I’ve been really busy these past couple of weeks– plus, figuring out too much new technology. So, to catch up a little, here are the last two pieces of News Analysis that I wrote for IPS:
- — from Damascus, datelined January 16 (written Jan. 15), and
— from Washington DC, datelined today.
Read and enjoy. Or not; it’s up to you.
Did. Enjoy. Special note:
“Dennis Ross, the strongly pro-Israeli figure who dominated the failed peace-brokering efforts of the eight years of Bill Clinton’s presidency and who was earlier described (by his own think-tank) as a powerful coordinator of Middle East policy in Hillary Clinton’s State Department, was reportedly not even present at Thursday’s State Department event.”
Could it be that one of the most extraordinary, if unmentioned casualties of Gaza crisis was DR/WINEP/AIPAC…?
Israel, July 23, 2008: “I can assure you,” Barak Obama said, speaking at the local police station against a backdrop of Kassam rockets, “if someone was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I’m going to do everything in my power to stop that,
Pakistan, Jan 23, 2009: Missiles fired from suspected US drones killed at least 15 people inside Pakistan today, the first such strikes since Barack Obama became president. . .three children lost their lives.
Stopping rockets
Was his goal
So his daughters
Aren’t in war’s toll
But now he’s CINC —
Hey, hey, BHO,
How many kids
Did you lay low?
The death of a child, any child, is a terrible thing.
Dear Helena
I along with 99.75% of the audience of “Any Questions” have lost confidence in the objectivity and judgement of the BBC and most of the UK media.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7848614.stm
The BBC says it cannot show the appeal by the Disasters Emergency Committee because it does not want to compromise its commitment to impartiality.
But health minister Ben Bradshaw, a former BBC journalist, said it was “an inexplicable decision” and that the reasons given were “completely feeble”.
As the UK newspapers seem to be signing up people like Anne Applebaum to write for them, would you care to sign up to write for any of them.
I am tired of reading what I am getting close to thinking of as the other side’s propaganda.
“if someone was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I’m going to do everything in my power to stop that,
Mr. Obama, Your country did destroy my country, destroy my life and more many millions of Iraqis
Mr Obama your country did destroy our country infrastructure public service and water and electricity also telecommunication twice once in 1991 and then 2003.
Mr. Obama your country did destroy out museums and or heritage when they left the door open for gangs and looter to flee with priceless historical items that some of have 5000yeras old.
Mr. Obama, your country did used DU Weaponry on our land that affects live and nature for more that 100 years to come.
Mr Obama, you country did use WP bombs to “Holocaust” our Iraq brethren and killed many.
Mr. Obama, just last week your tropes when secretly in the dark of the night and planted explosives in the room of few Iraqi while they a sleeping guarding a trucks used to distributing food for ministry of trade in Baghdad and killed all of them.
Mr. Obama, your country did left 5000,000 Orphans Iraqi have no one look after them
Mr. Obama, You country caused 300,000 Widows have very hard future with kids and no hope living under poverty lines.
Mr Obama, Your country left 60%-70% of Iraqi jobless they lost their hope to live in bright and prosper future despite they living on the land that have 2nd largest reserve of oil in the world.
……
………..
So what your say Mr President of United State of Amarica?
You are reading tea leaves, Helena. Who was at the press conference, who wasn’t – it sounds like high school cafeteria politics.
‘OMG, Johnny wasn’t at the most popular table today! He ate at the second most popular table. What does it mean? Should we switch tables?!’
Let’s put aside the tea leaves for a moment and recognize the monstrous absurdity of continuing to demand that Hamas renounce violence, while continuing to suggest that Israel’s Superviolence is always justified as Defense (pretending that proportionality, which is the foundation of international law on war, is some Marquis de Queensbury frivolity). Again, we hear from Obama that Hamas has to recognize Israel, but nothing about the settlements, walls. blockades, assassinations and arrests inflicted by Israel on Palestine’s sovereignty.
Unless Mitchell turns out to be a wonderworker, Obama’s decision not to budge from the tradition of onesided US rhetoric and policy on the Israel?Palestine conflict virtually guarantees, in my opinion, the next round of superviolence
Yes, Hamas should renounce violence. So should Israel.
“But secondly, that we can do it within our own editorial principles and without affecting and impinging on the audience’s perception of our impartiality.
Well Frank, you know that sending food and medical supplies to Arabs might be taken the wrong way by certain people, the ones that caused the need for food and medical supplies in the first place, and then those people might then jeopardize the financial well-being of the BBC itself. So in this case helping people violates the “editorial principles” of the BBC, the “principles” that depend on who greases the right palms. Neither the US nor the UK would be caught dead aiding Palestinians, so why encourage it.
In other words these “editorial principles” are kind of like US “congressional principles” which are more prevalent in the new millenium, when saying and doing the right things are financially beneficial, but saying and doing the wrong things would be financially punitive.
These “principles” are another example of the “western values” that we use impress the Muslim world — wait a minute, now I’m getting confused again. (It’s happening more and more recently.)
Prof Yoram Carmeli Haifa University
Prof Rachel Giora Tel Aviv University
Dr Anat Matar Tel Aviv University
Jonathan Pollak
Dr Kobi Snitz Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
And 17 other Israeli citizens
Show Mr. Obama those People are living like this life under Israeli occupation on their land
Horror stories coming out of Gaza
after brutal attack by Israel
Palestinian mother Nawal Samouni of Zeitoun gave birth to a daughter
as her home was being shelled by Israeli forces during the 22-day
assault on Gaza.
The following video shows the horrific experience of Nawal Samouni and is
narrated by Sherine Tadros of the Al Jazeera News Service. Al Jazeera has
done an outstanding job in bringing to light the deplorable war crimes
committed by the Israeli Zionist Armed Forces against civilians:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dspqUNJ_7A
Salah, thanks so much for that YouTube link. It is very, very moving. Imagine if Barack Obama’s wife, sister, or daughter had to live through that….