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Three killed in Nablus
predawn invasion
International Middle
East Media Center 5/17/2006
Palestinian medical sources in Nablus reported on Wednesday afternoon
that the number of Palestinians killed in the Israeli military invasion
in the West Bank city of Nablus has risen to three after medical and
civil defense teams uncovered a body of an aged man under the rubble of
the attacked house. The man was identified was MosharrafTawfiq Al
Mbaslat; 74. His body was transferred to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus.
Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli troops invaded Nablus, surrounded a house
where resistance fighters were hiding, and exchanged fire with them
killing two. The two fighters, hiding in the house of Al Mbaslat, are
members of the Al Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic
Jihad.
PM willing to meet Abbas
YNet News 5/17/2006
During talks with French Foreign Minister Douste-Blazy, for the first
time PM Olmert says he would like to meet with Palestinian chairman – but conditional on Abbas’ fight against terrorism -- A Change in
position: Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is willing to meet with
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, he told French Foreign
Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy when the two met in Jerusalem Wednesday
afternoon. With that, Olmert conditioned the meeting on Abbas fighting
terror emanating from the Palestinian Authority and targeting Israel. “Abbas needs to start to work to fulfill the commitments the
Palestinians took upon themselves as part of the Road map,” Olmert
said. Until today, Olmert has refrained from saying whether he would
meet with Abbas or not.
Karni crossing reopens for transfer of goods in and out of
Gaza
Ha'aretz 5/17/2006
Israel fully opened the Karni cargo crossing, on the Gaza Strip border,
to merchandise Wednesday for the first time in several months,
following a decision by Defense Minister Amir Peretz. Karni has been
open recently for the transfer of goods from Israel into Gaza. As of
Wednesday afternoon, goods could be transferred from the Gaza Strip
into Israel. Karni has been periodically closed for extended periods of
time due to intelligence warnings of planned terror attacks at the
crossing. A planned attack on the crossing was thwarted some three
weeks ago by the Palestinian Authority security services. Peretz said
the opening of the crossing was a strategic decision that directly
impacted the Gaza economy.
Abbas deploys thousands of policemen in Gaza Strip
Ha'aretz 5/18/2006
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday ordered
thousands of police deployed throughout the Gaza Strip to restore order
after fighting between rival militias, a senior security official said.
The order, expected to be fully implemented by Thursday, came hours
after the Hamas government defied Abbas by deploying its own security
force in Gaza. "President Abbas has ordered all security forces, all
branches to deploy men in the streets to restore order," the official,
who declined to be named, told Reuters. He said it would be the largest
such deployment in Gaza since police fanned out in force ahead of last
year's Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
Hamas security force deploys in Gaza
ReliefWeb 5/17/2006
GAZA CITY, May 17, 2006 (AFP) - Members of a Hamas-appointed security
force which was initially vetoed by Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas
fanned out across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday on a mission to reverse a
tide of lawlessness. As two more Hamas followers were killed in
overnight shootings linked to their dispute with Abbas's Fatah faction,
Hamas interior minister Said Siam said the new volunteer force would
seek to restore order in a territory where gunmen have come to regard
themselves as above the law. "The current weakness of the security
forces is clear to everyone. There is stealing, kidnapping and killing,
so there is a real need for this force," Siam told a news conference.
The force would consist of 3,000 members drawn from all the Palestinian
factions and would answer directly to his ministry, he added.
Peretz signs outpost eviction orders
YNet News 5/18/2006
Defense minister renews document originated last Knesset term by
Sharon, Mofaz to clear 12 illegal outposts in West Bank. Peace Now not
enthused: If he really wanted to evacuate outposts, he would set date
with army -- Defense Minister Amir Peretz renewed evacuation orders for
a list of 12 illegal outposts in throughout Judea and Samaria Wednesday
night, as directed by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Peretz’s signature on
the document renews the evacuation order in the new governmental term,
and allows the immediate clearing of the 12 outposts. Former Defense
Minister Shaul Mofaz and former PM Ariel Sharon originated the document
during the last government’s tenure, but the outposts had not yet been
evacuated.
Medical Workers Targeted by Israeli Army in Last Night’s Raid
in Nablus
International
Solidarity Movement 5/17/2006
Two separate Palestinian medical teams reported today that the Israeli
army injured, arrested, and harassed medical workers last night as they
were trying to help injured people and take away dead bodies. In one
incident a medical center was occupied by the Israeli army and two
medical workers were taken hostage. In the second, the army prevented
medical workers from reaching injured people in a building they were
shooting at and then beat them with their rifles. At 10:50 pm Israeli
Special Forces arrived in a private car at the Nablus Ambulance Medical
Service Center, a private medical service in Nablus. The army later
arrived in Jeeps, occupied the medical center and prevented the medical
workers from answering the phones.
Palestinian association warns health system will collapse
ReliefWeb 5/17/2006
JERUSALEM, May 17, 2006 (AFP) - The head of the Palestinian Medical
Association warned on Wednesday that the health system in the Gaza
Strip and West Bank would probably collapse as a result of
international sanctions. "Is the Palestinian health system going to
collapse? Probably, yes," Dr Yihye Shawar told a Jerusalem news
conference. Shawar warned that half of all medical equipment will have
run out within the month if the sanctions are not lifted. "In two or
three weeks 50 percent of the medical items will not be available," he
told a news conference alongside representatives of the Israeli group
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel. A doctor from the Israeli group
also sounded the alarm bell, listing serious shortages of medicine and
equipment...
Palestinians Demand Freedom of Worship
International
Solidarity Movement 5/17/2006
Worshipers going to Al-Aqsa Mosque to pray the Friday prayer, residents
of the Shofat refugee camp and Israeli and International supporters
will demonstrate at the checkpoint at the camp’s entrance. The worships
will demand access to Islam’s holy sites and protest the brutal
behaviour of the Israeli Border Police against the residents. Residents
of the camp have been complaining for many months about the behaviour
of the Border Police in the camp, which has included cursing, pushing,
beating and throwing concussion grenades. These are common procedures
at the checkpoint near the entrance to the camp.
Israeli forces raid
eastern Bethlehem villages, make multiple arrests at dawn
International Middle
East Media Center 5/17/2006
Palestinian security sources and eyewitnesses both report Israeli
forces invaded several eastern Bethlehem villages at dawn Wednesday.
Israeli soldiers broke into homes, invasively searched them, and forced
dozens of Palestinians to stand outside for hours. The attack was
focused on Janata, east of Bethlehem in the West Bank. A 44 year old
man’s home was overrun with soldiers who arrested him. Mustafa was a
Municipal Council elections candidate last year running on the Hamas
list. Eyewitnesses report that Israeli soldiers blindfolded the man,
handcuffed him and took him to an unknown location.
Barak: Citizenship Law will be voided if extended
Ha'aretz 5/18/2006
Supreme Court President Aharon Barak wrote in a private letter this
week that even though his opinion was voted down in Sunday's High Court
of Justice ruling upholding a ban on family unification, most of the
other justices agree with his position that the law violates
constitutional rights and is not proportional. He said they also agreed
that if the Knesset were to extend the validity of the Citizenship Law
in its current format, the court apparently would overturn it. "As you
can see, technically, my view lost, but in substance, there is a very
solid majority to my view that the Israeli member of a family has a
constitutional right to family unification in Israel with a foreign
spouse, and that the statute is discriminatory," Barak wrote Monday in
an email that has reached Haaretz.
Army invades north of the
Gaza strip
International Middle
East Media Center 5/17/2006
An Israeli army force invaded the northern areas of Biet Hanon town
north of the Gaza strip, Wednesday afternoon. Several tanks and army
bulldozers entered those areas coming from Erezcrossing for more than
800 metres inside the town, and intiated a Combing operation across the
area, eyewitnesses told PNN correspondent. According to Israeli radio
reports the troops do not plan to stay for long time and this operation
Aims to dismantle explosive devices planted in the area near the fence
between Gaza strip and Israel. Local residents said this is not the
first time that army has invaded this area this week. [end]
Hamas debating shift in stance to ease pressure
Washington Post
5/16/2006
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Hamas officials are debating whether to
adopt a political initiative that accepts talks with Israel but without
recognizing it, a move that falls short of Western demands but might
help ease pressure. Despite a public vow by Prime Minister Ismail
Haniyeh not to make any concessions, Hamas officials said on Tuesday
that some members of the group were weighing what political benefits
might be reaped by softening its position and what would be the best
timing for proposing any political changes. "We are debating more than
one political option. This would include accepting creation of a
Palestinian state on lands occupied in 1967. We are also not against
negotiations, but we propose going directly to a final deal as one
package," said Ghazi Hamad, spokesman for the Hamas-led government.
Tensions soar in PA
YNet News 5/17/2006
Hamas-led government activates new 3,000-strong security squad, in
direct disregard of Abbas’ order banning its creation; Fatah
spokesperson: Defiance of chairman will only lead to more violence --
Just Tuesday Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said the
Hamas-led government should be given a chance to prove itself, when
Wednesday tensions between Fatah and Hamas intensified even further.
Disregarding Abbas' order banning the creation of the security body,
Hamas sent a new militant force into the streets of Gaza Wednesday,
thus raising the stakes in their deepening power struggle.
Army invades several
villages near Bethlehem and arrests four
International Middle
East Media Center 5/17/2006
The Israeli army arrested four residents after invading several
villages around the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Wednesday at dawn.
Troops and army jeeps stormed the village of Jenata, to the east of the
city, surrounded the house of Mostafa Al Oroje, the mayor of the
Jenata, then arrested him and took him to unknown location,
eyewitnesses reported. Meanwhile another force entered the village of
Za'tra also to the east of the city and arrested Mohamed Hassan, 21, he
also was taken to unknown location. In Al Obadia village soldiers
invaded and searched several residents homes before arresting two youth
and taking then away, with no names issued, local sources said. [end]
Olmert tones down advocating convegence plan prior to U.S.
trip
Ha'aretz 5/18/2006
As Prime Minister Ehud Olmert prepares for his first official trip to
Washington next week, he appears to be taking a step back from vocally
advocating the convergence plan. Olmert told Kadima ministers Wednesday
that he plans to present his plan to the Bush administration, but that
only after "three, or 10, months," will it be possible to announce
there is no Palestinian negotiation partner and move on to unilateral
steps. The plan involves withdrawal from large swaths of the West Bank,
but not from major settlement blocs. "Everything depends on the
situation on the ground," Olmert said. He told Kadima ministers that
the primary objective of his upcoming trip is to create chemistry with
U.S. President George W. Bush, with whom Olmert will meet at the White
House Tuesday.
France: Unilateral border unacceptable
YNet News 5/17/2006
French Foreign Minister Douste-Blazy and Israeli counterpart Tzipi
Livni hold joint press conference after meeting in Jerusalem;
Douste-Blazy emphasizes disapproval of unilateral moves, presses to
renew Israeli-Palestinian negotiations -- France opposes "unilateral
decisions" regarding the future borders between Israel and the
Palestinian areas, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said
during a joint press conference with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi
Livni after the two met in Jerusalem Wednesday. The European Union and
France’s stance is that a just long-term solution cannot be achieved
except for by negotiations and agreement between the two sides,
Douste-Blazy said. Unilateral moves will not let either side achieve
their goals, he added.
Israel will hit Iran in the next few months: Israeli official
Daily Times 5/9/2006
WASHINGTON: Israel will strike Iran’s nuclear facilities in the next “month or two or three,” an Israeli official has been quoted here as
saying. The unnamed official told Arnaud de Borchgrave, editor-in-chief
of the United Press International (UPI), at the recently held national
day reception at the Israeli Embassy that he believed Israel would
strike Iran first in the next two or three months and that fighter
bombers would not be involved as they had been to take out Iraq’s
Osirak nuclear reactor before it went critical in 1981. For Osirak,
Israel had used 14 F-15s and F-16s. This time, the Israeli said, it
would be missiles. Asked if Israel would employ Cruise missiles, he
replied, “with a gesture of his hand that went up and down again”,
which meant that it would be the weapon of choice.
Desperate residents lament humanitarian catastrophe due to
embargo
ReliefWeb/PNA
5/17/2006
KHANYOUNIS, Palestine, May 11,2006 (IPC) - US, Israel and the EU
economic embargo as a collective punishment against the Palestinian
people who brings Hams to office in January legislative election
bitterly impacted all-encompassing fabrics of the Palestinian society
in particular in Khanyounis district, north the Gaza Strip. The
iniquitous embargo not only has adversely affected the PNA employee who
are the staple wheel of the PNA economy since the occupation of Al Aqsa
Intifada five years ago in the aftermath of the occupation government's
decision to banned above 140,000 labors to reach their workplaces
inside the green line but also do not spare any Palestinian in Gaza
Strip, West Bank as well.
Kidney Dialysis supplies and medications to MoH hospitals
ReliefWeb/PNA
5/17/2006
Today, Wednesday, 17 May 2006 CARE International/ Emergency Medical
Assistance Program -- Phase 3 (funded by USAID) will mark the
distribution of kidney dialysis supplies and medications to 12 Ministry
of Health Hospitals in the West Bank and Gaza. CARE/ EMAP III conducted
an assessment of the situation of supplies and medicines required to
provide dialysis services at the Ministry of Health Hospitals, whereby
the following was identified:In total, there are 67 machines in the
West Bank, and 53 machines in Gaza. Total number of patients is 391 and
292 in the West Bank and Gaza respectively. Number of sessions/ month
is 4479 and 2840 in the West Bank and Gaza respectively. The expected
time for complete out-stock of supplies at the hospitals ranges between
2 days to 2 weeks.
Terror-related trauma: Palestinian kids suffer more
YNet News 5/18/2006
New study shows most Palestinian youngsters exposed to terror report of
post traumatic symptoms, compared to only 25 percent of Israeli
children -- Most Palestinian children who have been exposed to trauma
(72. 8 percent) report of post traumatic symptoms, a new study on
violence and its effects in Israel revealed. Meanwhile, Israeli
children are less prone to suffer from post traumatic stress: Only 25
percent of Israeli kids that have experienced terror attacks reported
of post traumatic effects in different levels. The study, which has
been conducted by Prof. Alean al-Krenawi of the Department of Social
Work at the Ben Gurion University in Be'er Sheva, was presented for the
first time Wednesday at a conference on "Coping with Violence in
Israeli Society" held in Eilat.
Saudi detainee suffering
bad health conditions in Israeli prisons
International Middle
East Media Center 5/18/2006
Detainee Abdul-Rahman Al Otewy, appealed humanitarian organizations to
interfere for his release from Israeli prisons and transfer him to “anywhere in the world” since he is suffering a sever deterioration of
his health condition and is conducting repeated hunger strikes in
protest to the bad living conditions he faces. Al Otewy is suffering
from sight problems and problems in his body balance. Lawyer of the
Mandela Institute, Bothaina Doqmaq, visited Al Otewy and several other
detainees in Al Ramla detention facility and prison hospital. Doqmaq
reported that Al Otewy was recently under surgery for hernia. While he
was transferred to the hospital, he was attacked and beaten by soldiers
of the Nahshoun brigade.
Tent caught on fire at
Ofer detention facility
International Middle
East Media Center 5/17/2006
Palestinian detainees in Ofer Israeli detention facility, west of
Ramallah, reported that one tent caught fire in the youngsters section
at the Benjamin Israeli detention facility; the causes of the fire
remained unknown, no injuries were reported. One of the tents at the
facility caught fire while ten young detainees were sleeping there, but
no further information was revealed as a result of the Israeli policy
of total isolation of its prisons and detention facilities. Prison
administration informed the representatives of the detainees that no
injuries were reported, but rejected a request by them to go to the
youth section to checkup on the conditions there. [end]
ISHR: “Chaos, insecurity
kills 74 residents since the beginning of the year”
International Middle
East Media Center 5/17/2006
The International Solidarity Movement for Human Rights reported that
chaos and insecurity in the Palestinian territories has significantly
increased and targeted civilians, lawyers, journalists,
physicians,judges, and teachers. 74 residents were killed since the
beginning of the year until May 15; a total of 171 residents were
killed in 2005. The attacks included abductions, breaking into
institutions and burning them, usage of explosive charges, random usage
of arms, and blocking roads. The motives behind these attacks were
revenge acts, family conflicts, political conflicts, and improper use
of arms. The ISHR stated in its report that insecurity is the biggest
issue that threatens the residents, their security and their social,
economical conditions.
Palestinian Village to Hold Demonstration Against Israeli
Land-Grab
International
Solidarity Movement 5/17/2006
At 9 am this Friday villagers from Beit Omar in the Hebron region of
the west bank, joined by Israeli and international supporters will hold
a non-violent demonstration against the “security” road that surrounds
the illegal Israeli settlement of Karmi Zur. Although the settlement is
build on agricultural land that belongs to the village, the villagers
are prevented from crossing the military road by the occupying Israeli
army. Since 1984, 200 dunams of the village’s land has been occupied by
the settlement, which continues growing to this day. The demonstrators
will attempt to non-violently cross the road and access the village
land. They will bring tractors and other equipment and attempt to work
their land.
Army continue to hold
Arqaba village south east of Nablus under seige
International Middle
East Media Center 5/17/2006
The Israeli army continued its siege of Arqaba village south east of
the West Bank city of Nablus which has lasted for more than four days,
this Wednesday. Jaodat Bani Jaber, the mayor of the village said that
the army installed a military checkpoint at the village entrance four
days ago and are preventing residents under the age of 30 from leaving
the village, and the situation is on going. [end]
The Israeli Army seize a
car belonging to a resident from Kofer Ra'e village
International Middle
East Media Center 5/17/2006
An Israeli army undercover team seized a taxi owned by resident form
Kofer Ra'e village near the west bank city of Jenin, Wednesday morning.
The soldiers were wearing civilian clothes when they stopped the taxi
and forced the passengers out at gun point then high jacked the car and
went towards the nearby village of Araba, eyewitnesses reported. [end]
Army assaults a medical
patient at a military checkpoint near Tubas
International Middle
East Media Center 5/17/2006
Israeli soldiers stationed at Tyaeasser checkpoint near the West Bank
city of Tubas, assaulted a medical patient on his way to get treatment,
late Tuesday night. Sami Nimir, who lives in Tubas, was attacked by the
soldiers while crossing the military checkpoint to go to a nearby
hospital for treatment, after hitting him the soldiers allowed him to
go, he said. [end]
Three residents arrested
in Hebron
International Middle
East Media Center 5/17/2006
Three residents arrested from the West Bank city of Hebron and refugee
camp afterthe Israeli army conducted an arrest campaign , Wednesday at
dawn. Army jeeps and soldiers stormed homes in the city, before
arresting Bassel Al Shareef, 23, and Amen Al Natsha, the two then were
taken to unknown locations. Hassan Jawabra, 24, who lives in Al Arob
refugee camp in Hebron city was arrested after Israeli troops stopped
him at a military checkpoint in the city whilst on the way to school,
local sources reported. [end]
Hilltop youths disown Yesha Council
YNet News 5/17/2006
In letter circulated among nationalist-religious youths and obtained by
Ynet, youth hilltop activists and the 'Jewish National Front' call for
a disengagement with the Yesha Council -- Right-wing youth activists
have disavowed the Yesha Council in a letter obtained by Ynet. "Not
only have these go-getters not contributed to the struggle in Gush
Katif, but they have caused damage, and continue to cause damage. We
won't listen to their orders, we will organize for an independent
struggle, and lead a different struggle, an uncompromising struggle," the letter said. In recent days, the youths distributed the letter to
youth activists in the Bnei Akiva, Ezra, and Youths for the Land of
Israel youth movements, as well as youth centers in Judea and Samaria.
Two Palestinians killed in Israeli raid
AlJazeera 5/17/2006
The Israeli army confirmed an arrest raid in Nablus -- Two members of
Islamic Jihad have been shot and killed and another wounded by Israeli
soldiers in Nablus in the northern West Bank. Osman Sadaka, 26, from
Jenin, and Mustapha Ghani, 20, from Tulkarm, were killed in a clash
when an Israeli unit advanced into Nablus and surrounded a building,
said Palestinian medical sources. The wounded Palestinian was captured
by Israeli occupation forces, they said. An Israeli army spokesman said
that an arrest operation was under way in Nablus and that three
Palestinians had at least suffered injuries in an exchange of gunfire.
Journalists were prevented from entering the area to cover the
incident, an Aljazeera correspondent said.
Abbas orders forces onto Gaza streets
AlJazeera 5/17/2006
The new force adds to tensions between Hamas and Abbas -- The
Palestinian president has ordered thousands of police deployed
throughout the Gaza Strip to restore order after fighting between rival
militias. The order from Mahmoud Abbas came hours after the Hamas
government defied the president by deploying its own security force
onto Gaza streets. "President Abbas has ordered all security forces,
all branches to deploy men in the streets to restore order," a senior
security official, who declined to be named, told Reuters. He said it
would be the largest such deployment in Gaza since police fanned out in
force ahead of last year's Israeli withdrawal from the coastal strip
after 38 years of occupation.
Israel, Abbas Supporters Allege Hamas Plot
Palestine Chronicle
5/17/2006
The newspaper claimed Israeli intelligence got wind of the plot and
warned the Palestinian leader that his life was in danger. -- RAMALLAH,
West Bank - Security measures to protect Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian
president, are reported to have been stepped up amid worries about an
alleged assassination plot possibly tied to political rivals Hamas.
Restrictions have been imposed on traffic in the area around his
Ramallah office and snipers have been placed in buildings near his West
Bank residence, officials said. "We have information there are plans to
kill President Abbas," a senior Palestinian source said on Monday,
declining to give any details.... Meanwhile, Israel's Haaretz newspaper
reported that another group, Islamic Jihad, was plotting to kill Abbas
with a car bomb.
Abbas: Hamas 'can't survive' without changes
YNet News 5/17/2006
PA chairman says Hamas must adapt to international demands, adds
Palestinians might lose patience with movement -- Palestinian Authority
Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday that Hamas “can’t survive” if it
continues to ignore international demands that it refrain from violence
and recognize Israel. “They should adapt to international standards,
they should be part of the international community. Without that I
don’t think they can survive, I don’t think they can deliver,” Abbas
told The Associated Press, a day after addressing the European
Parliament in Strasbourg. “Whether it is reasonable to expect a change
or not we have to give them a chance. They’ve been in the office less
than 1. 5 months. They should take their chance,” Abbas said.
Former Arafat aide: He purchased arms with Israeli money
YNet News 5/17/2006
Former PA security funds manager Fuad Shubaki says during "interrogation" that PA funded terrorist cells that operated against
Israel; also revealed: Iranian Revolutionary Guard and Hizbullah
coordinated Karine A arms ship with senior PA senior -- Former PA
chairman Yasser Arafat purchased arms worth millions of dollars
transferred to the PA by Israel and the international community, an
interrogation of a PA security funds manager, Fuad Shubaki, has found.
Shubaki was taken for questioning by the Shin Bet on March 14 after
being apprehended in an IDF operation in the Jericho prison, where he
was imprisoned under international supervision since May 2002.
Palestinian prisoner
released after 32 months of administrative detention
International Middle
East Media Center 5/17/2006
Abd Al Baset Mo'tan, 32, was released after serving 32 months of an
Israeli administrative jail sentence ,on Wednesday morning. Mo'tan, who
is a resident of Boraka village near the West Bank city of Rammallah,
was working as a teacher in Al Ram village in Jerusalem, and was fired
because his school were annexed by the wall and he holds a west bank ID
card. The Israeli authorities extended his arrest more than 6 times,
and this was not his first arrest, he was been arrested seven times
totaling seven years in jail, the prisoners society in Rammallah
reported. [end]
Free Adnan Nimer!
International
Solidarity Movement 5/17/2006
Please give to the ISM legal fund and help us release Adnan Ahmad
Nimer, a 19 year-old activist from Beit Sira. Let the people of
Beit-Sira know that they are not alone. During a demonstration on the
24th of March, Israeli Border Police beat Adnan to the ground with
clubs, held both his arms and began strangling him. Adnan’s only way to
get the solider to stop was to use his mouth. He bit the fingers of one
of the soldiers that was beating him as hard as he could, breaking two
of the soldier’s fingers. Other soldiers then continued to attack Adnan
with clubs, breaking his front teeth. Adnan was abducted from his home
on the 8th of April at 2am by the Israeli military.
Photos: Israeli Self-Defense
International
Solidarity Movement 5/17/2006
Before - Mohammed Khatib from the Popular committee against the wall
being beaten on the back as he falls to the ground on the Demonstration
against Israel’s Illeagel wall on friday May12th. - After.
No bliss for Palestinian-Israeli union
AlJazeera 5/16/2006
In a region racked by violence and animosity, a Palestinian man and an
Israeli woman have dared to fall in love. But their life together has
had to wait as Israeli laws keep them apart. Osama Zatar, an Arab, and
Jasmin Avissar, a Jew, met and fell in love at the animal shelter near
Jerusalem where they both worked. But after the two 25-year-olds
married in 2004, they found themselves entangled in a web of laws that
prevent them from living together as husband and wife. Israelis are
legally forbidden to enter Palestinian-controlled areas of the West
Bank known as "Areas A", for security reasons. Conversely, the
Nationality and Entry into Israel law, introduced in 2003, forbids
residency or citizenship to any Palestinian from the occupied
territories married to an Israeli.
Photo eyewitness: Demonstration in Bil'in
Palestine Monitor
5/13/2006
On Friday the 12 of May, about 250 people gathered in Bil'in to
demonstrate against Israel's Apartheid Wall and its annexation of land.
More people were present than usual because of the anniversay of
an-Nakba, Palestine's tragedy. As a consequence, the Israeli army was
more brutal and violent. Several Palestinians addressed all the
demonstrators, including the mayor of Bil'in. A representative from the
Isreali peace organisation Gush Shalom spoke in Hebrew, addressing the
approximately thirty soldiers that were there to stop the protest. When
the demonstraters got closer to the soldiers, the soldiers shot tear
gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at them. An Australian man got shot
in the head and was carried away by the on duty ambulance. The soldiers
then injured many more people.
Photo eyewitness: Mass Protest in ar-Ram
Palestine Monitor
5/13/2006
Yesterday, almost a thousand people gathered in ar-Ram to demonstrate
against Israel's choking of the city. Ar-Ram is one of the places most
affected by Israel's wall-building in the Palestinian lands. The wall
is literalely being built around the city. The city is also surrounded
by two checkpoints and three Jewish settlements. One year ago, before
construction of the wall reached ar-Ram, it was an active and running
city. Shops are now shutting down, unemployment is high, and more and
more people are moving away. Ram is at the same time Area C, which
according to the Oslo Accords, means it falls under the complete
control of the occupying Israeli military. There is no law and order,
beside in the cases where the Israelis see a threat to themselves.
Nordic governments commit more funds to UN Palestine agency
ReliefWeb 5/17/2006
Helsinki_(dpa) _ Finland was the latest Nordic country Wednesday to
signal it would consider extra funding to the Palestinians via the UN
Relief Agency for Palestine refugees. The head of the United Nations
Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA), Karen Koning AbuZayd was informed of
Helsinki's plans after meeting with Trade and Development Minister
Paula Lehtomaki. AbuZayd said some 75,000 people living in UNRWA
refugee camps were not getting salaries from the Hamas-led Palestinian
Authority, and approached the UN agency for help. "It's much worse than
its been at any time over the past five years of the intifada," AbuZayd
told Finnish radio, adding "we see lots of signs of people really
suffering. "
Denmark offers emergency aid to Palestinians
ReliefWeb 5/16/2006
COPENHAGEN, May 16, 2006 (AFP) - Denmark said Tuesday it would give
seven million kroner (1. 2 million dollars, 940,000 euros) in emergency
humanitarian aid to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees to help ease
the financial crisis brought on by the international boycott of the
Hamas government. The Danish funding comes in response to a United
Nations appeal to international donors, Development Aid Minister Ulla
Toernaes said in a statement. The United States and the European Union,
the main donor to the Palestinians giving 500 million euros a year,
both suspended aid to the Palestinians after the radical Islamic group
Hamas won elections in January.
Arab MK appointed deputy Knesset speaker
YNet News 5/17/2006
Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al) selected to serve as deputy Knesset
speaker after Knesset Committee decides to enlarge number of deputies
to eight in order to allow representation of Arab sector -- Knesset
Member Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al) was chosen to serve as
deputy Knesset speaker for two years. Tibi was appointed to the role
after the Knesset committee decided to enlarge the number of deputies
to eight, in order to allow representation of the Arab sector. After
two years Tibi will be replaced by a Knesset member from one of the
Arab factions. According the Knesset rules, the Knesset speaker has
seven deputies from the large factions.
MK silenced on law exempting haredim from IDF
YNet News 5/17/2006
Labor's Ami Ayalon (Labor) tries to bring up the issue of Tal law,
which allows exemption of ultra-Orthodox from serving in the military
before Knesset, but is silenced by coalition. Apparently, Olmert's
coalition negotiations with United Torah Judaism who support the law
take precedence -- MK Ami Ayalon (Labor) faced domestic opposition on
Tuesday after trying to bring up the issue of the Tal law which was
upheld by the High Court a few days ago. The Tal law exempts
ultra-Orthodox from mandatory service in the IDF. Coalition
administrators firmly refused to discuss the issue and Ayalon's
initiative was torpedoed.... the same day.. Defense Minister and Labor
Party Chairman Amir Peretz.... "inequality is unhealthy; not only when
it comes to service in the IDF, but also for society as a whole. "
Olmert: Wage war on ‘organized crime’
YNet News 5/17/2006
Speaking at first Jerusalem Conference on Quality Government, prime
minister says fighting unprecedented levels of crime in Israel will be
priority of his government -- Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Wednesday
during a speech closing the first Jerusalem Conference on Quality
Government that it is time to recognize the fact that there is “organized crime” in Israel. He addressed police saying they had his
full support. “We have no patience when it comes to fighting crime,
whether it is within the government or not, whether it is among rich or
poor. Unfortunately, the circumstances in Israel today give a very
strong feeling that the public systems aren’t managed with the same
spotlessness as in the past,” Olmert said.
Right-wing MKs seek housing, work help for Gaza evacuees
Ha'aretz 5/18/2006
MKs active in a lobby for Gush Katif evacuees plan to introduce major
amendments to the Evacuation Compensation Law to make it easier for
them to find housing and employment. The lobby was initiated by MK Uri
Ariel of the National Union-National Religious Party. Its inaugural
meeting Wednesday in the Knesset was attended by 22 MKs from Ariel's
faction, Shas, United Torah Judaism and Kadima. Likud's sole
representative was Michael Eitan. Yisrael Beiteinu was represented only
by Lia Shemtov, and Labor by Michael Melchior. Ariel said at the
meeting that the evacuees are in an intolerable situation, and "not a
single matter is being handled properly. "
U.S. provides $800,000 worth of medical supplies for
Palestinian patients
ReliefWeb 5/17/2006
RAMALLAH, WEST BANK – Patients in the West Bank and Gaza will be
receiving a total of $800,000 worth of dialysis supplies and medicine
from the United States government as part of a $10 million pledge made
by Secretary Condoleezza Rice last week to help meet the health needs
of the Palestinian people. The first shipment, worth more than
$275,000, will leave Ramallah on May 17 for hospitals throughout the
West Bank and Gaza. This shipment will give priority to medicine and
supplies needed to treat patients with kidney failure. US Consul
General Jake Walles and USAID Deputy Director R. David Harden will
preside over a ceremony to send the trucks on their way.
Jordan sends another batch of humanitarian aid to Palestinians
ReliefWeb 5/17/2006
AMMAN, May 16, 2006 (Xinhua via COMTEX) - Jordan sent another batch of
urgent humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territories on Tuesday in a
bid to help the Palestinians overcome a deepening economic crisis.
Twenty-five trucks carrying 400 tons of food and humanitarian
assistance headed to the Palestinian territories, among them 10 trucks
leaving for the West Bank while the 15 others for the Gaza Strip. It is
the fourth convoy of humanitarian assistance Jordan has dispatched to
the Palestinians during the past two months. Jordan has sent more than
200 aid convoys to the Palestinians in addition to over 30
fully-equipped ambulances during the past few years, according to
Jordan's Hashemite Charity Organization.
Israel opens Karni crossing
AlJazeera 5/17/2006
Peretz's decision is directed at easing security restrictions -- Israel
has reopened the main cargo crossing to the Gaza Strip, as a new Hamas
security force began to operate in the area. The decision by the new
Israeli defence minister, Amir Peretz, to open the Karni crossing on
Wednesday signals a policy shift directed at easing security
restrictions on Palestinians, according to military officials. The
crossing has been closed since April 4 and for a total of 55 days since
January, due to terror alerts caused by Karni being a target by
militants. Palestinians rely on the crossing for exports, especially of
fruits and vegetables they grow in the hot, coastal area. They also
import other food through Karni, including dairy products and flour.
Pentagon denying Israelis security clearances
YNet News 5/17/2006
New York Sun reports State Department citing AIPAC leak case as basis
for denying employees with dual Israeli-American citizenship security
clearances. In one case, government lawyers argued Israel was 'actively
spying on United States' to justify withdrawing clearance from worker
-- The Pentagon is citing a leak affair involving Defense Department
analyst Lawrence Franklin and two pro-Israel lobbyists Steven Rosen and
Keith Weissman, as a basis for stripping security clearances from
government contractor employees who have dual Israeli-American
citizenship or family in Israel, The New York Sun reported
Wednesday.... According to the Sun, Defense Department attorneys have
used the AIPAC leak indictments in at least three cases, to justify
withdrawing or denying security clearances.
Saudis tell Bush not to cut off Palestinians or isolate Hamas
Ha'aretz 5/18/2006
Saudi Arabia has unsuccessfully argued to the Bush administration that
shutting off aid to the Palestinian government and isolating its new
Hamas leaders will radicalize a destitute population and set back the
cause of peace with Israel. "We are arguing the point, needless to say,
with them strenuously," Prince Saud al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia's longtime
foreign minister, told reporters Wednesday. "It is only through
inclusion that you may change the position of Hamas. "Prince Saud is in
Washington for meetings with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and
other U.S. officials. He said he argued against cutting U.S. and
European aid to the Palestinian government at a meeting at the United
Nations last week with Rice and other potential Middle East
peacemakers.
Barakeh to PA: Don’t surrender Right of Return
YNet News 5/18/2006
Meeting with Palestinian journalists in Ramallah, Hadash MK Mohammad
Barakeh warns Palestinians not to agree to Palestinian state on borders
smaller than 1967 and not to give up right of return; Barakeh also
accuses Israel of trying to starve Palestinians into submission --
Chairman of Hadash Knesset Member Mohammad Barakeh warned Palestinians
Wednesday not to be tempted to accept a smaller country and give up the
Right of Return when the permanent status is set between Israel and the
Palestinian Authority. Barakeh, who was hosted in the Palestinian
public relations ministry in Ramallah Wednesday, participated in a
project called “Meet the Press,” during which he met with and answered
the questions of a group of Palestinian journalists.
Iran turns tables on EU 'incentives'
AlJazeera 5/17/2006
Ahmadinejad told the EU not to sacrifice its interests for the US --
Iran has dismissed an EU offer of a advanced nuclear reactor in return
for giving up its uranium enrichment programme, instead offering trade
concessions to Europe if it stops opposing Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, heaped scorn on the offer
in a nationally televised speech on Wednesday. "They say they want to
offer us incentives," he said. "We tell them: Keep the incentives as a
gift for yourself. We have no hope of anything good from you. " Iran's
foreign ministry spokesman, Hamid Reza Asefi, joined the
counter-attack, mockingly offering the Europeans trade concessions if
they dropped their opposition to its nuclear programme.
UN pushes Syria over Lebanon ties
AlJazeera 5/17/2006
A divided UN Security Council has pressed Syria and Lebanon to
establish formal diplomatic ties and clarify their shared border. The
council hopes this will help turn the page on decades of Syrian
domination of its neighbour. Syria however has described the resolution
as provocative and biased. "The insistence of the sponsors of this
resolution to pass it... constitutes uncalled for pressure and
provocation that complicates the situation," a statement by the Syrian
foreign ministry said on Wednesday. "Syria cares about the independence
and sovereignty of Lebanon and establishing normal Syrian-Lebanese ties
independent of outside interference," the statement added.
Palestinian Gunmen,
Lebanese forces, exchange fire near Syrian borders
International Middle
East Media Center 5/17/2006
The Lebanese Police reported on Wednesday that Palestinian gunmen and
Lebanese soldiers engaged in a gun battle in Wadi Al Aswad area,
adjacent to the Syrian borders with Lebanon. The police did not provide
any details regarding the causes of the gun battle which left one
Lebanese hurt. RPG shells and automatic gunfire were used in the
clashes that inflamed on Wednesday before noon and lasted for more than
one hour. The Qatar based Al Jazeera Satellite news channel reported
that the Lebanese army deployed reinforcements that included armored
vehicles to the area which is only two kilometers away from the Syrian
borders. The area contains a military base for Fateh Al Intifada, based
in Damascus. The movement is a split faction from the Fateh movement
headed by Mahmoud Abbas.
Six detained in Syria crackdown
AlJazeera 5/18/2006
The Syrian authorities have arrested six political and human rights
activists as part of what campaigners say is the biggest crackdown on
dissidents in years. Anwar al-Bunni, a campaigner for political
freedoms, was dragged from his Barzeh home on Wednesday by the security
forces, his family said. "Anwar asked them to show him an arrest
warrant so he would go with them, but they forced him into the car, and
drove away while he was shouting," his brother Akram al-Bunni said.
Nine people have been detained by the authorities since Sunday, human
rights groups said. Al-Bunni's detention came after he publicly
condemned Sunday's arrest of another rights activist, Michael Kilo.
Chavez and al-Qadhafi in oil talks
AlJazeera 5/18/2006
The Venezuelan president was visiting Libya for the fourth time -- The
leaders of Venezuela and Libya have held talks on oil production
co-operation during a one-day visit by Hugo Chavez to the North African
country. Talks between Hugo Chavez and Colonel Muammar al-Qadhafi on
Wednesday focused on increased co-operation on oil production including "social programmes based on oil revenues", a Venezuelan official said.
A member of the Venezuelan delegation said the two leaders also
discussed the possibility of providing low-cost fuel to African states.
The Venezuelan leader's visit comes as part of a trip to both Europe
and Africa.
Ruble-denominated oil exchanges could launch in 2007 - expert
Novosti 5/17/2006
MOSCOW, May 11 (RIA Novosti) - Oil and petrochemical exchanges
denominated in rubles could be launched in Russia as early as next
year, the head of the presidential administration's expert department
said Thursday. In his annual state of the nation address to parliament
Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin said that a ruble-denominated oil
and natural gas stock exchange should be set up in the country. "Next
year, all [the exchanges] could start operating," Arkady Dvorkovich
said Thursday. "The ruble must become a more widespread means of
international transactions. To this end, we need to open a stock
exchange in Russia to trade in oil, gas, and other goods to be paid for
with rubles," Putin said Wednesday.
US Plans Nuclear Attack on Iran
War Without End
5/17/2006
A large collection of articles and links about US plans for war on Iran
and Israeli influence on US policy.
Articles
Legitimizing Palestinian Bantustans
By Jamal Juma, Palestine Chronicle 5/17/2006
A fundamental ramification of this plan is the Judaization of Jerusalem and the loss of Palestinian metropolitan areas holding significant urban potential.
The Occupation has a “new” scheme to ensure Palestinian rights continue to be negated and violated: the “Convergence Plan”. Offering the media as much excitement as the “Disengagement Plan”, it aims to legitimize the annexation of all territories and resources west of the Apartheid Wall including Jerusalem. Palestinians are to be left under siege in Bantustans, sealed in from the East and dissected by settler-highways. Meanwhile the refugees are supposed to vanish from political discourse.
Olmert sells a plan of illegal and brutal annexation as “withdrawal”. The propaganda is hinged upon two key themes: The relocation of 68 to 74 settlements and the convergence of Israeli forces and settlers to some 10 percent of the West Bank. The reality on the ground, however, shows that the plan will lead to a 20% increase of settlement capacity and the systematic imprisonment of Palestinians within their own land. “New” plans for Jerusalem are based upon the ethnic cleansing of the city, isolating even more Palestinians from their capital, their institutions, historical and religious centers by building the Apartheid Wall around them.
Under the plan, the Bantustans created by the Apartheid Wall will expand to the East, allowing more Palestinian administrative responsibility over the Jordan Valley. At the same time it ensures that Palestinians will have no access to the River Jordan, borders and the water and agricultural resources along the river.
In the western West Bank, the Wall is integral to the plan. Plans to move the Wall to ghettoize a dozen more Palestinian West Bank villages in the Bantustans are under way. So are discussions over the annexation of Na’ale and Nili settlements to grab additional Palestinian land and further dissect the West Bank. These adjustments ensure the Wall’s path is more effective in grabbing as much land with as few Palestinians as possible. The international community dwells upon these “modifications” of the Wall’s path, instead of denouncing the fact that Zionism encloses an entire people behind cement blocks and razor wire.
Israel at 58, a Failing Experiment
By Sam Bahour, Palestine Chronicle 5/17/2006
Israel has utterly failed to persuade the world, and more recently more of its own people, that this was a valid premise for statehood.
One of Israel's founding Ministers of Education and Culture, Professor Ben-Zion Dinur (1954), said it most sharply; “In our country there is room only for the Jews. We shall say to the Arabs: Get out! If they don't agree, if they resist, we shall drive them out by force." (History of the Haganah.) With this theme as the explicit backdrop of a newly established State, it is no wonder that Israel, 58 years later, has had little chance of being a normal member of the state of nations.
Individual Israeli achievements in fields like science and technology are impressive. However, for all modern intent and purpose, the State of Israel, as a state building model, is a failing experience -- ideologically, religiously, politically, socially and, if US favorite nation status were removed, possibly economically as well. Without immediate and decisive intervention from the world community to stop the ongoing Israeli aggression on Palestinians, Israel’s intransigence and US-equipped regional hegemony will not only fuel another generation of Palestinians willing to sacrifice their lives to achieve their freedom and independence, but will also further jeopardize Israel’s basic premise that explicit religious discrimination, namely a Jewish-only state, is an accepted basis for statehood in modern times.
In spite of the above comments by Israel's First Minister of Education (and reinforced by many other Israeli leaders), Israel was founded on the infamous fallacy that it was built on a ‘land with no people, for a people with no land’.
Israel has utterly failed to persuade the world, and more recently more of its own people, that this was a valid premise for statehood. Also, given the fact that historic Palestine was inhabited prior to Israel being created, Israel has been unable to ignore that this very same fallacy is a raw form of outright racism.
Activists bring Jerusalem's Arab history to life for Nakba Day
By Neta Alexander, Palestine Monitor/Haaretz 5/15/2006
Neta Rotem, a 23-year-old student, stood near the cashier's windows at the Jerusalem Theater. Dozens hurried by her to the ceremony awarding poet Nurit Zarhi the Yehuda Amihai lifetime achievement prize. Rotem handed them brochures, of which one side said, "remember the cacti you used to see on hikes? They were the hedge around Palestinian villages," while the other side offered a review of the Arab history of the Talbieh neighborhood, where the theater is located.
"We use fliers, movies, pictures and testimony to bring the neighborhood's Arab history to life," she explained. "Today Talbieh is one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the city. Five minutes from here is the prime minister's residence; the Belgian ambassador lives nearby and the German Goethe Institute is near here. But the neighborhood has another history: In mid-February 1948, the Haganah moved its people in here and called on the residents, mostly Palestinians, to leave. Some fled to East Jerusalem, Lebanon or Egypt and their homes were given to Jews. Unfortunately, few Israelis are willing to recognize these simple facts, and some are not even aware that entire villages were destroyed."
Rotem's activities are part of the "Nakba 60" project, a coalition of five Jewish and Palestinian organizations established a year and half ago. "The project aims to raise awareness of the Nakba ["catastrophe," the Palestinian term for Israel's Independence Day] in advance of the 60th anniversary of the events in May 2008," explained Lotan Raz, a coalition activist.
US Aggression-Time Once Again: Target Iran
By Edward S. Herman And David, CounterPunch 5/11/2006
The Fourth "Supreme International Crime" in Seven Years is Already Underway, with the Support of the Free Press and the "International Community"
With the United States having initiated wars in violation of the UN Charter, and hence engaged in the "supreme international crime," against Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, and Iraq in 1999, 2001, and 2003, one might have expected that its commencement of a fourth aggression only a few years later against Iran would arouse the UN, EU, other international institutions and NGOs, and even the supposedly moral and independent Free Press, to serious protest and counter-action, including referral to the UN Security Council under Chapter VII's "threat of peace" articles and support of possible diplomatic and economic sanctions. This has not happened, and in fact the Bush administration has successfully mobilized the UN, whose "primary responsibility" is the "maintenance of international peace and security," and the EU, as well as the Free Press, to facilitate its fourth attack.
We say that the fourth aggression is already underway, because once again, as in the Iraq case, the United States has been attacking Iran for many months, and not just with verbal insults and threats. It has been flying unmanned aerial surveillance drones over Iran since 2004; it has infiltrated combat and reconnaissance teams into Iran "to collect targeting data and to establish contact with anti-government ethnic minority groups" (Seymour Hersh);2 it has bestowed an ambiguous "protected" status upon the Mujahedin-e Khalq, a group which, since 1997, the U.S. Department of State has designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization, but a group that the Washington regime now uses to launch cross-border attacks on Iran from within U.S.-occupied Iraq;3 and it and its Israeli client have repeatedly threatened larger scale and more open attacks. This pre-invasion aggression was an important feature of the overall aggression against Iraq, where the US and British greatly increased their "spikes of activity" with massive bombing well before the March 19, 2003 invasion4-major acts of war and aggression begun as early as April 2002, that were almost wholly ignored by the Free Press and "international community.
The US's geopolitical nightmare
By F William Engdahl, Asia Times 5/9/2006
In the space of 12 months, Russia and China have managed to move the pieces on the geopolitical chess board of Eurasia away from what had been an overwhelming US strategic advantage, to the opposite, where the US is increasingly isolated. It's potentially the greatest strategic defeat for the US power projection of the post-World War II period. This is also the strategic background to the re-emergence of the so-called realist faction in US policy.
By drawing attention to Iraq and the obvious role oil plays in US policy today, the George W Bush-Dick Cheney administration has done just that: it has drawn the world's energy-deficit powers' attention firmly to the strategic battle over energy, and especially oil.
This is already having consequences for the global economy in terms of US$75-a-barrel crude-oil price levels. Now it is taking on the dimension of what one former US defense secretary rightly calls a "geopolitical nightmare" for the United States.
The creation by Bush and Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and company of a geopolitical nightmare is also the backdrop to comprehend the dramatic political shift within the US establishment in the past six months, away from the Bush presidency. Simply put: Bush and Cheney and their band of neo-conservative war hawks, with their special relationship to the capacities of Israel in Iraq and across the Mideast, were given a chance.
The chance was to deliver on the US strategic goal of control of petroleum resources globally, to ensure the US role as first among equals over the next decade and beyond. Not only have they failed to "deliver" that goal of US strategic dominance, they have also threatened the very basis of continued US hegemony, or as the Rumsfeld Pentagon likes to term it, "Full Spectrum Dominance".
....The SCO and Iran events
The latest developments surrounding the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and Iran further underscore the dramatic change in the geopolitical position of the United States.
The SCO was created in Shanghai on June 15, 2001, by Russia and China along with four former Soviet Central Asian republics, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Prior to September 11, 2001, and the US declaration of an "axis of evil" in January 2002, the SCO was merely background geopolitical chatter as far as Washington was concerned.
Today the SCO, which has to date been blacked out almost entirely in US mainstream media, is defining a new political counterweight to US hegemony and its "unipolar" world. At the next SCO meeting on June 15, Iran will be invited to become a full SCO member.
Kevin Zeese: “Hawkish Israeli Lobby Wants War with Iran!”
By William Hughes, IndyMedia 4/25/2006
The Israeli Lobby, with others, helped to instigate the Iraqi War. A scholarly report, the “Harvard Study,” which was recently released, also documents the “unmatched power” of the Lobby over the national interest. Now, the Bush-Cheney Gang is targeting Iran for a pre-empted strike. Is the hawkish, hard right, pro-Israeli Lobby pushing for a war with Iran, too? Kevin Zeese, an independent candidate for U.S. Senate In MD, thinks that it is.
“So likewise ‘a passionate attachment’ of one nation for another produces a variety of evils...” - George Washington’s “Farewell Address,” September 19, 1796
Washington, D.C. - Kevin Zeese was the first speaker at a public forum held on Monday evening, April 24, 2006, at the West End Neighborhood Library, near the community of Georgetown. The topic for the event was, “Is the Israel Lobby Promoting War on Iran?” He said the question of whether the hawkish, hard-right, pro-Israeli Lobby in America wants to see war with Iran “gets answered in an ad which was in the New York Times, the Financial Times, and other newspapers. It’s a full page ad by the American Jewish Committee, put out on April 4th. The center of the bull’s eye is Iran and the headline is: ‘Can Anyone Within Range of Iran’s Missiles Feel Safe?’ I think that’s a pretty inflammatory ad. It’s signed by more than a hundred people...I think it’s a pretty strong indication of where the Lobby stands. That isn’t the only proof we have that the hawkish Israeli Lobby wants to go to war.”
Zeese is the director of DemocracyRising.U.S., an organization working to end the Iraqi War and the Occupation. He was also an ex-press secretary for Ralph Nader in 2004. Presently, Zeese is an independent candidate for the U.S. Senate in Maryland, who is looking to bring together, in a voting block, the combined electoral efforts of the Green, Populist and Libertarian Parties.
Iran, Iran, Iran and Iran
Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs 4/12/2006
That's it. That's the whole list of national security priorities.
Whatever we do in Iraq and whatever Iraqi politicians do; whatever we do to Hamas; however hard we look for Bin Laden or al-Zawahiri; whoever runs our port terminals; whatever the price of gasoline; however we secure our borders; whoever leaked Valerie Plame's name - under the shadow of a nuclear-capable Iran, American and allied options are reduced.
Iran's announcement that it has mastered the enrichment of uranium on an industrial scale, and thus stands steps away from being weapons-capable, was poetic. "Iran's nuclear activities are like a waterfall which has begun to flow. It cannot be stopped."
Poetry aside, we disagree.
At least one analyst suggests that Iran could only generate enough for a one-shot demonstration to halt the current round of talks at the UN by presenting the Security Council with a fait accompli. An Israeli official said Iran had proved a "rudimentary research and development capability" needed to create nuclear weapons, but it did not mean that the Iranians had "mastered the nuclear fuel cycle." Israel's Chief of Military Intelligence, Amos Yadlin, called the announcement "a bargaining chip... meant to move the debate to the next point - the extent of enrichment."
However, even a demonstration project means that Iran has acquired the knowledge to enrich uranium after which, like biting the apple, you cannot "un-know." If the Iranian program is not stopped, some analysts believe Iran could master the fuel cycle by the end of the year. This is what Israel considers the "point of no return".
Challenging the Catastrophic Cost of Rule by Colonels
By Rami G. Khouri, Middle East Online 5/17/2006
The modern Arab security state has bred mass complacency, severe dependency, political apathy, high emigration rates, tendencies among youth to embrace violent movements, rampant corruption, gangsterism and lawlessness, economic inefficiencies and waste, local and global terrorism One day soon - in the coming two decades at most - the contemporary Arab world will finally free itself from the grip of narrow military and security leaderships that have defined our societies for the past half-century. This is not easily done, but it remains the critical lynchpin of the elusive Arab quest for modernity, sustainable development, and just plain old normalcy in political and national life.
I witnessed part of that process at a meeting in Beirut last weekend, when 20 courageous and enlightened Arab members of parliament from six Arab countries gathered to discuss how to bring their military and security systems under parliamentary and civilian control. This is a critical goal because military and security establishments that have dominated modern Arab political life - often through the agency of individuals and families that remain in power for three and four decades - are the single most important underlying reason for our collective national distortions and weaknesses.
Our collective submission to the priority of ensuring security and stability over all other personal and national values has shattered prospects for the growth of liberalism, freedom, dignity, creativity, productivity, self-reliance and a brand of urban cosmopolitan tolerance that once defined this region. The distortions and real costs of countries run by colonels are widespread, severe, and still growing.
Redefining Middle East
By Ramzy Baroud, Palestine Chronicle 5/17/2006
If the US government wishes to escape its miserable fate in that region, it must redefine its relationship with the Middle East: replacing militancy with diplomacy, coercion with dialogue, and racism with partnership.
It may be convenient to perceive the Middle East as a politically charged, fractious region, rife with conflicts and disputes, void of many prospects, save those leading to even further uncertainty and turmoil.
While history is indeed rich with instances that would effortlessly validate such a notion, only disinterested minds would fail to appreciate the immense role played by great European and now American powers in painting such a grim portrait of a region that once served as the cradle of great civilizations.
The seemingly innocent classification of the Middle East as this cohesive, yet inherently violent entity is consistent with utterly militaristic and chauvinistic views constructed by numerous Western scholars, diplomats and military men, whose attempt to reduce a vast, diverse and intricate region has been compelled primarily by their countries’ imperialist drive and hunger for territorial and political control.
This imperialist view of the world is understandably simplistic. Appreciating the depth and beauty of a potentially exploitable region can lead to costly hesitation, a loss that empires by definition in need of growth and expansion cannot afford. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the historic Israeli view of Palestinians either the total denial of their existence altogether, or at best the recognition of a far more inferior breed of human was more or less shaped around the same theme applied in a variety of global historic contexts: Native Americans as ‘uncivilized’, Central American natives as ‘heathens’, Australian Aboriginals as ‘wild dogs’, and so forth. Perhaps Palestinians, Native Americans, Mayans and Aboriginals did not have a great deal in common, but their conquerors certainly did: infinite interest in the land and utter disinterest in its indigenous inhabitants.
Stability and Value of Israel
By Michael Neumann, Palestine Chronicle 5/17/2006
As a last resort, proponents of the 'valuable ally' dogma insist that Israel intimidates its neighbors. That's true, but it's not the point.
Norman Finkelstein ("The Israel Lobby"), tries to present a balanced view on the Israel lobby. He succeeds, but that's not all he does. He also offers a set-piece passage proclaiming Israel's value to the United States. Pro-Palestinian writers--and there is no more passionate or impressive defender of the Palestinians than Finkelstein--seem to do this out of reflex, and it's perverse. Finkelstein's claims about Israel's value are just as destructive to the Palestinian cause as any common sense person would suppose.
Fortunately they are also false.
Finkelstein says:
"The claim that Israel has become a liability for U.S. "national" interests in the Middle East misses the bigger picture. Sometimes what's most obvious escapes the eye. Israel is the only stable and secure base for projecting U.S. power in this region. Every other country the U.S. relies on might, for all anyone knows, fall out of U.S. control tomorrow. The U.S.A. discovered this to its horror in 1979, after immense investment in the Shah. On the other hand, Israel was a creation of the West; it's in every respect--culturally, politically, economically--in thrall to the West, notably the U.S. ... Combined with its overwhelming military power, this makes Israel a unique and irreplaceable American asset in the Middle East."
This is untenable. For one thing, Israel's brand of security is not very useful to the United States. Israel's existence is secure but its military position is, shall we say, tense. To varying degrees and in various ways, it is in armed confrontation with all its neighbors. In fact it is in armed confrontation with most of the neighbors of its neighbors, and many of *their* neighbors too. Then there are longer-range, long-term threats. Iran, though not about to wipe Israel off the map, is strong and growing stronger. Should Musharraf fall, Israel may well acquire a nuclear-armed enemy in Pakistan, and any change in the Gulf States or Egypt would almost certainly usher in much more militantly anti-Israel regimes.
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