اليرموك، لن يرموك! - زهير أندراوس

التطبيع الفلسفي بعد التطبيع بالرقص من دمشق إلى اريحا- عادل سمارة

اليرموك، لن يرموك! - زهير أندراوس

أطلق المعارض السوريّ، جورج صبرا، هذا الأسبوع تصريحًا من العيار الثقيل، يجب التمّعن فيه، وفهمه لأنّه يحمل في طيّاته الكثير من الحقد الدفين والكراهية والعداء، وتداعياته خطيرة للغاية، على سوريّة وعلى اللاجئين الفلسطينيين في هذا القطر العربيّ، ويؤكد بالدليل القاطع على نوايا من نصّبوا أنفسهم ممثلين للشعب العربيّ السوريّ، وهم يقضون أوقاتهم في التنقل من عاصمة إلى أخرى، عربيّة أوْ غربيّة، وينزلون في فنادق الخمس نجوم. التصريح الفاجر كان في مقابلة مع فضائية العربيّة، التابعة لآل سعود، الحلفاء المطيعين لرأس حربة الإمبرياليّة العالميّة، أمريكا، التي تكره كلّ ناطق بالضاد وكلّ من يقول لا إله الله محمد رسول الله،

قال صبرا بنبرةٍ حادّةٍ: مخيم اليرموك هو أرض سوريّة، ولن يمنعنا أحد من دخول المخيم، لأنّ هذا يهيئ لحسم معركة دمشق! لا نعرف من أين حصل هذا الـ"جنرال" على هذه المعلومات الإستراتيجيّة، ولكنّ الأزمة السوريّة، كما قال أحد الفلاسفة لم تُغيّر الناس، بل أسقطت الأقنعة عن الكثيرين من الأعراب وجورج صبرا في هذا السياق، هو القاعدة، وليس الاستثناء.

أمّا التصريح الثاني، الذي قضّ مضاجع صنّاع القرار في موسكو، وأدّى إلى ارتعاد فرائضهم، فكان من قبل المعارض هيثم المالح، عضو ما يُطلق عليه (الائتلاف الوطنيّ السوريّ) المعارض حيث قال إنّ كل روسيًا في سوريّة هو هدف مشروع للثورة السورية. وأضاف المالح في مقابلة مع قناة (روسيا اليوم) يوم الثلاثاء تعليقًا على اختطاف مواطنين روسيين: إنّ روسيا تُحارب الشعب السوريّ وتمُدّ العصابة الحاكمة بكافة أنواع الأسلحة وتستعمل حق النقض من اجل أنْ يستمر النظام في قتل الشعب السوري. وتابع المالح: بفضل الفيتو الروسيّ في مجلس الأمن الدوليّ قُتل أكثر من 50 ألف شهيد في سورية، لافتًا إلى أنّه ينظر إلى كلّ مدنيّ روسيّ في سورية كهدف مشروع للثورة السورية.
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ولكنّ الحملة على الفلسطينيين في بلاد الشام لم تقتصر على المعارضة السوريّة، فمن رام الله المحتلة أطّل علينا، عضو عصابة أوسلو، المدعو ياسر عبد ربه، وناشد المجتمع الدوليّ بالتدّخل لمعاقبة النظام السوريّ الخطر على جيرانه، بحسب المتزعم الفلسطينيّ، وهو من أزلام واشنطن المخلصين حتى الثمالة،

ويبدو أنّ الولايات المتحدّة الأمريكيّة استجابت لطلب عبد ربه، الذي كان ينعته الرئيس الفلسطينيّ الراحل، الشهيد ياسر عرفات باسم: ياسر عبد ياسر، وباتت تشفق على الفلسطينيين، وتحمّل السلطات السوريّة المسؤولية عن حمايتهم، وهي نفس أمريكا، التي تُزوّد إسرائيل بالأسلحة المحرّمة دوليًا لارتكاب المجازر الفظيعة ضدّ المدنيين العزّل من أبناء الشعب الفلسطينيّ واللبنانيّ. ولكي يعرف الناس تاريخ عبد ربه، فهو الأول من قيادة منظمة التحرير الذي ربط هذه المنظمة بالإدارة الأمريكيّة قبل كارثة أوسلو بوقت طويل حيث (وللأسف) أخذه الراحل إدوارد سعيد إلى المطهر الأمريكيّ. ولم يكن عبد ربه وحيدًا في استجداء العدوان على سوريّة، بل أنّ إعلام سلطة أوسلو-ستان بأسره قد تمّ تجنيده ضد سوريّة، وبدرجات أخطر من الجزيرة والعربية و بي.بي. سي، لأنه يأتي باسم الفلسطينيين، لقد مهّدت سلطة أوسلو-ستان لكافة أنواع الخونة أنْ يتحدثوا باسم فلسطين، فكيف لا يستجدون تخريب سوريّة؟

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من نوافل القول والجزم أيضًا إنّ المعارضة السوريّة، وتحديدًا صبرا والمالح، مرتبطة ارتباطًا عضويًا كاملاً بالإدارة الأمريكيّة، التي تقوم بتزويد المسلحين الإرهابيين بالأسلحة والعتاد بهدف إسقاط الدولة السوريّة، التي كانت وما زالت وستبقى شوكةً في حلق الإمبرياليّة والصهيونيّة والرجعيّة العربيّة، كما أنّها ترقص على موسيقى النشاز التي تُلحنها واشنطن، وتعزفها القارّة العجوز، وتُغنيها دولة الاحتلال، ونفس الأمر ينسحب على السيّد عبد ربه في رام الله المحتلّة، فهؤلاء الأشخاص انخرطوا في المشاريع الأمريكيّة من الفوضى الخلاقّة، إلى الشرق الأوسط الكبير، مرورًا بالشرق الأوسط الجديد، الذي يهدف في ما يهدف إلى إخراج مفهوم المقاومة والممانعة من مُعجم أمّة الناطقين بالضاد، والبقاء رهائن للرأسمال الأمريكيّ، الذي يُخطط ويُخرج إلى حيّز التنفيذ الاستباحة الكاملة للوطن العربيّ، وتحويله إلى تابعٍ أكثر ممّا هو تابع في هذه الفترة، تخيّلوا يا سادتي، وفكّروا يا سيدّاتي: ماذا سيحّل بالمعارضة السوريّة في حال رفع أمريكا يدها عنهم؟ نقول هذا لأنّه كما أنّ للإرهاب لا دين، فللرأسماليّة لا اعتراف بالدين، سوى دين الدولار، ولا نستبعد البتة تخلّي أمريكا عن هذه المعارضة، كما فعلت في مناطق أخرى في العالم خدمةً لمصالحها التكتيكيّة والإستراتيجيّة.

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والشيء بالشيء يذكر: سوريّة الأسد، وعلى الرغم من الترهيب تارةً والترغيب تارةً، رفضت الانصياع لأمريكا، وبقيت تُغرّد خارج السرب، خلافًا لجميع الدول العربيّة، التي لبست قبعها ولحقت ربعها، ومن هنا كان المخطط للقضاء على الدولة السوريّة، وليس كما يُحاولون التصوير بأنّ الهدف هو إسقاط الرئيس الأسد وإطلاق الحريّات للشعب السوريّ، ومَنْ يُشكك في أقوالنا فلينظر ماذا فعل الأمريكيون في بلاد الرافدين، وليبيا، واليمن ومصر والحبل على الجرار، ذلك أنّه في صلب العقيدة الأمريكيّة العامل الأهّم هو الحفاظ على أمن دولة الاحتلال، الحبيبة الربيبة، إسرائيل، وعدم السماح بأيّ شكلٍ من الأشكال، للدول العربيّة، إذا جاز التعبير، كسر التفوق العسكريّ لدولة الاحتلال، لتبقى فزّاعة تُخيف العرب من محيطهم إلى خليجهم.

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اللافت أوْ بالأحرى عدم اللافت، أنّه على الرغم من الخلافات المتجذرة بين حركتي حماس وفتح، نرى أنّهما باتتا على اتفاق في مسألة مخيم اليرموك، حماس، التي طعنت سوريّة بالظهر، سوريّة التي استقبلتها واحتضنتها وقادتها بعد طردهم من الأردن عام 1999، لم تتورّع عن رفع علم الانتداب الفرنسيّ في ذكرى انطلاقتها الـ25 قبل أسبوعين في غزّة، في الحقيقة لم أُفاجأ عندما شاهدت رئيس الدائرة السياسيّة في الحركة، خالد مشعل، وهو يرفع علم الانتداب، مع بقية قادة حماس،

وفي هذا السياق يحّق لنا أنْ نسأل مشعل، الذي يتخذ من عاصمة إمارة الخيانة، الدوحة، مقرًا له: كيف تُريد تحرير فلسطين من النهر إلى البحر وأنت تمسك علم الانتداب؟ هل نسيت أنّ الانتداب البريطاني هو الذي منح الصهاينة فلسطين؟ مُضافًا إلى ذلك: هل رفع العلم والانحياز إلى الـ"ثورة السوريّة" هو الثمن الذي ألزمك أمير قطر بدفعه لقاء الاستضافة والدعم الماليّ؟

والسؤال الأهّم من هذا وذاك، يا مشعل، هل رفع العلم كان بمثابة الإشارة لأنصار حماس بالانخراط في ما يُسمى بالجيش الحر لتسهيل الانقضاض على مخيم اليرموك، وزج الفلسطينيين، الذين التزموا الحياد في المشكلة السوريّة؟ وذلك بهدف تأجيج وتأليب الرأي العام العربيّ والدوليّ، المؤلب والمؤجج أصلاً ضدّ النظام السوريّ واتهامه بقصف المخيم بالطائرات، لإيجاد سبب يقبله العقل العربيّ بضرورة التدّخل الغربيّ للدفاع عن اللاجئين الفلسطينيين؟

وأكثر من ذلك، كما قال المفكّر العربيّ الفلسطينيّ، د. عادل سمارة، وهو من المفكّرين القلائل الذين ما زالوا يؤيدون سوريّة لفهمه العميق إلى أين ستؤول سوريّة في حال سقوط الدولة والنظام، كتب د. سمارة، في صفحته على موقع التواصل الاجتماعيّ، يوم الثلاثاء (18.12.12):

"هل سمعتم أنّه تمّت المصالحة الفلسطينيّة في موقعين، الموقع الأوّل في مخيم اليرموك لتوريط الفلسطينيين هناك في الأزمة السوريّة.
ومن أجل ماذا؟ لإرغام القيادة السوريّة على ضرب هؤلاء فيكون المخيم المكان الذي يُبرر التدّخل الغربيّ، هكذا كان ولا يزال إعلام أوسلو-ستان يولول ويرّوج. أليس هذه جريمة نكراء ومآلها تجميع الفلسطينيين في الأردن ودعم الوطن البديل،
والموقع الثاني في القبول بأوسلو".

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وكلمة حق يُراد فيها حق: قائد الجبهة الشعبيّة لتحرير فلسطين-القيادة العامّة، أحمد جبريل، يتعرّض في هذه الأيام لحملة سافرةٍ من قبل متزعمين عرب وفلسطينيين لاستماتة مقاتليه في الدفاع عن مخيم اليرموك في سوريّة، وعدم السماح للإرهابيين باقتحامه، الجبهة تستحق التقدير لتحملها عبء الدفاع عن المخيم، وهي تتعرض لحملة افتراء إعلامية مضللة، يمكن كشف خلفياتها بمجرد طرح الأسئلة التالية:

هل خرج أعضاء القيادة العامّة، وقاتلوا خارج المخيم؟

هل الدفاع عن المخيم بات مدانًا وليس مسموحًا به؟ هل الدفاع عن اليرموك هو تحالف مع النظام السوريّ؟

والسؤال المفصليّ: هل المطلوب من الفلسطينيّ أن يُسهّل عملية تحويل المخيم إلى أرض معركة، بحيث يكون هو وقودها؟.

من المهم التذكير لأصحاب الذاكرة الانتقائيّة والقصيرة أنّ المزايدة على جبريل، حامل البندقيّة منذ أنْ كان شابًا يافعًا وحتى اليوم، هي خيانة، هذا الرجل الذي استشهد نجله الكبير جهاد، لقّن إسرائيل دروسًا في المقاومة، ومرغ أنفها في التراب الموحل عندما أجبرها عام 1985 على توقيع اتفاق تبادل الأسرى، ناهيك عن الطائرات الشراعيّة التي أطلقها وأربكت منظومة الدفاعات الأرضيّة والجويّة لجيش الاحتلال.

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وفي زمننا الرديء، نجد الكثير من أصحاب الأقنعة المزيّفة، أوْ ما يُسّمون أنفسهم بأصحاب المبادئ، رجاءً، ابتعدوا عنهم، حتى لا تكونوا ضحيةً لإنسانٍ مزدوج الشخصية...

وما زالت الأقنعة تتساقط، يا ترى كم قناع سوف نكتشفه قبل فوات الأوان؟

* كاتب من فلسطين داخل الداخل

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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!

Roadmap to Apartheid trailer

Saturday, December 22, 2012 at 10:58PM Gilad Atzmon

 

Uploaded on Dec 26, 2011

Official trailer for the upcoming movie Roadmap to Apartheid. Narrated by Alice Walker.
I would add that what we see in Palestine isn't really Apartheid though. It is a unique form of Jewish racism-it is expansionist, it is supremacist, it is nationalist and it is fuelled by a set of Messianic Biblical interpretations. While apartheid is defined as racially driven system of exploitation, Israelis, at large, want the land for themselves. They want to live in a 'Jews only State'.

  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!

Their Hearts with America and their Swords with Israel???

قلوبهم مع أمريكا وسيوفهم مع إسرائيل ؟؟؟

ولا تلبسوا الحق بالباطل وتكتموا الحق وأنتم تعلمون” صدق الله العظيم…

ان الذي يجمعنا في فلسطين ومخيمات الشتات مع دمشق أكبر من كل محاولات الإستفراد الخبيثة..التي تصدر عن زمرة صغيرة من هنا وهنالك وخصوصا المفرغين فكريا وتعبويا.. واي شيء وقاحة ..يريدون من المقتول ان يحمي قاتلة … ؟! وهم ينعقون من الخارج على سوريا ويتطالون على القائد التاريخي احمد جبريل و الثائر انور رجا واخوتهم الذين وقفوا متراسا يدافعون عن مواقف سوريا وعن مخيم اليرموك.. وهنالك عجائب الزمان …وغبار الماضي …المتفرجين على شواهد قبور الشهداء.. يتسلقون الان على مصيبة مخيم اليرموك … وهم اصلا من تنكر للشرفاء وسرق هوية الثوارالمناضلين …وتحوَّلواَ إلى ارقامفي قوائم التبعية والولاء الاعمى ؟!

والان جائت عدة الشغل … كالعادة يغازلون ال سعود وحمد واردوغان. في سوق “النخاسة العربي”.. بين الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية وإسرائيل بصفة خاصة كنموذج للبلطجة ، بل وتحالفات البلطجة المشتركة.

ان حقيقة التآمر الذي استهدف سوريا هو بمواقفها وبموقعها الاستراتيجي وبعقيدة جيشها المعادي لإسرائيل ، ان استهداف سوريا لأجل حرف مسارها عن محور الممانعة والمقاومة وتقديم أوراق اعتمادها للبيت الأبيض الأمريكي لنيل رضا الايباك الصهيوني ،

ان إصرار سوريا على موقفها جعلها مستهدفه وعرى المتحالفين مع أمريكا وإسرائيل لأجل إسقاط سوريا ، المرتزقة من مختلف الجنسيات الذين زج بهم إلى سوريا لأجل تدمير سوريا واستنزاف قدرات الجيش العربي السوري لن يستطيعوا النيل من عزيمة وصمود عاصمة بلاد الشام سوريا ،

والقطريين والأتراك وغيرهم ممن يدعمون المجموعات المسلحة بالتمويل والسلاح فشلوا في مشروعهم الهادف لتدمير وإسقاط سوريا ، وتيقن المتآمرون على سوريا ان الشعب السوري لن يكون الحاضن لمجموعاتهم المسلحة ، وان الشعب السوري والجيش السوري موحد في مواقفه العقائدي تجاه الصراع مع إسرائيل ، تحالف قوى الممانعة والمقاومة الذي تشكل سوريا قاعدته الاساسيه عصي على المؤامرة التي تحاك ضد شعوب المنطقة وان قوة محور الممانعة والمقاومة بالتحالف الروسي الصيني سيهزم المشروع الأمريكي للشرق الأوسط الجديد ،

لقد ثبت زيف الادعاءات التي تطلقها فضائيات الفتنه التي تهدف من وراء تضليلها الإعلامي تضليل الشعوب العربية بالتهليل والتبشير بثورات الربيع العربي هذه الثورات لن تغير من واقع عالمنا العربي بل على العكس من ذلك فما تشهده دول الربيع العربي من فرقه وخلافات تدعو للحزن والأسى ، ثورات الخريف العربي لن تغير من الواقع العربي بل على العكس من ذلك نجد هرولة تجاه تقوية التحالف مع أمريكا وهرولة تجاه التطبيع مع إسرائيل لجهة الإبقاء على الاتفاقات السابقة مع الكيان الإسرائيلي و بعقد الصفقات النفطية والغاز وغيرها من الاتفاقات التي جميعها لصالح الكيان الإسرائيلي دون ان نجد موقفا عربيا ضد إسرائيل في ممارساتها وأعمالها التهويديه في القدس ومواصلة الاستيطان في الضفة الغربية مواصلة حصارها للشعب الفلسطيني ،

ان هدف المتآمرون على سوريا هو حرف المسار عن القضية الفلسطينية والسير بمخطط تصفية القضية الفلسطينية ان حصار إسرائيل للفلسطينيين وحجب الدعم المالي العربي والدولي عن الفلسطينيين جزء من المخطط التآمري الذي يستهدف سوريا والقضية الفلسطينية ،

ان إدخال المخيمات الفلسطينية في سوريا ضمن معادلة الصراع الذي تشهده سوريا يعيدنا إلى ما سبق وان تعرض له نهر البارد في لبنان على أيدي فتح الإسلام ، وان ما أصبح يعرف بتحرير مخيم اليرموك في سوريا على أيدي المسلحين الفالتين في سوريا يؤكد ان هناك مخطط لذبح القضية الفلسطينية وذبح الفلسطينيين في مخيمات اللجوء وخصوصا مخيم عين الحلوة …وتهجيرهم عن مخيماتهم مثل الذي حصل للفلسطينيين حين تم تهجيرهم من الكويت تحت ذرائع امريكا واسرائيل

وما تعرضوا له في العراق ويتعرضوا له في مختلف أرجاء المعمورة ، ان مخطط التصفية لحق العودة وتصفية القضية الفلسطينية ياتي ضمن المشروع الأمريكي للشرق الأوسط الجديد ،

والهمج الاوغاد مسلحو جماعة النصرة، والجيش الحر.. اقتحموا مخيم اليرموك وتتطاولوا على ابنائة بالدم والتزوير في مسلسل التنازلات المجانية لاعوانالحثالات الوهابية مرتزقة الامارات الأمنية’ اشترتهم الزمرة المتكالبة على سوريا حيث يجد ان من وراءها خفية هم خدام ” الاستخبارات الاسرائيلية في مطبخ الدم” ببيت ايل “ مقر التجنيد والتشغيل و ما كشفته ألقناه الثانية للتلفزيون الإسرائيلي يدل على بصمات من شغلوا وهم من الدخلاء المتربصين بكل سوريا وما عليها

ان حقيقة التآمر على سوريا ليس ثوره وليست حرية وديمقراطيه ، وان ما تروج له فضائيات التضليل ان هو إلا ضمن التآمر على مقدرات ألامه العربية والأمن القومي العربي وتصفية القضية الفلسطينية تحت شعار ووهم اسمه الحرية والديموقراطيه ،

ان ما كشفته القناة الثانية في التلفزيون الإسرائيلي لمراسلها آيتي أنغل ، يكشف حقيقة وعمق التآمر على سوريا ، فالاسرئيلي في ضيافة مايسمونالثوار ! وبناة سوريا الجدد يتعلمون اصول الديمقراطية …هذا المراسل الذي دخل إلى تركيا وتمكن من دخول الأراضي السورية في ادلب بعلم وتنسيق المخابراتالتركية ولقاءه عناصر من المتمردين والجيش الحر بحسب تقريره والتجول بأمان في الأراضي السورية بحماية الجيش الحر يكشف عن حقيقة ما يعد لسوريا ، ان مقابلة أنغل لعناصر من الجيش الحر وادعاء احدهم واسمه حسين الذي كما يدعي انه كان قائدا لوحدة البطاريات المضادة للطائرات في الجيش العربي السوري انه كبر وتربى على عقيدة ان إسرائيل عدوه ويجب التدريب والاستعداد لمواجهتها وتحرير فلسطين ، لينقل المراسل في تقريره لجثث عناصر من الجيش السوري قتلوا على أيدي ما يسمى الجيش الحر وينقل عن المتمردين بكل فخر ويقول هؤلاء هم جنود الأسد انظر كيف قتلناهم انة فعل خلية تجسس مزمنة مع عصابات مرتزقة من اصحاب الطاعة العمياء….لمن يدفع .. والمافيا القطرية والسعودية والتركيةشكلت همزة الوصل بين الموساد وعصابات الإرهاب التي أنتجت فريقاًمشوهاً وهم أكثر الوشاة للاسرائيلي و اصاحب ابراجة وأفضل راداراتة… في زمن الخيانة والنخاسة

وكيف لهذا المراسل دون ان يكشف الوسيلة التي تم خلالها التواصل وبداية العلاقة معهم وهو يتيه فخرا انه في سوريا التي تربى جيشها على عقيدة العداء لإسرائيل ليصرح احدهم الملقب ابوفادي ان لا مشكله لنا مع اليهود نستقبل اليهود إذا هم ضد الأسد ، هذه هي حقيقة من رفع السلاح في وجه سوريا وحقيقة من أراد ان يحارب سوريا وجيشها العربي العقائدي ، هؤلاء الذين يسعون لإسقاط سوريا والتنازل عن الجولان السوري وعقد الصلح مع الكيان الإسرائيلي ورفع العلم الإسرائيلي في دمشق ، هؤلاء عصابات الإرهاب باسناد جوقة الائتلاف المزعومةالساعون للتآمر على سوريا ليس هدفهم الشعب السوري وحريته وليس دافعهم سوريا وازدهارها

إنما يسعون إلى تحقيق امن إسرائيل وضرب قاعدة محور الممانعة والمقاومة وهدم عقيدة الجيش العربي السوري التي تقوم على التصدي لإسرائيل ، ان ما يجري في سوريا ليس مصلحة لسوريا وإنما تدمير لسوريا وان من يسعى لإقحام المخيمات الفلسطينية في سوريا لأتون الصراع هدفه تصفية تلك المخيمات بانت حقيقتهم وبانت عقيدتهم الجهادية ضد سوريا وضد كل مقاوم حقيقي الشعب السوري على يقين بحقيقة المؤامرة التي تتعرض لها سوريا وهو يقف في وجه المؤامرة والمتآمرين على موقف سوريا العروبي والقومي والإسلامي ، وبانت حقيقة ما يتعرض له أمننا القومي العربي ، ان حقيقة ما يتعرض له الوطن العربي من تآمر يستهدف وجوده وأمنه القومي وتصفية القضية الفلسطينية وهو ضمن مخطط أمريكي صهيوني بأدوات عربيه تركية ارتضت لان تكون الاداه التنفيذية لهذا المشروع التصفوي للقضية الفلسطينية

ونؤكد مرة اخرى وسبق وان نشرنا بحث حول البعد الأمني لما سيحدث في مخيمات سوريا ولبنان وتتضمن ان هذة التحركات التي أتت بإشارة أمريكية من مركزها في القدس المحتلة وهي من قامت باعطاءإشارة التمام لإنجاز ملف كامل كان ينقصه ملف اللاجئين بالساحتين السورية واللبنانية .. والربيع العربي الحقيقي أوشك على البدء بين قوى نهج الممانعة المقاومة وبين نهج الهزيمة وقوى التنسيق الأمني وامتدادات الامريكي

اخيرا التحية للجيش السوري العربي المغوار الذي وقف كالقلعة امام الجيش الاسرائيلي منذ النكبة وفي كل المراحل… و الشعب الفلسطيني الحر… يعلم تماما بانة هدف دائم للاسرائيلي والامريكي في كل مكان وها هي مخيمات صبرا وشاتيلا ومخيم جنين ومخيمات بلاطة وعسكر ومخيمات غزة ومخيمات شعبنا شعبنا الفلسطيني بالعراق شاهد على مكائد وحقد اسرائيل التي تسعى لتفكيك المخيمات في سوريا …ولبنان وانتبهوا ايها الشرفاء ….

Iran Says if West Intervenes in Syria, Conflict would Expand

Local Editor
Iran assured Saturday that a military solution would not settle the situation in Syria, indicating that the majority of Syrians doesn’t support the West and the armed opposition, and this is why they oppose free elections, Fars news agency reported.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said in a press conference in Erzurum, Turkey, late Saturday that "a military solution is not an appropriate settlement for Syria," adding that "the west and the armed groups in Syria oppose free election, because they know that majority of people would not support them in such an election."

The Iranian news agency further quoted Mehmanparast as saying that "if the Syrian crisis intensifies and the western countries interfere, the conflict would not be confined to Syria."

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!

Magician’s Diversion: Bleeding Syria to Death

Dec 22 2012 / 1:16 am
By Jeremy Salt – Ankara

According to various definitions, politicide can be used to describe the destruction of a government or a specific socio-political group, such as the Palestinians, when it overlaps with genocide. It can be extended to a state, a system and a country. Saddam Hussein attempted politicide by trying to wipe Kuwait off the map. In the 1930s the fascists committed politicide by destroying the Spanish government. Territorially, the country stayed as it was. It was simply emptied of its ideological content and turned into something else.

The destruction of governments, leaders and values who stand in the way of the interests of powerful governments is common practice. Since the Second World War the assassins have often been self-styled liberal democratic governments. There is virtually no global arena which has escaped their attention. In the past eleven years alone, in the Middle East, Iraq and Libya have been the victims of politicide. Their governments, value systems and leaders might have badly needed change but when change came it was not at the hands of the people but outside governments. Now Syria is absorbing their attention. Like Iraq and Libya, the justification for the onslaught on Syria of the past 20 months is the ‘dictator’ or the ‘regime.’ More plausibly, the real target is the country itself. Like Saddam and Qadhafi, the ‘dictator’ is the magician’s diversion, flourished with one hand so the audience does not see what is being done with the other.

The failure of the armed gangs to overthrow the government in Damascus seems to be bringing the possibility of direct military intervention closer. The US, Germany and the Netherlands are providing Turkey with six batteries of Patriot missiles, to be positioned near the Syrian border. About 2,000 foreign troops will be sent to Turkey to operate and protect the missile batteries, with an unstated number of Turkish troops assigned to protect them. The Patriots will be located in three southeastern provinces that are strongly Sunni Muslim, Gaziantep, Adana and Kahramanmaras provinces. For security reasons they will not be placed in Hatay, where more than half the population is Alevi (Alawi), and strongly opposed to the Turkish government’s intervention in Syria, or Diyarbakir, which, of course, is largely Kurdish and opposed to the government for other reasons.

Responding the day after NATO agreed to supply Turkey with the Patriots, Russia dispatched a batch of Iskander missiles to the Syrian military. These hypersonic weapons fly at 1.3 miles a second and weapons experts say they would be more than a match for the Patriots. Building up the specter of Turkey under threat, NATO spokesmen are claiming that the Syrian military is already using Scud missiles and is prepared to use chemical weapons but both these claims seem to be no more than part of the propaganda war. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO’s Secretary-General, condemns the firing of Scud missiles – without producing evidence that they actually have been fired – but not the very real planting of bombs in the middle of cities by the armed groups he and the members of his organization are supporting.

Turkey claims the Patriots are for self-defense, raising an obvious question: self-defense in the extremely unlikely event of an unprovoked Syrian attack or self-defense against a NATO attack initiated on Turkish soil? While the obvious target would appear to be Syria, the commentator Abdel Bari Atwan has argued that the missiles are being put in place with an attack on Iran in mind. If the US decided to use its air base at Incirlik, in Adana province, home to thousands of troops, for an attack on Iran, Turkey would be exposed to a counter strike. Hence the need not just for the Patriots but the anti-missile radar installation placed in Malatya province earlier this year, which is also seen by Russia as a dangerous extension of NATO’s European missile ‘defense’ shield.

Even if it is Israel which attacks, Iran would assume US involvement and strike back accordingly, again exposing US/NATO bases in Turkey and the gulf to counter strikes. Iran regards the decision to station the Patriots in Turkey as part of general NATO war preparations in the region, aimed at itself as well as Syria. Whether the US and/or Israel, despite their threats over many years, really intend to attack, is the subject of continuing speculation, of course.

If the target is Syria, NATO would probably intervene behind the screen of a ‘no fly zone’, likely to stretch as far as Aleppo and intended to place the entire city in the hands of the armed groups as the ‘capital’ of ‘liberated’ territory. Without the backing of a UN Security Council resolution the unilateral declaration of a ‘no fly zone’ would not even have the fig leaf of legal authority. In such circumstances, the shooting down of a Syrian plane inside Syrian space would be an act of war. The consequences would be so dire that it is hard to imagine NATO proceeding without the tacit consent of China and Russia.

There are no signs that this is forthcoming. Russia has a lot at stake and if anything, its position on Syria seems to have hardened. Despite the willful misreading of every statement coming out of Moscow in the western media, it has not backtracked on its commitments. It has said all along that its central concern is the integrity of Syria and not the future of any particular government. It has never been committed to the preservation of the ‘Assad regime’ as such. From the beginning it has insisted that the right of choice belongs to the Syrian people and not to the armed groups and their external sponsors.

All along Russia has also warned that it will not allow Syria to be turned into another Libya through a NATO attack. In the coming week, units of Russia’s Black Sea, Baltic and North Sea fleets will be gathering for military exercises off the Syrian coast. US warships have been active in the eastern Mediterranean as well, pointing towards the possibility of a Cuba-style maritime confrontation over Syria if NATO does intervene.

Again, a question arises: does NATO seriously intend to intervene in Syria, or does the stationing of these missiles in Turkey serve an array of propaganda and psychological warfare purposes?
Deciding to give Turkey missiles is one thing. Deciding to attack Syria is something else entirely. One cannot discount the possibility, but when the time comes, unless circumstances change, so that Russia and China are neutralized, it is hard to see NATO members agreeing on this. Yet, without direct intervention, neither does it seem possible that the armed groups will be able to overthrow the Syrian government on their own.

Thus NATO would seem to have backed itself into a corner, but only if we assume that the overthrow of the Syrian government is the prime motive behind its intervention in Syria. Hasan Nasrallah sees the intervention of the US and its allies as being aimed at the removal of Syria from the ‘regional equation’. This can be done by overthrowing the government but it can also be done by turning Syria into a dysfunctional state. This is how both Iraq and Libya were removed from the ‘regional equation.’ In both cases ‘the dictator’ was used as the lever to justify intervention. In Iraq the US chose to leave Saddam in place because he could always be used to keep Iraq on its knees. Only when sanctions had run out of steam and Iraq was poised to rebuild was the decision taken to remove him. Bashar is being used in the same way, but this does not mean that the US and its allies want the armed groups to replace him. They are treading their own fine line and adapting policies to changing circumstances on the ground.

In Al Akhbar newspaper the Syrian Vice President, Faruq al Shar’a, recently put forward ideas for a political solution as a way out of the deadlock. Here it has to be said that if the self-styled ‘Friends of the Syrian People’ had ever had the best interests of the Syrian people at heart, they would have reached out for a political solution one long ago, instead of blocking, undermining or dismissing out of hand every attempt to bring this crisis to a negotiated end. If there is some reason for Mr. Shara’a thinking that the sponsors of the armed groups are likely to accept a political solution now it did not come through in the interview with Al Akhbar. Indeed, if one shares Hasan Nasrallah’s recently expressed view that the prime objective of the US and its allies is to remove Syria from the ‘regional equation’ then all the destruction of the past 20 months makes perfect sense. There might come a time when these governments will show an interest in a political solution, but for now Syria can be allowed to bleed a bit longer.

If we ask ourselves what might finally drive these governments towards negotiations, one possibility is that the armed groups will finally reach the point of doing of what they have ostensibly been tasked to do, which is to overthrow the government in Damascus.With the armed groups poised to take over, we might then see their western sponsors changing tack, cutting back their financial and armed support (through pressure on Saudi Arabia and Qatar) and clamoring for intervention and immediate negotiations so they can ensure the succession of their ‘moderate’ protégés, Mu’iz al Khatib and the Doha council.

A diametrically opposite possibility is that the Syrian military will finally succeed in routing the armed gangs. This could also spark a sudden interest in a negotiated solution, with the aim of controlling the process of political transition. An increasingly important element in the thinking of the US and its European allies is ‘blowback.’ Many of the armed groups are as hostile to ‘the West’ as they are to the government in Damascus. With the fallout from Afghanistan on their mind, the US and its European allies do not want Syria to be turned into a new base of takfiri action against western interests and allies across the region. Of course we can’t know, but a gravely weakened Syria with Bashar still in place – rather like Iraq and Saddam after 1991- during a process of transition might end up as their preferred option. Threaded through all of this is the possibility that Syria will just implode, beyond the control of any of the external actors who have done so much to bring it to the present critical situation.

The degradation of Syria is a clear plus for the US and Israel. Needless to say, what is good for the US and Israel is always bad for the Palestinians. Syria has been the visceral enemy from the start. The breakup of Arab states on sectarian lines has been on Israel’s strategic agenda virtually since the beginning and nothing could suit its purposes more than the reduction of the Syrian state to squabbling ethno-religious enclaves. Whatever Israel does in the Middle East, Palestine is always the center of gravity of its strategy.

The central problem for the US and its allies is what must follow in Syria sooner or later. At some point, chaos will stop suiting their own interests. In the abstract an Islamic state presents no problems. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain are governed according to variations of Islamic law but all are pillars of western interests in the Middle East. The Muslim Brotherhood government in Egypt has shown that it has no intention of rocking the western boat. The Doha council is essentially Muslim Brotherhood. However, while it is being prepped by its sponsors as the next Syrian government, the Doha council has scant hope of ending up in the government offices in Damascus, or what is left of them. Having used the armed gangs as a bludgeon, their external backers, at least the US, Britain and France, if not Saudi Arabia and Qatar, now face the unpleasant prospect of them taking over, and then fighting amongst themselves over the spoils. Lakhdar Brahimi has warned that Syria could end up like Somalia. Another alternative is a Taliban-style government at the heart of the Middle East. Fearing the damage that might be done to their own interests, neither of these outcomes would suit the US and its European allies

The line being drawn by the US and its European allies between the ‘extremist’ and ‘moderate’ armed groups is artificial. When Obama declared Jabhat an Nusra a terrorist organization affiliated with Al Qaida, the head of the Doha council, Mu’iz al Khatib, asked him to take it back because of the movement’s central importance in the armed campaign. Its atrocities did not concern him. If slaughtering captives out of hand is terrorism, then Jabhat al Nusra certainly is a terrorist organization, but other groups are fighting their war by exactly the same means. This includes the so-called Free Syrian Army. The leading armed groups have rejected the authority of the Doha council and expressed their solidarity with Jabhat al Nusra. Some are already busy laying the foundations of a harsh Islamic state. The black flag of Al Qaida is being waved everywhere. ‘Moderates’ are virtually nowhere to be seen.

More than a year ago Syria was deliberately locked into a prolonged struggle with the armed groups. The situation has since metastasized far beyond the simple equations of authoritarian government versus legitimate protest movement or crimes of the ‘regime’ against crimes of the armed groups. In this proxy war being waged by outside governments the wellbeing of the Syrian people is not even a consideration. If it ever were they would not still be doing what they are doing.

Those participants or onlookers who supported the armed struggle in the name of democratic political transition can look forward to nothing more than a Pyrrhic victory. Syria is being ruined, destroyed before our eyes as an actor on the Arab stage, with the west playing the same game of divide and rule that has worked so well for it over the past 200 years.

- Jeremy Salt is an associate professor of Middle Eastern history and politics at Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey. He contributed this article to PalestineChronicle.com.

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!

Pakistan Taliban members killed near Syrian capital

File photo of militants in Syria.

Sat Dec 22, 2012 5:19PM GMT

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Around 1,000 members of the Pakistani Taliban have been killed in clashes near the Syrian capital city of Damascus, reports say.

According to recent reports, the bodies of the Pakistani Taliban members, who were killed during battles around Syria’s International Airport near Damascus, have been buried in mass graves.

Reports further indicate that the families of those Pakistani Salafists sent into Syria have been staging demonstrations, calling on the Pakistani government to provide information on their whereabouts.

Many Salafists from Pakistan have been illegally sent into Syria through the Saudi and Qatari intelligence services.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of army and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.

A recent UN report has revealed that militants from 29 countries have so far filtered into Syria to fight against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, most of whom are extremist Salafists.

Damascus says certain Western states, especially the United States, and their regional allies are fueling the unrest.

MKA/HGH

 

• Syria: Image Evidence of Al Qaeda in Syria and AP Propaganda
• Taliban militants use Turkey to march into Syria

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!

Is Yarmouk Headed for the Same Fate as Nahr al Bared?

 

Franklin Lamb

Report from Yarmouk Camp, Damascus
Al-manar



Nahr-al-Barid

Some Palestinians here in Damascus, from the Palestinian writers union with whom this observer has been meeting, including independent researcher Hamad Said Al-Mawed, are saying so.

Admittedly there are some similarities between the two camps fate. Both among the ‘better’ of the 57 Palestinian refugee camps in the hosting countries, of Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza

Both, one in Lebanon, the other in Syria, were penetrated by salafist-jihadists from other countries. 

Jihadists from nine countries made incursions into Nahr al Bared in early 2007, near Tripoli, Lebanon.

As many as 29 country’s salafists entered Yarmouk in Damascus, some discretely, over the past several months and a massive attack starting on 12/16/12.

Both groups of outsiders were given weapons and largely funded by Gulf countries, primarily US ally Saudi Arabia, and both projects were acquiesced in by the American and Israeli governments who saw useful “creative chaos” to borrow a phrase from Madeline Albright.

Both camps were quickly surrounded by government forces awaiting orders to expel or kill the infiltrators. Both camps were subject to aerial bombing. Today, many inhabitants of both camps harbor suspicions that hegemonic interests seek to destroy and empty their camp in order to force the removal of the maximum number of refugees from the Levant, part of a project to undermine the Palestinians’ inalienable Right of Return to their homes in Palestine.

Over the past ten weeks of intermittent shelling of the camp, more than 40 residents have been killed and each of the Yarmouk’s 28 schools, six hospitals and 15 mosques have been damaged. The Palestine Red Crescent Society has lost ten ambulances from various rockets and RPG’s.
The morning of 12/21/12 saw general calm in Yarmouk, following intense clashes, widespread destruction in some areas and two bombs dropped over the past week. Several hundred Palestinians, from among the more than 100,000 who fled this week risked their lives yesterday by crossing through Syrian army lines during last night to return to what was left of their homes, rather than remain on the cold, wet, windy streets, parking lots and parks. More are returning today.

Irrespective of what one might think of the role of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-GC (PFLP-GC) in igniting the fighting at Yarmouk, and the role of its leader, Ahmed Jebril, one of the founders of the Palestinian “ rejectionist front” so vilified by Philip Habib in the early 1980’s, both have been working around the clock since last Sundays invasion to save the camp and restore calm and security.

This observer, while meeting with General Command politburo member, Anwar Raja, felt guilty taking the fellows time because his phones rang nearly nonstop as he tried to solve camp residents problems as best he could, shouting orders to some of the gunmen in his office and others on the phone, cursing some of his men who took what he claims is Gulf money bribes to go home or to switch sides.. All the while conferring with Jebril, Syrian officials, other Palestinian groups, and even some Al Nusra and other salafist groups trying to do a deal to save the camp.

Despite efforts of the General Command, Jebril and the organization is persona non grata in Yarmouk and it’s unclear if the PFLP-GC will be able to return anytime soon. Last Wednesday’s meeting at the Palestine Embassy blacklisted Jebril and his group. Feeling inside Yarmouk is very strong against him yet interviewing some officials of “al Islamiya” and others, it is not clear to this observer what his crimes were. It is true that Jebril hired a few hundred Palestinians in Yarmouk at $ 150 dollars per week and formed “popular security committees” ostensibly to keep order and “neutrality” in the camp and it is also true that a number of them are accused of using and dealing drugs and run a bit rough shod if challenged, but it is not proved that the GC committed murders in the camp or engaged in burglaries and other serious criminal acts. In any case the “popular committees” that Jebril had set up have by now collapsed and dispersed.

Palestinian refugees returning to the camp have lost some of their fear and are angry to find some armed “outsiders” still inside. Remaining al Nusra elements–and there does not appear to be many nor do they appear to be any longer threatening the residents are scowled at as they smoke nargileh water pipes in the alleys and try to joke with kids and returning camp residents.

A few of the al Qaeda types even wanted their picture taken with a visiting American, apparently never having actually met one but who they assumed would be hostile or look like Satan. During cups of tea, one joked that this observer should not worry because they will not kidnap him for ransom. I assured them that if they did my government would not pay one American penny for my release, despite the fact that I consider myself a patriot in the mold of Stephen Decatur:

“My country right or wrong but when right to be kept right and when wrong to be put right.”

They laughed when I added:

“come to think of it my government might just pay you fellows a ransom to keep me!”

Reports of an openly sectarian conflict inside Yarmouk do not appear accurate. What one consistently hears from residents is that they want to stay out of the conflict and not take sides.

They are acutely aware that various elements want to drag them into the Syrian civil war.

 There is a wide-spread perception that the past several months of violence against Yarmouk are messages not to support either the rebels or the government or Yarmouk could end up like Nahr al Bared camp in North Lebanon.

Franklin Lamb is doing research in Syria and can be reached c/o fplamb@gmail.com.

Source: Al-Manar Website What happened in Yarmouk Camp: A story of Fatah and Hamas betrayal “As Yarmouk goes, so goes Damascus. As Damascus goes, so goes Syria” Ahmad Jibril to be expelled from the PL(iquidation)O Do you Remember the Operation of Qibya in the night of gliders?   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!

Watch Human Right Watch – A Tribute to Prof Richard Falk

By Gilad Atzmon

This week we learned that Human Rights Watch (HRW) has expelled from its ranks top U.N. official Professor Richard Falk.

The juicy details have been kindly supplied by Israeli Hasbara outlet UN Watch blog.“We commend Human Rights Watch and its director Kenneth Roth for doing the right thing, and finally removing this enemy of human rights from their important organization,” said Hillel Neuer, a rabid Israeli supporter as well as Executive Director of UN Watch. “A man who supports the Hamas terrorist organization, and who was just condemned by the British Foreign Office for his cover endorsement of a virulently antisemitic book, has no place in an organization dedicated to human rights,”

Hasbara stooge that he is, Neuer using every Zionist trick in the book, misinforms and misleads his readers. First of all, Hamas is not a ‘terrorist organisation’, it is a democratically elected government and the book to which Neuer refers is obviously mine - ‘The Wandering Who’ – which, was endorsed by Richard Falk and some of the most important humanists and scholars of our time– a book which has been a best-seller for six months in both Britain and the USA, has been translated into 10 languages and is available in seven editions in countries that all strictly legislate against any form of racial incitement as well Holocaust denial. The fact is that the Zionists and their ‘Progressive’ twins will have to accept that The Wandering Who is, after all, strictly kosher.

So, Professor Falk did indeed endorse my book and, like all my other endorsers, did not cave into pressure. This is should indeed concern all Zionist and their agents.

 "A transformative story told with unflinching integrity that all (especially Jews) who care about real peace, as well as their own identity, should not only read, but reflect upon and discuss widely." Professor Richard Falk on The Wandering Who

But the problem is not the tribally oriented UN Watch and its Zionist Executive Director. After all, they only do what we expect Zionists to do - lie, harass, abuse, and, if necessary, fabricate evidence. No, far more interesting is the behaviour of the allegedly ‘progressive’ ‘Human Right Watch’ and its director Kenneth Roth.

On the face of it, HRW is an independent, Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) ‘dedicated to defending and protecting human rights’. But it takes no more than a few seconds of research to find out that the primary donor of the HRW is liberal-Zionist George Soros and his Open Society Foundation - the same Soros and ‘Open’ society that supports most Palestinian NGOs including BDS which may perhaps explain why the BDS in Ramallah was so eager to compromise on that most precious Palestinian right i.e. The Right of Return. Nor will it surprise you to learn that the same Soros who funded HRW has been dedicated to ‘exposing’ of Hamas’ failures on human rights issues? Is this not what you would expect from a liberal Zionist spin meister?

In my new satirical work, A Glossary of Zionist Power which I am now completing, I include entries for Soros and his Open Society. In the book, Soros is a ‘Jew who supports a lot of good causes that are also very good for the Jews’ and The Open Society Foundation ‘is dedicated to the transformation of deprived people into Guardian readers’. Surely I will now have to add an entry for the HRW and Roth. Both are nothing short of ‘Zionist fig-leaves’ and, like all Jewish progressive outlets that are dedicated to Jewish tribal and ethno centric campaigning, HRW is there to monitor, control and even stifle any criticism of Israel if it should ever get too close to the bone, i.e. touching on the Jewish character of the Jewish state,

Prof’ Falk had little chance of surviving within such a tribal milieu and the reason is pretty simple. Unlike Zionist Neuer, Liberal Zionist Soros, and ‘Anti-Zionist Zionist’ Roth, Prof’ Falk actually represents the ultimate success of the Zionist project. Early Zionism promised to transform the Jews into ‘people like all other people’. Zionism vowed to bring to life a Jew who transcends the tribal, a Jew who think universally and ethically. Early Zionists also believed that such a transformation could be achieved only in Palestine. Of course, they were wrong but no one can ignore the fact that the greatest and most prolific Jewish universalists are actually Israelis (Prof’ Yishayahu Leibovitch, Prof Israel Shahak, Nurit & Miko Peled, Gideon Levy, Amira Hass, Uri Avneri, Ilan Pappe, Israel Shamir and many, many more). But Prof’ Falk and a few others have managed to achieve a similar goal in the Diaspora. Those Jews whom we most admire and whose integrity we most trust such as Prof’ Norton Mezvinsky, Prof' Norman Finkelstein, Prof’ Falk  - all have something in common - they do not operate within Jews-only political cells. Unlike JVP, IJAN, HRW and Mondweiss, all of whom are dedicated primarily to promoting Jewish interests, they are dedicated to universal values.
So I argue that Prof’ Falk provides us with a glimpse into the possibility of true Jewish emancipation - the capacity to break out of the mental, intellectual and non-ethical ghetto. Moreover, this latest tale of HRW’s Herem (Kosher expulsion) of one of the greatest humanists of our generation is actually an educational event.

For many years, many of us saw Zionism and Israel as the mother and father of contemporary evil, but now, many of us have come to realise that Jewish progressive politics is every bit as sinister but, unlike Zionism that is only tainted with deception, the Jewish progressive discourse is inherently dishonest - it speaks universal but it thinks tribal.

While our disagreements with Israel and Zionism are clear, the Modus operandi adopted by AZZs and their relentless attempt to dominate the progressive discourse while, at the same time, stifling freedom of expression leave more and more humanists suspicious of any form of Jewish politics - be it right, left or centre.

I like to think that my Wandering Who was the first attempt to discuss these issues openly. I wrote it because I, too, am a wanderer who decided, instead of dwelling on someone else’s land, to leave my homeland. Perhaps Prof’ Falk endorsed my work, because, like myself, he too is a wanderer. He self-reflects, examining his identity and his notion of justice from a transcendental point of view. Like myself, he is an artist, a poet, a man who searches, against all the odds, for beauty, peace and truth. On the other hand, George Soros’ Open Society Foundation which contributed $100 million to HRW just to silence ethically and aesthetically driven souls such as Prof’ Falk and others.
---

The Wandering Who? A Study Of Jewish Identity Politics in general and Jewish progressive spin in particular Amazon.com  or Amazon.co.uk

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

Palestinian Leadership Still Asleep at the Wheel?

Empowered, emboldened… but what is the PLO doing with its new UN status?

 by Stuart Littlewood

The Palestinian Embassy in London has just issued a press release under the heading “Pressing need to halt Israel’s illegal settlement colonization campaign via political, legal, and diplomatic means”.

It complains about Israel’s “flagrant disrespect of international law” in announcing, the day after the UN upgraded Palestine’s status, a further 3,000 illegal settlement units in Palestinian East Jerusalem.

“It is time that political, economic and legal means are used so that Israel bears its responsibility for its violations and obstruction of peace efforts,” says Ambassador Manuel Hassassian. He wants the British government and the EU to ban Israeli settlement products and bar Israeli extremist settlers. “This is the only way to halt Israel’s illegal settlement campaign, salvage the two-state solution and revive the peace process.”

What’s more, he urges the British public to…

• Write to their MP outlining Israel’s illegal settlement expansion activities which are a breach of article 49(6) of the Fourth Geneva Convention and constitute war crimes.
• Ask their MP to call for a ban on import of settlement products into the UK.
• Contact the Foreign Office.
• Inform the Embassy of any responses.

There has been a “pressing need” to halt Israel’s illegal settlement-building ever since the Allon Plan of 1967. But the PLO did remarkably little over the years to use the channels open to it until last month when it finally got around to applying for – and getting – non-Member observer status at the UN.

Why is the newly-empowered Palestine, fresh from its victory, still asking us to do the donkey-work? One hoped that President Abbas would waste no time in signing up to the Rome Statute and joining the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice in order to lay long-overdue charges against Israel for its illegal occupation, blockade, war crimes and crimes against humanity. First among the many legal options, surely, is to cut the endless whining and apply for an injunction against further settlement construction.

True, reports are circulating that Palestinian officials talk of filing war crimes charges and encouraging the international community to impose sanctions. But there may be a long wait before this Zionist-corrupted British government suspends trade with the thugs it repeatedly pledges to support and persuades its EU partners to do the same.

What if those 138 nations adopted BDS…

Now that access to the proper UN legal machinery is available for Palestinians, it is ridiculous to claim that EU and other sanctions are “the only way” to halt Israel’s illegal settlement campaign and salvage the two-state solution. Did 138 nations vote to upgrade Palestine’s UN status for nothing?
Only a few days ago Agent Cameron renewed his loyal pledge: “We said we’d resist calls for boycotts on Israel and yes – we are going to keep on working with Israel, doing business with Israel, trading with Israel.”

And earlier this month Agent Hague was saying that European trade sanctions against Israel were not an option. “I don’t think there is enthusiasm around the European Union … about economic sanctions in Europe on Israel. I don’t believe there would be anywhere near a consensus nor is that our approach.”

Even news that South Africa’s ruling party, the ANC, has adopted BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) as official policy is unlikely to push Hague and Cameron into making a humiliating U-turn and shafting their best friends in all the world. But if those 138 nations could be persuaded to similarly embrace BDS, who knows, it might do the trick.

Meanwhile, when asked what steps the British Government was taking to promote compliance with obligations under international law in the conflict between Israel and Palestine, Alistair Burt (Foreign Office minister for Middle East affairs) gave Parliament this soppy reply: “We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation, including settlements and the treatment of prisoners, including Palestinian children in military custody.”

“We have consistently condemned Israel’s announcements to expand settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem… We look to the Government of Israel to take all necessary steps to prevent settlement construction.”

And when Jeremy Corbyn asked what steps were being taken to make sure Israeli settlements are excluded from all EU and UK agreements with Israel, Burt replied that UK and EU guidelines do not currently differentiate between products from Israel or from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. He said the EU Foreign Affairs Council was working on measures to ensure that settlement produce does not enter the EU duty-free, under the EU-Israel Association Agreement, and that EU-wide guidelines are issued to make sure that settlement products are not incorrectly labelled as Israeli produce. But there are currently “no plans for EU or domestic legislation on this issue”.

Another MP asked what advice the Government was giving UK companies who do business with Israeli settlements, and was told: “International law does not impose obligations on corporations, and for a company to operate in Israeli settlements is not, per se, contrary to UK law. So we do not provide advice or guidelines to UK companies who operate, or are considering operating, in Israeli settlements.”

So much for ‘dialogue’.

The ball is now in the PLO’s court. Before telling us what WE must do, Mr Ambassador, let’s see evidence of what the PA/PLO are doing, if anything, after their heady success at the UN three weeks ago.

Here was a chance for the Palestinian leadership to show us what they’re really made of. But it seems they’re stuck in same old time-wasting groove.

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

Syrian terrorists threaten to storm two Christian towns

Syrian women smoke waterpipe as a waiter (back) decorates a Christmas tree at a cafe in the old city of Damascus on 20 December 2012. The majority of the Christian community in Syria has decided to celebrate Christmas without decorations this year amid an ongoing Syrian conflict, but Amer, the owner of the cafe, has decided to go on with the tradition anyway. (Photo: AFP - Carole al-Farah)

Published Saturday, December 22, 2012

 

Rebels have threatened to storm two predominantly Christian towns in central Syria, saying regime forces are using them to attack nearby areas, an activist group said Saturday. It says such an attack could force thousands of Christians from their homes.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that one rebel group has issued an ultimatum to the towns of Mahrada and Sqailbiyeh in the province of Hama.

Rami Abdul-Rahman, who heads the Observatory, said some Christians and Alawis have also left Hama province in the past several days to escape violence. He said some of them found shelter in the coastal city of Tartus.

A video released by rebels showed Rashid Abul-Fidaa, who identified himself as the Hama commander of the Ansar Brigade, calls on residents to "evict" regime forces or be attacked.

"Assad's gangs in the cities are shelling our villages with mortars and rockets destroying our homes, killing our children and displacing our people," said Abdul-Fidaa, who wore an Islamic headband and was surrounded by gunmen. "You should perform your duty by evicting Assad's gangs," he said. "Otherwise our warriors will storm the hideouts of the Assad gangs."

He accused regime forces of taking positions in the two towns in order to "incite sectarian strife" between Christians and the predominantly Sunni opposition. Assad belongs to the Alawi minority sect, an off-shoot of Shiite Islam.

Mahrada was the hometown of Ignatius Hazim, the former Patriarch of the Damascus-based Eastern Orthodox Church who passed away on December 5 at the age of 92.

Christians, who make up about 10 percent of Syria's population, say they are particularly vulnerable to the violence sweeping the country of 22 million people. They are fearful that Syria will become another Iraq, with Christians caught in the crossfire between rival Islamic groups.

The conflict started 21 months ago as an uprising against Assad, whose family has ruled the country for four decades. It quickly morphed into a civil war, with rebels taking up arms to fight back against a bloody crackdown by the government. According to activists, more than 40,000 people have been killed since March 2011.

Clashes between troops and rebels in the central city of Homs, Syria's third largest, have already displaced tens of thousands of Christians, most of whom either fled to the relatively safe coastal areas or to neighboring Lebanon.

The new Eastern Orthodox Patriarch Youhanna Yaziji, who replaced Hazim, told reporters in the capital Damascus Saturday that the church is "deeply-rooted in Syria." He added that Christians in Syria are not part of the conflict and will continue to coexist with people of the region urging rival Syrian factions to negotiate a settlement through dialogue.
"We are staying here and this is our land," he said.

Russia's foreign minister, meanwhile, said that Damascus has consolidated its chemical weapons into one or two locations to protect them from a rebel onslaught.

US intelligence officials have said the regime may be readying chemical weapons and could be desperate enough to use them, while also expressing concerns they could fall into militant hands if the regime crumbles.

Moscow's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia, which has military advisers training Syria's military, has kept close watch over Damascus's chemical arsenal. He said the Syrian government has moved them from many arsenals to just "one or two centers" to properly safeguard them.

Lavrov also told reporters on a flight from an EU summit late Friday that countries in the region had asked Russia to convey an offer of safe passage to Assad.

Syria refuses to confirm or deny if it has chemical weapons but Damascus is believed to have nerve agents as well as mustard gas. It also possesses Scud missiles capable of delivering them.
The push by rebels in Hama province came days after they opened a new front against regime forces attacking checkpoints and army posts in the central region.

Activists and state media reported violence in different parts of Syria on Saturday including in the capital Damascus and the northern city of Aleppo, Syria's largest.

In Damascus, the state-run news agency SANA said gunmen assassinated Saturday Haider al-Sammoudi who works as a cameraman for the government's TV station. Several journalists working for state media have been assassinated over the past months.

In another development, 11 rebel groups said they have formed a new coalition, the Syrian Islamic Front.

A statement issued by the new group, dated December 21 and posted on a militant website Saturday, described the group as "a comprehensive Islamic front that adopts Islam as a religion, doctrine, approach and conduct."

Several rebel groups have declared their own coalitions in Syria, including an "Islamic state" in the embattled city of Aleppo.

The statement said the new group will work to avoid differences or disputes with the other Islamic groups.

Syrian authorities meanwhile handed over to Beirut three Lebanese citizens who were killed last month in a clash with Syrian troops shortly after they crossed the border. Syria has so far returned 10 bodies to the Lebanese authorities and says it has no more.
(AP, Al-Akhbar)

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Palestinian Hunger Striking Steadfastness

by Stephen Lendman

Palestinians are denied justice. Thousands are lawlessly arrested. They’re brutalized in Israel’s gulag. Prisoners committed no crimes.

Israel persecutes them for not being Jews. Praying to the wrong God is criminalized. Hunger strikers defy Israeli lawlessness. Abstinence is their only weapon.

Widespread actions persisted for weeks last spring. Some lasted over two months. Miraculously no one died. Victories remain elusive. Negotiations produced Israeli promises to ease prison harshness. Most strikers resumed eating.

Pledges made were broken. Israel’s word is worthless. Promises aren’t worth the paper they’re written on.

Imprisoned or free, Palestinians have no rights. Racism is policy. So is institutionalized persecution and violence. Arabs are despised. Israel calls them sub-human.

Many end up lawlessly imprisoned. Some languish there months or years uncharged. Rogue states ignore rule of law principles. Israel is one of the worst. Democracy exists in name only. State terror is official policy. Palestinians endure extreme harshness.

Hunger striker Samer Al-Eesawy refused food for over four and half months. He’s been hunger striking for justice.

Israel does nothing gently. Rogue governments inflict pain aggressively.

On December 18, Samer was abusively brought to court on a wheelchair. He’s too weak to walk. He was painfully cuffed and shackled. Prosecutors claimed he “violated a legal order.”

He was bogusly charged with “tr(ing) to manipulate witnesses.” Doing so from inside Israel’s gulag is impossible. Prisoners are largely isolated.

Samer tried to greet family members in court. Nachshon Brigade forces attacked him brutally. They assaulted his loved ones. They dragged him out of court. They took him back to prison.
They raided his home. They arrested his sister, Shirin. They detained her short-term. She’s now under house arrest.

Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) Legal Unit head Jawad Boulos called this type viciousness “an act of vengeance against the detainee and all striking detainees.”

Samer needs urgent medical care. He’s physically deteriorated. His life hangs by a thread. Boulos wants him hospitalized. He suffers severe chest pain and other symptoms. Bodily cuts need treatment.
A brief session was held. The judge acknowledged Samer’s “difficult” condition. He “needs to be seen by a doctor,” he said. He stopped short of ordering it. On December 27, another session is planned.

Boulos also said soldiers beat Samer again when he tried to talk to reporters. PPS head, Qaddoura Fares, said Israel often attacks and humiliates detainees and family members in court. Presiding military judges don’t intervene.

Israel brutalizes Palestinians. Justice isn’t just denied. It’s trampled and stomped on ruthlessly.
Ayman Sharawneh refused food for over 170 days. Palestine’s Ministry of Prisoner Affairs said he suffers from muscle spasms, memory loss, and severe kidney and abdominal pains.

He and Samer refused Israel’s release offer. It’s conditional on exile. Israeli prison services spokeswoman Siwan Weizman dismissively said they were “both fine.”

In October 2011, they were freed as part of the Israeli/Hamas prisoner exchange. Later they were rearrested. They’re hunger striking for long-denied freedom and justice.

On November 22, Israel arrested Jafar Azzadine, Tarek Qa’adan and Yousef Yassin. They’ve been hunger striking for 22 days. They issued a joint statement, saying:

“Our open hunger strike is to protest the Intelligence and their policies. Our goal is not just to gain our individual freedom but to end the practice of administrative detention, the pointed sword on the neck of the Palestinians.”

“This is a battle in the fight for freedom and dignity despite all the continuing pain and torments that impair us, and despite all the pressure that we endure and is practiced against us by the Israeli Prison Service and Shabak to break our will from our steadfastness.”

“However, the cowardly enemy will never undermine our steadfastness and our determination to achieve justice and freedom for all our imprisoned and hunger striking brothers, and the oppressed and those who were tortured by the fiery tormentors for decades.”

“We call on the sons of our people to stand by us and to show responsibility for our fellow prisoners, especially Samer Issawi and Ayman Sharawna who are nearing death.”

“We also call on all local and international institutions and those that are specifically for human rights to intensify their efforts and to raise our voices high in international forums to expose the barbaric occupation and its practices.”

On December 19, Addameer provided additional information. Israel detained 41-year old Jafar seven times. He was last arrested on March 21. He was detained uncharged.

On May 14, he began hunger striking. On June 19, he was released. His ordeal took a horrific toll. He suffers from low blood pressure, dizziness, headaches, protein deficiency, and constant joint, knees, hands, and spinal cord pain.

Since 1989, Israel detained Tarek 13 times. Its lawlessness has no limits. Most recently, Israel imprisoned him for 15 months. He was charged with speaking at an American University of Jenin commemoration event.

Earlier he hunger struck in solidarity with Khader Adnan and Hana Shalabi.

Israel detained Yousef three times. He was last arrested in February. Israel sentenced him to eight months imprisonment. He, Tarek, and Jafar are uncharged. They committed no crimes.

They’re among thousands of other Israeli political prisoners. They’re held lawlessly. They’re brutalized. Torture is official Israeli policy. Nearly everyone detained is affected. Children young as 10 are treated like adults.

Addameer, other Palestinian human rights groups, Israeli and international ones condemn Israeli lawlessness.

On June 26 annually, the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, is commemorated. Global victims and survivors are honored.

This year, a Detainees and Ex-Detainees Society report discussed horrific Israeli torture, abuse and humiliating treatment. It called Israeli policy ethically and legally corrupt.

Photos showed brutalized children. Others displayed handcuffed and blindfolded male and female prisoners. They were in “disgraceful positions.” Soldiers mocked them. Excessive brutality is standard practice.

PPS head Qaddoura Fares said 178 UN decisions condemned Israeli torture, abuse, and serious mistreatment since 1967. Israel ignores them. Brutality is institutionalized. Its official policy. Palestinians bear the brunt of Israeli ruthlessness at its worst.

On December 20, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) appealed to international community leaders to save Ayman and Samer. It urged they demand immediate unconditional release.

PCHR holds Israel fully accountable. They’ve been hunger striking for 174 and 144 days respectively.

Ayman began on July 1. Samer followed on August 1. They’re protesting lawless rearrest and detention uncharged. In October 2011, both were part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner swap deal.
Israel reneged on its promise. Released Palestinian prisoners were ruthlessly harassed. Many were rearrested.

Long hunger strikes cause considerable physical deterioration. Both men now refuse water and other liquids.

They lost considerable body mass. They suffer from general weakness, anemia, protein deficiency, low sugar, deteriorated vision, and considerable pain and discomfort.

Their lives hang in the balance. Israel won’t release them. Adequate medical care is denied. Heavy pressure is applied. Prisoners are told either resume eating or face extreme harshness for refusing.
PCHR also expressed grave concern for thousands of other mistreated Palestinian prisoners. Israel’s gulag assures brutalizing inhumane treatment.

Since 1967, over 700,000 Palestinians experienced it. Over 20% of the population was affected. For males, it’s 40%. For women, it’s about 10,000. For children around 7,000 were imprisoned since 2000 alone.

No other country comes close to these figures. None calling themselves democracies dare. With the world’s largest prison population by far, America comes closest.

Both countries spurn rule of law principles. Both institutionalized prison hell. Both prioritize pain and suffering. Nothing too abusive is avoided.

Palestinians perhaps suffer worst of all. They endure the worst forms of cruel, humiliating and degrading treatment.

Israel spares nothing to inflict torment. Collective punishment is official policy. World leaders able to enforce accountability do nothing. Palestinian suffering continues. It’s unabated out of sight and mind.

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

Netanyahu: What the UN says doesn't interest me

A laborer works at the construction site of a new housing project at the Jewish settlement of Gilo in east Jerusalem on December 20, 2012. Israel has approved plans to build 523 homes in the West Bank, Jewish settlers said, in the first step towards a new settlement "city" that drew furious condemnation from the Palestinians. (Photo: AFP - Ahmad Gharabali)

Published Saturday, December 22, 2012
 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a television interview Saturday night that he is not interested in what the UN has to say about illegal settlement construction, which intensified in the East Jerusalem area this month.

“We live in a Jewish state, and Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. The Western Wall is not occupied territory. We will build in Jerusalem because this is our right. What the UN says doesn't interest me,” Netanyahu told Israel's Channel 2.

After a UN vote upgraded Palestine's status to a non-member state, Israel activated a frozen project to expand settlement building between East Jerusalem and Maaleh Adumim, Israel's largest illegal settlement. The project is known as E1, and is considered a first step towards turning the area into a settlement "city".

In addition to E1, Israel has announced it will build 3,000 new settlement houses inside the West Bank.

Fourteen members of the UN Security Council condemned Israel for its settlement plans, but stopped short of issuing a resolution.

On Tuesday, the US State Department accused Israel of engaging in a “pattern of provocative action”.

The Palestinian Authority Friday said it was considering filing a complaint to the International Criminal Court if the UN Security Council "does not take action" over increased Israeli settlement construction.

Palestine's UN status upgrade last month granted it the power to refer Israel to the ICC.
(Al-Akhbar)

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