Arab hopes or illusions?

My article on Al-Jazeera net: "The Obama Era: Arab hopes or Illusions?"

Scenes from Gaza

"Palestinian schoolchildren attend a lesson under a tent at the yard of their Islamic school which was destroyed in an Israeli missile strike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on January 25, 2009. (SAID KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images)

So who occupires Palestine and who kills Palestinian?

"The language of your post is reminiscent of the language used to describe the larger conflict in the main stream media. Do you know that most Americans do not know that it is the Israelis that occupy Palestinian territory? “The occupied territories” is not very specific. Why could you not have said that they were shot by Israeli soldiers and that the medics were prevented from reaching them by Israeli soldiers? In Arabic the passive voice has traditionally been used out of fear for the people being discussed or fear of one’s interlocutor. What is the source of your fear one wonders?" (thanks Chris)

Jamilah Buhayrad

Jamilah Buhayrad is visiting South Lebanon. If you don't know who she is look up the poem about her by Nizar Qabbani or throw a shoe at yourself.

The Sudanese Communist Party

The Sudanese Communist Party held its first congress since 1967. The average age of members was 60, according to As-Safir.

I don't like flags but...

I don't like flags, and I don't like nationalisms but...for the sake of Palestine and the Palestinians, anything and everything. Standing tall in the rubble of bombed houses in Jabalya camp. (AFP)

Bob Simon: his report on 60 minutes

I have not seen a more courageous report on US television that shows the injustices and brutality of Israeli occupation of Palestine than Bob Simon's report tonight on 60 Minutes. (thanks Brenda)

Al-Hurrah TV

This is really funny. It just occurred to me. I have not heard anywhere in months anything about Al-Hurrah TV, yet I am still (as an American taxpayer) paying millions to fund that failed propaganda outlet. I mean, it is so dead--as dead as the Washington Star newspaper.

George Mitchell: from my archives

Remember this story about George Mitchell.

7588 Ikhwan prisoners in one year in Egypt

This is incredible: if this was against pro-US liberals, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch would be yelling in the street. In 2008 alone, the Egyptian dictatorship arrested 7588 members of the Muslim Brotherhood, according to their lawyer. I mean, Western media and NGOs were sending daily bulletins about Sa`d Id-Din Ibrahim when he was in jail.

Ethan Bronner and the New York Times have a heart

"Early in the war, at the hospital, she witnessed the murder of an alleged Israeli collaborator by Hamas gunmen. They shot him in the skull more or less in front of her. One of the gunmen told Taghreed that she should never mention what she saw to anyone. She told him there was not a chance she would stay silent, then made some calls to find out about other such events and sent me the information, which we published the next day." Oh, how sweet and compassionate. So the New York Times has compassion for the Palestinians provided that they are collaborators.

Franklin Lamb

Hizbullah media love Franklin Lamb. I don't know him and he may be a nice guy but he is clueless. Just because he is opposed to Israel and US war does not mean that he is reliable. And his conspiratorial scenarios never materialize.

The polygamous Sheikh Mo

Is this a paid ad by Sheikh Mo? "The man behind all this is Sheik Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and a man with an estimated wealth of £15billion. He's an extraordinary character, someone for whom the word 'visionary' could have been invented." (thanks Amer)

Dahlan o Dahlan

I have posted yesterday about the bomb under the car of the Palestinian professor `Abdus-Sattar Qasim. Here is a picture of the car (thanks to M. for taking it). I have the permission of Qasim to say that he suspects Dahlan gangs and that this is the fourth time his car was bombed and was once shot at.
PS M sent me this clarification: "just for clarification: 4th time he was attacked, 2nd time his car was attacked, and 1 of those attacks he was not shot at, he was shot."

George `Udwan

The voice of Lebanese fascist leader, George `Udwan, should be considered a form of torture: cruel and unusual punishment.

Bombs of peace

"Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza have been subjected to Israeli occupation for 41 years. In the meantime, they were a party to a peace process for more than 18 years. Almost half of their since-1967 occupation years were spent engaged in peace performances. Should not this simple fact alert us to the affinity between peace and occupation, obedience and destruction? Might it reveal to us that peace is not always the solution to war, but is often the ground from which war is waged? And if the alert is heard, can we begin to be awakened by the chimes of peace, not only the bombs of war?" (thanks Sinan)

Saudi alliance with Al-Qa`idah: the Second Phase

Something is really happening in Saudi Arabia. I was talking about that to Radio Monte Carlo a few minutes ago. The factional struggle within the royal family is having an impact on Saudi policies and will only become more visible. I see that there are signs of a Saudi alliance with the Al-Qa`idah. The first phase of that alliance was in the wake of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. It is safe to say that the same Prince Turki who is now threatening Jihad was the mid-wife, so to speak, of Al-Qa`idah (and later of Taliban). They ended that alliance officially in the mid 1990s under US pressure although a footnote in the official Sep. 11 commission report indicated that a prince helped whisk Bin Laden safely out of the kingdom. But in the last two or three years there seems to be a return to the alliance with Al-Qa`idah: you see it in the Saudi sponsorship of Salafi violent groups, and in the resumption of Saudi sponsorship of Taliban in Afghanistan. But I predicted that the Saudi sponsorship of anti-Shi`ite agitation (with full American support) would inevitably lead to the utilization of Al-Qa`idah and Bin Ladenite groups. Al-Qa`idah would have been way too tempting for a government intent on resorting to acute anti-Shi`ite mobilization. I also think that the policy of Munasahah (a difficult word to translate but let us say it is "counseling" which refers to the official Saudi policy of rehabilitation of Al-Qa`idah terrorists inside the kingdom) which produced 60 Al-Qa`idah terrorists who graduated and then went on to resume their Al-Qa`idah terrorism. Yet, Saudi media still brag about the policy and show the facilities and the entertainment centers and swimming pools available to the coddled Al-Qa`idah members. Yesterday, the station of King Fahd's brother-in-law, Al-Arabiyyah, aired a report on the new leader of Al-Qa`idah in Yemen and would repeatedly cite a clip in which he railed against Hasan Nasrallah. I know that House of Saud are desperate to gain a foothold among Arab public opinion on Palestine, but they must know that among Arab public opinion the credentials of Nasrallah on Palestine are quite superior to those of Al-Qa`idah--the wishes of the House of Saud to the contrary notwithstanding.

PS Forgot to mention that the struggle within the royal family, especially with the impending death of Prince Sultan (who is "recovering well"--which in official Arab terminology means that he is dying soon), will also lead to the reliance on Al-Qa`idah to do the bidding of one faction against another especially that at least half of the royals are themselves Wahhabi fanatics (the other half being King Fahd-style hedonistic fanatics).

Obama and Arab illusions

"وقال أستاذ العلوم السياسية بجامعة كاليفورنيا أسعد أبو خليل -وهو لبناني المولد ومؤيد للفلسطينيين- "استغرق الأمر يومين طويلين قبل أن يبدد أوباما أي أفكار عن إجراء تغيير في السياسة الأميركية بالشرق الأوسط". وأضاف أن "كلمة أوباما كانت مهمة، كانت مثل نثر حمض الكبريت على جروح الأطفال في غزة"."

The Last Refuge of Ethan Bronner: The Bill O'Reilly Trick

I really thought that Ethan Bronner was smarter. I mean, to resort to the last refuge of a biased reporter--the famous trick of Bill O'Reilly who ends his show every night with an email from a (myopic) viewer who accuses him of being a leftist and another who accuses him of being a rightist in order to show that he is fair because he gets it from both sides--is such a desperate ploy. I mean, yes, there may be some ultra-fanatic Zionist who does not think that New York Times' coverage is fanatic enough but does Bronner think that his ploy is going to change anything? He thinks that once you read that there were some Zionist complaints, you will change your mind regarding the fundamentally racist and unapologetically Zionist coverage? So today he tells you that there were complaints from both sides, which should lead you to conclude that he then must have been fair--the O'Reilly trick. This is as dumb a ploy as when some Arabs say that they are not anti-Semitic becuase they are Semitic themselves. And Bronner comes to the defense of Taghreed: "A couple of Arab bloggers went after Taghreed with the worst insult they could come up with — Zionist. She was a Palestinian Uncle Tom doing the bidding of her white-man bosses." I never called Taghreed a Zionist: I don't know what she is and it is not really relevant. I think that she was serving her White Man boss regardless of her views--if she has any. I think that she was thinking about her career in the Western press more than about ideology. That is the point. If the New York Times went anti-Zionist for some reason, Taghreed would have done as loyal a job. So Ethan: in this post, you may have fooled a few toddlers in the New York area but no one else. Try again. (thanks Abdullah)

PS I forgot to mention that the article had two accompanying pictures: one for Hamas fighters in mourning, and the other of Israeli terrorist soldiers in mourning. The implication being is that it was a war between two armies. Nice try, again, Mr. Bronner.

Obama throws acid

"‘It’s like sprinkling sulphuric acid on the wounds of the children in Gaza.’"

Scenes from Gaza

"Palestinian Rawan Abu Taber, 4, wounded during the Israeli military operations, screams in pain as doctors change bandages to her severe burns, at the Shifa hospital in Gaza City, Wednesday Jan. 21, 2009. Doctors had to amputate her thumb because it kept on burning. A vast majority of over 4,000 Palestinians wounded in Israel's operations in the Gaza Strip are treated at Shifa, Gaza's largest hospital."
(AP)

"A Palestinian girl cries as she sits next to a puddle on a street in Gaza city, January 23, 2009."(Reuters)

"A Palestinian man and his son sit on the wreckage of their destroyed home in Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza January 23, 2009."
(REUTERS)

"Palestinian sisters Dunia, 10, and Dana, 5, discover their school books admid the rubble of their destroyed home in the southern part of Gaza City. Some 200,000 Gaza children have returned to school for the first time since Israel's offensive, many having lost family members, their home and their sense of security."
(AFP)

"Palestinian boy Mohammed Kutkut, 14, right, covers his face as he sits next to the name sign of his killed friend Ahed Qaddas in the Fakhoura boys school in Jebaliya, northern Gaza strip, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2009. Three friends of his class where killed when the Israeli army shelled Jebaliya in the past weeks. Tens of thousands of children have flocked back to schools throughout the Gaza Strip, days after Israel ended its fierce military operation against the territory's rulers."
(AP Photo)

"A Palestinian boy carries rescued cats inside a birdcage, on a stroller on a street in Gaza City in the Gaza strip, Friday, Jan. 23, 2009."
(AP Photo)

"Members of the Palestinian Khadr family gather around a fire next to a tent in the rubble of their house destroyed in the recent Israeli military operation in the devastated area of east Jebaliya, in the northern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2009."
(AP Photo)

Obama and Arab illusions

"وقال أستاذ العلوم السياسية بجامعة كاليفورنيا أسعد أبو خليل -وهو لبناني المولد ومؤيد للفلسطينيين- "استغرق الأمر يومين طويلين قبل أن يبدد أوباما أي أفكار عن إجراء تغيير في السياسة الأميركية بالشرق الأوسط"."

Let me make a prediction

20 years from now, the Hariri family will still be calling for finding the killers of Rafiq Hariri. Keep looking.

Mithal Al-Alusi

Al-Arabiyya TV (the station of King Fahd's brother-in-law) has started the Iraqi political puppet campaign. Usually, it means a non-stop promotion of Iyad `Allawi (the former puppet prime minsiter/car bomber/Saddam's henchman/embezzler-in-Yemen/fabricator of an assassination attempt on his life in London). Today, they had a 30 minute interview with Mithal Al-Lusi. This guy is so popular that he is beaten--literally, as Joe Biden would say--by Iraqis anywhere he goes--although Thomas Friedman thinks highly of him because he loves Israel.

Have you noticed?

Palestinian children tend to have a rare combination of adorableness and maturity.

PS Electronic Ali sent me this (I cite with his permission): "As'ad, there are studies that show that refugee children and other children in war zones forced to deal prematurely with major and traumatic responsibilities (including adult responsibilities of caring for a devastated family) display what appears to be early maturity. You hear it in their speech and outlook on life. Indeed they act like adults because they have to. The other side of that is that these same children experience severe emotional and psychological problems, fear and anxiety that can seriously affect healthy development. This must be going on in Gaza on a truly massive, unprecedented scale. This is not preordained; with appropriate support, children are remarkably resilient and able to overcome extreme difficulties. But that is if they have the support. Unlike Israeli cats and dogs, however, children in Gaza will not enjoy the minimum of the mental health and other support services they need."

For the record: As a child, I was neither adorable nor mature. But now I may be adorable but not mature.

Obama bombs (and bullets)

"US soldiers killed an Iraqi couple and wounded their eight-year-old daughter during a raid against Al-Qaeda suspects near the northern city of Kirkuk on Saturday, police and the US military said."

Oh, no

"Lebanon's Daily Star shut down". Michael Young should write for the New East Report (the mouthpiece of AIPAC).

Dahlan o Dahlan

"Dahlan vows to decimate Hamas"

The deranged Libyan dictator speaks

Now I have to read about the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict from the deranged Libyan dictator: "It is a fact that Palestinians inhabited the land and owned farms and homes there until recently, fleeing in fear of violence at the hands of Jews after 1948 — violence that did not occur, but rumors of which led to a mass exodus. It is important to note that the Jews did not forcibly expel Palestinians. They were never “un-welcomed."" (thanks L.)

Those Palestinians

I know that I tend to be emotional about the Palestinian people and their revolution, but still. I mean, look at this boy. How could Zionists ever think that they can defeat those people. I don't care how many nuclear warheads Israel accumulates, they are obsolete in the face of the Palestinian people. Zionists: your beloved Israel is doomed. Bye. (AP)

Queen Youtube

I have deliberately avoided commenting on the TV ad that Queen Youtube has taped for UNRWA regarding Gaza relief. I am afraid that I will express myself in obscenities. Let her tape a TV ad about her government's training and arming of Dahlan gangs.

War Crimes unto the Nations

"There is evidence that Israel committed war crimes during its 22-day campaign in the Gaza Strip and there should be an independent inquiry, UN investigator Richard Falk said Thursday.
The mental anguish of the civilians who suffered the assault is so great that the entire population of Gaza could be seen as casualties, said Falk, UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip."

Approximately or Exactly?

"Noam Chomsky: Obama’s Stance on Gaza Crisis “Approximately the Bush Position”. Angry Arab: Obama's Stance on Gaza Crisis 'Exactly the Bush Position'". (thanks Nader)

Lobbyists for polygamous kings and princes

Did you see all the Arab and Muslim American organizations cheering Obama and praising his appointment of Zionist Mitchell? That brings up memories. Those were cheering Bush and his appointments back in 2000.

Who did it?

"A bomb exploded, Friday evening, under the car of Abdel-Sattar Qasem, a professor of political science at the Najah University in Nablus, in the northern West Bank. No one was injured in the explosion." This is a courageous leftist professor. I wonder who was behind this attack. I mean, Qasem attacks the thugs and corrupt officials of the PA, but who knows? You know me: I am too responsible and careful to speculate or to make accusations. Far be it for me to suspect anybody.

It must be nice

It must be nice for Israeli terrorist troops: they kill civilians for 20 years or so, and then they make movies in retirement and give fake preachments about peace.

Ask yourselves: how could anybody support Israeli terrorism

"Seven children from Toura al-Gharbeiah village (near the West Bank city of Jenin) were arrested on Tuesday by the Israeli authorities; they are currently detained in Salim detention and interrogation center, in the northern West Bank. Two of the children are only 12 years old; two are 13; another two are aged 15; and the seventh is 17."

Obama bombs

"A claim by US forces in Afghanistan that they killed 15 Taliban fighters in the eastern province of Laghman, has been disputed by village elders. A US statement said on Saturday that soldiers killed the fighters after coming under fire from opposition fighters. But the elders say all those who died were civilians." (Obama bombs will be a regular feature now). (thanks Olivia)

There are Arab-types in my soup

"A US citizen caused delays to a Turkish Airlines flight between Istanbul and New York after complaining that there were “Arab-types” on board." (thanks David)

Roth is shocked: that Israeli army has no credibility

"Predictably, the IDF holds Hamas wholly responsible for civilian casualties in Gaza, alleging that Hamas combatants stored weapons in mosques and fought from among civilians. Those allegations may or may not be true. Long experience, as during the 2006 war in Lebanon, shows that we must take such ritual IDF pronouncements with a grain of salt. We will not know exactly how Hamas waged the war until human rights monitors can conclude the on-the-ground investigations that they are only just beginning because of the IDF's earlier refusal to let them into Gaza. Israelis seem dismayed that the world has not embraced the justness of its latest war in Gaza. Of course Israel is entitled to defend itself from Hamas' rocket attacks, but when it does so in violation of its duty to spare civilians, and with so massive a civilian toll, public outrage is entirely predictable. Meanwhile, the IDF does itself no favor when it resorts to censorship, PR techniques and misrepresentation rather than subject its conduct to the open and independent scrutiny that should characterize any military that is genuinely committed to respecting the laws of war." (thanks Maureen)

Fu'ad Sanyurah and the woman in black

Lebanese prime minister, Fu'ad Sanyurah, is seen flirting with the woman in black. He reportedly complimented her on her lipstick. (thanks Fadi) (Dalati and Nahra)

Foxman is even-handed

In a non-Zionist country, Abraham Foxman would be given a weekly TV show so that he can make little kids laugh as soon as he opens his mouth. ""Mitchell is fair. He's been meticulously even-handed," said Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League. "But the fact is, American policy in the Middle East hasn't been 'even handed' — it has been supportive of Israel when it felt Israel needed critical U.S. support. "So I'm concerned," Foxman continued. "I'm not sure the situation requires that kind of approach in the Middle East."" (thanks Rafi)

The scandal of Lebanese military base in Nahr Al-Barid

The Lebanese Army which flees when Israel fires its first shots, and which leaves the defense of Lebanon to Lebanon's youths (since the 1960s), now wants to build a military base in the Nahr Al-Barid camp. (thanks Raed)

Billy Moyers explains himself

"But from my days in the Johnson White House, I have defended Israel’s right to defend itself, and still do." Sometimes I feel that Arabs and Muslims are so desperate for support or sympathy that they are willing to take insults from their enemies if they are couched in polite language. People keep circulating Bill Moyers' comments as if he is sympathetic to Palestinians.

Tod Gitlin

"I checked out the translation with two Arabic speakers, who confirm that it is accurate. Hussein Ibish, Executive Director of the Foundation for Arab-American Leadership and a Senior Fellow of the [Dahlan Embassy in Washington, DC also known as] American Task Force on Palestine." And who is better to judge Arabic than somebody who does not speak or read Arabic? But Tod Gitlin is a classic case of a Former Leftist in the US. He was a wholehearted supporter of Bush's wars and endorsed the campaign of civil liberties of Muslims here in the US. He even posed for a while as a new expert on Islam and the Middle East, merely because he shared Bush's hostitlity to Arabs and Muslims. He (like others) are trying to sneak back into a progressive position. Too late, Mr.