Archive for July, 2006

“Limits of Israel’s high-tech power”

Posted by As'ad at 11:26 PM 07/31/06

“Raise readiness, Assad tells Syrian Army” (What’s readiness, says Syrian Army?)

Posted by As'ad at 11:21 PM 07/31/06

This is what I am forced to read in the American press. I mean, is this journalism or IDF propaganda brochures? What’s the difference: “”You’re an officer now, so look after your soldiers, and always, always keep your eyes open,” said his father, Yossi, who fought alongside two brothers in Israel’s wars of [...]

Posted by As'ad at 11:15 PM 07/31/06

“Hours after a promised suspension of Israeli air attacks, the civilian survivors of some of the most intense fighting in the war clambered from the wreckage. They were shrunken figures, dehydrated and hungry. Some had lived on candy bars, others on pieces of dry bread. Some were shellshocked, their faces blank, the expression that comes [...]

Posted by As'ad at 11:12 PM 07/31/06

“Namad Baidoun, traumatized by 20 days of Israeli bombing, screams as she walks out of the shattered ruins of her village of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon.”

Posted by As'ad at 11:11 PM 07/31/06

I had written an ode to Jimmy Carter before. Here, Carter offers his views on the Israeli war: “It is inarguable that Israel has a right to defend itself against attacks on its citizens, but it is inhumane and counterproductive to punish civilian populations in the illogical hope that somehow they will blame Hamas [...]

Posted by As'ad at 11:02 PM 07/31/06

After the Israeli killing sprees in Lebanon, I am not in the mood to hear one word about the investigation of Hariri’s assassination. Not a word. Maybe if you investigate Israeli massacres in Siddiqin, Tayr Harfa, Srifa, Nabatiyyah, Qana, Marwahin, and others, I may reconsider.

Posted by As'ad at 10:57 PM 07/31/06

He would not dare speak in public: “Kofi Annan told Jack Straw of his anger at Britain’s stance on the conflict in a phone call last Wednesday to the former foreign secretary, it emerged last night. The UN secretary general rang Mr Straw hours after Britain and the US blocked a call for an immediate [...]

Posted by As'ad at 8:55 PM 07/31/06

“[T]he king of fairyland would be forced to come to terms with the consequences of Israel’s occupation of other people’s lands and of its murder of civilians; of his own invasion of Iraq and of his failure, across the past six years, to treat the Palestinians fairly. And this he seems incapable of doing. Instead, [...]

Posted by As'ad at 8:51 PM 07/31/06

Lies of Israel: “The 48-hour pause in bombardment announced by Israel to allow civilians to leave southern Lebanon was interrupted within hours of its start yesterday when the Israeli military launched three air strikes at targets near the border.”

Posted by As'ad at 8:48 PM 07/31/06

Israeli-Mayors-for-War: ““There is no cease-fire, and there will be no cease-fire in the upcoming days,” Olmert promised to the cheers of mayors in attendance. Conference participants made it clear they want the operation to continue.”

Posted by As'ad at 8:41 PM 07/31/06

How could anybody in Lebanon make a defense of the Syrian regime anymore? I mean, really. Here is a regime that used to justify its military presence on Lebanon on grounds of military-strategic needs of the Arab-Israeli conflict, and here is a regime which has defense treaties with Lebanon. And look at [...]

Posted by As'ad at 8:34 PM 07/31/06

Qatar today officially accused “some Arab governments” of supporting the Israeli war of aggression on Lebanon.

Posted by As'ad at 7:23 PM 07/31/06

Zionist potatoes. Today, Israeli occupation troops fired at a truck carrying potatoes. They later claimed that the potatoes were bearded and could have very well been supporters of Hizbullah. Like Zarqawi, Zionists kill truck drivers and poor workers.

Posted by As'ad at 7:20 PM 07/31/06

I find it most offensive these days to read in Saudi-funded media former pathetic propagandists for Saddam Husayn now posing as advocates of “democracy” and “liberalism.” Where do I go? Not to Disneyland.

Posted by As'ad at 7:14 PM 07/31/06

Zionism and House of Saud. Saudi columnist, `Abdur-Rahman Ar-Rashid, says that Israeli prolonging of the war beyond the two-weeks “embarrassed its friends.” But Zionism deserves House of Saud. Zionism does not deserve better than that. In fact, they both deserve one another. A perfect fit, if you ask me.

Posted by As'ad at 7:09 PM 07/31/06

Gamal `Abd-u-n-Nasser should never be forgiven. He is most responsible for the 1967 defeat, which instilled and expanded in Zionism this arrogant and massive use of violence against Arabs–a factor that was always a key element in Zionism of course. Nasser’s loyalty to his incompetent friend, “General” `Amir, cost us not only that war, [...]

Posted by As'ad at 6:56 PM 07/31/06

Arabic newspapers have reported that Shi`ites have demonstrated in support of Hizbullah in Saudi Arabia. Now that the House of Saud is on the side of Israel, American Zionists would support any oppression and all executions in the kingdom. That Zionist-Saudi alliance is kind of amusing, if you think about it. Even [...]

Posted by As'ad at 6:49 PM 07/31/06

“A War Without End”

Posted by As'ad at 6:47 PM 07/31/06

Not only is the cowardly and useless Lebanese Army refraining from defending Lebanon from Israeli attacks, but it also preventing Palestinians from helping in the defense of Lebanon. This Army should be disbanded. It is an embarrassment to the country and a huge waste of tax-payers money.

Posted by As'ad at 6:39 PM 07/31/06

Israeli occupation troops (ab)using the lamas in their terrorist missions in Lebanon.

Posted by As'ad at 6:22 PM 07/31/06

(Pictures of hassan on Monday , and zeinab on sunday)Hanady Salman (friend and editor at As-Safir in Beirut) sent this:“Three of my colleagues went to Tyre today. I will spare you the details of what they saw and wrote. Only one thing that I need to share with you. Saada went to Jabal [...]

Posted by As'ad at 6:08 PM 07/31/06

Grand (never) Ayatullah Sistani issued a statement agaisnt Israeli aggression in Lebanon. It reads: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Posted by As'ad at 5:22 PM 07/31/06

House of Saud’s propagandist (and Saudi embassy in DC advisor (and “former” Bin Ladenite), Jamal Khashuqji, distances himself from the opinion of anti-Shi`ite cleric, Nasir Al-`Umar.

Posted by As'ad at 5:19 PM 07/31/06

“THE devastation that is being wrought in Lebanon — the destruction of civilian infrastructure, the death of hundreds of innocent civilians, the displacement of well over half a million inhabitants, the deliberate collective punishment of an entire population in an attempt to defeat Hezbollah — is not simply Israel’s doing. It is also America’s.”

Posted by As'ad at 5:17 PM 07/31/06

The Syrian president ordered an increase in the level of “preparedness and alertness” of the Syrian armed forces. The preparedness and alertness of the Syrian armed forces is measured on a scale from 0 to 5. So yesterday, it went up from -80 to -70. I took notice.

Posted by As'ad at 5:09 PM 07/31/06

I wish I am kidding, but I am not. Today, mini-Hariri landed in Cyprus. He urged the Cypriot government to end the war in Lebanon. The president of Cyprus (seen above with mini-Hariri) promised to not bomb Lebanon anymore. The people of Lebanon expressed their gratitude to mini-Hariri for saving them [...]

Posted by As'ad at 4:36 PM 07/31/06

Karen Hughes studies the Middle East: “Her nighttime reading is telling. A re-reading of Bernard Lewis’ What Went Wrong? Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response. Alaa Al Aswany’s The Yacoubian Building, about a building in Cairo and all its inhabitants. And, at her bedside, evangelist Billy Graham’s new book, The Journey: How to Live by [...]

Posted by As'ad at 4:22 PM 07/31/06

Ad-Diyar newspaper, which seems to be receiving funds from Qatar as of late (in addition to funding from Al-Walid bin Talal who must not have enjoyed Ayyub’s labeling of the Saudi King as “criminal” and “Zionist”), reported on the behind-the-scenes negotiations that averted a storming of the US embassy in Lebanon. Hizbullah, Amal, and [...]

Posted by As'ad at 4:12 PM 07/31/06

Hizbullah’s Support among the Shi`ite refugees. Make no mistake about it. The surprising show of support among the Shi`ite refugees from South Lebanon for Hizbullah is only partly due to sectarian bonds of solidarity. In the ugly world of Lebanese sectarian politics, each sect is pushed toward a sectarian group or leader. [...]

Posted by As'ad at 2:56 PM 07/31/06

Has there ever been an Israeli massacre in which Zionist perpetrators did not lie about it? Ever?

Posted by As'ad at 2:51 PM 07/31/06

Collective Enthusiasm for War in Israel. Yesterday I saw a demonstration against the war in Jerusalem. I swear, I counted 8 demonstrators. Only two of them did not look Arabs.

Posted by As'ad at 2:48 PM 07/31/06

Israel kills more terrorists: “The Lebanese Red Cross, which conducted the rescue, counted 27 bodies, as many of 17 of them children. The youngest of the dead was 10 months old, and the oldest was 95. One was in a wheelchair.”

Posted by As'ad at 1:58 PM 07/31/06

Human Rights Watch: “Israel Responsible for Qana Attack.” (But notice that lousy last sentence by Kenneth Roth. In other news, I received the original and unpublished cartoon above about Roth (by Lattuff). (Kathy and Amer did not like the cartoon. They were worried that it could be misinterpreted. I don’t know [...]

Posted by As'ad at 1:31 PM 07/31/06

The Hizbullah Body Language: read all about it. This is what American readers are reading: “We could identify them as part of Hezbollah by the way they behave, their age group and their body language.” What a sad state of the US press.

Posted by As'ad at 1:13 PM 07/31/06

Micheal Young discovers that sectarian feudal warlord, Walid Jumblat, is a genius. His evidence: “he surfs the Internet at night.”

Posted by As'ad at 12:10 PM 07/31/06

The leader of the Lebanese sectarian movement that called for the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon in the name of sovereignty and independence says: “We need a force that can cover all of Lebanon, like in Kosovo.“ Enjoy the batata revolution of Lebanon.

Posted by As'ad at 12:03 PM 07/31/06

“The crowd chased after Ahmed Fatfat, Lebanon’s interior minister, after he inspected the damage done to the United Nations building and walked back toward the Saray. “You Zionist dog!” shouted one young man as a group rushed after Mr. Fatfat and his security detail. “He’s the bigger devil.” (This Minister of Ping Pong was [...]

Posted by As'ad at 11:47 AM 07/31/06

Fake French Intellectualism and the Middle East: the case of Bernard-Henri Levy (Levy should be good for the intellectual self-esteem of Americans. You read him and you immediately laugh at the sense of French intellectual superiority): “”J’ai connu, depuis quarante ans, bien des ministres de la défense d’Israël. De Moshé Dayan à Shimon [...]

Posted by As'ad at 11:17 AM 07/31/06

Tikkun has a full-page ad in the New York Times–as always, the premise is (like in Paul Krugman’s) what is good for Israel and the “anguish” of Israeli occupation soldiers. But how dare Lerner begin the ad with this: “In the name of our sisters and brothers suffering and dying in Lebanon, Israel, and [...]

Posted by As'ad at 11:08 AM 07/31/06

The American Left and the Middle East: the case of Paul Krugman. I believe that Krugman is one of the sharpest columnists; his criticisms of the Bush administration have been quite effective. But you have to understand that American liberals are willing to tolerate from Israel what they would never tolerate from [...]

Posted by As'ad at 10:54 AM 07/31/06

Why are they laughing? Well, Qana, of course. They think it is hilarious.

Posted by As'ad at 10:31 AM 07/31/06

“A Jordanian protester is held by security men during a rally at the Jordan University, Monday, July 31, 2006.”

Posted by As'ad at 9:35 AM 07/31/06

Today, the Israeli military claimed victory. They said that they managed to kill a top Hizbullah leader. His name is Jihad `Awdah. Jihad who? Jihad `Awdah. Who is that? I don’t know, and I am supposed to be an expert. Yesterday, Israeli military claimed that they killed another top Hizbullah [...]

Posted by As'ad at 9:24 AM 07/31/06

“A resident walks past a mound of rubble which used to be a high rise apartment building in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon”.

Posted by As'ad at 9:20 AM 07/31/06

“A Lebanese youth carries a box of toys which he retrieved from his apartment, behind, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 31, 2006.”

Posted by As'ad at 9:16 AM 07/31/06

“Iraq’s vice president on Monday accused Israel of carrying out “massacres” in Lebanon, the strongest criticism yet of the Jewish state by a top official of the U.S-backed Iraqi government. Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi, a Shiite, singled out Sunday’s Israeli airstrike that killed at least 56 Lebanese, mostly women and children, in the village [...]

Posted by As'ad at 9:12 AM 07/31/06

Lies of Israeli propaganda: “Israel says hits 2/3 of Hizbollah’s heavy missiles”. In other news, Hizbullah yesterday lobbed 150 missiles–more than any other day since this Israeli war of aggression started– on targets in Israel.

Posted by As'ad at 9:08 AM 07/31/06

The new Lebanese newspaper, Al-Akhbar, is about to be launched any day now.

Posted by As'ad at 9:07 AM 07/31/06

“Hizballah: A Primer”

Posted by As'ad at 9:05 AM 07/31/06

“MR. FRIEDMAN: You know, these are people who, who hate others more than they love their own kids, more than they love their own future. And that’s crazy, and that’s part of the pathology of that part of the world. But one thing I know for sure, you know, what we’re doing right now, what [...]

Posted by As'ad at 11:59 PM 07/30/06

Even the demagogic TV religious speaker, `Amr Khalid, has spoken on the Israeli war of aggression on Lebanon, and he seems to disagree with Saudi Arabia.

Posted by As'ad at 11:21 PM 07/30/06

You switch Arabic channels, and you read different Arabic newspapers and you so regularly hear and read that “the US government is running” this Israeli war of aggression on Lebanon. Is that not true?

Posted by As'ad at 11:19 PM 07/30/06

Lebanese women holding a Beirut vigil in memory of those killed Sunday in Qana.

Posted by As'ad at 10:52 PM 07/30/06

My friend Riad wrote this:“More Israeli lies and propaganda: I was watching Fox news again tonight for my daily dose of propaganda. One correspondent was describing how he was allowed to accompany Israeli soldiers to record their attack on Taibeh. The reporter was told by the group’s captain that the aim was [...]

Posted by As'ad at 10:14 PM 07/30/06

In the demonstration in downtown Beirut, there were many flags. I saw the flags of the Lebanese Communist Party, the Syrian Social National Party, among other local Lebanese parties. Let us not reduce all anti-Israeli politics in Lebanon to Hizbullah. It is well beyond Hizbullah. It is beyond beyond Hizbullah.

Posted by As'ad at 10:12 PM 07/30/06

“US begins building treaty-breaching germ war defence centre”

Posted by As'ad at 7:19 PM 07/30/06

“They wrote the names of the dead children on their plastic shrouds. ” Mehdi Hashem, aged seven ­ Qana,” was written in felt pen on the bag in which the little boy’s body lay. “Hussein al-Mohamed, aged 12 ­ Qana”, “Abbas al-Shalhoub, aged one ­ Qana.” And [...]

Posted by As'ad at 7:16 PM 07/30/06

Don’t you like fuzzy bipartisanship: “The war in Lebanon is creating a warm political consensus. Senator Chuck Schumer (Democrat, NY), normally one of the administration’s most vociferous critics, said Sunday that “he has no criticism of the president on this issue.””

Posted by As'ad at 7:09 PM 07/30/06

Ze’ev Schiff has a word for the Qana massacre: “incident”.

Posted by As'ad at 7:03 PM 07/30/06