Archive for March 24, 2009
Political advertisements in Lebanon
Comrade Pierre on the silly political campaigns (on behalf of Hariri family) by Saatchi and Saatchi.
Posted on March 24, 2009 by As'ad
Don’t walk, don’t eat
“Palestinian laborers are forbidden to walk around the community of Har Adar in the Jerusalem corridor. They are allowed to work, but cannot simply roam the area. This is the local council’s policy.”
Posted on March 24, 2009 by As'ad
Houston
To those who asked, my talk in Houston this Friday is a closed event. I am speaking to a community group in a house.
Posted on March 24, 2009 by As'ad
Dubai: miracle of capitalism?
“The owners of these vehicles are mainly British expatriates, who have left in a hurry because they faced “crippling debts” as a result of Dubai’s financial meltdown and their own profligate behaviour. Many of them, says Hollingsworth, have defaulted on loans; rather than risk arrest and jail, they drove at top speed to the airport [...]
Posted on March 24, 2009 by As'ad
Pleasing…House of Saud
“But the film was also furiously opposed by the clerical establishment. The senior cleric who, at that time, headed the Saudi religious police was not amused. Film is “evil,” he charged, and must continue to be banned. Within days of his pronouncement, however, he changed his tune, judging that cinema was fine as long as [...]
Posted on March 24, 2009 by As'ad
Zionism: by force
“Jewish tourists who spend more than 180 days in Israel, even without violating the terms of their tourist visas, are being increasingly harassed by border patrol officials, detained at the crossings and, in some cases, deported to their port of origin or forced to make aliya against their will, according to a Tel Aviv law [...]
Posted on March 24, 2009 by As'ad
Zionism=war crimes
“The Guardian has compiled detailed evidence of alleged war crimes committed by Israel during the 23-day offensive in the Gaza Strip earlier this year, involving the use of Palestinian children as human shields and the targeting of medics and hospitals. A month-long investigation also obtained evidence of civilians being hit by fire from unmanned drone [...]
Posted on March 24, 2009 by As'ad
Loyalty to the State
“”There are hostile elements who say that the State of Israel is a provocation. They say that any national matter is a provocation. But all we are doing is wave the Israeli flag. All we are demanding is loyalty to the State.” Loyalty to the State? Wasn’t that was Himmler demanded? (thanks Asa)
Posted on March 24, 2009 by As'ad
Electronic Ali
Electronic Ali is speaking in Berkeley tomorrow. Go see him although I have a department meeting here.
Posted on March 24, 2009 by As'ad
Zionism is racism, literally as Joe Biden would say
“of some 120 criminal investigations brought against security force members since the beginning of the intifada, there had only been one conviction – against the Arab-Israeli soldier who shot British peace activist Tom Hurndall dead in Gaza.” (thanks Ahmed)
Posted on March 24, 2009 by As'ad
Occupier’s laws
A student at Hebrew University sent me this flyer (in Hebrew and Arabic). I don’t wish to identify her for her own protection. She wrote: “Attached with this email a picture (in Arabic(?) & Hebrew) for an order to close the Palestinian National Theatre (Al-Hakawati) in Jerusalem that was put on the theatre’s door. This [...]
Posted on March 24, 2009 by As'ad
Assassination in Beirut (i should have said in Lebanon, not Beirut)
Robert Worth (and the AUB professor he cites in the story) are over their head on this. Kamal Midhat was not like what people think. He was not part of the Fath hierarchy in the region and was opposed to Oslo and was punished by Fath for it. My sister, Mirvat, knew Kamal Midhat and [...]
Posted on March 24, 2009 by As'ad
Obama Rules
“Former U.S. Mideast peace negotiator Martin Indyk is leading discussions between Israeli and Palestinian advisors and officials at a three-day, off-record Brookings event that got underway last night.” (thanks Laleh)
Posted on March 24, 2009 by As'ad
Political Economy of Collaboration
“For instance, at a time when Palestinian GDP has stagnated or fallen — GDP fell 8% in 2006, was 0% in 2007, and was “constrained†in 2008 — for the past several years, “aid†received by the PA for the first quarter of 2008 exceeded their sizeable budget deficit ($317m). (p. 11) The “surplus†aid [...]
Posted on March 24, 2009 by As'ad
Regarding the threat to Angry Arab
Saeed did some great investigative work. He found that the text of the threat that I received from the Prince Muqrin’s little group in Lebanon was almost exactly the same as the text of a “threat” that the same group claimed that it had received. You compare: إلى -أسعد أبو خليل- أو العميل الأمريكي الغاضب. [...]
Posted on March 24, 2009 by As'ad
Called an idiot
“On one campus, for example, I was condemned as an “idiot†because I said that a majority of Palestinians voted for Hamas in the January 2006 election because they were fed up with financial corruption in the Palestinian Authority.” How to put it nicely to you. Well, let us just say that no, you were [...]
Posted on March 24, 2009 by As'ad
Dr. Prince Nayif Bin `Abdul-`Aziz
Just because Prince Nayif (the Saudi Minister of Interior) supervises the system of terror and repression which includes the production of fanatical terrorists over the years and the rituals of beheadings and stoning of lovers and the electrocution of genitals does not mean that he is not a “political scientist.” Lebanese Prime Minister, Fu’ad Sanyurah, [...]
Posted on March 24, 2009 by As'ad
Prince Sultan’s Health
Prince Nayif said that Prince Sultan will return from the US with his “full health.” You know what that means, don’t you? It means one thing and one thing only: get the shovels and start digging. The man is dead. Very dead.
Posted on March 24, 2009 by As'ad
Prince Nayif: on the Role of the Media
Prince Nayif bin `Abdul-`Aziz is attending the summit of the Arab Ministers of Interiors in Beirut. He called on the media to play its role in “correcting the wrong ideas.” I kid you not. He actually said that.
Posted on March 24, 2009 by As'ad