Saturday 12 June 2021

هل يمارس لبنان المقاومة السياسيّة والاقتصاديّة؟

11/06/2021

 العميد د. أمين محمد حطيط _

لم يشهد لبنان في تاريخه الحديث كمّاً من الأزمات يتوالد ويتفاقم بسرعة وعمق بالشكل الذي يشهده اليوم. وصحيح أنّ بنية النظام الاقتصادي اللبناني واهنة والإدارة اللبنانية فاسدة والتبعية قاتلة، لكن هذا ليس بجديد فنظام الاحتكار والوكالات الحصرية غير المبرّرة قديمة العهد ولم تقوَ حكومة أو مسؤول على الإطاحة بها، لا بل كان رأس المسؤول يتدحرج عندما كان يتجرّأ على طرحها (كما حصل مع وزير الصحة البيطار عندما فكر بمعالجة موضوع الدواء وضبطه بعيداً عن المحتكرين) أما الرشوة والنهب وكلّ وجوه الفساد المالي والإداري فهي متلازمة مع هذا النظام السياسي القائم على العشائرية والطائفية والمحاصصة الأنانية وسلطة الزعيم في الطائفة، ونختصر الأمر بالقول إنّ الواقع الرديء للبنان من حيث السياسة والإدارة والاقتصاد أمر غير مستجدّ، لا بل هو قديم قدم النظام اللبناني ولا ننسى أنّ أول رئيس جمهورية في لبنان أطيح به بتهمة الفساد. وهنا يطرح السؤال لماذا وصلنا اليوم إلى هذا الواقع المرير إذن رغم أنّ الأسباب الداخلية قديمة؟

قد نجد الردّ منطقياً بالقول إنها الشعرة التي قصمت ظهر البعير، أو إنها النقطة التي فاض بها الكأس، أو إنها اللحظة التي تفصل الموت عن الحياة، وإنّ الطريق الخاطئ الذي سلكه لبنان منذ تأسيسه عامة ومنذ العام 1992 خاصة كان لا بدّ من أن يؤدي به إلى ما هو عليه اليوم من بؤس وعوز وفقر بعد أن نهب المال وسخرت الدولة لمصلحة طبقة سياسية سارقة دخلت إلى الدولة ولا تملك ليرة واحدة ووصلت عبر السلطة إلى امتلاك مليارات الدولارات التي بلغت عند بعضهم 16 مليار دولار لم يجنها إلا نهباً وسرقة واغتصاباً من الدولة.

وعلى وجاهة هذا التبرير والتفسير، يبقى السؤال لماذا لم يتعرّض لبنان في ظلّ مراحل سبقت وكانت ظروفها أشدّ قسوة وتعقيداً، لماذا لم يتعرّض لربع ما هو عليه اليوم، إذ رغم حرب السنتين في العام 1975 لم تهدّد الودائع المصرفية بالتبخر ولم يتدهور سعر صرف الليرة، ورغم العدوان “الإسرائيلي” في العام 1982 وما تبعه من حروب خاصة كحرب الجبل وحرب إسقاط اتفاق 17 أيار لم تفقد المواد الغذائية والأدوية والمحروقات من السوق رغم ارتفاع أسعارها، وفي الحروب الداخلية ضمن الطوائف والمذاهب وتعاظم الخطر والمخاطر الأمنية في كلّ بيت في تلك الطائفة أو المذهب أو ذاك لم نشهد ما نراه اليوم من ذعر وخوف على حليب الأطفال ودواء المرضى و… و… إلخ…؟ فلماذا نحن الآن هنا إذن؟

أعود وأكرّر وأؤكد أنّ بنية الاقتصاد اللبناني الذي أقيم بشكل خاص بعد العام 1992 ليكون اقتصاداً ريعياً غير إنتاجي واقتصاد خدمات واهن تابع، معطوفة على فساد في الحكم والإدارة وكلّ شيء في الدولة التي يعمل فيها بقاعدة “الوظيفة العامة ملكية استثمار وليست خدمة ولا مسؤولية”، وان نجاح المسؤول في وظيفته يُقاس بمقدار ما يسرق وما ينهب من المال العام وأموال الناس لنفسه ولجماعته، وأنّ ذلك يشكل أسباباً كافية للوصول بنا إلى حيث نحن من كوارث جعلت الدولة وشعبها في سحيق الانهيار وخطر الزوال، لكن مقارنة ما نحن فيه مع ما سبق من مراحل وحالات سيئة بل أسوأ يثير السؤال هل الفساد الداخلي وطبيعة الاقتصاد اللبناني وحدهما هما سبب ما نحن فيه أم هناك عوامل أخرى.

في موقف جريء وبعد أن لمس الحقيقة لمس اليد، صرح رئيس حكومة تصريف الأعمال حسان دياب بأنّ “لبنان يتعرّض لحصار خارجي مطبق”، وهي حقيقة كان على المسؤول أن يواجهها منذ أن اعتمدت وهنا نذكر بأننا كنا من أوائل من نبّه إلى هذا الأمر وفصلناه في العام 2019 عندما جاء وزير خارجية أميركا وأطلق من بيروت خطة انهيار لبنان لإسقاط المقاومة التي أطلقنا عليها تسمية “خطة بومبيو” والتي قلنا مؤخراً إنها لا تزال سارية المفعول حتى الآن، وهي الخطة التي أُرسيت على حلقات خمس، تبدأ بالفراغ السياسي، ثم الانهيار المالي، ثم الانهيار الاقتصادي وصولاً إلى الانفجار الأمني، تمهيداً لعدوان “إسرائيلي” ينفذ اذا تمّ النجاح في الحلقات الأربع السابقة.

ولكن بدل المواجهة رأينا كيف أعان المسؤولون في لبنان وفي مختلف المواقع أميركا على تنفيذ خطتها، التي تسبّبت بالفراغ السياسي الذي يتخبّط به لبنان منذ أن استقال سعد الحريري بشكل فاجأ شركاءه في تشرين الأول 2019، ولا يزال هذا الفراغ قائماً حتى اليوم بعد أن حُمل حسان دياب على الاستقالة وتعثرت كلّ مساعي تشكيل الحكومة من 10 أشهر وهي لن تتشكل حتى تمتلك جرأة إسقاط القرار بالفراغ السياسي. أما الانهيار الاقتصادي مقروناً بالنقدي فقد نجح سياسيون وإداريون وموظفون وطبقة مصرفية واقتصادية ومالية مرتبطة بأميركا وتسير على الإيقاع والتوجيه الأميركي نجحوا في إحداثه بشكل يفوق ما توقعت أميركا نفسها، حيث إنهم وبكلّ وقاحة وخلافاً للأنظمة والقوانين والدستور وضعوا اليد على ودائع الناس في المصارف وتحكموا بها وحرموا أصحابها منها وألقوهم في دوائر العوز والضيق دون أن يرفّ لهم جفن.

وفاقم الأوضاع سوءاً ما أسمي العقوبات الأميركية على سورية وما جاء في قانون قيصر الأميركي بصددها، فنال لبنان من الحصار والعقاب أكثر ما تأثرت به سورية نفسها والسبب عائد لاختلاف طبيعة الاقتصاد في البلدين والأداء الرسمي لدى الحكومتين.

والنتيجة أنّ أزمة لبنان الاقتصادية والضيق النقدي والمالي الحالي عائد لفئتين من الأسباب فئة داخلية تتعلق بطبيعة الاقتصاد والفساد الداخلي في الدولة وعلى شتى الصعد، وخارجية وتتعلق بالحصار الاقتصادي لا بل الحرب والعدوان الاقتصادي الذي تشنّه أميركا مع أتباعها ضدّ لبنان وهو ما قصده رئيس الحكومة بالحصار المطبق على لبنان.

وبالتالي تكون المواجهة للخروج من الكارثة النازلة بلبنان اليوم عبر العمل على خطين، عمل داخلي ويركز على الإصلاح الذي يجب أن يكون شاملاً ويتناول كلّ الأسباب الداخلية ويستوجب حكومة وطنية حقيقية وليس مجلس إدارة يمارس عملية النهب التحاصصي، ومواجهة مع العدوان الخارجي، مواجهة قد تتردّد الدولة أو يتعذر توفر الشجاعة والجرأة لدى المسؤولين فيها لاتخاذ قرار المواجهة كما حصل في مسائل كثيرة سبقت، وهنا يكون على الشعب أن يظهر مقاومته للعدوان وكما انبرت أقلية شعبية في الماضي لتنظيم مقاومة ضدّ العدوان والاحتلال “الإسرائيلي” للجنوب ونجحت في فرض التحرير فإنّ الشعب اللبناني مدعو اليوم إلى ممارسة المقاومة الاقتصادية وهي حق مشروع للدفاع عن النفس من باب لقمة العيش، ومن هنا يجب أن يفهم موقف سيد المقاومة في لبنان أو بالأحرى سلسلة مواقفه التي بدأت بشعار لن نجوع ولن نركع، ووصلت في محطته الأخيرة إلى الإعلان عن الاستعداد لاستيراد المحروقات من إيران إنْ استمرّت الدولة في عجزها عن ذلك.

وهنا وعلى سبيل التذكير نقول انه في العام 1982 عجزت الدولة عن منع العدوان ومنع الاحتلال وقبله عجزت عن تطبيق القرار 425 وتحرير الشريط المحتلّ في الجنوب فانبرت المقاومة وحرّرت ممارسة لحق تكفله كلّ الشرائع والمواثيق الدولية، واليوم إذا استمرت الدولة في عجزها عن تأمين احتياجات العيش للمواطنين بسبب حصار يريد تركيع جمهور المقاومة، فليس من حق أحد أن ينتقد مبادرة لمنع الجوع والمرض.

وبهذا… وبكلّ تأكيد يكون السيد في مواقفه في المحطات المتسلسلة منذ سنتين تاريخ العمل بخطة بومبيو لانهيار لبنان، يكون السيد قد مارس المقاومة السياسية في رفضه للفراغ السياسي بدءاً من رفضه لاستقالة الحكومة وصولاً إلى رفضه حلّ مجلس النواب الحالي، ويكون مارس المقاومة المالية رفضاً للانهيار المالي ونهب ودائع الناس عبر إدارة أموالهم من خلال مؤسسة القرض الحسن التي يقصفها أعداء المقاومة بشتى النعوت والتهم الباطلة، والآن يمارس المقاومة الاقتصادية لتأمين حاجات المعيشة. انها المقاومة التي شعارها لأهلها “سنخدمكم بأشفار العيون”.

*أستاذ جامعي – خبير استراتيجي

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 the Blog!

At the end of Israel-Palestine conflict: The acquisition of Hamas

June 8, 2021

By Rakib Al Hasan 


After series of devastating Israeli airstrikes for more than 10 days, a ceasefire was declared by both Hamas and the Israeli regime. The fighting cost more than 248 Palestinian lives. It also led to massive destruction of properties in the Gaza strip.

Now with the end of the conflict, both sides are measuring their costs and successes. Both sides are claiming major victory. According to the Israeli leadership, the offensives have achieved their goals and they can measure these as successes. On the other hand, Hamas is also claiming that it has successfully defended the Palestinian people.

Hamas is an armed resistance group that Western powers consider it as a “terrorist” organization. On the other hand, Israel is a regime with massive military strength. Thus, the objectives of a conflict between such two actors depend mainly on military and political grounds.

If we talk about the Israeli side, the government and military claimed that Hamas can be dealt with in two ways. One, by completely conquering it, and two, by destroying its combat capability. So, have Israel achieved these two goals so far?

First of all, militarily Israel has destroyed many civil targets. In the latest fight against Hamas, they killed at least 63 children, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.  Although Israel could intercept some of 340 rockets launched from Gaza, Israel’s Iron Dom showed that it is incapable to work in any possible clash. They also destroyed a key research and development center claiming that it was a Hamas base.

In terms of the political achievements from the latest fight, Israel has gained lesser. The fight could have given a lifeline domestically for the Israeli PM Netanyahu but it has cost Israel a lot diplomatically. The international support for the Palestinians has gained new momentum.

If we go to war, there will be casualties. Many people have to give their lives. No war has ever taken place without revenge. So, the main issue is who has won the war and whose objective has been achieved more than the loss in the war. So, the achievements of Hamas in this war can be seen by analyzing a little.

• In this battle, the Iron Dome was seen playing a little. If too many rockets or missiles are fired at once, the Iron Dome cannot properly detect it. About 60% of Hamas’s 4,000-plus rockets have been detected. This weakness of the Iron Dome became known, which would later make Hamas more practical.

• For so long, everyone believed in the exclusive Western narrative. Even the barbaric attacks on Muslims in the name of self-defense did not deter the Western world. CNN, New York Times, Guardian, Reuters, etc. also blindly believed such a narrative. But international media outlets such as Al Jazeera, Middle East Eye, TRT, Anadolu have been able to unmask the West against this propaganda. As a result, although the name of Israel was not mentioned in the beginning, now almost all the Western media is mentioning the name of Israel.

After a loss in the media war, Israel demolished the Al Jazeera building in Gaza. Had it not been for the AP in the same building, they might not have hesitated to kill the Al Jazeera team. 

• Palestine has received unprecedented support in this war. Many figures and leaders, including the Irish MP, the Austrian MP, Mark Ruffalo, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, Ayatollah Khamenei and Erdogan were in favor of Palestine. There have been small and large rallies in almost all countries, including London, the United States, Paris, Turkey, and Qatar. A fund has been set up in distant Bangladesh at the initiative of the Palestinian embassy. In the outside world, it will play a huge role in increasing the acceptance of Palestine and Hamas as well as motivating the fighters.

• The project that the West has undertaken to make Hamas a terrorist group has come to naught. They have also shown through their protests the mischievous attempts to portray Hamas as a terrorist group and to show the world who the real terrorists are. 

• It has become clear to the Muslim world, including Hamas, who are the friends and who are the enemies of the Muslims. Who incites the killing of innocent children by uttering the words of humanity. Israel lacks moral right to talk about this issue, especially when it violates international human rights law. 

• Israel has been portrayed in recent times as invincible or irresistible, but in practice they are not. The death of an Israeli citizen is a very sensitive issue in Israel. The politicians of that country do not want to take that risk. So, they are also a bit timid. This idea has now been established with Hamas. Hamas now believes that only a good range of missiles can stop Israel.

• The Muslim world is growing angry and uneasy over, day after day, of bombings and civilian casualties in Gaza. An emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation called OIC was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Israeli security analysts believe that the so-called “Abraham Accord” peace agreement, following the Israeli attack on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and the subsequent deaths in Gaza, will be under more pressure.

• Iran has helped Hamas with technology. Several other Muslim countries are helping with the intelligence team. Training in Syria. As a result, a strong bond will be formed between these countries because of Palestine. Together, they can do everything possible to help rescue Gaza, as Turkey has done to Azerbaijan.

• From now on, Muslim children may want to be as brave as Palestinian children in the way the protests of Palestinian children in Gaza have sparked worldwide discussion. Maybe this Palestinian issue can reunite Muslims around the world.

• The most important event in this conflict is that for the first time Hamas has been able to provoke the Arab population inside Israel. This is a big strategic achievement for Hamas and a big headache for Israel. Hamas has now successfully hijacked the protests that erupted between Palestinians and Israeli police in Jerusalem in the beginning of Ramadan. Mohammad Deif, Hamas military wing leader, issued a threat against Israel over protests. Many Palestinians even in Jerusalem began chanting slogans and praised Hamas. 
Hamas decision to fire rockets at Jerusalem has enabled it to present itself as a very credible Resistance Group. They present themselves as those people who would do anything to support the Palestinians in Jerusalem. They say they are protecting Al-Aqsa Mosque compound from being Judaized. 

• Hamas has been successful to draw attention to President Mahmoud Abbas and his incompetence. Hamas showed him as a weak leader. Now Hamas has achieved the center stage in negotiations with Egyptian, Qatari and United Nations mediators. It is said that Hamas lost the power to show its influence through the ballot box after the elections were postponed by Mahmoud Abbas. They were set to take place on May 22 and July 31, 2021. Now through these current events Hamas has shown that it is the leading player in Palestinian arena and is popular among the population. 

It is expected that when the next elections would take place Hamas would enter the fray with an upper hand. It is also expected that Jerusalem would be the main theme of Hamas in contesting the next elections. It would be acting as a defender of Al-Aqsa Mosque and a liberator of Jerusalem.


RELATED NEWS


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 the Blog!

Sayyed Nasrallah and the Complex Approaches of Local Affairs

Sayyed Nasrallah and the Complex Approaches of Local Affairs

By Dr. Mohammad Mortada

It is difficult to separate the recent appearance of the Secretary General of Hezbollah, His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, from its predecessors, as it seems to be linked and rolling on more than one level, but on the Lebanese local issue, these appearances seemed more like a double approach:

1- The first pillar of the dual approach is related to an attempt to propose solutions, exits, endeavors and ideas related to the formation of the new government, with support for the initiatives presented by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on one hand, and urging the informed Government to activate some of its actions and create exits that would not conflict with the constitution with regard to the powers of ministers during the so-called conduct of business. Knowing that an important part of what needs to be done is linked to the work of the Ministry itself and not the work of the Cabinet as a whole, which allows the competent minister to exercise his powers under the laws in force, particularly in the supervisory sector, in cooperation and collaboration with the security forces and supervisory authorities, especially in combating corruption linked to monopolization, concealment of goods and price hikes.

2- The second pillar is linked to warnings about the resistance’s long-standing inability to remain silent facing the irresponsible behavior of monopolists and corrupt people, and the government’s failure to fulfill its responsibilities in securing basic commodities for citizens. In this spirit, His Eminence, in his last speech, issued a warning that if matters reached the point where the government can no longer carry out its responsibilities, and shows a clear inability to secure the basics, especially oil derivatives, the resistance would have to turn to the Islamic Republic of Iran to secure and ship this material to the port of Beirut.

This latest position represents a remarkable development in Hezbollah’s speech; it does not constitute a sudden breakthrough, but rather in the context of what might be called “smart dose increase” in the process of confronting the starvation that the US administration is waging on Lebanon.

In an earlier overview of the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, His Eminence indicated that Hezbollah has so far been dealing with the fact that the government exists, and one of its responsibilities is to secure basic commodities, and that when Hezbollah feels that the state has become absent and unable to carry out its tasks, it would act otherwise without revealing what the party’s reaction is and what it intends to do.

As preceded by this situation, Sayyed Nasrallah launched his well-known slogan that Hezbollah would not let the Lebanese starve.

It is rolling situations that started with the slogan “We will not starve” to become a warning that the party could bring oil derivatives itself from the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In fact, the party could not, nor would it be wise, to issue warnings such as importing gasoline without such warnings being accompanied by initiatives urging politicians to assume their responsibilities, either with regard to the formation of the new Government, or the activation of the resigned Government. Sayyed Nasrallah went beyond exhortation, as he explained in details how to address emerging crises without linking them to the radical solutions of the economic crisis. Rather, these crises can be dismantled and treated locally, pending the formation of an effective government that can innovate and invade solutions, and presenting plans and scenarios that pave the way for radical solutions that will neither be easy nor quick, given that the need for long-term radical solutions is not exempt from trying to cope with crises through temporary solutions that reduce the economic burden on citizens.

Whatever the case is, many wondered how Hezbollah would bring in the oil derivatives, where they would be stored, how would it be distributed, how to price it, and other questions. In fact, these kinds of questions are linked to the mechanisms, which are details that Hezbollah undoubtedly has answers and solutions to, and are not interested in explaining them to the public at this time.

In any case, the choice put forward by the party seems to be working according to the saying: the last treatment is cauterization. He is serious about it, but at the same time it’s a message to the people who are involved, especially those responsible for importing and securing these goods. The message is: If you are eager to secure and sustain your interests, you must secure what you have pledged to secure. Otherwise, we pledge to do the job, and we will, as always, fulfil our commitments.


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 the Blog!

Zionist Academics Take The Side Of State Power

About me

11 June 2021

by Lawrence Davidson

Part I—Tensions in Academia

The growing divide in the United States between Zionists and supporters of Palestinian rights has led to pronounced tensions in academia. Much has been said about increasing pro-Palestinian student protests as well as the activities of pro-Israel boards of governors, presidents, deans, etc. The latter try to guard their campuses from pro-Palestinian faculty, student clubs, invited speakers and the like.

These tensions have found yet another academic front on which to contest. There are two historical associations in the U.S. for scholars of Middle East studies reflecting opposing attitudes toward Israel and its behavior toward the Palestinians. And this divide presents us with a dichotomy of values at the professional academic level.

The oldest of these is the Middle East Studies Association (MESA). It was founded in 1966 and currently has a membership of more than 2700. It also serves as a “constituent society of thirty-six affiliated organizations.” It puts out a quarterly journal and has an active Committee on Academic Freedom. MESA is a very successful learned society. Its scholars cover all of the Middle East and North Africa. It is dedicated to high standards of scholarship and diversity of interpretation.

By the 2000s the debate within academia over the expansionist nature of Israel and its treatment of conquered Palestinians was heating up. Because most of MESA members have a broad knowledge of the area, a sense of local perspectives, and also know the history of the Arab Israeli conflict, their positions tend to be critical of Israeli behavior and American support for it. And that led to an organizational split.

In 2007 two scholars, Bernard Lewis and Fouad Ajami, decided to start a rival organization, the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA). They did so because, according to them, MESA was “dominated by academics who have been critical of Israel and America’s role in the Middle East.”

One might wonder why the position taken by many MESA members upset Lewis and Ajami. After all, debating issues from an historical perspective is, in part, what academics are supposed to do. If MESA was allegedly “dominated” by those critical of Israeli behavior, Lewis and Ajami’s answer was to establish a “politicized” organization “dominated” by Zionists. It made little sense in terms of dialog, but tactically it fit right in with how Zionists—those who uphold the legitimacy of a Jewish state in Palestine—react to criticism.

Over the last quarter century, a common tactic of Zionists has been to withdraw from public debate and, where they can, bring about enforced silence of anyone who is critical of Israel. That, of course, is what those pro-Israeli academic administrators and boards were and are doing. Part of this effort entails labelling those critical of Israel as anti-Semites. This stratagem is generally used to shut down negative assessments in the West. Seeking to expand the scope of this effort, ASMEA’s much lauded founder, Bernard Lewis, who died in May of 2018, sought to defame Islam with the same charge. That approach is carried on by ASMEA. The organization awards a Bernard Lewis Prize, a description of which quotes Lewis, “to an astonishing degree, the ideas, the literature, even the crudest inventions of the Nazis and their predecessors have been internalized and Islamized.” In competition for this award, young Middle East scholars are encouraged by ASMEA to identify Muslim Arab opposition to Israel with anti-Semitism.

Part II—Expressing Values

The two organizations have recently shown where this tension has taken them in terms of human rights. This was occasioned by the recent outbreak Palestinian resistance caused by threats of evictions (ethnic cleansing) of Arab families in Jerusalem, and aggressive Israeli actions at the site of Al-Aqsa Mosque. The latter actions, in particular, triggered rocket attacks from Gaza.

Here is part of a long and detailed MESA statement. The shorter ASMEA statement is given in full:

MESA (21 May 2021) Issued by the organization’s Board of Directors.

“The Board of Directors of the Middle East Studies Association of North America condemns the ongoing and intensified Israeli government assault on the Palestinians of East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip and those who are Israeli citizens. During May 7–20, 2021, Israeli military attacks on the occupied Gaza Strip damaged at least 51 educational facilities, including 2 kindergartens, 46 schools, 1 university, 1 vocational training center, and 1 Ministry of Education facility—among other vital infrastructure. Israeli air strikes and tank shells directly hit a number of these buildings. The deadly conditions created by the Israeli military attacks in Gaza forced all schools to remain closed for at least five days after the end of the Eid al-Fitr holiday, affecting the lives and access to education of 591,685 students. In addition, Israeli military strikes internally displaced at least 66,000 Palestinians who then sought refuge in 58 schools run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), causing further disruptions to the population’s education–indeed, to their lives. …

“There is little doubt that successive Israeli governments across the political spectrum have carried out a decades-long attack on Palestinian students, teachers, and educational facilities. Indeed, this attack is part of a broader political, administrative, and legal system of racial discrimination and domination—regularly enforced through violence—that has defined the Israeli government’s treatment of the Palestinian people. And, as the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem and the international non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch have found, the Israeli government’s purposeful and systematic privileging of Jewish Israelis while dominating and oppressing the Palestinian people amounts to apartheid.”

ASMEA (25 May 2021) Issued by the organization’s Chairman, Professor Norman Stillman

“The recent wave of violence in the ongoing struggle between Israel and Hamas has left many members of our community of scholars deeply concerned. While we hope and pray no harm befalls any of our members, anywhere, and their loved ones, ASMEA remains committed to our founding principles as an academic association.

“As scholars, we believe in the pursuit of objective truth when studying and teaching the issues and topics affecting the regions of our academic concern. We recognize that these principles can create division and disagreement, but so long as scholarship contributes to the body of knowledge, we welcome and encourage vigorous debate.

“We stand behind and support our members in Israel and deride those more intent on infusing the academic landscape with pointless over-politicization and rank partisanship than restoring balance to the Academy and protecting academic freedom in Middle East and African studies, and related disciplines.”

There are a couple of things to note about these two statements: (1) The MESA statement is issued in support of the Palestinians, and specifically their collective human right to education. It contains assertions about the Israeli violations of that right—assertions that can be fact checked. The statement also references the reports of international organizations concerned with civil and human rights. (2) The ASMEA statement claims objectivity and a willingness to debate, but then proceeds to defame and trivialize those who disagree with their position—“those more intent on infusing the academic landscape with pointless over-politicization and rank partisanship.” Actually, one can characterize this charge as a psychological projection of the statement’s author who, being a Zionist stalwart must be, by definition, both politicized and partisan. The statement also makes no reference to the Palestinian situation under Israeli rule and reduces the struggle to one between Hamas and Israeli—an objectively incorrect and thus untrue assertion. This reductionist gambit is used by almost all contemporary supporters of Israel.

Part III—Crossing the Rubicon

There is a Rubicon (a fundamental crossing point) that all Jewish intellectuals are now confronting. Whether or not one crosses this line reveals the nature of their values. To cross it is to take the side of human rights and the rule of law. To refuse to cross is to take the side of state power—in this case, to align with the power of a proven apartheid state.

To add context to this choice, consider the case of Eva Illouz, a professor of sociology at Hebrew University. On 14 April 2014, she wrote an essay for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz entitled, “Is It Possible to be a Jewish Intellectual?” In this piece she sets forth two opposing positions: one is the Zionist/Israeli demand for the primacy of “ahavat Israel,” or the “love of the Jewish nation and people”–-the claim that all Jews have a “duty of the heart” to be loyal to the “Jewish nation.” The other position is that of the lone intellectual (here her model is the philosopher Hannah Arendt), whose obligation is to maintain the “disinterested intelligence” necessary to “speak truth to power.”
 
Illouz explains that Zionists have a “suspicion of critique” and use “the memorialization of the Shoah” (the Holocaust) and “ahavat Israel” to mute it. “The imperative of solidarity brings with it the injunction to not oppose or express publicly disagreement with official Jewish bodies.” It is within this context that she can ask if it is still possible to be a Jewish intellectual. Illouz’s conclusion is that it has become exceedingly difficult to be so because the demands for Jewish solidarity are particularly “brutal.” And then she makes her choice and, if you will, crosses the Rubicon. “In the face of the ongoing, unrelenting injustices toward Palestinians and Arabs living in Israel, his/her moral duty is to let go, achingly, of that solidarity.”

It is not difficult to recognize that ASMEA stands at the bank of this Rubicon and refuses to cross. The organization’s values do not reflect any devotion to universal principles such as human rights and the rule of law, much less “objective truth.” Their leadership, at least, has no interest in critiquing the use of power but rather is dedicated to protecting and enhancing the interests of a specific power. The values exalted here are the parochial codes those intellectuals (among others) use to rationalize service to a state even when it turns criminal. The independent-minded, outspoken intellectuals, such as Eva Illouz, demanding broader moral integrity and responsibility from their contemporaries, are rarities.

Part IV—Conclusion

Any speculation about which side of the Rubicon line “History” favors is really silly. Historical prediction, like the weather, is a short-range affair. However, one might sense a present shift in sentiment in the U.S. and the Western world generally. It is an apparent shift in favor of the Palestinians and against apartheid Israel. One might even hazard a guess that the shift will continue to grow. Why so? The reason is straightforward and quite simple. It should continue to grow just as long as Israel does not stop. That is, as long as it continues to evolve as a racist state—simultaneously destroying human rights and international law.


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 the Blog!

US Drops Sanctions on Former Iranian Officials in ‘Routine’ Step

iran flag

The Biden administration on Thursday lifted sanctions on three former Iranian government officials and two Iranian companies involved in the country’s oil industry, a conciliatory gesture days before a potentially decisive round of nuclear talks in Vienna, the New York Times reported.

The administration cautioned against reading too much into the move. Ned Price, the State Department spokesman, claimed there was “absolutely no connection” between the sanctions and discussions among several world powers and Tehran.

Those talks are intended to bring the United States and Iran back into compliance with the 2015 deal that attempted to limit Iran’s nuclear program in return for an end to many of the international sanctions that have squeezed the country’s economy.

In the same statements announcing that the United States had lifted some sanctions, the State and Treasury Departments also said they were imposing new ones on a dozen Iranian individuals, entities and vessels for providing financial support to the Ansarullah revolutionaries in Yemen.

A sixth round of nuclear talks is set to begin in Vienna this weekend. Robert Einhorn, an arms control expert at the Brookings Institution, said that the timing of the US announcements suggested a connection to the nuclear issue, and that it might be a signal of American flexibility.

The United States has been negotiating with Iran since April, though only indirectly, through intermediaries in Vienna, because of Tehran’s refusal to speak directly with American officials.

Biden administration officials have said for weeks that they are prepared to lift sanctions on Iran as part of a mutual return to compliance with the 2015 deal, and that the main obstacle to an agreement is whether Iran’s leadership is prepared to respond by scaling back its nuclear activities.

The 2015 deal, negotiated by the Obama administration and several other world powers, traded Western sanctions relief in return for Iran’s agreement to accept limits on — and international monitoring of — its nuclear program to ensure that it did not try to build a weapon. Iran stresses repeatedly that its program is for peaceful purposes only.

Former US president Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018 and hammered Iran with economic sanctions in what he called a campaign of “maximum pressure.” In response, Iran then began expanding its nuclear program and is now enriching uranium to levels and in quantities far beyond those allowed under the agreement.

Source: Reuters

Related Videos

Related Articles


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 the Blog!

«الشرق الأوسط الإسلاميّ» مركز ثقل العالم بين بكين وطهران…The “Islamic Middle East” is the center of the world’s gravity between Beijing and Tehran…


**Please scroll down for the Adjusted English Machine translation**


«الشرق الأوسط الإسلاميّ» مركز ثقل العالم بين بكين وطهران


This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is %D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF-%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%82-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%B3%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%8A-780x470.jpg
 محمد صادق الحسيني

كلّ المؤشرات والقرائن والوقائع الميدانيّة على أكثر من صعيد إقليمي ودولي باتت تؤكد انعدام الرؤية الاستراتيجية لدى الدولة التي كانت يوماً الأعظم في العالم وهي الولايات المتحدة الأميركية…!

بايدن يطلب اللقاء مع بوتين على عجل لوقف تدهور العلاقات بين بلديهما، وإجراء تهدئة تمنع تقدم الحليفين الاستراتيجيبن الصين وروسيا على حساب الدولة التي تهشّمت صورتها في أكثر من ساحة دولية رغم ظاهرها المخادع كدولة عظمى!

محاولة بايدن هذه لا تحمل أيّ معالم صفقة او اتفاقيات بين البلدين، بل تهدف اساساً الى منع موسكو من توظيف كل من الصين والهند وايران كمجال حيوي لتنشيط المقدرات الروسية الهائلة في هذه البلدان بديلاً عن أوروبا التي تحاول واشنطن إغلاقها بوجه موسكو قدر الإمكان…

وفي سياق مثل هذه الأولوية الاستراتيجية فقط يمكن فهم محاولات واشنطن المتعثرة لكنها المصرّة على وقف تهوّرات حليفيها التاريخيين جنوب وغرب إيران، ايّ الكيانين السعودي و»الإسرائيلي»!

وقف حرب اليمن حتى على سبيل الخدعة والمناورة تحتاج اليها واشنطن حتى تتمكن من وقف التمدّد الإيراني الذي يزداد اندفاعه مع كلّ يوم يمرّ على تخبّط إدارة محمد بن سلمان الغارقة في مستنقع حرب اليمن الآسن والذي لم يعد يجلب للرياض سوى سرعة أفول القبيلة السعودية الحاكمة، وإنْ على مراحل…

هكذا تفهم أيضاً خطوات حكومة بايدن التي تتخلّى شيئاً فشيئاً عن تهوّرات نتن ياهو وتحاول استبداله بالثنائي بينيت – ليبيد الأميركيّي النزعة والجنسية الثانية…

ثمّة رعب خفي يحكم كلّ تصرفات إدارة بايدن من أمر تعتبره ربما نهاية التاريخ الأميركي الحقيقية وليست نهاية تاريخ فوكوياما الشهيرة.

فمركز ثقل العالم يُسرع في الانتقال من الغرب الى الشرق وكلّ العلائم في المعلوماتية والتقنيات وحروب الجيل الخامس والاقتصاد والثقافة والفنون وعالم ما بعد الدولار تفيد بأنّ الغرب لم يعد مركز العالم ولا حتى النموذج المحبّب أو الجاذب لغالبية سكان الكرة الأرضية كما كان في القرن الماضي.

إنّ القرن الذي أنهينا عشريّتين منه بات قرن الصين وروسيا وإيران بامتياز، وكلّ قوى الحرية والتمرّد على الهيمنة الغربية في العالم لا سيما الهيمنة الأميركية منها باتت ترنو لرؤية عالم ما بعد أميركا.

حتى ربيبة أميركا الصهيونية في حرب الـ 11 يوماً الأخيرة على فلسطين – سيف القدس – لم تتمكّن من تحقيق ولو صورة نصر بل على العكس تماماً، 4 أيام متتالية تقوم نحو 200 طائرة عسكرية إسرائيلية (ايّ نحو ثلثي الطيران الحربي) بقصف شريط لا يتجاوز نحو 30 كلم من البحر غرباً حتى الشجاعية شرقاً، ولا نتيجة تذكر سوى تهديم أبنية وقتل أطفال ونساء وفشل عسكري تامّ، وانقلاب الصورة لدى الرأي العام حتى الغربي ضدّ تل أبيب ووضعها في صورة قاتلة المدنيين ولا غير…

كلّ هذا من علامات جغرافيا آخر الزمان وانحطاط القوة الغربية وضياع الرؤية لدى الأميركي الذي ظنّ يوماً انه سيد العالم، فإذا به يكتشف انه بات محاطاً بقوى تفوقه بكلّ شيء تقريباً إلا القتل والمخاتلة والخديعة طبعاً!

حتى الاتفاق النووي وليالي الأنس في فيبنا باتت سراباً في سراب بالنسبة للأميركي فلا هو قادر على إعادة إحياء الاتفاق كما يريد ولا هو قادر على إعادة إيران الى المربع الذي يرغب…

إيران الجديدة القادمة بسرعة خلال الأشهر الثلاثة المقبلة لم تعد أصلاً بحاجة الى إحياء الاتفاق النووي، بعد أن دخل في دور المحاق داخلياً في زمن انتخابات مصيرية ستنقل إيران مباشرة الى نادي الدول العظمى من دون حتى رفع العقوبات…

تذكروا ماذا قال الإمام السيد علي الخامنئي في أكثر من خطاب:

إنّ مفتاح اقتصاد إيران ليس في لوزان ولا جنيف ولا نيويورك… إنه في داخل إيران…

جاء الوقت لتتمّ ترجمة هذا الشعار على يد الرباعي (رئيسي – جليلي – زاكاني – قاضي زاده هاشمي)، في إطار حكومة شبابية ثورية مبدئية هي أيضاً جزء من تحالف «شرق أوسطي إسلامي» يقف خلفه سور الصين العظيم وسيف القيصر الروسي.

ووجهته القدس دائماً وأبداً…

في مثل هذه الأجواء والفضاءات يمكن فهم ما تفضّل به القائد التاريخيّ المشرقيّ الشجاع سماحة السيد حسن نصر الله في ثلاثينية المنار لتحرير فلسطين عندما قال :

استيراد البنزين والمازوت والفيول من الجمهورية الإسلامية في إيران من قبل حزب الله مباشرة أو شركات خاصة تابعة هو خيار سياسي واقتصادي واجتماعي للأكثرية اللبنانية التي تعاني المذلة لأنّ بعض السياسيين يؤثرون رضى الأميركي على مصلحة المواطنين، والشروع بهذا الخيار سيؤدّي إلى جهود أميركية علنية لمنع وصول البواخر، وبالتالي سيفضح كلّ الدعاية السخيفة والكاذبة التي تقول إنّ أميركا تقف إلى جانب الشعب اللبناني، ولذلك قد يؤدي التهديد وحده إلى حلّ المشكلة ولو بشكل جزئي…

ولكن يبقى خيار الاتجاه الفعلي إلى الشرق هو الحلّ الجذري لكلّ مشكلات دول وقوى التحرر العربية والإسلامية من جبال الأطلس الكبير غرباً الى سور الصين العظيم شرقاً…

قد نرى تقلب وجهك في السماء فلنولينك قبلة ترضاها.

بعدنا طيّبين قولوا الله…


The “Islamic Middle East” is the center of the world’s gravity between Beijing and Tehran…

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is %D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF-%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%82-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%B3%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%8A-780x470.jpg

Mohamed Sadek Al , Husseini

All indicators, evidence and facts on the ground on more than one regional and international level now confirm the lack of strategic vision of the country that was once the greatest in the world, the United States of America…

Biden urgently requests a meeting with Putin to stop the deterioration of relations between their two countries, and to conduct a calm that prevents the progress of the two strategic allies, China and Russia, at the expense of the country, whose image has been shattered in more than one international arena, despite its deceptive appearance as a superpower!

Biden’s attempt does not bear any features of a deal or agreements between the two countries, but rather aims mainly to prevent Moscow from employing China, India and Iran as a vital area to stimulate Russia’s enormous capabilities in these countries as an alternative to Europe, which Washington is trying to close to Moscow as much as possible…

It is only in the context of such a strategic priority that it is possible to understand Washington’s faltering attempts, but it is determined to stop the recklessness of its two historical allies, south and west of Iran, that is, the Saudi and “Israeli” entities!

Stopping the Yemen war, even as a trick and maneuver, is needed by Washington in order to be able to stop the Iranian expansion, which is getting more and more motivated with each passing day, as the Mohammed bin Salman administration floundered in the bitter quagmire of the Yemen war, which no longer brings Riyadh only the speed of the demise of the ruling Saudi tribe, albeit in stages…

This is also how to understand the steps of the Biden administration, which is gradually abandoning Netanyahu’s stinking recklessness and trying to replace him with Bennett-Lapid American duo of American Behavior and second nationality.

There is a hidden horror governing all the actions of the Biden administration from something it considers perhaps the true end of American history, not the end of Fukuyama’s history.

The center of weight of the world is accelerating the transition from west to east and all the signs in informatics, technology, 5G wars, economy, culture, the arts and the post-dollar world indicate that the West is no longer the center of the world, nor is it even the beloved or attractive model of the majority of the earth’s population as it was in the last century.

The century from which we have finished is the century of China, Russia and Iran with distinction, and all the forces of freedom and rebellion against Western hegemony in the world, particularly American hegemony, are now looking forward to seeing the post-American world.

Even the Zionist America’s 11-day war on Palestine , the Sword of Jerusalem, has not been able to achieve even a victory image, quite the contrary, four consecutive days in which some 200 Israeli military aircraft (about two-thirds of the military aviation) bomb a strip not more than 30 km from the sea west to Shujaiya to the east, and the result is little but the destruction of buildings and the killing of children and women and a complete military failure, and the reversal of the image in public opinion even western against Tel Aviv and putting it in the form of a deadly civilian and nothing else…

All this is a sign of the geography of the end of time, the decline of Western power and the loss of vision of the American, who once thought he was the master of the world, so he discovers that he is surrounded by forces that surpass him with almost everything but killing, imagination and deception of course!

Even the nuclear deal and the nights of the people of Our Country have become a mirage for the American, he is not able to revive the agreement as he wants and he is not able to return Iran to the square he wants…

The new Iran coming quickly over the next three months no longer needs to revive the nuclear deal, after it entered the role of internal catch-up in the time of crucial elections will move Iran directly to the club of the great powers without even lifting sanctions…

Remember what Imam Ali Khamenei said in more than one speech: The key to Iran’s economy is not in Lausanne, Geneva, nor New York… It is inside Iran…

The time has come for this slogan to be translated by the Quartet (Main – Jalili- Zakani – Qazizadeh Hashemi), within the framework of an initial revolutionary youth government that is also part of the “Middle Eastern Islamic” alliance behind which the Great Wall and the Sword of the Russian Tsarstand.

Jerusalem is always and never directed…

In such an atmosphere and space, it is possible to understand what the courageous, levantine historical leader, His Eminence Hassan Nasrallah, preferred in the 1930s to liberate Palestine when he said:

The import of gasoline, gasoline and fuel from the Islamic Republic of Iran directly by Hezbollah or private subsidiaries is a political, economic and social choice for the lebanese majority, which suffers humiliation because some politicians influence the satisfaction of the American on the interest of the citizens, and initiating this option will lead to public U.S. efforts to prevent the arrival of ships, and therefore will expose all the silly and false propaganda that says that America stands with the Lebanese people, so the threat alone may solve the problem even partially…

But the option of the actual direction to the east remains the radical solution to all the problems of arab and Islamic liberation countries and forces from the Great Atlas Mountains to the Great Wall to the east…

We may see your face flip in the sky.

we are still alive, say god


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 the Blog!