After America
How does the world look in an age of
U.S. decline? Dangerously unstable.
BY ZBIGNIEW BRZEZINSKI
JAN/FEB 2012
Foreign Pulicy
"The states in that exposed position --
including Georgia, Taiwan, South Korea,
Belarus, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Pakistan,
Israel, and the greater Middle East --
are today's geopolitical equivalents of
nature's most endangered species. Their
fates are closely tied to the nature of
the international environment left
behind by a waning America, be it
ordered and restrained or, much more
likely, self-serving and expansionist."
Europe’s Islamophobes and Israel: The
Right Alliance
By: Asa Winstanley
Published Monday, January 2, 2012
Al-Akhbar Newspaper
"While the European far-right once made
the Jewish community their primary
scapegoat, their more recent focus on
Muslims has made them Israel’s latest
bedfellows."
Riding Israel: A tragicomedy
Senior political analyst explains why
Newt Gingrich is no Tom Cruise, and why
touting Israel is a mission impossible.
Marwan Bishara Last Modified: 30 Dec
2011
"The comedy of "outloving" Israel was
best captured by US comedian Jon Stewart
who graded Republican presidential
candidates statements on Israel
according to a Yarmulkometer."
Secret paper reveals EU broadside over
plight of Israel's Arabs
Memo seen by The Independent highlights
tensions between Tel Aviv and Europe.
Donald Macintyre
Tuesday 27 December 2011
"A growing gulf between Israel's Jewish
and Arab communities is highlighted in a
critical EU paper which breaks new
ground by suggesting that the
international community has a role in
ensuring "genuinely equal treatment" for
the country's Arab minority."
Testimony of Amnon Neumann on Nakba
(video)
www.zochrot.org
A Public hearing at Zochrot, a testimony
given by Amnon Neauman, a 1948 Palmach
soldier describing the occupation of the
Negev villages, Initiated and organized
by Amir Hallel. The testimony was video
recorded by Lia Tarachansky. Miri Barak
prepared the transcription. Eitan
Bronstein edited, summarized, and added
footnotes. Translated to English by Asaf
Kedar. Video editing by Zohar Kfir
Owner of Lacoste, which censored
Palestinian artist, major donor to
Israel
by Ali Abunimah
Thu, 12/22/2011
Electronic Intifada
"Lacoste has been at the center of a
scandal over the company’s insistence
that Palestinian artist Larissa Sansour
be forced out of the prestigious Lacoste
Elysée Prize in Photography."
Obama campaigns with rabbi who doesn't
want "too many Arabs" in Israel
By Max Blumenthal - Sat, 2011-12-17
11:24- Gadfly
Al-Akhbar
On December 16, President Barack Obama
delivered a major address to the Union
for Reform Judaism, the national
umbrella for America's largest liberal
Jewish denomination. Obama's speech was
a naked appeal for campaign donations
and re-election votes, with the standard
cant about America's "unshakeable" bond
with Israel and the requisite omission
of any mention of the Palestinian
un-people. Obama also took time to
praise the liberal legacy of American
Jews, telling his audience, "You helped
draft the civl rights act and the voting
rights act, you helped liberate Soviet
Jews. Without these efforts I probably
wouldn't be standing here today."
The Economic WhiteWashing of Political
Discrimination against Arabs in Israel
By: Ben White
Published Saturday, December 17, 2011
Al-Akhbar
"That policies of Judaization can go
hand in hand with an emphasis on
economic opportunity is reminiscent of
the pre-1966 military regime’s ‘carrot
and stick’ approach, where ‘nationalist’
individuals and communities were
punished, and the compliant or quiet
were rewarded. It also echoes
Netanyahu’s ‘economy first’ policy
towards the West Bank, where ‘industrial
zones’ and employment opportunities are
intended to accompany continued
colonization."
Will Iraq's 1.3 million refugees ever be
able to go home?
As US forces formally exit
battle-scarred nation, attention turns
to victims of war
Kim Sengupta
Friday 16 December 2011
The Independent
"Eight years and three months after
"liberating Iraq", a time of unrelenting
savage strife in which tens of thousands
died and a society was torn apart,
America has formally ended its war in
Iraq."
Egypt presidential hopeful Bothaina
Kamel turns down American award
Manar Ammar
14 December 2011
Bikya Masr
CAIRO: Potential Egyptian presidential
nominee Bothaina Kamel turned down the
nomination of the world’s bravest woman
award, presented by the American
government.
Census Shows 1 In 2 People in the U.S.
Are Poor Or Low-income
By Hope Yen
Wednesday, Dec 14, 2011
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Squeezed by rising
living costs, a record number of
Americans — nearly 1 in 2 — have fallen
into poverty or are scraping by on
earnings that classify them as low
income...
Diaries: Live from Palestine
No miracle yesterday in Nabi Saleh:
Mustafa Tamimi murdered
Linah Alsaafin
The Electronic Intifada
Ramallah 10 December 2011
“Ambulance! Ambulance!”
So far, there were three people who had
suffocated from the tear gas, and three
people injured by rubber bullets. I saw
gas, and so assumed that it was another
case of suffocation. But the cries got
louder, urgent, desperate — quite unlike
the previous calls. Along with those
around me, we began running to where the
injured person lay, 50 meters away…
Bankers are the dictators of the West
Robert Fisk
Saturday 10 December 2011
The Independent, UK
"The banks and the rating agencies have
become the dictators of the West. Like
the Mubaraks and Ben Alis, the banks
believed – and still believe – they are
owners of their countries."
"Force, might and beatings": Indelible
images of the first Intifada
Submitted by Ali Abunimah
Fri, 12/09/2011
Electronic Intifada
"December 9, 1987 – exactly 24 years ago
– is the day Palestinians remember as
the start of the first Intifada, or
uprising, against Israel’s brutal and
unending occupation of the West Bank and
Gaza Strip that had begun 20 year
earlier."
Tristan Anderson civil suit delayed as
new evidence emerges
Charlotte Silver
The Electronic Intifada
3 December 2011
"If he had been a Palestinian, he would
have gone to the Ramallah hospital and
died,” Gabby Silverman said firmly."
World bodies must act now to save Lifta
Antoine Raffoul
The Electronic Intifada
London 2 December 2011
"Earlier this year, the group 1948 Lest
We Forget filed an application to the
World Monuments Fund (WMF) to include
the Palestinian village of Lifta in its
2012 World Monuments Watch List."
48 hours in Sanabis
Protesters in Bahrain continue to
struggle against government forces amid
tear gas and an overwhelming police
presence.
By Matthew Cassel
02 Dec 2011
Aljazeera.net
"The "non-lethal" American-made
tear-gas, which warns against firing it
indoors or directly at protesters, has
proven to be quite deadly in Bahrain
over recent months.
A few weeks earlier, on August 31, at
the end of the holy month of Ramadan,
during an anti-government protest in
Sitra, 14-year-old Ali al-Sheikh was hit
with a tear gas canister in the head and
killed."
Israel's war of attrition, waged on
non-Jews
Monday, 28 November 2011
Mya Guarnieri for the Alternative
Information Center (AIC)
"The eviction of the Sumarin family was
delayed. But the family has been living
in limbo for 20 years and other groups
live with uncertainty as Israel wages a
psychological war of attrition on
non-Jews."
Bush and Blair found guilty of war
crimes for Iraq attack
By Glenn Greenwald
Wednesday, Nov 23, 2011
SALON.com
"The tribunal ruled that Bush and
Blair’s name should be entered in a
register of war criminals, urged that
they be recognized as such under the
Rome Statute, and will also petition the
International Criminal Court to proceed
with binding charges."
Imneizil demolitions: “Hanging between
the ground and the sky”
November 19, 2011
by Jenna Bereld
International Solidarity Movement,
West Bank
The solar panels in the village of
Imneizil, near Hebron, became effective
almost two years ago, improved the
living conditions for about four hundred
inhabitants in the village, but recently
residents learned that the Israeli army
issued a demolition order for the solar
power installations.
Palestine: what next?
By Alan Hart
16 November 2011
Redress
“Alan Hart argues that salvation of the
Palestinian cause lies in dissolving the
Palestinian Authority, which “has been
more or less a quisling authority
collaborating with Israel”,
restructuring and reinvigorating the
Palestinian National Council – the
parliament for all Palestinians – and
harnessing the immense but dormant
potential of the Palestinian Diaspora.”
Fakhri Barghouti: Recounting a Lifetime
of Struggle
After 33 years in captivity, Fakhri
Barghouti returned to his people and his
family as part of the Gilad Shalit deal
last month. He shared with al-Akhbar the
painful memories of a lifetime of loss,
struggle, hope, and defiance.
By: Toufic Haddad
Published Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Al-Akhbar newspaer, Lebanon
"Up until around 1990, the morale of the
prisoners was very high, measured in
their dedication to the cause and to
remaining self-consciously organized.
But when Oslo came, and the leadership
came from abroad, and the political
situation appeared to be opening up, the
prisoners stayed in prison. This had a
strong impact upon us. We felt it was
us, who had paid the price for the
leadership to return, but we were
abandoned by them."
Dennis Ross: The Undiplomatic History
By: Max Blumenthal
Monday, November 14, 2011
Al-Akhbar newspaper (Lebanon)
"The Friday resignation of chief White
House adviser on the Middle East Dennis
Ross drew sharply contrasting reactions
that reflected the sectarian, pro-Israel
agenda his presence in government
represented."
Why the US recognised Israel
By Irene Gendzier
9 November 2011
Israeli Occupation Archive (IOA)
"Recognizing the influence of the
Zionist movement in the US, although not
always aware of the nature of President
Truman’s private communications with
high level Jewish Agency officials,
including Israel’s first President,
Chaim Weizmann, the US foreign policy
elite warned of the possible risks to US
interests in the Middle East, referring
to US oil and defense interests as
developments in 1948 unfolded."
Nuclear Israel revisited
To have or not to have nuclear weapons
is a question of human security and not
European privilege.
Joseph Massad
10 Nov 2011
aljazeera.net
South Africa: International Law and the
Future of Africa
Thabo Mbeki
5 November 2011
Address by the Patron of the foundation,
Thabo Mbeki, at the AGM of the Law
Society of the Northern Provinces.
"It is clear to many on our Continent
that what has happened in Libya has
established a very dangerous precedent.
The question has therefore been raised -
which African country will be next?"
Syria and Iran: the great game
Alastair Crooke
guardian.co.uk
Friday 4 November 2011
"Regime change in Syria is a strategic
prize that outstrips Libya – which is
why Saudi Arabia and the west are
playing their part."
Fadel al-Rubai: Challenging the Myths of
Orientalism
By: Khalil Sweileh
October 27, 2011
Al-Akhbar newspaper
"Iraqi anthropologist and historian
Fadel al-Rubai has produced a powerful
body of work directly challenging
orientalist interpretations of Arab and
Muslim history and local Arab think
tanks. Al-Akhbar talked to him about his
controversial theories and future
projects."
The Informants
September/October 2011 Issue
By Trevor Aaronson
Mother Jones Magazine
“Our yearlong investigation into the
FBI's vast program to infiltrate and spy
on America's Muslim communities.”
http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/08/fbi-terrorist-informants
For immediate release
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
National Lawyers Guild
Human Rights Lawyers: American
Universities Must Protect Students’
Freedom of Speech on Palestine and
Israel
Book Review: The Road to Fatima Gate
By Paul Cochrane on October 05, 2011
The Beirut Spring, the Rise of
Hezbollah, and the Iranian War Against
Israel
A Book by Michael Totten
"This book does a good job of listing
the many important events of the years
it covers in Lebanon but it is rigidly
selective in the sources it taps and the
questions it asks. Further, it lacks
historical insight and glosses over
inconveniences such as ‘facts’ that
would run counter to the agenda Totten
is pushing. But then again, what
adventurer would want to dilute his
drinking stories with reality?"
Changes to UK law didn't protect Tzipi
Livni
A London judge ordered a former
Israeli foreign minister's arrest, but
the UK is preventing this.
Daniel Machover and Raji Sourani
10 Oct 201
Aljazeera.com
"The key point is that the new law gave
Ms Livni no protection against arrest
and prosecution: It was solely the
(questionable) attribution of diplomatic
immunity that prevented due legal
process."
Panic of the Plutocrats
By PAUL KRUGMAN
October 9, 2011
"Wall Street’s Masters of the Universe
realize, deep down, how morally
indefensible their position is. They’re
not John Galt; they’re not even Steve
Jobs. They’re people who got rich by
peddling complex financial schemes that,
far from delivering clear benefits to
the American people, helped push us into
a crisis whose aftereffects continue to
blight the lives of tens of millions of
their fellow citizens."
Israel’s Jewishness: Precondition for
Palestinian Statehood
By: Jonathan Cook
Published Friday, October 7, 2011
AL-AKHBAR
Ahmad Samih Khalidi, a former
Palestinian negotiator, explained the
wider significance of recognizing Israel
as a Jewish state: “If these lands
rightfully comprise the Jewish homeland,
then the Arab presence there becomes
historically aberrant and contingent;
the Palestinians effectively become
historic interlopers and trespassers – a
transient presence on someone else’s
national soil.”
Why the UN must abolish the 'Quartet'
It was formed to assist in
Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, in
reality, envoy Tony Blair uses it for
personal profit.
Ali Abunimah
05 Oct 2011
Aljazeera.net
"Blair, in other words, is not only
enriching himself and his clients (both
he and JP Morgan denied to Channel 4
that there was any "conflict of
interest"), but assisting Israeli
colonialism, exploitation, plunder and
profiteering from the occupied
Palestinian territories under the
cynical guise of 'helping
Palestinians'".
UK Rewrites War Crimes Law At Israel’s
Request
01. Oct, 2011
by Richard Irvine
Intifada-Palestine.com
Legal mechanisms developed after the end
of the Second World War to more easily
prosecute war criminals are now being
taken off the books to preserve Israeli
impunity from accountability.
MOVEMENT AND ACCESS IN THE WEST BANK
27 September 2011
UNITED NATIONS REPORT
Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs; occupied
Palestinian territory
The UN is part of Palestine’s problem
Frank Barat
The Electronic Intifada
26 September 2011
"The UN is one of the most undemocratic
bodies in the world. After all, five
permanent members have the right to veto
anything they disagree with. The
decisions of those five members, the
masters — United States, United Kingdom,
France, Russia and China — overrule the
actions that the rest of the world is
sometimes willing to take."
Why Palestinians have a right to return
home
A thorough examination of the legal
rights of all those displaced by the
creation of the state of Israel in 1948.
Mark LeVine
23 Sep 2011
Aljazeera.net
The idea of universal rights is an
ancient one, but one of its first
international expressions is found in
the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights (UDHR), which was proclaimed by
the United Nations in 1948 "as a common
standard of achievement for all peoples
and all nations". One of the core rights
set out in the UDHR is the right of
return. Article 13(b) of the UDHR
states: "Everyone has the right to leave
any country, including his own, and to
return to his country."
Robert Fisk: A President who is helpless
in the face of Middle East reality
Obama's UN speech insists Israelis and
Palestinians are equal parties to
conflict
Friday, 23 September 2011
The Independent, UK
"How come, let's ask, that the US
ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, flew
from Tel Aviv to New York for the
statehood debate on Israeli Prime
Minister Netanyahu's own aircraft? How
come Netanyahu was too busy chatting to
the Colombian President to listen to
Obama's speech? He only glanced through
the Palestinian bit of the text when he
was live-time, face to face with the
American President. This wasn't
"chutzpah". This was insult, pure and
simple."
State of recognition
Whether the UN grants the PA status
as a state or refuses to do so, either
outcome will be in Israel's interest.
Joseph Massad
15 Sep 2011
Aljazeera.net
Real Solidarity Should Respect BDS
Guidelines
Palestinian Campaign for the Academic
and Cultural boycott of Israel (PACBI)
Statement
September 2, 2011
"As the Boycott, Divestment and
Sanctions (BDS) movement continues to
gather speed, PACBI continues to receive
an increasing number of inquiries from
around the world. Many of these
inquiries come from allies who are often
asked to give talks or performances in
Israel, or are invited to participate in
activities or projects with boycottable
Israeli institutions. These allies often
ask for an interpretation of the
academic and cultural boycott
guidelines. In some instances, our
advice is met with what we perceive to
be a lack of appreciation of the basic
context, principles and logic of the
boycott. In this month’s editorial, we
wish to clarify our responsibility to
Palestinian civil society and our wide
BDS coalition in Palestine, and our
responsibility to our international
allies."
Israel Wages Lawfare Against Gaza
Flotilla
by Philip Giraldi, September 01, 2011
Antiwar.com
"When the U.S. criminal justice system
falls in line and plays the Israeli
game, we will all be in trouble."
