"Bank Hapoalim and Israel Discount Bank are facing charges in New York federal court that they violated American anti-terrorism finance laws by allegedly serving as a conduit for Hamas. The accusations come from the Arab Bank of Jordan, which was first accused of similar charges and is now striking back by throwing the charges at the Israeli banks." (thanks Yasmine)
PS That reminds me. For the hitherto best and most thorough critique of the "financial war on terror," see Ibrahim Warde, The Price of Fear: The Truth Behind the Financial War on Terror. (Berkeley: UC Press, 2007). Warde's critique should be integrated into the mainstream debate, but it will not. Not in the US and nor in the Saudi (and Qatari) Arab press.

This is a link to the Kuwait newspaper, As-Siyasah, in which Francois Al-Hajj was accused by Hariri propagandists of loyalty to Hizbullah and Michel `Awn. (thanks N.)

This is destined to change the course of the war. "U.S. calls on Mongolia to continue sending soldiers to Iraq" (thanks Bill in Kabul)

"The media were not permitted in, and most Lebanese outlets ignored or denied the outrages. When I managed to slip inside, I was shocked by the scope of the damage. The buildings were crumpled, windows broken, electrical wiring yanked out, water pumps destroyed, generators stolen or shot up. All the gold jewelry had been stolen, as had been the cash that so many Palestinians had stored in their bedrooms. Insulting graffiti were scrawled on the charred walls, as were threats, signed by various Lebanese army units. Every car in the camp that I saw had been burned, shot or crushed by tanks or bulldozers. The ruination had been strikingly personal; I saw photo albums that had been torn to shreds. Palestinians told me that they had seen their belongings on sale in the main outdoor market in Tripoli. Like all institutions in Lebanon, the army is sectarian, a fact that helps explain the devastation. Most of the soldiers fighting in Nahr al-Bared had been Sunnis from northern Lebanon; the Sunnis had once seen Palestinian militias as friendly, but now they blamed the Palestinians for the outsiders of Fatah al-Islam and unleashed their fury on the camp. By contrast, refugees told me, Shiite soldiers from the south had been far kinder and more supportive after the fighting." Yes, but don't assume that those sects stick to any position on principles. Back in the 1980s, Shi`ite soldiers and militia men were most ruthless and merciless in their mistreatment of Palestinians. They led--at the behest of the Syrian regime--the war of the camps--or, more accurately, the massacres in the camp. Back then, the Amal movement and the Shi`ite brigade of the Lebanese Army banned food to the Palestinians in the camp. A fatwa was obtained to permit residents to eat rats and mice. These are the sects of Lebanon.

Mark my words. In a matter of weeks, AlJazeera would start hosting guests to talk about the "wisdom" of the Saudi king.

Now that Syrians troops have left Lebanon, we know for sure that Lebanon has become a sovereign and independent country--just as sovereign and independent as Iraq: "U.S. envoy urges Lebanon to quickly name new president." I wonder if the US envoy would like a beverage too.

"Q. Has President Bush been supportive?
A. The president has been extremely supportive. I have nothing against President Bush. I think he has been most supportive; he has been a very sincere friend. I must say he understands fully the Pakistan environment. He understands why I had to act and what I'm facing. He totally and completely understands.
Q. You think he understands why you imposed the state of emergency?
A. Yes, he understands the emergency. He understands what we were suffering and that an action had to be taken."

This is hilarious indeed. A Lebanese writer in a Saudi newspaper (a mouthpiece of Prince Khalid Bin Sultan) rebukes Venezuela for lack of democracy.

"Claude Guéant, perhaps Mr. Sarkozy’s closest adviser, told a radio interviewer that the business deals were “real,” adding, “Let’s not forget it; they mean the equivalent of 30,000 guaranteed jobs for French people over the next five years.”"

This is the Cedar homeland. An Iraqi-American in Beirut reports the theft of money from his hotel room, and Lebanese police promptly arrests two Ethiopian maids. Typically, Hariri rag, Al-Mustaqbal, mocks the maids.

"The increase in incomes of the top 1 percent of Americans from 2003 to 2005 exceeded the total income of the poorest 20 percent of Americans, data in a new report by the Congressional Budget Office shows. The poorest fifth of households had total income of $383.4 billion in 2005, while just the increase in income for the top 1 percent came to $524.8 billion, a figure 37 percent higher. The total income of the top 1.1 million households was $1.8 trillion, or 18.1 percent of the total income of all Americans, up from 14.3 percent of all income in 2003. The total 2005 income of the three million individual Americans at the top was roughly equal to that of the bottom 166 million Americans, analysis of the report showed. The report is the latest to document the growing concentration of income at the top, a trend that President Bush said last January had been under way for more than 25 years. Earlier reports, based on tax returns, showed that in 2005 the top 10 percent, top 1 percent and fractions of the top 1 percent enjoyed their greatest share of income since 1928 and 1929."

What is unusual about this long article about Middle East foreign policy by Mickael Huckabee is that Israel receives very little attention. But notice that as his candidacy rises, the place of Israel in his heart (and rhetoric) will also rise.

Why do I sometimes get the impression that Lebanon has the highest rate of clerics (Muslims, Christians, and Druzes) per capita of any country? (The area where I live in California has a city, Turlock, which prides itself on having the highest rates of churches per capita of anywhere in the US.)

Just as Walid Jumblat begins one of his many transformations, let me make this prediction: Hizbullah and Jumblat will run as allies in the next parliamentary election in Lebanon. Sectarian parties always flock together in Lebanon.

I noticed that not much coverage was given to the visit to Saudi Arabia by Khalid Mish`al. Given the long history of Saudi sponsorship and financing of Muslim Brotherhood and its offshoots, it is not surprising that Hamas can still be swayed and controlled by Saudi Arabia.

What is the difference between Antoine Lahd, Muhammad Dahlan, and Grand Ayatullah Sistani? Nothing really, but Sistani is turbaned and does not like to leave his home.

When I see references to "chief-of-operations" of the Lebanese Army, I wonder. What are the operations of the Lebanese Army? Lebanon was under attack by Israel, from air, land, and sea, and the Army did not initiate any "operations". Wait. I think I know. The operations are the supply of the troops with shish tawuq sandwiches. I hear that they are popular with the troops. Also, was the destruction of the Nahr Al-Barid camp an "operation"?

It is illegal in Lebanon to pelt the Maronite patriarch with eggs. So please: don't pelt the Maronite patriarch with eggs if you see him.

"Disaffection with careers in the military -- less well paid than jobs in the private sector -- are beginning to affect non-fighting units with interest still high in the top-end, elite commando units, the Maariv daily said."Israel is facing an army recruitment problem with fewer and fewer people signing up as career officers following the loss of prestige suffered in the Lebanon war, a newspaper reported on Friday."

I wonder who is behind this: "At least three killed, 30 hurt in explosion at Gaza Strip funeral."

"US accuses Venezuela of secret election funding." This is like Prince Bandar bin Bribe accusing somebody of corruption.

Al-Arabiya TV was bragging that Mrs. Zamzam could not sleep for a whole night when she knew that she was going to perform pilgrimage. What is the big deal? The King of Jordan could not sleep for a week when they were launching PlayStation III.

Iskandar Mansur responds to Ilyas `Atallah.

This article by Samir Amin is an important contribution to the debate about the Left and religious movements: "Political Islam in the Service of Imperialism." (thanks Laleh)

Letter to editor (used with permission)--not yet published:
"Dear Editor(s):
In his December 13th column on the assassination of Lebanese General Francois El Hajj, Robert Fisk wrote, "...interestingly, and with great concern for his use of words, Walid Jumblatt, who has constantly blamed the Syrians for attacks on democratic politicians in Lebanon did not do so. Nor did Marwan Hamadi, one of Mr Jumblatt's parliamentary colleagues."
Marwan Hamadi did in fact very publicly and forcefully blame the "Syrian-Iranian axis" yesterday for El Hajj's killing. See: http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/video/2007/dec/12/lebanon
While it comes as no suprise that Hamadi would make such a claim without readily available evidence, why did Robert Fisk jump to this conclusion?
Perhaps in future Mr. Fisk should consult the public record, rather than what he is told at dinner parties.
Sincerely,
Emily D.-B."

""Why Did Al-Manar Not Give the Al-Hirmil Strike its Due?"" (thanks Nicholas)

What can you make of this front-page news story in Prince Salman's mouthpiece, Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat? It cites the testimony of two Sudanese former Guantanamo prisoners to say that Saudi prisoners are Guantanamo receive "the best treatment." What on earth is that? Sometimes even I miss the elements of the conspiracy.

"Qatari leaders, who fund Jazeera, have visited Saudi Arabia several times this year for talks trumpeted by Saudi media. Lebanese political scientist As'ad Abu Khalil commented about "the demise of Al Jazeera" on his popular blog. "This explains why I am only asked to speak about the U.S. on Jazeera: no more about Arab regimes," he wrote (angryarab.blogspot.com). The Saudi Information Ministry confirmed to Reuters on Wednesday that Jazeera's Arabic and English channels will send teams to cover the haj in Mecca, when over two million pilgrims from around the world converge on the birthplace of Islam."

"But statehood as such is a relatively recent addition to Palestinian aspirations. The main Palestinian impetus after the disaster of 1948 was that of "return"; it was more about reversing the loss of Arab land and patrimony, than the fulfilment of classical post-colonial self-determination, via statehood." (thanks Kamal)

"American Jews are losing interest in Israel, according to figures released Tuesday in the American Jewish Committee 2007 Annual Survey of American Jewish Opinion. Figures showed that 69 percent of Jewish Americans agreed with the statement "Caring about Israel is a very important part of my being a Jew" in 2007, compared to 74 percent last year and 79 percent in 2005." (thanks Sellam)

"Most of the $16,058 that Pelosi charged taxpayers for flowers, Elshami said, was for the visits of foreign dignitaries, such as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Jordan’s King Abdullah....Other expenses in Pelosi’s office include:
• A $10,000 contract to former Clinton White House speechwriter Heather Hurlburt to write the speech Pelosi delivered to the Israeli Knesset."

"Israeli restrictions have caused a humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the West Bank that is growing worse, leaving hospitals unable to treat the sick and keeping farmers off their land, the International Committee of the Red Cross said."

When you read this in Robert Fisk's articles on Lebanon, you know that you need not proceed further. You can guess where it is going. "When I had dinner with Mr Jumblatt..." This is like when William Safire used to begin his articles on Israel by "When I had dinner with Mr. Sharon... (thanks Wassim)

This is the Ayatullah's republic that Bush helped install: "Religious extremists have killed at least 40 women this year in Basra because of their "un-Islamic" dress, according to Iraqi police."

Adonis, who wants Nobel, for the first time musters the courage to criticize an Arab regime by name. He criticizes the Libyan regime in a Saudi newspaper. How courageous? How daring?

So as I was driving from Berkeley today, I was listening to Fox News on satellite radio. They had a report on the assassination of Hajj. Fox's correspondent in Beirut identified Al-Hajj as "a life-long opponent of Syrian occupation" in Lebanon. I kid you not. He then introduced a sound bite by Marwan Hamadah in which he blamed the "Syrian-Iranian axis." Hamadah has not updated his rhetoric to match that of master, Walid Jumblat. A month ago, Walid Jumblat was describing Hizbullah as a terrorist organization; in the last week, he talks about the "need to protect the resistance." Don't pin hope on anybody in Lebanon: you will surely be disappointed.

"Makdisi said the UN had lost legitimacy in Palestine and Lebanon, noting that the "UN itself breached its most basic principles that prohibit the use of force except in cases of self-defense, by first allowing an Israeli war to continue for over a month in Lebanon, at huge expense, and then essentially rewarding it with UN Resolution 1701 ... which allowed Israel an extra 48 hours, after the resolution was negotiated, to continue its attacks in Lebanon ... That's when Israel dropped 1 million cluster bombs in Southern Lebanon and people are still suffering from that."" (thanks Karim)

"An American human rights group issued a report on Tuesday accusing the Egyptian government of using torture and false confessions in a recent high-profile terrorism case."

Look at this guy generalizing about how Gulf Arabs feel: "The Gulf Arabs feel like..." And then when it became necessary to cite one of those Gulf Arabs by name, he says: "Said Gary Samore, director of studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and a former Clinton administration expert on proliferation..." At least we now know who those Gulf Arabs are.

"The man crowned by Tommy Franks as “the dumbest [expletive] guy on the planet” just made the dumbest [expletive] speech on the planet." Just last week, a former US official in the executive branch (in Bush's 1st term) told me that once Feith interviewed a Middle East expert from one of the intelligence agencies for a job in the Defense Department. The interview went well until Feith saw that the candidate had studied Arabic. He made it very clear that his knowledge of Arabic disqualified him. By the standards of the Bush administration (and the Clinton administration), knowledge of and experience in the Middle East, is a disqualifier. This explains why Indyk was in charge of Middle East policy in the Clinton administration, and why Abrams and Hanna are in charge of Middle East policy in this administration.

Who killed Francois Al-Hajj, chief-of-operations for the Lebanese Army? Nobody knows of course. He certainly was not close to the Hariri camp; and there is the widely circulated reference to an article in As-Siyasah (from January 26th, 2007) in which he was identified as an enemy of March 14. Personally, I think the explanation may be found not in Lebanese politics, but in Lebanese-Palestinian politics. I had predicted when the Lebanese Army (supported by March 8th and March 14th--government and opposition alike) was destroying the Nahr Al-Barid camp that the horrors would produce a new vengeful organization, just as Black September was born out of the Jordanian massacres of Palestinians. Al-Hajj had a key role in the Lebanese Army operations in Nahr Al-Barid.

Just to irritate British media: "Hero's welcome for Mugabe"

""This was a policy made at the White House, with concurrence from the national security council and justice department.""

The house of Zeina Kabajah was destroyed twice by Israeli occupation forces in Jerusalem. She said that they want to evict her but that she will not leave. (AFP)

Another major shift in the Middle East military balance: US gives another 30 used Humvees to the Lebanese Army.