NOVANEWS
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Video surfaces of American forces urinating on dead corpses in Afghanistan (and Pamela Geller loves it)
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WINEP official says U.S. strategy is aimed at provoking ‘Pearl Harbor’ that justifies war with Iran
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Ron Paul on Israel
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13 year old Palestinian girl in wheelchair victim of hit and run by Israeli settlers
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Europe gets it: Israel ‘forcibly transfers’ Palestinians
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Silenced in Seattle, SeaMAC presses on with ads against settlements, child imprisonment and collective punishment
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Soap, sweets and Fatah
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Benny Morris dreams of a ‘less Arab’ Israel
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Dore Gold loses NY debate (but his cheering section wants you to read ‘Muslim mafia’ before they restore the caliphate!)
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Incitement: Washington Institute for Near East Policy applauds covert war on Iran
Video surfaces of American forces urinating on dead corpses in Afghanistan (and Pamela Geller loves it)
Jan 12, 2012
Annie Robbins
A video of American Marines urinating on corpses exploded on the internet yesterday. Multiple sources positing this could have the impact of another Abu Gharib. Reportedly one soldiers says ‘Scout sniper team 4 with the 3rd Battalian 2nd Marines out of Camp Lejeune’ (based out of North Carolina) and CNN is reporting two of the four marines have already been identified.
Reuters
A video appearing to show U.S. Marines urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban fighters promises to become an enduring memory of the Afghan war and is already drawing sharp reaction from across the world as it goes viral on the Internet.
Like in the 2004 Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal, in which U.S. troops photographed themselves humiliating and intimidating detainees, the Americans shown in the Marine video appeared to have wanted a record of themselves desecrating the corpses of the men they had just killed.
Videos with full sound track are available on youtube.
“Have a great day, buddy.”
“You got it on the video?”
“Yeah.”
“I see you zoomed in on our…”
“Golden, like a shower.”
CNN
Two of the four Marines shown in a video urinating on dead bodies sprawled out on the ground have been identified by the Marine Corps, a Marine Corps official told CNN Thursday. The names are not being made public, said the official, who did not want to be identified because the investigation is ongoing.
“I have seen the footage, and I find the behavior depicted in it utterly deplorable,” U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said in a statement. “I condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed “total dismay …..deplorable…It is absolutely inconsistent with American values, with the standards of behavior that we expect from our military personnel and the vast, vast majority of our military personnel, particularly our Marines, hold themselves to,” she said. “Anyone found to have participated or known about it, having engaged in this kind of conduct, must be held fully accountable.”
Afghan President Hamid Karzai called on the U.S. government to investigate the video and hand down the harshest punishment possible.
“The government of Afghanistan is deeply disturbed by a video that shows American soldiers desecrating dead bodies of three Afghans,” according to a statement released by the presidential palace on behalf of Karzai.
This is barbaric. When are we going to leave Afghanistan?
This is right up Pamela Geller’s alley. She’s in seventh heaven, lovin’ it.
pamella geller 01 12 2012
CAIR:
Tea Party Speaker Says She ‘Loves’ Marines Who Desecrated Corpses
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 1/12/12) — The Council on American-Islamic Relations(CAIR) today condemned remarks by Pamela Geller, the leader of an anti-Muslim hate group and a frequent speaker at Tea Party events, applauding the alleged desecration of Afghan corpses by U.S. Marines.
On her hate blog, Geller wrote in response to CAIR’s condemnation of the desecration: “I love these Marines. Perhaps this is the infidel interpretation of the Islamic ritual of washing and preparing the body for burial.”
While Geller praised the desecration video, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta called it “utterly deplorable.” CAIR yesterday expressed concern that enemies of the United States will use the video to further their anti-American goals.
Hate-filled comments on Geller’s post included:
“I’ve never been prouder to be an American!”
“My heroes!! Best video I’ve seen in awhile :)”
“Nicest movie I’ve seen in years.”
“These sick mutts need to be urinated on. Defecated on too.”
“Have you burned a Koran today. All around the campfire. Burn, baby, burn.”
“The marines should have dumped the bodies in PIG BLOOD; soaked those bodies, in PIG BLOOD.”
“Looked to me as though the marines were showing respect. They had their heads bowed and observed silence while rinsing off the corpses.”
WINEP official says U.S. strategy is aimed at provoking ‘Pearl Harbor’ that justifies war with Iran
Jan 12, 2012
Philip Weiss
Patrick Clawson
Earlier today, we did a post on neocons inciting war with Iran that featured quotes from Patrick Clawson of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, formerly a branch of the Israel lobby group AIPAC. Well Clawson had better put a sock in it, and quick, because now he’s given away the neocons’ game plan. From Laura Rozen’s piece on the negotiations:
Patrick Clawson, deputy director of research at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, in an interview with Yahoo News Tuesday… said he didn’t think prospects for a deal look promising.
“I think it’s heading towards confrontation,” Clawson said. “The whole point from the beginning is if we put pressure on the regime, the Iranians will crack at some point.”
So far, at least, there’s little sign the strategy is yielding the desired result. The Iranians to date have responded to the prospect of the tightened financial sanctions on the country’s oil sector with an announcement of the launching of operations at the fortified, underground Fordo nuclear enrichment facility–together with sporadic threats to close the Strait of Hormuz. So why isn’t that a sign that the U.S. strategy is failing?
“It’s a lot better to have a fight” that Iran provokes, Clawson replied, before adding: “Better to enter World War II after Pearl Harbor, and World War I after the sinking of the Lusitania.”
Ron Paul on Israel
Jan 12, 2012
Adam Horowitz
Paul discusses his policy towards Israel beginning at 2:00.
From a Haaretz interview with Paul at the end of December:
I believe that Israel is one of our most important friends in the world. And the views that I hold have many adherents in Israel today. Two of the tenets of a true Zionist are “self-determination” and “self-reliance.” I do not believe we should be Israel’s master but, rather, her friend. We should not be dictating her policies and announcing her negotiating positions before talks with her neighbors have even begun. . .
I am the one candidate who would respect Israel’s sovereignty and not try to dictate to her about how she should deal with her neighbors. I supported Israel’s right to attack the Iraqi nuclear reactor in the 1980s, and I opposed President Obama’s attempt to dictate Israel’s borders this year.
Guess non-interventionism cuts both ways. Here’s a longer excerpt:
Q. What was your reaction to your exclusion from the function held by the Republican Jewish Coalition, to which all the rest of the candidates were invited?
Paul: Well, it was a bit surprising and disappointing. I believe that Israel is one of our most important friends in the world. And the views that I hold have many adherents in Israel today. Two of the tenets of a true Zionist are “self-determination” and “self-reliance.” I do not believe we should be Israel’s master but, rather, her friend. We should not be dictating her policies and announcing her negotiating positions before talks with her neighbors have even begun.
Q. Were you disappointed with the lack of collegiality of the other candidates, who did not insist that you be invited as well?
Paul: No. I did not ask or expect them to boycott the event or insist to the organizers that I be invited.
Q. The RJC characterized your views on Israel as “misguided and extreme”. Why do you think they view your views in that way?
Paul: I do not know, as I am the one candidate who would respect Israel’s sovereignty and not try to dictate to her about how she should deal with her neighbors. I supported Israel’s right to attack the Iraqi nuclear reactor in the 1980s, and I opposed President Obama’s attempt to dictate Israel’s borders this year.
Q. Do you think that the American debate on Israel is stifled?
Paul: There is no question that the problems of the Middle East have been intractable and may take new solutions and ideas. These ideas should all be openly discussed. I believe that my opinions have been distorted by those who want to continue America’s current role as world policeman, which we don’t have the money or manpower to sustain.
My philosophy, like that of the Founding Fathers, is that we should use our resources to protect our nation. Our policies of intervention and manipulation in Iran and Iraq and other places have led to unintended consequences and have not made Israel safer. Many in the Jewish community share my opinion, and it’s vital for both nations that we continue to have an open dialogue.
Phil had referred this interview earlier when Paul says, regarding Iran:
I believe I’m the only candidate who would allow Israel to take immediate action to defend herself without having to get our approval. Israel should be free to take whatever steps she deems necessary to protect her national security and sovereignty.
13 year old Palestinian girl in wheelchair victim of hit and run by Israeli settlers
Jan 12, 2012
Today in Palestine
Disabled girl in a wheelchair hit by settler car in Hebron on her way to school
HEBRON (Ma’an) — A disabled child was hit by a settler car on Thursday near the Ibrahimi mosque in Hebron, medics said. Head of the Red Crescent emergency ward in Hebron told Ma’an that Hiba Abdul Ghaffar, 13, was heading to school when she was hit by the car. Ghaffar, who is in a wheelchair, suffered light injuries in the collision and was taken to hospital for treatment.
link to www.maannews.net
Land, Property Theft & Destruction / Ethnic Cleansing / Apartheid
IOA confiscates cultivated land lot in Bethlehem
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) confiscated a cultivated land lot in Khader village south of Bethlehem at the pretext of constructing a road to serve a nearby settlement.
link to www.palestine-info.co.uk
Palestinian leaders outraged over West Bank construction data
A report released by Israel’s Peace Now group also says building last year on East Jerusalem land seized during the 1967 Middle East War was at the highest level in a decade. Palestinian leaders voiced outrage Tuesday over a new report that Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank rose 20% last year. The report released by the Peace Now group also says that building on East Jerusalem land seized during the 1967 Middle East War was at the highest level in a decade.
IOA to expand West Bank settlement
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has announced tenders for the construction of 213 settler houses in Efrat settlement to the south of Bethlehem.
On Monday, January 9, Israeli authorities shut down “the only road leading to Khan al Ahmar elementary school,” the Palestinian news agency WAFA reports. The move came a day after Israeli authorities issued a number of stop work orders in Umm al Kheir. Both Khan al Ahmar and Umm al Kheir are Bedouin villages located in the West Bank’s Israeli-controlled Area C.
Knesset speaker visits illegal West Bank outpost, says relocating it ‘makes no sense’
link to www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk
Violence & Aggression / Israeli Injustice System
Two Israeli women ran over two Palestinian schoolgirls in each of Al-Khalil and Nablus in separate incidents on Thursday morning, medical sources said.
IOF soldiers arrest citizen and confiscate cars in Jenin
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed Jenin refugee camp at dawn Wednesday in tens of army vehicles and arrested a citizen from inside his home after wreaking havoc on it and on his garage.
IOF troops storm Nablus village, detain minor
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed the village of Sebastia to the north west of Nablus on Tuesday and detained a minor in one of its streets, local sources said.
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) rounded up four citizens in Al-Khalil in the latest round of arrests in the province that has been the target of semi daily incursions for the past few months.
Masada unit storms Negev prison cells of Hamas, Jihad prisoners
Israeli Masada unit soldiers stormed ward 9 of the Negev prison where Hamas and Islamic Jihad affiliates are held on Wednesday, the prisoners’ studies center said.
Wajeb slams systematic kidnapping of Palestinian refugees in Iraq
The Palestinian return assembly-Wajeb strongly denounced the Iraqi security forces for storming the municipal compound of the Palestinian refugees in Baghdad and kidnapping some of its residents.
Khudari blames world community for slow Gaza reconstruction
Independent MP Jamal Al-Khudari has blamed the world community for failing to embark on reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, which was devastated in the Israeli invasion three years ago.
Racism / Discrimination / Sexism & others things you would read in the New York Times
Israeli bar on citizenship upheld
A law preventing Palestinians gaining Israeli nationality by marriage is upheld by Israel’s top court.
‘Citizenship Law – declaration of war on Israeli Arabs’
Israeli Arab says court’s decision to reject petition against law will lead to ‘expulsion of thousands of families.’ Rahat resident: Why are we being treated like enemies?
Yair Lapid gets death threat on Facebook
‘If you challenge Netanyahu, your fate will be similar to that of Yitzhak Rabin,’ man writes on journalist turned politician’s Facebook page. Police investigating.
Minister: Ethiopians should ‘say thank you’ for what they got
Ethiopian social activist draws Immigrant Absorption minister’s ire after telling Knesset Committee they are ‘hypocrites’ who are ‘creating a 21st Century version of Apartheid in Israel’.
IDF: No coercion of haredi soldiers
Army informs haredi soldiers that they will not be forced to attend military ceremonies featuring female performers. MK Gafni urges haredim not to join IDF.
Palestinian youth call for Ramallah protest against Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in Jordan, Ali Abunimah
Palestinian youth are calling for a silent protest this Saturday outside the headquarters of Palestinian Authority ruler Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah to protest the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in Jordan.
Photos: Palestinian graffiti artists penetrate heavily fortified heart of West Jerusalem, Ali Abunimah
Palestinian artists penetrated the heavily fortified heart of West Jerusalem overnight and painted graffiti bearing political messages on walls, doors, construction sites and other surfaces.
Hamas leader to visit Iran, Qatar in new trip (AP)
AP – An adviser to Hamas’ prime minister says the leader will visit Iran, Qatar and other Muslim countries at the end of the month.
Saudi hacker strikes again
Hacker indentifying himself as ‘0xOmar’ leaks details of 200 more Israeli credit cards; urges fellow Arab hackers to ‘destroy Israel’.
Egypt to halt annual Israeli pilgrimage
Foreign ministry says holding annual visit to rabbi’s tomb is “impossible” owing to political and security concerns.
Elias Younes suspected of providing Israel with access to Lebanese communications system, information on naval security means.
‘Mossad recruiting Iranian refugees in Iraq’
France’s Le Figaro quotes Iraqi security official as saying Israel has increased recruitment efforts in country’s Kurdish region.
Fox News reports that IDF chief of staff Benny Gantz testified in closed session to the Israeli Knessets foreign affairs and defense committee that Israel was engaged in sabotaging Iran’s nuclear program through a series of “unnatural” acts:
Sharansky: Obama`s new chief of staff `staunch Israel supporter`
Aviel Magnezi – Ynet – “While he refrained from predicting an improvement in Israel-US relations following the appointment of Lew, Sharansky said he is convinced that Lew`s presence will have a positive effect in the media sphere.”
Other Mideast News
Eight Iraqis Killed As Maliki’s Rivals Try To Outplay Him
Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq called for replacing his dictatorial boss during an interview today.. Separately, officials in Iraqi Kurdistan told Baghdad to consider holding Hashemi’s trial in neutral territory because they aren’t handing Vice President Tareq al-Hashimi to Maliki operatives. Meanwhile, no major attacks against Shi’ite pilgrims took place today, but least eight Iraqis were killed and nine more were wounded in new violence. Also, one Syrian militant was killed.
Reuters – Tens of thousands of Shi’ite Muslims are pouring into Iraq’s holy city of Kerbala, despite having become the main targets of a bombing campaign that followed the withdrawal of U.S. troops last month.
Ex-Marine testifies that killings of Iraqis were justified after house was labeled ‘hostile’
A former Marine testified Tuesday that he and other Marines were justified in breaking into a home in Iraq and killing everyone inside after their squad leader told them the house was to be treated as “hostile.”
US troops ‘told to lie’ about Iraqi killings
US soldier says his commander killed five Iraqi civilians in Haditha in 2005 and asked him to lie about it.
Bahrainis protest at UN offices
Several thousand people hold a protest outside the UN’s offices in Bahrain’s capital, Manama, calling for intervention to protect civilians.
Business as usual in bloody Bahrain
It’s no surprise the Countess of Wessex accepted jewellery from the Bahraini royal family: Britain has been its backbone for years News that the Countess of Wessex accepted gifts of jewellery from Bahrain’s royal family is not surprising. After almost 200 years of British-supported rule by the House of Khalifa, Bahrainis are no closer to human rights or democracy. Meanwhile, British firms continue to profit from the ongoing crackdown, as the British government seemingly turns a blind eye to continuing abuses.
Syria’s Assad maintains support despite deadly situation
Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad made a surprise appearance at a rally in Damascus hoping to show the world he is a leader in charge. But in the opposition stronghold of Homs eight people were killed in an attack on a government-organised media trip. Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra reports from neighbouring Turkey.
Al Jazeera interviews Nir Rosen, a journalist who has been in Syria for the last two months, on the situation in Syria, and his opinion of the Free Syrian Army.
Marwan Bishara speaks on Syria situation
Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst, talks about the situation in Syria after one Arab monitor quit the team saying “the mission was a farce”. Bishara says: “The sort of individual declarations by [Arab League]team members is not exactly the most professional thing I have seen before.” “If the observers’ mission fails because the violence continues, then this is another reason why the Arabs and their allies could go to Security Council.” “In the worst case scenario, if they fail in the coming weeks or days, it goes to the Security Council in a far stronger way,” he said.
Thomas Friedman in Cairo: A fact-check
New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman is enormously influential, with a cabinet full of Pulitzer prizes, so it’s important to set the record straight when he gets some facts wrong.
from RawStory.com Headlines by Stephen C. WebsterMilitary officials said Wednesday that they’re investigating a video published online showing four men in U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) uniforms urinating on several lifeless bodies purported to be dead Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. “While we have not yet verified the origin or authenticity of this video, the actions portrayed are not consistent with our core values and are not indicative of the character of the Marines in our Corps,” a USMC spokeswomantold celebrity gossip website TMZ. ”This matter will be fully investigated and those responsible will be held accountable for their actions.”
Guantánamo Exclusive: Former Chief Prosecutor, Ex-Prisoner Call on Obama to Close Prison
On the 10th anniversary of when the United States began detaining terror suspects at its Guantánamo Bay military base in Cuba, we speak with a former prisoner and the ex-chief U.S. prosecutor, who both call for the Obama administration to close the base. “People are locked up in isolation camps… People lost their hands, lost their eyes, lost their limbs,” says Omar Deghayes, who was arrested in Pakistan as a terror suspect and held in U.S. custody from May 2002 until December 2007, most of that time at Guantánamo. “Some people were subjected to sleep deprivation. They weren’t allowed to sleep… And they had to live under those conditions for six years … without being convicted of any crime, which is the most unacceptable thing.” Asked if prisoners were tortured at Guantánamo, Air Force Colonel Morris Davis, the former chief prosecutor at the military prison, answers, “I don’t think there’s any doubt.” Davis resigned his position in 2007 in protest of what he called political interference in the military commissions of Guantánamo prisoners. “In many of the cases, we had evidence independent of that [torture] that was sufficient to establish guilt. But to use torture to gain intelligence and then also to turn around and use that as evidence in an American court is just not consistent with American principles,” Davis says.link to www.democracynow.org
NDAA: Obama Signs Law Restricting Transfer of Guantánamo Prisoners and Expands Indefinite Detention
It has been 10 years since the United States began detaining people at its military base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. We speak with someone who has worked to defend the rights of those prisoners for the last decade: Michael Ratner, president emeritus of the Center for Constitutional Rights. While dozens continue to face an unknown future at Guantánamo, we ask Ratner to comment on President Obama’s recent approval of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which some legal experts say would authorize the military to indefinitely jail anyone it considers a terrorism suspect — without charge or trial. “The Center represented the first people out of Guantánamo over 10 years ago. At that time, the detention of people, the military trials, was all done by a presidential order. When Obama took office, he continued the same actions. And recently, in theNDAA, those actions, the ability to detain people, the ability to use military commissions, etc., were actually put into law, and Obama, contrary to his claim that he was going to veto it, signed it, making him the first president ever in the United States to sign into law indefinite detention as part of the policy of the United States.” Ratner adds that “the NDAA puts very heavy restrictions on moving people out of Guantánamo… We are now in the longest period, almost a year, in which nobody has been transferred out of Guantánamo.”
link to www.democracynow.org
Analysis / Op-ed
Why is it open season on Palestinians in US presidential race?, Hasan Abu Nimah
The pro-Israel rhetoric of some election hopefuls is so extreme that they make George W. Bush seem reasonable by comparison.
There is a growing campaign to urge the London Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre to cancel Israel’s Habima Theatre’s performances of ‘The Merchant of Venice’ on 28-29th May 2012 at the Shakespeare Globe to Globe Festival. The Habima Theatre, the National Theatre of Israel, has no moral qualms about performing in the illegal settlement colonies on stolen Palestinian lands.
The Revolution Will Be Televised, and Manipulated, Ramzy Baroud
In the final days of the Libyan conflict, as NATO conducted a nonstop bombing campaign, an Aljazeera Arabic television correspondent’s actions raised more than eyebrows. They also raised serious questions regarding the journalistic responsibility of Arab media – or in fact any media – during times of conflict. Using a handheld transceiver, the journalist aired live communication between a Libyan commander and his troops in a Tripoli neighborhood targeted by a massive air assault. Millions of people listened, as surely did NATO military intelligence, to sensitive information disclosed by an overpowered, largely defeated army. The Doha-based news anchor sought further elaboration, and the reporter readily provided all the details he knew.
Israel’s Nightmare: Jew against Jew, Lillian Rosengarten
I have such a problem with Zionism today, some kind of distorted incarnation of what was once created from the ashes of the Holocaust to be a safe haven for Jews within a model of a secular nation state. I rage against attempts to blur the distinction between Zionist nationalism and Jewish religion. Of course some Jews are Zionists but I am a secular non Zionist Jew who strongly believes in the separation of church and state for a country to be truly democratic.
Europe gets it: Israel ‘forcibly transfers’ Palestinians
Jan 12, 2012
Alex Kane
Bulldozers, guarded by Israeli police, being transported to demolish a house in Silwan, a Palestinian neighbourhood in East Jerusalem, January 16th, 2007.
(Photo: Keren Manor/Activestills).
An internal European Union (EU) report catches up to the reality of life for Palestinians living in Area C of the West Bank: Israel is “closing the window” on a two-state solution and engages in “forced transfer of the native population.” That’s the diplomatic way of saying ethnic cleansing.
Donald Macintyre of the Independent has the story:
The Palestinian presence in the largest part of the occupied West Bank – has been, “continuously undermined” by Israel in ways that are “closing the window” on a two-state solution, according to an internal EU report seen by The Independent…
Area C is one of three zones allocated by the 1993 Oslo agreement. Area A includes major Palestinian cities, and is under the control of the Palestinian Authority. Area B is under shared Israeli-Palestinian control.
Although Area C is the least populous, the report says “the window for a two-state solution is rapidly closing with the continued expansion of Israeli settlements and access restrictions for Palestinians in Area C [which] compromises crucial natural resources and land for the future demographic and economic growth of a viable Palestinian state”.
It says the EU needs “at a political” level to persuade Israel to redesignate Area C, but in the meantime it should “support Palestinian presence in, and development of the area”. The report says the destruction of homes, public buildings and workplaces result in “forced transfer of the native population” and that construction is effectively prohibited in 70 per cent of the land – and then in zones largely allocated to settlements of th