Archive for May 16, 2007

I don’t know if any of you watched the Family Guy last Sunday. There was a classic scene of a mayoral debate, in which one candidate kept for no reason invoking Sep. 11, to the delight and cheers of the audience. Something like that happened yesterday in the Republican debate. And was it not surreal [...]

Posted on May 16, 2007 by As'ad

“There are two million war widows in Afghanistan, and their plight is easy to forget in Hamid Karzai’s capital, where Western-style shopping malls, bars and French restaurants are opening up for wealthy foreign aid workers and Afghan expatriates.”

Posted on May 16, 2007 by As'ad

It is astounding how woefully ignorant Bernard Lewis is on Arab and Middle East developments in the 20th century. Look at this: “The Afghan people, who had successfully defied the British Empire in its prime, found a way to resist the Soviet invaders. An organization known as the Taliban (literally, “the students”) began to organize [...]

Posted on May 16, 2007 by As'ad

“However, [Mubarak] also proclaimed that Egypt is making great efforts to end the Hamas government and support Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. “With Hamas no way,” he reportedly said.”

Posted on May 16, 2007 by As'ad

“In many cases people knowingly enter contaminated areas out of economic necessity, the report says. In southern Lebanon cluster munitions contaminate approximately 90% of the land used for farming. The contamination of essential land is reflected in the rise of cluster bomb casualties from two per year prior to 2006 to two per day in [...]

Posted on May 16, 2007 by As'ad

Look at this article by Ian Black. Notice how many times he refers to opposition as “pro-Syria” or “pro-Damascus” but he does not refer to Sanyurah government as “pro-US” or “pro-France” or “pro-Saudi Arabia.” Or is only one kind of “pro” stigmatic?

Posted on May 16, 2007 by As'ad

Are Israeli officials now speaking on behalf of Fath? “Reached by telephone, General Shbak said, “After what has happened, the options are becoming very tough.” Hamas fighters, he said, “are killing in cold blood and they are executing people, and this has exceeded all limits.”PS I, the infallible and glorious I, erred here. I thought [...]

Posted on May 16, 2007 by As'ad

They are reacting to the clashes in Gaza.

Posted on May 16, 2007 by As'ad

Since you will not read this in your press, I will report to you. Israeli occupation forces entered Lebanese territory near the Shib`a area in South Lebanon, and kidnapped Hisham Mustafa. I wonder if the world press will take notice.

Posted on May 16, 2007 by As'ad

Former Algerian Foreign Minister, Ahmad Talib Al-Ibrahimi, greeting Ayatullah Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah.

Posted on May 16, 2007 by As'ad

Assistant Secretary of State for the Near East is visiting Lebanon. He said that he came to Lebanon to prevent foreign intervention in Lebanon. Now that is classic. So the US intervenes in other countries’ affairs to prevent foreign intervention in their affairs. OK. Now I understand.

Posted on May 16, 2007 by As'ad

“Palestinian sources have said that most of the casualties at the Karni-crossing clashes were killed from an Israeli shell.According to the Palestinians, an Israeli shell landed inside a group of Palestinian security guards and killed them.” (thanks Molly)

Posted on May 16, 2007 by As'ad

And you call this a “civil war”? “Israel entered the fray with an airstrike on a Hamas position that killed at least four people.”

Posted on May 16, 2007 by As'ad

“That guard is made up of fighters loyal to Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president and Fatah leader, and his recently chosen national security adviser, Muhammad Dahlan. It seemed no accident on Tuesday that Hamas chose to attack the training base of the Presidential Guard, near the Karni crossing, which the Fatah men are supposed to [...]

Posted on May 16, 2007 by As'ad

“The fighting on Tuesday, on the day in the Muslim calendar that Palestinians commemorate as the “nakba.” No, brilliant New York Times correspondent. It is according to the Gregorian calender, not the Muslim caldender: May 15th, get it? I know that you and other NYT correspondents would never miss an opportunity to invoke Islam or [...]

Posted on May 16, 2007 by As'ad

“Hamizrachi, Beate. 1988. The Emergence of the South Lebanon Security Zone: Major Saad Haddad and the Ties with Israel 1975-1978. New York: Praeger. “Toward the end of the hostilities along the Israeli-Lebanese border [in 1948], a number of Maronites from South Lebanese villages approached Israeli army officers and offered to join the Israeli Defense Force [...]

Posted on May 16, 2007 by As'ad

“Somalia crisis worse than Darfur, says UN.” Yet, there are no Somalia groupies. (thanks Zainab)

Posted on May 16, 2007 by As'ad

“Iran should be attacked before it develops nuclear weapons, America’s former ambassador to the United Nations said yesterday.” He adds that Ahmad Chalabi–no, his cousin, Manousher Chalabi–will be ready to take over once US “liberates” Iran.

Posted on May 16, 2007 by As'ad