Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Headlines for April 15 - April 21

A Stand For Justice


Top Military Brass Concur Mideast Conflict Affects All
U.S. Army general David Petraeus might have shocked some pro-Israel activists when he openly spelled out the difficulties caused to American military efforts by the lack of progress in the Middle East, but fellow generals were not taken by surprise. “CENTCOM commanders had always said this was the No. 1 issue that affects everything that goes on in the region,” said Anthony Zinni, who headed the U.S. Central Command, known as CENTCOM, a decade before Petraeus.



Syria denies it gave Hezbollah Scud missiles
Syria warned Thursday that Israel was paving the way for new military action by alleging that that Damascus is providing Scud missiles to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.



AT-TUWANI RELEASE: Israeli army fails to protect Palestinian school

On Thursday 15 April, 2010, an Israeli settler drove his vehicle into a
group of Palestinian schoolchildren as they walked to school in At
Tuwani. The children, aged from 6 years old to 15 years old, were able
to leap out of the way and none were hurt.



CPT Al Khalil/Hebron
We are especially concerned that the the Israeli military appear to be targeting young people, especially boys, in the Old City. There have been a number of incidents during the month, including the arrest and detention of the son of a close neighbour and friend of CPT. The usual accusation is that the boys – and in one case, a girl – have thrown stones.


How To Beat Back Israel Divestment Bill Get Organized – Forward.com
One anti-divestment student group handed out suggested talking points for those speaking against the bill at the student government meeting. The existence of the talking points, which were posted on the blog Mondoweiss, was confirmed by Naftalin-Kelman, who said that they were not distributed by the Hillel. “DON’T try to deconstruct the bill,” the talking points read. “Instead, focus on how it is an attack on the Jewish community.”......At an AIPAC conference in Washington in late March, AIPAC leadership development director Jonathan Kessler said that his organization would “make sure that pro-Israel students take over the student government and reverse the vote,” ........................ “This is how AIPAC operates in our nation’s Capitol. This is how AIPAC must operate on our nation’s campuses,”
Really now?


From December: No-Fault Espionage by Philip Giraldi
FBI counter intelligence officer John Cole has reported on the frustration of his colleagues over the many cases of Israeli espionage that are dropped under orders from the Justice Department. He provides a "conservative estimate" of 125 worthwhile investigations into Israeli espionage in the US involving both American citizens and Israelis stopped due to political pressure from above. Israeli citizens and diplomats who are caught in the act spying are routinely freed without criminal charges and allowed to return home.



ISRAELI MILITARY ORDERS “IN BREACH OF INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW,” WARNS UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR
The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Richard Falk, warned Monday that two Israeli Defense Forces Military Orders* may be in breach of the fourth Geneva Convention and violate the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.


U.S. officials slam pro-Israel Jerusalem ad
United States administration officials have voiced harsh criticism over advertisements in favor of Israel's position on Jerusalem that appeared in the U.S. press with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's encouragement. The authors of the most recent such advertisements were president of the World Jewish Congress Ronald Lauder and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel. "All these advertisements are not a wise move," one senior American official told Haaretz.



Iran nuclear conference urges Israel to join NPT



Netanyahu urges 'crippling sanctions' against Iran
In an interview broadcast Monday on ABC's "Good Morning America," Netanyahu said he worries that the international community isn't acting aggressively enough to thwart Tehran's nuclear ambitions.



Obama affirms 'unbreakable' US-Israel ties
President Barack Obama has said on the Jewish state's 62nd anniversary that the United States shares an "unbreakable bond" with Israel and he was confident the relationship "will only be strengthened" into the future.
Sick. Our support for Israel got us 9/11.


Second Half of Feb.2010 Update
Jack spoke to the military after the demonstration: “This is not right. This has been a non-violent demonstration and you have replied with tear gas. This is not right.”......On the regular school patrol at Al Bweireh, four male teenage settlers passed CPTers on the path, two of whom took photos of the CPTers and one settler spat in the direction of the CPTers. Another responded to their greeting of “Shalom” with “Jesus pig.”


Strain in U.S.-Israel Ties Spurs Anxiety About ‘Dual Loyalty’
So totally aligned have the United States and Israeli governments been for most of the past 20 years that American Jews have not been forced to seriously consider that these two identities could be in conflict The issue here is though - that this alignment was brought about by the overwhelming influence of the Israeli lobby.It's more than dual loyalty though. Advocating for policies that put THIS nation, America, in danger, is not dual loyalty. It's TREASON.


Dr. Strangelove, Made in Israel by Philip Giraldi
While it is perhaps not unusual for American citizens to volunteer with the Israel Defense Forces as White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel did in 1991, it would have to be considered unprecedented for a senior Israeli military officer to obtain a high level position at the Pentagon. In fact, it is hard to imagine that anyone carrying out a security background investigation would approve such a transition under any circumstances, suggesting the possibility that Kass’s ascent to high office might have been aided or even godfathered by friends in key positions who were able to override or circumvent normal procedures.


State Dept.: U.S. unsure whether Syria sent missiles to Hezbollah
Earlier Tuesday, Lebanon's Western-backed prime minister Saad Hariri denied Israeli allegations that Hezbollah has obtained Scud missiles, comparing them to the false American charges that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction ahead of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. Israel: the monkey on America's back, constantly feeding us phony intel.


Israeli defense minister says occupation must end
Israel must recognize that the world will not put up with decades more of Israeli rule over the Palestinian people, the country's defense minister said in unusually frank remarks Monday.



Netanyahu : No way to 'impose' Middle East peace
Arab leaders have ruled out new peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians in the absence of a full settlement freeze in the West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem, a notion the Netanyahu government has rejected.



Presence of Brzezinski, Scowcroft at White House Meeting Draws Muted Comment – Forward.com
The two, both former national security advisers of previous administrations, are known as supporters of the realist doctrine in foreign policy — a doctrine viewed by many in the Jewish community as unsympathetic to the case of Israel......Realism in foreign policy is seen as an approach that puts a country’s own interests first when determining its path in the world, before any other considerations, including moral views of other countries. When it comes to the Middle East, Realists are usually considered to be those who believe that America’s interest lay in strengthening ties with the Arab world rather than in supporting Israel unconditionally. Based on an appropriate inference of the above excerpt, then it's safe to presume that the policy that Israel's lobby seeks America to adopt is one that puts Israel's interests over our own. I call that TREASON. Read on.


Netanyahu: Less Time to Act on Iran with Each Passing Day
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu sounded an urgent note regarding the Iranian threat in a Monday interview on America's ABC network, saying that “we have a lot less time with each day that passes.” Who's we?


Iran wins regional support for its nuclear programme
Syria, Lebanon and Iraq backed Iran's atomic programme on Saturday, which they said has "peaceful" aims, and insisted that Israel be stripped off its nuclear arsenal. ....The three leaders, however, strongly urged for Israel to join the NPT.


Israeli president: Iran threatens whole world



No-one saw, no-one heard 300 Palestinian olive trees uprooted
"Every time we go there to take care of the trees, the settlers come down and start a confrontation. They're not letting us near the trees," he said. The financial loss to the grove owners is immense, he said. Another villager, Amran Ali Asaeid, said the damage amounted to thousands of dollars.


Israel warns Syria over Hezbollah attacks
Israel has delivered a secret warning to Syrian President Bashar Assad that it will respond to missile attacks from Hezbollah, the militant Lebanese-based Islamist group, by launching immediate retaliation against Syria itself.


US affirms support to Israel 'will not waver'



Deir Yassin Remembered
Deir Yassin was slated for occupation under Plan Dalet and the mainstream Jewish defense force, the Haganah, authorized the irregular terrorist forces of the Irgun and the Stern Gang to perform the takeover


Nukes And Temples
It took four years to complete the work on Hurva. When presidential candidate, Barack Obama promised AIPAC an undivided Jerusalem in 2008, the building of the Hurva synagogue was well on the way -- which signaled continued future attacks on the al-Aqsa Mosque to make way for construction of the Third Temple. Past wars and future was waged against other countries based on unfounded accusations has distracted the international community from the reality of this construction and its implications - the messianic era


Israel is debated at California Democratic convention, Harman walks out in huff
Marcy herself brought up Israel in order to distance herself from Harman. I never thought I'd hear a candidate talk about brutal occupation, lack of water, unnecessary continuous deaths and lack of democracy. Harman in response called Marcy an extremist who wants to get rid of Israel, and Marcy shot back with a democratic state from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River. This got a standing ovation. And, Harman stood up and said she did not go to the caucus to debate and strode out.


Palestinians losing faith in Obama administration, poll finds
Palestinian hopes that U.S. President Barack Obama will bring an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory have significantly declined in recent months, a public opinion poll published Wednesday has found.


Goldstone pressured into not attending grandson’s bar mitzvah
Following negotiations between the South African Zionist Federation and the Beth Hamedrash Hagadol in Sandton, an affluent suburb of Johannesburg where the event is to take place, an agreement was reached with the family that will keep Goldstone from attending the synagogue service early next month. But there's no such thing as an Israeli lobby...


Has Israel Reneged on the Unity of West Bank and Gaza?
As part of the Oslo Accords, the Israelis officially accepted the concept that the West Bank and Gaza Strip represent one unit. Article IV of the agreement signed in the White House Lawn in 1993 declared "The two sides view the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as a single territorial unit, whose integrity will be preserved."


Kamm Affair Continues To Roil Israel
In a legal procedure earlier this year, made public only recently, Kamm stated the reason that she copied hundreds of classified documents during her army service and later handed them over to Blau. “It was important for me to bring the IDF’s policy to public knowledge,” she said, describing actions of the Israeli military as “war crimes.”


Jerusalem Quartet Draws Discordant Note in Britain
In an April 8 ruling, a court in Edinburgh, Scotland, cleared five pro-Palestinian activists of racism, dismissing charges that they were guilty of racially aggravated conduct against members of the quartet. The case dates to an August 2008 concert at the Edinburgh International Festival that hecklers disrupted repeatedly in protest against Israel’s blockade of Gaza, occupation of the West Bank and the musicians’ alleged links to the Israeli military
The Scots didn't fall for the anti-Semite card.


Israeli Arab brothers win payout for El Al ‘abuse’ in New York
Which came first, Jewish supremacism over Arabs, or Arab terrorism? How about Jewish terrorism or Arab terrorism? In both cases, the former. And we can't call it Israeli terrorism because Israel didn't yet exist.


Video: The Jewish Lobby in Britain
The Brits have their own Israeli lobby to contend with.


Democrats and Republicans Each Believe That American Jews Are Leaning Their Way – Forward.com
Republicans say that friction between the Obama administration and Netanyahu’s government in Israel is taking its toll on Jewish support for the president and his party. Jewish voters, they argue, feel uncomfortable with Obama’s pressure on Israel and will make their concerns known by shifting toward the Republican side.


U.S.-ISRAELI RELATIONS TAKE ANOTHER TURN
More and more since the failure of the Oslo Accords in the 1990s and the virtual takeover of Israeli politics by the Far Right, often represented by natively anti–American Russian Israelis and ultra–conservative Sephardics from the Arab world, relations have deteriorated between the two countries. Israel has become the petulant and demanding dependent, and the U.S. has become the long–suffering Sugar Daddy, often angry and insulted but afraid to say anything because of the power of the lobbies.



Video- A Closer Look at Israel's Role in Terrorism
Game theory war-planners rely on mathematical models to anticipate and shape outcomes with staged provocations. For the agent provocateur, the reactions to a provocation—as well as the reactions to those reactions—thereby become predictable within an acceptable range of probabilities. With ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan poised to expand to Iran and Pakistan, it is time to take a closer look at how conflicts are catalyzed—by way of deception.
Well worth watching all three parts.


YouTube - Dancing Israelis Arrested on 9-11, Interviewed by Ch. 4



Picnicking on Mount Vesuvius?
On March 29, 2010 the US Embassy instructed Americans not to travel to Lebanon citing ’safety and security concerns.” Simultaneously it warned those who are in Lebanon to seriously consider leaving.....It comes following Opposition charges, emphasized by Hezbollah’s Secretary Hassan Nasrallah the preceding week, that the US Embassy in Beirut engages in espionage activities for Israel and cautioning that the collaboration was very dangerous for Lebanon. America is doing Israel's bidding in Lebanon too. Read on.


Report: Assad due in Egypt to discuss fear of Israel-Syria war
Syrian President Bashar Assad was due Tuesday night to land in Egypt "within hours," his first visit in four years, several Arab media outlets reported. The urgency of the surprise trip stems from a fear of war between Israel and Syria.


World poll: Only 19% see Israel in positive light
Only Iran, North Korea, and Pakistan are viewed in a more negative light than Israel, according to a poll conducted in 28 countries and published Tuesday by the BBC.


Western mainstream media distorting realities: Fisk
Veteran British journalist Robert Fisk struck a chord with the audience at the Four Seasons Hotel yesterday when he pleaded to western journalists to be fair and unbiased towards the sufferings of the people in the Middle East, particularly the Palestinians.


From December: Christians United for War by Philip Giraldi






Saturday, April 24, 2010

Headlines for April 8 - April 14

A Stand For Justice


U.S., Israeli attack on Iran would be 'unacceptable' - Russia military



Nuking the Mullahs by Philip Giraldi
Two issues likely will determine whether Israel will use nuclear weapons against Iran. The first relates to the ultimate objective of the Israeli attack. An attack with conventional weapons will hardly cripple the presumed Iranian nuclear program and would be designed rather to send a message and to bring the United States into the conflict to finish the job


Rights groups slam new West Bank deportation rules
Israel's military has issued new orders that human rights groups warned Sunday could lead to the expulsion of tens of thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank.
Under the new rules, anyone caught living in the West Bank without an Israeli permit could face expulsion within as little as three days or be sentenced to up to seven years in prison.


New Law Could Deport Thousands of West Bank Palestinians
The new order makes it a criminal act for anyone to live in the West Bank without a permit. .....According to an attorney for Hamoked, Elad Cahana, the military commander of the West Bank has never issued such permits so that even Palestinians who were born in the West Bank do not have them Those permits are only granted by Israel. Reminder: West Bank is PALESTINIAN territory.


AT-TUWANI RELEASE: Settler Youth Harass Palestinians and Internation



Hamas move on Gaza banks fuels banker concerns
Hamas said the funds were seized from a local bank in line with a court order challenging the Ramallah-based authorities' decision to freeze assets belonging to a medical association. The PMA had frozen the funds after the board of the Patient's Friend Association had come under Hamas control.


Gaza militant: Hamas stopping rocket fire into Israel
Last week, Hamas spokesman Ayman Taha told the BBC that Hamas was working to curb rocket attacks against Israel by Gaza militants.


Israel, US have not settled east Jerusalem spat



Turkey to Challenge Israel, Support Hamas
A flotilla of ships funded by Turkey will approach Gaza in May, in an attempt to challenge Israeli control at sea - or, as organizers put it, “break Israel's illegal blockade on Gaza.”


Canceled Netanyahu trip spotlights Israel nukes
Muslim countries have long complained of a double standard when the West asks them to stay nuclear-free while turning a blind eye to Israel's program. Many Israelis see atomic weapons as their ultimate defense against annihilation in a hostile Middle East.


Clinton defends role of Israel at nuclear summit
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says Israel has much to contribute to this week's nuclear security summit even though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is skipping the Washington conference.


Israel viewed as world's sixth nuclear power: analysts
Analysts at British defence specialists Jane's believe the Jewish state has between 100 and 300 nuclear warheads, putting them among the more advanced nuclear weapons states and roughly on a par with Britain.



Israeli officials say Syria gives Hezbollah Scuds
In Washington, the Syrian Embassy dismissed the allegations and accused Israel of trying to divert attention from questions about Israel's nuclear program.


Nuking the Mullahs by Philip Giraldi
The truth is that Israel is fast becoming a pariah nation, like South Africa before the final collapse of apartheid, because no one any longer accepts the legitimacy of its settlement growth and occupation policies. Like South Africa, the Israeli response to criticism has been to become more reactionary and inward looking, constructing a police state internally and waging unending war against its neighbors to maintain cohesion against foreign enemies....To be sure, there is a certain danger in isolating the Israelis too much as it could easily feed the always present Masada complex that might influence a dangerously unstable government to take action that might include exploiting its nuclear arsenal in search of Armageddon


US Generals and Admirals Who Have Accepted Free Trips to Israel
We, the undersigned, have traveled to Israel over the years with The Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA). We brought with us our decades of military experience and, following unrestricted access to Israel's civilian and military leaders, came away with the unswerving belief that the security of the State of Israel is a matter of great importance to the United States and its policy in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean Anyone that signed onto that is a traitor to the United States of America.


Youth despair as Gaza jobless rate hits 60 per cent



Police smash Israeli organ-trafficking ring
They had to do something since they had to stop stealing the organs of Palestinians..


Commentary: Armchair warriors
Three former CENTCOM commanders, now retired, with expert knowledge of the Middle East and all the key players, have said that learning to live with Iran as a nuclear power is wiser than bombing Iran. Israel wants us to attack Iran. Beware.


Obama: Israel should sign NPT



Israeli groups fight orders allowing army to jail West Bank residents
"The orders … are worded so broadly such as theoretically allowing the military to empty the West Bank of almost all its Palestinian inhabitants," said the 10 rights groups


Netanyahu cancels trip to Obama's nuclear summit



Hamas orders Gaza smuggling tunnels shut
Hamas ordered the tunnels closed late Tuesday, hours after Israel told its citizens to leave Sinai, saying it had "concrete" evidence that militants were trying to kidnap Israelis.


ElBaradei: Israeli occupation only understands force
The former International Atomic Energy Agency leader criticized the fence which Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak set up along the Gaza Strip border. The fence "hurts Egypt's reputation," he said. "It appears to be participation in the siege of Gaza, which has become the world's largest prison."


76 Senators sign on to Israel letter
More than three quarters of the U.S. Senate, including 38 Democrats, have signed on to a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton implicitly rebuking the Obama Administration for its confrontational stance toward Israel.


Mossad Operation Threatened Against Reporter
The Shin Bet claims that Mr. Blau is holding hundreds of classified documents, including some reported to relate to Operation Cast Lead, Israel’s attack on Gaza in winter 2008 in which the army is widely believed to have violated the rules of war.


Israel tells its citizens to get out of Sinai now



.Obama voices frustration on stalled Mideast peace



Now It Is Told: An Israeli Story Of Secrecy and Censorship
“Ladies and gentlemen, we are living in Iran,” blogger Shooky Galili responded in a post on Twitter. Over the next two weeks, at least a dozen other Israelis published blog posts, Tweeted and created Facebook pages about the Kamm story. In each case, the post, Tweet or page was taken down within hours.



In Israel, reality hides under a 'top secret' stamp



Israel lifts gag order on ex-soldier spy case
Israel lifted months of censorship on a military espionage case Thursday, confirming the house arrest of a former female soldier charged with leaking more than 2,000 military documents to a newspaper.



Israel's nuclear standoff
What Israeli officials are not talking about is the most probable reason behind this cancellation – Netanyahu's unwillingness to stop settlements in East Jerusalem, despite US requests.


Obama recalls bunker-buster bomb kits to bar Israeli strike on Iran



Worry That New Sanctions Will Not Curb Iran’s Nuclear Goals
As another set of sanctions against Iran makes its way through the United Nations — the fourth in as many years — heads of American Jewish organizations and pro-Israel foreign policy analysts are wondering if these or any other measures will really be able to change the behavior of the regime in Tehran.


America’s Loose Nukes in Israel
In the early 1960s, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) began documenting suspicious lapses in NUMEC’s security, inexplicably lax record-keeping, and the ongoing presence of large numbers of Israelis at the plant. Very interesting article.


Lieberman: U.S. Should Attack Iran's Nuclear Program If All Else Fails
Regarding Israel, Lieberman says some of the steps Obama has taken, such as demanding a freeze on the building of Israeli settlements, don’t help the peace process and are in fact “missteps.” Come again?


Medvedev: Israeli strike on Iran to lead to global catastrophe



Netanyahu: Iran wants to destroy Israel and the world remains silent
Israel=Chicken Little


Why Are American Jewish Groups So Intent on Defending Illegal Israeli Settlements and Other Human Rights Violations?
this coalition of Jewish groups does not contest any of the facts. Without offering any evidence, they dismiss findings by reputable organizations like the Red Cross, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International. Instead of condemning these human rights violations, they prefer to misinform the public by suggesting that it is somehow wrong to "take sides" against universally recognized injustice. ....In effect they are calling on students not to apply the same principles applied elsewhere to Israel. These groups want us to ignore reality and to allow Israel to be the one and only human rights violator that escapes accountability and condemnation. Israel and its defenders everywhere are the worst supremacists and hypocrites this world has ever seen.


Why Netanyahu Canceled His DC Visit, and Why the GOP Is Applauding
Ever since Netanyahu's government took office, there has been a never-ending stream of stories from unnamed sources taking shots at the Obama administration, trying to undermine its standing with the Israeli public, and sending the signal to the Likud echo chamber stateside to swing into action. This would appear to be the latest example and who better today than Liz Cheney to be on the receiving end of the Netanyahu long ball.


Jewish Groups Ask Feds To Change Policy and Include Antisemitism
Jewish groups have grown increasingly vocal in recent years over what they see as a surge in campus antisemitism. The University of California, Irvine, an Orange County campus that has garnered national attention for the aggressive anti-Israel activism of its Muslim student group, has emerged as a focus of Jewish communal concerns. Notice how anti-Israeli sentiment becomes 'anti-Semitism'.


International Attention Focused on Berkeley Divestment Vote
AIPAC has recently stated the need for a strategy to combat anti-Israel sentiments on U.S. university campuses.


The Israelis Next Door



"Hebron"Border Policeman Burns Palestinian Teacher with Cigarette



"Hebron"Old City Celebrates in a Gesture of Solidarity



Israel Builds Another Barrier, This One To Bar Illegal African Immigrants
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has presented the decision as necessary to protect Israel’s Jewish majority. In statements released by his office, he argued that the problem with Israel’s southwest border is that, since it is one of the few places where people journeying on foot from Africa can enter a Western country, many Africans go there to sneak into Israel......Yaakov Katz, a lawmaker with the right-wing National Union party, told the Forward that he considers sealing the southwest border “a million times more important” than the conflict with the Palestinians, given the project’s long-term ramifications for the state. “In the last 100 years, the Jewish people has built here a Jewish state. Within 10 years infiltrators could cause this to go down the drain,”


Turkey: World is turning a blind eye to Israel's nuclear weapons
Recep Tayyip Erdogan remarked that Iran's nuclear program is being scrutinized because of its membership in the International Atomic Energy Agency whereas Israel, which has not signed a nonproliferation treaty, is free to do what it wants.


Can Obama erase ‘Bush nostalgia’ in the Middle East
Now as then, US policy continues to be anchored by a cynical bargain with Arab autocrats: If they faithfully support US regional objectives, the US turns a blind eye to their suppression of domestic dissent. It’s business as usual.





Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Headlines for April 1 - April 7

A Stand For Justice


Yahoo News Video: Palestinian Christians locked out of Jerusalem
Thousands of pilgrims come to Jerusalem from around the world to celebrate Easter on the very grounds where it all happened. But this year, some Christians nearby won't be taking part.


Ambassador Oren Israel protects US troops
Speaking in an interview with CNN, Oren said that if Israel did not exist, extremists in the region would join Al-Qaeda in its anti-American sentiment. "The US is much safer thanks to Israeli-American cooperation," he said. Is this some kind of a sick joke? America is a target of Al-Qaeda because of our support for Israel. It was the primary motivation of Khaled Shaikh Mohammed, the mastermind of 911.


Israel Gags News on Extra-Judicial Killings
An Israeli journalist remains under house arrest and another lives abroad, after they broke news on Israeli undercover units carrying out assassinations or "targeted killings" of non-combatant Palestinian political opponents. These documents outlined how Israeli assassination squads would plan the killing of Palestinian political leaders and fighters months beforehand and then pass their deaths off as "mishaps" during "failed" attempts to arrest them.



Palestinian official: U.S. bid to revive Mideast talks at dead-end
"But it appears that all the consultations that have happened with the Israeli government and the American administration and other states have reached a dead end with Israeli positions insisting on a continuation of settlement."


Video: Israeli Police ransack Palestinian homes and damage belonging



Israeli planes and helicopters mount Gaza attacks
Four air strikes blew up two caravans near the town of Khan Younis, witnesses and Hamas officials said. There were no casualties in this attack. A fifth missile hit a cheese factory in Gaza City, setting it on fire, the witnesses and Hamas officials said. Hospital officials said two children were slightly wounded by flying debris.




Turkish PM: We cannot ignore murder of Gaza's children
"We cannot watch the murder of children in Gaza with indifference. This is not humane," said Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose repeated criticism of Israel recently sparked a diplomatic row between the countries.


Israel lets clothes, shoes into besieged Gaza
Israel allowed a shipment of clothes and shoes to enter the Hamas–ruled Gaza Strip on Sunday for the first time in nearly two years, a Palestinian border official said.



Tuwani Update: March, 2010
During March Palestinians encountered frequent harassment by Israeli soldiers and settlers in Khalli, an area of Palestinian-owned land located at the edge of Tuwani village and close to the settlement of Ma'on.


Holy Fire brings Jerusalem Easter to joyful climax
A mass influx of Russian and other visitors from the former Soviet bloc, and the absence of many Palestinians denied permits from Israel to enter the Old City, confirmed the changing face of Christian rites in Jerusalem since the fall of Communism.



Hamas signals it wants to keep Gaza quiet
Hamas made this known just hours after Israeli aircraft pounded multiple targets in the territory in response to the latest rocket attack on southern Israel. Three Palestinian children were wounded in one of the Israeli airstrikes....Most of the recent militant attacks have been claimed by groups considered more radical than Hamas who accuse Gaza's ruling movement of going soft on its main rallying cry of armed confrontation with Israel.



What War with Iran Means by Patrick J. Buchanan
As to who starts it, we know the answer. Tehran has not started a war in memory and is not going to launch a suicide attack on a superpower with thousands of nuclear weapons. As with Iraq in 2003, the war will be launched by the United States against a nation that did not attack us — to strip it of weapons it does not have. We know who is behind this war too. Can't say you weren't in the know this time.


Obama: Evidence Shows Iran is Developing Nukes
U.S. and Israeli efforts are focused on convincing Beijing that the best alternative to preventing a nuclear Iran and a military operation targeting it would be to agree to more severe sanctions - without actively supporting these.....The head of Israel's Military Intelligence, Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin, recently traveled to China and relayed to his hosts details of the Iran's progress toward nuclear arms.


White House in calming message to U.S. Jews: Obama is Israel's friend
National Security Council Middle East Senior Director Dan Shapiro stressed to American Jews that that the U.S. did not intend to insist that Israel halt construction in East Jerusalem................Shapiro said that Iran is the most important national security issue facing the United States and that no one should doubt the determination of the U.S. to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Really now. And how did Iran become the number 1 American national security issue? Two words: Israeli lobby. Israel's problems become OUR problems.


Kristol: ‘Better’ for US to attack Iran than if Israel did
The Obama administration should be seriously considering a strike on Iran, according to neoconservative Fox News contributor Bill Kristol. An Israeli Deputy Defense Minister said last week that he expected Israel would have to attack Iran within a year. Kristol believes it would be better for the US to attack first.
Kristol should be deported to his true homeland - Israel. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.


Iran vows to strike Israel immediately if attacked



Israeli FM warns Palestinians not to declare state
Lieberman warned that if Palestinians declared independence, Israel could revoke 1990s peace agreements or annex parts of the West Bank.



Palestinians: IDF drops leaflets over Gaza warning of imminent attack
Witnesses said the flyers were dropped in several locations on the border of the salient, including the area east of Khan Younis, where two IDF soldiers and two militants were killed in a clash last weekend. Meanwhile, Israel Navy patrol boats opened fire at a Palestinian fishing vessel off the coast of Gaza early Thursday, an IDF spokesman in Tel Aviv said


'British MPs seek review of arms exports to Israel'
"It is regrettable that arms exports to Israel were almost certainly used in Operation Cast Lead," The Guardian quoted a report published by the Commons committee on strategic export controls.


Report: Algeria arrests Mossad agent with fake Spanish passport
Ennahar El Djadid went on to report that the man has a good command of Arabic, is well acquainted with the city, and even participated in the Muslim prayers in the Bilal Ibn Rabah mosque.


Jewish leader doubts Carter's apology after ex-president's recent comments on Israel
A prominent Jewish leader criticized former President Jimmy Carter on Monday, blasting Carter for saying in a speech this month that the U.S. government has "yielded excessively" to Israel.
Abraham Foxman, the national director of the Anti–Defamation League, said that Carter's comments during a recent conference on U.S.–Arab relations suggest that he was not sincere in a 2009 apology to the Jewish community. The real issue is: why did Carter issue the apology in the first place? He speaks the truth.


Rule by Law or Defiance
Because Israel controls our Congress, the President is essentially powerless to confront the forces that maneuver behind the scenes to thwart any U.S. government, Republican or Democrat, from moving toward a just and balanced resolution of the Israel/Palestinian conflict.


Jordan King: Israel's long-term future is in jeopardy



Fallout: Electoral Impact of US-Israeli Tensions
Obama could cross a red line that severely risked Israel's security. That would undercut his Jewish backing. But no modern president has broadly shifted away from the US–Israeli alliance. And there is no indication Obama would veer widely from that precedent. Such a move would, in political terms, likely risk more than his Jewish support.



Almost a Reprieve from the Israeli Occupation



Communal Groups Mobilize Against ‘Delegitimizers’ of Jewish State
‘De-legitimization’ is just another way to invoke antisemitism as a silencer, but sounds better because [it’s] less exploitative of emotional pain.”....Israeli officials and participants from major Jewish organizations and federations discussed the possibility of creating and funding a mechanism to track and respond to what they see as delegitimization efforts. Good luck.


Heeding Hillary’s Words
From the results, we learn that American Jews, by a 4-1 margin (82%-18%), support the United States playing an active role in helping the parties to resolve the conflict, and by a 63%-37% margin, those who support American activism say they would continue their support even “if it meant the United States exerting pressure on Israel to make the compromises necessary to achieve peace.” Then you ought to do something about it before it's too late.


Peace for Israelis and Palestinians Not without America's tough love
A legitimate question is, Why should I care? Americans are heavily involved in the conflict: from funding (the US provides Israel with roughly $3 billion annually in military aid) to corporate investments (Microsoft has one of its major facilities in Israel) to diplomatic support (the US has vetoed 32 United Nations Security Council resolutions unsavory to Israel between 1982 and 2006). God bless you, kid.


Why there are no ‘Israelis’ in the Jewish state
“There are even two laws -- the Law of Return for Jews and the Citizenship Law for Arabs -- that determine how you belong to the state,” he said. “What kind of democracy divides its citizens into two kinds?”


An Israeli General Explains Why Stopping Iran Requires a Real Settlement Freeze
Haaretz has two opinion essays right now arguing that Israel should freeze construction because it needs to stop Iran’s nuclear project and it needs America to lead the effort. Bingo. See last news batch for more. Also take notice of reason number 9.


Israel's deadly legacy still lurks in Lebanon
Most of the victims are sappers, farmers and unsuspecting children, who mistake the shiny objects for toys.



Major Jewish American Organizations Defend Israel's Humiliation of America






Saturday, April 3, 2010

Headlines for March 25 - March 31

A Stand For Justice


Palestinian teen killed as Israelis fire on Gaza protests



2 Israeli soldiers, 1 Palestinian killed in Gaza
Two Israeli soldiers and a Palestinian civilian were killed.



With U.S.-Israel ties strained, Obama may make bold move

The administration is said to be preparing a major peace initiative that would be Obama's most direct involvement in the conflict to date, and would go far beyond the tentative, indirect Israeli-Palestinian talks that were torpedoed earlier in the month.


The Crisis That Wasn’t by Philip Giraldi
Clinton did make one intriguing comment, perhaps not completely understanding the implications of what she was saying: "We cannot escape the impact of mass communications." She meant that many people have now become concerned about what is going on in Israel and Palestine because of what appears on the internet. But if Israel were truly the cowboy in the white hat upholding truth and justice that would hardly matter, would it? In reality, the narrative of Israeli exceptionalism and entitlement that has been carefully shaped by the Israeli government and its friends in the mainstream media has been thoroughly discredited by alternative sources of information made available through the internet


UN chief says Israeli settlement activities illegal



A Defining Moment by Philip Giraldi
Earlier this week a letter signed by 300 Congressmen pledged commitment to the “unbreakable bond that exists between the US and the State of Israel.” The public, God bless them, have no ability to overturn Congressional knee jerk support for Israel, and besides, the ability of the MSM to control the coverage of the issue means that most Americans will have no clue that there is any school of thought that Israel constitutes a liability.


TUBA RELEASE: Israeli soldiers ransack Palestinian homes and damage belongings in Tuba village



AT-TUWANI RELEASE: Israeli army subjects Palestinian school children to verbal abuse and fails to safely escort them to and from school
The children require a military escort to and from school because of
repeated attacks by Israeli settlers from Ma’on settlement and Havat
Ma’on outpost. When the Israeli military does not arrive on time to
accompany the children, they must wait in an area of de facto settler
control, a location where settlers have attacked the young Palestinian
children on a number of occasions in the past.


Nearly 300 Congress members declare commitment to 'unbreakable' U.S.-Israel bond
Read the letter they signed contained in the article. This is treason. Our support for Israel was the reason given by the mastermind of the attack on 911.


Israel fears Obama heading for imposed Mideast settlement
It is not just Obama's demands that are perceived as problematic, but also the new modus operandi of American diplomacy. The fact that the White House and State Department have been in contact with Israel's European allies, first and foremost Germany, is seen as part of an effort to isolate Israel and put enormous political pressure on it.....Israeli officials warn that if the United States shirks its past commitments, the willingness of the Israeli public to put its trust in future American guarantees will be undermined - as will the superpower's regional and international standing. Oh the horror of anyone attempting to tell poor little Israel to stop stealing its neighbor's land, destroying existing housing on said neighbor's land, and other acts that are not only immoral but a violation of international law.


Bibi’s Hollow Victory by Patrick J. Buchanan
“This is starting to get dangerous for us,” Biden reportedly told Netanyahu. “What you’re doing here undermines the security of our troops who are fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
Yedioth Ahronoth further reported: “The vice president told his Israeli hosts that since many people in the Muslim world perceived a connection between Israel’s actions and U.S. policy, any decision about construction that undermines Palestinian rights in East Jerusalem could have an impact on the personal safety of American troops.”



Saudi: Israel's arrogance challenges the world
Saudi Arabia on Wednesday condemned Israel's "arrogant" policies of building settlements in east Jerusalem, saying they violated the rights of Arabs and Muslims and cast doubt on its seriousness in peace negotiations.



Oil rises near $84 with weak US dollar



Obama aides: US bond with Israel remains strong
David Axelrod tells CNN's "State of the Union" that Israel is a close and valued friend of the United States. He says there's an unshakable bond but that sometimes blunt talk is part of friendship.



Israel limits access to Al-Aqsa as Passover starts
Israel usually locks down the West Bank during Jewish holidays and has been especially wary in recent months as Palestinians clashed with security forces in and around Al–Aqsa.



Christian pilgrims mark Palm Sunday in Jerusalem
Most West Bank Palestinians were banned from Jerusalem Sunday in keeping with standing Israeli regulations. Palestinians and backers demanding free access to the holy city briefly broke through a crossing between the West Bank town of Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Police drove them back and arrested 12


Al Khalil/Hebron: Soldiers invade home, detain 13-year-old girl



Barak: US Gives Israel Aid, Ammunition and Vital Spare Parts
"Even when there are disagreements between friends – and there are also disagreements – it is vital that we remember that the US is friendly toward Israel in a deep and basic sense,” Barak explained. “It is the US we turn to when there is a Goldstone Report; it is the US we turn to when an intervention or veto is needed in the [UN] Security Council and it was there that we found support and backing in every central crisis in Israel's history, from the War of Independence onward.” They use us to abet their crimes against their neighbors. It got us 911. And it's all possible thanks to the Israeli lobby and its overwhelming influence over our government.


Dispute with Israel underscores limits of U.S. power, a shifting alliance
President Obama and his aides have cast the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, not just the relationship with Israel, as a core U.S. national security interest. Gen. David H. Petraeus, the head of the military's Central Command, put it starkly in recent testimony on Capitol Hill: "The conflict foments anti-American sentiment due to a perception of U.S. favoritism toward Israel." His comments raised eyebrows in official Washington -- and overseas -- because they suggested that U.S. military officials were embracing the idea that failure to resolve the conflict had begun to imperil American lives. Petraeus speaks the truth. Our support for Israel (and its policies of apartheid and colonialism) has cost us Americans dearly - in more ways than one.


U.S. seeks 4-month Jerusalem building freeze: report



Lengthy talks fail to resolve US-Israeli tensions
Netanyahu offered no concessions during his visit on an earlier plan to build 1,600 homes for Jews in the disputed part of the city. Netanyahu's government has refused to back off steady expansion of Jewish neighborhoods in the majority Arab city section.


Analysis: Netanyahu's choice: Peace or settlements



The Four Questions About Israel’s Future
Unlike the days of my parents, Israel, stronger than ever, now has peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, who, along with other Arab states, also fear Iran. We also have a strong bond with the United States, which is determined to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. What we need to do is quickly restore trust between Jerusalem and Washington, so we can face the Iranian threat together. Oh hell no. Someone needs to tell these people to fight their own battles. America has enough problems of its own right now.


A Confrontation That Was Inevitable
Either way the message is the same: America has gone to great lengths to defend Israel’s security. How far will Israel go to protect America’s security? They won't do a damned thing.


Senor Decides Against Running for Senate, Citing Family and Business
“Start-up Nation” presents Israel in an extremely positive light as a bastion of entrepreneurial spirit and technological achievement. It skirts a discussion of the conflict with the Palestinians, or even the wealth inequality within Israel, thereby dovetailing nicely with recent public relations efforts by Israel to shift attention away from its problems and toward its achievements. Isn't it nice how so many of our current and would-be politicians - particularly those that push and have pushed us to take on Iraq and Iran- have such strong ties to Israel?


Syria, Libya pressure Palestinians to quit talks
Syria and Libya teamed up Sunday to pressure the Palestinian leader to quit peace talks with Israel and return to violence, delegates to an Arab leadership summit said. An adviser to the U.S.–backed Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, quickly rejected the suggestion, calling for the 22 nations represented at the gathering in Sirte, Libya, to be "realistic."


Helen Thomas on Obama, the WH Press Corps, and More
DC's most experienced journalist says Obama lost credibility when he dodged question on Israeli nukes


'I was stabbed in the back,' says soldier who used human shield in Gaza
The soldiers, who served as staff sergeants in the Givati Brigade during Operation Cast Lead, allegedly forced a 9-year-old Palestinian boy to open a number of bags they thought might contain explosive materials. The bags turned out to be harmless.



Binyamin Netanyahu humiliated after Barack Obama 'dumped him for dinner'
After failing to extract a written promise of concessions on settlements, Mr Obama walked out of his meeting with Mr Netanyahu but invited him to stay at the White House, consult with advisers and “let me know if there is anything new”, a US congressman, who spoke to the Prime Minister, said.
“It was awful,” the congressman said. 'Awful'? Really. Just who does this Congressman work for anyway? Did not Netanyahu humiliate the US when it announced those settlement plans JUST as Biden had come in to kick off the start of the peace process? Ridiculous.


Sarah Palin, Neocon Messiah
Sarah Palin has a passionate attachment to Israel and is thus the darling of the neocons.


Scott Horton Interviews Lt. General Robert G. Gard, Jr.
Lt. General Robert G. Gard, Jr., Chairman of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, discusses Israel’s ability to drag the US into a war with Iran, the difficulty of destroying Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility even with bunker-busting bombs, Pentagon war games that exposed serious US vulnerabilities to Iranian retaliation, the need to vastly reduce the number of nuclear weapons in the US and Russia and why the aircraft carrier-based US Navy is becoming obsolete.


Netanyahu and Obama are at point of no return
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has decisively supported General David Petraeus, the first American military man in years to describe Israel as a strategic burden on the U.S. Gates said America's rivals in the Middle East are abusing the standstill of the political process between Israel and the Arabs. He stressed that he had no doubt a lack of peace in the region was influencing American interests there.


Exclusive / Despite row, U.S. and Israel sign massive arms deal
Each aircraft costs $70 million. The aircrafts were manufactured specifically for Israeli needs, and include a large number of systems produced by Israel's defense industry. The deal will be covered by American foreign assistance funds.


Amid Public Clash, U.S. Moves Israel Closer to Talks
In her speech to AIPAC, Clinton also articulated aloud, for the first time to this crowd, Washington’s new specificity regarding the requirements of a final agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. That agreement, she told the pro-Israel activists, will be “based on the ‘67 lines, with agreed swaps, and Israel’s goal of a Jewish state with secure and recognized borders that reflect subsequent developments and meet Israel’s security requirements.”


Forgetting About the Rest of the World
Do you see a growing interest in China within Israeli society?

I think mostly from the economic point of view. There is a deep appreciation of China as a growing, emerging power. More and more Israelis are turning themselves toward China, studying Chinese and wanting to do business with China. My son and his girlfriend are living here in Wuhan. She is from Kibbutz Tzuba in Israel and is studying Chinese here for a year
As soon as America finally tanks under the massive economic weight of being bogged down in endless wars in the Midde East, the Zionists turn their ships toward China, the up-and-coming superpower that will take the place of America - like rats deserting a sinking ship. And it was a prediction I made in 2003 that has finally come true - once done using American blood and treasure to the point America falls, the Israel-lovers will kick us to the curb and find another superpower to use.


Understanding the Physics of AIPAC
the global environment isn’t as favorable for stiff Israeli resistance as it was in Shamir’s day. Israel is more isolated in 2010 and more dependent on American support. Its claim that it doesn’t have a credible Palestinian partner has fewer takers. And there’s a growing sense of urgency. Time is running out on the two-state solution, because of changes in demography as well as land-use. Impatience over the deadlock and fear of what might come next are growing, on the Arab street, in Western capitals and even in the Pentagon.


Purim in East Jerusalem: How Can We Sing Baruch Goldstein's Song in Sheikh Jarrah?



Israeli Intelligence, Our Constant Companion
The 21 documents, obtained by Grant F. Smith, a Washington, D.C. author who has made a career out of writing critical books on Israeli spying and lobbying, detail the FBI’s investigation into the theft of a confidential U.S. document on the Reagan administration’s position going into the 1984 U.S.-Israel Free Trade Area Negotiations.
Acting on a complaint that the document was circulating on Capitol Hill, the FBI discovered that an Israeli diplomat had acquired the paper and given it to officials at AIPAC, the lobbying group whose annual convention drew both Netanyahu and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton this week.


Arab League chief urges closer ties with Iran
The push to engage Tehran seems to be at least partly fueled by Arab frustration over Washington's failure to get Israel to back down on plans for more Jewish settlements on land the Palestinians want for a future state.


Turkey makes case against sanctions on Iran
In an apparently veiled reference to Israel, the Turkish leader referred to another country in the region that possessed nuclear weapons.


Israel could use tactical nukes on Iran: thinktank
Preparing the US sheep for the war we're about to get dragged into?


Saudi: Israel's arrogance challenges the world
Mullen added that he had been in contact with IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi twice this week and that the U.S. was concerned with Israel's security because:
"It is in our national interests obviously or we wouldn't be so engaged... the United States has considered peace in the Middle East to be a national security interest for decades." To further demonstrate the obeisance to Israel on the part of America's government officials. Petraeus (and Mullen) drop into a low kowtow.


Video: An Act of Treason by Members of the United States Congress?
Short, but good. The link to the letter appearing in Haaretz is included in this news batch.


The Ugly Head of America
The hatred and anger towards Muslims in this country and around the world has gone beyond the tipping point. This is not acceptable. The hatred of Islam, Muslims and Arabs is fostered and put forth, in my opinion, by Israel's lobby here in America. It is a means to conflate Israel's enemies with our own, thus making Israel's enemies our enemies.


"Reporting" on Iran Should Seem Familiar
This misleading "reporting" is hardly confined to Fox News Israel's friends in the media are beating the drums of war.