Since 1945, by deed and by example, the US has overthrown 50 governments, including democracies, crushed some 30 liberation movements and supported tyrannies from Egypt to Guatemala (see William Blum's histories). Bombing is apple pie. Having stacked his government with warmongers, Wall Street cronies and polluters from the Bush and Clinton eras, the 45th president is merely upholding tradition. The hearts and minds farce I witnessed in Vietnam is today repeated in villages in Afghanistan and, by proxy, Pakistan, which are Obama's wars.
Liberals say that the United States is once again a "nation of moral ideals", but behind the façade little has changed. With his government of warmongers, Wall Street cronies and polluters from the Bush and Clinton eras, Barack Obama is merely upholding the myths of a divine America.
Mourn On The 4th of July
By John PilgerSince 1945, by deed and by example, the US has overthrown 50 governments, including... more
Israeli Occupation Forces have kidnapped 21 Human Rights workers aboard the Free Gaza boat, Spirit of Humanity, including Nobel laureate Mairead Maguire & former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney.
ISRAEL ATTACKS JUSTICE BOAT; KIDNAPS HUMAN RIGHTS WORKERS; CONFISCATES MEDICINE, TOYS AND OLIVE TREES
“Israel’s deliberate and premeditated attack on our unarmed boat is a clear violation of international law and we demand our immediate and unconditional release.”Israeli Occupation Forces have kidnapped 21 Human Rights workers aboard the Free Gaza... more
A Palestinian boy plays with a toy at the Kalandia checkpoint between the West Bank city of Ramallah and Jerusalem on Thursday. Palestinians in the occupied territories are required to go through a web of checkpoints to travel around Israel.
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By Bob Bersson
I NEVER THOUGHT that I would say it. Israel’s occupation of the West Bank is apartheid and it’s apartheid in the full South African sense of the word. The way Israel administers the militarily surrounded Palestinian enclaves or cantons that it has created in the “Occupied Territories” is apartheid, no way around it.
Consider the term itself. Apartheid is rooted in the word, “apart.” Apartness enforced by the absolute power of one people over another. In the South Africa of old, apartheid was rooted in race. In Israel-Palestine, it is based on ethnicity as both peoples claim a Semitic heritage.
The reasons for apartheid in Dutch Afrikaaner South Africa and in the Jewish State of Israel might differ somewhat, but structurally the two systems are alike. In South Africa, a small white minority sequestered the large black majority in racially segregated enclaves or homelands or townships — they did allow them to commute to work in white areas with identity cards and via police checkpoints — while the Afrikaaners themselves had complete freedom of movement around the country. The police and army strictly enforced this legalized separation or ghettoization.
In the predominantly Arab Palestinian West Bank, the structural situation is much the same. Palestinian Arabs, whether Muslim or Christian, cannot live in the new Jewish towns on the West Bank and are kept apart, often by miles, from these settlements. Palestinians cannot move freely but are constantly forced each day to spend substantial amounts of time, sometimes hours, passing through police and military checkpoints. Freedom of movement is tightly controlled and major modern (that is, Israeli) roads are mostly off-limits to them. Just like the huge concrete-and-steel wall, the “separation barrier” to the east of Jerusalem that divides Jews from Arabs — a kind of Berlin Wall of the Middle East — the numerous Jewish settlements that ring Palestinian towns separate and divide the various Palestinian population centers — Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron, Bethlehem, Jenin — from each other. And with each new Israeli settlement or outpost comes a web of checkpoints and military-police stations that enforce total constraint on the inhabitants, the Arabs that is, not the Jews; exactly like in the old South Africa.
On an earA Palestinian boy plays with a toy at the Kalandia checkpoint between the West Bank... more
Meanwhile, let's remember what Mossadeq said 46 years ago: "No nation goes anywhere under the shadow of dictatorship."
Republicans are accusing President Obama of not talking tough enough to the Iranians. Perhaps they think we should start a third war.
People who know the history of U.S. interference in Iran understand that he must maintain as even a position as possible with that regime. I can easily understand why the Iranians see the British and U.S. hands in the present demonstrations.
In 1951 a CIA-fomented coup attempted to replace the duly elected premier of Iran, Mohammad Mossadeq, with the shah. After this failed, a second one succeeded. The reason for overthrowing Mossadeq was his attempt to get the British to give Iran a fair share of the oil revenue.
The shah reigned with U.S. support until 1979. During this time he was noted for his vicious secret police , the SAVAK, which tortured many opposition leaders. During his reign the British and U.S. were able to extract oil on very favorable terms.
After the 1979 coup, relations with Iran were not good. Israel was also on bad terms with Iran because it was seen to be a tool of the United States.
In 1988 our cruiser, Vincennes, shot down a jumbo Iranian airliner with all aboard killed. Our apology and compensation was not at the level that would be expected in such a case. Iran understandably was insulted by this.
George W. Bush labeled Iran part of the Axis of Evil. He also spent over $75 million on "Support of Democracy" in Iran. The Iranians clearly saw this as meddling in their internal affairs.
KENT WARNER
Center HarborMeanwhile, let's remember what Mossadeq said 46 years ago: "No nation goes anywhere... more
Displaced
Sri Lankan Civilians Denied Their Freedom
Throughout the gruesome finale of the civil war, the government of Sri Lanka claimed to be engaged in the largest hostage rescue mission ever, to release civilians in the Vanni who were being held against their will by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Yet the vast majority of these civilians are still not free. So what exactly has been happening?
Sri Lankan Tamil Detainees Give
Eye-Witness Accounts
By WSWS Correspondents
It is now more than one month since the Sri Lankan military detained the final batch of Tamil refugees fleeing the northern war zone on May 19. They joined more than a quarter of a million civilians already incarcerated in camps set up near Vavuniya and on the Jaffna Peninsula during the last phase of the war. About 160,000 people are interned in four units in the biggest camp, known as Manik Farm
The U.S. Federal Budget Pipeline:Displaced
Sri Lankan Civilians Denied Their Freedom
Throughout the... more
Jun 24, 2009 22:46
UN's Gaza war crimes probe to screen hearings live
The United Nations team which is investigating alleged war crimes committed during Operation Cast Lead, last January, announced on Wednesday that it would broadcast the hearings it plans to hold with Palestinian and Israeli victims live.
The team, led by veteran war crimes investigator Richard Goldstone, will hold the hearings in Gaza City on Sunday and Monday, UN officials said.
Spokeswoman Doune Porter said that the hearings would be broadcast and the media would be allowed to view them from a separate room.
She said Wednesday that the team also would hold hearings in Geneva on July 6-7 under the same conditions.Jun 24, 2009 22:46
UN's Gaza war crimes probe to screen hearings live
The... more
France: Launch of Broad Campaign against Agrexco « U.S. Campaign ...
By marcy/مارسي newman/نيومان
Millions of people demonstrated to denounce Israeli army war crimes. Richard Falk, UN observer for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories since 1967, claimed at the end of the war that the weapons used and the attacks against ...
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THE ANTI-HUMAN RIGHTS POLICY OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL CONDEMNED BY THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
In 2002, the European Parliament voted for the freezing of Europe’s Association Agreements with Israel, due to Israel’s failure to respect Human Rights, in Palestine but also in Israel with respect to Israeli
Arabs.
On 4 December 2008, underlining the persistence of the problem, most members of the European parliament voted against the “upgrade” of the Association Agreements with Israel.France: Launch of Broad Campaign against Agrexco « U.S. Campaign ...
By... more
With the lack of medical services in Gaza, critically ill patients must travel into Israel for treatment. Many are asked to collaborate with Israeli intelligence services before they receive aid. It has been alleged that if they refuse to become informers they are refused medical treatment. http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22821.htmGaza: No Right To Life
Must Watch 7 Minute Video Report
With the lack of... more
Tel Aviv has 936 lawsuits against them for Gaza assault
Israel was set to face an avalanche of war crimes lawsuits from Palestinian lawyers who accused Tel Aviv of dozens of crimes five months after its three week assault on the Gaza Strip, the German daily Der Spiegel reported Saturday.
A group of Palestinian lawyers filed 936 lawsuits against Israel's Defense Forces (IDF) and the cases will soon be heard in Spain's National Court under universal jurisdiction, Iyad al-Alami, head of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), said.
PCHR's attorneys are collecting evidence of human rights violations and war crimes committed against unarmed civilians.Israel set for blizzard of war crimes charges
Tel Aviv has 936 lawsuits against... more
Muslim rage is stoked because we station tens of thousands of American troops on Muslim soil, occupy two Muslim nations, make possible the illegal Israeli ...
Muslim rage is stoked because we station tens of thousands of American troops on Muslim soil, occupy two Muslim nations, make possible the illegal Israeli ...
Muslim rage is stoked because we station tens of thousands of American troops on Muslim soil, occupy two Muslim nations, make possible the illegal Israeli ...
Did they play Barack Obama’s speech to the Muslim world in the prison corridors of Abu Ghraib, Bagram air base, Guantanamo or the dozens of secret sites where we hold thousands of Muslims around the world? Did it echo off the walls of the crowded morgues filled with the mutilated bodies of the Muslim dead in Baghdad or Kabul? Was it broadcast from the tops of minarets in the villages and towns decimated by U.S. iron fragmentation bombs? Was it heard in the squalid refugee camps of Gaza, where 1.5 million Palestinians live in the world’s largest ghetto?Muslim rage is stoked because we station tens of thousands of American troops on... more
War exposes the lies we tell ourselves about ourselves. It rips open the hypocrisy of our religions and secular institutions. Those who return from war have learned something which is often incomprehensible to those who have stayed home. We are not a virtuous nation.War Is Sin
By Chris Hedges
War exposes the lies we tell ourselves about... more
yOU CAN ALL READ THIS BOOK ON HERE AND YOU CAN ALL USE IT TO DEBATE AGAINST THE ENORMOUS PROPAGANDA IN OUR MEDIA, AND ON CURRENT.COM
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THE ISRAEL LOBBY AND U.S. FOREIGN POLICY
John J. Mearsheimer
Department of Political Science
University of Chicago
Stephen M. Walt
John F. Kennedy School of Government
Harvard University
March 2006 RWP06‐011
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The two authors of this Working Paper are solely responsible for the views expressed in it. As academic institutions, Harvard University and the University of Chicago do not take positions on the scholarship of individual faculty, and this article should not be interpreted or portrayed as reflecting the official position of either institution.
An edited and reworked version of this paper was published in the
London Review of Books Vol. 28, No. 6 (March 23, 2006), and is available online at www.lrb.co.uk
THE ISRAEL LOBBY AND U.S. FOREIGN POLICY
U.S. foreign policy shapes events in every corner of the globe. Nowhere is this truer than in the Middle East, a region of recurring instability and enormous strategic importance. Most recently, the Bush Administration's attempt to transform the region into a community of democracies has helped produce a resilient insurgency in Iraq, a sharp rise in world oil prices, and terrorist bombings in Madrid, London, and Amman. With so much at stake for so many, all countries need to understand the forces that drive U.S. Middle East policy.
The U.S. national interest should be the primary object of American foreign policy. For the past several decades, however, and especially since the Six Day War in 1967, the centerpiece of U.S. Middle East policy has been its relationship with Israel. The combination of unwavering U.S. support for Israel and the related effort to spread democracy throughout the region has inflamed Arab and Islamic opinion and jeopardized U.S. security.
This situation has no equal in American political history. Why has the United States been willing to set aside its own security in order to advance the interests of another state? One might assume that the bond between the two countries is based on shared strategic interests or compelling moral imperatives. As we show below, however, neither of those explanations can account for the remarkable level of material and diplomatic support that the United States provides to Israel.
Instead, the overall thrust of U.S. policy in the region is due almost entirely to U
continuedTHE ISRAEL LOBBY AND U.S. FOREIGN POLICY
yOU CAN ALL READ THIS BOOK ON HERE... more
Amazing stuff is happening in France. It all began with a relatively well-known French-Cameroonian comedian,Dieudonné M’bala M’bala was invited to participate on a TV show on the channel France 3. The show also featured a Maghrebian artist and Dieudonne decided to impersonate an extremist Israeli settled infuriated by the presence of an Arab on a French show (for those of you who understand French, you can see an excerpt of his appearance that day here).
Dieudonne who, in the past, had always enjoyed ridiculing pretty much every segment of French society clearly had never expected the hysterical uproar that his humor would trigger that day: the huge constellation of French Zionists organizations lead by the notorious CRIF (”Representative Committee of Jewish organization in France” - the French version of AIPAC) immediately attacked Dieudonne, suing him for racists comments and suing him for “anti-Semitism” (a criminal offense in France). This was hardly the first time that the French Zionist mob had decided to crush an outspoken critic of its role in French politics or its unconditional support for the last racist state on the planet: Israel.
More at linkAmazing stuff is happening in France. It all began with a relatively well-known... more
the Spanish National Court’s decision to continue investigating suspected Israeli war criminals is welcomed
The victims and their legal team have placed their trust in the criminal justice system, believing that this is the only mechanism whereby accountability can be pursued and Israel’s impunity combated. Judge Fernando Andreu’s judgment indicates that, even in the face of considerable political pressure – including statements made by the Spanish Foreign Minister Moratinos – this trust in the rule of law is justified. This decision confirms the credibility and independence of the Spanish Courts.
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On 22 July 2002, at approximately 11:55 pm, an Israeli Air Force F16 fighter jet dropped a 985 kilogramme bomb on a three-storey apartment building. The attack was intended to kill Salah Shehade, the suspected leader of the Izzidin al-Qassam Brigade, Hamas’ military wing. The apartment building was located within the densely populated Al Daraj district, a residential neighbourhood in Gaza City. At the time of the attack, Shehade was on the upper floor of the building. As a result of the blast impact, eight other adjoining and nearby apartment buildings were completely destroyed, nine were partially destroyed, and another 21 sustained considerable damage. Excluding Shehade and his guard, a total of 14 civilians were killed, including eight children. Approximately 150 civilians were injured.
Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) officials have acknowledged that they decided to drop the bomb on Shehadeh’s house knowing his wife was with him, intentionally killing her as well.the Spanish National Court’s decision to continue investigating suspected Israeli... more
Michael Jackson and a son of the king of Bahrain signed an out-of-court settlement on Monday ending a legal dispute under which the prince sued the pop star saying he reneged on a recording contract and owed him money.
Neither Jackson nor Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Khalifa were at London's High Court to hear their lawyers confirm to the judge that a deal had been struck.Michael Jackson and a son of the king of Bahrain signed an out-of-court settlement on... more
The King of Bahrain's son planned to revive Michael Jackson's career with songs he had written himself, London's High Court has heard.
Sheikh Abdulla Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa also gave the pop star financial support, his lawyer said.
The royal is suing Mr Jackson for £4.7m for reneging on a music contract which would have paid back the loans.
Mr Jackson contests the claim, saying there was no valid agreement and that the payments were "gifts".
An application has been made for the star to give evidence from the US via a video link during the 12-day hearing.
The sheikh and Mr Jackson had a "close personal relationship" during his six-month stay in Bahrain three years ago, the royal's lawyer Bankim Thanki told the court.
The singer travelled to the country, with his children and personal staff, at the sheikh's invitation "to relax" shortly after being cleared of child abuse charges in the US.
Prior to his stay, Sheikh Abdulla set up Mr Jackson with a recording studio on his Neverland ranch and sent him his own musical compositions.
A recording of a finished song will be played in court, Mr Thanki said.The King of Bahrain's son planned to revive Michael Jackson's career with songs he had... more
In 1782, the Al Khalifa family captured Bahrain from the Persians. In order to secure these holdings, it entered into a series of treaties with the UK during the 19th century that made Bahrain a British protectorate.
The archipelago attained its independence in 1971. Bahrain's small size and central location among Persian Gulf countries require it to play a delicate balancing act in foreign affairs among its larger neighbors.
Facing declining oil reserves, Bahrain has turned to petroleum processing and refining and has transformed itself into an international banking center.
King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, after coming to power in 1999, pushed economic and political reforms to improve relations with the Shi'a community and Shi'a political societies participated in 2006 parliamentary and municipal elections.
Al Wifaq, the largest Shi'a political society, won the largest number of seats in the elected chamber of the legislature. However, Shi'a discontent has resurfaced in recent years with street demonstrations and occasional low-level violence. In 1782, the Al Khalifa family captured Bahrain from the Persians. In order to secure... more
Lecturer also said to have insulted student wearing head scarf, saying it was 'barrier to knowledge'.
A spokesman for Bahrain's general prosecutor says an American teacher has been charged with insulting the Prophet Muhammad for displaying pictures of Islam's founder to university students.
Nawaf al-Maawdah says the pictures showed the prophet in ragged clothing. He says the lecturer also insulted a student for wearing a head scarf, which she described as "a barrier to knowledge." He declined to reveal the name of the teacher or the university.
Bahrain's Gulf Daily News reported that the teacher involved in the affair works at a private university. According to the report, the lecturer was supposed to apologize to the students for her conduct, but instead proceeded to insult the girl who informed the school's management of the teacher's conduct.
Meanwhile, a US embassy spokeswoman said she could not release any information about the case or confirm that an American is involved.
Al-Maawdah said Friday that the case has been referred to court but no trial date has been set. A Bahraini newspaper reported that the teacher left the country.
The latest affair is reminiscent of a 2007 case where a British teacher in Sudan was sentenced to a prison term after she allowed her students to name a teddy bear "Muhammad." However, subsequent international anger and pressure prompted Sudan to release the teacherLecturer also said to have insulted student wearing head scarf, saying it was 'barrier... more
Bahrain's security would be threatened if international tensions over Iran flared into war and the kingdom wanted to be consulted so that could be prevented, a top official said on Wednesday.
The comments by Bahrain's chief of public security, Major General Abdul Latif bin Rashid Al Zayani, reflected concern in the small Gulf Arab country, which is ruled by Sunni Muslims but has a majority Shiite population.
Neither the United States nor Israel has ruled out military action to stop the programme, although the White House said on Wednesday U.S. President George W. Bush believed the issue could be resolved diplomatically.
"The level of tension currently concerning Iran is a further significant threat," Zayani said in a speech in London to the Royal United Services Institute, a security think-tank. Bahrain's security would be threatened if international tensions over Iran flared into... more
