Articles

Report: NATO Warships Shell Red Crescent Building in Misrata
May 14, 2011
Libya
NOVANEWS   antiwar.com   Unconfirmed reports from Libyan state television have reported that NATO warships fired shells into the city ...Read more
What’s So Important About a Declaration of War?
May 14, 2011
Libya
NOVANEWS   by Tom Mullen   Presidential hopeful Ron Paul insists that the U.S. government shouldn’t go to war without ...Read more
Report: NATO Air Strike in Brega Kills 11 Imams
May 14, 2011
Libya
NOVANEWS   antiwar.com   According to reports coming out of the disputed city, a NATO air strike has hit a peace ...Read more
Turkey to IsraHell–’The Mediterranean does not belong to any nation’
May 14, 2011
ZIO-NAZI
NOVANEWS   Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned Israel against repeating “the same mistake” ahead of the Gaza-bound flotilla scheduled ...Read more
Has Tide Turned in Favor of Assad Government?
May 14, 2011
Syria
NOVANEWS   Assad Government Appears to Have Weathered Current Storm by Franklin Lamb (Damascus Syria) -  As many of us observe the ...Read more
Gilad Atzmon @ Munir Muhammad TV Show (Chicago)
May 14, 2011
Politics
NOVANEWS   GILAD ATZMON ON MUNIR MOHAMMED TV CHICAGO We spoke about Israel, Palestine, music, collective brutality, the 1st Lebanon ...Read more
Late-onset Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
May 14, 2011
USA
NOVANEWS On February 15, 2001, Sonia Reich fled her home in Skokie, Illinois, insisting that someone was trying to kill her ...Read more
AIPAC 101: What Every American Should Know
May 14, 2011
Campaigns
NOVANEWS   The AIPAC circus is coming to town, Washington, May 22nd to May 24th, 2011. By Anthony Lawson The AIPAC ...Read more
A. Loewenstein Online Newsletter
May 14, 2011
Middle East
NOVANEWS Dark words of a private contractor in Afghanistan Arab and Israeli school within Israel is a true rarity Obama ...Read more
Mondoweiss Online Newsletter
May 14, 2011
Middle East
NOVANEWS   ‘Is this is what the most moral army in the world does!?’: An American student describes being shot ...Read more
Blackwater forms spy group in US
May 14, 2011
USA
NOVANEWS   Executives from Blackwater military firm form new intelligence agency. The notorious military contractor formerly known as Blackwater along ...Read more
US seeks to bomb Libya past deadline
May 14, 2011
Libya
NOVANEWS     U.S. President Barack Obama and his legal advisers are deliberating about how the United States military may ...Read more

Report: NATO Warships Shell Red Crescent Building in Misrata

NOVANEWS

 

antiwar.com
 

Unconfirmed reports from Libyan state television have reported that NATO warships fired shells into the city of Misrata today, damaging a Red Crescent building in the mostly rebel-held town.

The number of casualties was unclear. The strike was apparently an accident, as NATO confirmed that warships fired on Libyan government ground troops in the city earlier in the day.

The Red Crescent has been largely responsible for the distribution of food and medical aid in Misrata during a siege of the city by regime forces. UN has intermittently delivered food aid via sea route into the city, but has said lately that the fighting has kept the aid out.

NATO forces have been hitting Libya with air strikes and naval shelling since March. The forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi control most of the West of the nation, while rebels hold the East, with a capital city in Benghazi.

What’s So Important About a Declaration of War?

NOVANEWS
 
by Tom Mullen
 

Presidential hopeful Ron Paul insists that the U.S. government shouldn’t go to war without a declaration of war. His son Rand has also taken this position, as have several libertarian-leaning Tea Party candidates. According to the U.S. Constitution, Congress is invested with the power to declare war. These constitutionalists say that obtaining a declaration should be a requirement before military action is authorized.

I’m not sure that this is resonating with those who are unfamiliar with what a declaration of war means. For most people, the declaration of war is a formality whereby the president makes sure that Congress agrees to the use of the military. Some might even go so far as to say it is the president “asking permission” from Congress to do so. By this reasoning, both Presidents Bush and Obama have complied, especially considering H.J. Res. 114 of October 2002. With that resolution, Congress authorized the president to use military force in the war on terror. What is the difference between that and a declaration of war?

The answer is both intuitive and supported by history. First, a “declaration” has nothing to do with “permission.” Neither is it the same thing as creation or initiation. One can only declare something that already exists. Therefore, a declaration of war does not create a war or initiate a war. A declaration of war is a resolution passed by Congress recognizing that the United States is already at war.

The intent of the declaration-of-war power is for the government to have an adjudication process for war analogous to a criminal trial for domestic crimes. Evidence must be presented that the nation in question has committed overt acts of war against the United States. The Congress must deliberate on that evidence and then vote on whether or not a state of war exists. The actual declaration of war is analogous to a conviction at a criminal trial. The Congress issues the “verdict” and the president is called upon to employ the military. To wage war without a declaration of war is akin to a lynching: there has been no finding of guilt before force has been employed in response.

Herein lies the difference between H.J. Res. 114 and a declaration of war. In order for President Bush to have obtained a declaration of war against Iraq, he would have had to present his case that Iraq had already committed overt acts of war against the United States. Like a prosecutor, he would have had to convince the “jury” (Congress) that Iraq was guilty—not of “possessing weapons of mass destruction” but of having already committed aggression against the United States. Obviously, he would not have been able to do this. In fact, the absence of any overt acts of war by the nations in question is the reason that there were no declarations of war against Korea, Vietnam, Bosnia, or any other nation that the U.S. government has waged war against since WWII.

The declaration-of-war power requires the government to obey the moral principle that no individual or group may initiate force against another. It mandates that before the executive can launch a military action against another nation, a separate body must deliberate on evidence and agree that said nation has committed aggression against the United States. Only then is waging war justified.

This interpretation is supported by every declaration of war in U.S. history. Here are two examples.

When James Polk asked Congress to declare war on Mexico in 1846, he said the following:

“But now, after reiterated menaces, Mexico has passed the boundary of the United States, has invaded our territory and shed American blood upon the American soil. She has proclaimed that hostilities have commenced, and that the two nations are now at war.

“As war exists, and, notwithstanding all our efforts to avoid it, exists by the act of Mexico herself, we are called upon by every consideration of duty and patriotism to vindicate with decision the honor, the rights, and the interests of our country. …

“In further vindication of our rights and defense of our territory, I invoke the prompt action of Congress to recognize the existence of the war, and to place at the disposition of the Executive the means of prosecuting the war with vigor, and thus hastening the restoration of peace.” [Emphasis added.]

After reviewing Polk’s request, Congress issued the following declaration of war [.pdf]:

“Whereas, by the act of the Republic of Mexico, a state of war exists between that Government and the United States: Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of American in Congress assembled, That for the purpose of enabling the government of the United States to prosecute said war to a speedy and successful termination….” [Emphasis added.]

Note the words in bold. The state of war already exists because of the act of the Republic of Mexico.

Americans are probably most familiar with the last occasion on which the United States declared war. In what may have been the only constitutional act of his entire presidency, President Franklin Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan during this famous speech:

“Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Senate, and of the House of Representatives:

“Yesterday, December 7th, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

“The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.… Yesterday, the Japanese government also launched an attack against Malaya. Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong. Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam. Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands. Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island. And this morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island. I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire.”

In response, Congress resolved [.pdf],

“Whereas the Imperial Government of Japan has committed unprovoked acts of war against the Government and the people of the United States of America: Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the state of war between the United States and the Imperial Government of Japan which has thus been thrust upon the United States is hereby formally declared; and the President is hereby authorized and directed to employ the entire naval and military forces of the United States and the resources of the Government to carry on war against the Imperial Government of Japan; and, to bring the conflict to a successful termination, all of the resources of the country are hereby pledged by the Congress of the United States.”

Every other past declaration of war by the United States government follows exactly this format. The president presents evidence. The Congress votes on the validity of that evidence. It declares that war already exists. It then directs the president to use the military to end the war.

Had this constitutional process been followed, the United States would not have been involved in the wars in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia, or Afghanistan. The declaration-of-war power ensures that the U.S. government never initiates force but only uses the military to defend its citizens against an aggressor.

Following the Constitution on this point would have kept the United States out of every war since World War II and prevented the U.S. government from running up a large portion of its current debt. Abiding by the nonaggression principle is not only moral, but also cost-effective.

During the South Carolina Republican primary debate on May 5, Herman Cain articulated his position on the government’s war powers. He stated that, as president, he would not involve the U.S. military in war unless three criteria were met:

1. There was a clear objective.
2. There was a verifiable U.S. interest in question.
3. There was a clear path to victory.

While his comments clearly excited the audience panel interviewed after the debate, Adolph Hitler’s wars would have satisfied these requirements. Are those the only criteria upon which the U.S. government should base its decision to go to war? How about, “They attacked us”? That should be the one and only casus belli.

Going to war without a declaration of war is not only aggression against the nation in question, but also against every U.S. taxpayer. The only argument that can be made for taxing a free people is that taxation is necessary to underwrite the protection of their lives, liberties, and properties. The only reason that they should be compelled to pay for a war is if a state of war exists between them and another nation. To tax them for a war fought for other reasons, including defending people other than themselves, is to aggress against them. Once the government is allowed to do that, it is time to stop calling the United States “the land of the free.”

Report: NATO Air Strike in Brega Kills 11 Imams

NOVANEWS

 

antiwar.com
 

According to reports coming out of the disputed city, a NATO air strike has hit a peace delegation in Brega, Libya, killing 11 Muslims clerics as they slept. Images of the slain imams were broadcast on Libyan state television.

The state media reported 16 people killed, including the imams, and 40 others wounded when an air strike hit the government “guest house” in the city. This was apparently where the peace delegation was staying.

NATO said it had no information about who was killed in Brega, but confirmed launching a number of air strikes against the city. They insisted the strikes targeted “command and control” centers and did serious damage to the military.

Control of Brega has been regularly contested by the rebels and the regime, and is currently mostly under regime control. It is one of only a handful of cities still being contested as the conflict has ended mostly in a stalemate.

Turkey to IsraHell–’The Mediterranean does not belong to any nation’

NOVANEWS
 

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned Israel against repeating “the same mistake” ahead of the Gaza-bound flotilla scheduled to set sail next month.

In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Davutoglu added that “It is Israel’s responsibility not to implement (a blockade) against Gaza. A fact-finding mission of the UN declared that this … is illegal.”

The Turkish foreign minister further added: ”In the flotilla last year, people were killed 72 miles (116 kilometres) from the coast, so this was in international waters. The Mediterranean does not belong to any nation.”

The Turkish FM said that his government had urged the IHH not to sail last year. ”We can advise, we can say something, but we cannot stop” the flotilla, he said. ”In a democratic society, we cannot stop them”.

Israel’s Ambassador to Turkey Gabby Levy has asked the Turkish government to stop the flotilla scheduled to set sail in the second half of the month of May.

On Monday, US President Barack Obama spoke to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and expressed his hope that Turkey and Israel will find opportunities to improve their relations in the interest of regional stability.

Has Tide Turned in Favor of Assad Government?

NOVANEWS

 

Assad Government Appears to Have Weathered Current Storm

by Franklin Lamb

(Damascus Syria) –  As many of us observe the great Arab and Islamic awakening of 2011 in stunned amazement, as it rapidly spreads across the region,  this observer agrees with those who declare, “ well it’s about time—Godspeed  to the  rebels and goodbye to the despots.”

Indeed, most of the despots had been installed and propped-up by the US government and its allies without many American citizens’ awareness or liking.

What I continue to find in Syria and what I saw during my first 24 hours in Damascus shocked me.  It was not at all what one expected to find having read a fair bit of the Western and some of the Arab media reports, and arriving from the Syria-Lebanon border at Maznaa.

One expected to see fear, tension, and people hiding in homes, ubiquitous police and partially hidden and disguised security personnel in the shadows, watching from behind tinted glassed cars, curtained windows and from roof tops. I expected to see military vehicles, empty streets after dusk, reticence to discuss politics, tense faces on the streets.

None of this was to seen in Syria’s capital and villages to the west.

Today, Damascus is as it always has been during my visits, bustling, clean, parks filled with families and couples, ubiquitous green spaces with beautifully planted and manicured gardens, packed outdoor cafes and coffee houses with young and old seemingly discussing any subject including current events and appearing very much at ease.

The streets of parts of Damascus as late as two in the morning appear like Georgetown on a Friday night. Of course, it did not take long for an American acquaintance to say precisely what I was thinking:  “which American city would anyone feel as carefree and comfortable meandering around at any hour of the day or night with no policeman in site, as in Damascus.  Not my city for sure!”

Life in Damascus, even during this period, is a far cry from Beirut in many aspects including the welcomed fact that Damacene drivers do not insanely honk their horns constantly and insult one another, people actually wear seat belts, drivers stop for red lights and don’t always race their cars if they see 20 feet of unoccupied road space ahead of them and drivers here seem to respect pedestrians and don’t appear to frantically search for every chance to gain an inch on the vehicles next to them by  quickly cutting in front and  pretending not see the other driver.

In short, Damascus appears energetic but relaxed and tension free.

Exactly what is going in some parts of Syria cannot easily be reliably known to foreigners given the sporadic and unverified, often politically skewed reports, but it is clear that the areas visited are normal, at least on the surface.

While lunching this week with old and new friends in a house that was built in 1840  in the heart of Old Damascus and its Souks, near Hamman Al Bakra,  and restored in the mid- 1990’s to its original authenticity, one could not help recalling what history teaches about this special ancient place known for tolerance.

Located near the Jewish quarter of Damascus, we enjoyed a truly divine meal of Mukabbelat (seemingly endless plates of delicious Syrian oeuvres) near an old Synagogue, next to a 12th century Mosque and around the corner from a Byzantium Church.  An old Jewish man taught us with his stories about the brotherliness that existed in this region before the 19th century Zionist colonial enterprise glopped itself onto Palestine and commenced modern history’s most sustained criminal campaign of ethnic cleansing, now in its 7th decade.

Americans in Syria I spoke with, some tourists and a number of students studying Arabic are not alarmed by the ‘travel warnings’ issued from the US Embassy advising them to leave. As in Lebanon Americans here learned long ago that Embassy warnings for them to leave or not visit, appeared more related to periodically punishing Lebanon and its economy for supporting the   Hezbollah led resistance than concern for the safety of US citizens. More times than the State Department wants to admit, both Hezbollah and the Syrian government have not only protected US citizens but also US Embassies as they seek stability in both countries.

With respect to protecting and evacuating Americans from danger in the region, some bright student will, one of these days, write an MA quality thesis on the US State Department’s own performance during the July 2006 war. The research will presumably detail how Americans citizens were left stranded-particularly-but not solely-in the Tyre region of South Lebanon. There is much available data on how those Americans most in need of departure assistance, while sheltering from American bombs and US artillery shells gifted to Israel, got short shrift form their government.

Embassy Beirut failed in 2006, even to publicly protest their bombardment as the huddled Yanks at Tyre port waited for a promised US destroyer to evacuate them. When an American craft finally approached the harbor, it hastily turned tail 180 degrees because the Israeli government ignored US entreaties to “let our people go.”   Memories are still clear and feelings still raw as American citizens recall panicked calls from Tyre to Embassy Beirut and  the notorious American Citizen Services staffer “John” shouting at desperate Americans to “ God damnit, stop tying up our phone lines” and to  “make your own way to Beirut.”  “John” may not have known that the Israelis were targeting convoys of civilians who were desperately trying to do the latter.

Currently, some US citizens in Syria express cynicism about their Embassy issuing ‘warder travel advisories.”  While perhaps generally well meaning, pessimism persists about their real purpose which in the case of Syria are widely believed to be just another political sanction aimed at squeezing the Assad government to stop supporting the Resistance to Israel’s occupation of Palestine. Both the US and Syrian governments know that these “travel advisories” deprive the Syrian economy of millions of dollars per day and much more during the current tourist season.

The American we met all agreed that beautiful Damascus this spring in a great place to be.

The US and its allies, despite good/bad cop statements from President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton, appear to agree with Russia and China that the Assad regime should be pressured to make broad reforms and end corruption but that regimes change is unwarranted, illegal and extremely ill advised.

The Assad government appears to have weathered the current storm.

Many of the demands from outside of Syria for reforms are the same ones that are heard from Baath party officials, and Ministers of the Assad government and from Syrian citizens in many walks of life including students at the Law and Medical colleges in central Damascus.

Several high rankling Syrians, particularly in the offices that work in press, printing, publishing and distribution of government information cogently explained that President Assad himself is leading the fight within the regime for meaningful change and that a majority of the population supports him and want to help change Syria for the better.

Talking with a range of Syrian citizens, one senses a general willingness to believe their President and certain of his advisers and to allow the regime a little more time to make good on its promises.

Syrian Information Minister Adnan Mahmud declared on 5.13.11 that “the coming days will witness a comprehensive national dialogue in various Syrian provinces. The Syrian cabinet is currently preparing to execute a “comprehensive program of political, economic and social reform to serve the people’s interest,” he said in a press conference, according to the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

“In light of the situation that has erupted in some provinces due to armed groups’ killing citizens, terrorizing residents and burning public and private property… army, police and security units have been sent to hunt down those carrying weapons.”

Mahmud also said that the besieged protest epicenter Daraa is not in need of any kind of supplies, adding that “we notified the UN that there is no need for any aid in Daraa.”

Bashar Assad’s regime will likely survive despite some foreign efforts to capitalize on domestic Syrian problems.

One editor of a major Syrian newspaper expressed sentiments that one hears from other Syrian officials and citizens alike:  “We know we must change and please believe me when I say we want change more than you know. We have made mistakes. If our brothers and sisters who are overwhelmingly Syrian patriots will work with us and not turn to anarchy we can bring the change that all of us demand without more delay.”

–THE END

Gilad Atzmon @ Munir Muhammad TV Show (Chicago)

NOVANEWS

 

GILAD ATZMON ON MUNIR MOHAMMED TV CHICAGO

We spoke about Israel, Palestine, music, collective brutality, the 1st Lebanon war and other very interesting topics.

Video streaming by Ustream

Late-onset Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

NOVANEWS

On February 15, 2001, Sonia Reich fled her home in Skokie, Illinois, insisting that someone was trying to kill her — to “put a bullet in [her] head.” It took a year for her son, Chicago Tribune journalist Howard Reich, to understand why she was running the streets of Skokie, fearing for her life: Late-onset PTSD

Turns out that Ms. Reich is a Jewish survivor of the Ukrainian-Russian area known as Beyond the Pale of Settlement begun in the 18th century where Russian Jews became the victims of pogroms, an enterprise of West-Asian anti-Semites and Stalinists which became mindlessly organized to commit deadly violence upon Jews and assorted non-right thinking persons of the last century.

Soviets, Nazis, whatever; militarists and bigots share much in common notwithstanding wars among them.

Sonia Reich, late-onset PTSD survivor

Suddenly, and late in life for Sonia Reich the bystanders and perpetrators of some 60 years ago became a 21st-Century monster terrorizing her.

Ms. Reich’s plight won’t come as any great surprise to any victim of war.

War is always a crime, always an act of terror.

The people who fought wars in the name of the USA, American veterans, in a supreme irony for the world’s greatest purveyor of violence remain the object of scorn and ridicule in our political system.

Running the streets, hiding out in the garage, staying vigilant against ghosts; this is a familiar story in America. Just not a story that many want to hear.

The neocons, Dr. Sally Satel, the American Enterprise Institute, Christian fundamentalists, the Republican Party with much of the Democratic Party in tow, all agree or tacitly accede to the asserted demands that caring for veterans just cost too much money.

And besides Dr. Sally Satel assures us: Trauma, PTSD, psychological problems associated with war aren’t nearly as serious as veterans’ groups say. No cause to expend public capital as though veterans, especially that bunch who served in the Vietnam War, can still have any problems associated with their service.

Here’s an example of the tripe from Satel:

[M]emories of horrible experiences are rarely, if ever, repressed–that is, exiled from consciousness without the victim knowing it and actively kept out of her awareness.

But ask a Vietnam War veteran. Ask a Palestinian in Gaza or the West Bank. Ask a victim of the

Americanwars of the last few decades which seem to have a more provincial benefactor like the state of Israel and its cheerleaders in American society. Ask Sonia Reich.

Ask the veterans before they shoot themselves.

As one angry Vietnam Army combat veteran, Bob Walsh, an attorney who battles the VA every day on behalf of veterans says, “(Veterans) freeze to death on the streets or blow their brains out in the garage. The veterans’ benefits claims system is a national tragedy, and men like (longtime claims specialist with the Veterans Benefits Administration) Mark Rogers are the problem, not the solution for our veterans and their families.”

Good point, Walsh.

And with respect to Sonia Reich: Perhaps she can us teach us something about demons, war and respect in a civilized society.

 

AIPAC 101: What Every American Should Know

NOVANEWS

 

The AIPAC circus is coming to town, Washington, May 22nd to May 24th, 2011.
By Anthony Lawson
The AIPAC Policy Conference is the pro-Israel Lobby’s annual gathering.

Links:

Samouni Family Responds to Goldstone Backtrack on Israeli War Crimes – April 4, 2011 – Ken O’Keefe

AIPAC 101 — What Every American Should Know


—By Anthony Lawson

  • Warning: The photographs and video clips included in this video are used under the Fair Use provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

    •  

    A. Loewenstein Online Newsletter

    NOVANEWS

    Dark words of a private contractor in Afghanistan

    Posted: 13 May 2011

     
    Writer David Isenberg sets up the scene:

    I received the following email from a Dyncorp contractor working in Afghanistan. He works as a trainer to the Afghan National Police. His comments below are worth reading.
    But before you do you might remember that DynCorp is a member of the International Stability Operations Association, which has an elaborate Code of Conduct detailing how its companies are supposed to treat its employees. But judging from the below it appears DynCorp missed or ignored Part 6.11.
    “Signatories shall provide their personnel with the appropriate training, equipment and materials necessary to perform their duties.”
    “For whatever reason Dyn upper management has a severe disconnect between them and the actual workers on the ground. They have, so far, provided very little support in either equipment or services to us. I don’t think I would choose to work for them again.
    “My job here is to train and assess the Afghan National Police. They want us to train them in “community policing” and teach them how to run a professional police department.  The soldiers themselves are happy to have me because I provide a lot of experience many of them don’t have. As for the success of the mission, I am skeptical. The Afghans do not think like us and they have a very different culture. I feel that they know we will eventually leave and that things will go back to the way they were prior to our arrival. Therefore they intend to get as much from us as possible while we are here. Were I in their shoes I imagine I would do the same. But ultimately I think our mission here will fail.
    “As for Dyn, here is how they handle things. The original contract I signed on for was through the Dept. Of State and it was for one year with the pay being $158,000 and 52 days of leave. After 6 months here Dyn told us the contract was being cancelled and taken over by the DOD. They told us we would be getting a new contract soon that we would have to accept or we could go home. The new contract was for $117,000 and 28 days of leave, for the same job. You should know that we are considered embedded mentors. We live and operate in shitty conditions for the most part. Dyn did a horrible job of transitioning to the new contract and lost most of the contractors, who were disgusted with their lies and unethical handling of things. Dyn meanwhile lied to the DOD, telling them that they had more than enough contractors lined up to meet the requirements of the contract when they didn’t. The new contract has taken effect and Dyn still has nowhere near the number of people they need to fulfill the contract. Due to that they recently raised the pay for the job to $144,000 and 30 days of leave. It remains to be seen if that will be enough to get more people.”
     

    Arab and Israeli school within Israel is a true rarity

    Posted: 13 May 2011

     

    Obama getting Middle East advice from non-Middle Easterners

    Posted: 12 May 2011

    Only in the New York Times.
    This is an interesting piece about Barack Obama and his evolving views towards the Muslim world. The idea that people there will suddenly likes America after a pretty speech is delusional. For example, anti-US sentiment is strong in Egypt, as it should be, considering the Mubarak regime was backed for three decades, including by Obama until the last minute.
    And note the conversations with supposedly leading foreign affairs “experts”, both of whom largely support the imperial role of the US in the world and backed the Iraq war. Fareed Zakaria assisted President Bush post 9/11 with “advice” how to manage the Middle East.
    And, er, would the US President want to speak to some real experts in the Middle East itself?

    For President Obama, the killing of Osama bin Laden is more than a milestone in America’s decade-long battle against terrorism. It is a chance to recast his response to the upheaval in the Arab world after a frustrating stretch in which the stalemate in Libya, the murky power struggle in Yemen and the brutal crackdown in Syria have dimmed the glow of the Egyptian revolution.
    Administration officials said the president was eager to use Bin Laden’s death as a way to articulate a unified theory about the popular uprisings from Tunisia to Bahrain — movements that have common threads but also disparate features, and have often drawn sharply different responses from the United States.
    The first sign of this “reset” could come as early as next week, when Mr. Obama plans to give a speech on the Middle East in which he will seek to put Bin Laden’s death in the context of the region’s broader political transformation. The message, said one of his deputy national security advisers, Benjamin J. Rhodes, will be that “Bin Laden is the past; what’s happening in the region is the future.”
    “The spotlight is understandably always on whatever country things are going worst in,” Mr. Rhodes said. “What’s important is to step back and say, ‘The trajectory of change is in the right direction.’ ”
    Still, although Bin Laden’s killing may provide a rare moment of clarity, it has less obvious implications for American strategic calculations in the region. Some administration officials argue that the heavy blow to Al Qaeda gives the United States the chance to be more forward-leaning on political change because it makes Egypt, Syria and other countries less likely to tip toward Islamic extremism.
    But other senior officials note that the Middle East remains a complicated place: the death of Al Qaeda’s leader does not erase the terrorist threat in Yemen, while countries like Bahrain are convulsed by sectarian rivalries that never had much to do with Bin Laden’s radical message. The White House said it was still working through the policy implications country by country.
    …
    Thomas E. Donilon, the national security adviser, said Mr. Obama was as deeply immersed in all the Arab countries undergoing political upheaval. “The president, in each of these cases, has really been the central intellectual force in these decisions, in many cases, designing the approaches,” he said.
    At night in the family residence, an adviser said, Mr. Obama often surfs the blogs of experts on Arab affairs or regional news sites to get a local flavor for events. He has sounded out prominent journalists like Fareed Zakaria of Time magazine and CNN and Thomas L. Friedman, a columnist at The New York Times, regarding their visits to the region. “He is searching for a way to pull back and weave a larger picture,” Mr. Zakaria said.
    Mr. Obama has ordered staff members to study transitions in 50 to 60 countries to find precedents for those under way in Tunisia and Egypt. They have found that Egypt is analogous to South Korea, the Philippines and Chile, while a revolution in Syria might end up looking like Romania’s.
    This deliberate, almost scholarly, approach is in keeping with Mr. Obama’s style, one that has frustrated people who believe he is too slow and dispassionate. But officials said it also reflected his own impatience, two years after he gave a speech in Cairo intended to mend America’s relations with the Muslim world, that many of these countries remained mired in corruption.
    “The way he personally talks about corruption, he understands the frustration,” Mr. Rhodes said.

    If this is not apartheid, the word has no meaning

    Posted: 12 May 2011

    The irreplaceable Gideon Levy in Haaretz:

    Anyone who says “it’s not apartheid” is invited to reply: Why is an Israeli allowed to leave his country for the rest of his life, and nobody suggests that his citizenship be revoked, while a Palestinian, a native son, is not allowed to do so? Why is an Israeli allowed to marry a foreigner and receive a residency permit for her, while a Palestinian is not allowed to marry his former neighbor who lives in Jordan? Isn’t that apartheid? Over the years I have documented endless pitiful tragedies of families that were torn apart, whose sons and daughters were not permitted to live in the West Bank or Gaza due to draconian rules – for Palestinians only.

    We are sick of occupation, 63 years old

    Posted: 12 May 2011

    The following short film was produced by a number of youth in Bethlehem:
     

    Dodgy Iraq war dossier still dodgy

    Posted: 12 May 2011

     
    Startling information but I’d like to know how many corporate journalists will apologise for publishing these bogus reports all those years ago? Yes, I hear a deafening silence, too:

    A top military intelligence official has said the discredited dossier on Iraq‘s weapons programme was drawn up “to make the case for war”, flatly contradicting persistent claims to the contrary by the Blair government, and in particular byAlastair Campbell, the former prime minister’s chief spin doctor.
    In hitherto secret evidence to the Chilcot inquiry, Major General Michael Laurie said: “We knew at the time that the purpose of the dossier was precisely to make a case for war, rather than setting out the available intelligence, and that to make the best out of sparse and inconclusive intelligence the wording was developed with care.”
    His evidence is devastating, as it is the first time such a senior intelligence officer has directly contradicted the then government’s claims about the dossier – and, perhaps more significantly, what Tony Blair and Campbell said when it was released seven months before the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
    Laurie, who was director general in the Defence Intelligence Staff, responsible for commanding and delivering raw and analysed intelligence, said: “I am writing to comment on the position taken by Alastair Campbell during his evidence to you … when he stated that the purpose of the dossier was not to make a case for war; I and those involved in its production saw it exactly as that, and that was the direction we were given.”
    He continued: “Alastair Campbell said to the inquiry that the purpose of the dossier was not ‘to make a case for war’. I had no doubt at that time this was exactly its purpose and these very words were used.”
    Laurie said he recalled that the chief of defence intelligence, Air Marshal Sir Joe French, was “frequently inquiring whether we were missing something” and was under pressure. “We could find no evidence of planes, missiles or equipment that related to WMD [weapons of mass destruction], generally concluding that they must have been dismantled, buried or taken abroad. There has probably never been a greater detailed scrutiny of every piece of ground in any country.”

    Mondoweiss Online Newsletter

    NOVANEWS

     

    ‘Is this is what the most moral army in the world does!?’: An American student describes being shot by the Israeli military during a peaceful demonstration

    May 13, 2011

    Christopher Whitman

    This video of today’s protest in Nabi Saleh was posted by Christopher Whitman. The caption says, “The last frame is me getting shot at close range with a high velocity tear gas canister.”

    After posting earlier today about the Palestinian teen who was critically injured protesting in Silwan today, and an American activist who was shot at a protest in Nabi Saleh, that student, Christopher Whitman, contacted us and wanted to share his story. This is what he sent:

    My name is Christopher Whitman from outside Boston, Massachusetts. I live in Ramallah in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. I am a Master’s student in the Hebrew University in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies. I was in Al-Nabi Saleh today protesting against the 44 year Israeli occupation and its current policy of illegal land confiscation expand the range of settlements in the region which include Dolev, Halamish, and Nahalil (sp?).

    The protest was different than the other times I had been at al-Nabi Saleh in the past. Those were usually similar to protests in Bil’in or Nil’in, but rougher. Starting with the soldiers setting up on all fronts of the village and then refusing the protestors (who are mainly children) from reaching their lands in parts of the village. This goes on until the soldiers start tear gassing and using sound bombs which results in stone throwing from youths. This day was different, very different.

    For the first 3 hours there was minimal tear gas and average usage of sound bombs and the soldiers were allowing for the villagers to go to certain parts of the land with massive buildups around them. Children sang and danced to nationalist songs. Then after 3 hours or so the Israelis got rather bored and starting arresting Israeli activists and local Palestinians. They also started beating the villagers (including women of all ages), and spraying mace in the eyes of women and men alike. This is when the Israelis started to push everyone back, and the vast majority scattered into the houses. It should also be noted, not a single rock was thrown or anything to warrant this massive retaliation. Not a single one was thrown all day, let alone just before this massive beating.

    I was in the street with just a few observers documenting the incident. I saw that they started shooting tear gas from a distance of 50ft (15m) which is far to close, and they were not shooting it into the air. I decided to duck and knee just a little and got nailed on the top of the head above my forehead. I almost fell completely to the ground. From there I was picked up by two Palestinians who brought me to the ambulance with blood over my head and face. I then pointed to my face as we passed the Israeli army and border police and yelled “is this is what the most moral army in the world does!?” And then I was put into the ambulance.

    The paramedic cleaned up my wounds as best he could. I felt delirious and discombobulated. At one point the blood loss was so extreme the places in my body that were farthest from my heart (fingers, knees) began tensing to a point of no control and I felt like a cripple. The ambulance arrived at Ramallah Hospital 30 minutes later, but my treatment was delayed due to a strike. I saw many doctors, had x-rays, CT scans, and stitches free of charge. Many people who were at the protest came to see how I was and even had a gift given to me from the village…which was the piece of my head the was knocked off by the tear gas cannister (photo – warning graphic).

    From Mississippi to Gaza City: The spirit of the freedom riders lives on in the effort to break the siege

    May 13, 2011

    Adam Horowitz

    Hannah Schwarzschild writes in TheHill.com about her father’s experience as a freedom rider 50 years ago, and her similar work today with the next flotilla to Gaza:

    My father’s purpose in joining that Freedom Ride was twofold: to pressure the federal government into enforcing the Supreme Court’s decision that racial segregation in interstate travel violated the U.S. Constitution; and, just as importantly, to focus public attention on the injustice, brutality and defiance of the Jim Crow South.

    My father was lucky. By the time he was arrested and jailed, the worst of the violence against the Freedom Riders was already over. Still, he was one of the so-called “outside agitators” whom Alabama Governor George Wallace had accused of “provoking” violence by his defiance of local laws and customs. As such, he had no assurance of a safe return, or any guarantee that his government, the United States government, would protect him from the torches, snipers and attack dogs of the local KKK.

    My father was not naïve. He knew the dangers. He also knew that the goal of ending segregation was remote. He went, as he wrote many years later, not because he believed that his mission would succeed, but “as an act of faith in the validity of a moral act. I went because I needed to go.”

    As we mark the 50th anniversary of those historic bus rides, a modern-day Freedom Ride will set out this June to challenge and focus international attention on another enduring and yet urgent injustice. The Israeli siege of Gaza has rendered 1.6 million souls – mostly refugees and the children and grandchildren of refugees – forgotten inmates in the world’s largest open-air prison. All movement of people and goods in and out of Gaza by land, air and sea is still controlled – mostly prohibited – by the Israeli military with continuing and coerced Egyptian complicity.

    The infrastructure of civil society is still in rubble. Almost no one and nothing goes in; almost no one and nothing comes out. Israeli forces still regularly invade Gaza, destroying agricultural land and homes, and killing Palestinian civilians.

    The population grows more desperate. The annual $3 billion of U.S. military aid to Israel continues to flow. The world pays little attention. Egypt’s newly-announced plan to open its border with Gaza promises to relieve some of the most immediate humanitarian crisis, but it does not address the continued separation of the people of Gaza from the rest of Israeli-occupied Palestine or end the illegal naval blockade.

    That is why I have been working, along with so many other Americans who care about equality and freedom, to send a U.S.-flagged ship, named The Audacity of Hope, to break the siege of Gaza. Echoing the segregationists of old on “outside agitators,” Israel has slanderously accused the organizers of the U.S. Boat to Gaza of trying to bring material aid to terrorists.

    But the U.S. Boat to Gaza’s mission is not to deliver “humanitarian aid” or any other material cargo. Instead, our ship will carry a brave band of unarmed human rights activists as well as the audacious hopes of thousands who have committed their money and time to this nonviolent mission of resistance to enduring racism and injustice. Israeli government officials have vowed to send snipers and attack dogs to stop the flotilla’s supposed “terrorists” and “provocateurs” from entering Gaza. Anyone who doubts their seriousness is simply not paying attention.

    Read the entire article on TheHill.com.

    Challenging AIPAC’s abuse of taxpayers money

    May 13, 2011

    Omar Barghouti

    The Arab democratic spring, striving to end authoritarian rule and establish freedoms and social justice, has not been welcome by all. Israel and its main lobby in the U.S., the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), for instance, appear to have been caught off guard and visibly disturbed by the seemingly irreversible transformations that these uprisings promise to bring about in the Arab world and, to an extent, the world at large.
    Having stood on the wrong side of history during the Tunisian and then the Egyptian revolutions, supporting the despots and authoritarian regimes against the people, Israel has a lot to lose from the democratic winds of change in the region. When Hosni Mubarak was about to be overthrown by the people’s revolution in Egypt Israel launched a diplomatic campaign to convince key Western capitals to support him lest stability is lost and Israel’s other tyrannical friends in the region feel abandoned.
    In Tunisia, as well, the vaunted electronic surveillance apparatus of the former dictator Ben-Ali was run in close cooperation with Israel, as exposed by Tunisian civil society organizations. With more of Israel’s friends in the region being dethroned, it is becoming abundantly clear how much Israel and its Western partners have invested in safeguarding and buttressing the unelected, autocratic regimes in the Arab world, partially to make a self-fulfilling prophecy of Israel as the “villa in the midst of the jungle” — the myth often repeated by AIPAC. The impact of debunking that myth cannot be overstated. Israel has, for decades, extracted billions of dollars, not to mention diplomatic, political, and scientific support from the U.S. and European states partially based on this misleading image of Israeli democracy, and despite all the evidence to the contrary. A state that has been imposing an occupation regime for almost 44 years on Palestinians in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and Gaza, that has denied on racial grounds millions of refugees their UN-sanctioned right to return home, and that is regularly condemned by its chief benefactor and ally, the U.S. government, for its “system of institutional, legal and societal discrimination” against its own Palestinian minority carrying Israeli citizenship cannot reasonably be regarded as a “democracy.”
    The fact is, U.S. citizens have been bankrolling Israel’s system of occupation, racial discrimination and denial of basic human rights to the tune of billions of dollars annually without knowing what they were funding and why. AIPAC is the main culprit in this process of defrauding the American people, while one cannot ignore the fact that the U.S. military and oil establishments have also stood to gain from Israel’s colonial expansion, endless bloody wars of aggression, and role as the police of the region, preventing popular revolt from threatening the pillage of its vast strategic resources.
    For many years AIPAC has falsely advertised Israel as a democratic state that best serves U.S. interests in a turbulent and unpredictable part of the world, covering up Israel’s suppression of human rights and its very nature as a state premised on fanatic militarism, racial segregation and injustice, contrary to the supposed “shared values” with the “West” that AIPAC has fed to the American public so effectively with its well-oiled media machine and its unmatched power of intimidation as well as suppression of debate and dissent by anyone who dares to slightly step out of line and question the “Israel-first” agenda.
    But given that Israel in the last few years, especially since the start of the recent Arab revolutions, has largely and quite demonstrably failed in hindering the outbreak of popular uprisings and democratic transformations in the Middle East, leading pundits have started to raise serious doubts about the taken-for-granted mantra of convergence between Israeli and American interests.

    Furthermore, at a time when average Americans are losing jobs, benefits and hope, should the U.S. be spending billions to help Israel maintain its regime of oppression and violations of international law? When schools and hospitals in the U.S. are being closed, and when hundreds of thousands of U.S. soldiers are mired in endless wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and elsewhere, where they sow mass destruction and death among the populations of these countries, while they themselves suffer increasing casualties, should U.S. taxpayers continue to fund this immoral war agenda? Should Israel and its lobby groups be allowed to pull the U.S. into more wars or to continue to justify Israel’s own brutal and patently illegal wars of aggression, as the one against Palestinians in Gaza in 2008-09 and on Lebanon in 2006?
    If members of the U.S. Congress dare not ask these critical questions for fear of AIPAC’s wrath – perceived and carefully marketed as invincible – and an almost certain loss of career, shouldn’t the working people of the U.S. pose them and demand accountability and, indeed, democratic regime change?
    It is in this context that one cannot but highly admire the courage, creativity and resilience of human rights and advocacy groups in the U.S., like CODEPINK, the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, Jewish Voice for Peace and many others that insist on challenging AIPAC’s domination of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and beyond and its detrimental and deeply corrupting influence over U.S. decision making in general. The CODEPINK-led campaign to “expose AIPAC and usher in a new foreign policy,” to be launched in Washington, DC in May is a badly needed and truly inspiring effort that should be widely supported by all those who care about the cause of justice and peace in the U.S. and, by extension, the entire world.
    Omar Barghouti is a human rights activist and author of Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS): The Global Struggle for Palestinian Rights (Haymarket, 2011)
    Take action by attending Move Over AIPAC, a gathering in Washington DC from May 21-24, 2011, to expose AIPAC and build the vision for a new US foreign policy in the Middle East! More information can be found at    www.MoveOverAIPAC.org.

    Palestinian teen critically injured as Israel cracks down on Nakba demos; American protester shot in the head with tear-gas canister at close range

    May 13, 2011

    Popular Struggle Coordination Committee

    Video from today’s protest in Silwan.

    A 17 year-old was critically injured from live fire in East Jerusalem, and an American protester suffered serious head injury after being hit by a tear-gas projectile shot directly at him from close range.

    Israeli military and police forces responded heavy handedly to demonstrations commemorating 63 years to the Palestinian Nakba (catastrophe) of 1948 today all over the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Morad Ayyash, a 17 year old from the Ras el-Amud neighborhood was shot in the stomach with live ammunition. He has reached the Muqassed hospital with no pulse and the doctors are now fighting for his life.

    Tension also rose in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, where 19 protesters have been injured and 11 were arrested. During the evening hours, large police forces raided houses in Silwan and carried out additional arrests.

    In the village of Ma’asara, south of Bethlehem, two protesters were arrested during a peaceful demonstration that was attacked with tear-gas for no apparent reason. One of those arrested is a member of the village’s popular committee. In Nabi Saleh – a regular target for military aggression recently – soldiers and Border Police officers injured no less than 25 protesters, including a Palestinian women in her 50s who was beaten up so badly that her wounds required her removal from the Salfeet Hospital to the bigger and more advanced Rafidiya Hospital in Nablus. A 25 year-old American demonstrator suffered a serious head injury and an Israeli activist was diagnosed with two open fractures in his hand. Both were injured by tear-gas projectiles shot directly at them from short range, in violation of the Israeli Army’s open fire regulations. Four protesters were arrested in Nabi Saleh, including two Palestinian women.

    Violence in Nabi Saleh started today after Israeli Border Police officers took over the village’s main junction and tried to disperse the demonstration while it was still well inside the village, The officers began charging the peaceful protesters with batons, shooting large amounts of tear-gas – partly shot directly at the demonstrators – and carrying out arrests.

    The Israeli military and police’s violent and hysteric reaction to the Nakba day demonstrations today is an example to the fact that Israel cannot conceive handling Palestinian civil resistance to the Occupation in any means but military means. As September looms, it seems as if Israel chooses to tread not the path of democracy, but rather that of neighboring regimes like Egypt and Syria, and shoot at unarmed demonstrators.

    #Nakbasurvivor: Telling the story of the Nakba in the internet age

    May 13, 2011

    Adam Horowitz

    The above video is from an innovative new project from the Institute for Middle East Understanding called #Nakbasurvivor. The project encourages Palestinians to tell their family’s story of the Nakba over twitter or using short video clips. Here’s another one:

    You can view all the videos on the #Nakbasurvivor website and follow the conversation on twitter here. You can also submit your own video telling your family’s story of the Nakba, using a webcam, cell phone video or flip cam, here.

    This project helps demonstrate some of the revolutionary potential of the internet to inform and subvert the mainstream discourse on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While even mentioning to Nakba was considered controversial just years ago, today the Palestinian experience of 1948 it has become a required part of any discussion of the founding of the state of Israel. This is in part because of the emotional, horrifying and inspiring testimonies given in these videos. They are a record that cannot be dismissed.

    Stolen Beauty boycott culture jam turns Ahava’s online marketing contest into a social media #FAIL

    May 13, 2011

    Salim

    On Wednesday, May 11 and Thursday, May 12, Ahava US, the U.S. arm of the Israeli cosmetics firm based in an illegal West Bank settlement, and @birchbox, an online cosmetics retailer, ran a marketing contest on the social media site Twitter using the hashtag#AhavaReborn, which is the slogan for Ahava’s current rebranding campaign. Members of the public were invited to submit beauty care questions with the lure of a prize of $300 worth of Ahava products for the best query.

    US group CODEPINK Women for Peace, which manages the Stolen Beauty Ahava Boycott campaign, alerted other BDS activists about the marketing campaign and suggested using the opportunity for a culture jam to subvert Ahava’s rebranding effort.

    What followed can only be described as a total disaster for Ahava. From early Wednesday European time and for the next 48 hours BDS campaigners flooded the twitter stream #AhavaReborn with hundreds of messages advocating the boycott of Ahava products. The BDS campaigners hailed from the US, UK, Netherlands, Belgium, South Africa, Singapore, Occupied Palestine and elsewhere, reflecting the international nature of the campaign against Ahava.

    As people who hoped for the prize tweeted #AhavaReborn with their beauty questions about cracked heels, blemishes and dry skin, BDS campaigners used ready-made Tweets that CODEPINK had sent out. But quickly the culture jammers began inventing their own original tweets and even started responding to actual contestants with personal messages and tips—all of them around why consumers should avoid Ahava products. Many of the BDS campaigners’ questions for @birchbox and Ahava were highly amusing, and all of them highlighted Ahava’s complicity in Israel’s illegal Occupation. Throughout the 48 hours, BDS campaigners also posted tweets with links to the Stolen Beauty website for background information on Ahava for those who wanted to know more.

    The pro-Ahava and counter-BDS lobbyists made an appearance on the first day to attack BDS and criticism of Israel. But they were few in number and weak in their arguments. By the second day they had given up after posting only a couple of Tweets.

    Twitter only permits messages of up to 140 characters, so you have to be short and sweet to make your point. BDS campaigners excelled at using creativity and biting wit to get their messages across in a few words. Please read the small selection of tweets at the end of this message for a flavor of their inventiveness and wit.

    Overall, the two days were a victory for BDS campaigners who took the opportunity provided by Ahava’s rebranding attempt through social media and turned it into a platform for BDS messaging. Thanks go to everyone who took part, but especially to CODEPINK for initiating the action. On now to the next battle…

    Tweets from the Ahava Boycott Culture Jam

    @Arabian_Babbler
    My trigger finger is dry from shooting too many Palestinians around my settlement. What moisturizer do you recommend?

    @Zzigggyyy
    @birchbox & @ahava_us Do you have anything that will hide the israeli ethnic cleansing of Palestinians?

    @bethlehemballet
    The tear gas that the Israeli military fires on me when I visit Palestinian friends in Silwan is ruining my skin. What to do?

    @bethlehemballet
    I was helping to demolish Palestinian houses today and I chipped a nail! Do you have a product that will strengthen them?

    @hdaboub
    Hey Ahava, can you recommend a soap that will wash the blood off my hands? I know you’re experts at that

    @Arabian_Babbler
    Do you have any creams for burns from Israeli Army phosphorous bombs? School children in Gaza would be interested

    @Chelsealeebee
    #AHAVAreborn – not a fan of the “freshly bulldozed earth” or the “tears of the displaced” scents. Have anything that smells like “justice”?

    #AHAVAreborn @birchbox and @AHAVA_US What is the best skin care regimen for normal, slightly dry, worried about wrinkles 28yr old skin?
@isvestiasalim Ahava is happy to advise on how to steal Palestinian Land but if its skincare advice you want please try elsewhere #ahavareborn

    @birchbox & @ahava_us Do you have anything that I can use to cover up the#warcrimes committed by israeli#Apartheid

    @ReclaimedBeauty Is there any chance of Ahava coming out with a fragrance line? Love the scents of your products. 
@isvestia 
Ahava already has a fragrance- its called ‘The Stench of Israel’s Illegal Occupation’.

    @hakawai
    Dear Ahava, Israel’s apartheid system makes my skin crawl! What products do you recommend?

    @georginareeves
    @BirchBox ahava advises weekly expropriation to rid you of palestinians and other irritating skin conditions

    @WideAsleepNima
    #AhavaReborn @birchbox, how will a deep ethnic cleansing affect my pores?

    @Zzigggyyy 
@birchbox & @ahava_us Do you have anything that I can use to cover up the #warcrimes committed by israeli #Apartheid

    @redcathexwas 
#AHAVAReborn @birchbox Do you have anything to relieve those nasty breakouts caused by the stress of living life under military occupation?

    @BoycottAhava
    Hey @birchbox why sell Ahava lotion? Human rights are a better notion. #AhavaReborn #StolenBeauty

    @bethlehemballet
    Any chance of #AhavaReborn launching a perfume range? I want something more delicate than my usual free IDF samples of eau de tear gas.

    @georginareeves
    @BirchBox what’s that i can smell? bath salts? body lotion? no, it’s the stench of racist colonialism

    @krnbrrtt
    #AHAVAreborn the world knows you sell ethnic cleansers, but how about new foundation for the ones your government bulldozed?

    @clarefarrell
    #AhavaReborn My skin care question is, do you have a cream to heal the scars caused by a brutal and systemic occupation?

    Salim is a member of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and has been regularly attending the bi-weekly protests outside Ahava’s flagship Covent Garden store in London, UK.

    Solidarity from Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, marches to Palestine planned for Nakba Day

    May 13, 2011

    Seham

    (Photo: Sharif Kaddous)

    Thousands gather in Egypt’s Tahrir Square
    Protesters rally in support of the Palestinian cause and for national unity, while Suzanne Mubarak will be detained.
    Thousands rally for Egypt unity after church attacks (AFP)
    AFP – Thousands of people rallied in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Friday calling for national unity after attacks on Egyptian churches, and solidarity with the Palestinians.
    Egyptians urge rulers to step up Palestinian support (Reuters)
    Reuters – Thousands of Egyptians took to the streets on Friday to push their military rulers to do more to help Palestinians following the overthrow of the country’s president Hosni Mubarak.
    Marking The Nakba Day On May 15, Egyptians Plan To March To Gaza
    As the Palestinians prepare to mark the Nakba (Catastrophe) Day on May 15, thousands of Egyptians are said to be preparing to march to the Gaza Strip to challenge the illegal Israeli siege on the coastal enclave. They intend to attempt to cross into the coastal region via the Rafah Border Terminal, between Gaza and Egypt.
    Egypt prepares to reopen mission in Gaza
    The Egyptian embassy in Gaza is reportedly preparing to reopen its office in Gaza city as a high-profile delegation from the Egyptian intelligence is set to visit the Gaza Strip soon..
    Egypt and Israel discuss Palestinian prisoner exchange deal
    Media sources have claimed that the new regime in Cairo has made efforts to revive discussions of an exchange of prisoners between the Palestinians and Israelis. Israel currently holds around 6,000 Palestinians in its jails, while soldier Gilad Shalit is the only Israeli being held by the Palestinians. The Director of the Centre for Palestine Studies, Ibrahim Aladrawi, told Quds Press that Cairo recently hosted the leader of the Hamas military wing who has responsibility for the exchange deal.
    EGYPT: Jury out on promise to open Rafah
    JERUSALEM 13 May 2011 (IRIN) – Egypt’s new leadership has promised to open the Rafah crossing into Gaza permanently after more than five years of partial and occasionally full closure, but observers wonder how far this will go to ease the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories (OPT).

    And more news from the Arab uprisings:

    Mubarak’s wife detained in Egypt
    Suzanne Mubarak, wife of the ousted Egyptian president, is detained for 15 days pending further investigations into corruption allegations.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-africa-13392099
    Egypt: Mubarak, wife interrogated over corruption
    Deposed president, wife questioned over suspicion of corruption, misuse of power. Reports claim Mubarak illegally amassed tens of billions of dollars stashed in numerous foreign bank accounts
    http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4068008,00.html
    Egypt extends Mubarak’s detention
    Egypt’s authorities order a 15-day detention of ousted President Hosni Mubarak on charges of profiteering, media reports say.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-africa-13385399
    Egypt’s anti-graft agency to question Mubarak for first time
    State news agency says Mubarak and his wife face accusations of taking advantage of the president’s influence to illegally accumulate massive wealth.
    http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/egypt-s-anti-graft-agency-to-question-mubarak-for-first-time-1.361344?localLinksEnabled=false
    Israel still doesn’t understand the new reality: Shin Bet: Egypt doing little to stop Gaza arms smugglers
    New security agency report says Cairo’s grip on Gaza border lax; Strip’s militant groups’ weapon caches pose growing threat to Israel.
    http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4068013,00.html
    Egypt businessman accused of inciting violence freed
    CAIRO, May 12 (Reuters) – Egypt’s military prosecutor has decided to release a prominent businessman who had been accused of inciting violence against anti-government protesters, the state news agency said on Thursday. Ibrahim Kamel, a senior member in the old ruling National Democratic Party, had been arrested on April 10 on charges of inciting thugs to attack protesters in Tahrir Square, the site of demonstrations that ousted President Hosni Mubarak. The prosecutor decided to release Kamel because of a lack of evidence against him, the agency MENA said, without adding details.
    http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/egypt-businessman-accused-of-inciting-violence-freed
    Political change in Egypt to boost Nile cooperation
    The fall of Hosni Mubarak may improve Ethiopia’s ties with Egypt and boost chances of a deal to share the Nile’s waters.
    http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/analysis-political-change-in-egypt-to-boost-nile-cooperation
    Egypt Brotherhood to Expel Any President Runner
    A senior official of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood said on Thursday that the group would expel any member who runs for president, after a leading Brotherhood reformer was quoted as saying he might stand.
    http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?fromval=1&cid=23&frid=23&eid=15343
    Emad Mekay, “Egypt Seeks End to Foreign Wheat Dependence”
    The new strategy is centred on offering prices competitive with international rates to lure Egyptian farmers to shift back to growing more wheat, which is essential for making bread, a staple for most people here. The government said it is buying wheat for 350 Egyptian pounds (59 dollars) per erdab (150 kilogrammes), up from only 270 pounds (47 dollars) last year under Mubarak — a rate so low that farmers had complained that they could not afford new seeds or spend on technologies to compete in the market. Wheat acreage dropped by 5 percent. . . . The government promised to remove red tape that discouraged the creation of new agricultural companies that grow grains, especially wheat. Immediately after that announcement, a group of Egyptian expatriates in the Gulf, Europe and the U.S. announced that they would start a new company that would offer shares directly to the public to raise 3 billion Egyptian pounds. The money will be used to grow 500,000 acres of wheat next year. Egypt has turned to the neighbouring African nation of Sudan for extra arable land, and Sudan has offered one million acres for wheat growing by Egyptian farmers and companies. For the first time, Egyptian farmers said Tuesday that they have organised to create their own unions, a step they say will help them communicate better with the local authorities rather than leaving the government susceptible to foreign pressures.
    http://bit.ly/kuHNu7
    Was Mubarak a Zionist?
    “… being called a Zionist is about as nasty a charge as there is in many parts of the Arab world, the dark corners of the blogosphere and a few other places. To many Israelis, calling the deposed Egyptian president a Zionist is an insult to their country, as they quickly and correctly cite a long list of affronts that made for a cold peace, … Mubarak refused to visit Israel (he said his trip to Yitzhak Rabin’s funeral didn’t count) …  He was the go-to Arab leader when Israel needed help dealing with other Arabs, particularly with the Palestinians. He was a better ally than he got credit for. Some observers say that by keeping the peace cold he was able to do more for Israel, as well as for Egypt. … He joined Israel’s blockade of Gaza in order to weaken the Islamist terror group’s hold there, and began the construction of a security barrier along the Gaza-Sinai border to prevent smuggling….”
    http://friday-lunch-club.blogspot.com/2011/05/was-mubarak-zionist.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+friday-lunch-club+%28%22friday-lunch-club%22%29

    Bahrain

    Trial of Bahraini opposition activists adjourned as independent observers barred
    A military trial is under way for 21 porminent opposition activists in Bahrain charged with alleged crimes during recent pro-reform protests.
    http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/trial-bahraini-opposition-activists-adjourned-independent-observers-barred-2011-03-
    BAHRAIN: Activists tortured before trial, rights group alleges
    One person who claimed to have seen him said he was at that point unrecognizable as a result of apparent beatings in detention,” the statement said.  Two other detainees entered court limping on Sunday, the rights group said.  “When the defendants asked to speak about the abuse they allegedly experienced in detention, security forces forcibly removed them from court,” the statement said.  Bahrain is a party to the United Nations’ International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibits torture, and its leaders have ratified the U.N. Convention Against Torture.
    http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2011/05/bahrain-activists-tortured-before-trial-rights-group-alleges.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BabylonBeyond+%28Babylon+%26+Beyond+Blog%29
    Bahrain: From hospital to prison
    While medical staff in Bahrain are being unfairly targeted by government forces, the rest of the world remains silent.
    http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/05/201151285040679763.html
    Bahrain targets Shia religious sites
    Part three in our exclusive series on Bahrain reveals that the government destroyed Shia mosques and religious institutions as part of its crackdown on dissent.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqPv4bFuBz0&feature=youtube_gdata
    Bahrain’s Sunni rulers target Shiite mosques
    The Bahraini regime has bulldozed dozens of Shiite mosques or other religious structures in the crackdown on a mainly Shiite opposition movement.
    http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/dpoMnVgmZEc/Bahrain-s-Sunni-rulers-target-Shiite-mosques
    Security forces target Bahrain medics
    Part two of our exclusive report on Bahrain looks at the abuse of medical workers as part of the government’s crackdown.
    http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/05/2011512111835943173.html
    Bahrain opposition leaders plead not guilty (AFP)
    AFP – Bahraini opposition leaders pleaded not guilty in court on Thursday to charges of belonging to a terrorist group and attempting to overthrow the monarchy, state news agency BNA reported.
    http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110512/wl_mideast_afp/bahrainpoliticsunresttrial
    Saudi troops to stay in Bahrain
    Saudi-led forces sent to Bahrain to help crush anti-government protests will remain even after emergency rule is lifted next month, the kingdom’s military said, in a move likely to deepen regional tensions with Iran.
    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-troops-to-stay-in-bahrain-2283237.html
    After crushed protests, Bahrain is accused of increased oppression of Shiites
    The opposition says Bahrain’s government is going after majority Shiites, trying to turn a call for wider political freedom into a regional struggle between Sunni countries and Shiite-controlled Iran. Hassan Mohamed ran his finger over bumps of birdshot beneath his skin. He is nearly blind in his left eye, but is scared to go to the emergency room. The wounds would betray him as a protester. His sister arranged to sneak him into a hospital to visit a doctor she trusts. Mohamed was worried.
    http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/VxyaAfO9OHo/la-fg-bahrain-shiites-20110502,0,6437434.story
    Bahrain to try guards over activist’s death -BNA
    DUBAI, May 12 (Reuters) – Bahrain has said it will try five prison guards over the death in police custody of a Shi’ite activist during protests by the Gulf kingdom’s Shi’ite majority.
    http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/bahrain-to-try-guards-over-activists-death–bna
    Inside Story: Bahrain – the black hole of Arab uprisings?
    This episode of Inside Story aired from Thursday, May 11, 2011.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uee3DuzyRnU&feature=youtube_gdata
    Interview: Sabah al-Mukhtar discusses Bahrain
    Sabah al-Mukhtar, from the Arab Lawyers Association, spokes to Al Jazeera about the health workers that are facing trial on charges that include inciting hatred against the Bahraini government.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYRZkc9D2kU&feature=youtube_gdata
    Iraq
    Iraqi protesters demand better services, jobs (AP)
    AP – More than 500 Iraqi protesters have gathered in downtown Baghdad, demanding better government services and more jobs.
    http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110513/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq
    Jordan
    Jordanians and Egyptians take to streets for pro-Palestinian protests
    Protesters in Egypt and Jordan call for establishment of Palestinian state, end to displacement of refugees; demonstrations take place days before Nakba Day; Jordanian protesters call for end of peace with Israel.
    http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/jordanians-and-egyptians-take-to-streets-for-pro-palestinian-protests-1.361537?localLinksEnabled=false
    Jordanians protest for Palestinian right of return (AP)
    AP – Heeding a call from Palestinian Facebook organizers, several hundred Jordanians took to the streets of the capital Friday demanding a sovereign Palestinian state and that refugees be given the right to return home.
    http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110513/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_jordan_palestinian_refugees
    Jordan/EU: Torture Prevention Insufficient
    (Berlin) – Jordan should take steps to prevent torture in light of recent allegations of severe abuse there, Human Rights Watch said today. European and Arab national human rights institutions are discussing the subject on May 11, 2011, in Berlin, with the German Institute for Human Rights and the Jordanian National Center for Human Rights opening the discussion.
    http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/05/11/jordaneu-torture-prevention-insufficient
    Lebanon
    Political Communiqué for “The Return to Palestine March-May 15th”
    The Organizing Committee for the “Return to Palestine March” issued the following political communiqué on its blog marking 63 years since 1948 Nakba Day (catastrophe): From the suffering caused by the Nakba, from our aspirations for return and liberation, from the inspiration brought about by the Arab people’s revolutions, and from our longing to return to the land and the skies of Palestine, we rise. Marking the 1948 Nakba and restating our commitment to the Right of Return of all Palestinians to historical Palestine, the Palestinian people and all the free men and women who support the Palestinian cause will rally on May 15, 2011 in various countries around the world to commemorate the day in a massive Palestinian, Arab and global revolution. In Lebanon the Return to Palestine March will set out towards the Palestinian/Lebanese borders on Sunday May 15, 2011, on the day commemorating the 1948 Nakba. The March will include various Palestinian and Lebanese civil and popular organizations and associations, professional associations, federations, NGOs, political parties and groups, in addition to independent activists from different regions and refugee camps around Lebanon.
    http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=15383&cid=23&fromval=1&frid=23&seccatid=23&s1=1
    Libya
    Muammar Gaddafi Most Likely Wounded: Italy
    Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has very likely left the capital Tripoli and has most likely been wounded, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said on Friday. Frattini told reporters in Tuscany that he believed what he had been told by Giovanni Innocenzo Martinelli, the Catholic bishop in Tripoli, that “Gaddafi was most probably outside Tripoli and probably even wounded” by NATO airstrikes.
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/13/muammar-gaddafi-wounded_n_861609.html
    Libya: NATO kills 3 civillians in attack on Kadhafi compound
    “Three people died — two of them are journalists and one was their guide who was helping them film a documentary,” government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim told a news conference in the Bab al-Aziziya compound that was held next to a large, water-filled crater.
    http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/breaking-news-world/three-dead-in-natoled-strike-on-kadhafi-compound-20110512-1ekad.html
    Libya: White House to meet Islamic insurgent leader Mahmoud Jibril
    The leader of a Libyan, Islamic insurgency group is to meet senior US officials and members of Congress on Friday, the White House has said.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13380426
    Gaddafi Arrest Warrant Expected By Italy
    ROME — Italy’s foreign minister says he expects the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi at the end of the month. Franco Frattini said Thursday that would be a “key moment” in the Libya crisis, suggesting that after the warrant is issued it would be impossible for Gadhafi to agree to an exile.
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/12/gaddafi-arrest-warrant-ex_n_861245.html
    Libyan capital rocked by explosions
    Rockets fired on Ajdabiya in retaliation but no lives were claimed, say medics in rebel stronghold.
    http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/05/20115123318113711.html
    Libyan Rebels In Misrata Say They Have Pushed Back Gaddafi’s Forces
    TRIPOLI, Libya — Pressing to break a two-month siege, rebels in the port city of Misrata said they had captured the local airport and pushed Moammar Gadhafi’s forces ever further from the city’s western outskirts. The reported advances were the latest in a recent flurry of accounts of rebel victories, coinciding with intensified NATO airstrikes on Gadhafi’s forces in several areas of Libya. In all, NATO said Wednesday, the alliance has carried out more than 2,400 airstrikes since March 31 as part of the effort to assist the rebels and pressure Gadhafi to end his 42-year authoritarian rule.
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/12/libyan-rebels-misrata-push-back-gaddafi-forces_n_860904.html
    Gaddafi Compound Bombed After Libya Leader Makes Appearance
    TRIPOLI, Libya — NATO airstrikes struck Moammar Gadhafi’s sprawling compound in Tripoli and three other sites early Thursday, hours after the Libyan leader was shown on state TV in his first appearance since his son was killed nearly two weeks ago. Explosions thundered across the capital and wailing ambulances raced through the city as the last missile exploded.
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/12/gaddafi-compound-bombed-libya-news_n_860949.html
    Muammar Gaddafi Makes First Appearance Since Son’s Death
    TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Libyan television showed Muammar Gaddafi meeting officials in a Tripoli hotel, ending nearly two weeks of doubt over his fate since a NATO air strike that killed his son. The Libyan leader, who had not been seen in public since an April 30 strike killed his youngest son and three grandchildren, made his appearance on Wednesday in trademark brown robe, dark sunglasses and black hat.
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/12/muammar-gaddafi-libya-appearance_n_860939.html
    The Lede: Qaddafi’s Visit Puzzles Journalists
    Journalists staying at the Rixos Hotel in Tripoli, where the Libyan government hosts – or confines – the foreign press corps, are asking how Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi manged to hold a meeting at the hotel on Wednesday night without any of them noticing.
    http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=96ef29f9ebe1caa632ec080baf5534c5
    Libyan consul in Cairo joins rebel ranks – TV
    CAIRO, May 12 (Reuters) – Libya’s consul in Cairo told Al Arabiya television in remarks aired on Thursday that he was quitting his post to join rebel ranks. “In response to the souls and blood of the martyrs of the February 17 revolution, I, Faraj Saeed al-Aribi, the Libyan consul in Cairo, declare my resignation and my joining of the February 17 revolution,” al-Aribi told the television channel.
    http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libyan-consul-in-cairo-joins-rebel-ranks-tv
    Libyan opposition leader: Please recognize us, Obama!
    Mahmoud Jibril, the prime minister of the Libyan opposition’s Transitional National Council (TNC), called on the United States to formally recognize Libya’s rebels as the country’s legitimate representative body so that urgent financial assistance can begin to flow. The Obama administration has repeatedly called for Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi to step down from power but the State Department has not abandoned its official recognition of the Qaddafi government and transferred recognition to the TNC, as did France, Italy, and Qatar. Without that recognition, the TNC can’t begin to draw from the billions of dollars in assets that had belonged to the Qaddafi regime and were frozen by the international community shortly after the revolution began, Jibril said during his Thursday visit to Washington.
    http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/05/12/libyan_opposition_leader_please_recognize_us_obama
    Libyan rebels to open London office – UK’s Cameron
    LONDON, May 12 (Reuters) – Libyan rebels are to open an office in London as part of renewed efforts to rally international support behind their fight to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi, British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Thursday. After meeting rebel leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil, Cameron said other countries must step up the financial and military pressure to force Gaddafi to stand down.
    http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libyan-rebels-to-open-london-office-uks-cameron
    LIBYA: How online mapping helped crisis response
    NAIROBI 12 May 2011 (IRIN) – Soon after the Libyan crisis broke, decision-makers and humanitarian workers faced a critical challenge: lack of information about events inside the country.
    http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=92686
    Morocco
    Middle East: Moroccan Youth Demands Action, Not Words
    Protesters have been left unconvinced by government promises and remain determined to intensify their fight for real democratic change.
    http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=bb1fc8e185f12f5444feff87b85fe7cd
    Syria
    700 dead in Syria crackdown, jurists’ group says
    GENEVA, May 12 (Reuters) – Syrian authorities have killed more than 700 people and rounded up thousands while shelling cities indiscriminately in their military crackdown on protesters, an international jurists’ body said on Thursday.
    http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/700-dead-in-syria-crackdown-jurists-group-says
    Syria ‘to halt firing on rallies’
    The Syrian opposition says an adviser to President Bashar al-Assad has pledged government forces will not fire on protesters on Friday.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-13383002
    Army shells homes in besieged Syrian city
    The Syrian army shelled residential areas in the country’s third-largest city yesterday, killing at least one person in a sharp escalation in the government’s attempts to crush a popular revolt against President Bashar al-Assad’s autocratic rule.
    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/army-shells-homes-in-besieged-syrian-city-2282578.html
    Activists: Syrian gov’t crushing dissent town by town
    DAMASCUS (AFP) – Syrian security forces kept crushing dissent town-by-town and rounding up opposition leaders on Thursday, activists said, in an unrelenting crackdown that Washington has slammed as “barbaric.” The army and security services arrested dozens of people in the flashpoint coastal city of Banias and the neighbouring villages of al-Beyda and al-Qariri, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
    http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/05/12/activists-syrian-govt-crushing-dissent-town-by-town/
    Students in Syria face police crackdown
    Young people beaten with batons as they defy police orders.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r41bOvr1SW4&feature=youtube_gdata
    ‘The suspicious re-emergence of a Syrian track in the Hariri investigation’
    According to Naharnet‘s source, Bellemare now has new evidence of Syrian complicity in the Hariri murder, which was made available to him by Syrian witnesses who defected to The Hague. The report in as-Safir discusses negotiations between the STL and French intelligence, part of an alleged effort to reach “the Syrian masterminds” behind the crime.
    http://friday-lunch-club.blogspot.com/2011/05/suspicious-re-emergence-of-syrian-track.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+friday-lunch-club+%28%22friday-lunch-club%22%29
    Syrian ambassador in Damascus
    The fellow is only concerned about Syrian support for Hizbullah.  It was a signal: that if Syrian regime ends its support for Hizbullah, the US will allow to kill as many people as it wishes–not that the US government really cares about victims of Arab tyrannies.
    http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/05/syrian-ambassador-in-damascus.html

    Syria’s ambassador in Washington, DC
    “I wish to inform you that Rami Makhlouf, a businessman whom you interviewed at length, is a private citizen in Syria. He holds no official position in the Syrian government and does not speak on behalf of the Syrian authorities. The opinions he expressed are exclusively his and cannot be associated in any way with the official positions of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic.
    IMAD MOUSTAPHA
    Ambassador of Syria”.   Oh, come on, Imad.  Private citizen?  Did he accumulate his wealth as a private citizen too?  Does he hold monopolies in Syria as a private citizen too?
    http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/05/syrias-ambassador-in-washington-dc.html
    Rami Makhlouf’s daily blasts Turkey; Draws MB link
    From the Makhlouf owned daily… translated in today’s Daily briefing from Mideastwire.com. For a trial please email info@mideastwire.com
    http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/?p=9733&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Syriacomment+%28Syria+Comment%29
    What Will a Post Assad Syria Look Like?, Joshua Landis
    I am a pessimist about Syria’s future because the regime will dig in its heels and fight to the end. The Syrian opposition has successfully established a culture of resistance that is widespread in Syria and will not be eliminated. Even if demonstrations can be shut down for the time being, the opposition will not be defeated. Syria’s youth, long apolitical and appathetic, is now politicized, mobilized, and passionate. All the same, the opposition remains divided and leaderless, which presents great dangers for a post-Assad Syria.
    http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/?p=9752&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Syriacomment+%28Syria+Comment%29
    Tunisia
    Knowledge Liberation Front, “Liberation Without Borders Tour” (Video)
    “The activists in Tunisia who have been organizing this meeting since mid-February are very clear about one fundamental point: Let’s not call this project a caravan because we don’t need your help or in other words your Western solidarity, which often bears the stamp of colonial charity, and because we have demonstrated that we are capable of revolution without anyone teaching us how to do it. Moreover, they have added in recent weeks: What we see coming, labeled ‘humanitarian,’ from the other shore of the Mediterranean are bombs and war. Instead, we need your struggles to unite the two shores of the Mediterranean through conflict and transformation, ousting all tyrants — from Ben Ali to the tyrants of financial capitalism. . . . We will go to Tunisia to understand and to do activist inquiry, because the social composition of insurgents there — highly educated young people, precarious or unemployed workers impoverished by the crisis and by a system that produces corruption, women reclaiming their liberty and putting it in practice, people who want to live and move without borders — is very similar to that of the movements in revolt against austerity and education and welfare cuts across Europe.” — Knowledge Liberation Front
    http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2011/tunisia120511.html
    Tunisians Relishing New Freedoms
    Artist whose song became the anthem for the uprising describes how people’s fear of expressing themselves has vanished.
    http://iwpr.net/report-news/tunisians-relishing-new-freedoms?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+iwprstories+%28IWPR+Stories%29
    Yemen
    “Friday of Decisiveness in Yemen”: Tens of Thousands Protest as President Saleh Defiantly Rejects Demands to Resign
    Tens of thousands of Yemenis have taken to the streets today for what organizers have called the “Friday of Decisiveness,” days after Yemeni forces opened fire on demonstrators. The death toll from weeks of protests has surpassed 160. The violence comes as Qatar has pulled out of international talks on a deal that would see Saleh voluntarily resign. We are joined on the phone by Iona Craig, a Times of London correspondent, based in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a.
    http://www.democracynow.org/2011/5/13/friday_of_decisiveness_in_yemen_tens
    Qatar quits Yemen mediation attempt
    Qatar has pulled out of the effort to mediate an end to Yemen’s political crisis, blaming the country’s embattled president for the impasse.
    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/qatar-quits-yemen-mediation-attempt-2283567.html
    Gulf Cooperation Council: Revoke Immunity Promise to Saleh
    (New York) – Negotiators should immediately remove a promise of immunity from any resignation deal for President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen in light of repeated, lethal attacks by his security forces on peaceful protesters, Human Rights Watch said today.
    http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/05/12/gulf-cooperation-council-revoke-immunity-promise-saleh
    Protesters wounded in Yemen clashes
    Security forces open fire at rally in Taiz as demonstrators continue to call for the ouster of president Saleh.
    http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/05/2011512114245752696.html
    The youth will win in Yemen
    Yemen is a fertile land with beaches that stretch for more than 1,700km. It is also a country in which more than 10 million people are threatened by starvation, where thousands spend their lives sneaking into neighbouring countries in search of better opportunities, and where children are violated in forced labour markets. In an age of extraordinary medical advances, the greatest hope of 24 million Yemenis is that their children are not crippled by polio. Man landed on the moon more than 40 years ago, but in Yemen, many still dream of travelling by car rather than donkey. In an age of Facebook and Twitter, many Yemenis simply wish they could read a letter from a loved one.
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/may/12/ali-abdullah-saleh-yemen-youth-democracy
    Osama
    Bin Laden was Operational Leader, Juan Cole
    Kimberly Dozier of the Associated Press got the scoop. USG analysts going through the material captured at Usamah Bin Laden’s residence in Abbotabad described to her some of what they were finding.
    http://www.juancole.com/2011/05/bin-laden-was-operational-leader.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+juancole%2Fymbn+%28Informed+Comment%29
    Bin Laden journal reveals his calculations for another 9/11-style attack
    The release of more information seized from Osama bin Laden’s compound revealed that he thought only another 9/11-scale attack would force the US out of the Arab world.
    http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/oRjJtqYbhLA/Bin-Laden-journal-reveals-his-calculations-for-another-9-11-style-attack
    Bin Laden’s wife: I’ll stand with you
    (AP) – Osama bin Laden once gave his wives the option of leaving Afghanistan, but his young Yemeni bride was determined to stay and be “martyred” alongside him.
    http://www.aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=1&id=25144
    ‘Pakistan wasn’t bin Laden’s only hideout,’
    Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, in an exclusive interview with TIME on Wednesday one of the first he has given since the raid on Abbottabad thinks bin Laden may have visited his ancestral homeland, Yemen, in search of a new bride.
    http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=185493
    Dalai Lama ‘sad’ about bin Laden killing (AFP)
    AFP – The Dalai Lama said Thursday he was saddened by the killing of Osama bin Laden by US commandos, which he likened to the 2006 hanging of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
    http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110512/ts_alt_afp/usattacksbinladentibetchina
    Other Analysis/Op-ed
    Amnesty says Arab uprising ‘on knife edge’
    The struggle for freedom has entered a decisive phase as brutal Arab regimes try to regain control, rights group says.
    http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/05/201151301734114107.html
    VIDEO: Amnesty’s Arab Spring warning
    A fightback by repressive governments is putting at risk a historic struggle for freedom and justice in the Arab world, Amnesty International says.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-13392234
    Al Jazeera Journalist Dorothy Parvaz Remains Missing After Being Detained in Syria, Then Deported to Iran
    Al Jazeera English reporter Dorothy Parvaz, an American-Canadian-Iranian citizen, was detained in Syria on April 29 when she arrived to cover the ongoing unrest. She has not been seen since. On Wednesday, Al Jazeera reported she had been deported to Iran, although there has been no direct contact with her. The Committee to Protect Journalists is calling for her immediate release from Iranian authorities. We are joined by Kim Barker, the sister of Parvaz’s fiancé, Todd Barker, who introduced the couple. She has known Parvaz for 12 years—they met as colleagues at the Seattle Times. Kim Barker is now a ProPublica reporter who has reported from Pakistan and Afghanistan. “Dorothy is an amazing journalist, and an amazing human being,” Kim Barker says.
    http://www.democracynow.org/2011/5/13/al_jazeera_journalist_dorothy_parvaz_remains

    A story of the most powerful army in the Middle East chasing 18 cows.

    May 13, 2011

    annie

    I’m enchanted by this trailer, enjoy:

    Here’s a brief synopsis of the film The Wanted 18 from Intuitive Pictures:

    In 1987, at the beginning of the first Intifada, Palestinian leaders asked their communities to develop Palestinian alter-natives to Israeli products. In response, a group of Palestinian activists started a cooperative dairy farm in Beit Sahour with 18 cows. All of the activists were intellectuals who knew nothing about raising cattle or operating a dairy. But, after some training (and the purchase of some cows from Israel), these newbie dairy farmers managed to start producing a high quality competitive product which became known as “intifada milk”.

    However, once the cooperative became successful the Israeli army ordered its closure, declaring it a threat to national security. Defying the army, the activists covered their faces and went under cover. They hid the 18 cows in people’s houses and continued to produce milk.

    The Wanted 18, is an animated documentary told from the unique perspective of the cows and the activists. Using stop frame animation, created by a team in Ramallah and Montreal, this documentary will also contain powerful filmed interviews with the Palestinian activists who initiated the dairy farm in 1988, members of the Israeli army as well as American dairy farmers who were involved in training one of the farmers.

    Blackwater forms spy group in US

    NOVANEWS
     

    Executives from Blackwater military firm form new intelligence agency.

    The notorious military contractor formerly known as Blackwater along with intelligence operations program Able Danger has formed a new spy firm called Jellyfish Intelligence.

    Xe Services LLC and Able Danger claim the Jellyfish Intelligence is a “law-abiding” firm, which aims to sell intelligence to wealthy corporations, a Press TV correspondent reported. “We realize that this is an extremely transitory time. Nothing is predictable. What we have set out to do is to make the key intelligence available to companies who just like battlefield commanders, have to maintain successful operations,” Chief Legal Officer of Jellyfish Intelligence, Kathleen Robertson said during a press conference held on discussing the new agency’s mission.

    Blackwater changed its name to Xe after the contractor’s reputation was tarnished following a series of scandals, most notably the 2007 murder of dozens of Iraqi civilians in an unprovoked shooting spree.

    “Because of the backgrounds of some of the individuals, someone might want to make it into a controversy, but we have no interest in the business of guns, gates, and guards,” Jellyfish Intelligence CEO, Keith Mahoney told Press TV.

    Some intelligence analysts have stressed their opposition to such privatizations, arguing that it would endanger the country’s national security, as top-security information will become more accessible.

     

    US seeks to bomb Libya past deadline

    NOVANEWS
     

     

    U.S. President Barack Obama and his legal advisers are deliberating about how the United States military may lawfully continue participating in NATO’s bombing campaign in Libya after next week, when the air war will reach a legal deadline for terminating combat operations that have not been authorized by Congress.

    Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, a president must terminate such operations 60 days after he has formally notified lawmakers about the introduction of armed forces into actual or imminent hostilities. The Libya campaign will reach that mark on May 20. NYT

    HIGHLIGHTS

    Though Congressional leaders have shown little interest in enforcing the resolution, James Steinberg, the deputy secretary of state, was asked Thursday about the deadline at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. NYT

    He said the administration was examining the military’s “role and activities as we move through the next period of time” and would consult Congress about evaluating “what we think we can and can’t do.” NYT

    “Mindful of the passage of time including the end of the two-month period, we are in the process of reviewing our role, and the president will be making decisions going forward in terms of what he sees as appropriate for us to do,” Steinberg said. NYT

    The administration apparently has no intention of pulling out of the Libya campaign, and Steinberg said that Obama was committed “to act consistently with the War Powers Resolution.” So the Obama legal team is now trying to come up with a plausible theory for why continued participation by the United States does not violate the law. NYT

    The Obama administration is stepping up its engagement with forces fighting Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, inviting opposition leaders to meet with U.S. officials at the White House Friday, while stopping short of recognizing their council as Libya’s legitimate government. FOX News

    The White House said Mahmoud Jibril, a representative of the Libyan Transitional National Council, would meet with senior administration officials, including National Security Adviser Tom Donilon, as well as members of Congress. But there were no plans for President Barack Obama to meet with Jibril and his delegation. FOX News

    The Obama administration is facing intense questioning from U.S. lawmakers about current and future U.S. efforts to reshape Libya. Nearly two months into an international military campaign, legislators are seeking answers about goals, methods, costs, and potential outcomes in the oil-rich country, where Gaddafi continues to cling to power. VOA

    The top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Richard Lugar of Indiana, expressed strong misgivings about President Barack Obama’s failure to seek congressional consent to launch war operations over Libya. VOA

    “The president should have come to Congress seeking authority to wage war in Libya. And I believe that Congress and the American people would still benefit from a debate on this matter,” he said. VOA

    FACTS & FIGURES

    Adopting UNSC Resolution 1973 by a vote of 10 in favor to none against, with 5 abstentions the Council authorized Member States, acting nationally or through regional organizations or arrangements, to take all necessary measures to protect civilians under threat of attack in Libya. The resolution does not authorize regime change. Guardian

    The United States led the bombing campaign in its first week, but has since then taken a back seat, putting NATO in command with the British and French responsible for most strikes on Gaddafi’s forces. President Obama made clear Washington was not planning to resume to a more active military role. Huffington Post

    The stated mission of the U.S. has been to protect Libyan civilians from Gaddafi’s military forces but not to attack Gaddafi directly. Obama has said the goal is to give Libyan fighters the opportunity to gain enough strength to oust Gaddafi themselves. Still, Obama and other American officials have called for Gaddafi to step down from power. The Hill

    U.S. President Barack Obama acknowledged on April 15 that there was a “stalemate” on the ground in Libya. Gulf News

    U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has said the United States should take a more aggressive approach in Libya to oust Dictator Muammar Gaddafi, bombing the capitol city so members of Gaddafi’s inner circle “wake up every day wondering, ‘will this be my last?’ “‘ Huffington Post.