Archive for December, 2009

…off to Lebanon

I am off to Lebanon. I will return on Jan. 20th. I can be contacted telepathically. I am speaking (in Arabic) on January 13 at 7:00PM at the American University of Beirut in the Issam Fares Hall. The title of my talk is “Palestine in the Lebanese C…

Posted by As'ad at 11:48 AM 12/31/09

AlJazeera versus Al-Arabiyyah TV (II)

I can explain to you this way: the difference between Aljazeera and Al-Arabiyya is like the difference between the Economist and Hustler.

Posted by As'ad at 11:25 AM 12/31/09

US/Israel hearts Husni Mubarak

“Egypt, which was among the first Arab countries to apply for a domain names with Arabic letters, is ranked by Global Voices as one of the most repressive countries for bloggers.”

Posted by As'ad at 11:20 AM 12/31/09

I respect David Ottaway

I did not have time to write about David Ottaway’s book, The King’s Messenger. But I will publish a long article in Arabic about it in Al-Akhbar. I respect this man. He is the only one who covered Prince Bandar and Saudi royalty without being seduce…

Posted by As'ad at 11:07 AM 12/31/09

Iran protests: covering the other side

Prior to receiving the letter from a critical reader, I of course, was planning to see how the Western media were going to cover the Iran protests. The New York Times has moved her Iran correspondent from…Toronto to…New York City, to get closer to…

Posted by As'ad at 10:56 AM 12/31/09

For you, Jamal Mubarak

Mubarak’s stooges cursing in the Egyptian puppet parliament.

Posted by As'ad at 10:35 AM 12/31/09

Kenneth Roth understands the pain of the oppressors

“Israel is understandably frustrated by the difficulty of fighting Hamas…” What else do you find understandable about Israel war crimes, o Kenneth Roth? And do you find Palestinians frustrations fighting against a racist colonialist entity, underst…

Posted by As'ad at 10:30 AM 12/31/09

Jordanian troops around the world

“The Jordanian Army announced Wednesday that one of its ranking officers was killed earlier in the day in Afghanistan.” (thanks May)

Posted by As'ad at 10:28 AM 12/31/09

Being civilized in Israel

“During the rally, Israeli Arab MK Jamal Zahalka directed harsh criticism at Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who he said enjoys “classical music and killing children in Gaza.”" (thanks Marcy)

Posted by As'ad at 10:27 AM 12/31/09

If this happened in Russia, the New York Times would have put it on the front page

“Two bloggers received home visits from Transportation Security Administration agents Tuesday after they published a new TSA directive that revises screening procedures and puts new restrictions on passengers in the wake of a recent bombing attempt …

Posted by As'ad at 10:25 AM 12/31/09

Praising a terrorist in the Washington Post: defining courtesy

“”When Abdulmutallab spoke, he was courteous. He didn’t publicly express radical thoughts, didn’t lash out against U.S. policies in Iraq or Afghanistan. He didn’t express core Muslim grievances such as Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.” (thanks Samuel)

Posted by As'ad at 10:23 AM 12/31/09

Foreign maids in Lebanon

One maid from Bangladesh was hospitalized after she “fell” from a balcony, and another was hospitalized after she was run over by a car. The Cedar Revolution marches on.

Posted by As'ad at 10:22 AM 12/31/09

Political wishes

Comrade Fawwaz sends wishes for a new year.

Posted by As'ad at 10:19 AM 12/31/09

Foreign maids in Lebanon

“« Ginette, 25 ans, ancienne employée au Liban qui vient de décéder lundi dernier à l’hôpital HJRA suite à la maladie qui l’a rongée depuis le Liban. (…) Cette femme n’a subi que malheurs pendant son séjour au Liban. Elle est rentré…

Posted by As'ad at 10:16 AM 12/31/09

Al-Qa`idah terrorism: Israel’s dirty hands, and the dirty hands of Arab intelligence services

Will we know one day that Al-Qa`idah terrorist structure was infiltrated by Mossad and Arab intelligence services? Well, we know already about the roles of Saudi intelligence and Pakistan’s ISI in the founding and operation of Al-Qa`idah, at least up …

Posted by As'ad at 10:11 AM 12/31/09

Here we go: a conspiracy theory without evidence

“We do know a couple of things. Dad, back in Nigeria, ran the national arms industry (DICON) in partnership with Israel, in particular, the Mossad. He was in daily contact with them. They run everything in Nigeria, from arms production to counter…

Posted by As'ad at 10:08 AM 12/31/09

Taking issue with Iran coverage

A reader (who wishes to remain anonymous) sent me this: ” I’m a – almost – loyal reader of your blog, and share many of your views, so this is not an angry mail or anything, but I think that your coverage of Iran could use more of the same standards…

Posted by As'ad at 10:03 AM 12/31/09

AlJazeera versus Al-Arabiyyah TV

I have been watching more Aljazeera as of late because it has been suggested to me that watching Al-Arabiyyah TV (the private TV station of King Fahd’s brother-in-law) is bad for one’s mental and physical health. But forget about politics, Aljazeera i…

Posted by As'ad at 9:58 AM 12/31/09

The Moral Cowardice Award: Karen Abu Zayd

Yesterday, on Aljazeera’s Bila Hudud, Karen Abu Zayd (the UNRWA’s commissioner) was the guest. She was quite reprehensible: in what she said and what she did not say. Don’t get me wrong. I was never a fan of this woman, and I know how appointment to…

Posted by As'ad at 9:50 AM 12/31/09

Relying on the Yemeni dictator

Relying on the Yemeni dictator to fight terrorism is like relying on Hamid Karzai to fight corruption.

Posted by As'ad at 9:49 AM 12/31/09

Mashallah Shamsolvaezin

“The Iranian government, struggling to silence the many critical voices in the country, has arrested at least 11 journalists since Sunday, including former International Press Freedom Award recipient Mashallah Shamsolvaezin and the prominent writer …

Posted by As'ad at 11:21 AM 12/30/09

Principled foreign policy

“”We have to be deft at this, because it matters how the Iranian people interpret their isolation — whether they fault the regime or are fooled into thinking we are to blame.”" So it is not about whether they suffer or not, it is about whether they b…

Posted by As'ad at 11:18 AM 12/30/09

Iraq and its oil

“Under the new terms, Statoil will eventually hold 18.75 percent of the consortium, with Lukoil holding 56.25 percent and a partner from the Iraqi state holding the remainder, said Ola Aanestad, a spokesman for Statoil.” So why not say that Iraq holds…

Posted by As'ad at 11:16 AM 12/30/09

Sexism and segregation in the Ahmadinajad Republic

Here is what a source in Iran said about this matter that I was inquiring about: “Segregation and more restrictions on women have been part of the plan of Ahmadinejad-Khamenei. Yet their plan has been affected (temporarily stopped) by the recent peo…

Posted by As'ad at 11:14 AM 12/30/09

Ethan Bronner: never misses an opportunity to justify Israeli wars, murders, and…racist segregation

Look at this. He is here justifying the racist segregation on Israeli roads: “But once the uprising began, there was stone-throwing and shooting on the road.”

Posted by As'ad at 10:56 AM 12/30/09

David Levine is dead: a most original artist

This is a great political cartoonist. He invented an original and unique style, and he was imitated by cartoonists worldwide. A Lebanese cartoonist, Stavro, became famous in the 1960s and 1970s with cartoons (that I later realized) that copied the st…

Posted by As'ad at 10:47 AM 12/30/09

US Military Press Release: if this is not liberation, nothing is

” BAGHDAD-An American cultural awareness class started at the Baghdad Police College here Dec. 22. The American cultural awareness class is a small part of the three-year police college curriculum, but it plays a major role in shaping the hearts and …

Posted by As'ad at 10:09 AM 12/30/09

The new Walid Jumblat

“Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader MP Walid Jumblatt expressed relief on Monday over the decreasing number of Druze enrolling in the Israeli Army. Speaking to reporters following ameeting in Cyprus with Druze Member of Knesset Said Naffaa and…

Posted by As'ad at 10:01 AM 12/30/09

Zionism and infant formula

“Gazan resident Muhammad Abu Shabab appealed to the Palestinian Ministry of Health to put pressure on Israel to allow the import of Galactomin 19 infant formula for his 4-month-old nephew.”

Posted by As'ad at 10:00 AM 12/30/09

Dictators that you did not like, but then you suddenly started liking

“Libyan authorities should immediately release and drop all charges against Jamal el-Haji, a political prisoner arrested on December 9, 2009, for publicly criticizing human rights violations in Libya, Human Rights Watch said today. The case highligh…

Posted by As'ad at 9:54 AM 12/30/09

Huffington Post: praise

I am sometimes accused of not writing praise. But I do praise, some times. Like the Huffington Post. When it first started, I was expecting a vigorous liberal voice with the typical standard blind spot on Israeli crimes. I must confess that I have …

Posted by As'ad at 9:52 AM 12/30/09

Moral Cowardice

In the entry on Moral Cowardice in any political dictionary there should be a picture of the smiling Jimmy Carter.

Posted by As'ad at 9:51 AM 12/30/09

Israeli apartheid defined:

“This highway has told the whole story. They pave a road, expropriate Palestinian land and the High Court of Justice approves the expropriation, in its words, “provided that it is done for the sake of the local population.” Afterwards they prevent …

Posted by As'ad at 9:45 AM 12/30/09

Repression that you find delightufl

“Authorities have similarly stopped a number of Americans from marking the first anniversary of the Gaza bombings by renting boats on the Nile River. Another commemoration of the war in Gaza was broken up by police at the Kasr El Nil Bridge near do…

Posted by As'ad at 9:43 AM 12/30/09

Supreme Censorship in Iran

It has come to my supreme attention from supreme readers in Iran that the supreme ban on my supreme blog remains in supreme effect. I call on the supremely lousy Supreme Leader to let the supremely courageous Iranian people to supremely be able to rea…

Posted by As'ad at 9:41 AM 12/30/09

Saudi Arabia’s foreign policies

I have argued before that there is no central Saudi foreign policy under King `Abdullah. There are foreign policies for each of the “prominent” princes. Read the full text of this speech by the dead Prince Sultan, and you will understand what I mean….

Posted by As'ad at 9:39 AM 12/30/09

It is official in Riyadh: Israel is no more the enemy

Look at this cartoon and you can understand Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy. (thanks Abu AbdulRahman)

Posted by As'ad at 9:37 AM 12/30/09

Sons of Zayid: on their priorities

“So Rihanna’s team is now said to be working around the clock to somehow figure out a way to make Rihanna’s daring stage outfits go along with the local traditions in Abu Dhabi, which prides itself as the more mature and conservative brother of n…

Posted by As'ad at 9:35 AM 12/30/09

You would not know about this from reading the US press

“M. Karzaï a parlé avec les familles des écoliers. “Le président leur a assuré que le gouvernement enquêterait sérieusement sur cet incident et traiterait les coupables conformément à la loi”, précise le communiqué. L’incident a provoqué…

Posted by As'ad at 9:32 AM 12/30/09

The Middle East in Western Archives

Don’t hold your breaths. I have said before: Western governments are so protective of their clients in the Middle East that there has been no explosive (and candid) declassification of documents in the post-WWII era. They cover up to keep their inter…

Posted by As'ad at 8:23 AM 12/30/09

Marc Ginsberg: all that he knows is from Wikipedia (and plagiarism????)

He would be on my list of people in the US media with least knowledge of the Middle East region. He is a favorite commentator on Middle East affairs at Fox News. You get the point. And he has an annoying smile, to boot. Look at this jumbled piece h…

Posted by As'ad at 8:09 AM 12/30/09

For you, Jamal Mubarak

“Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit offered rare praise for Netanyahu, commending him for raising various new ideas for advancing the peace process.” (thanks Rime)

Posted by As'ad at 8:04 AM 12/30/09

Gaza Freedom March

““What Egypt has done to us here, this is collective punishment,” says Amar. “We started to call this the Giza Strip.””

Posted by As'ad at 8:02 AM 12/30/09

Goldstone Report and Gaza

“(Thus far, the State Department has been claiming the report is actually an obstacle to peace.) And Obama should use his moral authority, while there’s some left, to open the way for peaceful protest in Gaza, instead of allowing Israel and Egypt to sh…

Posted by As'ad at 8:01 AM 12/30/09

Anis Sayigh

Nice tributes to Anis Sayigh in As-Safir.

Posted by As'ad at 10:38 AM 12/29/09

Anis Sayigh

Nice tributes to Anis Sayigh in As-Safir.

Posted by As'ad at 10:38 AM 12/29/09

Anis Sayigh

Nice tributes to Anis Sayigh in As-Safir.

Posted by As'ad at 10:38 AM 12/29/09

Anis Sayigh

Nice tributes to Anis Sayigh in As-Safir.

Posted by As'ad at 10:38 AM 12/29/09

Repression that you really like

“A Yemeni reporter is being held without charge after being arrested on Sunday while covering clashes between security forces and separatists in Yemen’s southern province of Dhala, according to local news reports. The arrest is the latest attempt…

Posted by As'ad at 10:31 AM 12/29/09

Repression that you really like

Posted by As'ad at 10:31 AM 12/29/09

Repression that you really like

Posted by As'ad at 10:31 AM 12/29/09

Repression that you really like

Posted by As'ad at 10:31 AM 12/29/09

Blame the Lebanese for this: wanting to be white, literally

“This fight to be white appears to make a mockery of ethnic pride. It turns modern notions of political correctness on their heads. But it won’t stop a Palestinian college student like Hanadi Suleiman from spending her limited spare change on over…

Posted by As'ad at 10:29 AM 12/29/09

Blame the Lebanese for this: wanting to be white, literally

Posted by As'ad at 10:29 AM 12/29/09

Blame the Lebanese for this: wanting to be white, literally

Posted by As'ad at 10:29 AM 12/29/09

Blame the Lebanese for this: wanting to be white, literally

Posted by As'ad at 10:29 AM 12/29/09

This is the kind of repression that you like

“In an unprecedented move, the Palestinian Authority prosecutor-general on Monday issued an arrest warrant against the chairman of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, Naim Toubassi, on charges of financial corruption and slander.” (thanks Olivia)

Posted by As'ad at 10:24 AM 12/29/09