Don't trust Fath, don't trust Hamas

"Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal urged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday to stop seeking compromise with Israel but offered him an olive branch, saying Palestinians must end their divisions."

Israel's best friend in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia

"But after four years of working as a maid in Saudi Arabia, she lacks both her passport and the exit permit that would allow her to return to the Philippines. So for three months Delacruz has lived on the pavement under a massive elevated eight-lane highway in central Jeddah, hoping to be rounded up by immigration police, then given documents and a ticket home. Around her maybe 1,000 other Asian men and women sit in darkness under the flyover in the bustling Red sea port. All have been trying for months to get deported."

backlash against a book

"And the backlash against my book by Muslim fundamentalists reveals the deep-seated fear that such people have of mainstream Muslims’ efforts to take back the discourse from those who cannot accept shades of grey in life and faith." Backlash against your book? First, you have a book? Is this now a new ploy? You claim that Islamic fundamentalists are furious about a book that no one has heard of? (thanks Sam)

This is the Dubai Model

"Japanese construction companies are facing "serious debt problems" amid issues with being paid for work done in Dubai, a top ranking official has said." (thanks FT)

Israeli occupation sleaze

"Of her own search, the girl said, "They told me to get undressed. I told them they could forget about that. The (female) police officers said to me, 'Take your clothes off.' I said, 'No.' They told me, 'You must. Either you do it willingly, or we'll do it forcefully.' They asked me how many layers I have on. I said three. I was left with just a shirt while a police officer kept watch by the door. The other police officer put her hands under my shirt, and then under my bra, and felt me up."" (thanks Olivia)

Israel really hearts Saudi Arabian royal family

"Today King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz is desperately trying to improve his country's image abroad and introduce much needed reforms. But he is doing so while facing two very real threats to the stability of his kingdom: AlQaida and the subversive activities of Iran." (thanks Laleh)

Saudi proaganda and the BBC

Look at this headline on the BBC website: "Saudis 'push back Yemen rebels'." Yes, BBC. The Hawthi rebels were invading Saudi Arabia and the Saudi armed forces repulsed them. A very believable story. But then again: where was Britain when Saudi Arabia also intervened in Yemen on the side of the most reactionary forces in the 1960s? (thanks As`ad--not me)

Alert the neighbors: Thomas Friedman has a "Jordanian friend"

Notice that Zionists always have to make a reference to an "Arab friend", as if that token reference can conceal their hostility to Arabs. Don't they know how much they sound like those racists who claim that their "best friends are black"? In fact, even Raphael Patai cites a "Palestinian friend" in his book, The Arab Mind. (thanks Sarah)

Foreign policy cliches

I wish those US foreign policy pundits would stop vomiting foreign policy cliches from Cold War speeches. "In fact, democracy is a prerequisite to economic growth." China managed a most dramatic economic growth without democratizing. So spare me please.

He wants to destroy

Speaking to reporters at the Saudi-Yemeni border, Prince Khalid Bin Sultan (who, according to a senior US military source, made more than $500 million in bribes and commissions from the first war on Iraq) said that anybody who steps into Saudi territory will be "destroyed."

That lousy Syrian regime

Bashshar Al-Asad said in an interview with a Turkish daily that the Turkish government needs to improve its relations with the Israeli government, to facilitate its mediating role between Syria and Israel.

The feelings of ADL are hurt

"The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said the release of the Goldstone Report, which accused Israel and Hamas of committing war crimes during their December January conflict in Gaza, has become “a cause célèbre in the Arab press,” which has churned out a series of anti-Israel cartoons in response." ADL, a professional peddler of hate and incitement, is hurt. Oh. Is that not touching? (thanks Ali)

26 Palestinian children arrested

In the month of October alone, Israeli occupation troops arrested 26 Palestinian children. (thanks Dina)

"Israeli Asks Abbas Not to Step Down": Sit Ubo, sit.

I love this headline of the New York Times. It really says it all. "“I turn to you as a colleague, don’t let go.”" He should have added: I turn to you as your master. Sit Ubo, sit.

Hear Ye, Hear Ye: Saudi commander on the scene

Prince Khalid bin Sultan, the assistant to Prince Sultan, the dead Minister of Defense and his daddy, visited Saudi troops at the border with Yemen. I am mightily amused how the Saudi media are treating Saudi bombing of Yemen as heroic acts.

Mubarak rules

Restrictions are placed on the visits to Egyptian Cairo University politics scientist, Hasan Naf`ah, because he heads an anti Mubraka succession coalition.

Saudi propaganda outlets

This editor-in-chief of Prince Salman's mouthpiece, Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat, supports a ban on Al-`Alam TV and Al-Manar TV. He said that they don't adhere to "professional" journalistic standards. Yes, o Saudi princely propagandist. We learn about professional journalism from Saudi propagnada outlets.

Stupid media award

When it comes to Western media awards that deal with the Middle East, there is always such ignorance about the Middle East and its media. An-Nahar (the right-wing, sectarian Christian, racist anti-Syrian) people, anti-Palestinian (people), for example is treated as a "liberal" newspaper because it once was fakely liberal more than 4 decades ago. Look at this silly award: A Zionist journalist who once allegedly snuck into Lebanon under a non-Israeli passport to broadcast for Israeli TV from Lebanon. And notice that this official site said that Elaph received "a special mention" while Elaph said that in fact it received the journalism award for the year 2009. Of course, lying is not new to Elaph. I dont like to link to this website, but I will today: you don't need to know Arabic to know why I call it the sleaze Saudi-Zionist website. Look at the pictures to the left: that is how the site lured readers in order to peddle its message of friendship with Israel and American occupation in the Middle East. And like any Saudi propaganda outlet: it calls for freedom of women and media in Iran, but supports the kingdom of horrors in Saudi Arabia, and blames Saudi women for their oppression, as pro-Saudi "liberal" columnist, Shakir Nabulsi did a few weeks ago. But what do these Western organizations know about Arab media? This is like when David Ignatious of the Washington Post referred to Al-Arabiyya TV (the private station of King Fahd's brother-in-law) as "professional". Why? Because he said that the director-general of the station, `Abdur-Rahman Ar-Rashid, a veteran of Saudi propaganda outlets, told him so.

Howard Schnider: when you are racist and you don't notice

Look at what Schnider of the Washington Post says here: "The security situation there stands in sharp contrast with that of the Gaza Strip, where the ruling Islamist Hamas movement and other militant organizations have launched thousands of rockets in recent years at southern Israeli towns, helping trigger an intense three-week war with Israel in the winter." By weird logic, Schnider defines security of the West Bank and Gaza as the security of the Israelis and whether it is endangered from groups in the West Bank and Gaza. So according to him, Gaza can be bombed from the air, sea, and land, and can suffer from a savage economic strangulation, but if the people of Gaza don't attack (back) Israel, then there would be security in Gaza. They really don't notice when they are being racist in their articles. They don't notice that they are clear and blatant in how they treat two peoples differently: as one that is superior and deserves security, and another that is inferior and only deserves to be nice and kind to the superior stock of humans. And do you notice that Schnider turns to an Israeli to determine what is in the interest of the Palestinians? ""It's definitely an Israeli interest, as it is an American, Western, Palestinian one, that there be a moderate and pragmatic Palestinian leadership," Israel's deputy foreign minister, Daniel Ayalon, told the Associated Press." Can you imagine Schnider turning to a Palestinian to comment on leadership change in Israel? And do you notice in this long article by Schnider, every person quoted is an Israeli when the article deals with leadership of the Palestinians? Does Schnider notice that he writes about Palestinians the way white supremacist journalists used to write about blacks in 19th century US?

No acting

The local government of Basrah threw out actors who were performing in a play. They said that acting clashes with Islam.

You can't stop those Palestinians

"Wall banger: A Palestinian demonstrator climbs Israel's separation barrier moments after knocking down a segment of the concrete wall during a protest in the West Bank village of Nilin. Photo: Bernat Armangue / AP"

On-line activities

"A Tunisian blogger and drama teacher, Fatma Riahi, known online as Arabicca, has been arrested by the country's police, Al Jazeera has learned. Riahi was summoned to appear before the Criminal Brigade of Gorjani in Tunis on Monday, where she was questioned about her online activities, sources said." (thanks Olivia)

Hawthi resilience

I asked comrade Fawwaz Trabulsi on how the Yemeni army does not seem to be able to defeat the Hawthi rebels after more than four years of bombing and fighting. He wrote me this (I cite with his permission): "i myself am more than amazed, as`ad. cant find a convincingin explanation yet. when you ask yemeni friends, they list many factors: i) the mountainous terrain and fighting tradition of yemeni tribes; ii) the corruption and weak morale in the army. there is a tradition that the general is paid say for 3000 soldiers in his unit and he would have 1700! he gets the rest for himself; iii) jihadis prepared to die, etc."

What is deeply insulting in the East but not in the West?

"Hamas took to hanging posters of Abbas throughout Gaza calling him a traitor and allowing people to throw their shoes at his image, a deep insult in the Arab world." (thanks Jean-Baptiste)

The least and smallest demonstration EVER

"On Friday, modest groups of Fatah members and others marched in Ramallah and elsewhere in the West Bank to voice support for continued leadership by Abbas. Local Palestinian media continued running news headlines about various organizations or politicians discouraging him from retirement." I in fact watched footage of some of the "demonstrations" on Arab TV stations. They were so small so lame and so enthusiastic and so forced and so bored. Nothing like it, I swear. Also, you need to know something about this man, Abu Mazen. Read his memoirs. He is a petty, small, and petulant man. He noted in his book his pride when Henry Kissinger praised him for his work on Oslo. He noted when Bill Clinton touched his chair. Such is this petty man. My theory is this: he was deeply offended that his American master selected Salam Fayyad while he was still sitting on his chair. (thanks Dina)

Wahhabi rules in the Hajj

An account of a woman during the Hajj. (thanks Mariam)

The dictator with the coiffed hairdo

"The assault of two independent journalists in Tunisia and the arrest of a third in the wake of last week’s elections must be punished, Amnesty International said on Friday. »It appears that these three journalists were targeted because they have criticized the government and opposed the re-election, for a fifth term, of President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, » said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s director for the Middle East and North Africa Programme. »This is an extremely worrying development, indicating that there is likely to be no let-up in the Tunisian government’s repression of dissent. " (thanks Noureddine)

Tunisian dictatorship

Are you aware that the Tunisian dictatorship--which is an exemplary dictatorship for Western governments--has blocked the website of Aljazeera net?

"Interesting question"

Why? (thanks Marcy)

From the Managing Editor of Now Hariri

A Western source in Beirut (who does not want to be identified) shared with me a message from the Managing Editor of NowHariri showing their preference for non-natives: "NOW Lebanon is currently looking for an editor to work on some brochures (corporate Literature) for Quantum Communications. The job will require the person to work for a few months at Quantum, but then could move to NOW Lebanon if he/she wants. We are looking for someone with some editing experience, not copy-editing. English should be a native Language. Arabic is definitely an asset. If you have anyone at CAMES who fills the profile, please put me in touch with them. Further details will be discussed upon meeting them. thank you very much and best regards".

McChrystal

"Jon Krakauer sharply criticized Gen. Stanley McChrystal for his handling of former NFL player-turned Army Ranger Pat Tillman's death, in an interview with CNN scheduled to air Saturday. Tillman was killed by friendly fire while serving in Afghanistan. Krakauer, author of "Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman," said that despite seeing reports describing the real cause of Tillman's death, McChrystal signed paperwork to award him a Silver Star, which is not normally given to victims of friendly fire. "I think he has a serious blemish on his record," Krakauer said. When asked by CNN's Wolf Blitzer if he thought McChrystal should be in charge of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, Krakauer answered, "No." "If a lesser officer did what McChrystal did, he would be court marshaled according to Article 107 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, submitting a false official statement," Krakauer said. "It's a very serious offense for which you, if you're found guilty, you can be dishonorably discharged and you can be locked up for five years.""

Why?

"“When a white guy shoots up a post office, they call that going postal,” said Victor Benjamin II, 30, a former member of the Army. “But when a Muslim does it, they call it jihad." (thanks Sarah)

The so-called resignation of PA chief puppet

"Never an appealing or charismatic figure, Abbas has been losing popular support since his first day in office five years ago (his term technically expired in January 2009). Since the 1993 Oslo Accords, in which he played a prominent role, the official Palestinian leadership has been pursuing a formula for peace -- the two-state solution -- that has yielded nothing more than the intensification of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory. Those 16 years have been characterized by the further immobilization and immiseration of the Palestinian people, and an ever-growing list of civilian casualties, most recently in Gaza. We are left with no other conclusion than this: that the so-called peace process with which Abbas has been indelibly associated, albeit as the Israelis' junior assistant, was calculated to produce exactly these results. The very first step of the Oslo process, undertaken with Abbas's assent in 1993, was to fragment and separate the occupied territories into shards of land, disconnected from each other and from the outside world, under total, institutionalized Israeli domination. Take one look at a map and you can't miss the separation of Gaza from the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the further internal splintering of the West Bank, all of which is the direct result of Oslo. " (thanks Saree)

Hawithi rebels

What is going on in Yemen is very interesting and potentially explosive for the entire region. Remember the proxy war in Yemen in the 1960s that pitted Saudi Arabia against Nasser's Egypt. Gregory Gause has a good book on that early phase of Saudi-Yemeni relations. Saudi Arabia is basically claiming that they are bombing the Hawthi rebels because the Hawithis tried to invade Saudi Arabia. I kid you not. That was the claim in Saudi propaganda outlets (like Al-Arabiyya TV, the private station of King Fahd's brother-in-law) all day yesterday. Robert Worth is covering the story from...Beirut. But it is not quite accurate to refer to what is going on as a "clash" as if they Hawthies already under fire from US-trained, supplied, supported, equipped Yemeni Army is a match for the Saudi AND Yemeni armies. He then reports this: "The conflict started early this week when the Houthi rebels — who have been fighting the Yemeni government for more than five years — killed a Saudi border guard and wounded 11 others, bringing Saudi Arabia into the war for the first time." Well, Robert: the Hawthis have been reporting about Saudi air force intervention long before this attack that you cite as the spark of the conflict. The Saudi role in all this is not invisible. It is fair to say that `Ali `Abdulllah Salih, who had his problems with the Saudi government in the past, especially after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, is now run by the Saudi government. I saw him greet the Saudi King in a recent news footage, and he acted like Fu'ad Sanyurah when he sees the Saudi King. And for the second day in a row, Worth adds this: "most Saudis practice a form of Sunni Islam that is hostile to Shiites." It would be more accurate to say: Saudis practice (by will of the royal family and not by choice) a form of Sunni Islam that is hostile to Shi`ites, and Christians, and Jews, and Sufis, and Buddhists, and Hindus, and secularists, and atheists, and every other Sunni branch of Islam that is not Wahhabiyyah. Now don't get me wrong, I don't idolize the Hawthi rebels. Something about their religious movement is quite unappealing to me. And they suffer from an acute sense of anti-Jewishness for some reason, and have expelled Jews from their areas. I have also received unconfirmed reports from sources in that area about abuse of children by Hawthi rebels. I am trying to understand the situation better and have benefited from accounts by two sources on the ground there. I also ask, almost daily, one of the best sources on Yemen--somebody who knows all the leaders involved--comrade Fawwaz Trabulsi in Lebanon, who has been involved privately in mediation between North and South Yemen. Much of Fred Halliday's book Arabia without Sultan owes to Fawwaz--between you and me.

Claude Lévi-Strauss

Readers have asked me whether I will write something about Clause Levi-Strauss. I may but not casually. There are people, or thinkers, that you can't write about casually or off-handedly I can't speak about Plato's Republic, without re-reading it for the umpteenth time. Same with Strauss. There is complexity that warrants careful reading and examination, and I have not read him carefully for years. I was waiting for him to die to do so, perhaps.

The July War

My weekly article in Al-Akhbar: "The [war of] Aggression of July: Where is Lebanese Accountability"

Covering up war crimes

"Dennis Kucinich had it right when he denounced the House majority for going along with this. His statement is so powerful that I’m excerpting it at length here. “Today we journey from Operation Cast Lead to Operation Cast Doubt,” he said on the House floor on Tuesday. “Almost as serious as committing war crimes is covering up war crimes, pretending that war crimes were never committed and did not exist." (thanks Nizar)

All that you have done to our people is registerd in notebooks

"A Palestinian Authority police report on Israeli violations in the West Bank overnight said a young man was detained and a teen struck in the head by a rock thrown by settlers."

Sexual harrassment during the Hajj

Somebody should write about sexual harassment during the Hajj. Let us face it: some male pilgrims grope and harass female pilgrims, from what I hear. Do you think that Saudi authorities would address this problem?

Saudi bombing

Do you notice that Western media are ignoring the news of Saudi air force bombing of villages in Yemen? Can you imagine the international uproar if Syria air force were to bomb villages in Lebanon?

Haaretz Racism

Look at this headline in the "liberal" Israeli newspaper: "U.S. Army psychiatrist of Palestinian origin kills 12 at Texas post". Zionists don't notice how much they mimic anti-Semites when they express their hostility and hatred for Arabs.

Zionists want Dahlan as chief PA collaborator

"However, Dahlan's problem is the personal campaign managed against him by Hamas and media outlets associated with it. By engaging in an intensive character assassination effort, they turned him into a highly controversial figure. This fact may concern many within Fatah who will be wondering whether such contentious figure, despite his abilities, is worthy of becoming the movement's candidate in the presidential elections." So basically it is Hamas propaganda that creative negative publicity for this honest and able man. How unfair? How unjust? (thanks Nicholas)

Ghassan Tuwayni does not mind Sunnis and Shi`ites

Ghassan Tuwayni (the owner of the right-wing, sectarian Christian, racist anti-Syrian (people), anti-Palestinian (people) newspaper) does not seem to mind Sunnis and Shi`ites: "Il y a des musulmans, des sunnites et des chiites, mais ils ne sont pas liés au Hezbollah." (thanks Gottfried)

You ain't seen nothing yet

"Protestors at the University of Nottingham prepared a rude welcome for Israel's Ambassador to England, Ron Prosor, welcoming him with anti-Israel signs and interrupting his speech." Rude? More rude than killing women and children?

The buffoon foreign minister of Bahrain on Twitter

after meeting hillary clinton he posted this tweet: "Always inspired when I meet mrs clinton .. She is a fighter who extracts success from failure" !!!" And what do you extract, o foreign minister of Bahrain? (thanks Shanad)

MLA takes a stand--but without identifying the Israeli culprits

"Here is the text of the MLA's resolution on Palestinian Literature "Whereas Palestinian literature and culture are legitimate subjects of study; Whereas the conditions in the occupied territories have been critical in shaping modern Arabic literature generally; Whereas those teaching and writing about the occupation and about Middle East culture have regularly come under fire from anti-Palestinian groups on extra-academic grounds; Whereas education at all levels in the occupied territories is being stifled by the occupation; Be it resolved that the MLA endorse teaching and scholarship about Palestinian culture, support members who come under attack for pursuing such work, and express solidarity with scholars of Palestinian culture."" Anti-Palestinian groups? Why not say Israeli groups and state? (thanks Geoffrey)

Swiss racism

A Lebanese scientist at Princeton sent me this (I cite with his permission): "Hi AS`ad, I saw your post about Zurich's city council and it comes as no surprise for me. After living in that country for 3 years I expect any racist ad or anything to be welcome. Look at this attached picture I took last time. To advertise its billboards, the company is making up an ad about a kebab shaped hotel belonging to an arab ! In 3 years there, I do not remember a single ad on a billboard that had a non-white in it, though I was always looking for one. I guess Ali is the first one to be featured in billboard. Also despite the fact that over 75 % of the people who get Swiss nationality are french german or italian, the UDC had a campaign of hands garbing a swiss passport that consisted of black and dark hands, and one very white (i.e eastern european) hand (see at ).
Cheers, "

PS This scientist suffered from an acute case of Hummus fever right after the assassination of Rafiq Hariri. I am told by Bassam that he has recovered.

Even the US has to admit that Zionism is racism

"Israel dismally fails the requirements of a tolerant pluralistic society, according to a new report from the U.S. State Department. Despite boasting religious freedom and protection of all holy sites, Israel falls short in tolerance toward minorities, equal treatment of ethnic groups, openness toward various streams within society, and respect for holy and other sites. The comprehensive report, written by the State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, says Israel discriminates against groups including Muslims, Jehova's Witnesses, Reform Jews, Christians, women and Bedouin. The report says that the 1967 law on the protection of holy places refers to all religious groups in the country, including in Jerusalem, but "the government implements regulations only for Jewish sites. Non-Jewish holy sites do not enjoy legal protection under it because the government does not recognize them as official holy sites." At the end of 2008, for example, all of the 137 officially recognized holy sites were Jewish. Moreover, Israel issued regulations for the identification, preservation and guarding of Jewish sites only." (thanks Sarah)

`Ala' Al-Aswani against Mubarak succession

Aswani takes a stand against turning Egypt into a farm.

Obama bombs

"Artillery and mortar shelling by the NATO-led international troops killed nine civilians including three children in southern Afghanistan, locals said, quoted by Afghan news agency Pajhwok on Thursday." (thanks Olivia)

Mouin explains the political theater of Abbas

"But despite his insistence that his move was no stunt, it's important to note that Abbas is not in fact threatening to leave the stage. "This is political theater," says Amman-based Palestinian analyst Mouin Rabani. "The Palestinian Central Election Committee is expected to conclude that the election Abbas called for in January can't be held, because Hamas won't allow them to go ahead in Gaza, and Israel won't allow them to go ahead in East Jerusalem ... So what he did today was announce that he won't be a candidate in an election he knows is not going to happen. It would be meaningful only if he announced his actual resignation from the positions he holds as head of the PA, Fatah and the PLO." (thanks Dina)

Jon Alterman hails Dubai model (still)

"Of the three models of social and political change presented in the book, Dubai is clearly the headliner. Its remarkable wealth and its embrace of immigrants stand out against the anticolonial sentiment and xenophobia found in much of the rest of the Middle East." Let me guess: he has never heard of the complaints and grievances of Asian workers in Dubai, and he has not heard of the economic failures of Dubai as of late. And the xenophobia that you find in the Middle East: is that something alien to advanced Western societies? Let me know. (thanks Sameer)

He is not the only terrorist operated by the Israeli state

"Yaakov (Jack) Teitel, who is suspected of committing a series of terror attacks in the past 12 years, had been operated by the Shin Bet as a source of information on the activities of extreme right-wing elements." (thanks Asa)

Nazis for Israel

"The British National Party has leapt on comments by Israel’s Interior Minister, Eli Yishai, to suggest that the extreme-right party shares a common immigration policy with Israel. Mr Yishai claimed that foreign workers brought diseases into Israel and that their presence threatened the Jewish and Zionist identity of the state. He also attacked cabinet colleagues who were in favour of allowing the children of illegal foreign workers to remain in Israel." (thanks Anindya)

Walk out of the room

"The Israelis have been difficult, as always: whenever Mitchell raises East Jerusalem in talks with the Israeli Foreign Minister, the Israeli stands up and walks out of the room. Despite Netanyahu's momentary, tactical enthusiasm for peace talks, his Likud Party has always favored the de facto incorporation of Palestinian lands into the state of Israel."

Fearing Weber

"The regime's hostility toward social scientists stretches back to the origins of the Islamic Republic. Soon after it came to power Iran's revolutionary government shut down universities and purged the faculty of scholars who were deemed insufficiently Islamic. "Our university students are 'Westoxicated,'" the late leader Imam Ruhollah Khomeini warned in 1980. Too many professors were "brainwashing" their students "in the service of the West," he alleged. A cultural-revolution committee was formed to develop an Islamicized curriculum that it tried to put in place when the universities reopened four years later." Yes, and Moussavi was key in leading those purges, and Soroush was a supporter. (thanks Laleh)

Don't send this robot to Lebanon

""We're very close to being able to get him to work as a receptionist or a helper in a mall," he told Agence France Presse." If they send the robot to Lebanon, they will manage to beat him and sexually assault him, and he may wind up hanging himself. (thanks Dina)

Flash: Abu Mazen not running for re-election as chief puppet

Al-Arabiyya TV (the private station of King Fahd), has aired a live speech by Abu Mazen. He was categorical that he won't be running for re-election as chief PA puppet. But if you have been reading this blog, you should not be surprised. The decision is not his: he read the American press and learned that while he was not looking, the US government has already selected Salam Fayyad as the chief PA puppet. Very expected. He managed to pay tribute to George W. Bush. I am posting the picture of Abu Mazen above because it shows him in his dignified state. He clearly wrote the speech himself and somebody needs to tell him that the Arabic verb for engaging in one upmanship is zayada, yuzayidu and not zawada.
زايد, مزايدة
and not
زاود, مزاودة

Public perceptions of colonial settlers

"Political realities and options are shaped to no small degree by public perception, which is in turn shaped by media coverage. Perhaps if Native Americans had been portrayed in media accounts as sympathetic individuals instead of a generally undifferentiated mass (often treated as unwelcoming and hateful), the political realities of the American West would have turned out differently. U.S. media accounts that portray the Israeli settlers as highly “law-abiding” individuals with whom the reader can identify, contrasted with largely invisible but clearly hateful Palestinians, obscure the illegality of the colonies and contribute to the intractable political situation the Time piece wrings its hands over." (thanks Marcy)

The lousy PFLP

The second worst Palestinian, Yasir `Abd-Rabbu, announced that all members of the Executive Committee wanted Abu Mazen to run for re-election, and placed its confidence in him. The PFLP that was founded by the great struggler, George Habash, is now a mere tool of Muhammad Dahlan. `Abdur-Rahim Malluh is a mere tool the tools of Dahlan. Supporters of the PFLP should insist that the organization be dissolved, NOW.

The pioneers of terrorism in the Middle East

"The new book cites an intelligence report from Palestine made on August 23, 1946 - just a month after the King David Hotel bombing. The communique states: "Irgun and Stern have decided to send five cells to London to operate in a manner similar to the IRA. To use their own words 'beat the dog in his own kennel'." A second report from September 1946 adds: "In recent months it has been reported that [the Stern Group] have been training selected members for the purpose of proceeding overseas and assassinating a prominent British personality - special reference having been made several times to Mr Bevin in this connection."" (thanks Asa)

Saudi air force has only been used against Saudi striking workers and Yemenis

"Saudi Arabia has launched heavy air strikes on Yemeni rebels and is moving troops nearer the border after a raid into its territory by the Shi'ite insurgents, a Saudi government adviser said on Thursday."

If these were Muslim organizations, Congress would have acted

"Despite notable gains for women in the past year, a Forward survey of 75 major American Jewish communal organizations found that fewer than one in six are run by women, and those women are paid 61 cents to every dollar earned by male leaders."

Israel is pleased

"The Middle East's two main satellite operators have dropped an Arabic-speaking Iranian television station, a decision described by the broadcaster on Wednesday as an attempt to stifle Iran's voice in the region. The Arabic-speaking al-Alam, based in Iran, said the decision Wednesday was politically motivated. Al-Alam has been critical of Arab governments." Al-Alam is been airing daily attacks on Saudi Arabia and hosting Saudi dissidents and critics. I have refused to be used by the channel for their agenda and said that I would criticize Saudi Arabia but would insist on attacking the Iranian government as well. They said: no, thanks. (thanks Amer)

Dictatorships that you find exemplary

"Amnesty International has called for the release of a human rights activist who went on trial this week for making a video about pollution in Tunisia and posting it on Facebook."

This is Zionism

Notice that this "liberal" Zionist paper makes this horrific plan seem humane: "The government is considering establishing work camps in the south of the country, where illegal migrant workers will receive shelter, food and medical care, Army Radio reported Wednesday. In exchange, illegal migrants would perform manual labor outside the camps, but would not earn a salary." A liberal Zionist is somebody who believes that four bombs, and not five, are necessary to demolish a house of a Palestinian. (thanks Michele)

Anis Mansur: on meeting King Fahd

This anti-Semitic, right-wing Egyptian columnist, Anis Mansur, was a confidante and emissary of Sadat. His column is published daily in the mouthpiece of Prince Salman (Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat). He describes meeting King Fahd: "I saw his majesty among the people. I was not too far...He does not need words: his words are commands [This sentence is not logical, but let us proceed]. One words or two and the world around changes. He appeared awesome. On his face is a beautiful smile that does not appear much. People's eyes were on him." By the way, you may see the beautiful smile of King Fahd above.

La fin du « tout est permis » ?

"Cet Etat a amassé un énorme arsenal d’armes de destruction massive et a construit un appareil militaire impressionnant (en grande partie grâce à des soutiens extérieurs venus d’abord de France puis des États-Unis). Il a aussi remporté des guerres successives contre les régimes arabes. Pourtant, Israël fait face à de nombreux défis politiques et même existentiels. Un Etat qui a déclaré avec arrogance être une « lumière pour les nations » est devenu un symbole d’agression, de crimes de guerre, et de discrimination ethnique et religieuse. Un Etat qui a toujours bénéficié du soutien américain pour maintenir sa supériorité militaire sur les régimes arabes a été humilié par quelques centaines de jeunes combattants sur le champ de bataille du sud-Liban en 2006. Un Etat qui se vante depuis des décennies des compétences et de la supériorité de son appareil de renseignement, a loupé une tentative d’assassinat contre Khaled Mishaal, le dirigeant du Hamas, et ont enlevé un agriculteur libanais en 2006 parce que son nom était Hasan Nasrallah (et il a fallu des « experts » israéliens et plusieurs jours pour réaliser que ce n’était « pas le bon » Hasan Nasrallah)."" (thanks Olivia)

audacity

What is the deal about the ship of (alleged) arms pirated by the Zionist usurping entity? Israel has a massive arsenal of WMDs and want us to be disarmed? Arabs have every reason, nay duty, to obtain all kinds of weapons, and to smuggle whatever they can, and to dig tunnels everywhere around occupied Palestine. At least.

Saudi reform: Wahhabi justice

"A man who kidnapped and raped five children, one of whom was left in the desert to die, has been sentenced to be beheaded and his body publicly crucified. Muhammed Basheer al-Ramaly, 22, from the northern city of Hail, in Saudi Arabia, will be executed at noon today. He will be beheaded by sword then his body tied to a wooden cross and his head stuck on a pole as a deterrent." (thanks Suad)

Swiss Democracy (a democracy that did not give women the right to vote until 1971)

"Zurich city council said yesterday that a poster showing missile-like minarets on a Swiss flag can be displayed ahead of a national referendum on whether to ban the building of minarets at mosques in Switzerland." (The poster says: "Vote yes to a law forbidding Minarettes.") (thanks Cosi)

Who rules Saudi Arabia: the foreign policies of Saudi Arabia

This is a key question now. It is very clear that King `Abdullah is not running the country, certainly not in foreign policy. There is a the foreign policy of the King: and then there is the foreign policies of the Sudayri princes headquartered in Morocco (led by Prince Salman becasue Sultan is very dead by now). Prince Saud (who is gravely ill and is spending more time in LA for hospitalization) is in between but is out of the loop. You need to read the opinion pages of the mouthpiece of Prince Salman (Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat), not because of good journalism--it is no more then vulgar and crude propaganda, and read even the piece by its editor, not for his skills--he is talentless but makes up what he lacks in talents by competence in subservience and prostration. The paper is a good barometer of the Saudi-Israeli alliance. Look at this story here: Prince Sultan (read Prince Salman) summoned the foreign ministers of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, and Jordan. Notice that Qatar and Oman were excluded: the Suayri princes were opposed to the reconciliation between Qatar and King `Abdullah. Al-Quds Al-`Arabi had a story two days saying that the resignation of Prince Mut`ab bin `Abdul-`Aziz is due to his objecton to the ascension of Prince Nayif (becoming third in line).

Al-Akhbar and its controversies

Al-Akhbar has been breaking waves. It is quickly becoming a major media source in Lebanon and beyond. While there are no clear data on sales, it is emerging as the number one newspaper in Lebanon, and you can check Alexa ranking in Lebanon for that. It has been breaking taboos, right and left and does not spare any side from criticisms, especially religious fundamentalists and others. Its Hariri and Saudi enemies were pleased at first to dismiss it as a voice for Hizbullah and March 8. But when the paper starting publishing criticisms of Syria and Hizbullah itself and the opposition in general, they got confused. And when the paper started posting an ad for whiskey, they realized that it is not a voice for Hizbullah or Iran, as they were hoping it was to categorize it the way we categorize Saudi tabloids and Hariri rags. The paper, importantly, broke taboos in its culture and justice sections as well: speaking for not only women, and foreign maids, but also for gays and lesbians--a first in any Arabic newspaper, bar none. And Hizbullah is not, to put mildly, keen on the rights of gays and lesbians. (Although it should be stated the Islamic fundamentalists are not as obsessed with homophobia like Christian fundamentalists). You may say that it is not appropriate for me to praise the paper because I write in it. No, it is not inappropriate because I have no role in the paper and its success whatsoever and I deserve no praise for its role because my role is only to write my weekly article. The credit goes to the people at the paper and to comrades Khalid Saghiyyah and Ibrahim Amin who are responsible for the tough independence of the paper. And its publisher (a secular businessman who lives in London) has been unusual (for an Arabic newspaper, or even for a Western newspaper) in not interfering editorially at all. It is probably the only newspaper (East or West that I read), which takes its journalistic mission seriously. Sometimes its strict liberal line may bother me a bit, and it bothers others I know because its op ed pages are the most wide and open of any newspaper I know. But that is the formula of success. Many members of the opposition (in Hizbullah, the `Awni movement, Amal, and the Lebanese Communist Party) have been angry with the paper as of late and speak against it, louder and louder. This week, when the paper came with a cover story about the victory of the Lebanese Forces at St. Joseph University, the entire ranks of the oppositions were pissed. Here, comrade Khalid explains: that this is not a mouthpiece for the opposition in Lebanon. (I only disagree with the last sentence of the article).

Your poor PA puppet

"Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, whom the administration once would have been happy to see undermined, has been strengthened -- while Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, whom the administration had hoped to bolster, has been weakened."

The Washington Post Identifies the errors in the Middle East policies of the Obama administration

"The administration's key error, many analysts say, was to insist that Israel immediately freeze all settlement growth in Palestinian-occupied territories." Don't you like "many analysts say"? Let me guess: how many of the "many analysts were unabashed advocates of Israeli wars?

Effi Eitam at Buffalo

Professor Jim Holston of SUNY, Buffalo, sent me this (and he allowed me to cite it and insisted that I cite him by name): The Jewish National Fund and Buffalo Hillel brought Brigadier General Effi Eitam to speak on campus at the University of Buffalo on Monday night. After a friend and I confronted him with some of his fascist lies after the talk, he came up to me afterward and offered his hand. Inspired by your reaction to the Israeli ambassador, I declined. When he plaintively asked why, I said "Because you're a racist thug." The JNF is bringing this fascist monster all over the country. I agree that there isn't all that much difference between him and, say, Tzipi Livni, but it's a sign of how desperate the Zionists are that they are trotting out such a creep. Oh, on the day of the talk, a member of the local Hillel yelled at a hijab-wearing student of mine, "Why don't you go blow yourself up?" Her mother and I are trying to convince her to prosecute." Here is more on the story.

Dahlan Task Force for Israel

"Ghaith al-Omari, a former Abbas aide who is advocacy director for the American Task Force on Palestine, said, "The situation is so complicated that no matter what approach the administration would have taken would have led to difficulties." He said that things have improved in the past nine months, including getting a reluctant Israeli government to embrace the idea of talks. Negotiations will begin eventually, he said, because the Obama administration has signaled that it will not waver in pursuit of direct talks." It seems that Dahlanists are the only ones who are seeing improvements. Also, are you aware that this Dahlan Task Force for Israel holds this position: It is for the boycott of Hamas but is vehemently against the boycott of Israel. What does that tell you?