BBC

I am speaking on the Ethan Bronner's affair on the BBC in London NOW.

An-Nahar declares Lebanese as part of the White minority in Haiti

It is official. An-Nahar's Nazi scientists declared the Lebanese in Haiti as part of the white minority. (the link is from an-Nahar's story). (thanks Mohammad)

Eli Wiesel

I never believe anything this man says. The BHL's scandal reminds one of the big fat lie that Norman Finkelstein caught Wiesel in, when the latter claimed that he had read Kant's Critique of Pure Reason in Yiddish, when no such translation existed at the time. Most importantly, I would sell half of my book collection if Wiesel can understand 10% of that book. So Wiesel appeared in court and in the media to say that his savings and his foundation's money were wiped out by Madoff. But yesterday, Wiesel had a full page ad in the NYT.

The nephew of the dictator

The nephew of `Ali `Abdullah Salih (the Yemeni dictator) who is highly ambitious and who is involved in a power struggle with the dictator's son, criticizes his uncle's strategy.

Nazila Fathi

Bell Keller (editor of the New York Times) keeps throwing the name of Nazila Fathi, as a native Iranian covering Iran, as analogous to the Ethan Bronner's case. No, that is the wrong analogy. The analogy is this: would Nazila Fathi still be permitted to write for the Times (or even enter its building) if her son were to volunteer in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards? That is the apt analogy, Mr. Keller.

Blaming the victims

"Apparently, he blames Palestinians in Gaza for their own deaths:" (thanks Electronic Ali)

He won't starve

""I'd rather die of hunger than entertain the possibility of coaching Israel," he told Egyptian daily al-Masry al-Youm."

A collaborationist court judges a collaborator? What gives?

"The southern West Bank Military court convicted a youth of collaborating with Israel last week, but overruled the death penalty in favor of a seven-year sentence because the accused was a minor, court officials said." I asked a legal court in the West Bank and this was explained to me. It is only legal to collaborate on the highest levels in West Bank bantustan.

After you, wherever you go (as an Arabic proverb goes, almost)

"Oren was interrupted 10 times while trying to give his speech before 500 people at the UCI Student Center, where there was heavy security. Oren took a 20 minute break after the fourth protest, asked for hospitality and resumed his speech, only to be interrupted again by young men yelling at him every few minutes. Many members of the audience also applauded Oren." (thanks Dina)

Vanguard

"The crackdown, carried out by elite Palestinian forces at a training base on the outskirts of this dusty West Bank town, was only a simulation for a small group of visitors. But the men carrying out this show of force - the result of months of U.S.-sponsored training - are already at the vanguard of Palestinian attempts to lay the groundwork for an independent state." (thanks Sarah)

The tweets of Jordan's Foreign Minister

How can any Arab have any respect for any Arab official. Look at this one (Nasir Judah): "A friend from the US described HM as being articulate, knowledgeable, focused and EFFECTIVE, and a major communication achievement"!" And a friend from the US described you to me as pathetic, groveling, talentless, tedious, and undignified. (thanks Ziyaad)

200 homes

"Jerusalem's mayor threatened last week to demolish 200 homes in Palestinian neighborhoods of the city in an act even he conceded would probably bring long-simmering tensions over housing in East Jerusalem to a boil." (thanks Olivia)

L'affaire Bernard-Henri Levy

This is a French account: Il en sait des choses, Bernard-Henri Lévy. Le néo-kantisme d'après-guerre. La vie culturelle paraguayenne. Seul problème, Jean-Baptiste Botul n'a jamais existé. Pas plus que ses conférences dans la pampa, auxquelles BHL se réfère avec l'autorité du cuistre. Ce penseur méconnu est même un canular fameux. Le fruit de l'imagination fertile de Frédéric Pagès, agrégé de philo et plume du « Canard enchaîné », où il rédige notamment chaque semaine « Le journal de Carla B.». Un traquenard au demeurant déjà bien éventé depuis la parution de « la Vie sexuelle d'Emmanuel Kant », pochade aussi érudite qu'hilarante, publiée en 1999 et rééditée en 2004 aux éditions Mille et une nuits, sous le pseudonyme de Botul. Une simple vérification sur Google aurait d'ailleurs pu alerter le malheureux BHL." And this is an English one: " Mr Lévy, who in France goes simply by his initials BHL, has been doing the media rounds to promote his new work, On War in Philosophy. In his book, which has received lavish praise from some quarters, the open-shirted Mr Lévy lays into the philosopher Immanuel Kant as being unhinged and a "fake". To support his claims, he cites a certain Jean-Baptiste Botul, whom he describes as a post-War authority on Kant. But the chorus of approval turned to laughter after a journalist from Le Nouvel Observateur pointed out that Mr Botul does not exist: he is a fictional character created in by a contemporary satirical journalist, Frédéric Pagès. Alarm bells should have rung given that Mr Pagès, a journalist with Le Canard Enchaîneé, a satirical weekly, has penned one book under the Botul pseudonym entitled The Sex Life of Immanuel Kant. He has even given rise to a school of philosophical thought called Botulism – a play on words with the lethal disease – and has created a theory of "La Metaphysique du Mou" the Metaphysics of the Flabby. But Mr Lévy missed the joke, citing Mr Botul from a "series of lectures to the neo-Kantians of Paraguay" he supposedly gave after the war, in which he said that "their hero was an abstract fake, a pure spirit of pure appearance". Aude Lancelin, the Nouvel Obs journalist who spotted the blunder, said it was tantamount to "a nuclear gaffe that raises questions on the Lévy method"." (thanks Mirvat)

Lebanese court society

Comrade Raed writes "Court Society" Part II. Illustration is also be comrade Raed.

L'affaire Ethan Bronner

By the way, this is an exchange between Bronner and me before the Israeli war on Gaza. Now, I have received another tip on Bronner (from another source). And I should say this: I will never reveal my sources who provide me tips (although I am not a journalist), although I only post items from reliable persons whose credibility and reliability can be ascertained. Many are people in mainstream life in the US (or in the Middle East): government officials, journalists, and academics. Some of them supply me with tips and information but ask me to not use it on the blog. I have not revealed identities of people who wrote to me in criticism without obtaining their permission. Yesterday, a very well-known (mainstream) Western reporter in the Middle East (who shall remain unnamed although he/she is known by all of you) sent me this (I cite, of course, with his/her permission): "Comrade as'ad: here is some background on our pal Ethan bronner. After the gaza massacre last year your beloved taghreed al khuddari told me that when bronner finally was allowed into gaza by the israelis he was utterly indifferent to accounts of the hardships endured by the people of gaza during the war. She told me he would turn his back and walk away when people tried to tell what had happened. His only real interest, she said, was how hamas had used them as "human shields". Only then, she said, would he pay attention. I know you have a low opinion of taghreed (which I don't completely share) but she had real problems with bronner. Bronner's predecessor, Steve Erlanger, was a decent chap who didn't feel comfortable with what he was covering. Bronner, on the other hand, always seemed to have no qualms. Now if you are going to use the above please be vague identifying the source."

Defacing Rafiq Hariri's pictures in Tyre

I want to know now from family and relatives in Tyre: who is responsible for the defacing of the pictures of Rafiq Hariri in Tyre? Who? I am just asking because I...have blenders for you. (Al-Mustaqbal)

Technical reasons

If you care: although they have been running promos, my interview on NBN has been postponed for two more weeks for "technical reasons." Not next Monday, but the one after on Rabiah Zayyat's Al-Hayat Ahla.

When Israel bombs, Western media find it cute

"That, according to Meir Geva, head of aerial munitions at Israel Military Industries, can be very deep indeed. His firm makes a bunker-buster which weighs about as much as a small car. “To my great sorrow”, Mr Geva says, its shockwave ranges cannot be revealed."

It is official: Human Rights Watch hearts bombing Arabs/Muslims

"Mark Hiznay, a bombs-control expert at Human Rights Watch, a humanitarian group based in New York, has gone so far as to say it has become a necessary weapon."

Ramallah collaborationist republic

"Under the guidance of an American general, Keith Dayton, hundreds of PA security forces have fanned out across Palestinian towns, co-ordinating with Israeli forces to swat Palestinian dissent. Though human-rights groups say the torture of dissidents has dipped, the number of arrests is sharply up."

barring candidates they dislike

"IN THE run-up to a general election due on March 7th, Iraq’s authorities seem to be taking a page out of Iran’s illiberal electoral rule book by barring candidates they dislike." Yes, the screening in Iran was an invention by Khymayni, and the screening in Iraq was an American occupation invention.

Inequality and excess

""Inequality leads to an excess of what Bowles calls “guard labor.” In a 2007 paper on the subject, he and co-author Arjun Jayadev, an assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts, make an astonishing claim: Roughly 1 in 4 Americans is employed to keep fellow citizens in line and protect private wealth from would-be Robin Hoods."" (thanks Ibrahim)

Dahlan embassy in France taken to court

"L'organisation, qui représente l'Autorité palestinienne en France, est poursuivie devant le tribunal de prud'hommes pour non respect des droits de deux de ses employés." (thanks "Ibn Rushd")

Al-Azhar book/website burners

""The committee hasn’t issued any decrees regarding Facebook," said Sheikh Saied Amer, head of the academy's fatwa, or religious-edict, committee. "We haven’t even had any inquiries about the religious legitimacy of using it or not.""

When a man with no credibility talks about credibility

"Jordan's king: US credibility under question". He added: My credibility and the credibility of my "Hashemite" family has never been under question because we never ever had any credibility.

Family waterboarding now

"A 27-year-old Washington state soldier allegedly admitted Sunday to having held his daughter's head in a bowl of water because she couldn't recite the alphabet." (thanks Sellam)

Occupation raid

"Late last night Occupation forces raided the Stop the Wall offices in Ramallah. Some 10 military jeeps, hummers and an armoured bus surrounded the building as soldiers searched rooms, turning the office upside down and confiscating computer hard disks, laptops, and video cameras along with paper documents, CDs, and video cassettes."

In Kuwait, you may pleasure others but you may not pleasure yourself

""He is also said to have hidden in obscured places and derived 'self-pleasure,'". (thanks Dina)

Prince Turki's handshake

This hand shake is more embarrassing to the House of Saudi than you think. Just notice how the Saudi press is trying either to ignore it or to only point out the "explanation" and "clarification" by the lying Prince. A reader in Saudi Arabia (who shall remain unnamed of course) expressed his frustration to me because his attempts at finding the footage on youtube produce this result.

Analysis of the Iranian situation

This is a really good analysis of the Iranian political situation by Egyptian expert, Mustafa Al-Labbad. It also has an informative section on the conflict within the clerical hierarchy and on the role of Ayatullah Yusif Sani`i. (thanks Hussein)

The most dubious of honors: or the least honorable mention ever

What do you do when you are mentioned in the blog of the worst writer on the Middle East in the entire world? I mean, that. You need to research this website and see what I have written about this man: Jeffrey Goldberg, who proudly served in the Israeli occupation forces. The man was an occupation jailer of the inhabitants and owners of the land of Palestine. I have mocked the writings of this man for years: because you can't take seriously what he writes. This is a man who traveled to the Middle East in the wake of Sept. 11 to talk to "Muslims." He was peddling the theory that Muslims engage in suicide bombings because they seek sex in the hereafter. I still remember the lousy article that he wrote for the New Yorker in which Islamist lawyer, Muntasir Az-Zayyat, had to shock Goldberg by telling him to his face: well, you know that Muslims do engage in sex here on earth (or words to that effect). It was clear that Goldberg had no clue and no idea. He was shocked to discover that Muslims have sex on earth. It just never occurred to him. You can take the good book on suicide bombings by Robert Pape, Dying to Win, as a documented to rebuttal to the dumb Israeli-peddled theories on the subject. Goldberg today said this: "He bases this on complaints from, among others, something called "The Angry Arab News Service." Hoyt writes: "Web sites like the Angry Arab News Service have called him a propagandist for Israel." Did it strike Hoyt that perhaps a web site called "The Angry Arab News Service" might be engaged in the dissemination of, you know, propaganda? " There is an old Arabic saying by `Ali Bin Abi Talib in Nahju Al-Balaghah which says: I have never argued with a reasonable man and did not defeat him, but I never argued with an ignorant man who did not defeat me. So I would in no way argue with somebody whose Middle East training amounts to training in the Israeli occupation army. As for the charge of zealotry: I stand guilty. I am a zealot when it comes to secularism, women's right, reason, the belief in sciences and not quackery, the belief in the abolishment of capitalism and the end of poverty, the principled opposition to Zionism in all its deadly forms (paper forms or land forms), the belief in the goal of liberating all of Palestine and the return of all Palestinian refugees to their homes, the belief in socialism and in anarchist critiques of the state--the state in itself. On all those principles I am a zealot--proudly. With somebody who volunteered in an occupation army and who served as a jailer for the natives of the land, there should be no arguments. Trials would be in order, not arguments. (thanks Olivia)

One question for the New York Times

If only one reporter for the New York Times would, for purposes of an experiment, announces that he/she has a son who has joined Hamas or Hizbullah forces, we would like then to see if Bill Keller would make the arguments that he has made regarding Ethan Bronner's son. I mean, Mr. Keller. Who are you kidding? Do you really think that one believes that that you are invoking some abstract (non-political) principle here?

Lysandra Ohrstrom on Ethan Bronner

"Let's get somethings straight. Ethan Bronner is not and never has been a "superb reporter" and there are plenty of reasons why he should not be allowed to run the Times' biggest Middle Eastern bureau, let alone commit blatant anti-journalistic acts on behalf of the "paper of record"--the last of which is his son's military service. No other reporter has turned the paper of record into a mouthpiece for the Israeli occupation more than Ethan Bronner and that is quite an accomplishment for a publication that so consistently represents one party's agenda...He proceeds to quote at least seven different Israeli sources and not a single Palestinian or independent human rights group about the details of a document he presumable has not read. The sources refute a few of the specific findings related to infrastructure damage detailed by the commission, but mentions the gravest alleged breaches at the heart of the report, only in passing. For instance, Bronner makes no mention of the mortar attack on a mosque during prayer service that killed 15 people, but allows an anonymous source to defend itself against the report's minor charges, such as the destruction of a flour mill and chicken coops. "The mission finds that the conduct of Israeli armed forces constitute grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention in respect of wilful killings and wilfully causing great suffering to protected persons and as such give rise to individual criminal responsibility," the executive summary of the Goldstone report said." (thanks David)

Arab Liberalism

My article for Al-Jazeera Center for Studies: "Arab Liberalism: Or Rationalization of Colonialism".

Saudi AND Qatari contacts with Israel

Publisher of Al-Quds Al-`Arabi, `Abdul-Bari `Atwan, has an editorial in which he rightly condemns the hand shake between Prince Turki Al-Faysal (the midwife of the creation of Al-Qa`idah) and an Israeli minister. But `Atwan should also condemn handshakes and hugs between Qatari princes and Israeli officials. He surely should know about them.

Egyptian democracy (which does not exist)

Egyptian journalist, Hamdi Qandil, writes about repression of freedoms of expression under the Mubarak family dictatorship. He then describes the kind of democracy that Egypt needs. (Hamdi Qandil is married to famous Egyptian actress, Najla' Fathi. I had a huge crush on her while growing up. I met Qandil in Beirut recently but I did not dare ask him about Fathi or reveal my youthful crush on his wife).

Ahmadinajad watching Avatar

Here is a picture from yesterday. Ahmadinajad was watching Avatar in Santa Monica. (AP)

Arab censorship

Comrade Samah provides a review of Arab censorship.

Where is Neda? Coverage of Iran in the Western Press

Mona provided a translation of an article from a German newspaper: " 2 Nedas. One dead, one half-dead.

Remember Neda? Neda Soltani? The icon of resistance in Iran last summer?

In fact, she is alive. In Frankfurt/Germany. One thing after the other: yes, a woman died on June 20^th 2009, but her name was Neda Agha-Soltan – not Neda Soltani. She was 26 – not 32. And she was a student at the private Islamic Azad University – not a teacher there. All these differences should have attracted the attention of serious journalists. But who cares in times of hysteria? Instead world media spread the picture of the wrong Neda, who someone downloaded from her facebook-profile during the night to the 21^st of June. The young woman panicked and sent immediately in the morning to Voice of America a second picture of hers in order to prove that she is alive and - guess what? Voice of America published it as another picture of the dead Neda, CBS happily took it on... Everybody ignored the mistake, even though it became even more obvious, after the family of the dead Neda Agha-Soltan handed out pictures of her daughter on June 23^rd. Only on July, 3^rd BBC Online reports the mistake – in a paragraph after the conspiracy theories on Michael Jackson’s death. At that time Neda Soltani, who never wanted to leave Iran, was already in Germany. The Iranian regime had begun to threaten her. It seems they want to use the misunderstanding against the opposition, who’s „Angel“ she became. Neda Soltani nevertheless still tries to prove to the world that she is alive – lately she asked CNN via mail to delete the false picture, after it went again on air. The answer came as an automatically generated response, saying: unfortunately not all requests can be personally answered, signed „CNN, The Most Trusted Name In News“. Neda Soltani, who worked hard in Iran to become a University-teacher and who enjoyed her live with her friends, lives currently as an asylum-seeker from 180 Euro / month in Germany. David Schraven, the reporter who found this out, is a German freelancer. His topic is not politics but energy supply. Therefore he has often to do with oil-rich Iran." Or this.

Saudi-Israeli conspiracy? What Saudi-Israeli conspiracy?

"The Israeli government and pro-Israel advocates aren’t opposing recent US arms deals with Gulf countries, sources have told The Jerusalem Post." (thanks Laleh)

US spying? Really?

"Some even considered the Western ships to be exploiting this chance to photograph the coast and depths which Hezbollah overlooks, especially as this sea area could be a possible site in any future battle between the party and Israel, and this is a golden opportunity for the Americans."

Europe is not like the US

"Morris was scheduled to speak to students at the university on Thursday, but following a campaign led by anti-Israel activist Ben White the Israel Society canceled the talk. Instead Morris was invited to speak at an event hosted by the university’s Department of Political and International Studies." (thanks Sana)

Israeli propaganda in An-Nahar newspaper

Look how An-Nahar (the right-wing, sectarian Christian, racist anti-Palestinian (people), anti-Syrian (people) sheet in Beirut) describes Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace. It calls it "reconnaissance" mission. (thanks Hisham)

There is too much sensitivity to Islam in the West, according to those

"“It is politically correct to call this special religious considerations. In fact it is an Islamification of Denmark we are talking about. There are no other religions that require special considerations to any important degree,” says the Danish People’s Party’s Peter Skaarup says." (thanks Peter)

Al-Azhar chief kook

Shaykh of Al-Azhar (the Center for Islamic Obscurantism and Book/internet burning) said that he won't pursue an agenda bringing Muslim sects closer together. He said that he only wants to bring Shimon Peres close to him. (thanks Dina)

Youtube links

If you send me a youtube link, you need to tell me why I should see it and at which minute of the clip? I don't have time to screen them, damn it.

Shadid at the Times

"We are not told how Karim Hassan came to acquire this ‘vision’ of American soldiers as blond giants with good blood. Was it based on hearsay? Who had furnished him with this description of an army that now included many blacks, Hispanics, Asians and women? Or was this villager in remote Halaichiya a history buff – as Anthony Shadid claims – who relied for his ‘vision’ on Arab historians of the Crusades? What follows is more strange, passing strange."

PA Chief Puppet addresses the right of refugees

"I'm not saying that they all have to return." The only one that I would not want to return, is Abu Mazen and his fellow PA puppets.

Hizbullah and wealth: don't they sound like US TV evangelists?

"Hizbollah figures, for their part, contend that there is no contradiction. When I spoke to Ibrahim Moussawi, the party’s spokesman, he told me that wealth was not a concern for Hizbollah. “There’s no problem with enriching yourself as long as it does not involve anything haram,” he said. “Even during the Prophet’s time there has been rich people and poor people. Khadijah” – the Prophet Mohammad’s first wife – “was a rich woman actually, a merchant. In fact it’s said that had it not been for Khadijah’s money, a lot of the work of the Prophet never would have happened.”...But, Fayyad continued, “Hizbollah, it is not a small party anymore, a minority, it is a whole society. It is the party of the poor people, yes, but at the same time there are a lot of businessmen in the party, we have a lot of rich people, some elite class. This is normal, because Hizbollah has become one of the biggest parties in Lebanon.”" (thanks Elias and Nate)

I was forced to be a Jordanian, damn it

He said that Jordanian citizenship was forced on him in the first place. (thanks Dana)

Interview with Angry Arab

For those who care, NBN TV is airing a taped interview by Rabi`ah Az-Zayyat with me tomorrow (Monday) night at 9:00PM Beirut Time.

Between a Saudi Prince and an Israeli official, I disbelieve the Saudi prince more

"In al-Arabiya interview, Prince Turki al-Faisal says Israeli deputy foreign minister expressed his regret over remarks he made about Saudi Arabia. According to official, he told Ayalon, 'I accept your apology, on the Turkish ambassador's behalf as well.' Ayalon denies apologizing." Both are liars of course, but Saudi princes lie more. (thanks Olivia)

They are desperate for an Arab to shake their hands

Those Israeli officials. How pathetic. They are desperate for an Arab, any Arab--Nazis, polygamous corrupt prines, anti-Semities, scoundrels, war criminals--to shake their hands. How pathetic. If an Arab were to extend his foot, Israeli officials would cuddle it.

The Public Editor of the New York Times responds to the Bronner's Affair

He said: "Web sites like the Angry Arab News Service have called him a propagandist for Israel." Yes, I called him that because he is just that: a propagandist for Israel. But the entire piece is rather lame: so he basically is saying that there is nothing wrong with his reporting and that there is nothing wrong in his son bombing Palestinians, but that he should be reassigned. It does not make sense and it only shows that Mr. Public Editor was unwilling to speak his mind. Plus, it is so inunintelligent when people resort to the Bill O'Reilly defense: when he daily cites somebody calling him conservative and he then finds a nut who calls him a leftist. That, in O'Reilly's minds proves that he is unbiased. Public Editor does the same with Bronner. Plus, I like how he calls on former NYT reporters to offer an "objective" verdict. Oh, yes. I was expecting that the public editor is going to ask an Israeli military commander to serve as a referee here. He asked David Shipler to who served in the region for a year and a half and who wrote a book that adhered to the notion that the Arab-Israeli conflict is right-versus-right (which is at least less biased than right-versus-wrong that Bronner believes in.) I was not happy with Shipler's book and I corresponded with him on the matter. Then Shipler reviewed a book on Arab culture for the Times. I talked to him about it because I was outraged. I said to him: how could you review a book on Arabic culture when you know no Arabic? I can't imagine that I would review a book on, say, Russian culture. Even if I had Russian meals or traveled in Russia. He said to me: but they asked me. I said: say no. Tell them that you are qualified. But somebody needs to ask the Biller Keller this: what if Bronner's son had joined Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades? Would he also hold the same position? (thanks Sarah)

The Saudi-Israeli alliance in pictures

Prince Turki shakes hands with Danny Ayalon. A reader in Saudi Arabis tells me that this youtube channel has been blocked in Saudi Arabia. But it is clear that this Ayalon is the official liason with the House of Saud. Remember that he was invited to the address the Arab peoples in Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat (the mouthpiece of Prince Salman and his kids). (thanks Eyad)

The Corrupt Mufti of Lebanon in 2001: A strong no to the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon

There is a big uproar in Lebanon regarding massive corruption charges against the Mufti of Lebanon (I did not even put allegedly here given the abundant evidence against him). Thus far, he is still receiving the protection of the Hariri family. Here is a statement he had made back in 2001 against the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon. (thanks Amer)

Dahlan Town, Israel

"Work crews have broken ground on what they hope will be the first modern, planned Palestinian city – a step officials say will help build an independent state in spite of the current deadlock in the peace process with Israel. But without Israeli approval of a short stretch of road, the $500-million project may never get off the ground. "We could build the whole city, but the question is, would people live in a city that doesn't have an access road?" said Bashar Masri, managing director of the company behind the project. "Obviously, the answer is no."" (thanks Evo)

King PlayStation and Palestine

King PlayStation spends all this time attending to Palestinian affairs. (thanks Yaz)

I smell capitalist exploitation and human rights violations

"In the prisons of Lebanon, women are turning their attention to fashion and stitching their way to a brighter future. They're part of a program run by Sarah's Bags, a Beirut-based label that employs convicts and the recently-released to sew and embroider handbags by hand." (thanks Marc)

Electrocution for Jamal and `Ala' Mubarak

"A Palestinian police officer from Gaza, who was recently released from an Egyptian jail, said that he was tortured during his week-long detention in Egypt, including being stripped from his clothes and electrocuted."

Divestiture in California

"A group calling itself the Israel Divestiture Forum has filed an initiative with the attorney general that would require state pension funds to sever ties with Israeli companies or the Israeli government. The measure was submitted by Sacramento resident Chris Yatooma, who works as the head of fiscal policy for the California Community Colleges chancellor’s office." (thanks Marcy)

Pakistani ambassador in Saudi Arabia

By the way, all those stories about a Saudi rejection of a Pakistani ambassador due to his name which is obscene in Arabic are not true, to my knowledge, although I am getting ten links a day about the story.

People are buying and selling in Helmand: Thank you American occupation for that

"Though there are few concrete measures of progress, McChrystal cited such signs as newly bustling markets in Helmand province."

Prince Bandar bin Bribe Bin Sultan

"But that was not the end of the matter. In 2007, the Guardian revealed that the claims the SFO had been investigating included one that BAE had secretly paid more than £1bn to Prince Bandar through a US bank, as well as making him the free gift of an airliner. The US justice department decided to launch its own investigation. At its heart were claims that BAE had been paying £30m every quarter for at least a decade to the colourful prince. The US prosecutors could take jurisdiction as the payments had been channelled through a US bank in Washington where Bandar was the Saudi ambassador for 20 years. The British government refused to hand over documents about the Bandar payments to help the American prosecutors, payments allegedly made with the knowledge and authorisation of Ministry of Defence officials. Ministers had claimed for 20 years that there were no secret commission payments, and BAE officially promised the US government the same in a 2000 official letter which later proved to be its undoing." (thanks Hani)

Zionist business

"The cat is finally out of the bag: Iron Dome, the defense system meant to intercept Qassam and Katyusha rockets will not protect civilians in the communities bordering the Gaza Strip, including Sderot. This despite the fact that the high cost of the system’s development was justified by the need to protect exactly those citizens."

The problem with "Israel"

The problem with Israel is that even the most "left" or the most critical voices (by Israeli standards) are as clueless as the most mainstream Zionist. Look at this Chazan: "“They’re using me to attack in the most blatant way the basic principles of democracy and the values of the Declaration of Independence: Values of equality, tolerance, social justice and freedom of speech,” she added." At what age did Chazan start hearing voices, I wonder. (thanks Dina)

what do you smell?

"Israeli sources say CIA director Leon Panetta traveled to Israel this past week. He met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and Mossad chief Meir Dagan, one former Israeli official said. The main subject of conversation was Iran, as well as "relations" in general, the former official said. A CIA spokesman said that they don't as a rule discuss the CIA director's travel. Regional news reports said that Panetta also traveled to Cairo for meetings with Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman and other officials. Earlier this month, Obama National Security Advisor Jim Jones traveled to Israel, the Palestinian territories, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, accompanied by the NSC's Dennis Ross." (thanks Olivia)

Angry Arab as Palestinian: and Strida Ja`ja` (Ga`ga` in Egyptian accent)

I am often mistaken for a Palestinian. Those who know me, know that it honors me although I don't believe in flags or stamps or labels, but...for Palestine and the Palestinians, anything and everything. Some of my Arab enemies refer to me as Palestinian thinking that they are offending me. Former Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Lebanon (and current Minister of Information and Wahhabi Culture), `Abdul-`Aziz Al-Khujah, refers to me as "that Palestinian." Yesterday, Ghassan Sa`ud wrote a profile of Strid Ja`ja` (Ga`ga` in Egyptian accent) for Al-Akhbar. He told me that he had this exchange with her (I am citing with his permission of course):

" قلتلها وأسعد؟ قالت "مين أسعد، تبع الفلسطينية يلي بيضل معصب من كل الناس"؟

(I told her: and As`ad? She said: As`ad who? The one who belongs to the Palestinians and who is always angry at all people?)

Tell Mrs. Ga`ga` (Ja`ja` in Phoenician accent), that it honors me to belong to the Palestinian people and their cause. Especially when that association is thrown at me from a family which belongs to....Israel and its occupation.