Western press never tells you these facts--do you notice?

"Depending less on capricious foreign aid, Gaza also enjoys “exceptionally high” economic growth, according to the latest World Bank report. Reconstruction has finally begun. Growth in the first half of 2011 slumped from 8% to 4% in Mr Abbas’s West Bank, but soared to 28% in Gaza."

Some Israels even support Abu Mazen silly UN bid

"Yet some liberal Israelis think a “moderate victory” may actually jolt the peace process into life. “If the Palestinians lose,” says one, “[Abbas] is finished. The winner will be Hamas [the harder-line Islamist movement that officially rejects Israel’s existence and runs the Gaza Strip].”"

These are some of the concessions that Abu Mazen will make

"Such a resolution, it is assumed, would include a reassertion that any final accord would recognise Israel and guarantee its security, and that the mutual border would be based on the 1967 line, with land swaps; that the states would share Jerusalem as their capital; and that the Palestinian refugee problem would be resolved. For their part, the Palestinians, under European prodding, would agree not to use their new-won statehood to launch prosecutions against Israelis at the International Criminal Court."

Mustafa Barghuti

I heard Mustafa Barghuti on BBC News.  He reminded me of Hanan Ashrawi: how to play it both ways.  Being in agreement with the PA collaborationist gang while claiming independence.  I have praised Barthuti in the past: but it seems his political ambitions are becoming real.  He offered unconditional praise for Abu Mazen and said that the latter has a whole strategy of non-violence struggle.  

Ramadan TV serials

My weekly article in Al-Akhbar:  "Three Ramadan [TV] Serials".

Have you ever seen a national liberation movement suffering from racist occupation reassuring the enemy?

"Our efforts are not aimed at isolating Israel or de-legitimizing it".  So you renounce armed struggle and then add that you don't want to isolate or de-legitimize Israel." What do you want then? What is left?  You invoke "international legitimacy"--a euphemism for the US, really--which can only mean that you believe that the US is the sole liberator of Palestine.  

The PA puppet of the occupation making it very clear that he is only speaking for his collaborationist clique

"Yet, because we believe in peace and because of our conviction in international legitimacy, and because we had the courage to make difficult decisions for our people, and in the absence of absolute justice, we decided to adopt the path of relative justice - justice that is possible and could correct part of the grave historical injustice committed against our people. Thus, we agreed to establish the State of Palestine on only 22% of the territory of historical Palestine - on all the Palestinian Territory occupied by Israel in 1967."

Saudi media and "Arab Spring"

An article by a Saudi writer in which she exposes the hypocrisy of Saudi media (and its Wahhabi liberals) regarding Arab uprisings.

Bashshar's power elite from Hafiz days

An interesting piece by Subhi Hadidi on the power elite of Bashshar.  But his references to Rif`at failed to mention his long-standing Saudi associations and links.  (thanks Ahmet)

Salih back in Yemen

Do you think that Saudi Arabia would have allowed `Ali `Abdullah Salih to return to Yemen without US permission?  

Of course not

"Senior US officials clarified during a series of meetings with Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz Washington has no intention of downsizing military aid to Israel, despite the drastic cuts in the US budget, according to a Finance Ministry statement Friday."

On Israel social protests

"Speaking at the rally, Daniel Cohen Bendit urged social protest leaders to aid the Palestinian cause, saying: "I spoke with the leaders of the social protest leaders and they are wary to bind the two struggles. But there can be no solution to Israel's social problems without ending the occupation.""

Zionist standards

"Amidst this commotion, a local columnist published a strong article. "Anyone who harms the IDF is not a Zionist," she wrote, expressing what many people feel: The IDF is sacred, and damaging its property is sacrilegious; the IDF is the last bastion of Zionism, and any slashed jeep tire is an ugly slash on its face.

Burning mosques and crops - that's something that shouldn't be done, but it still is not a denial of the Zionist principle: The land is ours, the sky is ours. The entire land, and the entire sky too. To train dogs to smell Arabs from a distance - like the white dog from Mississippi that was trained to identify blacks and to bite them - is still Zionism for beginners. To summon members of Rabbi Meir Kahane's Jewish Defense League from all over the world to come to the aid of the settler nation is a necessity not to be condemned, in an illuminating article. An article that sets off a red light. Settlers, although they have erred at times, are good Zionists, as long as they know how to differentiate between IDF property and an Arab."

Repression in Oman

This is news that is not fit to print:  "A court in Oman has jailed two senior journalists for five months for insulting the justice minister." (thanks Karl)

What was Michel Sulayman doing with a Lebanese tool of Israel?

Lebanese president Michel Sulayman, posing for a picture with the notorious Sharbil Barakat, who split off from the Lebanese Army in 1975 to join the ranks of pro-Israeli militias in Lebanon.  Barakat, like many members of Israeli militias in Lebanon, settled in the US/Canada.  (thanks Mohammad)

NATO rebels and race

"But the people of Tawurgha, more than 30,000, predominantly black, are all gone, refugees who mostly fled when rebels advanced last month from nearby Misurata with, former residents say, vengeance on their minds."

American lofty ideals in Libya

"Speaking to reporters after the ceremonial flag-raising over a makeshift post that was once his residence, Ambassador Gene A. Cretz said that about two weeks ago — roughly a week after forces loyal to the deposed Libyan leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, were driven out of Tripoli — he participated in a State Department conference call with about 150 American companies hoping to do business with Libya.
His remarks were a rare nod to the tacit economic stakes in the Libyan conflict for the United States and other Western countries, not only because of Libya’s oil resources but also because of the goods and services those resources enable it to purchase.Oil was never the “predominant reason” for the American intervention, Mr. Cretz said, but his comments — which came at a moment when the fighters who chased out Colonel Qaddafi have not yet caught him or fully vanquished his forces — underlined the American eagerness for a cut of any potential profits."

“We know that oil is the jewel in the crown of Libyan natural resources, but even in Qaddafi’s time they were starting from A to Z in terms of building infrastructure and other things” after the country had begun opening up to the West six years ago, he said. “If we can get American companies here on a fairly big scale, which we will try to do everything we can to do that, then this will redound to improve the situation in the United States with respect to our own jobs.”"

Still Palestinian, regardless of the passage of time

A Palestinian in Sabra refugee camp outside of Beirut is carrying his pre-1948 Palestinian identity card.  And they want us to pretend that Israeli occupation began in 1967?  (AFP)

All about the Zionist usurping entity

"The question she heard over and over: What effect will the revolution have on Tunisian attitudes toward the Arab-Israeli conflict?"  Of course, what they mean by the question is how will this effect their beloved Israel.

UN and Gaza

Is it not time for all Arabs to rule out any role by UN in of their affairs after a UN "investigation" ruled that Israeli siege of Gaza is legal?  And since when the UN rules on matters of legality between nations? Is that not for the International Court of Justice to decide?

anger at Israel and US in Egypt

Comrade Hossam comments.  (thanks Hossam)

Angry Arab banned in Iran

Kristen, a correspondent in the Middle East sent me this (I cite with her permission):  "I am in Iran and am highly annoyed that I can freely read the websites of WINEP, the Ariel Center for Policy Research, One Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Summit, the Middle East Forum, and the Endowment for Middle East Truth -- and I can even make donations to AIPAC, the Zionist Organization of America, the Israel Project, and the Emergency Committee for Israel, which are all accessible, but I cannot access the Angry Arab News Service, which is blocked. Perhaps if your posts were more Zionist they would get past the censors here."

PS Jonathan sent me this:  "I am half-Iranian and was in Iran this Summer and whilst there is much wrong with the Iranian government/regime, i can assure you their banning of your website is not one of them; all blogspot sites are censored. If your friend tries to access it via the .net address she will encounter no such problems."

Saudi ambassador in Cairo

Al-Ahram newspaper quickly went back to what it has been all along: a lousy mouthpiece for Sadat and for Mubarak (at least in Nasser's days it had good writers).  Here, it reports that Saudi ambassador in Cairo brags about the historical relations between Egypt and Saudi Arabia but admits that he is pressing charges against those who attacked the Saudi embassy in Cairo.  But here is the cute thing: Egyptian media did not report about the attack on the embassy.  

Field Marshal Illu Al-Murr wants to negotiate with Israel

"Aside from his experience as defense minister, he would bring a neutrality that no Shia -- such as current FM Fawzi Salloukh, an ally of Amal head Nabih Berri -- could offer in order to negotiate "with a free hand to the benefit of Lebanon." Lebanon, he assessed, needs to be among the Arab countries deciding what a peace deal with Israel would look like, rather than being left behind."

Saudi Arabia and women's rights

You have to see this.  Look how Saudi Arabia is not placed among the very worst countries for women in the world. (thanks Hana')

King `Abdul-`Aziz

The news station of King Fahd's brother-in-law, Al-Arabiyya is showing a documentary on King `Abdul-`Aziz.  It is comical of course. What do you expect.  It does not talk about his bragging at the dinner table about his exploits cutting off the heads of his enemies (read about that in the book Muluk Al-`Arab by Amin Rihani).  And the program talks about the neutrality of House of Saud in WWII: of course, they were anti-Semitic fans of Hitler who could not not oppose UK in the war.  Former US ambassador in Saudi Arabia, Chas Freeman, told me that he saw a dagger with a swastika on King `Abdullah's desk (when he was Crown Prince).  It was a gift to his father from Hitler.

It is only cool when American diplomats do it

Years ago, in the good old days when Arab diplomats used to walk out when Israeli speakers approach the podium at international events and meetings, US officials and journalists used to mock Arab diplomats and complain about their undemocratic behavior and their unwillingness to listen to the other side.  Now, US diplomats walk out when Iranian officials speak.  But American diplomats are cute when they do it, I guess.

US military fatigue uniforms

Did you notice that since Iraq, the US military fatigue uniforms have been uniformly permanently changed.  They are now suited for more desert landscapes.  It must be a sign for predictions of future wars.

PS Comrade Laleh corrects me:  "actually, the US has two styles of camouflage: woodlands (used in Vietnam) and desert (used in Afghanistan and Iraq)... they haven't discontinued the former; they still use it in Colombia and the Philippines."  She adds:  "actually, they have changed that to the "Universal Patten" which apparently has three (urban, woodlands, and desert) colours in it:

PSS A reader sent me this:  "I was in the US Army from 1978-1980 in a combat ready unit. In late 1979, early 1980, we repainted all the vehicles, trucks, tracks, tanks from a forest camo to a desert camo. That was over thirty years ago.

Peace."  

Celebrate Jadaliyya

In one year, this website has made an impact in Middle East analysis.  Salutation to all the comrades there.  

Thus Spoke Chief Buffoon

"Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said in response to these threats that in case the bid for statehood is vetoed by the United States, sanctions are imposed and transfer of tax revenues are halted, "I believe Israel in this case would turn into a state of occupation of Palestine from the river to the sea.""  So Israel is not a state of occupation of Palestine from the river to the sea? (thanks Sam)

Obama's freedom agenda

"Bahrain King King Hamad Bin Isa al-Khalifa greets US President Barack Obama as they arrive for a luncheon hosted by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon September 21, 2011 at the United Nations in New York City." (thanks M.)

What does one have to do for Robert Fisk to retire?

Look at this sentence:  "The State of Israel may have been created unjustly..." (thanks Kareem)

Promoting Israeli war crimes

""Twilight" star Kellan Lutz, visiting for the second time, noted that people are "not really informed" about Israel."  Yes, you are right.  They are not informed about its founding and its history of war crimes: some are informed and are fond of its war crimes and racism.

Mosques instructed to cheer Abu Mazen after his speech

This is an official farce, if ever there has been one:

(thanks Hani)

Chutzpah: Israel and nuclear weapons

It is most audacious.  Here is the state with the largest arsenal of WMDs and yet it does not mind raising its voice about possible research about nuclear weapons by other countries in the Middle East:  "the Jewish state criticized Damascus for stonewalling a UN watchdog investigation into its atomic activities."

Change at Aljazeera

My new blog post on Aljazeera at Al-Akhbar English.

Haytham Al-Malih

In one day, Syrian dissident, Haytham Al-Malih first supported foreign intervention in Syria and then reversed himself and expressed opposition to foreign intervention in Syria.

Lebanese politics

This is typical.  Lebanese Phalanges leader, Sami Gemayyel, launches a mega legal suit because someone criticized him on Facebook.  Kid you not.  (thanks Mohammad)

Mocking the style of Thomas Friedman

"As a writer, Mr. Friedman is best known for his galloping assaults on Strunk and White's Rule No. 9: "Do Not Affect a Breezy Manner." "The World Is Flat" & Co. were cyclones of breeziness, mixing metaphors by the dozens and whipping up slang and clichés and jokey catchphrases of the author's own invention. (The flattened world was just the beginning.) The breeziness would accelerate into great gusts of rhetoric about "an America we could be . . . an America we once were . . . an America we can be again," as though the author were poking fun at a slightly drunk Ted Sorensen." (thanks Sean)

Obama's speech

Obama's speech is good.  It is if you evaluate it as speech by someone running for the post of director of AIPAC.  Very good in that regard.  

Palestinian task force for Israeli Occuapation

Look at this guy:  "Ongoing security coordination between Palestinian and Israeli forces has led to unprecedented stability in the West Bank. Yet, with emotions running high in the aftermath of a UN resolution, the dynamics on the ground could spin violently out of control. Preserving this security coordination is therefore vital, as officials on both sides acknowledge. The United States would be wise to send a strong message to that effect as well."  When he says "stability for West Bank, it is euphemism for Israeli occupation security."

This is what a collaborationist puppet looks like: a man without dignity

Forget about politics, for a second.  Just look at him.  Does this look to you like someone who can inspire a rat?  If this guy is not a puppet of Israel and US, do you think that anyone would be talking about him?  Today, there is a glowing profile of him in the New York Times making him look like some popular leader among his people, and they sure cited the authority of Khalil Shiqaqi, who supports him.  This guy is desperate and thought that this gimmick at the UN could salvage his lousy reputation among his people and make him be remembered for something--it is nothing really.  

Anti-Americanism in Egypt

Fahmi Huwaydi on the rising anti-Americanism in Egypt. (thanks Joseph)

Ouster of the Governor of the Central Bank of Jordan

There is a big story in Jordan but is getting no coverage in the Western press.  The ousting by the prime minister of Jordan of the governor of the Central Bank.  The ouster will only bring more light to rising accusations of corruption.  

Obama, unbeknownst to Arabs, "stands as a potential beacon to the Arab street"

"White House officials say that he has long been keenly aware that he, like no other American president, stood as a potential beacon to the Arab street as the ultimate symbol of the hopes and rewards of democracy."