to 9/11, that - not only are they able
to lock you up, "render", or torture you - but
that even the call to be a "material witness"
is now being abused. He says the material-witness
"hook" is being used now in cases in which:
“not even minor crimes could be established,
or where the government was worried that these
people were so important that they did not want
them to get lawyers quickly (as they would be
entitled to if charged with any crime)....
"Ashcroft’s team ...control when, if ever, that
person might be asked to testify — meaning they
..seek to hold the person indefinitely so as to
coerce him to talk."
He also says that detaining people as
material witnesses, means that they can:
"be questioned without lawyers present:
because they're not being charged with any crime."
************************************************
DUBAI MOVES TO ARREST NETANYAHU PLUS MOSSAD BOSS
An arrest warrant against Netanyahu is expected
to be served "later this week"...
Dubai’s police chief Khaifan Tamim today says
Netanyahu will face charges of ordering the
January assassination of a Hamas commander,
Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, in a Dubai hotel.
Last month when the investigation began, Tamim
warned that he would seek Netanyahu’s arrest
once it was proven that Mossad, Israel’s spy
agency, was responsible for the killing.
Mossad boss Meir Dagan will also face a warrant.
A huge amount of evidence seen all over the world
has since revealed Mossad stealing passport data
from Israeli citizens and forging passports from
the UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy, and Australia,
amongst others. It's also become clear to millions
that the 27 suspects used prepaid MasterCards
issued by a US bank using fraudulent data.
************************************************
ATTACK US AND FREEZE, SAYS IRAN TO EUROPE
"Iran is standing on 50% of the world's energy
and should it so decide, Europe will have to
spend the winter in cold," Hossein Salami,
deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guards,
says at a meeting with war veterans & volunteers
in Kerman, according to Fars news agency.
"Our missiles are now able to target any spot
in which the conspirators are in, and Iran
is making advances in all fields," he says.
*************************************************
US SAYS MUSLIMS "JEALOUS" OF US FREEDOM
The House of Representatives has now passed
a renewal of the "Patriot" Act, supposedly
to stop all these jealous Muslims from attacking,
without bothering to amend its most pernicious
parts - which allow unrestricted access and phone
bugging, despite the "Democrats" promise to do so.
Perhaps they felt the need to show they're "on side",
because these days, in the US, those who aren't,
can be imprisoned now, simply for arguing publicly
for the change Obama said he was bringing....
If they WERE to be imprisoned as genuine patriots,
as political prisoners, they would still be
joining the largest "club" in the world.
Today, one out of four prisoners in the world
is already in a US prison. And every year,
7,000 people die there, many, murdered or "suicides".
And often, those who die quickly are the lucky
ones ! Since US prison guards routinely use
control methods like Taser guns on prisoners.
According to a recent report, 230 US citizens
have died as a result of the use of tasars since 2001.
The report refers to one county jail in Garfield,
Colorado, which regularly uses Taser guns and
pepper spray on prisoners, and then ties them to
chairs in extreme positions for hours at a time.
Sodomy and rape by bullying guards and inmates
means many are dying of AIDs & are not treated.
A report released by the US Justice Department
during Bush’s last term in office, says 22,480
prisoners in state and federal penitentiaries
are now HIV positive or have full blown AIDS.
A 2007 article in the Los Angeles Times reports
that 426 cases of premature death were recorded
in California prisons alone, in 2006, as caused
by "belated medical treatment".
One, a 41 year old diabetic patient, Rodolfo Ramos,
died after having been left abandoned and
covered in his own faeces for an entire week.
Prison officials did not give him medical treatment
even though they were aware of his condition.
In over 40 of the US’s 50 states, courts treat
juveniles of 14 to 18 years old like adults.
About 200,000 minors in the US are subjected to
trials in courts for adults, even though it has
been demonstrated that this proceeding is wrong.
Eve when placed in separate juvenile prisons,
13 juvenile detention centres in the US report
high rates of sexual abuse, and an average of
one out of every three incarcerated minors,
reports being attacked.
Physical, direct forms of brutal treatment and
torture of prisoners are endemic in US prisons.
A UK film released a few years ago, Torture:
America’s Brutal Prisons, features footage from
prison security cameras in Florida, Texas,
Arizona and California, in which guards can be
seen severely beating prisoners – even killing
some – using Taser guns & electric prods, attack
dogs, chemical sprays & paralyzing devices.
The effect of this abuse & prolonged isolation,
is that many prisoners go crazy (if they aren’t
already mentally ill), or commit suicide, as a
result of this inhuman punishment. They are in
restricted segregated units, and many of them
are also in isolation – but the government does
not release that information. The majority of
prisoners in the US in isolation have been so
for more than five years.
Approximately 283,000 prisoners are mentally ill,
FOUR times the number of patients in psychiatric hospitals.
And this is if you belong to a safe ethnic group
and are "unlucky" enough to lose your case!
For blacks and other racial minorities (ie non-whites)
your chance of being aquitted is less than equal.
One out of every 15 black adults is incarcerated;
one out of every 9 is aged 20-34 years; and one
out of every 36 are Hispanics. Two-thirds of
those serving life sentences are black or Latino,
In New York state, just 16.3% of prisoners are white.
And if you, as a Muslim, feel unhappy about
not having these US blessings and freedoms,
relax, warmly comforted by Obama's care for you -
because the US is heavily recruiting now,
from both the prison population guards and
ex-prisoners, so they can "serve" in liberated
Iraq, Afghanistan, & elsewhere.
C'mon, Obama - WALK THE WALK !!!
************* **************
TIME TO STOP SETTLER ISRAEL
"It is time to impose sanctions and an
international boycott on Israel," Secretary-
General of the Palestinian National Initiative,
Mustafa Barghouthi says.
"The Israeli government has proven time and again
that it is a government of settlements & settlers,
and means to destroy the possibility of
establishing an independent Palestinian state,"
the leader says, after being hospitalized for
tear-gas inhalation during protests in Hebron.
Peace is not compatible with the Israeli government's
announcement of 600 new homes in occupied Jerusalem,
"it is compatible with a policy of ethnic cleansing," Barghouthi says.
In order to face what he calls the "racist"
and "vicious" policies of Israel toward the
Palestinian people, Barghouthi calls for the
development of a clear strategy, which includes:
"expanding the role of popular resistance and
supporting the steadfastness of Palestinians
so they can confront the occupation"
knowing that they have firm support.
Palestinians must know they have the support of
the global community, Barghouthi says, calling
for the wholesale imposition of sanctions on Israel
& a comprehensive boycott of Israeli services and products.
"It is time to realize that we cannot achieve peace
with a government of settlers bent on expansion,
there will be no fruit borne of direct or indirect talks;
both are a waste of time if the settlement construction
has not been halted in a way that includes Jerusalem," he says.
***************** ********************
SETTLERS RALLY TO COMMEMORATE MASSACRE IN MOSQUE
Israeli settlers in Hebron rally on Saturday,
to commemorate a 1994 massacre that saw a Jewish-
American open fire on praying Palestinians,
killing 29, Israeli news site Yedioth Ahronoth reports.
"We come here every year to show the Left
that suppressing the Right will be met with
opposition," the news agency quotes one settler.
Following the February massacre, Israeli forces
have decided to partition the mosque & have
installed armed guards at both entrances -
one for Jews, and another for Muslims.
Since 1994, the heightened security at the mosque
and the frequent access restrictions imposed on
Palestinians entering to pray have caused
concern among citizens that Israeli forces
and settlers, might take over the building.
Netanyahu declares the place an "Israeli heritage site."
The Israeli settlers who rally on Saturday,
the news source says, are a group that formed
around the veneration of Goldstein.
"He knew that Jewish blood was about to be shed,
and so he protected his own people. Perhaps,
some were innocent – but war is war,"
Yedioth Ahronoth quotes a settler as saying.
Israeli troops drag five Beit Ummar residents
from their homes north of Hebron and hand
papers to nine others, demanding that they
appear in front of Israeli intelligence officials.
While there, the troops raid a kindergarten.
The Birds of Heaven kindergarten building
is raided & trashed, Palestinian Solidarity
Project spokesperson Muhammad Awad says.
Awad identifies those dragged off by troops:
Ibrahim Awad, 18, Iyad Za’aqiq, 34, Nader Bahar,
37, Muhamad Alami, 17, and Hasan Alami, 22.
He says they are taken to "an unknown location".
******************** *******************
Israel announces a new 600 unit settlement in
Arab East Jerusalem, and the destruction of several
residents' homes. Settlement construction in East
Jerusalem is illegal under international law.
The World Court has ruled that all the settlements
Israel has built in occupied territory are illegal.
******************** ******************
NEVER MIND CHILCOTT - IT'S STILL GOING ON NOW !!*!
Over one million Iraqis have met violent deaths
as a result of the 2003 invasion, according to
a NEW study conducted by the prestigious UK
polling group, Opinion Research Business (ORB).
Their figures mean that Iraq rivals the mass
killings of the last century,— exceeding the
800,000 to 900,000 believed killed in Rwanda,
and nearer the 1.7 million “Killing Fields”
of Cambodia’s post Vietnam years.
ORB’s research figures can only cover fifteen
of Iraq’s eighteen provinces, and mean their
figures are extremely conservative. Those not
covered include Kerbala, Anbar and Arbil, where
local authorities refused them a permit to work.
In face-to-face interviews with 2,414 adults,
the poll finds that over one in five respondents
have had at least one death in their household
as a result of the invasion & occupation.
Authors Joshua Holland and Michael Schwartz
point out that the dominant media narrative on
Iraq — that most violence is perpetrated by Iraqis
and therefore not our responsibility — is a lie.
Schwartz suggests that 80% of Iraqi deaths
were perpetrated directly by the US.
By the end of 2006, an average of 5,000 Iraqis
had been killed every month by US forces
since the beginning of the occupation.
But the death rate in 2006 was well over 10,000 per month.
The post-surge figures, including RIGHT NOW,
say the researchers, are likely to be even higher.
A US Brookings Institute report says that
for the first four years of the occupation
the US military sent out over 1,000 patrols
each day into hostile neighbourhoods, looking
to capture or kill “insurgents” & “terrorists.”
Since February 2007, the number of patrols
has increased to nearly 5,000 patrols a day,
(if we include joint Iraqi/US raids).
Each patrol invades an average of 30 Iraqi homes
per day, with their mission to interrogate,
arrest, or kill suspects, while "taking no chances".
US military statistics reported by the Brookings
Institute, show that these patrols currently
result in nearly 3,000 firefights every month,
(not counting the 1,000 or so involving Iraqi troops).
Thousands of patrols result in thousands of
deaths and detentions, often with torture.
Iraqis trying to escape these killing squads,
have led to 5 million Iraqi external refugees.
Over 2.4 million have fled their homes for
safer areas within Iraq.
Iraq’s refugees ARE STILL INCREASING by
an average of almost 100,000 every month,
and have no legal work options in most
host states & provinces. They are increasingly
desperate and would return if they could.
Yet far more Iraqis continue to flee their homes
than the numbers returning, despite official
claims to the contrary. The hundreds of thousands
leaving, say security is just as bad as ever,
and that to return would be to accept death.
Most who do return... leave once again.
One interviewee: “The US military say Fallujah
is safe now while over 800 men are detained there
under the worst conditions. At least 750 out of
the 800 detainees are not resistance fighters,
but people who refused to collaborate with the
occupation forces and their collaborators."
Is the United States really still killing
10,000 Iraqis every month? Rules of engagement
in Iraq require the approximately five thousand
daily US patrols to respond to any hostile act
with overwhelming firepower, and guarantee that
large numbers of civilians will suffer and die.
But the mainstream media, including Auntie BBC,
refuses to cover it, preferring culpable silence.
The average US citizen, according to polls,
now BELIEVES that under 10,000 Iraqis have died.
This story of US mass ignorance, will receive
and has received, NO coverage in the mass media,
not even by AP, which commissioned the study.
As to the Iraqis forced abroad, internet and
Arab news of the ongoing violence across Iraq,
convinces them all to remain abroad.
"There were four various explosions in Fallujah today,"
says Salam Adel, "and they say it is safe to go back!
Damn them, go back for what? For roadside bombs or car bombs?”
The US administration needs to claim that the
situation in Iraq is improving. This claim
is only possible through a complicit cowardly media.
Millions of Iraqi refugees will tell you
differently. Why do YOU think they stay away?
*************************************************
SOME OF THE WORLD's BEST FRIENDS
Einstein, like many of the world's heroes,
was a Jew, a scientist, and a man of Peace.
Now we learn that another Jewish nuclear scientist,
Mordechai Vanunu, has asked the Nobel Peace Prize
committee to "disregard" his nomination for its
once prestigious award, a Nobel official says.
In a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee,
Vanunu writes that he doesn't want an award
previously given to Israeli President Peres,
says Geir Lundestad, the committee's secretary.
"He sees Shimon Peres as the father of the
Israeli atomic bomb, and he does not want
to be associated with him in any way," says Lundestad.
Vanunu, a former scientific worker at an Israeli
nuclear plant, was kept in a cell for 18 years
in Israel, for alerting the world to Israel's
secret nuclear weapons program in 1986.
He was allowed out of solitary confinement in
prison in 2004, but not allowed to leave Israel,
"consort" with foreigners or speak or publish.
Vanunu made public the fact that Israel has one of the
world's largest stores of weapons of mass destruction.
According to the Nobel Web site, North Vietnamese
politician Le Duc Tho is the only previous winner
to have ever rejected the "peace" prize.
He was named co-winner in 1973 with US Secretary
of State Henry Kissinger, a mass murderer.
*************************************************
EU FOLLOWS US TO A HELL ON EARTH
Remember all those billions promised for Gaza?
None of it reached the people there. It was lies.
Instead, EU billions are pouring into the West Bank
to split Palestinians & further divide it for Israel.
Gazans, however, are not being forgotten - by Israel.
In January, lorries carrying food in, almost stopped.
Now, the level of food going in, since the war
destroyed what was left of the Gazans' food industry,
has shrunk to a level that cannot sustain life.
Constant electricity black-outs are meant to lead to fear,
and constant cold in a Winter as miserable as ours,
is designed to crush and terrorise the whole community.
Unemployment is "normal" now, for most families.
The majority of Gaza's population are CHILDREN.
Stunted growth & the diseases associated with malnutrition,
are MUCH worse, but now there's an even more terrible consequence.
Gaza's water is no longer drinkable. High levels
of nitrates (which we ban in baby food in the West),
are present in nearly 100% of the water Gaza's babies drink.
Infant mortality rates are declining in almost
all developing countries, including Iraq (!)
But in Gaza, mortality rates are higher and climbing.
The leading causes of infant mortality are not now
infectious or diarrheal diseases or prematurity,
long associated with a starvation diet, but low
birth weight and congenital malformations.
NOTHING could be worse for the world's soul,
than to know that we're turning a blind eye,
while children die & babies are born disfigured,
all to help violent religious settlers from New York
fill their swimming pools up to the sparkling brim.
UK jews once poured into the Rhondda, believing
that the miners and their families were building
a "Heaven on Earth" - a New Jerusalem.
Most UK jews now, have left Wales for London,
and as the last Cardiff Rabbi left a few years ago -
he turned out the lights.
*************************************************
THIRD INTIFADA STARTS
President Mahmoud Abbas warns that Israel's plan
to nationalize religious landmarks in the
occupied West Bank could lead to war.
He urges Palestinians to protect the Al Aqsa Mosque,
and calls on Hamas to sign the reconciliation
document NOW - then argue details later...
how ingenuous can the "President" get?!!!
The PLO says that if Netanyahu wants the
Palestinians' holy sites, he can't have
peace talks "of any kind".
"We will reject any kind of negotiations, even
indirect talks," Secretary General of the PLO
Yasser Abed Rabbo says after a meeting in Ramallah.
Abed Rabbo says the "extremist right-wing government
in Israel is poisoning the climate and working
to destroy any serious steps aimed at the launch
of a peace process."
Palestinians are now protesting in the streets,
and popular resistance groups are organizing
rallies condemning the declaration of sites
as exclusively "Israeli." The move is seen as
undermining Palestinian claims to lands that
would be part of any new Palestinian state.
Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the PLO body, says
all must respond to "discriminatory Israeli decisions"
that threaten Palestinian heritage & holy sites.
Netanyahu's decision, she says, is a
"direct attack on Palestinian heritage
and a crime against Palestinian culture."
The Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron is already guarded
by a heavy Israeli military presence. The mosque
is divided, with one part closed off to Muslims.
Tourists can enter the Jewish section,
and are asked on entry, "Christian or Jewish?"
by armed guards as they pass metal detectors.
Netanyahu releases a statement saying:
"Israel is committed to freedom of religion
for worshipers of all faiths at all holy places.
The State is constantly acting to ensure proper
conditions for prayer, for both Jews & Muslims."
Rachel's Tomb, on Palestinian land in Bethlehem,
has already been annexed to Israel, following
pressure from settler groups. A 30-foot concrete
wall now circles the tomb, part of a Palestinian
cemetery, which is no longer accessible to
Palestinian Christians or Muslims unless they
get a permit from Israeli officials allowing
them to pass military checkpoints in the area.
Fatah is calling on citizens throughout
the West Bank, Gaza and occupied Jerusalem to
"escalate confrontations against the occupation
and to confront the settlers."
Hamas is threatening to "strike Israel"...
"Hamas is restricted in the West Bank
but the silence won’t last long.
This is just the silence before the thunder.
The response to these Israeli crimes is coming soon,"
The Fatah-led Palestinian Authority (PA) bans
Hamas from operating in public in the West Bank,
but the Ibrahimi Mosque lies in an area of Hebron
under Israeli military control. During last year’s
assault on Gaza, Hamas staged demonstrations in this area.
“The Israeli attacks against the Ibrahimi Mosque
and Bilal Bin Rabah Mosque [Rachel’s Tomb]
are simply a preparation for a larger attack
on Al-Aqsa Mosque,” Farahat explains.
Marchers are calling for “jihad” & “resistance”
to what they see as an illegal & sacriligious
grab for holy sites on their land.
Netanyahu’s inclusion of West Bank sites comes
after pressure from settlers, and is already
sparking demonstrations and clashes with Israeli
soldiers in the West Bank, along with angry
verbal condemnations from PA officials.
Settlers are now calling on Netanyahu to include
two more Hebron sites to the list, the Hebrew-
language daily Ma’ariv reports.
According to the report, 2 members of the Kiryat
Arba settler council have now sent a letter to
Netanyahu calling on him to take over the Tomb
of Jesse and Ruth in the city's Tel Rumeida
neighborhood and the Tomb of Othniel Ben Knaz.
Settlers want 150 more sites in the West Bank
added to the list.
De facto Prime Minister of Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh,
calls on Palestinians in the West Bank to launch
an uprising against Israeli forces NOW.
Haniyeh's comments are made during a session of
the Gaza Legislative Council, where he states
that Arab and Muslim countries should respond
by supporting the Palestinian resistance, and not
by offering a political cover for the resumption
of negotiations. His warnings are directed at Egypt.
Egypt, obviously, is acting as Israel's only true
Muslim friend, as it seals the last remaining
hope for Gazans to survive the siege, with a
huge steel wall driven deep underground.
"The Israeli decision to include the Ibrahimi
Mosque in Hebron and the Bilal Bin Rabah Mosque
[Rachel's Tomb] in Bethlehem on a list of
Israeli heritage sites, comes at a time when
discussions about the resumption of Israeli-
Palestinian negotiations are in the news," Haniyeh says.
"Israel's policy is to cover old crimes with new ones," he adds.
Haniyeh calls for the release of all detainees
from Palestinian Authority prisons, an end to
discussing the resumption of talks, and a halt
to security coordination with Israel.
Palestinian reconciliation should be achieved
on the basis of Palestinian constants and the
right to resist Israel, he adds.
The de facto prime minister also calls for
practical efforts to end the siege on Gaza
and to open all crossings into and out of
the besieged Strip, where palestinians are
freezing after power supplies are strangled.
In Bethlehem, the birth-place of Jesus, a new
general strike begins, over the "heritage sites".
The committee of Palestinian factions in Bethlehem
declares a one day general strike in Bethlehem
governorate, in protest at Israel’s claims on
sites in Bethlehem and Hebron as “heritage sites.”
The factions urge schools, institutions & shops
to participate in the general strike.
The committee also calls on Palestinians to
participate in noon prayers close to Rachel’s
Tomb, as it is one of the sites "designated"
as an Israeli heritage location, despite it
standing on Palestinian land.
Palestinians in Hebron clashed with Israeli troops
after the Israeli pronouncement.
In addition to Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem and
Hebron's Ibrahimi Mosque, both located in major
Palestinian cities, the list also includes the
West Bank sites of Herodion, Qumran, and Susiya.
Top PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat:
"The unilateral decision to make Palestinian
sites in Hebron and Bethlehem part of Israel,
shows there is no genuine partner for peace,
but an occupying power intent on consolidating Palestinian lands."
*************************************************
JUSTICE AND DEVELOPMENT IN TURKEY
The Turkish police detains over 70 military
commanders for allegedly planning to blow up
mosques in order to trigger a military coup.
Some have now been released.
The detentions show that the elected government
is using justice against the military, which
has destroyed four governments since 1960.
These detentions, following the gathering
of wiretap evidence and the discovery of
secret weapons caches, marks the highest-
profile civilian crackdown to date.
Police in simultaneous operations in eight cities
detained 21 generals and admirals, including ex-
deputy chief Gen. Ergin Saygun, ex-Air Force chief
Gen. Ibrahim Firtina & Navy Chief Admiral, Ozden
Ornek. The rest were mostly colonels.
They are accused of conspiring to plan the
shooting down of a Turkish warplane to trigger
armed conflict with Greece to destabilize the
Turkish government. The military is strongly
denying all the allegations and charges.
Erdogan declines to comment on the raids, at first,
saying they were carried out on prosecutors' orders.
But now Erdogan says the government has not
given "a chance to those who tried to set
a course for Turkey outside the law."
*************************************************
USUK SAY TO WORLD WAR: "BRING IT ON" !!!
As the terror & occupations continue on all
sides of Iran, the pro-USUK appointment as Chief
of the AIEA is told by Iran to change the clear
political bias in his latest (and heavily leaked)
report, as it is obviously "unrealistic".
The Head of the Iranian Parliament's National
Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Alaeddin
Boroujerdi urges the new chief of the IAEA,
Yukiya Amano, to reconsider his report on Iran.
In a "confidential" report which was leaked,
the Vienna-based IAEA said it was concerned
about possible activities in Iran to develop
a nuclear payload for a missile.
The report confirmed that Iran has produced
its first batch of 20% highly enriched uranium,
but added that Iran failed to give inspectors
the required advance notice.
Boroujerdi labels the report as the most
"unrealistic" one yet released by the UN
nuclear watchdog, according to the report.
Amano's report is more politicized than technical, he adds.
"Iran's latest achievements in 20% uranium
enrichment have been officially announced
to the IAEA and have been made under the
supervision of the agency's inspectors,"
Boroujerdi is quoted by IRNA as saying.
In their effort to stop Iran's nuclear program,
the US, along with the UK, France and Germany,
are pushing for a 4th round of UN Security Council sanctions.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
says constantly that Iran does not seek
to develop nuclear weapons, according to IRNA.
Are "we" in the corrupt paedophile priest-ridden West,
saying that the most revered Shiite leader is a liar?
In their greed & spite, USUK & the old masters
of this planet, are squeezing the Middle East
to stop Asia's rise, and if we do nothing, this
generation is doomed. How do YOU react to that?
Do you say wearily; "bring it on" too?
*************************************************
US BACKED KILLERS ADMIT TO 30,000 MURDERS
According to a report published by the Office of
Justice and Peace Promotion, 4,112 ex members
of the paramilitary United Self Defense Forces
of Colombia (AUC) have now confessed to murdering
30,470 people in 20 years - from the mid-'80s
up to 2003 - when the unit began to demobilize.
This death toll puts the paramilitary groups in
Colombia - one of the oldest "democracies"
in Latin America - at the level of dictatorships
in the region like Argentina (1976-1983), where
30,000 people were also murdered or disappeared.
The data obtained by the prosecutor now records
1,085 massacres and 2,520 disappearances.
The Law of Justice of the Peace, sets a maximum
sentence of 8 years for paramilitaries confessing
to their crimes. At least 32 paramilitaries have
surrendered their weapons within this process.
"The country should be appalled by the revelation
of such a high number of systematic killings,"
says analyst Alvaro Villarraga, a former member
of the guerrilla People's Liberation Army (PLA)
and now director of Democratic Culture.
"But the sad thing is that this estimate
may be well below the reality."
Although Antarctica is protected under a 1959
treaty allowing only scientific research, moves
are being made by Australia, the UK, the US,
France, New Zealand and Norway (!), to boost
their presence there & lay claim to territorial
waters, that have proven oil & mineral reserves.
Fernandez de Kirchner is considering sending her troops
to Antarctica and has told Argentina's defence chiefs
that Argentina must be prepared to assert its sovereignty
and protect its natural resources, as others
compete to claim areas of the region as "theirs".
These opposing plans threaten to inflame tensions
between the UK and Argentina over the Falkland
Islands, or Malvinas, which Argentina claims as
its territory and an extension of its continental shelf.
Argentina's fight with the UK over oil drilling
near the Falklands is escalating now that she has
ordered all ships heading to the disputed islands
through its waters to seek permission from Buenos Aires first.
Argentine's Presidential decree:
"All ships that wish to move between ports in
continental Argentina and ports in the Malvinas
islands, or that wish to cross Argentine
territorial waters as they head to the islands"
require prior permission, it states.
Kirchner's chief of staff Anibal Fernandez leaves
no doubt that the move is to clamp down on ships
that might be helping the UK as it attempts to
start "exploring" South America's's oil & mineral reserves.
The decree will achieve "not only a defense of
Argentine sovereignty but also of all the
resources" says Fernandez, adding that a
high-level permanent committee is being
set up to monitor all shipping.
There is no reaction from the UK government, as
Argentina lodges a demand that the UK stop
drilling in the seabed, which contains up to
60 billion barrels of oil, according to
geological studies quoted in the UK media.
A tug boat hauling a UK exploration rig
is expected to arrive any day to start oil
prospecting and the issue came to a head earlier
in February, when Argentina blocked a shipment
of pipes it said was bound for the Falklands.
Argentine authorities boarded the foreign flagged
"Thor Leader" in the southern port of Campana
after learning it was about to take on a cargo
of pipes used in the oil industry and apparently
destined for the Falklands.
Buenos Aires demands that the UK obeys the UN
resolutions calling on both governments to
renew talks on the sovereignty of the Falklands.
The UK in January rejected Argentina's latest
claim to the islands, which it invaded in 1833.
Argentina is urging a solution along the lines of
what the UK agreed for the Chinese lands of Hong Kong.
The last conflict lasted 74 days and cost the lives
of 649 Argentine soldiers and 255 from the UK.
The Argentine president compares her role in
protecting the area's natural resources,
to Brazil using its soldiers to protect
natural resources in the Amazon rainforest.
Mrs Fernández is backed by an increasingly left
wing parliament and people, and an army keen to
show its people that it's on the side of good,
after being used by evil in the years of "the disappeared".
Luckily, we have the Rhondda's very own MP,
Chris Bryant, to look after the UK's plans.
*************************************************
YOUR CHOICE: FOLLOW THE UNITED STATES OR THE UNITED NATIONS
You cannot serve two masters... either you will
hold to the one and despise the other, or you
will let both down and fail both ways.
The UN is clear that starving people or forcing
them to accept aid at the point of a gun is wrong.
The United Nations today opposes NATO for what
it calls its “militarization of humanitarian aid”
in Afghanistan, & says they will not participate
in any reconstruction controlled by the military.
UN officials say that NATO’s military is now
providing all the health care and school building
in rural Afghanistan. Civilian aid groups are now
being pressured to follow a NATO military mission.
Private aid groups are also intensely critical of
this new NATO policy, cautioning that NATO’s
practice of using humanitarian aid as a
“weapon of war” is putting humanitarian workers
in terrible danger, as they are increasingly seen
as being in league with the military occupation.
Remember Somalia? where the US-backed government
controls only a few city blocks around the
presidential palace? UN officials today express
strong public condemnation of US policy there,
insisting that the US government is preventing
millions of dollars worth of humanitarian aid,
including food aid, from reaching the Somali people.
The US defends this, saying that they have
evidence that some contractors are being made
to pay protection to militants. They demand
that the UN support a US policy to stop aid.
The Obama Administration is trying to starve
the Somalis into submission. The UN says we
should feed those women, children & old folk
caught up in a war they didn't cause or choose.
Which master do YOU choose to follow?
***********************************************
THE PRICE OF FEAR GOES UP FOR ISRAELI TERRORISTS
In a televised speech from Damascus, broadcast to
a conference in the Gaza Strip, Mashaal calls on
the world to add Israel to the list of terror
organizations. He says "the manhunt for al-
Mabhouh's murderers is in Dubai's interest,
just as it's in Hamas' interest."
Abu Ubaida, a spokesperson for Hamas' military
wing, says during the northern Gaza conference
that "the decision to seek revenge has already
been made, and all that's left for the Zionist
criminals is to wait.
"Our mission is to punish you and your mission
is to continue living under the fear of our
response. We will be the one to determine the
appropriate way and time and location. We won't
say when and where, but prepare to absorb the
fire of our rage in our special way and in our
special execution in the chosen time and place."
Abu Ubaida stresses, "and if you carried out your
crime through Mossad, we have the way which will
hurt you. We are not here to eulogize a martyr.
We are here to say that revenge is coming,
coming, coming. Today you hear it in words
and tomorrow you'll see it in fire and actions."
Israeli security measures in the West Bank
are severely impacting Palestinian daily life,
the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) says now. Conditions for Palestinians in
the territory are difficult and "living a normal
life is close to impossible for many people in
the West Bank," the humanitarian organization says.
"The ICRC has repeatedly called for action to be
taken to allow Palestinians to live their lives
in dignity," Beatrice Megevand-Roggo, the head
of Middle East operations says.
Checkpoints and roadblocks, some connected to
Israeli settlements in the West Bank, are
primary causes of the disruption of normal
life, the Red Cross says.
The organization, considered the legal "guardian"
of international humanitarian law, says in its
view, the Israeli settlements are "illegal."
The barrier Israel is completing in the West Bank
is also "contrary to international humanitarian
law," their statement says.
"Israel must find the right balance between
meeting its legitimate security needs and
safeguarding the basic rights of the Palestinian
population," Megevand-Roggo is quoted as saying.
Palestinians are enduring attacks from Israeli
settlers and are losing land to settlements,
the ICRC charges, saying this too violates
the Fourth Geneva Convention.
*************************************************
BRAINWASHING AS A WAY TO CONTROL YOU
Either Clinton and the US political elite
are delusional, or the US and European public
needs her to re-inforce the more regular brainwashing
they receive. Her recent speeches suggesting that
the US will punish, cripple, and isolate Iran,
and that Iran is moving towards dictatorship,
if they don't bow to the US, run counter to reality...
Punishing through Refined Petroleum Sanctions?:
Iran sits on reserves of natural gas which can
easily be compressed to run all their cars.
China et al, are rushing to help increase refinery
capacity in Iran, as US & German firms withdraw.
Crippling through War?:
Apart from the shiver of "unintended consequences"
which any military attack on Iran could provoke,
Iran can cause the collapse of the US economy
simply by threatening/attacking the straits of
Hormuz, and causing massive inflation of the
world's economy. They promise to do it.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad unveils
a domestically-built satellite booster rocket
today, part of an ambitious space programme
that Western powers know can be used to deliver
warheads, & wipe out US power centres & cities.
Officials say the light booster rocket, named Simorgh (phoenix),
can carry a satellite weighing 220 pounds (100 kilogrammes)
up to 310 miles (500 kilometres) above the Earth.
The Iranian state television is broadcasting
the launch of the Kavoshgar-3, (Explorer-3) today.
Iran's defence minister says the successful launch
is "for research purposes". General Ahmad Vahidi
doesn't elaborate on this. In the last two years
Iran has put 2 rockets into space, researching
the path, pressure, wind & temperature in space.
Iran sent its first domestically made telecom
satellite into orbit last year.
Isolating?:
Iran, China, Russia, India, Iraq, Pakistan, & Turkey,
plus others, are forming regional co-operation blocs...
so in Asia, the US is being isolated by this itself.
Iran says it's ready to send its uranium abroad
for further enrichment as requested by the U.N,
a decision which signals an apparent concession
in the Iranian position on the issue.
Perhaps the US, which invaded Europe last,
to occupy it for the next fifty years, is
talking and acting big, to force Germany
and an empireless UK and France, to follow
them into their debt-ridden hucksters' decline.
Must Europe's elites follow the US's paranoia
and drag Europe down to the same police state
level with it? Hilary's outbusts look more and
more like projection... where a person's fears
are projected onto those "outside".
The US has suspended Habeus Corpus, spies on
its citizens, openly "disappears" and assassinates
and is allowing a complete "buying" of elections
by its military-industrial corporations.
If Europeans were to be true friends of the US,
they would point out that the US thinking of
"full spectrum dominance" is an obsolete conceit.
Dictatorship in Iran? Only if they follow the US !
The last time Iran suffered a dictatorship, it was
installed by the US, following the delusional UK
in its old drive to control the world's resources.
Those days have gone, but sometimes a cockroach
will keep convulsing and twitching its legs,
long after its brain has stopped functioning.
*************************************************
SAY NO MORE... THE WEST IS NOW CRAZY WITH FEAR
The TSA apologizes for forcing a 4-year-old to
remove his leg braces for airport screening.
The Transportation Security Administration
concedes that the 4-year-old boy heading for
Disney World for his birthday treat, should not
have been forced to remove his leg braces during
an airport-security screening in Philadelphia,
a Philadelphia columnist writes.
The incident occurred last March when Ryan Thomas
flew to Orlando with his parents, Bob & Leona,
but the TSA only apologized last week, after a
Philadelphia newspaper columnist, Rubin, found
out and was brave enough to make it public.
Ryan was born 16 weeks prematurely and started
to walk only last March, because his ankles are
malformed and his legs have low muscle tone.
TSA screeners insisted that Ryan take off his braces
and walk through the detector unaccompanied.
Rubin writes that the TSA, in its apology, say
now that Ryan should instead, have been taken
into a private area and swabbed for any traces
of explosive materials. Welcome to Disneyworld !
**************
POODLES BREAK LAWS TOO !
Full body scanners introduced at two UK airports
after the strange Christmas Day exploding lap,
breach human rights, the UK’s equality commission warns.
In a letter to the government, the Equality and
Human Rights Commission says scanners introduced
on February the 1st at Heathrow and Manchester,
oppose the "right to privacy" in European law.
“While we acknowledge that there is a legitimate
aim for this invasion of privacy … we remain
seriously concerned whether the intrusion is
in accordance with the law,” writes commission
chair, Trevor Phillips.
The right to privacy comes under Article 8
of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The commission warns it is an “ultimate defeat”
to blindly impose them, if it erodes freedoms.
“National security policies are intended to
protect our lives and our freedoms, but it
would be the ultimate defeat if that protection
destroyed our other liberties,” writes Phillips.
The scanners also entail the probable breaking
of UK anti-discrimination laws, designed to stop
racism becoming institutionalised in society,
says the commission.
“Without proper care, such policies can end up
being applied in ways which do discriminate
against vulnerable groups or harm good community
relations,” says the commission.
It feels that it is likely that some criteria
used to select people to be scanned like
“religious dress, destination, nationality
or national origin, would also have an unlawful
- discriminatory effect,” says the letter.
The UK government wants to put the scanners in
other airports, but the commission says it has
“serious doubts” that this would comply with the law.
The Transport Ministry says it tries to ensure
that security measures are “legal, proportionate
and non-discriminatory” and denies that there
are any criteria at all used in selecting who
is to be scanned.
A spokesperson says officials are “absolutely
clear that those passengers who are randomly
selected for screening, will not be chosen
because of any personal characteristics.”
*************************************************
THE WEST'S ACADEMICS ARE TWISTED BY WAR
Psychologists and doctors used to "monitor" torture;
artists and writers paid to churn out war games;
anthropologists acting as racist spies;
CIA plants at the top of "our" universities...
these are the inevitable result of a society
whose priorities are driven by wars of aggression.
From the Rhondda came a female anthropologist
who taught that humans are inherently and historically
peaceful. She lives very differently now, after
being attacked without mercy by war-propagandists.
Read how anthropologists today are being used to kill,
in Counter-punch:
http://www.counterpunch.org/
************************************************
FULL SPECTRUM ARROGANCE
US Deputy Treasury Secretary Neal Wolin says Pakistan
MUST dramatically raise taxes, insisting that
"Pakistanis pay less for their government
than nearly any other country in the region."
Secretary Wolin "urges" Pakistan’s parliament
to enact value-added tax (VAT) legislation.
His "comments" echo those made in September
by the International Monetary Fund.
This, to a country hosting millions of Afghan refugees
fighting its own people for USUK's "war on terror,
and now almost completely reliant on US "aid".
And what is this aid doing? If we are to believe it -
Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Feltman says:
“Priorities for U.S. assistance include
political and fiscal reforms and meaningful
attention to legitimate internal grievances;
better governance through decentralization,
reduced corruption and civil service reform;
human rights protections; jobs-related training;
economic diversification to generate employment
and enhance livelihoods, and strengthened
natural resource management.”
Independent Republican Ron Paul says:
“How can we believe that the US government can achieve abroad
what we know it cannot effectively achieve at home?”
Just days after Wolin's public call, Pakistan
announces both a new Value-Added Tax and a
significant increase in Capital Gains Tax.
The new VAT is a tax on virtually all goods
and most services in the country, and takes
effect in July, barring mass protests.
Officials say they "might" exempt basic food
like wheat flour, unprocessed peas & religious materials.
Capital gains tax, covering profitable sales of
securities, is being doubled over 5 years.
These massive tax increases will be unpopular
with Pakistanis, and fuel more resentment at the
US meddling in Pakistan’s internal affairs.
Airport body scanners violate Islamic law, US Muslims say,
and US-Muslim groups are supporting a "fatwa"
that forbids Muslims using the scanners at airports.
The Fiqh Council of North America — a body of
Islamic scholars — issues their fatwa this week
saying that going through the airport scanners
or operating them, violates Islamic rules on modesty.
"It is a violation of clear Islamic teachings
that men or women be seen naked by other men
and women. Islam highly emphasizes haya (modesty)
and considers it part of faith. The Quran has
commanded the believers, both men and women,
to cover their private parts."
The decision "complicates" efforts to intensify
screening of potential terrorists who are Muslim.
US and EU airports are now using the costly
body scanners, which show in graphic detail
the outlines of a person's body, only after
intense US pressure. The US manufactures them.
An option offered to passengers who don't want
to use the scanners is a "pat down" by security
guards. The Muslim groups are urging members
to undergo those instead.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations,
says it endorses the fatwa.
"We support the Fiqh Council's statement on full-
body scanners and believe that the religious and
privacy rights of passengers can be respected
while maintaining safety and security," says
Nihad Awad, national executive director of CAIR.
A spokesperson for the Transportation Safety Administration
is not, unfortunately, available to immediately comment.
US WAR CRIMES INCLUDE NUCLEAR FALLUJAH
Infant mortality and cancer rates in the Iraqi
city, raise new questions about US war crimes.
Dramatic increases in infant mortality, cancer
and leukaemia in the Iraqi city of Fallujah,
bombarded mercilessly by US Marines in 2004,
are HIGHER than those reported by survivors
of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki in 1945, according to a medical study.
Doctors in Fallujah have been overwhelmed by
the number of babies with serious birth defects,
including a girl born with two heads, & multiple
cases of babies born with such malformities that
whole families have gone into nervous collapse.
The doctors state that they are having to deal
with far more cancers than they did before their
beautiful "city of mosques" was obliterated by
the US, in order to crush the Iraqis, in 2004.
Their claims are now supported by a survey
showing a 38-fold increase in leukaemia,
a four-fold increase in all cancers,
and a 12-fold increase in childhood cancer
in under-14s. Infant mortality in the city is
four times higher than in neighbouring Jordan
and eight times higher than in Kuwait.
Dr Chris Busby, one of the authors of the survey
of 4,800 individuals in Fallujah, says:
"to produce an effect like this, some very major
mutagenic exposure must have occurred in 2004...
when the attacks happened".
US Marines first besieged and bombarded Fallujah,
in April 2004. After an eight-month stand-off,
Marines stormed the city with heavy artillery
and aerial bombing against rebel positions.
US forces admit using white phosphorus, as well
as other weapons - weapons which are illegal
for soldiers with any conscience or honour to
use in built up areas known to contain civilians.
In the assault, US commanders turned Fallujah into
a free-fire zone. UK officers just watched as the
"superior" US showed a complete lack of concern
for the old and poor who had stayed in the city
rather than risk crossing the killer patrols run
by Shi ite collaborators & the US army.
Dr Busby says the extent of genetic damage
suffered by inhabitants suggests the use of
uranium weapons in some form:
"My guess is that they used a new weapon against buildings
to break through walls and kill those inside."
The study: "Cancer, Infant Mortality and Birth
Sex-Ratio in Fallujah, Iraq 2005-2009",
is by Dr Busby, Malak Hamdan and Entesar Ariabi.
It concludes that the anecdotal evidence of a
sharp rise in cancer & congenital birth defects
is correct. Infant mortality is 80 per 1,000;
just 19 in Egypt, 17 in Jordan and 9.7 in Kuwait.
The report says the types of cancer found are
"similar to that in the Hiroshima survivors
who were exposed to ionising radiation from
the bomb and uranium in the fallout".
Research finds a 38-fold increase in leukaemia,
a ten-fold increase in female breast cancer
and significant increases in lymphoma and brain
tumours in adults. At Hiroshima survivors showed
a 17-fold increase in leukaemia, but in Fallujah
Dr Busby says what is striking is not only the
greater prevalence of cancer, but the speed with
which it was & still is, affecting people.
The war on Iraq's civilians was more severe in Fallujah
than Hiroshima or Nagasaki, because the city
was blockaded long after being mercilessly attacked.
No-one was allowed in to see or study the effects,
& doctors cries of alarm for help, were ridiculed.
War damage was only slowly repaired, and people
from the city were kept too frightened to go
to hospitals in Baghdad, because of the military
& Shi ite checkpoints on all the roads in & out.
And you think Muslims hate you, because they're JEALOUS!
The US and UK have a special responsibility to
help establish a Middle East Nuclear Free Zone.
In their desperation to establish legal cover
for their invasion of the Iraq in 2003, they
appealed to Security Council Resolution 687,
which calls on Iraq to end its development
of weapons of mass destruction. That Resolution
commits its signatories to move to establish a
Nuclear Weapons Free Zone in the Middle East.
US insistence on keeping nuclear "bunker buster"
weapons to threaten Iran & others in Diego Garcia,
poisons the nuclear-free weapons zone for Africa
set up by the African Union.
A nuclear Weapons Free Zone in the Pacific, is
also being undermined by excluding all of the
US's Pacific dependencies - most "given" by the UK.
Obama’s false oral commitment to non-proliferation
has received much praise around the world, even
gaining him a Nobel peace prize. Instead of taking
practical steps to reduce the real threat of
nuclear weapons proliferation, the US is selfishly
concentrating on trying to hang on to US control
of the vital Middle East oil-producing regions,
by illegal threats and illegal violence.
That is understandable and even reasonable, for
the US wealthy bast**ds who think they own the
world - but is - to the sane billions watching -
a sign of the emergence of a new, repulsive and
truly evil country... and it aint Iran.
***********************************************
ZIONIST LEADERS OF ISRAEL BURY HEADS IN SAND
Uzi Even, a Tel Aviv University chemistry professor
and former worker at Israel's Dimona reactor,
says Obama's campaign for global nuclear arms reduction
could now be met by opening up Dimona.
"We could open Dimona to international inspection,"
the former Meretz party mp says,
on Israeli army radio on Monday.
Israel's policy of neither confirming nor denying
through "nuclear ambiguity," he says, no longer works.
"The policy of nuclear ambiguity, by which we
fool only ourselves and nobody else, is not
good for us any more. It was good, effective
and successful for close to 40 years, but over
40 years many things change and now I am telling
you clearly, this policy is no longer in our interest."
But Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak tells an
Israeli parliamentary committee on the same day
that no policy shift is planned and that he does
not see one being forced upon Israel by Obama.
"I don't think there is a real danger or threat
to Israel's traditional position, as it has
been expressed over the years," he tells
the foreign affairs and defence committee.
"The link between us and the United States
is more complex than it may appear."
The US link he refers to, is the agreement
reached in 1969, that as long as Israel doesn't
test a nuclear weapon or publicly confirm that
it has one, the US will not press the issue.
"The understanding we have with the US & other
countries for many years has been quite effective,"
Strategic Affairs Minister Dan Meridor tells
reporters on the same Monday: "It need not change."
Egypt and all other non-aligned nations are
to convene a conference next year on turning the
Middle East into a zone free of nuclear weapons.
Meridor dismissed this as "unimportant", also
the reports that Egypt has tabled a motion on
Israel's nuclear weapons status for a June
meeting in Vienna of the UN's IAEA.
"From time to time this issue is raised
at the IAEA and other places. It's not
the first time it's been mentioned, and
it won't be the first time we'll find a way,
with the rest of the world, to deal with it."
HEAD OF IAEA CALLS FOR ADVICE ON ISRAEL SIGNING UP
The head of the UN atomic watchdog is asking for
international input on how to persuade Israel
to join the Non-Proliferation Treaty, in a move
that is sure to add to pressure on the Zionist
entity to disclose its unacknowledged nuclear arsenal.
In a letter made available Wednesday, Yukiya Amano
is asking foreign ministers of the International
Atomic Energy Agency's 151 member states
to share views on how to implement a resolution
demanding that Israel "accede to the" Non-
Proliferation Treaty and throw its nuclear
facilities open to IAEA oversight.
Islamic nations use the second day of the non-
Proliferation meeting to call for a nuclear-free
Middle East, while criticizing Israel for not
divulging its nuclear capabilities and refusing
to sign the nonproliferation treaty.
Amano's letter comes seven months after IAEA
member states at their annual conference
narrowly passed a resolution criticizing Israel
and its atomic program, with 49 of the 110
nations present backing the document, 45
against and 16 abstaining.
This is a setback not only for Israel, but also
for USUK and other backers of the Jewish state,
who have lobbied for 18 years of past practice -
debate on the issue without a vote. It also
reflects growing tensions between Israel and
its backers & the Islamic nations, supported
by all of the world's developing countries.
The US and its allies say Iran is the region's
greatest proliferation threat, despite its
many statements that it is building a civilian
program simply to generate power.
But Islamic nations insist that Israel is the
true danger in the Middle East, saying they want
a stop to its nuclear weapons & aggression.
Muslim countries enjoy support from developing
nations. These are critical of the US and other
nuclear weapons nations for refusing to disarm,
and suspect that developed nations are trying to
corner the market on peaceful nuclear technology
to their disadvantage - themes likely to surface
not only at the ongoing Non-Proliferation Treaty
conference, but also at the next IAEA general
conference coming in September.
*************************************************
EGYPT CALLS USUK's BLUFF ON MID-EAST NUCLEAR FREE ZONE
“The need has “doubled” to create a nuclear
weapons-free zone in the Middle East as the UK,
Russia and the US have done nothing to carry out
a 1995 pledge to set it up,” Egypt tells a UN
conference on Wednesday.
In a speech read in his absence to a conference
reviewing the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty,
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit says:
“The need is doubled today for the effective and
comprehensive implementation of the 1995 (NPT)
resolution on the Middle East.”
He notes that the three states, USUK, & Russia,
which sponsored this resolution have exerted
“no effort... to assure its implementation.”
His remarks are read out by Egypt’s UN
Ambassador, Maged Abdel Aziz.
Egypt is leading non-aligned nations in a push to
convene next year a conference to discuss
turning the Middle East into a zone free of
nuclear weapons. The non-aligned states also
want Israel, which is believed to have some 200
atomic bombs, officially to declare its arsenal
and then join the NPT in order to disarm.
Israel says it will only do this after there is
a peace agreement in the Middle East. This
position is supported by the US.
Arab diplomats object, saying that the creation
of a weapons-free zone would actually be
a catalyst towards reaching peace.
Egypt and the US are trying to work out a
compromise to start talks on a Middle East
nuclear weapons-free zone, diplomats say.
Deadlock over this issue threatens to block
progress at the NPT meeting, which focuses
on disarmament, non-proliferation and the
peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Arab diplomats insist that creating such a zone
should not be held hostage to the lack of peace
in the Middle East.
“A conference should look at whatever steps are
necessary to move forward,” says one diplomat.
“But we expect it would be one which would launch
negotiations on a zone and not just be a talking
shop,” he says. NPT review conferences have been
held every 5 years since the treaty was signed in 1970.
The 1995 review conference called for a Middle East
free of nuclear weapons & extended the NPT indefinitely.
*************************************************
THE US, WITH 5,113 NUCLEAR WARHEADS, CLAIMS
IRAN's PEACEFUL PROGRAM THREATENS THE WORLD!
US nuclear arsenal: A TOTAL OF 5,113 WARHEADS
- Israel: SOLE NUCLEAR POWER IN THE MIDDLE EAST
WITH OVER 200 NUCLEAR WARHEADS
The US discloses for the first time on Monday
the overall size of its nuclear arsenal, saying
it has a total of 5,113 warheads operationally
deployed, kept in active reserve and held in
inactive storage. Moreover, Israel is believed
to be the sole nuclear power in the Middle East
with more than 200 nuclear heads and is not even
a signatory of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT).
However, Washington and its main ally Israel are
impudent enough to attack Iran’s peaceful
nuclear program, claiming Tehran is seeking to
develop a nuclear bomb and threatening to impose
more sanctions against the Islamic republic.
Again, a double standard policy seems to dominate
the US talks, and one cannot but wonder how the
"international community", supposedly led by the
UN, but truly, led by the US & Israel, doesn’t
raise questions about these US & Israeli nuclear
arsenals, at a time it seeks sanctions against
the Islamic republic's nuclear program, based on
“doubts” & “fears”, that it may be using it to
develop a nuclear bomb.
According to figures released by the Pentagon,
the total does not include warheads that have
been retired and scheduled for dismantlement:
an estimated 4,600 according to the Federation
of American Scientists, a nonprofit group.
The US nuclear arsenal has been reduced by 84%
from its maximum level of 31,225 warheads,
at the end of fiscal year 1967.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday
says that Iran's nuclear program puts the world
at risk & calls on the world's nations to rally
around US efforts to hold Tehran to account.
"Iran is the only country represented in this
hall that has been found by the IAEA board of
governors to be currently in non-compliance with
its nuclear safeguard obligations," Clinton says
in a speech to a Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty
(NPT) review conference at the United Nations.
"It has defied the UN Security Council and the
IAEA and placed the future of the non-
proliferation regime in jeopardy, and that is
why it is facing increasing isolation and
pressure from the international community," she says.
Clinton speaks to the meeting of the 189
signatories of the 1970 NPT, just hours after
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad blasts
the US for threatening to use nuclear arms,
triggering a sharp US response and a walkout
by some delegations, including the UK & France.
Ahmadinejad says having nuclear weapons is
"disgusting and shameful, & even more shameful
is the threat to use, or to use, such weapons."
"Regrettably, the government of the US has not
only used nuclear weapons, but also continues
to threaten to use such weapons against other
countries, including Iran," he says.
The Iranian president calls for states that
threaten to use atomic weapons to be punished,
in a clear reference to the new US nuclear
strategy announced last month.
He urges "considering any threat to use nuclear
weapons or attack peaceful nuclear facilities,
as a breach of international peace & security."
Such threats should meet with a "swift reaction
from the UN & the termination of all cooperation
of NPT member states with the threatening
aggressor state," Ahmadinejad says, adding that
among the punishments that should be meted out
to countries that use, or threaten to use,
atomic weapons against other nations is
suspension from the board of governors of the
UN nuclear watchdog in Vienna.
Ahmadinejad also hints that Israel & an unnamed
European country have made nuclear threats.
His attacks against the US & its allies triggers
the walkout. Delegates from the US, UK, France,
& some non-nuclear states leave the assembly hall.
The Iranian leader goes on to attack Israel
directly, saying, "The Zionist regime continues
to threaten the countries of the Middle East
with its arsenal. It continues to threaten the
world's countries with acts of terror & invasion,
& even gets the necessary assistance for its nuclear program."
The US' so-called nuclear posture review, reduces
the role of atomic weapons in US defense policy,
but doesn't rule out the use of nuclear warheads
against countries like Iran and North Korea,
that are - according to the US - considered to
be “NPT violators”.
The Iranian television IRIB reports that a Fox
news reporter “was angry Monday that President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech was appreciated
by the participants of the NPT Review Conference
despite his critical remarks about US policies
and despite calling Israel a Zionist regime.
IRIB adds that “in his report, Fox news reporter
Eric Shawn, also expressed regret that while
President Ahmadinejad denied that his country
was to make nuclear bomb, and instead said that
the US should be punished for possessing nuclear
weapons, he's still appreciated by participants.”
Both the US and Israel have suggested that they
could use military force against Iranian nuclear
facilities, which they suspect are part of a
covert atomic weapons program. Iran denies
pursuing atomic weapons and insists its nuclear
program is limited to peacefully generating electricity.
In his speech, Ahmadinejad rejects allegations
that his country is developing nuclear weapons,
citing "not a single credible proof."
Clinton says the world stands at a crossroads,
facing a future either of sharply reduced
nuclear risk, or a spread of nuclear-armed
states & groups, and that issues such as Iran's
nuclear program could determine which path is
taken. "Rules must be binding. Violations must
be punished. Words must mean something, and the
world must stand together to prevent the spread
of these weapons," Clinton says. "It is time
for a strong international response."
She also says the US will ratify nuclear weapons-
free zones in Africa & the South Pacific and also
support "practical measures" to establish the
Middle East as a region free of weapons of mass
destruction - which could pique US ally Israel,
presumed to have a sizable nuclear arsenal.
However, Clinton later tells reporters, that the
conditions for such a zone in the Middle East
"do not yet exist".
************************************************
SECURITY COUNCIL "STOPPING NUCLEAR-FREE ZONE IN MIDDLE EAST"
The US's John F Kennedy was assassinated shortly
after attempting to reign in Israeli nuclear bombs.
So as Obama reluctantly admits at the Washington Summit
that all countries - including Israel - should sign
the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, UN Sec-
General Ban Ki-moon says proposals to create a
Middle East nuclear-free zone are not achieving
progress for "various reasons", including a lack
of progress in the Middle East peace process.
"We have succeeded in many areas, including in
Central Asia, where they have agreed to, and
established, a nuclear weapons-free zone," but
the Middle East nuclear-free zone is "stalled",
Ban tells reporters at the recent summit.
The sec-general says that if the world is to
achieve its eventual goal of a nuclear-free
world "it is absolutely necessary to have
all areas with nuclear-weapons-free-zones".
Asked about countries which opt out of the NPT,
Ban says: "All member states who have not done
so should participate in the NPT Treaty. That's
an obligation of all member states of the UN.
"I am going to urge.. that all countries who have
not signed & ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear
Test Ban Treaty should also do so without further delay".
It's part of "our common commitment, to make
this world free of nuclear weapons", he adds.
As to the Security Council’s obsession with
Iran’s nuclear program, Ali Abdussalam Treki
of Libya, president of the General Assembly,
says his country has voluntarily given up its
nuclear weapons program & is totally opposed
to any country possessing such weapons.
For years, he says, the General Assembly,
the UN’s highest policy-making body,
has called for a nuclear weapons-free
zone in the Middle East. Treki poses
journalists this penetrating question:
"Where should we start? Should we start with the
country which has nuclear weapons in the Middle
East, or the country accused of attempting to
have nuclear weapons? We don’t want Israel to
have nuclear weapons and we don’t want Iran to
have nuclear weapons," he adds, insisting that
Libya does not want the five permanent members
of the Security Council, the US, UK, France,
Russia and China, either, to have "the world’s
most destructive and indiscriminate weapon."
Still, the 5 big powers in the Security Council
are sanctioning both Iran & North Korea, although
Iran's religious leaders insist their program
is purely & simply for peaceful uses.
In 2009, the Security Council tightened sanctions
on North Korea for testing a nuclear weapon &
expressed its "gravest concern" re such weapons
testing in violation of a previous resolution.
But the major powers passing these resolutions
are still testing in their own countries – &
even in other people’s countries, when they can.
A statement by the North Korean Foreign Ministry:
"There is a limit to our patience. The nuclear
test conducted in our nation this time is the
earth’s 2,054th nuclear test. The five permanent
members of the Security Council have conducted
99.99% of the world's total nuclear tests."
***********************************************
IT'S ONLY A START !!!
The new Russia-US strategic arms reduction treaty
means that the two states reduce their nuclear
arsenals to agreed levels in seven years, the
chief of the Russian General Staff says.
"The main result of negotiations is a cut of more
than 30% in Russian and US strategic offensive
weapons. The treaty will have a validity term of
ten years, and the established parameters are to
be reached within seven years," Gen. Nikolai Makarov says.
Under the treaty, the number of nuclear warheads
is to be reduced to 1,550 on each side. The
number of delivery vehicles - deployed and non-
deployed intercontinental ballistic missile
(ICBM) launchers, submarine launched ballistic
missile (SLBM) launchers, and heavy bombers
equipped for nuclear weapons - must not exceed
800 on each side.
The treaty also stipulates that strategic
offensive weapons are to be based solely on
the national territories of Russia and the US.
"The agreements lift mutual concerns and meet
Russia's interests in full," Makarov says.
The signed deal has to be ratified by the
parliaments of the two states in order to
come into effect.
Despite last minute quibbles on the signing
date, this represents a wonderful achievement
for Obama in the face of Republican & Pentagon
opposition. Da Iawn, to those who love Peace !!!
Then a little Millipede pops up to gain his
political tuppence... "We'll throw our arms
into the pot too", he exclaims, and then spoils
it by attacking North Korea & Iran. Sad boy.
But despite helping solve bi-lateral relations,
the new agreement has not met the needs
of the international community.
The provisions do not eliminate nuclear weapons
but instead change their level of readiness.
The treaty reduces the number of weapons to
1,550, but no missiles will be destroyed,
just moved to a different state of readiness.
They can all be activated and re-weaponized
in a very short period of time. Plus, the US
still continues to work on developing new
nuclear weapons. More accurate weapons are
being developed, as well as "bunker-busters"
designed to penetrate deeply into the Earth.
The main danger to the safety of the world,
is still nuclear proliferation; and as nuclear
technology spreads, terrorist organizations
getting their hands on nuclear materials.
Perhaps an even greater problem, is that the US
has two completely different standards towards
the use of nuclear technology by various nations.
It allows Israel's nuclear weapons program,
exploits Pakistani & Indian rivalries, and
makes no effort to discourage Japan from
stockpiling raw materials capable of producing
thousands of nuclear weapons.
But Iran and North Korea face sanctions
and even threats of military action.
The US is endangering world safety through
its biased ideological espousal of Israel,
and a crazed attempt to stop China's rise.
To make a convincing case for non-proliferation,
the US MUST apply the same standards to EVERY country.
The US is still also refusing to move its nuclear
weapons out of Europe, despite "requests" to do so.
*************************************************
ARAB LEAGUE TOUGHENS STANCE ON ISRAEL'S NUKES
Arab leaders call for a Middle East free of
nuclear weapons during a closed-door session
at the Arab League summit in Libya.
Many Arab countries view Israel's nuclear
programmes with alarm, and repeatedly call for
an agreement to ban nuclear weapons from the region.
In their closing statements, leaders stress that
the development of nuclear weapons threatens
peace and security, diplomats say to the press.
They call for a review of the 1970 Nuclear Non-
Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in order to create a
definitive plan for eliminating nuclear weapons development.
They call upon the UN to hold a conference to
make the Middle East nuclear weapons free.
Arab leaders also call on the International
Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog,
to terminate its technical assistance programmes
in Israel if the country does not join the NPT
and allow inspections to begin.
************************************************
ISRAELI NUKES 'DISTURBING & THREATENING'
Amr Moussa, the secretary general of the Arab League
denounces Israel's possession of a vast nuclear arsenal.
"I wish to mention that Israeli nuclear activities
are very disturbing and threatening to us,"
Moussa says in response to statements made by
EU High Rep for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton
on the alleged threats posed by Iran's nuclear activities.
"We should not speak only about Iran,
but be unconcerned about military and
nuclear adventurism in the Middle East,"
the Islamic Republic News Agency quotes
the Arab League chief as saying as he refers
to Israel's hundreds of nuclear warheads.
"If we are against any nuclear actions,
we should stop mentioning only one country,” he adds.
"The relation between us and Europe is indeed
one of an old history and common destiny," he says.
"Since there is a common destiny, then the
threat to our own security is very important.
We have to be fair and objective and strategic
about what we do."
Moussa expresses support for international talks
with Iran & calls for help to establish
diplomatic negotiations and to prove that
Iran's nuclear case is not a threat to the region.
The US and its allies accuse Iran of the
"intention" to enrich uranium to weapons-grade
levels and have gone to great lengths to prevent
Iran from producing fuel for health & industry.
World powers, most of which possess and continue
to develop vast nuclear arsenals that have been
tested and even used in military confrontations,
have been lobbying for a “symbolic” tightening
of economic measures against the Tehran government.
As a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty,
Islamic Iran insists that it neither believes in atomic weapons,
nor, as a matter of religious principles, does it intend to
access such weapons of mass-destruction.
*************************************************
AHMADINEJAD: OUR YOUTH ARE OUR GREATEST WEAPON
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says
nations that possess culture & civilization,
do not need to make atomic bombs.
“I have repeatedly said that our atomic bombs
are our youth and athletic heroes. A nation
that possesses determination, intellect, culture
& civilization doesn't need to make atomic bombs.
“Those who suffer from an inferiority complex
& lack a historical background and civilization
are the ones that claim they need atomic bombs."
President Ahmadinejad also asks the Head of
Iran's Physical Education Organization,
Ali Saeedlou, to remove all limitations for
his country's athletes so that they can organize
and enjoy the best coaches and technical staff.
The president announces that "Iran's sports
budget is increasing fivefold over this year."
************************************************
IT TAKES A CHILD TO ASK - & A PAINTED PIG TO LIE
A Saudi girl student condemns US Sec of State
Hillary Clinton for avoiding her question on
Israel's nuclear arsenal during a "town hall"
meeting at a Jeddah college.
"I did not get a straight answer," Mariyam Alavi
says in a letter published in Arab News.
"My question was simple and direct enough,"
she writes, but Ms Clinton's response...
"was very unsatisfying.''
Alavi, a 12th grader at the International Indian
School in Jeddah, attended the meeting at the
elite Dar al-Hekma College with six classmates.
She asked Ms Clinton about the US's stance
on nuclear weapons in the Middle East.
If the US "so vehemently opposes Iran's nuclear programme,"
she asked, "then why isn't the US asking Israel
to give up their nuclear weapons?"
Ms Clinton gave a lengthy answer detailing the US
case against Iran, but did not mention Israel.
Alavi's Arab News letter illustrates perfectly
the US hypocrisy over the issue, confirming
a commonly held understanding in the region.
"Clinton said that the United States, under the
able leadership of President Barack Obama, was
trying to repair and strengthen its ties
with the Muslim world.
"It is high time she realised it can't be done
without answering the questions uppermost in
the minds of the Middle East people.''
Alavi says she was nervous about asking such
a "politically provocative question'' but was
then encouraged by strong applause from the
audience when she addressed Ms Clinton.
Tactical nuclear missiles are not even part
of the START talks. Yet US policy includes
using them on the battlefields of the future.
The US has 200 nuclear missiles in "old Europe",
and now plans to operate its "defence" systems
in Bulgaria, Rumania, Poland etc, to render
Russia's nuclear deterrance useless.
The "Command Centre" is to be in the Czech Republic,
which voted NOT to accept the missiles themselves,
after years of heartbreaking efforts by peace
campaigners. Show what YOU can do to stop this.
Join the people acting to make the world safe -
by doing NOTHING, you guarantee this continues...
*************************************************
AHMADINEJAD CALLS FOR WORLDWIDE NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT
In an interview with Russian channel NTV,
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad calls
for worldwide nuclear disarmament, declaring
that the era of nuclear weapons is over.
“Today, no one can use a nuclear weapon and we
believe that the US is taking a wrong move by
stockpiling nuclear weapons,” Ahmadinejad notes,
likely referring to President Obama’s call for
an additional $5 billion in funding for the
USA’s nuclear weapons program. Possibly referring
also to the UK's massive upgrading of Trident -
controlled by the US, and with knowledge of the
"secret" nuclear research and development carried
out by the UK for the US, to sneak around the
constraints placed on US nuclear development by
Congress and International treaties.
Ahmadinejad points out that despite the US’s
enormous nuclear arsenal, they have been unable
to achieve victory in either Iraq or Afghanistan.
The Iranian president also labels nuclear weapons
as “inhumane” and says that the nations calling
for disarmament, should dismantle their own
arsenals - to prove sincerity in their spoken words.
*************************************************
GENOCIDAL US (AND "OTHERS") EXPOSED
Iran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili
says the US should be relieved of its veto power
and disarmed, because of its use of atomic bombs
on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II.
"The least penalty for the United States is its
disarmament and disqualifying its veto power,"
says Jalili during his visit to Hiroshima.
"Unfortunately not only was the US not condemned
for the Hiroshima massacre, but it was also
awarded with veto power in the Security Council."
During the final stages of World War II in 1945,
the US dropped two atomic bombs on Japan.
The bombs killed as many as 140,000 people
in Hiroshima and 80,000 in Nagasaki
by the end of 1945, with roughly half of those
deaths occurring on the days of the bombings.
Jalili adds that the Hiroshima tragedy shows
that certain major powers such as the US
have no remorse about killing innocent people
when it is in line with their interests.
The non-commitment of the US and other major powers
to the elimination of their nuclear weapons
is "the biggest threat to global security,"
says Jalili, who is also the secretary of
Iran's Supreme National Security Council.
He calls on the international community to put
pressure on Washington to eradicate its atomic arsenal.
Regarding the US military strategy after World War II,
Jalili takes a swipe at Washington for equipping
Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq with chemical weapons,
and for supplying the Zionist regime with nuclear weapons.
He also questions the US military presence in Afghanistan & other countries, as against world peace.
*************************************************
JAPAN WAKES UP
Japan is waking up, to find that their own
Foreign Ministry knew of a secret pact
between Japan and the US, which allowed
nuclear-laden US military vessels and aircraft
to continue to stopover in Japanese territory.
After mounting evidence that such a pact exists,
Vice Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka set up
a task force in September to conduct a "full
and comprehensive" inquiry into allegations.
Documents have now been found that corroborate
the existence of the secret nuclear agreement,
according to sources in the know.
Plus, a former vice foreign minister recently
witnessed to the clandestine understanding,
saying that he was privy to the minutes of
the meeting in which the secret pact was made in 1960.
"I saw them. I remember we looked into them
after something happened," the former top
official says - on condition of anonymity.
The minutes in question are currently being kept in the US,
according to declassified US documents.
"The probe is now in the final stage, and we will
announce the outcome in January," Okada says.
This breaks Vice Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka's pledge
to issue a detailed report on his findings in November.
Under the 1960 treaty, the US is required
to consult with the Japanese, before any
nuclear weapons are brought into their country.
But Japan's Foreign Ministry now indicates how
its own probe reveals that stopovers of US
military vessels or aircraft with nuclear
weapons, are NOT subject to prior consultation.
According to ex-ministers and top Foreign Ministry
officials involved with handling the agreement,
in revising the Treaty in 1960, the two allies
also made a secret deal which Tokyo agreed
would give tacit approval to the US on the
stopover of US military aircraft or vessels
carrying nuclear weapons in Japanese territory.
Washington then knew that "prior consultation" with Tokyo
was only needed for the deployment of nuclear weapons
on land or in the air, and that stopovers of
aircraft and vessels with nuclear weapons
were "not bound" by prior consultation.
According to former top ministry officials of the
administration of ex-Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi,
who signed the revised security pact, the PM
accepted the US interpretation of the new deal.
"Stopovers", therefore, could have been made
frequently by US military vessels, carrying
nuclear weapons, over the last fifty years.
The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), has always
denied the existence of any secret agreement,
saying; "As we have never faced demands for
prior consultations, we have no other choice
than determining that nuclear weapons
have not been brought into Japan."
But the facts, including recent testimony,
suggest that Japan's previous administrations
knew better, for a very long time.
Four former top Japanese ministry officials
have all recently admitted that a secret pact
has been in existence for decades.
Ryohei Murata, ex-Foreign Ministry administrative
vice minister, told the Mainichi newspaper, that
Japanese and US governments had a secret accord,
whereby Japan would tacitly approve port calls
and passage through Japanese territorial waters
by US warships carrying nuclear weapons.
Murata's testimony, opposing repeated LDP denials,
marks the first time an ex-administrative vice
foreign minister has admitted publicly that
such a secret "accord" has existed.
"My predecessor told me to convey
the contents of the secret accord to the minister,
in my capacity as the administrative vice minister."
The Japanese public were, for decades, led to believe,
through the LDP's "cycle of denial," that their country's
three non-nuclear principles were being upheld.
From Hiroshima and Nagasaki, to the present day,
the Japanese public has become increasingly
opposed to the presence of nuclear weapons
anywhere on Japanese soil: in its waters,
or in its skies, and are staunch supporters
of global nuclear non-proliferation.
The three principles of not possessing, manufacturing
or permitting nuclear weapons into Japanese territory,
were first outlined by Prime Minister Eisaku Sato
in a speech to the House of Representatives in 1967,
amid negotiations over the return of Okinawa from the US.
The Diet formally adopted the principles in 1971.
Since then every prime minister of Japan has
publicly reaffirmed the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles".
If the newly governing DPJ fail to amend the 1960 treaty,
the party will be seen as Washington's new puppets.
The DPJ is already "re-examining" the 2006
US-Japan Roadmap for Realignment & Implementation.
This plan requires the "repositioning" of US forces at Okinawa.
The Japanese government are seeking to relocate
an air-camp away from Okinawa, or outside Japan,
as the local population will no longer endure
any more criminal acts by US forces.
US officials say this is "testing ties
with Japan's new government."
Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa intends to end
the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force's
refueling missions in the Indian Ocean,
and is pulling out its two naval ships
as their mandate expires in January.
The US wants a nuclear presence in the Asia-Pacific region
for its own "strategic interests",
and is now loudly calling for a security deal
with Japan, that keeps US interests at its core.
Robert Gates is warning Japan publicly, not to
"undermine" US nuclear deterrence in the area.
************************************************
OBAMA REFUSES TO VISIT HIROSHIMA WHILE TOURING JAPAN
President Obama says he is "too busy" to accept
an invitation from Hiroshima citizens to see for
himself what nuclear weapons do to civilians.
In Hiroshima, the invitation to Obama remains open,
but he isn't alone in "not finding the time" to accept it.
According to the city's peace promotion department,
no sitting head of state from any nation with nuclear weapons
has visited the memorial, which lists the names of the dead.
*************************************************
THE GOLDEN WEB
We all are guilty of faults and of criticising
others, yet people are doing their best, and we
have forgotten the wisdom of "there, but for
the Grace of God, go I" !
The removal of US nuclear weapons from Europe,
and a new NATO policy relying less on nuclear
"deterrence", is now being moved forward by
those we've perhaps been guilty of criticising.
This initiative is now being driven
mainly by the German government and the UK,
and they are calling for the removal of
US nuclear weapons from the EU's territory
and for a new Nato strategic rethink.
The German foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle,
raised this issue during talks in Washington
with US secretary of state Hillary Clinton.
The Germans, Belgians, Dutch & Norwegians
also call for Nato to revise its basic doctrine,
known as the "strategic concept".
Des Browne, former British defence minister
now chairing a cross-party parliamentary group
on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation:
"These moves bring out into the open
a topic which for too long has been discussed
by diplomats and technocrats only,
& makes possible a genuine debate between allies
about the role of nuclear weapons in Nato strategy,
as set out in the strategic concept which guides alliance generals."
The 1999 strategic concept says:
"Nuclear forces based in Europe & committed to Nato
provide an essential political and military link
between the European and North American members
of the alliance. The alliance will therefore
maintain adequate nuclear forces in Europe."
Most US "tactical" nuclear weapons are now in
Turkey, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands & Germany.
Their future was debated within the Obama
administration as it prepared its new
"nuclear posture review".
The result? All US nuclear weapons in Europe,
are going to STAY there. A criminal shame.
*************************************************
NON-VIOLENT PROTESTERS HOODED FOR HOURS
Five Ploughshares protestors are arrested after
cutting through three security fences to reach
an area where nuclear missiles are stored at
Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor.
Bill Bischel, 81, a Catholic priest from Tacoma;
Anne Montgomery, 83, a nun from New York;
Susan Crane, 65, of Baltimore; Lynne Greenwald,
60, of Bremerton; and Steve Kelly, 60, of
Oakland, Calif., are facing charges now.
The nuclear weapons opponents were "apprehended
in accordance with standing security procedures
for incidents of this nature," according to a
Navy press release. They were turned over to
the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, cited,
and released at about 4 p.m.
"At no time was the safety of Navy personnel,
property, or the public threatened in any way,"
says the Navy press release.
The protestors say they used bolt cutters to
infiltrate the perimeter fence at around 2 a.m.
on Monday and slipped onto the base under a full
moon. They then walked along the ridge above
Delta Pier and the weapons-handling wharf,
then followed a road east to their destination -
the weapons storage bunkers.
"We were in plain sight the whole time," Greenwald says.
The protestors cut through a pair of fences
between the group and Strategic Weapons Facility-
Pacific, where nuclear missiles for the base's
Trident submarines are stored. Then, setting
off an alarm at around 6:30am., they were
surrounded by Marines.
The protestors held up a banner that read
"Disarm Now Plowshares: Trident: Illegal + Immoral."
They put their arms out, gave peace signs and
tried to look as non-threatening as possible
to keep from being shot, Greenwald says.
The protestors say they were handcuffed,
hooded and kept on the ground for four hours.
The activists say they wanted to bring to light
the number of nuclear weapons in the community.
The protestors say they believe the weapons
are instruments of death that prevent peace
in the world & waste money that could be put to better use.
Ploughshares has staged about 100 nuclear
resistance actions worldwide since 1980.
"Our intent in talking to any media
is not to emphasize how we broke through security
or were treated, but the real terror of the
Trident nuclear weapons system," Greenwald says.
Both trespassing and destruction of government
property are misdemeanors, says Emily Langlie,
spokesperson for the US Attorney's Office in
Seattle. The maximum penalty for trespassing
is six months in jail and a $5,000 fine, and
for destroying property, it's a year in jail
and a $100,000 fine. The tickets will be
processed in San Antonio, which takes about
40 days. Letters will then be sent for them
to appear before a judge in Tacoma.
*************************************************
NUCLEAR MEETING IN HIROSHIMA
An international conference on nuclear nonproliferation
and disarmament is held in Hiroshima.
During the three-day meeting co-chaired by former
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi and
former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans,
the International Commission on Nuclear
Nonproliferation and Disarmament discusses
concrete measures aimed at reducing the number
of nuclear weapons and restricting their use.
The commission, established on the initiative of
Australia and Japan, held its first meeting
in Sydney in October 2008.
The UN nuclear assembly is calling for Israel
to open its nuclear facilities to UN inspection
and sign up to the non-proliferation treaty.
The resolution, passed narrowly, marks a
"glorious victory" for Arab states and others
who've pushed for the move for the last 18 years.
Russia & China back the resolution, passed 49-45
by the IAEA's member states, with 16 abstentions.
The non-binding resolution voices concern over
"Israeli nuclear capabilities" and urges the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),
the UN's nuclear watchdog, to work on it now.
Israel swears it will not co-operate, saying
the measure "singles it out" while many of its
neighbours remain hostile to its existence.
"Israel will not co-operate in any matter (sic)
with this resolution, which only aims at
reinforcing political hostilities & lines of
division in the Middle East region," says
David Danieli, chief Israeli delegate.
Israel is 1 of only 3 countries worldwide
- along with India and Pakistan -
outside the non-proliferation treaty (NPT)
yet is known to have the Middle East's
only stockpiled arsenal of nuclear weapons.
It refuses to confirm or deny it has the weapons.
Ali Asghar Soltanieh, the Iranian ambassador,
whose country's disputed nuclear programme
is under IAEA investigation, says the vote
is a "glorious moment" and "a triumph for
the oppressed nation of Palestine".
"All like-minded, peace-loving countries
have always called for a resolution to take
measures to push Israel to stop their nuclear
weapons programme, adhere to the NPT and put
every nuclear installation under the IAEA.
"All countries in the Middle East are party
to the NPT - the only non-party is Israel.
The resolution addresses the only non-
participant in the Middle East.
Iran's other motion suffers a setback later when
its bid to ban attacks on nuclear sites fails
to win consensus in the Non-Aligned Movement,
so is not put to a vote.
UN Security Council members Russia and China,
back the Israel resolution, passed by 49-45 by
the IAEA's annual member states gathering.
There are 16 abstentions.
Western states say it is unfair & counter
productive to isolate 1 member state, & that
the IAEA resolution urging all Middle East
nations including Israel to reject atomic bombs,
makes the vote pointless.
Glyn Davies, US ambassador, calls the resolution
"redundant. Such an approach is highly politicised
& doesn't address the complexities at play
regarding crucial nuclear-related issues..."
Canada tries to block the vote on the floor
with a "no-action motion", a manoeuvre that
succeeded in 2007 & 2008, but loses by 8 votes.
Diplomats from the non-aligned movement say
times have changed now Barack Obama is president.
Reuters news agency quotes one diplomat as saying:
"People and countries are bolder now,
willing to call a spade a spade.
You cannot hide or ignore the truth,
the double standards, of Israel's
nuclear capability forever,"
"The new US administration has certainly
helped this thinking with its commitment
to universal nuclear disarmament and
nuclear weapons-free zones."
************************************************
UK COPIES US TO PUSH FOR GLOBAL DISARMAMENT
A cross-party group of ex-ministers and former generals
is launched in October 2009, in a new UK move
to push for global nuclear disarmament.
Des Browne is chairing the group, which seeks
to rally EU support for a US-led initiative to
work towards the abolition of nuclear weapons
through cuts by existing nuclear states, & stop
emerging powers from pursuing nuclear weapons.
The non-proliferation treaty's review is in May,
2010, & hopes of strengthening the treaty are
lifted by the election of Obama and progress
in talks between the US and Russia.
"There is a window of opportunity, but it is
a limited window of opportunity," Browne says.
"It's a big opportunity for nuclear weapons states
to make a contribution to improving the confidence
the rest of the world has in the non-proliferation treaty."
The parliamentary group's aim is to rally EU
support for a nuclear-free world, Browne says,
and to reach a common EU position on withdrawing
any remaining US nuclear weapons from Europe.
The group is to be called the Top Level Group of
UK Parliamentarians for Multilateral Nuclear
Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, and brings
together ex Labour ministers Margaret Beckett,
John Reid and Lord Robertson; senior Tories
Malcolm Rifkind, Michael Ancram & others;
plus 3 ex chiefs of the defence staff,-
General Lord Guthrie, Field Marshal Lord Inge
and Admiral Lord Boyce. It also includes Lady
Williams, the PM's adviser on nuclear proliferation.
The UK group is trying to follow the example of
Kissinger, George Shultz, William Perry & Sam
Nunn in the US. Their open letter in the Wall
Street Journal in 2007 calling for the abolition
of nuclear weapons started a national US debate,
& their call has been taken up by Obama's team.
Browne says the group hopes for a similar result
in the UK, and some members have consulted US
senators and members of the Obama administration.
"These weapons are so dangerous, their power is
so lethal, that comparatively small numbers,
comparatively small developments will make the
world a much less safe place than it currently is," Browne says.
************************************************
IRAN: ISRAEL MUST GET RID OF ITS NUCLEAR ARMS
Iran's foreign ministry says the US should focus
on making Israel dismantle its nuclear arsenal,
rather than on criticising Tehran's nuclear work.
The comments come after Hillary Clinton says
the US will arm its allies in the Gulf region
if Iran builds a nuclear weapon.
"There is no need for the US to provide a
defence umbrella for neighbouring countries,"
says Hassan Qashqavi a foreign ministry spokesperson.
"It is enough to tell its ally, the Zionist regime
- and convince it on the issue of disarmament -
to dismantle its own 200 nuclear warheads
from the occupied territories.
"This will automatically bring security to the
region and all countries of the region will
feel secure. The solution is not a defence umbrella
- it is removing the nuclear warheads of the
Zionist regime - and there is no other way."
Qashqavi says... "It is our right to have
peaceful nuclear activities. Nuclear weapons
have no place in our defence structure,"
Proliferation experts agree that Israel is
the only country in the Middle East with nuclear weapons.
Analysts estimate that Israel has up to
200 long-range nuclear warheads.
Yet still Israel refuses to confirm or deny
that it has a nuclear arsenal, and continues
to campaign against Iran's nuclear programme.
Shimon Peres, the Israeli president, said in a
documentary aired on Israeli television in 2001,
that France agreed in 1956 to provide Israel
with "a nuclear capacity" as part of secret
negotiations ahead of the invasion of Egypt
during the Suez "crisis", when Egypt was strong.
*************************************************
THE NON ALIGNED MOVEMENT BELIEVES...
The Vienna Chapter of the NAM put this
in a statement made to the IAEA Board
of Governors last month:
"NAM reaffirms the inviolability of peaceful
nuclear activities and that any attack or threat
of attack against peaceful nuclear facilities –
operational or under construction – poses a
great danger to human beings and the environment,
and constitutes a grave violation of international law,
principles and purposes of the Charter of the
United Nations and regulations of the IAEA.
NAM recognizes the need for a comprehensive
multilaterally negotiated instrument
prohibiting attacks, or threat of attacks
on nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
That is what the US, China, Russia, France and
the dear sweet UK agreed to at the 2000 NPT Review Conference.
SOMEONE SHOULD TELL CLINTON AND OBAMA, BEFORE
IRAN IS BLOWN TO BITS & A 3RD WORLD WAR STARTS!
************************************************
CHANGING EVANGELICALS
A lot of us see evangelicals as "on the right"
Now, as "change we find it difficult to believe in"
is pursuing US wars, torture and bullying, comes
a refreshing new development: follow the link below
to discover how "progressive" US evangelicals are
nearing the more "moderate" Muslim position
on how evil nuclear weapons are:
http://twofuturesproject.org/
************************************************
NORTH KOREA & US SQUARE UP - WITH NUCLEAR ARMS
President Obama and his South Korean counterpart
Lee Myung-bak are to sign an agreement to protect
S Korea with the help of US nuclear weapons.
Thousands of North Koreans demand that the UN
Security Council end its new sanctions against them.
N Korean officials say they condemn and reject
the resolution and sanctions imposed by US imperialists.
Over 100,000 people rally to support their
government in Pyongyang, local media say.
North Korea reportedly has enough weapons-grade
plutonium to make at least six A-bombs.
Today, they admit to enriching uranium.
How many flash points leading to World War does Obama WANT?
World spending on armaments increased by 45%
in the last decade. There has NEVER been a time
when this level of preparation for war, hasn't
led us directly into a major conflagration.
If we, ordinary people, hide from this,
our species is doomed.
************************************************
CND CALL FOR RESTRAINT
CND calls on the new Defence Secretary
to delay Trident Initial Gate decision
CND has called on new Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth MP
to recognise how unpopular the government's Trident plans are
and to delay the 'Initial Gate' decision as his first act in the job.
Ainsworth, previously a junior minister at the MoD,
was appointed after John Hutton's resignation.
The Initial Gate marks the end of the 'concept phase'
for the Trident replacement programme.
A report will be put by the MoD to government
for a decision to go ahead on the next phase
of the replacement process.
This was due to take place in September, 2009,
when Parliament was in recess and MPs were
unable to discuss the report. Over 150 MPs
signed Jeremy Corbyn MP's Early Day Motion
calling on the government to delay the decision
until MPs had returned.
CND Chair Kate Hudson: "The new Cabinet has
to face facts. The Labour government has gone
against the grain of public opinion on too many
issues, one of which is Trident.
Aside from the moral argument, the country cannot
afford to waste public money on replacing Trident,
particularly in the current economic crisis.
The idea that the government will give the nod
to costly new design work whilst Parliament is
closed for the summer is outrageous. This is
not something that right-thinking MPs or members
of the public will accept.
At a time when President Obama is leading new
disarmament initiatives, there is no case
for Trident replacement..."
Military veterans claiming negligence after being
exposed to excessive radiation during nuclear tests
in the 1950s, won a high court case last year.
Winning lets them sue the MoD, exposing the
UK government to a potential compensation bill
running into hundreds of millions of pounds.
A group of 1,000 veterans of tests in the South Pacific
and Australia between 1952 and 1958 launched the case
as they believe radiation exposure caused their
illnesses, including cancer and chromosome damage.
The MoD argued in court that the group had waited
too long to lodge its claim and was therefore
unable to sue through time limit regulations.
It also argued that the cases were certain to fail.
But Mr Justice Foskett rejected these arguments,
pointing to a recent scientific study with New Zealand veterans
which provides new evidence of the health impact
of the tests, which could be "crucial and pivotal"
in any potential case against the MoD.
Five of the 10 lead cases he considered are "permitted",
while the other five are to proceed as well,
on the grounds of fairness, the judge said.
The judge urged ministers to consider a settlement,
rather than wasting time on legal proceedings.
Veterans and their relatives celebrated:
"I'm absolutely over the moon," says Don James,
who was exposed to nuclear tests on Christmas island,
during offshore nuclear tests in 1958.
"We had no special kit. They just told us to turn
your back to the blast and cover your eyes.
You could see the bones in your fingers.
"I have a blood disorder now, and so does my daughter.
I'm still very angry. It should not have come to this.
If they had owned up at the beginning they could have
released documents and let us understand what happened."
************************************************
WORLD NEGOTIATION BEARS FRUIT
The 65-nation Conference on Disarmament breaks
twelve years of deadlock, and opens the way
to negotiate a new nuclear arms control treaty.
Diplomats welcome the adoption of a "program of work",
which recommends banning production of the "fissile materials"
— highly enriched uranium and plutonium —
that are needed to create atomic weapons.
Ambassador Idriss Jazairy of Algeria, chair of the conference
says the breakthrough comes in part because of
support by the US, Russia, the UK, France and China.
Even North Korea, which this week tests a second
nuclear bomb, endorses the program of work.
An Myong Hun, with the North Korean delegation:
"The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has
decided to support the draft decision in order
for the conference to be able to start its substantive work."
He says it remains N Korea's policy to achieve
total nuclear disarmament, but that nuclear
weapons states have to "lead the way".
The US has long backed proposals for a fissile materials treaty,
but is praised for shifting to support a verifiable accord.
President Barack Obama: "The US will seek a new treaty
that verifiably ends the production of fissile materials
intended for use in state nuclear weapons."
Obama says the conference decision signals a
commitment to work together on what he calls
a "fundamental challenge".
The Bush administration rejected verification.
Russia and China also join in endorsing the program..
The program also takes into account existing
stockpiles of fissile materials.
Many non-nuclear countries have long wanted the
conference to negotiate nuclear disarmament,
but the US didn't want multilateral negotiations.
It wanted only bilateral negotiations like the
US/Russian talks to reduce stockpiles.
The Conference on Disarmament also sets up a working group
on the "prevention of an arms race in outer space,"
a favorite proposal of Russia and China, who
have raised concerns that the US was trying to "weaponize" space.
Another working group will try to provide assurances
against the use or threat of attack with nuclear weapons.
*************************************************
SIZE REALLY DOES MATTER
Replacing Trident will cost an extra £100 million
this year, as the missiles, now designed in the US,
could be the wrong size.
The UK government is funding all the contract
for a US company to design a new missile compartment
to ensure that they will all fit snugly into
British submarines... designed in the UK.
The revelation is strongly condemned by the SNP and anti-nuclear campaigners.
One problem is that the UK Trident replacement programme,
which depends on the US to design and build the missiles,
is five years ahead of the US programme.
Tenders to bid issued by the US Navy, specify
a missile diameter of up to 120 inches.
But the diameter of Trident's current missile
tubes is 87 inches.
In a parliamentary answer, the defence secretary,
John Hutton, admits that this year's budget for
replacing Trident has risen from £300m to £400m.
"Costs are greater in 2009-10 than previously announced
due to the agreement with the US to design and manufacture
a common missile compartment," he says. This is due to
"re-profiling of funding rather than cost growth".
According to a defence industry newsletter, the
UK government is paying General Dynamics Electric
Boat Corporation in Groton, Connecticut, to
design the Trident missile compartment for both
UK and US submarines. The contract is initially
worth $75.6m (about £50m) but could rise to
$591.8m (about £392m).
Angus Robertson MP, SNP defence spokesperson:
"It is astounding that when the UK government
is demanding cuts in public services that it
would plan to waste even more on Trident.
"Trident is frankly obscene, and in the current
economic climate it is obvious that these resources
should be better spent."
Robertson also denies Labour claims that
replacing Trident isn't costing taxpayers any
more money: "These parliamentary answers,
seriously undermine that claim."
Scottish CND argues that the money could still be
spent on launch tubes that are still the wrong size.
"The work will all be carried out in the US
so there will be no jobs for Scotland,
or for the rest of the UK," says Alan Mackinnon,
the campaign's chair.
"Gordon Brown should not be squandering an
additional £100m on building a new nuclear
weapon system while the economy plunges further
into the red. He should listen to the growing
calls from across the political spectrum,
to cut the Trident replacement programme."
Conservative leader David Cameron, says his party's
support for Labour's £21 billion Trident replacement programme
is "under review".
The MoD says costs ARE rising this year,
but that there is no increase in the
overall cost of replacing Trident.
"The MoD seeks to achieve best value for money
and often this is achieved by collaborating
with other countries," says an MOD spokesperson.
*************************************************
Assistant US Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller,
calls on Israel to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. She is ignored for her brave stand.
**********************************************
Campaigners call for immediate UK compliance
with international law on nuclear weapons
Trident Ploughshares has written an open letter
to Prime Minister Gordon Brown reminding him of
the UK's legal obligations to disarm its nuclear
weapons. The letter is also sent to the Defence
and Foreign Secretaries, and to the leaders of
the major political parties in the UK.
Daniel Viesnik, a spokesperson for Trident Ploughshares
and one of the signatories to the letter says:
"All around the world, people from the US President
and former statesmen and military generals
to rank-and-file campaigners are united
in recognising the pressing need for global
nuclear disarmament and ridding the world of
the threat of nuclear war once and for all.
"It is time for the British Government to tally
its words with its actions by no longer deploying
its current Trident nuclear weapons, scrapping
plans for their replacement and signing up to a
Nuclear Weapons Convention - a global ban on
nuclear weapons; only then will Britain have any
genuine credibility on nuclear disarmament.
"The current economic crisis presents the ideal
opportunity for the Government to review the
advisability of wasting tens of billions of pounds
on illegal, immoral and useless nuclear weapons,
and instead focus limited resources on tackling
climate change and meeting the genuine needs of society."
Notes:
1. Trident Ploughshares is a campaign initiated
in 1998 to disarm Britain's Trident nuclear
weapons system in a nonviolent, open, peaceful
and fully accountable manner.
Contact:
tridentp.media@yahoo.co.uk
2. The letter can be seen in full here:
http://www.tridentploughshares.org/article1552
3. Details of 2009 NPT Preparatory Committee, 4–15 May, New York
The naval base at Faslane is exposed now
for a series of safety "breaches", including
radioactive leaks from nuclear submarines.
A report, issued under the Freedom of Information Act,
shows the MoD describing the failings as a "recurring theme".
"Three times" radioactive coolant leaks from nuclear submarines.
Scotland's environment watchdog, Sepa, says
it would close the base - if it had the power.
Formal legal action "can't be taken". . .
because military bases are exempt from the law.
The documents show that the Navy "does not know"
how much radioactivity is discharged.
In 2004, 2007 and 2008, radioactive coolant
leaks from nuclear submarines into the Firth of Clyde.
In August 2007, the nuclear-powered submarine HMS Superb
discharges water, potentially contaminated with radioactive Tritium
and Cobalt-60, directly into Gare Loch.
Sepa's response is a letter expressing its concern,
noting that it isn't told about the incident for six days.
In February 2008, it happens again.
This time HMS Torbay is warming up its reactor,
when a tank "overflows".
Sepa issue an "enforcement" notice, yet say
that the radiological consequences are "minor",
but it is "concerned" that proper procedures
are not being followed.
An MoD spokesperson: "The discharges into the
Gare Loch had no environmental consequences.
The MoD is a responsible nuclear operator and
informed the appropriate regulatory authorities.
We commissioned an independent study into the
facilities and practices at HM Naval Base Clyde
and an improvement plan is currently under way
to ensure modern standards and best practice at the base."
German Foreign Minister and Vice-Chancellor Frank-Walter Steinmeier,
now calls for the US to remove its nuclear arsenal.
"If we wish Europe to be made into a nuclear-free zone,
that also applies to the nuclear weapons still left in Germany,"
Steinmeier insists. The US has kept a nuclear arsenal
in Germany since the Cold War, though Germany has
no nuclear arsenal of its own, and is declining
an offer to share control over the French force.
Steinmeier, a member of the Sozialdemokratische Partei (SPD)
is a leading candidate to unseat Chancellor Angela Merkel
in the upcoming German elections and backs
President Barack Obama’s call for a nuclear
weapons free world. Steinmeier says that nuclear weapons
are "militarily obsolete" and that the US should remove them,
************************************************
OBAMA: "I WANT A NUCLEAR FREE WORLD"
Barack Obama is praised as he outlines his plan for a world
free of nuclear weapons in a major speech in Prague.
A statement released before it by the White House
says Obama is committing to reduce US nuclear arms stocks
and aims to secure vulnerable nuclear materials within four years.
Speaking at the just-concluded Nato summit,
Obama says he wishes to pursue "the goal of
a world without nuclear weapons".
"Even with the Cold War over, the spread of nuclear weapons
or the theft of nuclear material could lead to
the extermination of any city on the planet,"
Obama tells world leaders at the summit.
Denis McDonough, US deputy national security adviser
for strategic communications, says Obama's vision
of a world without nuclear arms is an achievable goal.
Avner Cohen, expert on nuclear non-proliferation:
"There is an obligation under the non-proliferation treaty
to move in the speediest way towards disarmament.
[However] this was never taken seriously.
"I think this is an effort to try and give that some concreteness.
"I think it is important if we are coming to Iran
and North Korea,
we need to keep up our part of the obligation."
Thousands of Czechs turn up for Obama's speech
at a square outside the medieval Prague Castle.
In his speech, he says we "may not see this - in my lifetime".
Those reasons for joining CND... have NOT gone away ... yet !
***********************************************
CALL FOR MIDDLE EAST TO BE A NUCLEAR-FREE ZONE
Russia repeats its call for the Middle East
to be made a nuclear weapons-free zone.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov:
"The task to strengthen the nuclear non-proliferation
regime in the Middle East remains urgent.
We consistently advocate this region to become
a nuclear-weapon-free zone, and eventually,
a zone free from all other types of weapons
of mass destruction," he says.
Why isn't the UK calling SERIOUSLY for this ?
Lavrov also calls for a successor deal with the US
to their Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I),
saying this is a priority in 'resetting' their relations.
*************************************************
BREAKING THE LAW
The nuclear non-proliferation treaty states:
"Each nuclear weapon state party to the treaty
undertakes not to transfer to any recipient whatsoever
nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices indirectly or indirectly."
But the US is using UK facilities to develop its nuclear programme.
The MoD admits the two countries are working together,
"examining both the optimum life of the UK's
existing nuclear warhead stockpile and the range
of replacement options that might be available
to inform decisions on whether and how we may need
to refurbish or replace the existing warhead
likely to be necessary in the next parliament".
Congress has stopped funding research into
a new generation of nuclear warheads known as
the Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW),
but campaigners believe the US military is using
UK facilities to get around the restrictions "at home".
Kate Hudson, CND's Chair:
"Billions of pounds have been poured into the
Atomic Weapons Establishment over recent years
to build new research facilities. If these are
being used to support US programmes outside
Congress's controls on spending, it raises even
more serious questions about why the British taxpayer
is paying for a so-called 'independent deterrent'."
The 1976 Symington Amendment prohibits most US foreign aid
to any country found trafficking in nuclear enrichment equipment
or technology outside international safeguards.
Israel continues to neither confirm nor deny doing this.
The US - despite Obamush's "no more secrecy" policy -
holds thousands of files on Israeli nuclear activity,
but still refuses to release them to the public,
while propping up Isreal with huge subsidies...
and exporting "advanced" armaments illegally.
These exports are BANNED to the Middle East.
************************************************
EL BARADEI SAYS IT STRAIGHT -
Outgoing IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei says that
Israel’s status as the Middle East’s only nuclear power
and its only non-signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
is the MAJOR obstacle to efforts for global nuclear disarmament.
"What compounds the problem is that the nuclear non-proliferation regime
has lost its legitimacy in the eyes of Arab public opinion
because of the perceived double-standards concerning Israel,
the only state in the region outside the NPT
and known to possess nuclear weapons."
"Above all, we need to halt the glaring breach of
core principles of international law
such as limitations on the unilateral use of force,
proportionality in self-defense and the protection of civilians
during hostilities in order to avoid a repeat of the civilian carnage
in Iraq and, most recently, in Gaza."
*************************************************
NAGASAKI - US "NOT WELCOME UNTIL NUCLEAR ABOLITION"
A US warship docking in Nagasaki leads to protests
by residents and a boycott by local leaders,
who say the visit is in bad taste in a city
obliterated by a US atomic bomb.
The USS Blue Ridge, stationed in Yokosuka near Tokyo,
sailed to Nagasaki with the stated goal of
"promoting friendship between Japan and the US.
But hundreds of residents, including atomic bomb survivors,
chanted "We are opposed to the port call!" as it arrived.
"We don't want to see the US flag flying at this port
and this feeling will not change until the US
takes a policy towards the elimination of nuclear weapons,"
says Osamu Yoshitomi, an official at Nagasaki city.
Nagasaki's mayor and regional governor both
boycotted the "welcome" ceremony, after asking
Japanese and US authorities to cancel the visit.
The US keeps over 40,000 troops in Japan.
Under a 1960 agreement, local authorities
cannot refuse US warships' port calls.
It was the 7th visit by a US military vessel to Nagasaki.
Are they taking the piss?
The US Navy keeps a major base in Sasebo,
part of Nagasaki prefecture.
Nagasaki Mayor, Tomohisa Taue, regrets the timing of the visit,
saying that atomic bomb survivors have been optimistic
that President Barack Obama will move towards nuclear abolition.
"Nagasaki cannot accept a port call which arouses anxiety
in a city hit by an atomic bomb," Taue says.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TRIDENT WEAPONS HIT SERIOUS SNAG.
"PLANS by the US and UK governments to prolong
the life of Trident nuclear weapons have hit
a serious snag because of a dangerous and
mysterious ingredient codenamed Fogbank.
As a result, politicians are likely to come under pressure
to fund the design of new warheads instead.
Both countries want to refurbish the ageing
W76 warheads at the tip of Trident missiles,
to make them safer and more reliable.
But now their programmes face delays due to
manufacturing problems at the Y-12 National
Security Complex at Oak Ridge in Tennessee.
A new $50 million plant built to replace a
facility that had been demolished has run
into teething troubles, suggests a series of
hints from the US National Nuclear Security
Administration (NNSA), which runs Y-12.
In a bid to the US Congress for 2009 funding last month,
the NNSA said that the plant's operators faced
"a major technical challenge".
This is a preview of an article in New Scientist.
The full article is available free to
New Scientist magazine subscribers.
*********************************************
FRANCE REPENTS AND PAYS UP
France is paying compensation to those who suffered
in their nuclear tests from 1958 to 1998.
France is compensating both the soldiers
who participated in the tests, and
residents of where the tests were conducted.
Firstly to French Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean.
This makes it much more likely that Washington and London
will also have to pay compensation along with Paris
as the USA and Great Britain also contributed to
polluting this uniquely beautiful part of the world.
On March 26th last year, Paris started paying compensation
to those who suffered from nuclear tests in Algeria (1958-1962)
and Polynesia (1966-1998) France conducted 210
nuclear weapons tests in total. 193 exploded in
Polynesia, in the Pacific Ocean.
Algeria declared independence in 1962, so France
moved its nuclear grounds to Polynesia, which
sparked protests in the countries of Oceania,
especially in New Zealand. French special services
had to deal with strong resistance from Greenpeace.
The troops sank The Rainbow Warrior, in 1985.
The nuclear tests were stopped after an incident in 1996,
when a bomb detonated at a dangerously shallow depth.
The USA also conducted 106 nuclear tests from 1946 to 1962:
100 atmospheric and 6 underwater explosions.
The atmospheric and underwater nuclear tests
were the most poisonous ones, because wind and water
distribute radioactive particles for thousands of kilometres.
England held 21 nuclear tests. 12 in Australia
during the 1950s. About 1,000 British soldiers,
who participated in the nuclear tests, are also
currently filing for compensation. Participants
from New Zealand and Fiji are now likely to join them.
About 2,000 Polynesians, including 600 underage children,
suffered from the explosions. About 15,000 civilians
and soldiers can also claim compensation.
No-one told Polynesians about the danger.
Many of them swam in the ocean after the nuclear blasts,
and no one tried to stop them.
Many of those who suffered from radiation 40 years ago,
are now dead. Nevertheless, Nicolas Sarkozy’s
initiative deserves international support.
CHRISTIANS AND RACE IN THE US
Jesus told his followers to love their enemies
in his Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:44).
Most working people try to get along, but not,
apparently, the Christian churches in the US.
Where do you find the most segregated places in the US?
In its Christian churches! Time magazine, in its
01/11/10 issue, reports:
"Surveys from 2007 show that fewer than 8% of US
congregations have a significant racial mix."
What a shame!
************************************************
CHRISTIANS AND "JUST WAR" ...
Western Christian theologians Aquinas and Suarez
laid down that, to be just, a war’s cause must be:
1) To vindicate an undoubted and internationally recognized crime.
2) All peaceful means (negotiations) must have been tried in vain.
3) The good to be done must clearly outweigh the evil that will be done by the war.
4) There must be reasonable hope that in the end justice can be achieved for both sides.
5) The means are licit (weapons must be limited and legitimate).
6) International law must be observed.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Daniel C. Maguire, Professor of Moral Theological
Ethics at Marquette University, says modern
international understanding still gives us
six conditions necessary to justify a war.
She states that if we fail on just one
of these conditions, we fail utterly:
1) A just cause.
2) Declaration by competent authority.
3) Right intention.
4) Non-combatant immunity.
5) Last resort.
6) Proportionality: war must do more good than harm.
President Obama in Oslo, she says, spoke of violence
as the surest & final arbiter for a fallen humanity.
It is “a pity beyond all telling”, she comments,
that the “just war theory” Obama invoked in Oslo,
condemns completely the very war policies he defended
as he accepted the Nobel Prize for Peace.
Daniel C. Maguire, a Professor of Moral Theological Ethics at Marquette University,
is the author of "The Horrors We Bless: Rethinking the Just-War Legacy".
*************************************************
Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) stated in 2003,
"There were not sufficient reasons to unleash a war against Iraq.
To say nothing of the fact that, given the new weapons
that make possible destruction that goes beyond the combatant groups,
today we should be asking ourselves if it is still licit
to admit the very existence of a ‘just war.’"
*************************************************
THE WEAK UK BISHOP - & JESUS, PRINCE OF PEACE.
The new Bishop for the UK's Armed Forces says
he is deeply grieved to have caused offence
by suggesting that the Taleban could be admired
for their religious conviction and loyalty.
The "Right Reverend" Stephen Venner now emphasises
his complete and uncritical support for anything
that UK troops do in their occupation of Afghanistan.
After just ONE MP accuses him of offering
“comfort and succour to our enemies”,
the "Right reverend" Bishop folds & praises war.
Bob Russell, Lib Dem (!) MP for the garrison town
of Colchester in Essex, asks stridently:
“Why did he not talk about the loyalty of our troops?
“The bishop would have been well advised
to concentrate on boosting the morale of our Armed Forces
rather than boosting the morale of our enemy.”
So Bishop Venner now apologises for his comments,
saying that it was just “one small phrase
in quite a long interview. If that has caused offence,
I am deeply grieved by it because that’s
the very last thing that I would want to do.”
The bishop also issues a statement condemning the Taleban’s tactics
and expressing his complete backing for UK forces
actions in their illegal and immoral occupation.
He says: “The way that the Taleban are waging war
in Afghanistan is evil, both in their use of
indiscriminate killing and their terrorising
of the civilian population. No religion could
condone their actions.
“I give my full support to the UK and allied troops
who are engaged in the country, seeking to work
with the Afghan Government to bring stability,
democracy and an enduring peace. (sic)
“I acknowledge that long-lasting peace will not
be achieved without both defeating the Taleban
militants and, over time, by encouraging them
to forsake the path of war and to be involved
in the future of Afghanistan.
“Senior military and civilian leaders have expressed
similar views and I support their position.
“We have also to distinguish between the militant Taleban
and those of their number who are fighting
because they have been coerced into doing so,
and who fear for their lives if they do not.
Clearly, it is only those who reject military
action with whom we could talk.”
Bishop Venner was recently commissioned in his new role
by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.
He was formerly the Bishop of Dover...
and should have bloody stayed there.
************************************************
US MILITARY MUSLIMS "CONFLICTED"
A classmate of the Fort Hood shooting suspect
says Major Nidal Hasan was an outspoken opponent
of the US war on "terror" and called it a
"war against Islam."
Dr Val Finnell was a classmate of Hasan's at the
Uniformed Services University of the Health
Sciences in Bethesda, Md. Both attended a
master's course in public health in 2007 & 2008.
Finnell says he got to know Hasan well, in an
environmental health class. At the end of
the class, students gave presentations.
Finnell says Hasan's topic was whether the war
against terror was "a war against Islam."
Finnell says Hasan was a "vociferous opponent"
of the US invasions of Muslim countries.
Finnell says Hasan told classmates he was
"a Muslim first and an American second."
Major Hasan felt let down by the US military,
say those who knew him through his mosque.
Duane Reasoner Jr., a substitute teacher
whose parents worked at Fort Hood, says Major
Hassan was told he would be sent to Afghanistan
on November the 28th, and he did not like it.
"He said he should quit the Army," Mr. Reasoner says.
"In the Koran, you’re not supposed to have
alliances with Jews or Christian or others,
and if you are killed in the military
fighting against Muslims, you will go to hell."
Mr Benjamin, who worked as a private contractor
in Iraq and Afghanistan after leaving the Army
in 2000, says the military should have let
Major Hassan resign. "They should take more
consideration of the human beings in the uniform,"
he says, "rather than simply say, ‘We invested
our money in you & need to get our money’s worth.’"
However, Mr. Benjamin adds, Major Hassan overlooked
an important and peaceful tenet of Islam:
"We do have the right to retaliate;
but he who does not is twice blessed."
************************************************
UK CHURCH LEADER CALLS FOR TROOP WITHDRAWAL
The UK government should pull its troops out of
Afghanistan, the Moderator of the Presbyterian
Church of Wales says.
The Reverend Haydn Thomas calls for Gordon Brown
to base his foreign policy on Christian principles
in his final address as Moderator in a speech
at Lampeter University.
He says: “Is a war which is winning us nothing
but enemies the most effective way of preventing
massacres like the one in London four years ago?”
“The world has lost its way. Answering terrorism
with terrorism is not the answer. Four times more
UK soldiers have already died in Afghanistan
than were civilians killed on the 7th of July.”
Reverend Gwenda Richards, from Caernarfon,
is succeeding him as Moderator.
*************************************************
STAY OUT OF US CHURCHES - PEOPLE ARE NICER OUTSIDE!
A majority (54%) of those in the US who attend
church regularly say torture can be "justified,"
while a majority of those not attending church
regularly say that torture is rarely or never justified.
************************************************
POPE CALLS FOR END OF SIEGE
Pope Benedict empathizes with the plight of Palestinians:
"I know how much you have suffered and continue to suffer
as a result of the turmoil that has afflicted this land for decades.
My heart goes out to all the families who have been left homeless."
"The Holy See supports the right of your people
to a sovereign Palestinian homeland in the land
of your forefathers, secure and at peace with
its neighbours, within internationally recognized borders."
The pontiff recognizes the Palestinians’ right
"to contact between family members and access to the holy places,"
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