Rand Corporation and Israel

""The Rand Corporation's research shows that Israel could lose $250 billion over the next decade if it fails to make peace with the Palestinians and violence escalates. Ending the occupation, on the other hand, could bring a dividend of more than $120 billion to the nation's coffers.

Meanwhile, the Israeli finance ministry predicts an even more dismal future unless Israel reinvents itself. It is likely to be bankrupt within a few decades, the finance ministry report says, because of the rapid growth of two groups who are not productive."" (thanks Dale)

What could you get you executed in Saudi Arabia

Source

Saudi cables and Palestine

Another thing about the Saudi cables; the word Palestine and the Palestinian cause appear nowhere in those cables. Not one reference.

Israeli leaders typically received advance copies of major American policy statements on the Middle East

"Israeli leaders typically received advance copies of major American policy statements on the Middle East and could submit their comments."

21 US Senators voted for torture: the others voted for mild torture or for contacting torture to other countries

"In a vote of 78 to 21".

And you dare mock Arabs for their propensity to conspiracy theories? It is dumb to not adhere to conspiracy theories when it comes to Israeli roles

"Mr. Steinitz said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had not revealed their role for fear “somebody will say it’s an Israeli idea, Israeli conspiracy, maybe it’s a reason to stop it.”"

Former deputy director of CIA acknowledges Israel's backing of al-Qaeda in Syria

"Israel has reached tacit understandings with the Nusra Front, the Syrian branch of al-Qaida,"

US list of terrorism

"The U.S. first branded Cuba a sponsor of terrorism in 1982 because of its support for leftist rebels in Latin America, a region of the world in which successive American governments had supported a long line of right-wing dictators." "In truth, the sponsors of terrorism list maintained by the U.S. State Department always seemed to have been an instrument of American foreign policy — and domestic politics — more than an unbiased effort to punish all countries that support terrorism in one way or another."

How the Saudi Foreign Ministry controls the Arab & western media

"Saudi Arabia controls its image by monitoring media and buying loyalties from Australia to Canada and everywhere in between. Documents reveal the extensive efforts to monitor and co-opt Arab media, making sure to correct any deviations in regional coverage of Saudi Arabia and Saudi-related matters. Saudi Arabia's strategy for co-opting Arab media takes two forms, corresponding to the "carrot and stick" approach, referred to in the documents as "neutralisation" and "containment"." (thanks Amir)

You may serve up to 20 years in jail if you post Saudi cables, according to the Investigation and prosecution apparatus of the Saudi regime

Saudi blacklist of journalists: media manipulation worldwide

This is a most damning document revealing Saudi media and propaganda strategy worldwide. It shows how the Saudi regime is keen on controlling all Arab media including two publications in Canada, damn it. It also reveals the existence of a blacklist of journalist who are banned from the kingdom for their critical reporting (I guess that does not affect the pliant correspondent of the New York Time sand the Washington Post).  It also talks about attempts to black a LAW IN THE US CONGRESS which sought justice for victims of Sep. 11.  The document also confirms what we all know: that Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat and Al-Hayat are mere tools of Saudi propaganda apparatus.

Ben Hubbard on Saudi cables: My take versus the NYTimes

There is so much wrong about the article by Ben Hubbard on Saudi cables.  1) There is clearly an attempt by Western media to downplay those documents, and not to cover them extensively.  Just compare the coverage to the coverage of silly emails by Syrian officials.  They have inflamed Arab social media and this is even after the release of 60,000.  2) It is not true that there are is no explosive information.  There is much there about the close work of Saudi foreign ministry with the Saudi intelligence service and Ministries and interior and information.  3) Saudi bureaucracy is weird as revealed: Saudi princes can spend millions and billions and not account for them, but civilians in the bureaucracy have to account for every penny and the purchase of new furniture for the Saudi embassy has to reach the King himself. 4) The level of political corruption is staggering: Ben Hubbard does not tell the story of how the entire class of March 14 is revealed in the documents as nothing but paid puppets for Saudi Arabia. Lebanese MP Butrus Harb begs for money to form a new political party and then requests that the money not go through Sa`d Hariri, whom he criticizes.  5) One document talks about how the Saudi government should issue a statement on behalf of its own Mufti (without the Mufti knowing about) after he made a statement about the ban on churches in the peninsula.  6) Al-Azhar is also revealed to be a mere tool for the Saudi government. 6) Mr. Hubbard missed the most important point about the document: that they reveal clearly that anti-Shi`ite hatred is an official policy and obsession by the Saudi regime.  7) he cited the opinion of a UAE professor (Abdul-Khaliq `Abdullah, one of my closest friends at Georgetown and a former political comrade of mine) but he does not mention that `Abdul-Khaliq tweets praise for GCC royal family around the clock. He is hardly an objective observer in this.  8) Why did he not mention the case of the brave former Reuters correspondent, Andrew Hammond? Andrew is mentioned and singled out because unlike most Western correspondents in the region has has been critical of the Saudi royal family, which pressured the management of Reuters to expel him from the kingdom, and he was.  That is worth mentioning, Mr. Hubbard.  9) There was the curious case of Egyptian journalist Mustafa Bakri and a proposal that he sought funding for, and which was studied by the government and his plan including an anti-Shi`ite TV channel.  This was also not of interest to Mr. Hubbard.  10) Hubbard does not mention that the documents reveal two systems of payment to journalists, politicians and clerics: one price for silence and another price for praise.  10) He does not mention how monitoring of individuals is requested by embassy dispatches. That was not of interest either.  11) He does not mention that Saudi and Qatari regime media are ignoring those documents.  12) He does not explain the Saudi official position: that they claim that "many documents" are forged and yet also say that they don't contradict the policies of the kingdom. 

institut du monde arabe in Paris begs Saudi money

I wish that the New York Times would not only focus on corruption of Lebanese media (which are notoriously corrupt and unprofessional and famous for prostration before oil and gas princes) but also focus on Western institutes and universities which also excel in the art of prostration before oil and gas princes. (thanks Raed)

Syrian regime intelligence officially asks Al-Mayadin news station to not host me or communicate with me

It seems that I am hated basically by all sides in Lebanon and the region.  A leaked document from Syrian regime intelligence in which the service asks the Mayadin news station to not communicate with me or host me.

PS I removed the link because I am told the site was not secure. You can see it at zamanalwsl dot net  /news/61862/html

Politicis in Saudi Arabia

What comes out from reading Saudi Wikileaks is the extent to which the various departments and apparatus of governments are all intertwined.  The Foreign Ministry and the Intelligence Apparatus work very closely together, as does the Ministry of Information.

Israel brags: Israel only killed 761 civilians, and possibly more.

"Israel determined that an additional 761, or about 36 percent, were “uninvolved civilians,” leaving 428 men, ages 16 to 50, whose status remained unknown."

Saudi governemnt warns its "citizens" against reading Wikileaks

This is hilarious. The Saudi foreign ministry issued this directive to its citizens: It reads: "Dear Aware Citizen: Avoid entering any site for the purpose of obtaining leaked documents or information that may be untrue, for harming the security of the homeland." Kid you not.  The second one reads: "Dear Aware Citizen: Don't publish any documents that may be untrue which could aid the enemies of the homeland in attaining their goals". Kid you not.

Between Obama and Bush

My weekly article in Al-Akhbar: "Between Obama and Bush: The Arab Preference"

Saudi cables mention me

Damn. You would think that Saudi foreign minister, Saud Al-Faysal, has better things to do than to report about my talks in Lebanon.
صاحب السمو الملكي وزير الدولة وعضو مجلس الوزراء
ورئيس ديوان رئاسة مجلس الوزراء
                
      أفادت سفارة المقام السامي في بيروت بان جمعيتا الأدب والثقافة وخريجي المقاصد دعتا استاذ العلوم السياسية في جامعة كاليفورنيا الدكتور /اسعد ابوخليل (لبناني الجنسية) لإلقاء محاضرة تحت عنوان(امريكا ومستقبلها في العراق) والذي أشار فيها المذكور ان استراتيجية الأمبراطورية الأمريكية التي تقوم بفرض سلطانها على العالم سقطت بفعل ارادة المقاومه في العراق وفلسطين تماما كما انتصرت هذه الإرادة في فيتنام ، كما رأى ان الطروحات الأمريكية لإصلاح الأنظمة العربية متروكه لكل نظام وبهذا ترسيخ مكافأة لها على ولائها وانصياعها ،مضيفا اننا نشهد نهاية الحقبة السعودية في النظام العربي الرسمي .وهذا أمر جيد بالنسبة لنا كعرب ، كما اتهم رئيس الحكومة اللبنانية رفيق الحريري بانه صاحب طموحات خبيثه وانه يسعى الى تحويل لبنان الى أردن أوقطر اخرى مطبعة مع اسرائيل ومفتوحة بالكامل للرأسمالية الأمريكية المتوحشه ، وقد اشاد باهل صيدا على انتصار ارادتهم في الأنتخابات البلدية والتي يقصد بها فشل اللائحة المدعومة من الرئيس الحريري وفوز اللائحة المدعومة من النائب اسامة اسعد الذي كان بين الحضور (معروف بمعارضته للرئيس الحريري) ، اشارت السفارة بان جريدة السفير اللبنانية نشرت ملخص المحاضرة مع العبارة المتعلقة بالمملكة بينما امتنعت الصحف الأخرى اما عن نشر خبر المحاضرة برمته واما عن نشر العبارة المتعلقة بالمملكة.
  
أمل العرض على النظر الكريم للتفضل بالعلم والإحاطة ،مع أطيب تحياتي .
                                                                                    سعود الفيصل
                                                                       وزير الخارجية

What Western correspondents in Beirut don't report on Syria

Syrian regime barrel bombs kill women and children.  And the indiscriminate shelling by Syrian rebels also kill women and children.  I guess I am not like you: I don't favor one set of war criminals over others.  I don't find one set of war crimes morally superior to another set, as you do.  Syrian rebels have been indiscriminately shelling Aleppo as of late and not a word from the Western correspondents in Beirut.

PS  Worse. Those Western correspondents in Beirut justify the shelling by referring to "regime neighborhoods" or "regime areas" or "regime quarters".  They should also mention that Syrian regime women and children were slaughtered by Syrian rebels.

Saudi Wikileaks tomorrow

I am not at liberty to speak more about the unpublished Saudi cable Wikileaks as the scoop belongs to Al-Akhbar but what I know (and it is only partial) is that it is quite damning and explosive. It is a documented chronicle of the corrupt financial manipulation of Arab politics and media by this tyrannical royal family.

A Palestinian Islamist and his war on...Palestinan gays

A response to the kooky Palestinian Islamist who has declared war on gays but not on Israeli occupation. 

Flash: Saudi Wikileaks

Saudi Wikileaks are out.  The search tools are lousy.  AlAkhbar will be publishing a juicy batch tomorrow (this afternoon by US Pacific time).  Very damning, I am told.

A Saudi communist pamphlet from 1954

I wish to thank the Saudi scholar who has been researching the origins of Saudi communism.  Translation by Mohammed Al-Sudairi: ""The King and the royal family are surely dead after the people have killed them for their collaboration with the foreign colonialist. They have been killed because they were reactionaries and corrupt and mistreated the workers horrendously. The days of the cadillacs and the palaces have collapsed to be replaced by a populist democracy of the workers. Oh workers! get rid of the American pigs and occupy the Petroleum Investment Company. Oh People! you but need to follow your loyal leaders who want your prosperity and who will reveal themselves soon enough. Oh Arabs, Unite! For the Arabian Peninsula is for the Arabs.""

These Are The Victims Of The Charleston racist Church Shooting

These Are The Victims Of The Charleston racist Church Shooting

Israel kills Palestinian kids, UN approves

"The report methodically details the devastating impact Israel’s prolonged military occupation had on Palestinian children, highlighting that 557 Palestinian children were killed in 2014. The total ranked third highest behind Afghanistan (710) and Iraq (679), and significantly more than in Syria (368). The report notes that at least 543 schools were damaged or destroyed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), the highest recorded number of all situations in 2014."

Where is the outrage: U.S. alliance with Al Qaeda affiliate in Syria

"In the three-way war ravaging Syria, should the local al Qaeda branch be seen as the lesser evil to be wooed rather than bombed? This is increasingly the view of some of America’s regional allies and even some Western officials."

Biruni’s Measurement of the Earth

Biruni’s Measurement of the Earth

Mufti Muneeb, chairman Ruet e Hilal Committee in Pakistan spotting the crescent of Ramadan

As human rights in Bahrain worsens, UK provides more military support

"Andrew Smith of Campaign Against Arms Trade, said: “As the situation in Bahrain worsens its relationship with the UK is only getting stronger. One of the driving factors has been the ever-closer military relationship between the two countries. If the UK is serious about human rights and democracy then it needs to end all military support for regime and stop bolstering an increasingly authoritarian dictatorship.” " (thanks Amir)

Outsourcing Torture: How three Danish men face Lebanese torturers

When Sheikh Mo and his 3rd wife (Haya bint Husayn) think that they are almost white

The grotesque words of the President of NYU, John Sexton in Abu Dhabi: an insult to the learning process worldwide

""Eight years ago, an extraordinary leader, a person who approaches the ideal of Plato's philosopher king, sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, he and I shared a dream of this day, of you, of who you are, of what you've done, of what you'll do in the years ahead to repair a broken world and to create a united human kind, a community of communities." (John Sexton, president of NYU)"  That man should be ashamed of himself. (thanks Pascal)

Expelling the devil

The Maronite patriarch inaugurates an official campaign to expel the devil.

War criminals versus war criminals in Syria

I saw several pictures of destruction in Dayr Az-Zur yesterday.  I reached the inescapable conclusion: all sides in Syria are war criminals.  They all don't deserve to have a say in the future of Syria.

Wahhabi scientists scientfically calculating the arrival the month of Ramadan: I smell a Nobel in physics

This is classic: Did Mondoweiss confuse Netanyahu's statement with mine?

"Editor’s note: This piece has been edited to remove a statement Netanyahu made at a press appearance, “Justice and freedom for Palestinians are incompatible with Israel’s existence,” which was later quoted by AFP (and others) as being Netanyahu’s own statement.  The PM was actually quoting California State University Stanislaus professor As’ad AbuKhalil, also the author of The Angry Arab News Service."

House of Saud media: how dare Fareed Zakaria criticize Saudi Arabia when he is an Indian?

"American populist journalist Fareed Zakaria vents his anger at Saudi Arabia whenever there’s a chance. It’s baffling when it comes to interpreting this, especially as Zakaria is of Indian Muslim origin." (thanks Basim)

Sen. Sanders: Leftist but not on Israel (well, he is hardly a leftist in European terms)

"In mid-July 2014, Sanders was one of just 21 Senators not to co-sponsor a resolution expressing support for Israel in the conflict with Hamas. The resolution passed on July 17 by unanimous consent, meaning that no roll call vote was taken on the measure.

In the video of the August 2014 town hall, recorded while the conflict was still ongoing, Sanders was more equivocal than in the statement now on his website. While asserting that Israel had “overreacted,” and that the bombing of UN facilities was “terribly, terribly wrong,” he also noted that Hamas was launching rockets from populated areas.

“This is a very depressing and difficult issue,” Sanders said at the town hall. “This has gone on for 60 bloody years.”"

It is called propaganda. Why are you relcatant to call it by its true name?

"a major diplomatic and media counter-offensive".

Brother of Sen. Bernie Sanders has sense

"Larry Sanders: Green
‏@LarrySandersPPC   @GlynSparkes Israel end occupation of West Bank, siege of Gaza, Palestinians in Israel equal rights. Netanyahu obstacle to peace. BDS yes". (thanks Joe)

Saudi foreign affairs

Saudi academic, Khalid Ad-Dakhil made this point: that Saudi foreign affairs have been in the hands of Faysal and his son Saud for 85 years.  Faysal was the first foreign minister of the kingdom, as you may know.  He is saying that this transfer in the foreign ministry--not that Adil Al-Jubayr would be running it, of course--is quite significant.

U.S. covert support to al-Qaeda in Syria

"A reason why Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham, another hard-line jihadi group, were able to break the military stalemate is the greater support they are getting from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Since succeeding to the throne in January, Saudi King Salman, along with other Sunni leaders, has pursued a more aggressive policy in backing extreme jihadi rebels in Syria." "Assad’s military opposition is dominated by Isis in the east, holding half the country, and Nusra, leading a coalition of al-Qaeda type jihadis in the north and centre." "Another problem was that weapons supplied by the US to more moderate groups were ending up in the hands of Nusra." This is the only Western correspondent who defies Western mainstream media conventions.

Israel claims mass slaughter of civilian is moral

"Israel has claimed the Israel Defence Forces’ operation in Gaza last summer was a moral, defensive war conducted in accordance with international law." "According to the IDF, a total of 2,125 Palestinians were killed during the two-month war, 761 of them, or 36%, uninvolved civilians, including 369 children and 284 women. The UN figures are far higher, with at least 1,483 civilians killed (of a total of 2,205), of whom 521 are children and 283 are women."

Israelis filmed beating unarmed Palestinian

"This video shows Israeli soldiers brutally beating and taunting a Palestinian man near Jalazone refugee camp near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on Friday." (thanks Amir)