Extreme ugliness

"Then there’s a more interesting cluster of awkward talents based in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon. This group produces art that has had much less exposure to the familiar shorthands of the West, and is distinguished instead by a startling originality that often segues into extreme ugliness." (thanks Nikki)

Ousted Chief of Jordanian Mukhabarat

This is quite something. The ousted chief of Jordanian intelligence is holding court and pontificating on Jordan's foreign policy. The fellow is now posing as an enemy of Israel and as an advocate of resistance to Israel. It is puzzling that the the Jordanian leftist, Nahid Hatr, is promoting this unsavory royal character.

At UC Irvine

My panel (or the first one) at UC, Irvine. (thanks Gloria who took the picture)

Clown of Libya

Look at this clown. No, really look at him. Do you know that this clown at one point thought that he would become the Nasser of the Arab world? He could not become the potato of the Arab world. (Reuters)

Dahlan o Dahlan

"Other problems were reported to include troubles with Fatah informants that gave key targets to the IDF." By the way, is it not noticeable how apologetic about Israeli wars and aggression Cordesoman has become? And is it not clear that his knowledge of Arab affairs and opinions are derived from MEMRI? And in what capacity does this strategic analyst decide that Israel did not commit war crimes? Is he an international jurist too? And do you notice how he rehashes Israeli propaganda claims without question? (thanks Mounzer)

Anguish of an Israeli occupation soldier

A professor at the University of Iowa received this invitation (she has allowed me to use her name but I don't wish to get her in trouble): "The University of Iowa Theatre Gallery Series presents No Good War by Tali Ariav, a University of Iowa Playwrights¹ Workshop and Translation student from Israel. Shows begin at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 5-7, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8, in Theatre B of the UI Theatre Building. No Good War is a one-act memory play about a young female Israeli soldier who wants to be beautiful. She struggles with her sanity as she tries to reconcile the mixed messages she receives about beauty and power in a world where it seems that fighting is the only way to achieve peace. The production is directed by Connie Winston and stage-managed by Michelle Weidinger, with scenic design by Scott Schoonover, costumes by Jeanette Porter and lighting by Brandin Versteegh. General admission will be $6, $4 for UI students, at the door." (Shoes are extra).

Saudi (in)justice

A Saudi woman dies from beatings by her husband. Saudi court sentenced the man to one-year-and-a-half in prison, and two hundred lashes (administered in four separate sessions). (thanks Hani)

Obama bombs

"But just a day after Obama also named a special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Jan 22, the US launched two missile attacks from CIA-operated unmanned drone aircraft at targets in Pakistan’s tribal areas where Al Qaeda’s top leaders are thought to enjoy refuge. The strikes reportedly killed at least 20 people, including foreign fighters and a high-level militant."

Isn't that sad?

"The FBI is severing its once-close ties with the nation's largest Muslim advocacy group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, amid mounting evidence that it has links to a support network for Hamas."

Aren't they nice?

"The FBI is among the law enforcement agencies that attend the Islamic Society conventions to recruit Arabic speakers. Thomas Nicpon, assistant special agent in charge in the FBI’s New York intelligence division, said deciding which Muslim groups to work with is a “difficult question” since within many groups, members may differ widely in their outlook. But, he said, the FBI “tries to vet it out” before working with a Muslim organization or any community group.""

Fifi `Abduh for Arab League Sec Gen

"Moussa said in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat that "[the walkout] was in protest of the meetings administration and was not a political walkout, and this is what made me continue to work with the forum and not walkout, so as not to leave the stage clear for Israel to promote errors and mislead the international community."" Aside from showing the buffoonishness of Musa, I want to indicate that the translator of Prince Salman's mouthpiece is as bad as the Arabic translator of MSNBC.

Turkey: beyond the Davos show

"Israel and Pakistan, which do not have diplomatic ties, held secret talks during the Musharraf regime at the initiative of Turkey to discuss ways to bring the two countries together, Turkish Premier Tayyip Erdogan has said." (thanks Mahmoud)

Al-Arabiyyah TV

A very well-informed (and well-connected) source in Saudi Arabia sent me this (she/he does not want to be identified): "Apparently, it [al-Arabiyya TV] has become unpopular in Saudi Arabia after Gaza. A man said, they never referred to the victims as martyrs(shohadaa) and the Saudi audience became incensed with their reference to the victims in Gaza. Actually, it has become hated."

My mother

I spoke to my mother the other day, and she had a few criticisms of my last article in Al-Akhbar on Obama. She said that I was too harsh on him, and that it is still too early in the Obama administration. She said that i should give him a chance to prove himself, and that I was being too pessimistic. She said that she likes him and has high hopes of him. She said that she read somewhere that he has designated a special person to watch over Hillary at the Department of State. She also did not like my reference to the alliance between Gen. Michel `Awn and the Zionists. She said that he was aligned with the US congressional forces and not with Zionists. But I argued that it was the same. She also did not like my critical reference to former Lebanese minister, Michel Samahah. She said that he likes me. I said that I can't base my criticisms on whether people like me or dislike me. She finally said that my sister was upset. I asked: why is my sister upset? She said that she was watching Abu Mazen speak and was really upset. I said: tell my sister to not watch Abu Mazen speak anymore.

Bushama news update

"Under executive orders issued by Obama recently, the CIA still has authority to carry out what are known as renditions, secret abductions and transfers of prisoners to countries that cooperate with the United States." (thanks Ch.)

Shoe room

"“It’s very important that buildings are adapted to the local culture and religion. Even small features can determine whether buildings are accepted or rejected by the population,” he said. For example, in Muslim countries it is important to have a sheltered niche or room where shoes can be deposited before entering the home, he said. " (thanks AZ)

Zionism is Kahanism

""I'm not the only one who represents (late Rabbi Meir) Kahane. He's represented by a great many people today, within the Knesset and outside it," Ben-Ari stated. "(Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor) Lieberman masquerades as Kahane to win more mandates, (Likud MK) Limor Livnat also sounds like Kahane, and everybody realizes the need for a solution to the problem of Israeli Arabs – a subject which was once taboo. "The saying, 'Kahane was right,' has already been used up. You can practically see how what Rabbi Kahane brought up 24 years ago has now become the central issue of this election campaign," he added." (thanks Marcy)

If he said that about another people, he would be jailed in Canada

This genocidal champion (who wants the people of Gaza to starve and die) is "is founder and dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and Museum of Tolerance." What a political irony.

Let them eat phosphorus artillery shells

"The United States sold phosphorus artillery shells made at the Pine Bluff Arsenal to Israel — the same kind of rounds allegedly used against civilians during the recent fighting in Gaza." (thanks Olivia)

The re-invention of `Allawi

What Western media don't report is that `Allawi runs (and speaks) differently in Iraq. In fact, for the last two years, he has been sounding like the Ba`thist that he was, railing against the American occupation and the puppet government. So you need to factor that in when judging the results of the puppet elections. Whether in Palestine and Iraq, I don't understand how and why (well, I know why, never mind) people take seriously elections-under-foreign-occuption. In fact, I personally am opposed to any election under foreign occupation. In fact, I think that we should fight against elections under foreign occupation. Elections under foreign occupation are intended by the occupiers to legitimize puppet cliques and factions.

This is so Zionism

"Israel has paid £1.5m in damages to the family of James Miller, the British cameraman shot by an Israeli soldier while filming a documentary in Gaza in 2003." He is white, after all. Zionists blatantly evaluate human lives on the basis of race and ethnicity. (thanks Ben)

Dahlan o Dahlan

"Former PA Civil Affairs Minister Mohammed Dahlan, whose forces were routed by Hamas in June 2007, has re-emerged as a leading candidate to command Fatah's security forces, particularly to secure the Gaza crossing points into Egypt and Israel. Palestinian documents captured in 2002 revealed Dahlan's involvement in major racketeering, including revenues from cigarettes, cement, and the collection of illegal crossing fees. Dahlan's personal wealth has been estimated at well over $120 million." Even the collaborationist correspondent had to admit this.

The Occupier and the Occupied

"Also, we are not confused regarding with whom we should side when racism in South Africa and the colonization of India and Algeria are discussed. Why does not Israel get the same attitude? While Mr. Bronner considers the existence of Israeli and Palestinian narratives a “disconnect,” to many of us the picture is clear enough: there is an occupier and an occupied." (thanks Nimer)

I think that Cohen revealed more than he was supposed to, here

"I think we – I was initially simply in favor of either letting the Israelis do it or considering should the United States, itself, consider taking out the reactor. She pushed us in the direction of formulating a rather elaborate diplomatic option, which I drafted, with the help of several senior colleagues at State, which we worked here – which was eventually the State position. But it was a long process of – the President’s eventual decision was let the Israelis do it and if they don’t want to talk about it, we won’t talk about it either. Whether or not that was the right decision, we’ll see. I mean there were – as with most governmental decisions, these are – they’re all 51/49 kinds of decisions and you can’t be entirely sure that they were right ones until a long time after the event.
LAMB: You think there is any residual from that decision for the Israelis to take out that nuclear site.
COHEN: Well, there were a number of consequences that flowed from it. In one way, I think was reassuring for the Israelis in terms of re-establishing some of their credibility after the Lebanon war of 2006, partly because they did it, but also partly because they did it and then were quiet about it and to some extent I think it was a sense of this is how the game is supposed to be played in the Middle East, just do it, you don’t talk about it. So there was that. I have wondered whether it was a good idea for us not to talk about it immediately in order to put the Syrians on the back foot and in order to put pressure on the North Koreans who had behaved extraordinarily badly. I mean it was a debate about that. The Israelis initially did not want this publicized and I think the fear was of it leading to a broader conflict, which I think was a reasonable fear."

secrets of terrorist occupation

"The defense establishment, led by Defense Minister Ehud Barak, steadfastly refused to publicize the figures, arguing, for one thing, that publication could endanger state security or harm Israel's foreign relations." (thanks Laleh)

Nervous

""Abbas and Fayad are very nervous," the Fatah official said. "There is no doubt that they are the biggest losers of this war, because they have been discredited among their own people."" Even the chief collaborationist correspondent is admitting this.

The PFLP

I heard a speech by PFLP leader in Lebanon. I only could think of this: dissolve the organization. It is over. Really.

Sultan bin Fahd can cure cancer

This is hilarious. The mouthpiece of Prince Salman is promoting Sultan bin Fahd, hoping to improve his image. (thanks Md)

Are there limits to his lies and fabrications?

"I’ve written a lot about the Indian outsourcing community, so I knew B. Ramalinga Raju, the Satyam chairman accused of embezzling $1 billion from his own company. What’s really sad is that I didn’t get to know him through his business but through an interest in his family’s charitable work." You are such a liar. Is there an end to your lies and fabrications? No, you did not write about his charity. You only wrote about his businesses and from the standpoint of admiration and glorification. This is typical of you though. Just as you cheered the American invasion of Iraq, only to later dissociate yourself from that war.

King PlayStation prays for rain

King PlayStation performed the Rain Prayers. It is scientifically proven that rain prayers by King PlayStation increase drought in a region. (thanks Jamal)

High time

A letter to the PFLP and DFLP (thanks Mirvat)

Thank You, But No Thank You

"Letter to Israeli Ambassador:" (thanks Nir)

Terrorist kebabs

"It is, though, the “foreign” kebab that is being kicked out of Italian cities as it becomes the target of a campaign against ethnic food, backed by the centre-right Government of Silvio Berlusconi." (thanks Molly)

Yasir `Abid Rabbu

I recommend that Yasir `Abd Rabbu be put on the Board of the Jerusalem Post.

For Palestine and the Palestinians...

I don't like flags and I don't like nationalism but...for Palestine and the Palestinians anything and everything. Matthew Cassel took this picture and he sent me this caption: "A boy standing on top of his family's home in Jabaliya in the Gaza Strip. Notice he's shoeless, and you know the significance of shoes in Arab culture."

Nakbah Archive

As one anonymous poet has said: "All that you have done to our people, is registered in notebooks." (thanks Sultan)

Words versus deeds

"The trade volume between Turkey and Israel has reached to 3.3 billion dollars in 2008 from 1.4 billion dollars in 2002 when the Islamist-rooted Justice and Development came to power." (thanks Nabeel)

Middle East antiquities are more precious than people

"With the fragile ceasefire still in force, The Art Newspaper has learned that Gaza’s only museum has been damaged and other heritage sites and buildings may also be at risk."

AlJazeera and rejects of the Jordanian regime

AlJazeera (Arabic) seems to be eager to put some propagandists of King Husayn to analyze the Palestinian question. They really promote Prince Hasan: a right-wing anti-Palestinian who has been trying to re-invent himself as a passionate Arab nationalist ever since his brother and newphew got rid of him. They even bring `Adnan Abu `Awdah: do you know that the man (when he worked in Jordanian mukhabarat) had training in psychological warfare and was made Minister of Information when King Husayn began his butchery in Black September.

US puppets

I don't know what you think, but don't you agree that British and US puppets in the Middle East were of higher quality (in terms of their personalities and effectiveness) back in the 1950s and 1960s? I mean, Nuri As-Sa`id and Wasfi At-Tall and Kamil Sham`un were more colorful and intelligent--as contemptible as they were--than, say, Abu Mazen and Fu'ad Sanyurah and Hamid Karzai.

All your crimes are registered in notebooks

"Gaza survivor describes day 48 members of family were killed in attack" (thanks Olivia)

"Don't change"

An older Palestinian woman saw me in Irvine. She approached me and told me that she has seen me on Aljazeera and then passionately pleaded with me: Please, don't change. Please don't change, she kept pleading with me. (She meant don't sell out). I told her: it is too late. I am going to be 49 in March, and that people usually change earlier in life. She said that she has seen too many people change and sell out, and at different ages. Her comment stayed with me: it indicates the extent to which too many leftist Arab intellectuals switched positions and joined the Saudi Wahhabi cause. Have you seen that charlatan, Yasir `Abd-Rabbu, praise the Saudi king non-stop on Al-Arabiyya TV? Have you heard him refer to him as "the great, servitor of the two holy sites"? I have. I initially felt offended that the woman would say that to me, but then thought that I should not blame her. There were people I read and admired as a teen ager and I now read their drivel with astonishment and disgust on Saudi sleaze websites.

The Fabricator of the Jerusalem Post

This should be a regular feature. Count how many anonymous sources and unnamed officials are listed in this article by Jerusalem Post's chief fabricator and rumor-monger.

brutal torturers of the West Bank

"The horrific torture of hundreds of people by Palestinian security forces in the West Bank is being funded by British taxpayers. An investigation by The Mail on Sunday has found that the forces responsible get £20million a year from the UK. The victims – some left maimed – are rounded up for alleged involvement with the militant Islamic group Hamas, yet many have nothing to do with it...Britain’s Department for International Development (DFID) gave £76million in all to the PA last year for ‘security sector reform’ and fostering the rule of law. About £3million goes directly to the PA police. Another £17million pays the salaries of the PA’s array of security organisations – including the Presidential Guard intelligence service and the feared Preventive Security Organisation. Not only are PA forces carrying out torture, the authority ignores judges’ orders to release political detainees. Last month at least 30 journalists, teachers and students were arrested – as the crackdown on Hamas was praised by a senior Israeli defence official as a necessary ‘iron fist policy’." (thanks Ellis)

They should call them Israeli Massacres' Bonds

"The two men selected to serve as Hillary Clinton's deputy secretaries of state, Jacob Lew and James Steinberg, also filed financial disclosure forms. Lew, a former Clinton administration official who recently headed Citigroup's Alternative Investments unit, reported 2008 salary income of just over $1 million along with numerous investments, including between $50,000 and $100,000 in State of Israel bonds."