Archive for February 27, 2009
Arab Communism: Some causes of Demise
My weekly article in Al-Akhbar: “Arab Communism: Some causes of Demise”
Posted on February 27, 2009 by As'ad
Arab Communism: Some causes of Demise
My weekly article in Al-Akhbar: “Arab Communism: Some causes of Demise”
Posted on February 27, 2009 by As'ad
Shopping
“The United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), across the Persian Gulf from Iran, signed military deals worth 18.4 billion dirhams ($5 billion) during an arms exhibition in Abu Dhabi this week, a senior officer has said.” (thanks Laleh)
Posted on February 27, 2009 by As'ad
Tomato news
“But when asked if it is reasonable to assume that an American who has eaten a fresh tomato from a grocery store or food-service company during the winter has eaten fruit picked by the hand of a slave, Molloy said, “It is not an assumption. It is a fact.— (thanks Ema)
Posted on February 27, 2009 by As'ad
The real Saddam: eager for Zionist approval
“In early summer 1995, a few months before his assassination, prime minister Yitzhak Rabin asked Jordan’s King Hussein to approach Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein on his behalf and arrange a joint visit by Rabin and Hussein to Baghdad, according to Nigel Ashton, author of “King Hussein: A political Life” (Yale University Press).”
Posted on February 27, 2009 by As'ad
Again, Quantum communications
“Mr. ROHRABACHER. How much is the contract with Quantum? Mr. KLEINMAN. We don’t actually have a fixed contract. We don’t have an obligation to them. We basically pay based on the show, on a show-by-show, episode-by-episode basis. Any agreement that we had with them and still have with them is cancellable and is not a [...]
Posted on February 27, 2009 by As'ad
Spare me your crocodile tears
US media sometimes have sympathy for the Palestinian people but only if they can argue that their victimizers are not Israel.
Posted on February 27, 2009 by As'ad
Dahlan Foreign Minister finds courage
“Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki said on Thursday the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) condemns the U.S. embargo against Cuba.”
Posted on February 27, 2009 by As'ad
Something perverse
“As with “Beaufort,” then, “Bashir” leaves you with the impression that Israeli soldiers are nice kids, scared shitless – contrary to the brutality evinced on television news footage. If the facts of the human condition that the film depicts do evoke pity and fear from the audience, it’s not because your estimation of these boys [...]
Posted on February 27, 2009 by As'ad
War by other names
“It would be superfluous in us to point out that a plan to “end” a war which includes the continued garrisoning of up to 50,000 troops in a hostile land is, in reality, a continuation of that war, not its cessation.” (thanks Shehadeh)
Posted on February 27, 2009 by As'ad
“Summerfield’s article provoked hundreds of responses, about 550 of which the BMJ published as rapid responses.2 Of these, a small proportion were broadly supportive of Summerfield’s article, but most were hostile. Reading them might give the impression of a civilised debate in progress, but the published responses were a skewed sample of what had been [...]
Posted on February 27, 2009 by As'ad
Thuggish dictator
“For instance, the King is using international forums and other international gatherings for merely public image and propaganda to show his western audience and his foreign interlocutors that he is a real democrat believing in democracy and human rights. Truly, he is a young yet growing thuggish dictator in the heart of the Middle East.” [...]
Posted on February 27, 2009 by As'ad
Boycott, NOW
“The LEGO group contributed two large containers holding a thousand boxes of ‘duplos’ – large-sized Lego blocks. The Danish toys will be distributed among 170 WIZO pre-schools across Israel and particularly to the 35 pre-schools located in southern communities, where residents are still suffering from rocket-fire.” (thanks Asa)
Posted on February 27, 2009 by As'ad
Cedar tribunal
The special tribunal for Lebanon has pictures of the cedars. (thanks Emily)
Posted on February 27, 2009 by As'ad
Complaint
“An Egyptian woman, who went to file a complaint at a police station on 19 January, has since been subjected to torture, ill-treatment and death threats against her and her family by members of the local police force.” (thanks Olivia)
Posted on February 27, 2009 by As'ad
All that you have done, is registered in notebooks
“According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, during the week of 19 – 26 Feb. 2009, a Palestinian child died of wounds sustained during the recent Israeli invasion of Gaza. In addition, Israeli troops injured 19 Palestinians, 17 of whom were unarmed civilians, of whom eight were children, in the West Bank and Gaza [...]
Posted on February 27, 2009 by As'ad
Key difference
“As a result, Palestinians are less important to the Israeli economy than India was to Britain. Their marginalization and de-development are intentional and serve to facilitate Israeli expropriation of valuable water, land, and other resources. Moreover, Israel receives significant financial and military “aid†from the United States which also reduces its need to integrate economically [...]
Posted on February 27, 2009 by As'ad
A personal and international tragedy
“Mr. Wiesel’s charity lost $15.2 million, and he and his wife, Marion, lost their life savings. “This was a personal tragedy where we discovered all of a sudden what we had done in 40 years — my books, my lectures, everything — was gone,†said Mr. Wiesel, who shared his story as part of a [...]
Posted on February 27, 2009 by As'ad
Training of Dahlan gangs
“So there is cooperation. An Israeli officer inaugurated the firing range here, shooting a Palestinian weapon to test it and give his seal of approval.”
Posted on February 27, 2009 by As'ad
Ethan Bronner on Dahlan Gangs
Here, Ethan Bronner describes Dahlan armed gangs: “But his commitment to helping the Palestinians build a responsible and serious security force is enormous.“
Posted on February 27, 2009 by As'ad