Lieberman: Barghouti Will Not be Released
Article: Israel National News

Speaking Thursday morning, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said he could “guarantee” that arch-terrorist Marwan Barghouti would not be released from prison in any deal to exchange terrorists for kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. “We have no intention to free the head of the murderers, a person who has been sentenced to four life terms in prison. There are red lines, and this is one of them,” Lieberman said.

In response to U.S. demands that Israel free an additional 1,000-some terrorists as a “gesture” to Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas, Lieberman said that previous releases of Fatah terrorists “have not proven themselves. The Olmert administration did this several times and it did not work, and we do not plan to allow it to happen,” Lieberman said.

Why can’t BHussein be smart enough to know that freeing RADICAL TERRORISTS does NOT PRODUCE POSITIVE RESULTS?! Oh. I guess “brotherhood” has a lot to do with it.

BHussein with Palestinian President Abu Mazen as he demands that Israel releases an additional 1,000 terrorists as a “gesture”to “moderate” “Palestinians”.

Ohhhhhhhhhh golly…

Israel pardons 92 Fatah members
Article: YnetNews

Israel has granted pardon to 92 wanted members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, Fatah’s military wing. Some were awarded full pardon while others were granted partial pardon. The most prominent member on the list is a commander in the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades in the territories. (Ali Waked)

Yet; the Palestinian terrorists are holding one of Israel’s soldiers captive. Does BHussein Obama give a shit? The answer is NYET. He cares about himself… and his brothers in Allah.

Israel soldier swap talks on hold: Palestinian
Article: Breitbart

Indirect talks between Israel and the Islamist Hamas movement over a prisoner exchange involving Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit have been suspended until Tuesday, according to a Palestinian official .

“Negotiations on Shalit will resume after Eid al-Adha in Cairo on Tuesday,” the official told AFP on Thursday on condition of anonymity.

The Hamas delegation, which visited the Syrian capital on Wednesday to meet the movement’s leadership in exile, returned to the Gaza Strip via Cairo, he added, while refusing to detail the content of the discussions.

Shalit was captured by Palestinian militants including Hamas in a cross-border raid from the Gaza Strip in 2006.

Hamas, which has controlled the territory since June 2007, is demanding that more than 450 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails be released in exchange for the soldier.

But Israel is refusing to release some of the detainees, blocking the chance of any agreement being reached, an official close to the talks said on Wednesday.

The same official said reports of an imminent prisoner exchange were “premature.”

Both Hamas and Israel earlier this week reported progress in the negotiations, which have been mediated by Egypt and Germany, but played down reports of a quick deal.

Hamas on Wednesday blamed the delay on Israel, which “has not yet answered the demands of the Palestinian factions,” senior Hamas official Khalil al-Haya said.

So; even the terrorists who are holding the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit captive demand only 450 Palestinian terrorist prisoners that are being held in Israeli jails be released in exchange for Gilad Shalit; but BHussein seems to think that’s a pretty low number. “DUR… I HAZ A BETR IDEA! LETZ GO FOR A THOUSAND. THEY IS MY TERRORIZT BROTHERZ.” UN-FUCKING-BELIEVABLE. Negotiations are on hold until after Eid al-Adha… I guess the terrorists must be shopping at Best Buy.

JERUSALEM (Press Release)– On Thursday, November 12,  Israel took another step in the country’s long history of solidarity with the United States and global victims of terror as international diplomats, U.S. and Israeli politicians and religious leaders unveiled a monument dedicated to the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Commissioned and built by the Jewish National Fund-USA/Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael (JNF-USA/KKL), the memorial depicts the World Trade Center and Pentagon through sculpture and landscape architecture.  Designed by award-winning Israeli artist E. Weishoff, a 30-foot high bronze sculpture is composed of a waving American flag transformed into a memorial flame.  It rests on a gray granite base, part of which is from the original Twin Towers.  The sculpture is surrounded by a circular, crater-like plaza and reflection area tiled in stone.  The Jerusalem monument is one of the first major international memorials to 9/11 and the only site outside of New York to recognize the names of every victim of the attack.

The vast plaza which includes the names of those fallen as well as amphitheater-style benches along the interior that provide visitors with space for viewing and reflection was funded by the Bronka Stavsky Rabin Weintraub Trust. “This poignant Living Memorial on behalf of the victims of 9/11 helps demonstrate the shared commitment of two great democracies that battle terrorism – Israel and the United States,” said Carmi Schwartz, nephew of Ms. Stavsky Rabin Weintraub.  “This testament to the solidarity shared by the U.S. and Israel goes beyond lip service to unite these nations and their allies in the global fight against the destructive forces of humanity.”

“My wife died just a few days before 9/11,” related Edward Blank, New York resident and donor of the bronze American flag sculpture, “and then the whole world was sent reeling by the events of that day.  I was looking for a meritorious way to recognize the many feelings I was having, and this memorial was the perfect fit.”

Dignitaries from Israel and around the world attended the dedication ceremony at Arazim Park in Jerusalem, including U.S. Ambassador to Israel James Cunningham, ambassadors and diplomats of other nations whose citizens fell victim to 9/11, including Canada, Mexico, Germany, Poland and the Netherlands, U.S. Congressmen Henry Waxman and Erik Paulsen, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Israeli cabinet minister Benny Begin, families affected by 9/11 and other distinguished guests including well over 100 Americans that made the journey especially for the ceremony.

IDF Brig. General (Ret.)Dov Shefi, whose 34-year-old son Hagay was murdered on 9/11 while addressing a conference of bankers at the Windows of the World restaurant on the 106th Floor of Tower 1, addressed the ceremony.  “Since September 11^th, 2001 not only the entire world has changed but the lives of 3000 families have been changed from white to dark-black. We lost our joy and we have never stopped mourning our loved ones,” he said.   “Today’s inauguration ceremony of this important memorial symbolizes the identification of the State of Israel, of J.N.F. and the donors, with the thousands of families of the victims of September 11th throughout the world, with the United States and with the City of New York.”

“Set against the magnificent backdrop of Jerusalem, the Living Memorial will be a moving site from which to mourn the victims of 9/11 as well as consider the thousands of victims of terrorism worldwide,” said Russell F. Robinson, Chief Executive Officer of JNF. “This should be a place for visiting dignitaries – presidents, prime ministers, ambassadors, and citizens of the world – to come together to remember, reflect and heal. More than anything we hope that this Living Memorial will remind us to reaffirm our commitment to tolerance, the unity of mankind and democracy.  “Jerusalem is a battleground of civilization but also a place of hope,” continued Robinson. “The memorial is situated in Jerusalem’s green belt; what better place to show that civilization won?”

*
Preceding provided by Jewish National Fund

Obama green-lights Arab land grab
But Israel threatens retaliation if U.N. approves Palestinian state

Article: World Net Daily

A top Palestinian Authority official told WND that the PA reached an understanding with the Obama administration regarding a Palestinian threat to unilaterally ask the United Nations to recognize a Palestinian state outside of negotiations with Israel.

Ahmed Qurei, former PA prime minister and member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization executive committee, said in an interview that the PA “reached an understanding with important elements within the administration” to possibly bring to the U.N. Security Council a resolution to unilaterally create a Palestinian state.

Asked to which “elements” he was referring, Qurei would only say they were from the Obama administration.

A top PA negotiator, speaking on condition of anonymity, named the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Susan Rice, and National Security Council member Samantha Power as among the Obama administration officials who were involved with the Palestinians’ U.N. threat.

Despite widespread assumptions the U.S. would veto any such U.N. Security Council resolution, the PA negotiator said that in initial discussions, the Obama administration did not threaten to veto their conceptual unilateral resolution.

“The U.S. told us that they prefer a negotiated settlement with Israel, but if we (Palestinians) insist on a resolution, the Americans will not necessarily reject it,“ the PA negotiator said.

WRONG. We AMERICANS absolutely reject it. BHussein and his cronies do; and they do NOT count as Americans. They stand for NOTHING that America represents. They stand for hate, fraud, deceit, lies, and destroying the fundamental elements of our country.

“The U.S. has a history of never before vetoing any U.N. move to create a new state,” the negotiator pointed out.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said yesterday the Palestinians had decided to turn to the U.N. Security Council to unilaterally declare a Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and eastern Jerusalem.

YOU can’t expect ANYONE in the world to expect the Israelis to give JERUSALEM over to the fucking shitstain Palestinians. Jerusalem was given to Israel by GOD. Nobody has the power to force Israel to give up Jerusalem – LET ALONE any other bit of their land. FUCK that noise.

Separately, the negotiator, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the Obama administration is “totally on board” with a plan by Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to create a state on the pre-1967 borders within two years.

WND first reported in September that according to a top PA official, the Obama administration has largely adopted the positions of the Palestinian West Bank leadership to create a Palestinian state within two years based on the pre-1967 borders, meaning Israel would retreat from most of the West Bank and eastern sections of Jerusalem.

The PA negotiator WND spoke with yesterday said that his authority’s primary goal now is to secure a letter of support from the Obama administration affirming the U.S. commitment to a pre-1967 Palestinian state within two years.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday hit back at the PA plan to unilaterally declare a state, warning such a move will be met by “one-sided Israeli measures.” He did not elaborate.

That’s RIGHT. Because Netanyahu is a MAN. A true man. A great leader who cares about the people he serves. I wish WE had a Netanyahu. But no, we have a shitball.

“There is no substitute for negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and any unilateral attempts outside that framework will unravel the existing agreements between us and could entail unilateral steps by Israel,” Netanyahu told a high-level gathering of Israeli and American policy makers at the Saban Forum in Jerusalem.

Netanyahu stressed that in order to achieve peace, “negotiations must resume immediately.” He affirmed Israel was prepared to begin talks “with a generous spirit.”

“I want to stress that we are willing to take steps that will help in advancing the peace process, but it must begin, there is no reason to waste time,” said the Israeli leader.

While negotiations were not easy, Netanyahu said, “there is no other way to bring about change.”

In September, a senior PA official told WND that aside from supporting a Palestinian state in the pre-1967 borders, the Obama administration also had accepted the PA position that Israeli-Palestinian negotiations begin where they left off under Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who went further than previous Israeli leaders in his concessions to the Palestinians.

Olmert reportedly offered the PA not only 95 percent of the West Bank and peripheral eastern Jerusalem neighborhoods but also other territories never before offered by any Israeli leader, including parts of the Israeli Negev desert bordering Gaza as well as sections of the Jordan Valley.

“We understand from the U.S. that the Netanyahu government is not in a position to go against creating a state within two years,” the PA official said.

The official claimed the Obama administration was ready to ultimately consider “sanctions” against Israel if the Netanyahu government rejected negotiations leading to a Palestinian state. The official refused to clarify which sanctions he was referring to or whether he was specifically told by the U.S. government it would consider sanctions.

The PA official claimed Obama can make a “headache” for Netanyahu if the Israeli leader does not conduct negotiations leading within two years to a Palestinian state.

FUCK you, Barack Hussein Obama. I don’t care WHERE you stand, but I stand behind Israel. Sure, I’m just one small person. Just little ol’ me… but I understand the importance and significance of our relationship with Israel. They are not only our allies POLITICALLY – but they are also our brothers. Our brothers in Christ.

The issue of dividing the land of Israel is of utmost seriousness to God. God will surely bring judgment upon those who promote the division of the land He calls His own (see scripture bellow). This issue will ultimately be  settled by Jesus at His return during the Battle of Armageddon (in the Valley of Jehoshaphat). America would certainly enter a new level of judgment by God should the Obama administration go forth with their intention to support the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian State including such large portions of the land allotted by God to the Jewish people.

Let us pray that God will bring about a change of course in these decisions.

“FOR BEHOLD, in those days and at that time when I shall reverse the captivity and restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and will bring them down into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, and there will I deal with and execute judgment upon them for their treatment of My people and of My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations and because they have divided My land.” (Joel 3:1-2)

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad

TEL AVIV – The U.S. is considering adopting a unilateral Palestinian declaration of independence in the West Bank and Jerusalem regardless of negotiations with the Jewish state, according to Israeli sources speaking to Israel’s Haaretz newspaper.

WND first reported in September that according to a top Palestinian Authority official, the Obama administration has largely adopted the positions of the PA to create a Palestinian state within two years based on the pre-1967 borders, meaning Israel would retreat from most of the West Bank and eastern sections of Jerusalem.

WND reported that the White House had accepted the positions of Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who had quietly called for a state on the pre-1967 borders within two years.

Now Haaretz is quoting reports indicating that Fayyad has reached a secret understanding with the Obama administration over U.S. recognition of an independent Palestinian state.

Haaretz quoted Israeli sources stating Fayyad’s plan specifies that at the end of a designated period for bolstering national institutions, the PA, in conjunction with the Arab League, would file a “claim of sovereignty” to the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly over the 1967 borders.

Israeli officials further told Haaretz that Fayyad had boasted of positive meetings about his plan with prominent EU member states, including the United Kingdom, France, Spain and Sweden.

Fayyad also told Israeli officials the Obama administration did not oppose his plan.

A senior Israeli foreign-policy official told Haaretz, “It’s a very dangerous move.”

Israeli sources further said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is in Washington today, discussed Fayyad’s proposal in previous meetings with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Obama’s Mideast envoy George Mitchell.

Netanyahu reportedly requested the U.S. tell Fayyad that it would not support his proposal and would veto it in the Security Council. Haaretz reported Netanyahu has yet to receive a clear response from Washington on its stance on Fayyad’s plan.

‘Obama can create headache for Netanyahu’

A top PA official told WND in September that the Obama administration told the PA it will support the announcement of a Palestinian state within two years.

The official also said Obama had accepted the PA position that Israeli-Palestinian negotiations begin where they left off under Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who went further than previous Israeli leaders in his concessions to the Palestinians.

Olmert reportedly offered the PA not only 95 percent of the West Bank and peripheral eastern Jerusalem neighborhoods but also other territories never before offered by any Israeli leader, including parts of the Israeli Negev desert bordering Gaza as well as sections of the Jordan Valley.

“We understand from the U.S. that the Netanyahu government is not in a position to go against creating a state within two years,” the PA official said.

The official claimed the Obama administration was ready to ultimately consider “sanctions” against Israel if the Netanyahu government rejected negotiations leading to a Palestinian state. The official refused to clarify which sanctions he was referring to or whether he was specifically told by the U.S. government it would consider sanctions.

Obama can make a “headache” for Netanyahu if the Israeli leader does not conduct negotiations leading within two years to a Palestinian state, the PA official claimed.

Mossad has used virus to secretly steal data about Syrian nuclear reactor.

Ramat David Air Base, south of the port city, of Haifa, Israel, September 5, 2007. Ten pilot was ordered to prepare for emergency exercise with F-15 aircrafts are called “Raam”, means thunder in Hebrew language.

The order issued a few minutes prior to 11.00 pm was a routine. Then, the ten F-15 flew westward to Mediterranean Sea. Three of them were ordered to return home, while the remaining seven continued flying northeast toward the nearby Syrian border.

At that stage, the Orchard Operation had begun. It was a secret mission to destroy what believed by Israel as a nuclear reactor. The seven bomber aircrafts flew low altitude to prevent from Syrian radar. Within an additional flight minutes, they had reached the area around Deir el-Zor. After locking the Al-Kibar complex as their target, ammunitions dropped. Al-Kibar is located on a 25,000 square kilometers desert, about 30 kilometers from Deir el-Zor and 13o kilometers from the Iraqi border.

Israel has had long suspicion that Syria is developing their nuclear power. For the Zionist state, none of Arab countries as their enemies allowed to have mass destructive weapons. So, it’s not surprised if at a night in June 1981, some Israeli F-16 bombed Iraqi Osirak nuclear reactor near Baghdad.

Tel Aviv suspicion has increased after Mossad (Israeli foreign secret service) succeeded to secretly steal informations about the Al-Kibar reactor in late 2006. The incident took in London, UK, Mossad moved into a hotel room where a Syrian senior official stay in elite district of Kensington.

The official has been long monitored acted carelessly. He has forgotten to bring his laptop along with him when he went out. Thus, Mossad came in and installed “Trojan Horse” programme, a kind of computer virus to steal all data.

The informations have been gained are quiet worthy. It provides a reconstruction plan since 2002, letters, and hundreds of photos. One of them showing Chon Chibu, chief engineer of North Korea’s Yongbyon reactor, stands beside Ibrahim Usman, director of Syrian Nuclear Energy Commission.

Ali Reza Asgharie, an Iranian general who switched to the US has confirmed about the Syrian reactor. The project, he said, was helped by Iran and had cooperation with North Korea. The 63-year old man left his country in February 2007 because his life threatened after accusing several persons who close with President Mahmud Ahmadinejad corrupt.

Unlikely the Syrian official, for Ali reza his laptop is so valuable. “I brought my laptop. The entire of my life is in there,” said a former commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard in Libanon in 1980s and became Iran’s vice defense minister in 1990s. He is like disappeared after changing his identity.

Mossad has also got information that Muhsin Farizadeh Mahabadi who is believed as a chief of  “111 Project” that making Iran’s nuclear bombs visited Damascus, Syria, in 2005. A year later, Ahmadinejad also came to Damascus and promised US$ 1 billion fund assistance Syrian nuclear project.

In August 2007, Major General Yaakov Amidror was summoned to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert residence in Gaza Street, Jerusalem. He reported about the existence of Al-Kibar reactor. Previous five months, this religious man is one of three Israeli senior officials was invited by Olmert to discuss about Syrian mass destruction weapons.

After a mission to take soil samples in Deir el-Zor early September, Olmert became more optimistic. The Orchard Operation counted down. He called, Stephen Hadley, then the US National Security advisor before the mission was taken because the target just dozens kilometer fom Turkey’s military base, a member of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The Orchard Operation was accomplished on September 6, 2007.

Nobody knows what really happen on the sleepy desert. A number of Deir el-Zor residents acknowledged that they have seen bright flash. Some said they have watched a giant smoke over the Euphrates River. The appearance before dawn has became rumours in tea houses along the river.

Israel and Syria have tried to hide the incident. After getting a report that target was destroyed, Israeli Prime Minister shortly contacted Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He explained about Israeli strike against Al-Kibar reactor and asked Erdogan to inform Syrian President Basyar Assad that Israel will not tolerate any Syrian nuclear reactor.

Olmert insisted that his side will not blow up the strike if Assad had done the same. “This incident never occurred,” said an Israeli military spokesman as quoted by Israeli public radio.

Assad said what was destroyed by Israeli fighter jets is a conventional military base. “We could have struck back. But should we really allow ourselves to be provoked into a war? Then we would have walked into an Israeli trap,” he said in exclusive interview with Der Spiegel in mid-January 2009.

Der Spiegel/Faisal Assegaf

Mossad menggunakan virus untuk menyadap informasi soal reaktor nuklir Suriah.

Pangkalan Udara Ramat David di selatan kota pelabuhan Haifa, Israel, 5 September 2007. Sepuluh pilot diminta bersiap untuk latihan darurat dengan jet tempur F-15 yang mereka sebut “Raam”, dalam bahasa Ibrani berarti guntur.

Perintah yang keluar beberapa menit menjelang pukul 11 malam itu adalah hal rutin. Lantas kesepuluh F-15 itu terbang ke arah barat menuju Laut Tengah. Tiga pesawat diperintahkan pulang, sedangkan tujuh lainnya lanjut ke timur laut mendekati perbatasan Suriah.

Di sinilah, Operasi Orchard dimulai. Sebuah misi rahasia untuk menghancurkan apa yang diyakini Israel sebagai reaktor nuklir. Ketujuh pesawat pengebom itu terbang rendah menghindari pantauan radar Suriah. Selang 18 menit, mereka tiba di kawasan Deir el-Zor. Setelah mengunci kompleks Al-Kibar sebagai sasaran, sejumlah bom dimuntahkan. Al-Kibar berada di tengah gurun seluas 25.000 kilometer persegi. Letaknya 30 kilometer dari Deir el-Zor dan 130 kilometer dari perbatasan Irak.

Israel sudah lama mencurigai Suriah berupaya mengembangkan kekuatan nuklir. Bagi negara Zionis ini, tidak boleh ada satu negara Arab pun yang merupakan musuh mereka mempunyai senjata pemusnah massal. Tak heran, pada satu malam di bulan Juni 1981 beberapa F-16 Israel mengebom reaktor nuklir Osirak, dekat Ibu Kota Bagdad, Irak.

Kecurigaan Tel Aviv menguat setelah Mossad (dinas rahasia luar negeri Israel) berhasil menyadap informasi seputar Reaktor Al-Kibar pada akhir 2006. Insiden itu berlangsung di Ibu Kota London, Inggris. Mossad menyusup ke kamar seorang pejabat senior Suriah yang menginap di sebuah hotel di kawasan elite Kensington.

Sang pejabat yang sudah lama diawasi berbuat ceroboh. Ia lupa membawa komputer jinjingnya saat meninggalkan kamar hotel. Para agen Mossad lantas menyelusup masuk. Mereka memasang program “Trojan Horse”, jenis virus untuk menyadap semua informasi yang ada di komputer itu.

Informasi yang diperoleh sungguh berharga. Ruang penyimpanan komputer itu berisi rencana pemmbangunan reaktor yang berlangsung sejak 2002, surat-surat, dan ratusan foto. Salah satu foto menunjukkan Chon Chibu, kepala teknisi reaktor Yongbyon, Korea Utara, berdiri di samping Ibrahim Usman, Direktur Komisi Tenaga Atom Suriah.

Ali Reza Asghari, seorang jenderal Iran yang membelot ke Amerika Serikat membenarkan soal reaktor nuklir Suriah. Proyek itu, kata dia, dibantu oleh Iran dan bekerja sama dengan Korea Utara. Lelaki 63 tahun ini meninggalkan Negeri Mullah itu pada Februari 2007 karena merasa jiwanya terancam setelah menuding beberapa orang dekat Presiden Mahmud Ahmadinejad terlibat korupsi.

Tidak seperti pejabat Suriah yang lalai, bagi Ali Reza komputer jinjingnya begitu bernilai. “Saya membawa komputer saya. Seluruh hidup saya ada di sana,” kata mantan komandan Garda Revolusi Iran di Libanon pada 1980-an dan pernah menjabat wakil menteri pertahanan Iran pada 1990-an. Ia seolah hilang setelah berganti identitas.

Mossad juga mendapatkan kabar Muhsin Farizadeh Mahabadi yang diyakini para pengamat sebagai kepala “Proyek 111” untuk membuat senjata nuklir Iran pernah mengunjungi Ibu Kota Damaskus, Suriah, pada 2005. Setahun kemudian, giliran Ahmadinejad yang melawat dan dipercaya menjanjikan bantuan US$ 1 miliar bagi proyek nuklir Suriah.

Pada Agusuts 2007, Mayor Jenderal Yaakov Amidror dengan langkah tergesa masuk ke kediaman resmi Perdana Menteri Israel Ehud Olmert di Gaza Street, Yerusalem. Ia melaporkan soal kebenaran reaktor Al-Kibar. Lelaki religius ini adalah satu dari tiga pejabat senior yang lima bulan sebelumnya diundang Olmert membahas program senjata pemusnah massal Suriah.

Seetlah misi pengambilan contoh tanah di Deir el-Zor awal September, Olmert makin percaya. Operasi Orchard pun tinggal menghitung waktu. Ia sempat memberitahu Stephen Hadley yang kemudian menjabat penasihat keamanan nasional Amerika. Maklum target operasi hanya lusinan kilometer dari markas militer Turki yang merupakan anggota Pakta Pertahanan Atlantik Utara (NATO). Operasi itu pun selesai pada dinihari 6 September 2007.

Tak ada yang tahu apa yang sebenarnya terjadi di gurun nan sunyi itu. Sejumlah warga Deir el-Zor mengaku menyaksikan kilat. Beberapa orang mengatakan melihat asap raksasa membubung di atas Sungai Eufrat. Penampakkan pada dinihari itu menjadi obrolan di pelbagai warung kopi yang berjejer di tepian sungai.

Israel dan Suriah pun berupaya menyembunyikan peristiwa itu. Perdana Menteri Israel Ehud Olmert langsung menelepon Perdana Menteri Turki Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Ia menjelaskan soal serangan terhadap reaktor Al-Kibar dan meminta Erdogan memberitahu Presiden Suriah Basyar Assad bahwa Israel tidak akan membiarkan negara itu membangun pembangkit nuklir.

Olmert menegaskan pihaknya tidak akan membesar-besarkan insiden itu jika Assad berbuat sama. “Insiden ini tidak pernah terjadi,” kata seorang juru bicara militer Israel yang tidak disebutkan identitasnya seperti dikutip radio pemerintah.

Assad mengatakan apa yang dihancurkan jet-jet tempur Israel hanya markas militer biasa. “Kami bisa saja menyerang balik. Namun haruskah kami tersulut untuk berperang? Lantas kami masuk perangkap Israel?” ujarnya dalam wawancara khusus dengan Der Spiegel pertengahan Januari lalu.

Der Spiegel/Faisal Assegaf

A newly declassified Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) file indicates that an Israeli intelligence agent was among the staff members of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

“WFO files disclose that AIPAC is a powerful pro-Israel lobbying group staffed by US citizens,” says the August 13, 1984 document- a secret communication from the FBI Washington Field Office (WFO) to the FBI director.

“WFO files contain an unsubstantiated allegation that a member of the Israeli Intelligence Service was a staff member of AIPAC,” it adds.

The secret FBI document was declassified and handed over to the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy (IRmep) after it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

IRmep needed the documents to file a third amicus brief urging Judge T.S. Ellis not to drop the charges brought against AIPAC workers Steve J. Rosen and Keith Weissman under the 1917 Espionage Act.

On May 1, 2009, the Department of Justice dismissed the espionage charges against the two former AIPAC staffers.

Department of Defense Employee Col. Lawrence Franklin who was indicted along with the AIPAC workers in 2005, however, pleaded guilty to the charges, admitting that he had provided classified information about Iran to two AIPAC employees.

Apparently the Israeli agent had promised to facilitate the appointment of Harman as the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee in exchange for the information.

It is widely believed that the 1984 and 2005 espionage incidents were not isolated events.

As part of a defamation lawsuit he has launched against AIPAC, Rosen intends to show that obtaining and leveraging classified US government information in the service of Israel is common practice at AIPAC.

He claims it was unfair for AIPAC to fire and smear him in the press after he was indicted on espionage charges in 2005. AIPAC lawyers, however, are hoping to get the case thrown out on technicalities before it goes to trial in early 2010.

AIPAC, considered the most powerful and connected lobbying group in Washington, is known for the influence that it holds over US foreign policy.

Former US president Jimmy Carter has also accused AIPAC of putting a great deal of pressure on politicians running for office who do not share AIPAC goals.

Soon after the U.S. House adopted a resolution to denounce the Goldstone Report, the Israeli Army chief of staff threatened a new offensive against Gazan civilians. We can officially say that there are at least 344 Neo-Con’s in the lower house of Congress.

Tuesday, the U.S. House voted to approved a resolution denouncing the Goldstone Report, the fact-finding mission endorsed by the U.N. Human Rights Council which found the Israeli government and Hamas committed war crimes during Operation Cast Lead. The so-called “conflict”—better known as the ‘U.S.-Israeli Gaza Massacre’—resulted in over 1,400 Palestinian and 13 Israeli deaths, the ‘wanton destruction‘ of almost 40,000 Gazan homes and left tens of thousands homeless. Of the nearly 1,200 dead non-combatants, hundreds were children.

The Gaza Massacre began less than two months after Israel broke a four-month ceasefire between it and Hamas. While Americans and the rest of the world were anointing so-called “change” to lead the world, Israel Defence Forces (I.D.F.) raided Gaza in the middle of the night, killing six Hamas  forces.

H.R. 867, a resolution “calling on the president and the secretary of state to oppose unequivocally any endorsement or further consideration of the ‘Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict’”,  passed with 344 ‘yeas’ and 22 voting ‘present’.

Of the war criminal coddlers voting ‘yea’ were 179 Democrats and 130 Republicans. Of the so-called ‘liberals’ in the Congressional Progressive Caucus voting ‘yea’ included: Barney Frank (D-MA), Robert Wexler (D-FL), Alan Grayson (D-FL), Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Henry Waxman (D-CA), Charlie Rangel (D-NY), Bobby Rush (D-IL), Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Jose Serrano (D-NY), Alcee Hastings (D-FL), Corrine Brown (D-FL), Phil Hare (D-IL), Danny Davis (D-IL).

(Notice the three common states shared by all but Mr. Frank. Can you say ‘in the pocket of the Israel Lobby’? Or ‘K Street whore’ for Mr. Grayson?)

Of the 36 ‘nays’ was Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), who dissented: “Almost as serious as committing war crimes is covering up war crimes, pretending that war crimes were never committed and did not exist.

“Because behind every such deception is the nullification of humanity, the destruction of human dignity, the annihilation of the human spirit, the triumph of Orwellian thinking, the eternal prison of the dark heart of the totalitarian.” (2:22):

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), the House Majority Leader, called the GoldStone Report  “unfair, unbalanced and inaccurate” in support of the resolution co-sponsored by Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA) and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (D-FL) the two senior members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Associated Press reports.

“AIPAC, in concert with every mainstream pro-Israel organization in the United States, supports this important resolution,” said Josh Block, a spokesman for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Glenn Kessler reported at The Washington Post last week.

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), who headed the opposition to the resolution, said it should’ve been opposed because “it suppresses inquiry” which he says is a “hallmark of democratic societies”. This is true as a truly democratic society is one where individuals have a role in the decision-making processes in process to the degree to which the decision affects them. For such processes to exist, people must have the freedom to effectively scrutinize—through “inquiry”—all individuals and bodies of authority which assert power and use force. Democracy does not exist in U.S. politics. Nor does it exist in Israel’s.

Mr. Ellison called on his colleagues to read the Report—D.C.-talk for ‘you’re voting based on lobbyists, not facts’. The Israel Lobby is among the strongest in Washington, D.C.

He stated the resolution “goes against President Obama’s foreign policy direction”, but facts prove the contrary. On top of an overt willingness to enable Israel’s war crimes, Mr. Obama has actively covered-up violations of international law by the Bush Administration to not hinder his own.

Covering up U.S.-Israel war crimes

While taking a stand on future uses of torture by the U.S., Mr. Obama refuses to invalidate the “torture memos” used by the Bush Administration to justify its violations of the Convention Against Torture and the Geneva Conventions. An inspector general’s report recently found the Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.) covered up murder, performed mock executions on detainees, and threatened to rape and kill their wives and children on top of using the “Enhanced Interrogation Techniques”—called “torture” and “illegal” any place away from the memos of the White House Office of Legal Counsel.

Today, the Obama Administration was “disappointed” with an Italian court convicting 23 Americans—including 22 C.I.A. agents—tried in absentia for the 2003 illegal kidnapping of Osama Mustafa Hassan, a Muslim cleric, in Milan. The agents shipped the imam off to be tortured repeatedly until 2007 in Egypt—a loyal client-state of the U.S., whose 28-year dictator Mr. Obama  recently called a “force for stability and good“.

The day after banning torture, Mr. Obama ordered airstrikes in Pakistan using unmanned drones without a declaration of war from Congress—airstrikes with U.N. human rights investigators say “may violate international law”. Citing Jane Mayer at The New Yorker on October 19, Kelley B. Vlahos wrote that the Obama Administration has taken the Bush Administration’s Predator drone program and “jacked it up with steroids” as “the number of Obama-authorized strikes in Pakistan equals the sum launched by the Bush Administration—in the last three years of his tenure”.

Over the last three years, only 14 of the nearly 700 killed by U.S. drones have been militants. For every terrorist killed, nearly 49 civilians are murdered. Knowing this, “only six of the forty-one C.I.A. drone strikes conducted by the Obama Administration in Pakistan have targeted al-Qa’ida”. Ms. Mayer reported.  Targeting non-combatants is exactly what international humanitarian law focuses on condemning.

In the two wars Mr. Obama has been leading in 2009, 886 civilians were killed in Afghanistan from February to July [.pdf] and 2,629 in Iraq from February to August, Brian Doherty posted at the Reason blog. (h/t: Angela Keaton)

Ha’aretz, a mainstream Israel daily publication, reported Mr. Obama “surprised” Israeli President Shimon Peres’ recent gala with a recorded message calling the U.S.-Israel relationship “a bond that is much more than a strategic alliance”—calling Israel an “extraordinary example how courage and perseverance help shape the future”.

Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the U.N., “promised that the United States will continue to stand by Israel as a loyal friend in the fight against the Goldstone Report”, Johnathan Lis reported at Ha’aretz.

The watered-down 575-page report found Israel “terrorized” Palestinians during the Gaza Massacre earlier this year. Israel “used disproportionate force, deliberately targeted civilians and used Palestinian civilians as human shields”, the fact-finding mission concluded.

The Report is the result of a fact-finding mission sponsored by the U.N. Human Rights Council that was headed by self-proclaimed Zionist Judge Richard Goldstone of South Africa. The Report that if the government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority don’t conduct independent investigations into war crimes committed by the (I.D.F.) and Hamas during Israel 22-day massacre of Gazans, facts found should move to international bodies—the U.N. Security Council, the International Criminal Court at The Hague.

Enabling new unlawful threats of force

Gabi Ashkenazi, chief of staff of the Israeli Army “threatened a new offensive against the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, suggesting attacks on civilian targets”, Press TV reports, adding: “He said the Israeli army could be fighting in cities, mosques, hospitals, schools and even kindergartens, blaming the indiscriminate warfare and a likely targeting of civilians on Palestinian resistance fighters.” The manufactured cause pushed is that Hamas is “hiding weaponry in public buildings and residential areas”.

The U.S.-Israel-Egypt blockade on Gaza has transformed it in a de facto concentration camp. “Most food products and other goods, including construction material desperately needed to rebuild Gaza’s infrastructure devastated by Israeli bombing during the war in January, are forbidden,” as Mel Frykberg regularly reports at Inter Press Service.

Barely able to access food, water, goods to make a living that is most regularly of what’s smuggled through tunnels, Israel acts as if Gazans are ignoring their hunger and poverty to build up a force to challenge Israel—with whom Mr. Obama, in continuity with decades-old U.S. rejectionist policy to supply and blindly throw full support behind the I.D.F., has “a bond that is much more than a strategic alliance”.

Ms. Rice is leading the push by the Obama Administration and Israel for the U.N. General Assembly to block a hearing on the Goldstone Report to reach the U.N. Security Council (UNSC), al Jazeera reports (2:32):

‘Neo-Con’ is a bipartisan word

The Report will most likely reach the UNSC and the U.S. knows this. The Administration is just displaying continuity reinforced by Congress in preparation for the inevitable veto of any resolution to condemn Israel’s war crimes—as the U.S. has done routinely for decades, being a permament member with such power on the UNSC.

Given Mr. Obama’s support for the Gaza Massacre, denouncement of the Goldstone Report and continued military welfare to Israel larger than that to any other nation-state in the world, it would be no surprise were the U.S. to support Israel once again “fighting in cities, mosques, hospitals, schools and even kindergartens” and using legal and illegal weaponery from the U.S. to do so.

Gideon Levy, Ha’aretz columnist, wrote an article last weekend titled, “America, Stop Sucking Up to Israel,” saying of Mr. Obama’s rhetoric—parallel to all prior U.S. presidents who never cut back on coddling or military welfare for Israel—that “a persuasive speech won’t persuade anyone to end the occupation” of Palestine, adding:

Before no other country on the planet does the United States kneel and plead like this. In other trouble spots, America takes a different tone. It bombs in Afghanistan, invades Iraq and threatens sanctions against Iran and North Korea. Did anyone in Washington consider begging Saddam Hussein to withdraw from occupied territory in Kuwait?

But Israel the occupier, the stubborn contrarian that continues to mock America and the world by building settlements and abusing the Palestinians, receives different treatment. Another massage to the national ego in one video, more embarrassing praise in another.

Now is the time to say to the United States: Enough flattery. If you don’t change the tone, nothing will change. As long as Israel feels the United States is in its pocket, and that America’s automatic veto will save it from condemnations and sanctions, that it will receive massive aid unconditionally, and that it can continue waging punitive, lethal campaigns without a word from Washington, killing, destroying and imprisoning without the world’s policeman making a sound, it will continue in its ways.

“It’s simply impossible to imagine that sort of harsh and blunt critique being voiced by any establishment political commentator or national politician in the U.S.,” Glenn Greenwald writes at Salon. “In fact, one finds the exact opposite trend of the one Levy advocates.”

“The U.S. is unwilling merely to demand from Israel a cessation of activity which is illegal in the eyes of the entire world and destructive to American interests,” he adds:

Any decent human being would react with horror and disgust at such a report [as the Goldstone Report] and demand a full investigation and accountability. But the members of Congress in both parties—predictably—are doing the opposite:  they’re condemning the report itself, demonizing those who prepared it, and demanding that investigations be suppressed.  As Levy says, why would Israel ever feel constrained to stop any of its behavior when it knows that the U.S. Government is unwilling and/or unable to do anything but subserviently cheer it on?…

As this highly revealing exchange between Hillary Clinton and Pakistani journalists over the meaning of “terrorism” reflects, nothing destroys our efforts to improve our image in the Muslim world as these blatant double standards do (blatant, that is, to virtually everyone outside of the U.S. and much of Western Europe).  Even Iran’s dissident leaders point to America’s double standards on Israel to justify their own government’s conduct.  It’s so obvious as to require no explanation that we cannot and will not be taken seriously in our campaigns against “terrorism” and “war crimes” when we are not only willing, but eager, to exempt ourselves and Israel from those sermons.  But after some initial, impressive steps from Obama, we are continuing to do that as much as ever, probably to Israel’s detriment and certainly to our own.

Alexander Cockburn, editor and publisher of Counterpunch, tells the story of then-U.S. President George W. Bush asking his father, Fmr. U.S. President George H.W. Bush, in August 2006,”Dad, what’s a ‘Neo-Con’?”

Asked whether or not he wanted “names or a description”, the sitting president asked for a description.

“I’ll give it to you in one word,” Mr. Bush, the father, replied to his son. “Israel.”

This week, we received a head-count of at least 344 Neo-Con’s in the U.S. House of Representatives to go along with the war criminal in the Oval Office.

RELATED:

• Chomsky’s Lectern: Palestine and the Region in the Obama Era—The Emerging Framework (Video)
• U.S. to ‘Continue Standing By Israel’ War Crimes ‘as Loyal Friend’
• Norman Finkelstein on the U.S.-Israel Relationship (Video)
• Norman Finkelstein on the U.N. Report Finding Israel ‘Terrorized’ Palestinians and Committed War Crimes in Gaza Massacre (Video)
• Nobel Committee: War is Peace
• Obama Agrees to Continue Covering Up Israel Nukes
• VIDEO: Citizens Arrest Attempt of Former Israeli PM Ehud Olmert in San Francisco
• Amnesty Int’l Report: U.S.-Israel Gaza Massacre — 22 Days of Death and Destruction
• Israel and the US (Video)

Historian and writer Tariq Ali and Professor Noam Chomsky speak in London 29 October 2009 on U.S. hypocrisy toward Iran,  U.S. occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, the Israeli occupation of Palestine, the U.S. role as Israel’s enabler and ‘mafia godfather’, Palestinian leadership’s ‘collaboration’ with the U.S. and Israel against a ’solution’, international law, the hopes for peace in the near future and the double game the Obama Administration plays with its rhetoric and contrary actions. Mr. Ali begins speaking around the 7:00 mark, Prof Chomsky around the 21:00 mark and a Q&A follows where he suggests a “no-state solution” as “the best solution for the whole world”. (1:57:40):

Noam Chomsky: No Change in U.S. ‘Mafia Principle’

by Mamoon Alabbasi

1 Nov 09 | Middle East Online

As civilised people across the world breathed a sigh of relief to see the back of former U.S. president George W. Bush, top American intellectual Noam Chomsky warned against assuming or expecting significant changes in the basis of Washington’s foreign policy under President Barack Obama.

During two lectures organised by the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, Chomsky cited numerous examples of the driving doctrines behind U.S. foreign policy since the end of World War II.

“As Obama came into office, Condoleezza Rice predicted that he would follow the policies of Bush’s second term, and that is pretty much what happened, apart from a different rhetorical style,” said

“But it is wise to attend to deeds, not rhetoric. Deeds commonly tell a different story,” he added.

“There is basically no significant change in the fundamental traditional conception that we if can control Middle East energy resources, then we can control the world,” explained Chomsky.

Chomsky said that a leading doctrine of U.S. foreign policy during the period of its global dominance is what he termed as “the Mafia principle.”

“The Godfather does not tolerate ’successful defiance’. It is too dangerous. It must therefore be stamped out so that others understand that disobedience is not an option,” said Chomsky.

Because the U.S. sees “successful defiance” of Washington as a “virus” that will “spread contagion,” he explained.

Iran

The U.S. had feared this “virus” of independent thought from Washington by Tehran and therefore acted to overthrow the Iranian parliamentary democracy in 1953.

“The goal in 1953 was to retain control of Iranian resources,” said Chomsky.

However, “in 1979 the [Iranian] virus emerged again. The U.S. at first sought to sponsor a military coup; when that failed, it turned to support Saddam Hussein’s merciless invasion [of Iran].”

“The torture of Iran continued without a break and still does, with sanctions and other means,” said Chomsky.

“The U.S. continued, without a break, its torture of Iranians,” he stressed.

Nuclear attack

Chomsky mocked the idea presented by mainstream media that a future-nuclear-armed Iran may attack already-nuclear-armed Israel.

“The chance of Iran launching a missile attack, nuclear or not, is about at the level of an asteroid hitting the earth—unless, of course, the ruling clerics have a fanatic death wish and want to see Iran instantly incinerated along with them,” said Chomsky, stressing that this is not the case.

Chomsky further explained that the presence of U.S. anti-missile weapons in Israel are really meant for preparing a possible attack on Iran, and not for self-defence, as it is often presented.

“The systems are advertised as defense against an Iranian attack. But …the purpose of the U.S. interception systems, if they ever work, is to prevent any retaliation to a U.S. or Israeli attack on Iran—that is, to eliminate any Iranian deterrent,” said Chomsky.

Iraq

Chomsky reminded the audience of America’s backing of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein during and even after Iraq’s war with Iran.

“The Reaganite love affair with Saddam did not end after the [Iran-Iraq] war. In 1989, Iraqi nuclear engineers were invited to the United States, then under Gorge Bush I, to receive advanced weapons’ training,” said Chomsky.

This support continued while Saddam was committing atrocities against his own people, until he fell out of U.S. favour when in 1990 he invaded Kuwait, an even closer alley of Washington.

“In 1990, Saddam defied, or more likely misunderstood orders, and he quickly shifted from favourite friend to the reincarnation of Hitler,” Chomsky added.

Then the people of Iraq were subjected to “genocidal” U.S.-backed sanctions.

Chomsky explained that although the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, which was launched under many false pretexts and lies, was a ” major crime”, many critics of the invasion—including Obama—viewed it as merely as “a mistake” or a “strategic blunder”.

“It’s probably what the German general staff was telling Hitler after Stalingrad,” he said

“There’s nothing principled about it. It wasn’t a strategic blunder: it was a major crime,” he added.

Chomsky credited the holding of elections in Iraq in 2005 to popular Iraqi demand, despite initial U.S. objection.

The US military, he argued, could kill as many Iraqi insurgents as it wished, but it was more difficult to shoot at non-violent protesters in the streets out on the open, which meant Washington at times had to give in to public Iraqi pressure.

But despite being pressured to announce a withdrawal from Iraq, the U.S. continues to seek a long term presence in the country.

The U.S. mega-embassy in Baghdad is to be expanded under Obama, noted Chomsky.

Optimism

Chomsky stressed that public pressure in the ‘West’ can make a positive difference for people suffering from the aggression of ‘Western’ governments.

“There is a lot of comparison between opposition to the Iraq war with opposition to the Vietnam war, but people tend to forget that at first there was almost no opposition to the Vietnam war,” said Chomsky.

“In the Iraq war, there were massive international protests before it officially stated… and it had an effect. The United Sates could not use the tactics used in Vietnam: there was no saturation bombing by B-52s, so there was no chemical warfare—[the Iraq war was] horrible enough, but it could have been a lot worse,” he said.

“And furthermore, the Bush administration had to back down on its war aims, step by step,” he added.

“It had to allow elections, which it did not want to do: mainly a victory for non-Iraqi protests. They could kill insurgents; they couldn’t deal hundreds of thousands of people in the streets. Their hands were tied by the domestic constraints. They finally had to abandon—officially at least—virtually all the war aims,” said Chomsky.

“As late as November 2007, the U.S. was still insisting that the ‘Status of Forces Agreement’ allow for an indefinite U.S. military presence and privileged access to Iraq’s resources by U.S. investors—well they didn’t get that on paper at least. They had to back down. OK, Iraq is a horror story but it could have been a lot worse,” he said

“So yes, protests can do something. When there is no protest and no attention, a power just goes wild, just like in Cambodia and northern Louse,” he added.

Turkey

Chomsky said that Turkey could become a “significant independent actor” in the region, if it chooses to.

“Turkey has to make some internal decisions: is it going to face west and try to get accepted by the European Union or is it going to face reality and recognise that Europeans are so racist that they are never going to allow it in?,” said Chomsky.

The Europeans “keep raising the barrier on Turkish entry to the E.U.,” he explained.

But Chomsky said Turkey did become an independent actor in March 2003 when it followed its public opinion and did not take part in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

Turkey took notice of the wishes of the overwhelming majority of its population, which opposed the invasion.

But ‘New Europe’ was led by Berlusconi of Italy and Aznar of Spain, who rejected the views of their populations—which strongly objected to the Iraq war—and preferred to follow Bush, noted Chomsky.

So, in that sense Turkey was more democratic than states that took part in the war, which in turn infuriated the U.S..

Today, Chomsky added, Turkey is also acting independently by refusing to take part in the U.S.-Israeli military exercises.

Fear factor

Chomsky explained that although ‘Western’ government use “the maxim of Thucydides” (‘the strong do as they wish, and the weak suffer as they must’), their peoples are hurled via the “fear factor”.

Via cooperate media and complicit intellectuals, the public is led to believe that all the crimes and atrocities committed by their governments is either “self defence” or “humanitarian intervention”.

NATO

Chomsky noted that Obama has escalated Bush’s war in Afghanistan, using NATO.

NATO is also seen as reinforcing U.S. control over energy supplies.

But the U.S. also used NATO to keep Europe under control.

“From the earliest post-World War days, it was understood that Western Europe might choose to follow an independent course,” said Chomsky.”NATO was partially intended to counter this serious threat,” he added.

Middle East oil

Chomsky explained that Middle East oil reserves were understood to be “a stupendous source of strategic power” and “one of the greatest material prizes in world history,” the most “strategically important area in the world,” in Eisenhower’s words.

Control of Middle East oil would provide the United States with “substantial control of the world.”

This meant that the U.S. “must support harsh and brutal regimes and block democracy and development” in the Middle East.

Somalia

Chomsky tackled the origins of the Somali piracy issue.

“Piracy is not nice, but where did it come from?”

Chomsky explained that one of the immediate reasons for piracy is European counties and others are simply “destroying Somalia’s territorial waters by dumping toxic waste—probably nuclear waste—and also by overfishing.”

“What happens to the fishermen in Somalia? They become pirates. And then we’re all upset about the piracy, not about having created the situation,” said Chomsky.

Chomsky went on to cite another example of harming Somalia.

“One of the great achievements of the war on terror, which was greatly hailed in the press when it was announced, was closing down an Islamic charity—Barakat—which was identified as supporting terrorists.

“A couple of months later… the [U.S.] government quietly recognised that they were wrong, and the press may have had a couple of lines about it—but meanwhile, it was a major blow against Somalia. Somalia doesn’t have much of an economy but a lot of it was supported by this charity: not just giving money but running banks and businesses, and so on.

“It was a significant part of the economy of Somalia…closing it down… was another contributing factor to the breaking down of a very weak society…and there are other examples.”

Darfur

Chomsky also touched on Sudan’s Darfur region.

“There are terrible things going on in Darfur, but in comparison with the region they don’t amount to a lot unfortunately—like what’s going on in eastern Congo is incomparably worse than in Darfur.

“But Darfur is a very popular topic for Western humanists because you can blame it on an enemy – you have to distort a lot but you can blame it on ‘Arabs’, ‘bad guys’,” he explained.

“What about saving eastern Cong where maybe 20 times as many people have been killed? Well, that gets kind of tricky… for people who… are using minerals from eastern Congo that obtained by multinationals sponsoring militias which slaughter and kill and get the minerals,” he said.

Or the fact that Rwanda is simply the worst of the many agents and it is a U.S. alley, he added.

Goldstone’s Gaza report

Chomsky appeared to have agreed with Israel that the Goldstone report on the Gaza war was bias, only he saw it as biased in favour of Israel.

The Goldstone report had acknowledged Israel’s right to self-defence, although it denounced the method this was conducted.

Chomsky stressed that the right to self-defence does not mean resorting to military force before “exhausting peaceful means”, something Israel did not even contemplate doing.

In fact, Chomsky points out, it was Israel who broke the ceasefire with Hamas and refused to extend it, as continuing the siege of Gaza itself is an act of war.

As for the current stalled Mideast peace process, Chomsky said that despite adopting a tougher tone towards Israel than that of Bush, Obama made no real effort to pressure Israel to live up to its obligations.

In the absence of the threat of cutting U.S. aid for Israel, there is no compelling reason why Tel Aviv should listen to Washington.

What can be done?

Chomsky stressed that despite all the obstacles, public pressure can and does make a difference for the better, urging people to continue activism and spreading knowledge.

“There is no reason to be pessimistic, just realistic.”

Chomsky noted that public opinion in the U.S. and Britain is increasingly becoming more aware of the crimes committed by Israel.

“Public opinion is shifting substantially.”

And this is where a difference can be made, because Israel will not change its policies without pressure from the ‘West’.

“There is a lot to do in Western countries… primarily in the U.S.”

Chomsky also stressed the importance of taking legal action in ‘Western’ countries against companies breaking international law via illegitimate dealings with Israel, citing the possible involvement of British Gas in Israeli theft of natural gas off the coast of Gaza, as one example that should be investigated.

In conclusion of one of the lectures, Chomsky quoted Antonio Gramsci who famously called for “pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.”

October has been a busy month at the Council. We’ve had programs about issues ranging from the resource curse of oil to the ways game theory can be applied to national security challenges. There was one region, the Middle East, which was given particular attention as we strove to provide the community with multiple perspectives of the region, its people, and the challenges they face.

On October 15, we welcomed Ambassador Hossam Zaki, Senior Political Advisor to Egypt’s Foreign Minister. He spoke about the Arab-Israeli conflict as well as Egypt’s work to aid peace and stability in the Palestinian territories. Dalia Mogahed, Senior Analyst and Executive Director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, joined us on October 21 to discuss the results and findings of Gallup’s recent survey of 50,000 Muslims from more than 35 countries.

Then, on October 22, we hosted a conversation between the former Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Olmert and Council CEO Jane Wales. Olmert responded to questions about Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the economic situation in the West Bank and Gaza, but particularly focused on the peace proposal he made to the Palestinians in September 2008. We concluded our Middle East perspectives series on October 27 with a program featuring Ambassador Maen Areikat, PLO Representative to the United States. Areikat discussed the ongoing hardships that Palestinians endure under occupation as well as how the Palestinians must heal internal divisions between Hamas and Fatah in order to secure a Palestinian state.

If you missed a program, check our online archive. To learn more about Gallup’s survey of Muslims, go to MuslimWestFacts.com. You can also read an editorial by Maen Areikat from the SF Chronicle here.

Barak likes to host luxury parties.

It was not surprised if Israeli former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert involved in corruption. Apparently, glamour life has spread among Israeli politicians.

Olmert have been well known as he likes going abroad. When he was minister of industry, trade, and labour, in June 2005 he trip to New York, United States, for three days. He stayed at a superb luxury room with tariff US$ 1,400 a night at St. Regis Hotel

Two months before, he attended dinner invitation with his wife in New York. The spouse stayed in a luxury suite at a cost US$ 2,600 per night at the Peninsula Hotel.

Israeli public is currently focusing on Israeli Defense Minister and chairman of Labour Party Ehud Barak. As reported by Israeli news paper Yisrael Hayom last Sunday, he often holds wealthy parties in his premium apartment in north Tel Aviv. The participants started from well influenced publishers, businessmen, foreign diplomats, until politicians he attends to lobby.

There are luxury things in his 350-square meters apartment, including an automatic light and sound system, electronic shutters, and a dining table that can sit upward of 40 people. The price of his apartment in 31st floor is US$ 10 million or almost 400 times of Israeli per capita income.

His most prized possession is an easel which holds a large photo album containing meter by meter pictures. The album features a number of interesting figures, including a photograph of a young Carla Bruni, a super model who currently the first lady of France. She is seen in the photograph naked while sitting on her father’s lap.

Because of his quietly prestigious apartment, an anonymous businessman has acknowledged that he was shocked. When he attended Barak’s 65th birthday party, in February two years ago, he felt like a visitor in Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu’s mansion. “It is as if he has gone insane. He lives in another universe, disconnected from the people, enchanted by money, by power.”

Also, Barak likes to waste the state’s money when he was going abroad, such as he attended Paris Air Show last June. The exhibition which held every two years is mandatory agenda for Israel Defense Department to show their competitive weapons.

At that time, Barak took 40 people, including his wife Nili Priel. Just for two nights in Paris, they spent 939,000 euros. They stayed in a suite which has cost 2,500 euros per night.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also the same behavior. In his first period of power, during 1996-1999 more than once he stayed at premium hotels, the Park Lane and the Stanhope in New York, United States. When he attended United Nations General Assembly meeting last month, his delegation spent about US$ 1.3 million.

In the middle of Libanon War 2006, Netanyahu and his spouse Sara visited London for pro-Israel campaign. They spent 131,000 shekels or more than US$ 36,000 for a week trip. These expenses included melas, entertainment, laundry, and Sara hair stylish.

Haaretz/Faisal Assegaf

Barak doyan menggelar pesta mewah.

Pantas saja mantan Perdana Menteri Israel Ehud Olmert dituding terlibat korupsi. Rupanya  kehidupan mewah yang serba hedon sudah menjalar di kalangan politisi negara Yahudi itu.

Olmert dikenal paling suka pelesir ke luar negeri. Ketika menjabat menteri industri, perdagangan, dan tenaga kerja, Juni 2005 ia melawat tiga hari ke New York, Amerika Serikat. Di sana ia menginap di sebuah kamar super mewah di Hotel St. Regis yang harganya US$ 1.400 semalam.

Dua bulan sebelumnya, bersama istrinya ia menghadiri undangan makan malam di New York. Di sana keduanya menginap disebuah kamar luks seharga US$ 2.600 per malam di Hotel Peninsula.

Sekarang yang sedang dalam sorotan adalah Menteri Pertahanan sekaligus pemimpin Partai Buruh Ehud Barak. Seperti dilaporkan surat kabar Yisrael Hayom Ahad lalu, ia sering menggelar pesta gila-gilaan di apartemen super mewahnya di utara Ibu Kota Tel Aviv. Tamunya mulai dari wartawan berpengaruh, konglomerat, diplomat asing, hingga politisi yang tengah ia dekati.

Semua perlengkapan serba luks dalam apartemen seluas 350 meter persegi milik Barak itu. Bayangkan saja, harga apartemen yang terletak di lantai 31 ini US$ 10 juta atau hampir 400 kali pendapatan per kapita warga negaranya. Barang mahal yang ia miliki, antara lain sistem pencahayaan dan suara otomatis, sistem pengatur alat-alat elektronik, meja makan yang dapat menampung 40 orang.

Barang berharga paling baru di kediaman Barak adalah sebuah bingkai album foto ukuran satu meter persegi. Isinya tokoh-tokoh menarik, termasuk foto mantan super model Carla Burni yang kini istri Presiden Prancis Nicolas Sarkozy. Di bingkai itu, Bruni duduk telanjang di pangkuan ayahnya.

Mewahnya apartemen Barak membuat seorang pengusaha yang tidak mau disebutkan namanya geleng-geleng kepala. Saat menghadiri pesta ulang tahun Barak ke-65, Februari dua tahun lalu, ia merasa seperti berada di istana mantan diktator Rumania yang dihukum gantung, Nicolae Ceausescu. “Sepertinya ia (Barak) sudah gila. Ia hidup di dunia lain, terpisah dari orang-orang, dimabuk oleh uang, oleh kekuasaan,” katanya.

Ia juga doyan menghamburkan uang negara saat bepergian dinas ke luar negeri. Ketika menghadiri Paris Air Show, Juni lalu, Pameran saban dua tahun ini merupakan agenda wajib bagi Departemen Pertahanan Israel untuk memamerkan senjata-senjata unggulan mereka.

Ketika itu, Barak mengajak 40 orang, termasuk istrinya Nili Priel. Hanya empat malam di ibu kota Prancis itu, mereka menghabiskan uang negara 939.000 euro atau sekitar Rp 13,11 miliar. Mereka menginap di kamar hotel bertarif 2.500 euro semalam.

Perdana Menteri Benjamin Netanyahu juga tak kalah pamer. Pada masa jabatan pertamanya, 1996-1999, lebih dari sekali ia menginap di hotel kelas premium, Park Lane dan Stanhope, di New York, Amerika Serikat. Ketika menghadiri Sidang Majelis Umum Perserikatan Bangsa-Bangsa bulan lalu, rombongannya menghabiskan US$ 1,3 juta.

Di tengah Perang Libanon 2006, Netanyahu bersama istrinya Sara berkampanye pro-Israel di Ibu Kota London. Selama sepekan keduanya menghamburkan 131.000 shekel atau lebih dari US$ 36.000. Belanja ini termasuk makan, hiburan, cuci pakaian, dan penataan rambut Sara.

Haaretz/Faisal Assegaf

Lors du passage controversé de l’ex-premier-ministre israélien Ehud Olmert aux Etats-Unis, à Chicago d’abord, l’homme qui croyait être accueilli en messie, s’est vite rendu compte qu’il n’était plus le bienvenu sur le territoire américain. Les choses semblent visiblement avoir changé depuis l’avènement de Barack Obama et de…..Rahm Emanuel, sioniste assumé et ayant compris que les dirigeants israéliens veulent plutôt détruire Israël. Après Chicago, Olmert a probablement passé, après son procès pour corruption avérée, le plus mauvais quart d’heure de sa vie. Tout y était, des sourires de circonstances,  le visage déconfis, la mine patibulaire. Ambiance.

Le document (vidéo) en dessous est simplement exceptionnel. Unique en son genre. Sa chorégraphie est une réalisation de haute voltige. Réalisée de manière simultanée, la danse macabre à laquelle les rôles sont inversés puisque c’est le leader israélien qui porte le tutu, les acteurs sont magistraux. Images subliminales. Réglés comme du papier à musique, les manifestants se relient avec une cadence à faire frémir le plus habile des policiers. De quoi rendre fou des vigiles qui, lorsqu’ils évacuent une personne, voient une autre se mettre à manifester à sa manière.

Cette idée originale risque de faire tâche d’huile. Faut-il s’en inspirer finalement pour empêcher ceux qui ne respectent pas les droits de l’Homme et qu’on ose parfois inviter ? Probablement. Si désormais, à chaque fois que ces gens-là se présentent quelque part, ils sont accueillis ainsi à « bras ouvert », ce serait l’idéal pour certains bouchers. Agir ainsi partout où ces criminels, et leurs associés vont, pourra être le must, le nec plus ultra, la manière la plus appropriée pour dire non à l’injustice, sans violence. Ils feront désormais des cauchemars, ceux qui, comme Olmert, sont accusés de crimes de guerre et contre l’humanité, notamment à Gaza.

Faudrait même que, leurs affidés et autres défenseurs qui se pavanent sur les plateaux de télévisions françaises subissent le même sort. Entre le brouhaha, les cris et des slogans hostiles tels “Criminel de guerre”, “tueur d’enfants”, “assassin”, “criminel”, “tueur de civils”, “free Palestine”, “vous n’êtes pas le bienvenu ici”, “le rapport Goldstone vous accuse”, “plus de 7000 Palestiniens ont été tués en moins d’un an”, sifflets etc, tant bien que mal, l’ex premier-ministre a tenté de parler en faisant semblant d’ignorer tous ces gens qui l’ont véritablement humilié.

Les militants de la paix qui se sont investis dans des actions pour fustiger les exactions des autorités israéliennes n’avaient, auparavant, jamais montré autant d’efficacité. Ce n’est qu’en Angleterre où les pro-Palestiniens se rendent plutôt devant la justice, et font renoncer certaines visites. C’est ainsi que des hauts dignitaires israéliens annulent leurs séjours anglais. En France, il n’est pas de bon ton, aujourd’hui, d’organiser une manifestation pro-palestinienne, c’est à dire pour la justice, de peur d’être affublé par certains penseurs de pacotille et les médias, de tous les noms d’oiseaux.

L’action de San-Francisco, bien étudiée, efficace, a pris de vitesse les autorités américaines qui croyaient que les manifestants anti-guerre allaient juste manifester à l’extérieur. Peine perdue. Finalement, cette vidéo d’une efficacité diabolique a vu des militants adroits comme des singes se relayer avec force et l’impact qu’a eu cette action a été plus porteur que tous les discours et autres écrits auprès des gens difficile à convaincre ?

22 personnes ont été arrêtées alors que Ehud Olmert, lui, est retourné libre, mais la queue entre les jambes, en Israël. Mais, qu’y a-t-il d’illégal à ce genre de contestation, d’expression non violente ? Quand la démocratie, l’ONU, les partis politiques dominants, montrent qu’ils ne sont plus garants de justice pour les peuples, les citoyens du monde ne doivent-ils pas prendre les choses en main ?

Bahía de los Residentes de la zona Intentaron Detener La Entrevista al Ex Primer Ministro israelí, Ehud Olmert, Mientras Daba un Discurso en el World Affairs Council de San Francisco el 22 de octubre de 2009.

Veintidós Personas Fueron Detenidas por Desafiar Directamente A Este Asesino Ex Ministro Olmert y Exigiendo que Sea juzgado por Crímenes de Guerra y Crímenes contra la Humanidad en la Franja de Gaza y el Líbano.  Olmert se ha enfrentado a protestas en la Universidad de Tulane, Universidad de Kentucky y de la Universidad de Chicago.La Reciente Internacional Independiente de Investigación de la Misión,Encabezada por el juez Richard Goldstone,Encontró Pruebas de que Israel ha Cometido Crímenes de Guerra y Crímenes contra la Humanidad Durante un Período de tres Semanas de Ataque en la Franja de Gaza el pasado invierno, matando a más de 1.400 palestinos, la mayoría civiles, y la destrucción de gran parte de la infraestructura de la zona. In 2006, En 2006, similar ataques israelíes sobre el Líbano mató a 1.200 Personas.Olmert se ha negado a Rendir Cuentas.

Texto de la orden de detención: http://codepink4peace.org/blog/2009/1 …

By: Ali Abunimah

Protesters demonstrated in the rain outside of the University of Chicago lecture hall where activists inside disrupted Olmert's speech, 15 October 2009. (Maureen Clare Murphy)

If former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had merely been a diplomat or an academic offering a controversial viewpoint, then interrupting his 15 October speech at University of Chicago’s Mandel Hall would certainly have been an attempt to stifle debate (Noah Moskowitz, Meredyth Richards and Lee Solomon, “The importance of open dialogue,” Chicago Maroon, 19 October 2009). Indeed, I experienced exactly such attempts when my own appearance at Mandel Hall last January, with Professor John Mearsheimer and Norman Finkelstein, was constantly interrupted by hecklers.

But confronting a political leader suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity cannot be viewed the same way.

The report of the UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict last winter, headed by Judge Richard Goldstone, found that Israel engaged in willful, widespread and wanton destruction of civilian property and infrastructure, causing deliberate suffering to the civilian population. It found “that the incidents and patterns of events considered in the report are the result of deliberate planning and policy decisions” and that many may amount to “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity.” If that proves true, then the individual with primary responsibility is Ehud Olmert, who, as prime minister and the top civilian commander of Israel’s armed forces, was involved in virtually every aspect of planning and execution.

The killings of more than 3,000 Palestinians and Lebanese during Olmert’s three years in office are not mere differences of opinion to be challenged with a polite question written on a pre-screened note card. They are crimes for which Olmert is accountable before international law and public opinion.

Israel, unlike Hamas (also accused of war crimes by Goldstone), completely refused to cooperate with the Goldstone Mission. Instead of accountability, Olmert is, obscenely, traveling around the United States offering justifications for these appalling crimes, collecting large speaking fees, and being feted as a “courageous” statesman.

In their 20 October email to the University of Chicago community, President Robert Zimmer and Provost Thomas Rosenbaum condemned the “disruptions” during Olmert’s speech. “Any stifling of debate,” they wrote, “runs counter to the primary values of the University of Chicago and to our long-standing position as an exemplar of academic freedom.”

Was it in order to promote debate that the University insisted on pre-screening questions and imposed a recording ban for students and media? In the name of promoting debate, will the University now invite Hamas leader Khaled Meshal — perhaps by video link — to lecture on leadership to its students, and offer him a large honorarium? Can we soon expect Sudan’s President Omar Bashir to make an appearance at Mandel Hall?

When I and others verbally confronted Olmert, we stood for academic freedom, human rights, and justice, especially for hundreds of thousands of students deprived of those same rights by Olmert’s actions.

During Israel’s attack on Gaza last winter, schools and universities were among the primary targets. According to the Goldstone report, Israeli military attacks destroyed or damaged at least 280 schools and kindergartens. In total, 164 pupils and 12 teachers were killed, and 454 pupils and five teachers injured.

After the bombing, Olmert and Israel continued their attack on academic freedom, blocking educational supplies from reaching Gaza. Textbooks, notebooks, stationery and computers are among the forbidden items. In September, Chris Gunness, spokesman for UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestine refugees, publicly appealed to Israel to lift its ban on books and other supplies from reaching Gaza’s traumatized students.

Israel destroyed buildings at the Islamic University and other universities. According to the Goldstone report, these “were civilian, educational buildings and the Mission did not find any information about their use as a military facility or their contribution to a military effort that might have made them a legitimate target in the eyes of the Israeli armed forces.”

Gaza’s university students — 60 percent of them women — study all the things that students do at the University of Chicago. Their motivations, aspirations, and abilities are just as high, but their lives are suffocated by unimaginable violence, trauma, and Israel’s blockade, itself a war crime. Olmert is the person who ordered these acts and must be held accountable.

Crimes against humanity are defined as “crimes that shock the conscience.” When the institutions with the moral and legal responsibility to punish and prevent the crimes choose complicit silence — or, worse, harbor a suspected war criminal, already on trial for corruption in Israel, and present him to students as a paragon of “leadership” — then disobedience, if that is what it takes to break the silence, is an ethical duty. Instead of condemning them, the University should be proud that its students were among those who had the courage to stand up.

For the first time in recorded history, an Israeli prime minister was publicly confronted with the names of his victims. It was a symbolic crack in the wall of impunity and a foretaste of the public justice victims have a right to receive when Olmert is tried in a court of law.

Ali Abunimah

Co-founder of The Electronic Intifada, Ali Abunimah is author of One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse. This article was originally published in the University of Chicago’s Chicago Maroon newspaper and is republished with permission.
Source: Electronic Intifada
Related Links

• “Olmert visit sparks Palestine movement at US university,” Emily Ratner (20 October 2009)
• “EI exclusive video: Protesters shout down Ehud Olmert in Chicago,” Video by The Electronic Intifada and text by Maureen Clare Murphy (16 October 2009)

The Electronic Intifada (ei): “Bay Area residents attempted a citizen’s arrest of former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, while he gave a speech to the World Affairs Council in San Francisco on 22 October 2009. Twenty-two people were arrested for challenging Olmert directly and demanding he be tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.” (8:59):

Text of the arrest warrant here. From the press release supplied by Northern California Palestine justice groups (via ei):

Olmert ordered Israel’s brutal attacks on Gaza beginning in late December 2008, code-named Operation Cast Lead. Last week, the UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution endorsing the Goldstone report, an independent investigation into the Gaza operation, which found that Israel violated international law and possibly committed crimes against humanity.

“Israel is an apartheid state guilty of war crimes and its leaders should not be welcome in San Francisco,” said Lisa Nessan, a Jewish resident of Oakland, who has traveled several times to Israel and Palestine, most recently in May. “For the past 60 years, under leadership like Olmert’s, Israel has denied Palestinians their basic human rights, built settlements on their lands, and killed civilians—all to force them from their homeland.”

A lively protest also gathered across from the hotel in Union Square, where about 150 persons carried signs bearing the names and pictures of children killed during Operation Cast Lead. Olmert is making several appearances in the U.S. this month, and has been met with strong protests at locations including the University of Chicago and Tulane University in New Orleans. “We join with people around the world who believe that Israel and its leaders must be held accountable for their actions. Israel killed 1,400 people during its attacks on Gaza last winter alone, and many more have died or suffered from the effects of siege, occupation, and apartheid on their daily lives,” said Monadel Herzallah, a Palestinian activist who lives in Fairfield and whose 21-year-old cousin was killed in Gaza in January.

Organizers also expressed outrage that U.S. President Barack Obama has ignored the findings of the Goldstone report. The U.S. has pledged more than $3 billion each year in unrestricted aid to Israel. “Israel’s use of US aid and military equipment violates our own laws,” said Rae Abileah, an organizer with CODEPINK whose father is Israeli. “Why are we giving aid to a country that is destroying people’s homes and attacking civilians, while our own nation is struggling with unemployment and underfunded social services?”

Ali Abunimah, co-founder of ei, wrote at The Chicago Maroon—student newspaper at the University of Chicago—days after protesting the former prime minister’s speech at the university:

The killings of more than 3,000 Palestinians and Lebanese during Olmert’s three years in office are not mere differences of opinion to be challenged with a polite question written on a pre-screened note card. They are crimes for which Olmert is accountable before international law and public opinion….

When I and others verbally confronted Olmert, we stood for academic freedom, human rights, and justice, especially for hundreds of thousands of students deprived of those same rights by Olmert’s actions.

During Israel’s attack on Gaza last winter, schools and universities were among the primary targets. According to the Goldstone report, Israeli military attacks destroyed or damaged at least 280 schools and kindergartens. In total, 164 pupils and 12 teachers were killed, and 454 pupils and five teachers injured.

After the bombing, Olmert and Israel continued their attack on academic freedom, blocking educational supplies from reaching Gaza. Textbooks, notebooks, stationery, and computers are among the forbidden items. In September, Chris Gunness, spokesman for [U.N. Relief and Works Agency], the U.N. agency for Palestine refugees, publicly appealed to Israel to lift its ban on books and other supplies from reaching Gaza’s traumatized students.

Israel destroyed buildings at the Islamic University and other universities. According to the Goldstone report, these “were civilian, educational buildings and the Mission did not find any information about their use as a military facility or their contribution to a military effort that might have made them a legitimate target in the eyes of the Israeli armed forces.”…

Crimes against humanity are defined as “crimes that shock the conscience.” When the institutions with the moral and legal responsibility to punish and prevent the crimes choose complicit silence—-or, worse, harbor a suspected war criminal, already on trial for corruption in Israel, and present him to students as a paragon of “leadership”—then disobedience, if that is what it takes to break the silence, is an ethical duty. Instead of condemning them, the University should be proud that its students were among those who had the courage to stand up.

The editors of Little Alex in Wonderland, Alex and Sayyid, were in Hyde Park to protest at U. Chicago in solidarity against the Israel government’s crimes against humanity and its collaborators, the Obama Administration.

Recording and photography were banned at the prime minister’s request by U. Chicago. ei got footage anyway (7:32):

RELATED:

• Norman Finkelstein on the U.N. Report Finding Israel ‘Terrorized’ Palestinians and Committed War Crimes in Gaza Massacre (Video)
• U.S. to ‘Continue Standing By Israel’ War Crimes ‘as Loyal Friend’
• Gaza: A Prison by the Sea (Video)
• Amnesty Int’l Report: U.S.-Israel Gaza Massacre—22 Days of Death and Destruction
• Israel’s Credibility in Rejecting War Crimes Allegations Following Gaza Massacre (VIDEO)

Logan called me today and told me that the former Prime Minister of Israel was coming to U of A to speak.  I asked her if she knew which one because there are several that I would like to punch in the face.

Ehud Olmert  is one of them.  Olmert is Israel’s most recent retired Prime Minister and was the Prime Minister while I was there last summer.  Olmert is another in the long list of Israeli Prime Ministers to do minimal things to appear as if he is looking for peace with Palestine.  He then pretended to want peace with Arab countries. 

When push came to shove though, he just carried out more crimes against humanity. 

Then, under fears of attacks from militant groups, he killed hundreds of innocent people in Gaza, reducing it to a bigger pile of rubble.  He did this multiple times. 

He is supposed to talk about relations between Palestine and Israel.  I don’t know if I am going to go to the lecture.  If I don’t go see him here, I am sure he will be hailed as a hero by the ASI before too long so I can see him in Searcy.

So I really can’t bring myself to discuss yesterday’s hellacious Jets loss to the awful Buffalo Bills; I fear if I write too much about it I may start retching into the garbage can at my feet, and quite frankly I don’t need that clean-up job.

My beloved Gang Green were so inept, so pathetic, and so just … awful that for a minute I thought the ghost of Rich Kotite had emerged onto the sidelines of Giants Stadium.

Three quick thoughts before I move on and try to purge those four hours I spent watching this fraud of a team go from 3-0 to 3-3:

1. Someone tell me exactly why the Jets have a backup quarterback if the coach doesn’t put him in after the starter, Mark Sanchez, throws FIVE interceptions??? Just wondering what it would take for Kellen Clemens to have seen the field.

Decapitation?

2. If Kris Jenkins is out for the season, that’s a huge, huge blow to the defense. They might not make the playoffs without him, that’s how huge.

3. At the end of OT, I was honestly hoping the Bills kicker, Rian Lindell, made the field goal. Because the Jets deserved to lose that game, absolutely and without question. What a disgraceful performance. It was one of those losses that happen once or twice a year with this team, that makes me mutter, “What the hell am I doing rooting for this team, and why can’t I quit them?” (Actually, it’s usually my father who says that. But I agree).

**Some other quick-hit NFL thoughts from a really good day of games:

–  Um, yeah, I guess the Saints are pretty good. Hanging 48 points on a really good Giants team? Amazing performance.

– To paraphrase the great Warner Wolf from the New York CBS TV newscasts, if you had the Titans getting 58 points from the New England Patriots, you lost! Hard to believe one NFL team could be 59 points better than another.

– Always, always, always love the first game of the NFL season played in the snow. That was beautiful, seeing the Pats and Titans slide all over the field. Actually, snow in New England always makes me think of this bizarre moment in NFL history.

– The Eagles should send Ryan Howard and the Phillies a gift basket today. Because if not for the Phils’ 11-0 NLCS win Sunday night, Philly would be aflame with how pathetic it was that the Eagles lost to the Raiders. For a few minutes in that game, JaMarcus Russell actually looked like a legit, backup NFL quarterback.

– Finally, hell of a win for the Vikings over the Ravens. So far, me and a lot of others have been wrong about the Favre signing, he’s been terrific (the preceding was written while biting my lip remembering how awful he was for the Jets at the end of last season).

**What, the balloon boy thing was a hoax? His parents made up the whole thing just to get some publicity and get their own reality show? No way. Next thing you’re going to tell me is that Republicans love poor people, Jews will dominate the NBA one day again, and there are people out there who really, truly can’t believe it’s not butter.

*** OK, this is one of those stories that sounds completely made up but actually happened. Sunday at a New York Knicks-Maccabi Tel Aviv exhibition basketball game at Madison Square Garden, the Tel Aviv coach was ejected and then refused to leave the bench. So after 10 minutes of arguing, a rabbi comes over from his seat in the stands and, with ex-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert looking on, the rabbi tries to convince the coach to leave.

Seriously. Check out the bizarre details here.

Last week I heard about the protest of former Israeli PM Ehud Olmert at the University of Chicago.

The first thing I thought was, why didn’t I get an invitation to go? I’ve got to get on more local mailing lists.

But more seriously, I have got to get on learning more about the leaders in this region and the bloody conflicts all leaders, on both sides, have their fingerprints on. I remember seeing the news reports on it. Some 15 Israelis died, and some 1400 Palestinians died. Not a two sided war, I would say. But that is besides the point.

I know I do not like Netanyahu. He is divisive and peace has a better chance in hell than under him. But I do not know much about Olmert, Livni, or the Israeli martyr for peace, Rabin. Before I leave, I’m thinking I’ll pick up one of the latest books by Jimmy Carter, but would definitely like book/article recommendations from the community. Of course, books about the struggling Palestinian leadership would be greatly appreciated as well.

But back to the protest that inspired this post. In this video, Olmert fails again to justify the unjustifiable – the 1400 dead in the Gaza war. Believe me, I’ve heard about the text messages and the leaflets dropped. NOT ENOUGH. This was one of the only wars in history that had no safe haven for civilians and children to go to. No place to flee the news portended by the gracious leaflets the IDF dropped.*

And so you’ll see that Olmert is repeatedly heckled by audience members. Normally, I am all for “let him speak!” But in this video, he repeats old platitudes about democratic governments working together, stopping terrorism, etc, etc. Who can sit there and swallow all that BULLSHIT?

He calls out “voices of blood, fundamentalism and terror…” [4:42] seemingly referring to voices like Ahmadinejad and the protesters, all together. That is a big part of what gets me angry about these “new anti Semitism” claims. We all know Ahmadinejad is horrible and ironically has Jewish blood in him, just like Hitler. [What that is all about may be put in the bank for future musings] But these protesters, and many others, are angry about REAL injustices done by Israel, in the name of its citizens and Jewish diaspora world wide.

It is just infinitely baffling to me. How can a democratic country say, “well Hamas killed X number of people…so we’re gonna kill people on their side of the yard!” The fact is that the leaders of Israel do not see the lives of Gazans having any value. Only that sad truth can explain why today, Gazans still live with unthinkable hardships every minute of their lives. No innocent civilians deserve that, especially in a proud “democratic” nation, so protesters at Olmert’s speech – thanks for standing up.

* Cited from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs http://www.webcitation.org/5dewG3QSd This fact is not disputed with Israel. Even Katrina victims had the stadium!