The new Baghdad security plan takes effect.

The Lebanese state's murder of Mahdi Zu`aytir. Where is the outrage, as Bob Dole used to say?

Adonis begs out loud: Please give me the Nobel Prize for literature. Please?

"Sixty-six civilians were killed in hostile actions since last Independence Day, mostly during the Second Lebanon War, bringing the number of civilians killed in terror attacks since the state's establishment to 1,635, according to National Insurance Institute (NII) Director Dr. Yigal Ben-Shalom." By comparison, in 1982 alone, Israeli invasion of Lebanon resulted in the death of 20,000 mostly civilian Lebanese and Palestinians. And who is the terrorist?

"The editor of the London Guardian on Tuesday condemned as "misguided" a resolution passed by a British journalists' union last week that called for a boycott of Israeli goods. "The Guardian disapproves of these kinds of boycotts and does not think they serve a useful purpose. It was a misguided motion," editor of the British daily Alan Rusbridger told Haaretz by telephone last night."

"The phrase "security for the Jews" has been consecrated as an exclusive synonym for "the lessons of the Holocaust." It is what allows Israel to systematically discriminate against its Arab citizens. For 40 years, "security" has been justifying control of the West Bank and Gaza and of subjects who have been dispossessed of their rights living alongside Jewish residents, Israeli citizens laden with privileges."

Yes, there were no WMDs in Iraq but: "Iraq could hold almost twice as much oil in its reserves as had been thought, according to the most comprehensive independent study of its resources since the US-led invasion in 2003."

Here we go again: "As for the term's meaning, one popular theory comes from a story in the Quran, the holy book of Islam, about Ibrahim and his son, Ismail. This theory picked up speed because many bloggers wondered if the shootings could be related to terrorism."

The innocent victims of Qana massacre I and II mean more to me than 20,00000 Rafiq Hariri. I need to state that for the record.

"Majorities in all 15 of the publics polled about the United States’ role in the world reject the idea that “as the sole remaining superpower, the US should continue to be the preeminent world leader in solving international problems.” However majorities in only two publics (Argentina and the Palestinian territories) say that the United States “should withdraw from most efforts to solve international problems.” The preferred view in all of the other cases is that the United States “should do its share in efforts to solve international problems together with other countries.” In Asia, large majorities embrace the idea that the United States should play a cooperative role in South Korea (79%) and China (68%). A majority of Filipinos (55%) and a plurality of Indians (42%) also take this view, but they are among the few publics with substantial numbers saying the United States should play the role of the preeminent world leader: 20 percent in the Philippines and 34 percent in India. Thais are also relatively reluctant to support a cooperative role (47%), but very few endorse a preeminent role (8%) or disengagement (18%), while 27 percent declined to answer. In Europe, the French are those most emphatic in their support for a cooperative role (75%), followed by Armenia (58%). A majority of Ukrainians (52%) also support this position, but an unusually high number (34%) supports US disengagement. In Russia, a plurality (42%) favors a cooperative role, but this is barely more than the percentage (38%) that favors disengagement. In Latin America, about six in ten Peruvians (61%) and Mexicans (59%) believe the United States should cooperate with other countries to solve international problems. However, as mentioned above, Argentines are one of only two publics favoring US withdrawal from international efforts with 55 percent taking this position and 34 percent in favor of cooperation.In the Middle East, Israelis and Palestinians differ sharply. A majority of Palestinians favor US disengagement (55%) while more than a third (36%) prefers cooperation. Israelis are more in line with most other publics in that 62 percent favor US cooperation, but they also show the second highest level of support (after India) for the US taking the role of preeminent leader (24%). Americans match the French in their support for the United States doing its share together with other nations (75%), with small numbers favoring a preeminent role (10%) or isolationism (12%)."

"As'ad AbuKhalil, host of the Angry Arab website, always stresses that the Lebanese civil war never ended. What outsiders don't know is the current sectarian wave was unleashed by Hariri Inc and their wealthy Saudi associates." (thanks John)

Laila sent me this from p. 66 of Gourmet magazine:
"Hummus, one of those formerly exotic foods, has recently become ubiquitous; you find the spicy mixture of chick peas and sesame paste in every American supermarket. But until you have been to Israel and stood in the frantic line at Jaffa's Ali Karavan (sometimes known as Abu Hasan), eagerly jostling for a seat at one of the command tables, you've never really tasted it. The little restaurant sells only three dishes_hummus, hummus with ful and masabacha. You don't even need a spoon. Pick up the accompanying pita in one hand, and the raw onion in the other. Scoop up the wonderful warm beans, take a bite of onion, and marvel that the cook can elicit so many flavors from a few simple ingredients. But hurry-those people outside are eyeing your seat, willing you to finish eating. Because when the hummus is gone, the restaurant closes. And nobody wants to miss out..."

"When God sanctions violence, believers act more aggressively" (thanks Julie)

When the US was readying for war in Iraq, the propaganda stressed the need to make Iraq a prosperous democracy to attract Iraqi exiles back to their country. US policy now stresses the need for Iraq's neighbors to take in the millions of Iraqis fleeing their country. Is that a sign that Mr. Bush continues to make progress?

"Military prosecutors have dismissed charges against one of four marines charged with murder in the killings of 24 Iraqi civilians, including several women and children, in Haditha, Iraq, in 2005, the Marine Corps announced yesterday."

Al-Ahram state propaganda house in Cairo (or "thinktank") sent Jamal `Abdul-Jawad its expert to speak to Al-Arabiya TV about the Arab League "peace" initiative. He said that the initiative aims at solving the Palestinian problem or "at least activating the peace process." So either of the two goals will do. So if Sharon moves his toe in his hospital bed, the Arab League will officially announce its satisfaction: that the conditions of the Arab "peace" initiative have been met.

Saudi foreign minister announced the formation of an Arab League delegation to explain and present the Arab "peace" initiative. The delegation will be headed by an Israeli official designated by the prime minister of Israel. Arab members of the delegation will ensure to present food and beverages to the Israel head of the Arab delegation.

(Not) Grand Ayatullah Sistani never misses an opportunity to opine on the major issues facing Iraq. Here, he was asked:
"Question: What is the view of your excellency regarding those who profit from a game store (Playstation) without bets from the players?
Answer: It is OK in itself if it is not accompanied with listening to singing and music and the like."
But in another section, Sistani ruled against playing chess with the computer. I have to run now...to play chess with my computer.

"In America last week to promote a book about the occupation of Iraq, Ali Allawi, Iraq's former finance minister, told a group at the Council on Foreign Relations that the Bush administration had invaded an "imagined" country. The Financial Times reported Mr. Allawi as saying that “the Iraqi exiles who advised the U.S. war planners described the country of their memories. Sadly, the Iraq with a solid infrastructure, a solid middle class and a secular tradition had ended ‘decades ago.’ ”"
Allawi can't have it both ways. He is now touring the US to promote his book and trying for history to dissociate himself from the project of Iraq's occupation, while he served as an integral part of the puppet government in Baghdad. Also, notice how scared and nervous Allawi gets when asked any question about Bush and the US administration. He suddenly gets cautious and claims that he can't "talk politics." Also, to blame the war and occupation on the handful of puppets is to absolve the administration that actually planned and executed the war and managed the occupation.

The National Unity Forum (headed by former prime minister Salim Al-Huss) today issued a statement in which, among other things, it called for investigating the plight of missing Syrian workers in Lebanon. They deserve praise because no other political organization in Lebanon (neither in the March 14th or in the opposition) ever mentions these cases.

An Arabic translation of Adorno and Horkheimer's Dialectic of Enlightenment just came out. High time. To my delight, it is one of the best selling books in the Beirut Book Fair.

Husni Mubarak today said that the Arab peoples "are not asleep." No, I assure Mubarak that they are. But Danish cartoons may wake them up any day now.

Do you notice that when Arab governments accuse one of their citizens of spying for Israel, they are consistently disbelieved in the Western press, while Israeli accusations of its citizens of spying for Arab or Iranian governments are consistently believed? What is their points? That Israel is above recruiting spies?

"Security forces in the city of Sulaimaniya arrested on Tuesday the editor-in-chief of (Lavin) Magazine, Ahmed Mera, after publishing an article on the repercussions of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani's recent illness, an official from the Kurdish magazine said. "After publishing an article titled ‘Legacy of the sick man’ on the repercussions of the recent illness of President Talabani, security authorities phoned the editor-in-chief on March 16 and asked for some information on the magazine and its editor," Heman Baqer told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). "The editor called me this morning and told me that security forces were at his office and then he just disappeared and we could not find him as all his cell phones were turned off," he added."

"Not long after the documents' publication, Israel's second-largest newspaper, Ma'ariv, reported a meeting between the head of the security agency, Yuval Diskin, and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. During the meeting Diskin warned Olmert that the radicalization of Israel's Arab citizens constitutes a "strategic threat to the state's existence." Diskin added that "the proliferation of the visionary documents published by the different Arab elites in Israel is particularly worrisome, [since] the documents are united by their conception of Israel as a state for all its citizens and not a Jewish state." The head of the security services concluded that "the separatist and subversive patterns represented by the elites might engender a new direction and mobilize the masses.""

They managed to find an Islamic dimension to the shooting in Virginia: "Sources told the Tribune that the words "ISMAIL AX" were also found written in red ink on the inside of one of Cho's arms. The reference may be to the Islamic account of the Biblical sacrifice of Abraham, where God commands the patriarch to sacrifice his own son. Abraham begins to comply, but God intervenes at the last moment to save the boy." (thanks Kristin)

There is accountability when US soldiers kill...a White Man.

"The Iraq war was supposed to spread democracy throughout the Middle East, but to date its most palpable result has been to spread Iraqis throughout the world. UNHCR, the United Nations' refugee agency, believes that up to two million have sought refuge outside the country since the war started, and 1.9 million have been forced to move within Iraq in fear of their lives."

"The IDF has closed the street, located in the old market, to non-Jews since the beginning of the second intifada, citing the need to protect the Jewish population there."

From a poem (From the Papers of Abu Nuwwas) by Egyptian poet Amal Dunqul (my translation):
"Don't ask me if the Qur'an was
Created or Uncreated
Ask me if the Sultan is
a Thief or half a Prophet!!...
I was in Karbala'
He told me that Husayn
Died for a drop of water!...
He died for a drop of water!
Serve me, o boy, day and night
Serve me...
Maybe with wine..
I can forget blood."

April 18th. The anniversary of Qana Massacre I in 1996. The world forgot: but this little girl remembered.

The Jordanian Monarchy today received the best news in its contemporary history. People will be ordered to the streets to celebrate.

What those lists and data don't show is that for every book published in the Middle East, three or four are published without an official imprint, and without copy rights. So that figures are quite unreliable. Good night.

A "Middle East expert" that neo-cons can like: "Mr. Sarbib, who has retired from the bank, was Ms. Riza’s supervisor at the time. He said he “was not really privy to the arrangements” under which she went to Iraq. Upon her return, he said, she briefed members of the bank’s executive board and was “rather upbeat” about the country’s future, and the status of women."

The guru of Darfur groupies speak out: "What is harder to fathom is President Bush’s refusal to stand up to the genocide for four years. Why not impose a no-fly zone, why not hold an international conference on Darfur, why not invite survivors to the White House for a photo-op, why not give a prime-time speech about Darfur?" Oh, yeah, Mr. Darfur guru? Why not ask about Mr. Bush's refusal to stand up against the killings in Iraq? Is that not safe a cause for you to adopt? Why not impose a no-fly zone against those who are bombing Iraqi villages and towns from the air three years into the war? Why not invite survivors of US bombings into the White House, o Mr. Photo Op fan? I like this writer. I really really do. He is a regular reminder of why I never was, and never will be, a liberal.

If you want to see how Saudi media works, look at the front page picture of Saudi daily, Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat today.

When Bill Clinton analyzes the Middle East: "There is a Sunni anger to build upon."

A 22-year old Lebanese young man, Mahdi Zu`aytir, was killed by Lebanese security force (the fancy name for the Hariri militia in Lebanon). The Internal Lebanese Security Forces justified the murder of the civilian by saying he "was suspected of driving a stolen car." I kid you not. Of course, no human rights organization and no Western government will utter a word of condemnation. But to be fair: Human Rights Watch's Middle East divison staff is busy 1) taking care of right-wing fascistic lawyer, Muhammad Al-Mughrabi and 2) writing editorials against Pelosi's visit to Syria (but not to Saudi Arabia and Lebanon).

"But let's look at a few of the supposedly boring facts. According to the U.S. Census, black households in 2005 had a median income of $30,858, compared with $50,784 for non-Hispanic white households. The black poverty rate was 24.9 percent. The white poverty rate was 8.3 percent. In 2005, according to the Justice Department, 4.7 percent of black males were in prison or jail, compared with 0.7 percent of white males. For men in their late 20s, just under 12 percent of blacks were incarcerated, compared with 1.7 percent of whites. Life expectancy for black men is more than six years shorter than for white men. Yes, these numbers are an ongoing legacy of racism. And cultural factors, including family breakdown, are an important part of the story. But unless we spend a lot more time, energy, intellectual capital and money grappling with these facts, we can hold countless seminars on "Who Can Say What?"-- the words pasted over Imus's mouth on Time magazine's cover this week -- without doing a single serious thing to undo racism's gravest damage to our most left-out citizens."

"Belgium's Defense Minister said last week that he would act to extract payment from Israel for the removal of cluster bomb fragments that the Israel Defense Forces fired into Lebanese territory during the Second Lebanon War. During a meeting with representatives of Medical Aid for the Third World (MATW), an international medical organization, Defense Minister Andre Flahaut said the weapon was "the resort of cowards and a violation of international law.""

"Richard Gere's kisses on the cheeks of Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty in an event to promote Aids awareness sparked protests in India yesterday with protesters burning effigies of the actors."

"President George Bush's "war on terror" rhetoric has strengthened terrorist groups by helping them to create a shared identity, the development secretary, Hilary Benn, warned yesterday. The Foreign Office reportedly asked politicians and diplomats to drop the phrase last year. But Mr Benn's open criticism surprised many observers, and critics suggested he might be attempting to woo grassroots Labour activists in his bid for the party's deputy leadership - an accusation he later described as "unworthy"."

Flash. Syrian Information Minister, Muhsin Bilal, said that the Syrians will not wait "until infinity" to liberate the Golan Heights. He said that his regime will wait only until infinity minus two years--but not one day longer.

For the record. Jibril Rajjub denies stories that in a Fath leadership meeting, Tawfiq Tirawi threw his shoe at him. Rajjub told Al-Quds Al-`Arabi that "he has not been born to a mother he who thinks that he can insult Jibril Rajjub."

"11 septembre 2001 : les Français en savaient long" (thanks Wissam)