Archive for May 13, 2007
“A report by two major Israeli civil rights organizations that was issued Sunday indicates that Palestinians abandoned more than 1,000 homes and at least 1,829 businesses in the center of Hebron due to pressure by the Israel Defense Forces, the police and Jewish settlers. Many of those referred to fled during the second intifada, beginning [...]
Posted on May 13, 2007 by As'ad
“Germany is pushing strongly to lift or ease European sanctions against Uzbekistan, despite the central Asian dictatorship’s appalling human rights record, protests from human rights watchdogs and opposition from other EU countries.”
Posted on May 13, 2007 by As'ad
Nothing confirms my atheism than the image of Arab leaders (especially those puppets of occupation) praying. The question, however, is this: to whom are you prostrating, o Palestinian Authority President? To whom?
Posted on May 13, 2007 by As'ad
Al-Arabiya TV slipped. A few days ago, I watched a documentary on Al-Arabiya TV which was followed by a discussion hosted by Maysun `Azzam. I was quite surprised. IT was not something that you expect from Al-Arabiya: several Jordanian experts appeared and documented the extent to which Jordanian government signed off Jordanian water rights (to [...]
Posted on May 13, 2007 by As'ad
“”Israel sees Jerusalem as a demographic problem,” he said, “and sees the solution as getting rid of Palestinians.”” (thanks M.)
Posted on May 13, 2007 by As'ad
People think that I am harsh on the Lebanese sometimes. Not true. I am willing to praise the Lebanese when necessary. I will be the first to acknowledge that Lebanese journalists (with few exceptions) are the best and most skilled in prostrating themselves before House of Saud and their affiliates. Here, a Lebanese columnist describes [...]
Posted on May 13, 2007 by As'ad
King `Abdullah and Prince Sultan discussing “the Palestinian cause” with Dick Cheney. Also seen in the picture is US Department of State’s Arabic interpretor, Jamal Hilal. Hilal is praised a lot in Dennis Ross’s account of his “peace process.” Hilal apparently explains “the Arab culture” to US officials. He, apparently, was the first to explain [...]
Posted on May 13, 2007 by As'ad
Foolishly, I read Madeleine Albright’s The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs on the plane yesterday. What do you expect. She even has a section on Islam and the need to learn about Islam. She talked about holding an Iftar (she spelled it Iftaaaaar) at the US Department of State. [...]
Posted on May 13, 2007 by As'ad
This is an actual headline from the Daily Telegraph: “US to build Afghan super-madrassas” (They misspelled madrassas. It should have been super-maaadrraaaaassssaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas.). (thanks Badis)
Posted on May 13, 2007 by As'ad
“Between 100,000 and 300,000 barrels a day of Iraq’s declared oil production over the past four years is unaccounted for and could have been siphoned off through corruption or smuggling, according to a draft American government report. Using an average of $50 a barrel, the report said the discrepancy was valued at $5 million to [...]
Posted on May 13, 2007 by As'ad
Mr. Bush wants victory and a smoothie to go: “Bloodshed rises in Iraq as US demands ‘victory’”
Posted on May 13, 2007 by As'ad
“I’ll admit that I’ve grown weary of being a punching bag over these decisions — particularly from critics who’ve never spent time in Iraq, don’t understand its complexities.” Oh, yeah. Nobody understands the complexities of Iraq more than Paul Bremer. Somebody told me that he has not read one book on Iraq, and refused all [...]
Posted on May 13, 2007 by As'ad
They are merely trying to make the world a more peaceful and safer place, just as they did in Iraq. “The Pentagon is seeking to make permanent and expand to other countries some security and foreign assistance programs underway in Iraq and Afghanistan that traditionally have been supervised by the State Department and the Agency [...]
Posted on May 13, 2007 by As'ad
King of Jordan cancels his trip to Ramallah “due to severe weather conditions in Ramallah.”
Posted on May 13, 2007 by As'ad
First there was the surge. And then there was the super surge. And now they are talking about a very super surge. Yet, Mr. Bush keeps making “modest progress” in Iraq, having “made progress” before.
Posted on May 13, 2007 by As'ad
I need to know this: who told US media that the queen of Jordan (first Elizabeth Halabi and now this one, Rania) speaks for Muslim women of the world?
Posted on May 13, 2007 by As'ad
At least some good news for those who enjoy their heroin: “Afghans hit hardest by biggest opium crop.”
Posted on May 13, 2007 by As'ad
Taliban military commander, Dad-u-l-Lah, was killed. This happened weeks after giving “an exclusive” interview to to AlJazeera. Many Taliban and Qa`idah types are captured shortly after speaking to AlJazeera. Some men can’t stay out of the limelight, even if they are wanted men. This Dad-u-l-Lah dude, for example, has a long series of massacres on [...]
Posted on May 13, 2007 by As'ad
“‘The line between liberating the world and enslaving the world is amazingly thin,’ the liberal Paul Berman wrote in 1996, before later endorsing Bush’s wars. ‘Likewise, the line between liberating the world and throwing yourself off a cliff.’ Vidal thinks the US left the top of the cliff years ago: it’s what happens at the [...]
Posted on May 13, 2007 by As'ad
“To become a refugee in the Middle East is in some ways to become like a Palestinian. Their lives are the essence of statelessness. And to be an Iraqi Palestinian, it seems, is to be doubly cursed. In a no-man’s land along the Iraqi and Syrian border lie a desolate moonscape stretching several miles and, [...]
Posted on May 13, 2007 by As'ad