Archive for October 26, 2008
“The U.S. military has warned Iraq that it will shut down military operations and other vital services throughout the country on Jan. 1 if the Iraqi government doesn’t agree to a new agreement on the status of U.S. forces or a renewed United Nations mandate for the American mission in Iraq.” (thanks Olivia)
Posted on October 26, 2008 by As'ad
President Obama? Or how to really REALLY Piss Off Fox News. If Obama is elected president he can easily piss off Fox News and the Drudge Report. He can for example address the nation and say the following: “My real name is Hasan Husayn Obama, and I am really a Muslim Arab but did not [...]
Posted on October 26, 2008 by As'ad
“A joint Iraqi-US committee will decide whether Iraqi or US jurisdiction will be applicable to crimes committed by American soldiers off post and off duty, said a top Iraqi diplomat.” I don’t want to interfere in delicate negotitations but I have consulted with Grand Ayatullah Sistani, and he recommended the following: if US soldiers commit [...]
Posted on October 26, 2008 by As'ad
“Security forces in Natanz have arrested two suspected “spy pigeons” near Iran’s controversial uranium enrichment facility, the reformist Etemad Melli newspaper reported on Monday.” (thanks Wassim)
Posted on October 26, 2008 by As'ad
Iraqi oil workers stage a sit-in. (thanks Amer)
Posted on October 26, 2008 by As'ad
“Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian man harvesting his olive trees in the village of Talluza north of the West Bank city of Nablus on Friday.”
Posted on October 26, 2008 by As'ad
The purpose of the Egyptian Army: “Egypt reinforced its forces on the border with Gaza Strip after two days of cracking down on underground smuggling tunnels, local residents and Palestinian sources said on Saturday. Egyptian troops, backed with military vehicles and armored personnel carrier, deployed heavily on the Egyptian side of the borders, according to [...]
Posted on October 26, 2008 by As'ad
Don’t cry for them Phoenicia: “As George Rezk, a former SLA colonel who now works in the Nahariya City Hall in charge of Lebanese affairs said bluntly, “It’s a big mistake how the government has treated us.” Rezk said the Lebanese community in Israel is now at a crucial juncture because government financial subsidies to [...]
Posted on October 26, 2008 by As'ad
The report by Robert Fisk on Abu Nidal is not as the headline of the article advertises. If you read it and re-read it: you can only learn of the allegations and claims of Saddam’s intelligence service. And Fisk is correct to raise doubts about Abu Nidal’s infiltration through Iran. And why would Abu Nidal [...]
Posted on October 26, 2008 by As'ad
“State security police have kept journalists under pressure despite King Abdallah II’s promises of democratic reform. A new government after parliamentary elections in November 2007 did not produce major changes for the media and self-censorship continues.” (thanks Shihadeh)
Posted on October 26, 2008 by As'ad
“Israel is rewarding the Palestinian Authority for its work in detaining militants, Barhoum said.” (thanks Mal)
Posted on October 26, 2008 by As'ad
“And so quiet negotiations alongside the framework of the larger security deal seem set to allow the United States military to continue confining some dangerous detainees at the Iraqis’ request.” (thanks Olivia)
Posted on October 26, 2008 by As'ad
“In fact, the army was deliberately kept weak by the country’s Syrian overseers, who did not want a strong alternative force.” Oh, yes. The US government wanted to supply Lebanon with the most advanced weaponry but the Syrian government prevented the US from supplying the Lebanese Army. Oh, yeah.
Posted on October 26, 2008 by As'ad
He is back.
Posted on October 26, 2008 by As'ad
“Clarion refuses to reveal the identity of donors who funded the making of the “Obsession” in 2006 and paid for the costs associated with its distribution.”
Posted on October 26, 2008 by As'ad
A reader sent me Neve Gordon’s reaction to my review of his book (see below). I only have one comment: why do some authors have the habit of accusing their critical reviewers of not reading their books, or not “carefully” reading their books? Also, did Gordon not understand that my point about Khalil Sakakini was [...]
Posted on October 26, 2008 by As'ad