Journalist Thug Par Excellence

This is a commentary on the commentary written by Khalid Amayreh about the last events in Sinai entitled :

Murderous Terrorists, Par Excellence

This is the other side of the coin that Palestinian so called journalist Khalid Amayreh is showing us now in relation to the bloody massacre that happened in Sinai and took the lives of sixteen Egyptian soldiers and injured others. Amayreh here is taking the role of the objective journalist which should not fool anyone , thinking that objectivity can be partitioned. . And while praising and celebrating those who kill in Syria as being revolutionaries bringing democracy to the Syrians , we see him here turning from the journalist thug he is to humanitarian objective witness he is not . You can hardly believe your eyes when you read by the thug -whom you know - the following ” In Islam, there is no crime under the sun graver and greater than killing an innocent human being. Indeed, the murder of even one human being is equated with the killing of the entire humanity and the saving of a single life is equated with saving the entire humanity.”

Who could believe this coming from the war monger Amayreh is ? Of course Islam is to be applied in Egypt and not in Syria . In Syria the Ordinances of Islam do not work . What works are the instructions of the US Administration and Israel and the Turkey of NATO where we see our thug writer asking for more bloodshed to be spilled so that the Islam of the prince of Qatar and the Islam of Bandar bin Sultan rule. But this is not all because, as we proceed through the commentary, we find our unhappy writer accusing Israel of standing behind this bloody incident in Sinai in saying :” The manifestly criminal attack shows that there are treacherous fingers lurking in the dark, trying to undermine the stability of Egypt by sowing terror, violence, chaos, and death in the most important Arab country.” Before adding that: “ The first and foremost suspect is, of course, Israel” .

How wonderful ! There is no doubt that great inspiration has fallen- suddenly -upon our enlightened writer accompanied with deep insight into the matter whereby he is able to identify his real enemy and the enemy of Egypt ,while – if you read the above quotation , and replace the word Egypt with the word Syria , you get more a real description of the Syrian situation than the Egyptian one .But our dubious commentator will refrain from accusing Israel or “treacherous fingers lurking in the dark “of destabilizing Syria and spilling innocent Syrian blood because- when speaking of Syria - our author has the power to make Israel disappear –as if by magic – with all its schemes and murderous plans , whereas Bashshar al Assad is to endorse the full role of the criminal usurper state. So it is Bashshar who kills and slaughters and not the armed thugs whom dubious Amayreh describes as criminals when they operate in Egypt against the Egyptian army, but as revolutionaries when they kill Syrian soldiers and slaughter Syrian children!
Why would Israel be the enemy of Egypt that has signed peace agreements with it and the enemy of Palestinians who are in negotiation with it and not the enemy of Syria who is at war with it is a question that will not be answered easily by our dubious fake commentator. And this is not all because – as the commentary draws to its end , our fake Palestinian journalist becomes more and more eloquent especially when he states that the crimes were committed by :” …some of the overzealous elements who can be easily used by the Israeli intelligence to carry out some terrorist acts and are made to think that by doing these acts they are actually serving the cause of global Jihad!!!!” Exactly Mr. double standard journalist , this is what the so called Jihadists might be doing in Egypt and in Syria , except that- in addition- they might be offered some reward because- in most cases- they are simply hired to do what they do and not necessarily inspired ; but I guess this is a too itchy matter which our “integral” journalist cannot tackle without consequences .


The last two lines of the so called commentary of Mr Amayreh are not less inspiring , when he summons all to show sympathy and solidarity saying :” However, Egypt shouldn't flinch on this matter of paramount national security and the entire world would show understanding and sympathy for the Egyptian stance.”

Thank you Mr. Amayreh we couldn’t have said it better - regarding Syria - and we will consider that it is Syria that is meant despite what you think . Once more you have not fooled anyone Mr. Amayreh and whatever neutral objective tone you have adopted will not make up for the lies and indecencies and slanders you have been all the way uttering through your various articles

Comment by the Uprooted Palestinian
I was wondering what Khalid Amayreh, the sectarian thug, would say about the Sinai attack on Egyptian guarding Israel?
He finally preyed:

"However, all fingers seem to be pointing to the nihilistic Takfeeri killers who think they are practicing Jihad and endearing themselves to the Almighty by murdering innocent Egyptian soldiers, even during the holy month of Ramadan.

What sort of spiritual and ideological blindness has overwhelmed these gangs of ignoramuses and fanatics?

I have no doubt the Khalid Amayreh, the only commentator at PIC, is well informed. Unlike, Hamas and Muslim brothers who blamed Mossad, Khalid blamed the Takfeeri killer and their spiritual and ideological blindness. We have seen the same nihilistic Takfeeri killers practicing the same Jihad in Libya, and now in Syria. In Sinai the same sectarian author called them Takfeeri killers, in Libya and now in Syria they are freedom fighters.

Besides, one is always prompted to ask who stands to benefit from this crime other than the enemies of Egypt, the enemies of Palestine and the enemies of Islam?

The Sectarian thug never asked who stands to benefit from changing the regime in Syria other the enemies of Syria, the enemies of Palestine and the enemies of Islam?

The perfidious attack on the small Egyptian garrison is undoubtedly a declaration of war on the people of Egypt, its army, government, sovereignty and national dignity and honor.

For the sectarian thug, the global war on the people of Syria, its army, government, infra-structure sovereignty and national dignity and honor, is a war for liberation, and freedom..

"It is also a treacherous aggression against the Palestinian people, having occurred only a few days after the successful visit to Cairo by the Prime Minister of Gaza, Ismael Haniya."

Sinai attack is a "treacherous aggression against the Palestinian people," Palestinians cause is losing in Sinai, but with the 17 months daily attacks in syria Palestinians cause is gainig.

When I strated writing this, the title was: Sectarian's Double Standards: Takfeeri killers in Sinai, Freedom fighter in Syria.

But suddenly, I remembered that the so-called Sinai Takfeeris were smuggling arms and food to besieged Gaza, I remmebered Hezbullah cells.

"In a televised speech on April 10, Nasrallah denied the accusations of plotting terror attacks against Egypt, but admitted that alleged cell leader Sami Shihab (whose true name is Muhammad Yousef Ahmad Mansour) is indeed a member of Hizballah and that he was ordered "to provide the Palestinian resistance in Gaza with logistical services including moving military equipment and personnel to Gaza."
After Egyptian revolution police stations in Sinai were dismantled, the gas line with Israel was attacked more than fifteen times, and weapons arriving from Libya and from Israel’s black market and elsewhere are stockpiled. Sinai is becoming a major Resistance base with fighters vowing to repel any attempt by the US and Israel to retain control.
I remembered also Nasrallah asking who smuggled arms and food to Gaza.

"Israel, today, is afraid of Gaza and afraid for Tel Aviv. Who gave [Gaza fighters] the rockets? The Saudi regime? The Egyptian regime? No. They were rockets from Syria and transferred through Syria. The Syrian leadership was risking its interests and existence in order for the resistance in Lebanon and Palestine to be strong. Show me one Arab regime that does the same."

Connecting the dots, the picture is clear. Khalid Amayreh can't call the attackers "Shiite killer" because they are Sunnis, moreover, he don't like to see Sunnis fighting Israel, so he described the attackers as Takfeeri killers.

Hamas MP Mushir Al-Masri has charged that the attack on Egyptian soldiers in Sinai fell in line with attempts to destabilize the security in both Egypt and Gaza. Haneyya agrees with Jihad delegation on shunning ideologically deviated elements
oussam Kanafani ended his article "The Sinai Attack: Sending a Message" Gaza Strip’s new joke about the Sinai attack: “Israel cooked, Egypt ate, and Gaza has to wash the dishes,” 

Mursi between Tantanwi and
Anan at Iftar in Rafah

Now I would say: Israel and the SCAF cooked, MB ate, Gaza and the Sinai Bedouin tribes has to wash the dishs. Otherwise, why would Mursi fire Egypts Chief Spy?

Why would The Zionist entity give Egypt the “go-ahead “to deploy helicopters in Sinai, easing the restrictions on military presence in the peninsula set by a 1979 “peace” treaty"

According to Haartez: "It might sound strange, but the current security coordination between Israel and Egypt is perhaps at the highest level it has been since the peace agreement was forged by the two nations."

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian  
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!

Zionist Attacks on Billboards Degenerate into Smear Tactics, Censorship Calls

On Monday of this week, a mosque in Joplin, Missouri burned to the ground, apparently due to arson. The report we see in the video above, uploaded on Wednesday by Press TV, paints a pretty bleak picture of “the bigotry that exists on the underbelly of America,” as one guest puts it. And certainly that bigotry exists.

But since the destruction on Monday, the Muslim community in Joplin has also seen an outpouring of love—coming from its neighbors in Joplin, as well as from around the world. A website was set up to raise money to rebuild the mosque, and as of Friday evening more than $305,000 in donations had poured in. Also, in what could perhaps be viewed as another example of Christians and Muslims coming together, an Episcopal church in Joplin hosted an iftar meal on Wednesday, while a student attending a Christian college in Joplin has organized an event for later this month entitled “Neighbors—Joplin Mosque Rally.” The affair will take place August 25 in a local park and will include food and live music from local bands.

“When there’s an act of hate, you have a choice to make it something beautiful. So that’s what this is all about: making things beautiful from things that aren’t,” said 20-year-old Ashley Carter, organizer of the rally.

Carter is a student at Ozark Christian College in Joplin and she says she was inspired by “my love for Jesus. And I know that Jesus calls us to love people.” On her Facebook page she writes:

“Since the goal is unity, we want to come together for a meal. We are encouraging everyone attending to pack for a picnic—with a blanket and food and come out to Landreth to celebrate the power of love and diversity. We invite you to make cultural food and to share with your friends as we have a picnic at the park. There will be opportunities to support our community in a variety of ways including: artwork, writing on a love banner for the Islamic Society, giving to the Islamic Society, and/or simply coming to meet someone you didn’t know before! All in all, this is about paying it forward: giving love before hate crimes can be committed.”

As of Friday evening, nearly 600 people had posted that they planned to attend.

What’s going on in Joplin has even attracted attention from the mainstream media:

Christian college student’s idea leads to rally for burned mosque
By Josh Levs, CNN

(CNN) - When 20-year-old Ashley Carter heard about a mosque burned to the ground in her town this week, she was shocked.

"I was very saddened," she told CNN on Wednesday. "I thought it was very evil."

So Carter, a student at Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Missouri, texted a friend, suggesting they organize an event "promoting acts of love."

But quickly, the idea changed: They would organize a "rally of people coming together, from all walks of life, all religions, a really diverse group of people trying to promote this radical love."
Read more

If you go on and read the rest of the story, you’ll also find that members of a Jewish group, the United Hebrew Congregation, were expected to take part in the iftar meal. Also, more on the Joplin story can be found here.

Carter’s ideas about “radical love” and “paying it forward” are interesting ideas. Is there perhaps a lesson to be learned from all this?
River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian
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'Syria provides the US & Sunni allies to step up their 'irregular warfare capabilities'"

Via FLC

"... The Sunni countries have a strong interest in stepping up their own irregular warfare capabilities if they are to keep pace with Iran during the ongoing security competition.The civil war in Syria provides an opportunity for the United States and its Sunni allies to do just that. For the United States, supporting Syria's rebels would constitute a classic unconventional warfare campaign, a basic Special Forces mission. Such missions are typically covert and usually performed in cooperation with regional allies. So, U.S. and GCC intelligence officers and special forces could use an unconventional warfare campaign in Syria as an opportunity to exchange skills and training, share resources, improve trust, and establish combined operational procedures. Such field experience would be highly useful in future contingencies. Equally important, it would reassure the Sunni countries that the United States will be a reliable ally against Iran. 

Normally, the goals of a combined U.S.-GCC unconventional warfare campaign in Syria would be the overthrow of the Assad regime and the establishment of a government friendly to U.S. and Gulf Sunni interests. However, policymakers should recognize that unconventional warfare campaigns are fragile projects with no assurance of success. They can take years to run their course with plenty of opportunity for embarrassments along the way. The Syrian war is proving to be just as dirty as any other modern proxy war, with both sides apparently guilty of war crimes. Rather than committing to the goal of overthrowing the Assad regime, an elusive task that could result in an unpleasant spiral of escalation, the U.S. should limit itself to the goal of growing coalition irregular warfare expertise. 

But to improve the odds of achieving this limited goal, policymakers should expand U.S. participation beyond its current limits. They should not rule out providing lethal assistance to the rebels not available through other partners. U.S. special forces advisers and trainers should be allowed to visit rebel sanctuary camps in Turkey and Syria. Finally, U.S. policymakers should consider the limited use of air power -- for example, drones for intelligence-gathering and close air support. Since the principal U.S. goal would be the buildup of GCC irregular warfare capacity, GCC intelligence and special forces officers should have the lead, with U.S. officers supporting them. This approach would do the most to build overall alliance special operations capacity while limiting U.S. exposure and risk. 

Some will no doubt criticize this approach as an exploitation of the humanitarian disaster in Syria to allow the U.S. and its allies to refine some unpleasant techniques.... ..."

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Syrian Armed Opposition Operating… from Lebanon!

Hussein Assi

What's really happening at the Lebanese-Syrian borders? Is it accurate to speak of Syrian "violations" of the Lebanese sovereignty? What about the "provocations" taking place from the Lebanese side?

Such questions were raised during the last few days in light of the "protest memos" that were exchanged between the Lebanese and Syrian authorities, and also in light of the daily "shootings" taking place at the area.

Between Violations and Provocations..

At first glance, one cannot ignore the dangers of the borders' incidents and their potential repercussions at all levels. Indeed, the shooting and firing incidents are occurring on daily basis, signaling that some plot is being prepared to push Lebanon into a "non-innocent" conflict with its neighbor, Syria.

Also at first glance, daily reports of Syrian ammunitions and rockets falling within the Lebanese territories seem to be suspicious. Some press reports even go on to speak of Lebanese territories being subject to some Syrian "bombardment". Such reports seek to portray the Syrian military operations at the border area as violations to the Lebanese sovereignty, and therefore to all the agreements reached between Lebanon and Syria, throughout history.

However, speaking of Syrian violations to the Lebanese territories is not accurate.

"This is not even half of the truth," a well-informed political source told moqawama.org. "Taking a verdict needs to examine the whole truth and perceive what's really happening at the border side," the source said, as it found strange the "accusations" launched here and there, without any proof. "The whole truth is not limited, here, to the fact that any Syrian operation at the border area is nothing but a response to provocations..."

SMUGGLING CONTINUES...

Lebanese army seizes weapons, explosives near Syria border

The political source makes it clear: defending the border against potential aggressions cannot be a violation. To explain, it recalls of "documented" arguments, including a recently-issued report by the United Nations' Lebanon Independent Border Assessment Team (LIBAT), which stated that the border between Syria and Lebanon is highly porous, and that there is no mechanism capable of preventing the smuggling of weapons and other materials. 

The source noticed that the nature of the borders makes smuggling something very familiar. It highlighted that Lebanese authorities recently arrested Syrian men accused of smuggling arms into Syria from Lebanon. A few weeks earlier, authorities in the border discovered trucks smuggling a cache of weapons into Syria. It is believed these weapons were destined for the so-called Free Syrian Army seeking to fight against the Syrian army.

This is not everything. The source also points to the accusations made by Syrian envoy to the United Nations Bashar al-Jaafari for some Lebanese parties of funding and arming militants. "Some political sides in Lebanon, not the Lebanese state, are funding, arming and giving the terrorist groups shelters on the Lebanese territories," al-Jaafari told UN Security Council debate on the Middle East. These sides "are inciting those militants to hold terrorist acts in order to escalate clashes and to spur further bloodshed," the Syrian envoy added.

"The Syrian envoy's accusations do not come from void," the political source told moqawama.org. "Of course, they are neither a conspiracy against these Lebanese sides nor a media campaign seeking to justify the so-called violations," the source stressed, as it recalled of the "famous" letter previously submitted by Jaafari to the international organizations, with documented facts. While noting that, as expected, the letter was not even discussed, the source emphasized that the memo submitted by Syrian Ambassador Ali Abdul Karim Ali to the Lebanese authorities serves the same goals.

Syrian Activists Operating in Lebanon

That's it. Speaking of Syrian violations is only half of the truth. Perhaps, speaking of Lebanese violations is also half of the truth. However, when some facts, revealing some "dangerous involvement" is released, the whole story becomes clearer.

These facts point that the presence of Syrian opposition activists in Lebanon has spread, and among them fighters who are active at the border area. These facts are not rumors, they are documented and stated in official security reports.

At first, they largely confined themselves to the border districts of Wadi Khaled, Ersal and al-Qaa. They had to maintain a low profile, and took precautions to keep their actions discreet, while being watched by Lebanese army intelligence. Subsequently, the Syrian rebels' presence began spreading to other parts of Lebanon, as the fighting in Syria intensified and most of the border villages on the Syrian side came under opposition control. They were provided with an unprecedented political embrace in the north, giving them access to the regional capital Tripoli.
In a report published this week, Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar spoke of some Lebanese involvement in the "activities" of the Syrian rebels. According to the daily, they have received some support from a Future movement official, identified as A.H. Sources noted that the rebels were preparing Salafi groups to enter Syria and execute operations.

The sources, quoted by the daily, also revealed a role played by the area's "lawmakers", who are actually providing the rebels with the political "cover". Even more, a meeting was held a few days ago at one lawmaker's residence, and joined two MPs alongside a military official, close to the Future party, as well as a prominent figure in the armed so-called Syrian opposition. One of the lawmakers is personally overseeing the rebels' needs and preparations for an attack against the Syrian borders' crossings.

Lebanese Involvement Proved..

The daily, which noted that the two involved lawmakers are optimistic the Syrian regime would fall soon, perhaps before the end of the holy month of Ramadan, noted that the security forces have all data about the rebels' activities and movements. Yet, they are unable to take any action.

Some political sides in Lebanon, not the Lebanese state, are funding, arming and giving the terrorist groups shelters on the Lebanese territories

In the same context, other reports noted that a prominent Syrian opposition leader of the extreme persuasion was seen repeatedly travelling in a car bearing a Lebanese MP's number plate, accompanied by a vehicle full of armed men. Commanders of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) are also known to travel under the protection of Lebanese political figures.

The message that got through was that most Syrian opposition activists know that their arrest is prohibited in the Land of the Cedars. Nevertheless, says one of them, they still take precautions when doing some things, especially transporting weapons.

In conclusion, it seems just unfair to speak of violations or even provocations at the Lebanese-Syrian border. What's happening there is more dangerous. The Syrian armed opposition actually turned the border to a base from where it is planning a series of operations and attacks...

Source: moqawama.org

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RESISTANCE IS THE ONLY WAY

The last war war won over Israel that made many victims and caused great destruction –six years ago- bore nevertheless many fruits . It proved our strength and restored our dignity and for this reason every year we celebrate it and celebrate the fruits it reaped . One of these fruits was the release - in 2008 – of the eldest Arab Lebanese detainee in Israeli prisons : Samir Al Qantar -after more than 25 years of incarceration -and four other Lebanese freedom fighters . Al Qantar who was once told by an Israeli prison officer :” He is not yet born the man who can set you free” .

Luckily enough this man was born and many men like him were also born to pure dedicated mothers and fathers , many men were born and mothers are still giving birth , these are the men of the Resistance , our Resistance.

The last time we celebrated in Lebanon it was summer , and the sun shone high in the Lebanese sky , but it was gloomy and raining in so called Israel, it was raining in so called Israel and shining bright in Lebanon ,we were holding our breath along with the mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers , we held our breath until the detainees crossed the borders ; they were welcomed by music and dances and acclaimed ; the sight of the Israelis was unforgettable; while celebrations were taking place on the Lebanese side and flowers and rice were showering over the liberated ones on the tune of music and dances and women’s tears and laughter , the Israelis were shamefully carrying two black wooden coffins that contained the remains of two infamous Israeli soldiers captured by the Lebanese Resistance and exchanged .

The Israelis carried the coffins of their dead soldiers shamefully inside occupied Palestine, while celebrations were filling the Lebanese soil and air . Then it started raining in so called Israel ; rain started pouring over the dead bodies in the wooden black coffins. We felt that the Israelis got their due : Dead remains in coffins under rain of people who received their just punishment; while we –on the other side got our due as well in the form of victorious freedom fighters liberated by the determination and commitment of the men of the Resistance returning to their homeland to their brothers and sisters and celebrating . The sky showered flowers on them , flowers and rice.

Truly, it was justice that prevailed on that blessed day … nothing but justice , natural justice in the form of tears and laughter , and Natural Law prevailed and we felt extreme joy. It seemed-on this day that the game ended the way it should end : Victory and Defeat, Glory and Shame . Had the Israelis got some insight , they could have forseen what was in store for them and where all this play is heading to . It is simply heading to their utter defeat at the hands of the committed steadfast Resistance to which they submitted after waging the fiercest war on it in 2006 accepting compelled the terms of exchange set by the Resistance concerning the two kidnapped Israeli soldiers.

When the steadfast armed Resistance speaks its eloquent speech , when the dedicated Resistance commits itself to the righteous war , there is nothing left for Israelis except to pack and go, carry their shameful black actions in black coffins and leave the place that never was theirs and never will be and which they never deserved ,

Now you can understand why this noble unshakable Resistance of the people ,of all people , against the enemy of all , is feared and tracked and targeted in all places and at all times . In Syria , in Lebanon , in Palestine , in Iran, at the International Community and the UN , in Sudan , in Libya , in Egypt and in Africa , this Unshakable Resistance that liberated Samir al Qantar and defeated Israel twice, and has liberated also hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees against one Israeli soldier, is wanted above all .

Billions are being spent and whole armies mobilized to get its head , wars for freedom and democracy and peoples’ rights are being waged every where . The weapon of utter sectarianism used and exploited to its full capacity to divide brothers in religion and humanity . The threats of religious and ethnic partitions plaguing the whole region . Weapons and military bases and anti missile shields and you name it raised and established everywhere , Fanatics thugs recruited , trained , armed and funded to be used whenever and wherever. NGOS and human rights organizations and internet facilities and utilities , all created and funded by the world order to get this Resistance and subjugate it and neutralize it .

All this has for single purpose but one thing : and all this has not yet touched one hair of our invincible Resistance . Do you need to hear more in order to assert the value of the armed Resistance of the people in Lebanon and in Palestine ? We have seen and we have believed , can you hear the truth and listen to the facts and believe so that we celebrate together not only the actual liberation of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners but the actual liberation of the whole of Palestine and the return of all Palestinians to their homeland ? The Resistance is the sure way , the only way tested , proved and approved!!

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Jalili Visit to Syria Indicates Iran Won't Abandon Assad Regime

"the space for maneuvering has shrunk to nothing, with the Syrian crisis reaching an advanced level that resulted in the recent escalation in ​​the tone of Iranian officials. In fact, they threatened that Syria's fire, if not extinguished, will ignite the region and burn Israel at a time when the relationship with Turkey and Saudi Arabia is heading toward greater complexity."

Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Saeed Jalili attends a news conference at the Iranian embassy in Damascus August 7, 2012, after his meeting with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad. (photo by REUTERS/Khaled al-Hariri)

By:Imad Mrammel posted on Friday, Aug 10, 2012

Few Iranian official visits to Lebanon and Syria have sparked storms of controversy like those following Saeed Jalili’s recent visit. Jalili is the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and the chief nuclear negotiator of Iran. The reactions rippled from Beirut and Damascus all the way to Baghdad.

Sayyed Nadrallah Receives Jalili, Praises Iran Role in Region

Jalili's messages and the sharp reactions to it have made clear that confrontation in the region has become open and devoid of any diplomatic cover.

Also, it seemed clear that the main players have decided to put their cards on the table. Thus, the space for maneuvering has shrunk to nothing, with the Syrian crisis reaching an advanced level that resulted in the recent escalation in ​​the tone of Iranian officials.
In fact, they threatened that Syria's fire, if not extinguished, will ignite the region and burn Israel at a time when the relationship with Turkey and Saudi Arabia is heading toward greater complexity.

Jalili's recent round of visits carried a lot of clout given the visitor's position, the timing of the visit and its message. These reflect the Iranian leadership's transition from a phase of defense to one of counter-attack.

Jalili: Iran Won’t Allow Break of Resistance Axis

 As for Jalili's "identity card," he is an essential part of the decision-making process in Iran, and hence directly linked to Supreme Leader Imam Ali Khamenei. He has a strong relationship with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and is in charge of the nuclear issue and the related negotiations.

In other words, Jalili is a central figure in the Iranian system, and his words reflect the "clear position" of the Islamic Republic. Therefore, every word he says is well thought out and treated with a great deal of seriousness and importance.

Jalili's visit to Beirut means that Lebanon is deemed by Tehran to be deeply vital to its national security, and that Iran seeks to confirm the rigidity and immunity of the resistance against suggestions that the pressure on the regime of President Bashar al-Assad will embarrass the axis of resistance, with Hezbollah at its forefront.

It seemed clear that Jalili wanted to confirm that the resistance in Lebanon is consistent and firm regardless of the changing circumstances. He seemed to want to convey that those who think that targeting the Syrian regime will weaken the resistance are mistaken. Iran has firmly entered the game to maintain balance and prevent its opponents from tipping the scales in their favor as a result of the wide-open Syrian crisis.

As for the timing, it was remarkable that Jalili's visit to Beirut and Damascus coincided with the start of the battle in Aleppo, as if Tehran wanted to convey to the concerned parties in the region and in the West that it is directly involved in this battle. Iran apparently wanted to convey that it supports President Bashar al-Assad's decision to resolve the battle, based on the theory that whoever maintains the upper hand militarily can impose political conditions or at least be able to improve their position in any settlement. Aleppo is close to the Turkish border, and people are betting that it will turn into another Benghazi backed by Turkey.

Based on the strategic importance of the confrontation taking place in Aleppo, experts confirm that Tehran will not allow this city and its surroundings to become a buffer zone, as a launching pad to pull the noose tight on Assad in Damascus, knowing full well that those whoever controls Aleppo will have the upper hand.

As for Jalili's proposals in Beirut and Damascus, particularly regarding the axis of resistance, they indicate that Tehran is now acting as a front-line partner in the current confrontation, not a mere supporter of the Syrian regime from afar.

Jalili's positions reflected a clear and renewed Iranian position that the fall of Assad will not be allowed, and that Iran is betting on his survival even though most of the world is lined up against him — just as it had previously bet (and won) on the selection of Nouri al-Maliki as head of the Iraqi government, despite many leaders opting for Iyad Allawi, including Syria itself. Even so, the position was still given to Maliki.

Jalili has chosen to enter the conflict in Damascus after the army succeeded in expelling most of the militants from it, in clear messages to the US that the battle in Syria has become Iranian-American, that President Bashar al-Assad cannot be singled out in rhetoric trying to camouflage the real dimension of the conflict and that the region visited by Jalili, extending from Beirut to Tehran via Damascus and Baghdad, is an integral whole.

Thus, experts on the Iranian strategy toward Syria believe that the Syrian crisis is a national-security issue for Tehran, which is equal in importance to the Iranian nuclear issue.

In other words, it is practically correct to say that the Islamic Republic deems the enrichment of the "strategic uranium" in Syria as no less important than that of its nuclear program.

Those who think that Tehran could compromise Assad at a given moment are committing a fatal mistake, which is well understood by those closely following the Iranian situation.

 “FSA” Confirms Pullout from Aleppo’s Salaheddin

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MK Aryeh Eldad: We’re Willing to Share al-Aqsa

by Barb Weir
Saturday, August 11th, 2012

Israeli Knesset Member Aryeh Eldad

On the heels of the announcement that Israeli Knesset Member Aryeh Eldad had introduced a bill to exclude Muslims from the al-Aqsa Mosque on certain days, I caught up with him as he was testing the latrines of the new Jewish Museum of Tolerance, being built on top of the historic and ancient Muslim cemetery of Mamilla in Jerusalem.
BW:           How are ya, Aryeh?  Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
AE:            You’re looking sharp today, Barb.  Sorry, I couldn’t resist, either.
BW:            I’m glad I found you.  I want to ask you about the bill that you’ve submitted in the Knesset to give Jews exclusive access to the al-Aqsa Mosque on certain days of the week.  What is the motivation behind that?

AE:            We believe in sharing, Barb, so this is a bill to promote sharing of the al-Aqsa Synagogue.  Muslims will be allowed to use it on certain days.
BW:            What days do you have in mind?

AE:            The third Monday of each month.  We were hoping to make it a Friday, but as you know, the Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday for us, and we need several days to prepare after the Muslims leave.

BW:            Why do you need so much preparation time?

AE:            We have to burn everything inside and then wash the place down, of course.  We can’t have any traces of Muslims when we enter.

BW:            How can you call this sharing, Aryeh?  This is the holiest Islamic site in Palestine. How is your proposal equitable?


AE:            Of course it’s equitable, Barb – separate but equitable.  We Israelis take this kind of sharing seriously.  We share the land with so-called Palestinians, who live separately in almost 10% of the land where they used to live.  Isn’t that sharing?  We also share the work: they get to work for us, building the wall and settlements, and in factories that pollute too much and pay too little to be built in Jewish areas.  Building a Museum of Tolerance on top of a revered Muslim cemetery is yet another example of sharing.  It seems only fair that we should share al-Aqsa Synagogue in equal measure.

BW:            You keep saying equal, how equal is the sharing if they are almost half the population and you are taking almost everything?

AE:            We recognize this problem, and we’re trying very hard to be an American-style democracy – i.e. to reduce the indigenous population.  We’ve already confined most of them to reservations and we’ve prematurely given some of them citizenship even though we still have a long way to go before they are an insignificant proportion of the population.

BW:            If you have taken away their homes, land, income, freedom and human rights how do you think they will react when you take away the most sacred place in Palestine for Muslims?  Even the Christians are likely to object.

AE:            We expect them to object.  No matter how much we share their homes, lands and places of worship, they react like terrorists.  It’s totally unreasonable, but we nevertheless feel obligated to share.
BW:            How do you explain that?

AE:            It’s the cultural difference, obviously.

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Semaha Referred to Military Tribunal, Leaks Upsets Qortobawi

Local Editor

Leaks on the so-called the case of former Minister Michel Semaha started to emerge along with the details of security investigations going on in the General Directorate of Internal Security Forces, amid the absence of any authorized official statement, except the one issued by the Justice Minister Chakib Qortobawi.

In his statement, Qortobawi pointed at his annoyance towards the occurring leaks and his intention to open an investigation about the attitude adopted by the Information Branch when arresting ex-Minister Semaha.
Several stances have been declared denouncing the arrest method which described by some as kidnapping-like operation.

The case of ex-Information Minister Michel Semaha was referred to the military tribunal on Saturday, National News Agency reported.

Acting General Prosecutor Samir Hammoud who referred the case, was handed over the record at 08:00 a.m., the NNA added.

The ex-minister was taken by the ISF from its base in Beirut to the military tribunal on Saturday morning.

Source: NNA	11-08-2012 - 12:47 Last updated 11-08-2012 - 13:12

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"Such was the strategic plan of Israel’s General Ariel Sharon in 1982"

Via FLC

"... Overthrowing the Assad government, Iran’s only Arab ally, would be a natural first step in overthrowing Iran’s Islamic government and isolating, then eliminating, Israel’s bitter Lebanese foe, Hezbollah. 

If Syria were shattered into little confessional ministates and Hezbollah crushed, Lebanon likely would become an Israeli protectorate. Such was the strategic plan of Israel’s General Ariel Sharon in 1982. 

Western powers already may be employing destabilization methods in Syria that were perfected in Libya....In Libya, NATO air power intervened on “humanitarian” grounds to halt killing of civilians. News reports showed only lightly armed civilians battling Qadaffi’s regulars. Not shown were French, British and some other Western special forces disguised as Libyans that did much of the fighting and targeted air strikes. 

France made use of a similar tactics in its brief border war with Libya in 1986 over the disputed Aouzou Strip on the Chadian-Libyan desert border. Chadian troops supposedly routed Libyan forces. In reality, the “Chadians” were actually tough French Foreign Legionnaires decked out in Bedouin dress. I interviewed some of the Legionnaires involved. 

Fast-forward to today’s Syria. As a former soldier, I cannot believe that anti-Assad forces in Syria have made such great strides on their own. All armed forces require command and control, specialized training, communications and logistics. How have anti-Assad forces moved so quickly and pushed back Syria’s capable, well-equipped army? Where does all their ammo come from? Who is supplying all those modern assault rifles with optical sights? 

How have so many Syrian T-72 tanks and other armored vehicles been knocked out? Not by amateur street fighters. Powerful antitank weapons—likely French, American or Turkish—have been used extensively. You don’t blow up a modern T-72 tank with light, handheld RPG rockets. Powerful antitank weapons, like the U.S. TOW or French Milan, require professional, trained crews. The use of these weapons suggests that outside forces are involved in the fighting, as they were in Libya. 

Now come reports that the rebels are receiving small numbers of man-portable antiaircraft missiles. If properly used, they would threaten the Assad regime’s armed helicopters. Yet using such missiles requires a good deal of training. I saw in Afghanistan in the 1980s how long it took the mujahidin to learn this skill from CIA instructors—and then how quickly the Red Air Force was denied air superiority. 

If Syria’s rebels are being trained, it is probably happening in Turkey (which makes the deadly U.S. Stinger AA missile under license). However, the United States has a major campaign under way to prevent jihadist groups from acquiring such man-portable missiles. If the Taliban received effective antiaircraft missiles, U.S. military operations in Afghanistan would be seriously threatened. 

According to Reuters sources, the United States may have worked with Turkish allies to set up a command HQ at Adana, close to its Incirlik airbase in eastern Turkey near the Syrian border. This is where it would make sense for U.S. intelligence to coordinate the flow of arms, communications gear, medical supplies, food and munitions to the Syrian rebels. 

Other unverified reports from the Mideast suggest that the U.S. mercenary firm formerly known as Blackwater (it recently changed its name to Academi) is training Syrian rebels in Turkey, moving in veteran mercenaries from Iraq, where there were once fifty thousand U.S.-paid private soldiers, and sending combat units into Syria.




Antiregime groups such as the Free Syrian Army probably would be ineffective without some kind of covert Western support. Whether they can grasp power from the jihadis who now dominate the streets remains to be seen. This gambit worked in Libya—at least so far. Syria, in contrast, is a very complex nation whose modern era has been marked by instability and coups. 

After overthrowing one Syrian government in the late 1940s, Washington wisely backed off from Syria. Now it may get drawn back into the vortex of one of the Mideast’s most difficult nations."

Posted by G, M, Z, or B at 10:38 AM

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Syrian, Jordanian troops clash near border

Syrian army forces are seen at al-Sabaa Bahrat district of Aleppo on 9 August 2010 (Photo: Reuters – George Ourfalian)

Published Saturday, August 11, 2012

Fighting broke out between Jordanian and Syrian forces in a border region between the two countries late on Friday, but a Jordanian source said no one on Jordan's side appeared to have been killed.

It was the most serious incident between the two countries since the uprising in Syria against President Bashar al-Assad began 17 months ago.

A Syrian opposition activist who witnessed the fighting said armoured vehicles were involved in the clash in the Tel Shihab-Turra area, about 80 kilometers north of the Jordanian capital Amman, that occurred after Syrian refugees tried to cross into Jordan.

"The Syrians fired into Jordan at 10.30 p.m. in pursuit of refugees and the Jordanians responded. The fighting escalated and Jordanian armored vehicles hit two Syrian border guard outposts," said the activist, giving his name only as Abdallah.

"The fighting was intense for an hour and now it is intermittent," he said.

A Jordanian source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "The Syrian side fired across the border and fighting ensued. Initial reports indicate that there has been no one killed from the Jordanian side."
Tens of thousands of Syrians have crossed into Jordan since the start of the uprising.

Elsewhere clashes continued in the Syrian city of Aleppo, though government forces appeared to be in control of a number of areas that had previously been rebel strongholds.

The Salaheddine district in southwestern Aleppo, where hundreds of armed rebels had based themselves until they withdrew last Thursday, was largely under the control of government forces.
But rebel commander Hossam Abu Mohammed said his men were still fighting in parts of Salaheddine despite the majority of his allies fleeing.

"We will not let Salaheddin go," Abu Mohammed told AFP by telephone on the third day of a government offensive to take the city.

AFP correspondents said around a dozen people were killed and 20 wounded at a bakery in the eastern Tariq al-Bab district of the northern city when it was hit by a shell.

State news agency SANA reported that troops had repelled a rebel attack on Aleppo's international airport. "Mercenary terrorists" had tried to attack it but the "army hit back and killed most of them."
The violence raged on as world powers prepared to name veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi as their new envoy to seek an end to a 17-month uprising that has cost more than 21,000 lives.

(Al-Akhbar, AFP, Reuters)

French military medics leave Paris for Jordan-Syria border
Three Syrian journalists abducted by rebels
Jordan confirms arrival of defected Syrian PM

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Lebanon's Military Prosecutor files charges against an adviser to President Assad & Michel Samaha

FLC

'Directives from the ISF to 'shadow puppet I'

The Government Commissioner'filed charges against General Ali Mamluk (former head of the General Security Directorate & actual adviser to Bashar Assad), Michel Samaha and a partially named Syrian colonel ... Charges? Anything from terrorism, sectarian agitation, undermining of the State institutions, endangerment of lives ,.... and everything in between.

More 'Directives'

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INTERVENTION IS NOW DRIVING SYRIA'S DESCENT INTO DARKNESS

Western and Gulf regime support for rebel fighters isn't bringing freedom to Syrians but escalating sectarian conflict and war

By Seumas Milne

The Guardian

August 8, 2012

THE DESTRUCTION OF SYRIA

IS NOW IN FULL FLOW.

What began as a popular uprising 17 months ago is now an all-out civil war fuelled by regional and global powers that threatens to engulf the entire Middle East. As the battle for the ancient city of Aleppo grinds on and atrocities on both sides multiply, the danger of the conflict spilling over Syria's borders is growing.

The defection by Syria's prime minister is the most high-profile coup yet in a well-funded programme, though unlikely to signal any imminent regime collapse. But the capture of 48 Iranian pilgrims ~ or undercover Revolutionary Guards, depending who you believe – along with the increasing risk of a Turkish attack on Kurdish areas in Syria and an influx of jihadist fighters gives a taste of what is now at stake.

Driving the escalation of the conflict has been western and regional intervention. This isn't Iraq, of course, with hundreds of thousands of troops on the ground, or Libya, with a devastating bombardment from the air. But the sharp increase in arms supplies, funding and technical support from the US, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and others in recent months has dramatically boosted the rebels' fortunes, as well as the death toll.

Barack Obama has so far resisted the demands of liberal hawks and neoconservatives for a direct military assault. Instead he's authorized more traditional forms of CIA covert military backing, Nicaragua-style, for the Syrian rebels.

The US, which backed its first Syrian coup in 1949, has long funded opposition groups. But earlier this year Obama gave a secret order authorizing covert (as well as overt financial and diplomatic) support to the armed opposition. That includes CIA paramilitaries on the ground, "command and control" and communications assistance, and the funneling of Gulf arms supplies to favoured Syrian groups across the Turkish border. After Russia and China blocked its last attempt to win UN backing for forced regime change last month, the US administration let it be known it would now step up support for the rebels and co-ordinate "transition" plans for Syria with Israel and Turkey.

.

The “Friends of Syria.” Syria’s problem does not revolve around the “political aspirations” of armed rebels, but rather the conspiring and machinations of the global elite, who long-ago premeditated the destruction of Syria for their own, larger, overarching geopolitical agenda.

"You'll notice in the last couple of months, the opposition has been strengthened," a senior US official told the New York Times last Friday. "Now we're ready to accelerate that." Not to be outdone, William Hague boasted that Britain was also increasing "non-lethal" support for the rebels. Autocratic Saudi Arabia and Qatar are providing the cash and weapons, as the western-backed Syrian National Council acknowledged this week, while Nato member Turkey has set up a logistics and training base for the Free Syrian Army in or near the Incirlik US air base.

For Syrians who want dignity and democracy in a free country, the rapidly mushrooming dependence of their uprising on foreign support is a disaster ~ even more than was the case in Libya. After all, it is now officials of the dictatorial and sectarian Saudi regime who choose which armed groups get funding, not Syrians. And it is intelligence officials from the US, which sponsors the Israeli occupation of Syrian territory and dictatorships across the region, who decide which rebel units get weapons.

Opposition activists insist they will maintain their autonomy, based on deep-rooted popular support. But the dynamic of external backing clearly risks turning groups dependent on it into instruments of their sponsors, rather than the people they seek to represent. Gulf funding has already sharpened religious sectarianism in the rebel camp, while reports of public alienation from rebel fighters in Aleppo this week testifies to the dangers of armed groups relying on outsiders instead of their own communities.

The Syrian regime is of course backed by Iran and Russia, as it has been for decades. But a better analogy for western and Gulf involvement in the Syrian insurrection would be Iranian and Russian sponsorship of an armed revolt in, say, Saudi Arabia. For the western media, which has largely reported the Syrian uprising as a one-dimensional fight for freedom, the now unavoidable evidence of rebel torture and prisoner executions ~ along with kidnappings by al-Qaida-style groups, who once again find themselves in alliance with the US ~ seems to have come as a bit of a shock.

In reality, the Syrian crisis always had multiple dimensions that crossed the region's most sensitive fault lines. It was from the start a genuine uprising against an authoritarian regime. But it has also increasingly morphed into a sectarian conflict, in which the Alawite-dominated Assad government has been able to portray itself as the protector of minorities ~ Alawite, Christian and Kurdish ~ against a Sunni-dominated opposition tide.

The intervention of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf autocracies, which have tried to protect themselves from the wider Arab upheaval by playing the anti-Shia card, is transparently aimed at a sectarian, not a democratic, outcome. But it is the third dimension ~ Syria's alliance with Tehran and Lebanon's Shia resistance movement, Hezbollah ~ that has turned the Syrian struggle into a proxy war against Iran and a global conflict.

Many in the Syrian opposition would counter that they had no choice but to accept foreign support if they were to defend themselves against the regime's brutality. But as the independent opposition leader Haytham Manna argues, the militarization of the uprising weakened its popular and democratic base ~ while also dramatically increasing the death toll.

There is every chance the war could now spread outside Syria. Turkey, with a large Alawite population of its own as well as a long repressed Kurdish minority, claimed the right to intervene against Kurdish rebels in Syria after Damascus pulled its troops out of Kurdish towns. Clashes triggered by the Syrian war have intensified in Lebanon. If Syria were to fragment, the entire system of post-Ottoman Middle East states and borders could be thrown into question with it.

That could now happen regardless of how long Assad and his regime survive. But intervention in Syria is prolonging the conflict, rather than delivering a knockout blow.

 

Only pressure for a negotiated settlement, which the west and its friends have so strenuously blocked, can now give Syrians the chance to determine their own future ~ and halt the country's descent into darkness.
Posted by Noor al Haqiqa at 1:10 AM

 

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