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Syrian Army Continues Campaign ... from Yabroud to Ras Al Ain

March 18, 2014, 11:54 am
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سينـاريو سقوط «يبرود» يتكرّر في قرية «رأس العين» المُجاورة

Syrian Army Continues Campaign ... from Yabroud to Ras Al Ain

Local Editor

The Syrian army continued its campaign in Qalamoun areas, m
Syrian Armyoving to the town of Ras al-Ain, west of Yabroud, according to Al-Manar reporter.

The reporter added that the Syrian army also targeted a number of vehicles that carry militants between Yabroud and Flitta.

The Syrian army also blasted a tunnel that was used by the militant groups to transmit weapons, killing a number of terrorists.

Numbers of terrorists were killed and others were injured as they army units targeted their gatherings and dens in Kweires, Erbid, Hayyan, Hilan, Hreitan, Babis, Kafr Hamreh, Khan al-Assal, al-Atareb, Kafrbisin, al-Sukkari and al-Mansoura in the city and countryside of Aleppo, according to a military source.

The source added that army units destroyed a number of vehicles along with the terrorists inside on Handarat-al-Jandoul axis and on Kafr Hamreh-Hritan axis.

In Idleb, army units targeted terrorists’ gatherings and dens in Abu al-Duhour town in the countryside, inflicting heavy losses upon them.

Army units in cooperation with national defense force skilled scores of terrorists who belong to "the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham" (ISSI) who belong to non-Syrian nationalities in an ambush on the road linking al-Bweir and and Rayyan in the eastern part of Homs countryside.

Army units foiled an armed terrorist group’s infiltration attempt from al-Dara al-Kabira into the safe areas in Homs countryside, killing and injuring a number of terrorists. A military source told SANA that other army units inflicted heavy losses upon the terrorists’ gatherings in the villages of Abu Hawadid, Um Sahrij, Rahhoum, Arshouneh and Sallam Gharbi in Homs countryside. SANA reporter said that another army unit destroyed, in an ambush, a car equipped with heavy machinegun, killed 7 terrorists and seized their weapons on the road between Ezz-Eddin-al-Rayan villages.

An army unit on Tuesday foiled armed terrorist groups’ attempt to infiltrate into the safe areas on Samlin Jasem road near Zimrin Samlin roundabout in Daraa countryside, killed and injured a number of terrorists.

A military source told SANA that other army units destroyed terrorists’ hideouts in the villages of al-Ghariyeh al-Ghbiyeh and al-Ghariyeh al-Sharqiyeh, surrounding the wheat cells, al-Sisanieh farm, to the north of al-Kherbat, al-Akrad farm, al-Kark neighborhood, to the north of al-Akhdar Mosque in al-Na’aimeh village in Daraa countryside.

The army thwarted another attempt by armed terrorist group to infiltrate the road linking al-Kark town and a military post, leaving the group’s members dead and wounded.

Other army units destroyed a den for terrorist groups and a number of vehicles in the surrounding of Atman town and Rusoum al-Mdawreh in al-Lajat region.

Source: Websites
18-03-2014 - 15:59 Last updated 18-03-2014
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Syrian Army Discovers Main Industry of Car Bombings to Be Sent to Lebanon

March 18, 2014, 7:31 pm
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Local Editor

Syria: booby-trapped car in YabroudSyrian army discovered on Tuesday the main industry of car bombs in the city of Yabroud, recently liberated from the Takfiri terrorists gangs active in Syria.

The cars were used to be booby-trapped in that center in preparation to be sent to Lebanon, where Takfiri suicide bombers would be awaiting for them.

The discovered facility was also used by armed groups to produce improvised explosive devices and hand-made rockets.
Al-Manar TV broadcast scenes from Yabroud, showing the Syrian engineering corps dismantling a car bomb that was intended to be sent to Lebanon.

The 4-wheel drive car is of Lebanese origin and contains 200 kilograms of explosives, and has the same features of the cars being exploded in Lebanon since July 2013.

Al-Manar reporter indicated that a professional terrorist has worked on connecting cables of the explosive materials inside the car and managed to hide them under almost all of its parts.

Source: Al-Manar Website
18-03-2014 - 18:41 Last updated 18-03-2014

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The American dream: A rundown

March 18, 2014, 7:54 pm
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US President Barack Obama boards Marine One prior to departing Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, March 17, 2014. (Photo: Saul Loeb)
By: Jean Aziz
Published Tuesday, March 18, 2014
The chaos that the administration in Washington is working hard to cultivate around the world is no simple task. Some of it can be understood in the context of vendettas coupled with national interests, but much of it is incomprehensible by any logic.
Decades could elapse before the relevant intelligence documents in Langley or elsewhere will be declassified. Or we might have to wait for another Wikileaks or Edward Snowden to discover the unknowns about the disguised coups that have been taking place for a while in more than one place around the world, and which U.S. policy seems to be interested in, if not supportive of.


In Venezuela, for example, it is as if a contemporary retribution against Chavez’s days is being implemented against his successor, in a way that is reminiscent of the coup carried out against Salvador Allende in Santiago. That coup happened to take place on September 11, as well. Noam Chomsky even called it the “first 9/11,” 28 years before the 9/11 of 2001.
In Tripoli, Libya, coups take place almost on a daily basis. These also seem like they are meant to take revenge against the Gaddafi era, as though his horrific death was not enough to serve as an example for those who dare stand up to the “New Rome.”
There even was a third 9/11 in Libya, the killing of the U.S. ambassador. He was an innocent victim of the hatred of the gunmen who killed him, but also the victim of his own administration’s policies. Meanwhile, Libya is fighting a terminal illness, before its artificial and forced unity crumbles, and is struggling to resist the Western push towards its partitioning.
Egypt, Libya’s neighbor to the east, is living one day at a time, between a revolution that did not survive, and another that has yet to come. Between geographic and demographic anxieties, Egypt has now become two Egypts, not one.
In Qatar, the coup was bloodless. A U.S. officer came, delivered the orders, and left. An emir and a sheikh – the former Qatari ruler and his foreign minister – set the date for their departure immediately.
Only a few weeks earlier, they thought that they were the rulers of a great regional empire, and the exclusive representatives of Caesar, from the Gulf to the Mediterranean. One member of the duo – thanks to the irony or curse of fate – had been telling Gaddafi himself a few weeks before the war on Libya, that Washington had asked him to prepare the necessary studies to partition Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia itself, which was established with the first oil well in 1932, survived for eighty years – the same average age of its rulers – in the American bosom, ever since Roosevelt came to Riyadh straight from the Yalta meeting. Today, the American media is already publishing maps detailing how Saudi could be partitioned, just as Washington is preoccupied with plans for a second Yalta.
The same brand of chaos was carried by the Americans and all Western powers all the way to Russia’s borders. Exactly one month ago, the president of Ukraine had consulted with Moscow and agreed to a deal. On February 21, he signed a document for an internal settlement.
However, the calculations of external powers did not agree with de-escalation in Kiev. The riots continued, and suddenly turned violent. There were deaths, the fuel of color-coded revolutions and chameleonic policies. The events of 2004 were repeated.
Is it possible that Washington had not anticipated Moscow’s reaction? Is it logical that the Americans did not realize that the heir of Peter the Great would not leave the land of Prince Vladimir an easy prey for the “decaying and decadent” West, according to the Kremlin’s old-new propaganda? Did they not know that he would not remain silent or retreat, and that he would be ready to mobilize his army, his white horse, and his judo garb to defend the tsarist legacy and Russia’s interests and future?


Many hypotheses may arise in this context. For instance, Washington may not be concerned by Moscow’s response and related calculations. Indeed, Washington stands to gain in all cases. It is enough for America to poke the Russian bear dreaming of restoring a bipolar world, even if with a neo-Nazi fork, without any cost – be it in blood or in treasure.
Whether it ends up hurting Russia or hurting Europe, the U.S. benefits. To be sure, Washington’s goal is not to bring Ukraine into Catherine Ashton’s Union, but to wrap NATO around Comrade Putin’s neck. This is where the second hypothesis of the American adventure – or gamble – comes into play.
What if the wager or the goal was exactly what is coming out of the Crimea now? What if the covert American plan is to push someone to begin redrawing the borders in the Old World, to expose the map of the Old Continent, its brittleness, and its explosive artificiality?
Going forward, and no matter what solution is found for Ukraine, it is certain that the Crimea will remain Russian. The step could become the first move in a domino effect, in a game similar to the one Washington played twice before, over the span of a quarter of a century: The first was when the Soviet Union collapsed through the implosion of former Yugoslavia. The second was when Washington itself brokered the secession of Kosovo, in violation of the international law and legitimacy that it is invoking today.
Is the plan then that the Crimea would be the third and fixed domino in the game fantasized by the Americans, like they fantasize about a game of “Smack Down” in Wrestling, a stampede involving two teams in American football, or a hockey brawl behind transparent glass that lets them see all the excitement from a distance?
Do American decision-makers spend their time these days in front of their overt and covert screens, next to a pack of beers and popcorn bags as they watch what happens in the Crimea and beyond? To be sure, all of the national borders in Eurasia and Europe are like those of the Crimea, from Poland to France, and from the Basque to Scotland.
More importantly, do they want the same kind of chaos before that or after, for our region, where history books still mention that Wilson, Obama’s predecessor, was opposed to Sykes-Picot? Between the “American Dream” turned nightmare outside the Land of the Free, and “creative chaos”, everything is possible in the calculations of Uncle Sam.
Follow Jean Aziz on Twitter | @JeanAziz1
This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.
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The Other Bashar: US Orders Closure of Syrian Embassy, Consulates

March 18, 2014, 8:54 pm
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US Orders Closure of Syrian Embassy, Consulates

Posted on March 18, 2014 by 

A flag flies at the Syrian Embassy in Washington.
A flag flies at the Syrian Embassy in Washington.
The United States on Tuesday suspended operations of the Syrian Embassy in Washington and its consulates in Michigan and Texas, and told diplomats and staff who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents to leave the country.
“We have determined it is unacceptable for individuals appointed by that regime to conduct diplomatic or consular operations in the United States,” U.S. special envoy for Syria Daniel Rubinstein said in a statement.
The order also essentially shutters the Syrian honorary consulates in Troy and Houston.
It comes three years since the start of foreign backed civil war in Syria that has killed more than 140,000 people.
U.S. special envoy to Syria Daniel Rubenstein said the order responds to a decision by the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad to suspend its own consular services.
Rubinstein has been named as new US special envoy for Syria in a decree announced by Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday.
Rubinstein succeeds Robert Ford in the job. Ford, a veteran diplomat, retired earlier this year amid a breakdown in talks between the Syrian government and opposition forces.

Statement by Special Envoy for Syria Daniel Rubinstein

U.S. Department of State - Great Seal
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
March 18, 2014
The following is the text of a statement by Daniel Rubinstein, Special Envoy for Syria, on suspension of Syrian Embassy operations:
Begin text:
This week marks the three-year anniversary of the Syrian revolution. For three years, Bashar al-Assad has refused to heed the call of the Syrian people to step aside. He has directed a war against his own people and created a humanitarian catastrophe in order to hold on to power and protect his narrow interests.
Following the announcement that the Syrian Embassy has suspended its provision of consular services, and in consideration of the atrocities the Assad regime has committed against the Syrian people, we have determined it is unacceptable for individuals appointed by that regime to conduct diplomatic or consular operations in the United States.
Consequently, the United States notified the Syrian government today that it must immediately suspend operations of its Embassy in Washington, D.C. and its honorary consulates in Troy, Michigan, and Houston, Texas. Syrian diplomats at the embassy and Syrian honorary consulates are no longer permitted to perform diplomatic or consular functions and those who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents must depart the United States.
Despite the differences between our governments, the United States continues to maintain diplomatic relations with the state of Syria as an expression of our longstanding ties with the Syrian people, an interest that will endure long after Bashar al-Assad leaves power.
The United States will continue to assist those seeking change in Syria, to help end the slaughter, and to resolve the crisis through negotiations – for the benefit of the Syrian people.
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Alert! Open War Vs. Syria in the Offing?

March 18, 2014, 11:01 pm
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March 18, 2014

The Syria Solidarity Movement wishes to draw the attention of the peace movement to the renewed danger of a unilateral US attack on Syria. Here’s what we have recently observed:

1) Since the collapse of the Geneva 2 talks, US Secretary of Defence, Chuck Hegel, has come up with “further options” on Syria. They include:

a) the establishment of a 25-mile-deep, no-fly zone along Syrian borders;
b) the deployment of unmanned drones for pinpoint strikes on targets farther inland;
c) the equipping of the US-supported, foreign mercenaries with the latest anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons in time for a spring offensive – and partly to upset plans for a Syrian presidential election in April 2014.

2) The political cover for these acts of aggression against the sovereign state of Syria will be the latest form of “humanitarian interventionism”, known as Responsibility to Protect, or R2P. In Syria, the pretext for the no-fly zone will likely be UN Security Council resolution 2139 (February 22, 2014) regarding Syria. This resolution demands “that all parties allow the delivery of humanitarian assistance, including medical assistance.”

3) March 15, 2014, marks the third anniversary of the covert war of aggression against Syria launched by western and regional powers through the so-called “Friends of Syria” Group. President Obama is impatient. His advisors predicted in March 2011 that the government of Syria would fall within weeks. Instead, virtually every sector of Syrian society has rallied to save the country from being balkanized into hostile statelets à la Libya, Iraq, Yugoslavia and Afghanistan. Russia, China, and Iran have remained firm allies.

4) The US empire is on the warpath. Fresh from a disastrous regime-change operation, utilizing extreme right wing and fascist forces, against the elected government in Ukraine, and an on-going destabilization campaign against the elected government in Venezuela, Washington policy makers are now demanding some results against the elected government in Syria.

5) The peace movement must deny Washington a victory in Syria in the spring of 2014, just as we helped mobilize world public opinion against the U.S. threat of immediate war in August 2013. We need to mobilize our base to contact elected officials and tell them, just as we did in August 2013, that the people of the world will not accept a ratcheting up of the war on Syria. Instead, we now demand:
  1. Quit the Friends of Syria Group now – end the illegal aggression against the sovereign state of Syria;
  2. Drop the economic sanctions against Syria – they are outside the mandate of the UN Security Council and are, therefore illegal and unjust;
  3. Re-establish full diplomatic relations with Syria – open the door for a political, not military, settlement of the Syrian crisis;
  4. Cease and desist from providing any direct financial, material, and political support to foreign mercenaries in Syria, whether linked formally to Al Qaeda or not;
  5. Stop the campaign of disinformation, demonization, and delegitimation against the government of Syria.
In short, the peace movement in every country needs to tell its own domestic political leaders to keep their HANDS OFF SYRIA!
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"Storms of the Desert: Why Does Saudi Get Angry with Washington? (2/3)

March 19, 2014, 5:18 am
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Dr. Ahmad Malli

A document leaked by "Wikileaks" quoted Hillary Clinton as saying that the Saudi Kingdom "remains a critical financial support base for terrorist groups" and that US officials are not pleased with the "Islamic model" the Saudis present and try to spread, as it is the country that is most responsible for the rise of Islamic radicalism, and it "used its oil wealth to export a violent version of Islam through its Wahhabi clerics."

... Throughout the past three months, the Saudi leadership seemed to have abandoned its "cautious silence" method and decided this time to publicly state its resentment of the Obama Administration's approach through statements by Saudi royals and surprising policy shifts as an only way to convince Washington to alter what Saudi royals see as an errant path, according to Simon Henderson author of "After King Abdullah: Succession in Saudi Arabia".

Saud Al-FaisalThe first indications to the new Saudi approach appeared in Saudi Foreign Minister, Saud Al-Faisal's refusal to give his speech at the UN General Assembly in the beginning of October. Two weeks later, Riyadh took a dramatic, unprecedented step in the history of the United Nations when it turned down its rotating seat at the Security Council (18 October). This stance was surprising to the diplomatic circles in New York, especially as Saudi officials have been waging for the past three years an intensive massing campaign to gain a seat at the Security Council, after having submitted a team of 12 diplomats to a one year long preparation course on performing this task in Columbia University.

Three days after the kingdom announced turning down its rotating seat in the Security Council, "Wall Street Journal" and  "Reuters" quoted European diplomats as saying that Saudi Intelligence Chief, Prince Bandar bin Sultan warned of a "major shift" in Riyadh's relations with Washington in protest to its inaction on Syria. According to "Wall Street Journal" Prince Bandar was also quoted as saying that he would scale back cooperation with the CIA on training Syrian rebels and work with other allies including France and Jordan. Prince Bandar added that the kingdom's turn down of its rotating seat in the Security Council was a message to "the United States not the United Nations". The timing and way Prince Bandar bin Sultan sent his message to the Americans had several indications. Regarding the timing, the Saudi objection came on the eve of the expected meeting in Paris between US Secretary of State, John Kerry and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Saud Al-Faisal (21 October). As for the way, it reflected the steady growth in relations between Saudi-France, as Prince Bandar bin Sultan chose the French Ambassador in Saudi Arabia (Bertrand Besancenot) to pass on his message. He invited him to spend the weekend (19-20 October) in Jeddah, then the latter returned to Riyadh , informed his European associates about the content of the meeting, and the remarks were leaked to "Reuters" and "Wall Street Journal" after that.

Turki Al-FaisalFor his part, Prince Turki Al-Faisal also participated in the Saudi campaign against Obama Administration, knowing that he was an ambassador of his country in Washington and was the Chief of Intelligence in Saudi Arabia for a long period (1979 - 2001). Al-Faisal chose to deliver his direct message from the American territories, whether by making a speech before the Arab-US Policymakers' annual conference (22 October) or by appearing on US media, specifically his long interview to "Washington Post" (4 November) in which he considered that Obama's policies towards Syria and Iran were wrong and disappointing and the only way to repair things was by finding a solution to the Palestinian cause and putting pressure on Iran which presents itself as a liberator of the Palestinians and Syrians.

These statements reflected the wide gap between Saudi officials and the Obama Administration. It is not just a limited disagreement over a certain detail in the US policy in the region. For the Saudis, it is more of a complete opposition over the whole policy, as Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Saud Al-Faisal complained in the past about the George Bush Administration, saying in 2001 that "dealing with the United States makes a sane man go mad". What would he say today about the crisis taking place between Riyadh and Washington under the Obama Administration, and which surpassed the opposition that was taking place during the Bush era.

All indicators show that the basis of the relations between Washington and Riyadh is no longer the same, for there is a change in the scene which affected them. The scene after the cold war differed from how it was during it. Moreover, the United States presents itself as an international power producer, which minimizes its dependence on Saudi oil. Hence, the Unites States is not forced to keep this kind of relation which lasted decades with the kingdom, according to Christopher Davidson, author of "After the Sheikhs: The Coming Collapse of the Gulf Monarchies".

Among the indicators which triggered Saudi concern and Fury was what happened during the reformation of the national security team during the second period for the Obama Administration, as no high-leveled figure was appointed to deal with the Saudis. This in itself reveals the retreat of the kingdom in the list of interests of the US foreign ministry and national security planners in this period for Obama.

There is an increasing conviction among the US decision-makers that their priorities differ from those of the Saudis', and that the benefits of the two countries no longer harmonize. For instance, if Washington had to choose between working on preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and Saudi power, it's priority would undoubtedly be preventing the Iranians from obtaining a nuclear bomb.

Despite these furious Saudi criticisms, the Obama Administration has not issued any loud stances, and rather went for "diplomatic pacification" and containment of the Saudi anger by making them understand that the gap is not in expansion and sending them the message that the US benefits in the region come in the first position.

Even though the US official stance towards the kingdom was calm, some harsh non-official stances came out against the Saudis (journalists, Academics, experts in research centers, former employees in the American Administration...). It is not ruled out that the US official department is behind many of the indirect messages sent to Riyadh. Here, one could refer to the harsh editorial by Fareed Zakaria in the "Time" Magazine (11 November) under the headline: "The Saudis Are Mad: Tough!", and Zakaria is known for his strong ties with the US Department of State and he is the presenter of a weekly show on "CNN" which mostly tackles foreign affairs. The editorial begins with the subtitle "Why we shouldn't care that the world's most irresponsible country is displeased at the US". He added: "If there were a prize for Most Irresponsible Foreign Policy it would surely be awarded to Saudi Arabia... But whatever one thinks of the Obama Administration's handling of the region, surely the last measure of American foreign policy should be how it is received by the House of Saud!".

Zakaria stated that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was quoted in a leaked document by Wikileaks in December 2009 as saying that Saudi Arabia remained a "critical financial base" for terrorism and that Riyadh has taken only limited action" to stop the flow of funds to the Taliban and other such groups."

Zakaria also quoted Stuart Levey, a top Treasury official in 2007, as telling ABC News that: "If I could snap my fingers and cut off the funding from one country, it would be Saudi Arabia... It is the nation most responsible for the rise of Islamic radicalism and militancy around the world. Over the past four decades, the kingdom's immense oil wealth has been used to underwrite the export of an extreme, intolerant and violent version of Islam preached by its Wahhabi clerics."

Moreover, Zakaria quoted former Pakistani Law Minister, Iqbal Haider, as saying in 2012 that: "Whether they are the Taliban or Lashkar-e-Taiba, their ideology is Saudi Wahhabi without an iota of doubt." He added: "There was no doubt Saudi Arabia was supporting Wahhabi groups throughout Pakistan."

Fareed Zakaria concluded by saying that : "Whatever the reason, let's concede that, yes, Saudi Arabia is angry with the U.S. But are we sure that's a sign Washington is doing something wrong?"

Despite that Fareed's Zakaria's assault against Saudi Arabia was the toughest, many commentators and influential columnists in several US newspapers strongly criticized the Saudi Foreign Policy. For instance, Fred Kaplan wrote an article under the headline: "A Royal Pain". In its introduction, Kaplan related the differences between Saudi Arabia and the Obama Administration to the kingdom's weakening position in the world, and concluded that: "Obama should make it clear that our interests in the Middle East are not as wrapped up with the desires or fate of the royal family as they used to be."

For his part, Doug Bandow published on Huffington Post website an article in which he strongly criticized the Saudi Royal family. Bandow, a researcher at CATO institute, who worked as a special assistant to the president in the Reagan Administration, considered that: "Saudi Arabia is angry with Washington. In Riyadh's view, the US government isn't doing enough to support tyranny and war in the Middle East." The writer refuted Saudi calls for concern over the Syrian people who are being butchered by chemical weapons on the hands of Assad (according to Turki Al-Faisal) who couldn't have committed all that if it wasn't for the US president's retreat from punishing him for crossing the "red line" which Obama himself set. Doug Bandow further reminded the Saudi Royal family that it had supported former Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein, in his violence against Iran, in which he used chemical weapons and killed up to a million people, concluding that: "But mass butchery by Riyadh's de facto ally mattered less to the Sunni Saudi royals than defeating a Shia Islamic regime."

On the apparently failed campaign which the Saudis led to influence the decision corridors in Washington and urge them to work closer with them, Bandow said that: "But Americans shouldn't be concerned that powerful Saudi elites, used to buying everything they want, are frustrated that they no longer can so easily purchase Washington's services... Instead, the Obama Administration should tell America's foreign "friends" that Washington acts in the interests of the American people, not corrupt dictators."

Doug Bandow concluded his article by saying that: "President Obama deserves kudos for refusing to bend American policy to suit the whims of the Riyadh royals. Washington might not be able to stop the Saudis from promoting tyranny and war. But the US certainly shouldn't aid them in their quest."

Translated by Sara Taha Moughnieh
Source: Assafir Newspaper
19-03-2014 - 10:31 Last updated 19-03-2014



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Prisoners routinely abused as Israel continues to operate above international law

March 19, 2014, 5:34 am
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By Hannah B. - March 17, 2014

Since the start of Israel’s illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories in 1967, more than 800,000 Palestinians have been detained. This figure equates to about 40% of the total male populations living in the West Bank.
“This is the idea, basically to destroy Palestinian society. They use different tactics and mass detention is one of them,” according to Gavan Kelly, coordinator of the advocacy unit at Addameer, a Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association. Since the beginning of 2014, 175 Palestinians have been arrested by the Israeli military, including 24 children.
Amjad Al-Khateeb, a 24 year old businessman was arrested 4 weeks ago, and charged for throwing Molotov cocktails, though the military has no evidence. He was detained for three days and suffered extensive abuse and torture, injuries which now require a medical operation. As a result of his arrest, his father’s permit to enter Jerusalem was revoked and the family now struggles to support itself.
He was arrested on Monday the 27th of January at 2.30 am when approximately thirty soldiers entered his home. At first Amjad thought they were looking for his younger brother, Ahmad, who was arrested last year, at age 15. The soldiers claimed they had received reports of weapons being kept in the house, and subsequently searched each room meticulously; upon finding no weapons they switched the charges to throwing Molotov cocktails.
Al-Khateeb tried to get comfortable on his couch as he began talking to Palestine Monitor. He was unable to sit up straight because of the pain the soldiers has inflicted upon him.
“I can’t describe the pain using words”
Amjad was put in handcuffs and taken to the police station at Ma’ale Adumim, an illegal settlement close to Jerusalem. On the ride to the police station he was beaten by the soldiers with their guns and kicked in the legs.
“I can’t describe the pain using words,” said Amjad, indicating that once they arrived to the police station, soldiers continued to kick his legs and his back. It was at this point he felt blood coming out of his anus along with a severe pain.
That night, Amjad and several other Palestinian prisoners were placed in a concrete room with the door open to the outside winter air. He stayed in the police station for nine hours, constantly being moved from room to room, sometimes forced to sit on the wet, garbage-covered floors.
Amjad was brought before an investigator twice, and both times they asked him about his involvement in protests, throwing stones and throwing Molotov cocktails near the wall. Both times he insisted that he was not involved, and the military was unable to provide evidence. When he faced the an investigator the first time, he complained about the abuse he suffered from the soldiers as well as the pain coming from his anus, yet the investigator did nothing. When the soldiers heard that he had complained about their behaviour, they intimidated him, whispering. “we will kill you.”
“You were lucky, you got some food”
Amjad was detained for three days but was transported from the police station to Israel’s Ofer prison near Ramallah, then to another Israeli prison near Hebron and then back to Ofer prison. In Hebron, they were forced to stand with their hands above their heads and their faces pushed against the wall for three hours. Amjad said that the prison guards abused him repeatedly, gave him limited water and hardly any food.
When he returned to Ofer prison, he again felt blood coming out of his anus. He pleaded with the guard to be allowed a doctor’s visit, but the guard refused, reportedly mumbling, “there’s nothing I can do.”
The next morning Amjad was told that he would be brought to court. They took him to an empty concrete room, where he waited nine hours for his name to be called. It was too painful for him to sit down so he held his legs up, but when the soldiers saw this they cuffed his legs, forcing him to sit on his bleeding anus. He was released the next morning, after a lawyer was provided for him via a local NGO.
“I want it to stop happening to other people”
Amjad feels strongly about reporting the abuse he suffered at the hands of the Israeli military. “It’s not for me, it already happened to me, but I want to stop it happening to other people. In the end we need to show them that we are doing something, we are not just letting them hit us and then we don’t do anything.”
When Amjad was 14, he was arrested for throwing stones. “I spent a year and 4 months in prison during the Second Intifada, and treatment in the prison was better then than during these three days.”
Speaking about the reasons for his arrest, Amjad commented, “they arrest us just to frighten us and the community.”
While the Israeli military has a right to arrest Palestinians who constitute a clear and present security threat, Israel often, as in the case of Amjad, arrests Palestinians with no concrete evidence. As of January 2014, there were 155 administrative detainees, including 10 Palestinian Legislative Council Members, according to Addameer.
In September 1999, the Israeli High Court of Justice “ruled to ban the use of torture during interrogation.” However, there is an exemption for 'ticking bomb’ cases and unsurprisingly all Palestinian prisoners are considered 'ticking bomb’ cases, according to a report by Addameer.
“Where does arrest and detention fit into the occupation connotation, what is the idea? Basically it has a dual purpose; to suppress any resistance to Israeli’s occupation and colonization and to prevent normal Palestinian society from emerging,” said Gavan Kelley of Addameer.
“Israel continues to operate above international law”
All Palestinians arrested by Israeli forces are tried in Israeli military courts. According to Addameer, these courts often fail to include a number of fundamental international standards, such as the right to prepare an effective defence, the right to interpretation and translation, and the right to presumption of innocence.
Over 1,500 military regulations govern Palestinian daily life in Areas B and C, approximately 85% of the West Bank, making many ordinary activities illegal. Gavan Kelly explains “military law covers every aspect of Palestinian civilian life, from what vegetables you can grow, to the political party you cannot belong to.” Under military law, all Palestinian political parties are illegal, including the PLO.
Israeli military courts are still obliged to adhere to international law, yet Palestinian detainees are rarely given fair trial rights, a guarantee of international law. All but one of the prisons in which Palestinian prisoners are kept are located within Israel, in direct violation of Article 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention that states the “occupying power must detain residents in prison inside the occupied territories.”
The use of torture is widespread during Israel’s detention of Palestinian prisoners. In 2012, Issa Qaraqe, the Palestinian Authority Minister for Prisoner affairs released a statement revealing that 85% of detainees suffer from some form of physical or psychological abuse. Examples of torture methods used in Israeli prisons include beatings, denial of the use of the toilet, threats of or actual sexual abuse, and the denial of medical treatment among many other methods, as reported by Miftah, an anti-corruption commission based in the West Bank.
“From the moment of arrest the process of humiliation and abuse of the prisoners starts,” explained Gavan Kelly. Action needs to be taken to ensure that, even under military rule, Palestinians are protected from abuse and torture

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What the Western Media Won’t Tell You: Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians Also Voted to Join Russia

March 19, 2014, 5:47 am
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By Prof Michel Chossudovsky
Global Research, March 18, 2014

What the Western Media Won’t Tell You: Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians Also Voted to Join Russia

crimee

16 марта мы выбираем

или

Image: “On the 16th of March We Choose”: neo-Nazi Ukraine “Or” Russia?

Media reports acknowledge that 83.1 percent of eligible Crimean voters cast their ballot in the March 16th referendum.

The final tally of the vote was 96.77 percent in favor of joining the Russian Federation, and 2.51 percent against.

File:Distribution of ethnic groups in Crimea 2001.png
The Western media has underscored that both the Crimean Tatars as well as the Ukrainian population of Crimea were against joining the Russian Federation. The Non-Russian population constitutes 41.7 percent of the Crimean population.

According to official data, Russians constitute 58.32% of the population of Crimea, 24.32% are Ukrainians and 12.10% are Crimean Tatars.

The Guardian, in a slither of media disinformation intimated that the Tatars feared a wave of repression if Crimea were to join the Russian Federation:
Now, as Crimea faces a referendum that is likely to seal its fate as a province or satellite of Russia, ethnic tensions are reaching boiling point. In a chilling echo of history, Tatar houses in the Crimean city of Bakhchisarai have been marked with an ominous X, just as they were before the Soviet-era deportations. On Monday two Tatar businesses were firebombed.
…. The prospect of a return to living under Moscow’s rule is disturbing. “People are in panic. “We are trying to keep people calm but they are scared of the Russian soldiers and Cossacks that come here,” he said.” (Crimea’s Tatars fear the worst as it prepares for referendum | World news | theguardian.com
Contrary to the reports of 135  international observers from 23 countries, the Western media in chorus has suggested without a shred of evidence that the elections were rigged and that Crimea was under Russian military occupation.

The observer mission reports which include members of theEuropean Parliament have been casually ignored by the mainstream Western media:

Mateus Piskorkski, the leader of the European observers’ mission and Polish MP:  “Our observers have not registered any violations of voting rules.”

Ewald Stadler, member of the European Parliament, dispelled the “referendum at gunpoint” myth:  “I haven’t seen anything even resembling pressure… People themselves want to have their say.”

Pavel Chernev: Bulgarian member of parliament:  “Organization and procedures are 100 percent in line with the European standards,” he added.
A woman is reflected in a mirror as she casts her ballot during voting in a referendum at a polling station in Simferopol March 16, 2014.(Reuters / Thomas Peter)
A woman is reflected in a mirror as she casts her ballot during voting in a referendum at a polling station in Simferopol March 16, 2014.(Reuters / Thomas Peter)

Johann Gudenus, member of the Vienna Municipal Council:  “Our opinion is – if people want to decide their future, they should have the right to do that and the international community should respect that. There is a goal of people in Crimea to vote about their own future. Of course, Kiev is not happy about that, but still they have to accept and to respect the vote of people in Crimea”.
People line up to receive their ballots during the referendum on the status of Ukraine's Crimea region at a polling station in Simferopol March 16, 2014. (Reuters / Vasily Fedosenko)
Serbian observer Milenko Baborats“People freely expressed their will in the most democratic way, wherever we were… During the day we didn’t see a single serious violation of legitimacy of the process,”

Srdja Trifkovic, prominent and observer from Serbia: “The presence of troops on the streets is virtually non-existent and the only thing resembling any such thing is the unarmed middle-aged Cossacks who are positioned outside the parliament building in Simferopol. But if you look at the people both at the voting stations and in the streets, like on Yalta’s sea front yesterday afternoon, frankly I think you would feel more tense in south Chicago or in New York’s Harlem than anywhere round here,” he said.   (For more details see Crimean ‘Referendum at Gunpoint’ is a Myth – International ObserversBy Global Research News, March 17, 2014)

Yet according to Time Magazine, without acknowledging the reports of the international observers, the ballot had to have been rigged and the vote was held under the gun of the Russian military:
“95 percent voted in favor of becoming a part of Russia. That may seem like an impossible result, the mark of a rigged election. And in some ways it was. The vote was held during a Russian military occupation of Crimea and the ballot did not offer voters the option of keeping their current status in Ukraine. ( Time, March 17, 2014)
In chorus, Western media reports have stated that both Ukrainians and Tatars were firmly against seceding from Ukraine. They also intimated that the Tatar community had decided not to vote.

According to the Washington Post, “a vote in favor of seceding” was inevitable because “ethnic Russians make up 60 percent of Crimea’s population”. But the result was not 60 percent in favor, it was 97 percent in favor, indicating that all major ethnic groups in the Crimea voted in favor of seceding from Ukraine.

crimeeThe figures do not add up:  The Russians constitute 58 percent of Crimea’s population, yet 97 percent of the vote was in favor of joining Russia. If Ukrainians and Tatars had refused to participate in the referendum, voter participation would have been substantially less that 83.1.

The referendum was also a vote against the US-EU sponsored Coup d’etat.

The results confirm that the Tatars and Ukrainians who did cast their ballot, also voted overwhelmingly in favor of joining Russia.

What this 97 percent vote also indicates is a rejection of the illegal Neo-Nazi government in Kiev.  The Election poster (image above) reads:

16 марта мы выбираем или

“On the 16 of March we choose”: neo-Nazi Ukraine “Or” the Russian Federation?
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Where are Syria’s non-violent revolutionaries today?

March 19, 2014, 6:28 am
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Protesters hold as capes the pre-Baath Syrian flag, now used by the opposition, during a rally outside Downing Street in London on March 15, 2014, to mark the third anniversary since the start of the Syrian conflict.(Photo: AFP-Andrew Cowie)
By: Ahmad Hassan
Published Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Since the outbreak of protests in Syria, many Syrian youths have abandoned their previous affiliations. The Revolutionary Youth Union, the Ba’ath Party’s youth wing, was pretty much the only game in town for young people looking for a breathing space. Some of its members, however, left it to join the weekly protests that were quickly extinguished.
Damascus: Here, in al-Midan neighborhood in Damascus, seven young men who were active in the protests and later on in the Local Coordination Committees are getting ready for an evening party. Local arak, an anis-flavored alcoholic drink, Syrian-made cigarettes, and dim lights are the rituals of a cool party, in addition to a pervasive sense of defeatism that hovers over their conversations.
College student Mustafa starts swearing and cursing the Syrian regime, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and al-Nusra Front because “they appropriated the most amazing revolution in history, a revolution sketched by protesters and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) with one hand.”
Radi, a realist as his friends describe him, replies: “Yeah... but the number of thieves in the FSA is not to be underestimated either.” The two men scuffle and one of them ends up crying. They all decide to leave the house “because we are loud and there are shabiha (pro-regime militias) among the neighbors.”
This is one of the points of contention among the early protesters who took to the streets to demand freedom before they grew weary of the validity of bearing arms, the suitability of “toppling the regime” as a slogan, and the impact of going along with the chant, “God is great” and other factional slogans.

Hassan, a young man in his 20s, says it was a mistake for him to carry arms but “it was the only option for the residents of al-Tadamon neighborhood. Talking about peaceful protests at the time was empty chatter.” Asked about his support for reconciliation now, the disillusioned revolutionary says: “There is no way out except through compromise. The Arabs and the foreigners duped us and supported only their brigades led by the peddlers of religion.” He concludes sarcastically: “By the way, I was an active member of the Ba’ath Party.”
With the militarization of the revolution, many protesters refused to bear arms. Some preferred to leave the country in order to escape the new reality where the non-violent protest movement was in decline. Ribal, who is in Jordan, now says: “I left because I couldn’t bear the situation of the revolutionary youth after the protests subsided. Life became a waiting game for a victory that is never going to come. Travelling was the only means of escape from this dark reality.”
Those whose circumstances did not allow them to leave, are living today the worst days of their lives. Some of them have persisted in their activism in non-governmental civil society organizations, whose numbers have increased during the events in Syria, or in the Coordinating Committees on social networking sites.
Salma, who was active in the organization Tajamou’ Shams, lays all the blame on the regime: “If the regime dealt with the protesters in a different way, we would not have come to this.” She adds in her conversation with Al-Akhbar: “We were a group of patriotic men and women participating in the protests and spreading the values of national unity. After the revolution became militarized, we had no role to play. The fighting destroyed the civil movement.”
Riham says: “Originally, I participated in one of the associations that helps refugees living in schools. I was teaching the children English. Now I am focused on children’s psychological well-being. I work with another group on activities especially for the children.” When asked who funds these associations, she replies: “I don’t care where the funding comes from. What’s important to me is that these activities relieve my conscience. At least I don’t stay home feeling useless.”
Away from excessive pessimism and optimism, Anas explains his view of what happened: “The peaceful protests faced the brutality of the security forces on one hand and were hemmed in by the militarization of the revolution on the other hand. Whoever feels pessimistic or too optimistic does not understand the current political conditions, that’s why he feels a sense of defeatism and drowns in absurdity.”
Anas’s friend Jawad chimes in: “Working to unify patriotic Syrians who reject foreign intervention and the current social and economic reality - and there is a lot of them irrespective of their current affiliations - will make the future of Syria and its people a bright one.”
Coordination Committees lose their momentum
The Coordinating Committees were one of the most important tools that the opposition relied on in their activism. Their role was not restricted to broadcasting the latest news. According to the admin of al-Qaboun Coordinating Committee Facebook page, the Coordinating Committees were “primarily a means for organizing. That is how we were often able to communicate with the opposition youth in the neighborhood and agree on the details of the protests.”
About the declining role of the Coordinating Committees today and the fact that many of them stopped working altogether, a young man who declined to be named says: “The reason is not that the admins of the pages slowed down or slacked off, but people didn’t interact with the committees. If we were to draw a chart of the rate of people’s interactions with the committees, we would notice a steady decline since the protests stopped.”
This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.
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Israeli Warplanes Bomb Syrian Army Posts, SA Warns

March 19, 2014, 6:39 am
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Local Editor

Zionist fighter jetZionist army said that it attacked several Syrian military sites on Wednesday after a roadside bombing that wounded four of its troops on the occupied Golan Heights on Tuesday.

It said targets included a Syrian military headquarters, a training facility and artillery batteries. Aircraft carried out the overnight strike, the military spokesman, Peter Lerner, said. He described targets as military facilities on the Syrian-held side of the Golan.

General Command of the Syrian army said the Zionist enemy's warplanes targeted Wednesday morning the sites of Koum al-Wissiyeh, Nabe' al-Fawar and Sa'sa' on the outskirts of the liberated city of Quneitra, leaving one soldier martyr and 7 others wounded.

In a new violation of the agreement on disengagement by firing a number of artillery, tank and anti-tank rocket shells near Sehita village and on 1023 hill on Tuesday afternoon, causing material losses.

"The Israeli aggression coincided with an attack by numbers of terrorists on the Central Prison in Daraa city from the direction of Jordan," the statement noted.
"This new aggression came in a bid to divert attention from the successive victories achieved by the Syrian Arab Army," the Army's General Command said, citing particularly the "great achievement" in Yabroud city "which dealt a startling blow to the terrorist organizations and their backers, on top being the Zionist entity".

The Command added that the aggression also aimed at "giving a dose of moral support to the terrorist gangs tumbling under the Syrian Arab Army's strikes".
Moreover, it stressed determination to go ahead with war against the terrorist organizations until eliminating them, warning that "such desperate attempts at escalation ... through repeating these aggressive acts would jeopardize the region's security and stability and make it vulnerable to all options."


Source: Websites
19-03-2014 - 14:06 Last updated 19-03-2014

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What are you going to do, Comrade Obama?

March 19, 2014, 6:49 am
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Russia's President Vladimir Putin addresses a joint session of Russian parliament on Crimea in the Kremlin in Moscow, on March 18, 2014. (Photo: AFP-Ria-Novosti/ Pool/ Alexei Nikolsky)
By: Hassan Chakrani
In light of the dramatic events sweeping Eastern Europe since the Ukrainian president was ousted in Kiev, it seems that Moscow is prepared to do everything it can to defend its interests. Meanwhile, it appears that the constraints on Washington and the West’s response confine it to remain quite far from Crimea, yet very close to the Black Sea.
The White House did not rule out including Russian President Vladimir Putin on the U.S. sanctions list, following the crisis in Ukraine and Moscow’s role in it. So far, however, U.S. President Barack Obama is playing his cards in a way that leaves a broad margin for diplomatic compromises.
But after the muscle-flexing and the summoning of the Soviet spirit in Putin’s speech on Tuesday, what do the American-European sanctions, so far targeting 11 individuals, actually mean? And what leeway do White House officials have in the future?
Perhaps the most significant Russian reaction to the sanctions announced by Obama was that of Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin. Mocking the sanctions on Twitter, hewrote, “Comrade @BarackObama, what should do those who have neither accounts nor property abroad? Or U didn't think about it? [Sic]”
The sanctions are specific and targeted. They involve asset freezes and a travel ban on 11 Russian and Ukrainian figures, including Vladimir Putin’s close advisor Vladislav Surkov, and Russia's Upper House Speaker Valentina Matvienko.
But the Russian response to the sanctions is not limited to mockery and defiance. It seems the Russians intend to adopt tit-for-tat measures.
According to press reports, quoting sources in Moscow, sanctions will be approved against officials in the U.S. administration and high-ranking members of the U.S. Senate. Most probably, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin will be at the top of this list. Remember that Durbin was behind the bill calling for action following the Russian takeover of Crimea.


True, the sanctions represent the latest stage of the West’s pushback against Russian actions following the events in Kiev, and had been preceded by verbal warnings and the cancellation of the G8 summit, which would have taken place in Sochi. However, there seems to be an implicit agreement that satisfies all sides, whereby Moscow would regain its historical territory, while the other side agrees that the battle would only be fought with sanctions and democratic means, Brussels and the West’s signature method.
At any rate, there is no viable option for a real war, as Ukraine stands no chance of withstanding a Russian offensive, while the West is not prepared to start a war in Eastern Europe. The only thing the White House is able to do is issue more statements condemning the Kremlin.
Relations between the two countries are so perplexing that some are calling it a Cool War, in a play on the Cold War, the term for the conflict that lasted for more than half a century.
Russian businessmen and women in the United States must have breathed a sigh of relief, given that the U.S. economic sanctions single out specific people and do not threaten any prospect for future cooperation. Still, many overlook the fact that the sanctions are not a one-way street. According to The New York Times, nearly $105 billion have been transferred out of holdings that the U.S. Treasury has custody of during the week that ended last Wednesday, the largest tumble of its kind in the last couple of years.
There is evidence that the Russians are warily transferring tens of billions of dollars from U.S. accounts too. Some U.S. officials see this as a shot across the bow in the event Washington goes ahead with additional sanctions, as the NYT explained.
At any rate, relative to the magnitude of what has happened in Crimea, reactions appear somewhat calm. In many instances, this calm appears like a skillfully choreographed diplomatic strategy – from exploiting developments in Syria to the reactions to the “invasion” of Crimea.
While there have been increasing calls for a new U.S. approach to managing the differences with Russia, the U.S. president, ever since he set out to “reset” the relations with the Kremlin at the beginning of his first term, has been determined to find an ideal configuration for Western-Russian relations. Or perhaps Obama has realized that Russia must not be dealt with as a rusty old world inhabited by cavemen as suggested by Francis Fukuyama – despite calls by warmongers and other hawkish voices urging Obama to consider more belligerent options.
After all, democracy, for those who have not been paying attention to all the dramatic events that have taken place since the turn of the century, is no longer a glitzy catchword. It can no longer be printed on banners and towels to wipe the blood of the victims who died where there have been attempts to impose democracy by force.
Rather, democracy is a concept being reconsidered almost every day. Russia has its own system of government. While it is most definitely not ideal, the same can be said about the American political system.
Regarding the emerging crisis between the two countries, which many believe is the most serious since the end of the Cold War, Washington is not in a position to do anything beyond imposing limited sanctions that cost little at the strategic level.
Perhaps the U.S. will eventually designate Putin as a violator of international law, just like his actions in Crimea have been called - cynically - by the U.S. and European powers. But if this had been easy, then it would have been done the moment the first Russian soldier set foot on Ukrainian territory.
Follow Hassan Chakrani on Twitter | @HassanChakrani
This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.


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Syrian Army Liberates Ras al-Ein East of Yabroud, Chases Terrorists in Provinces

March 19, 2014, 11:30 am
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الجيش السوري يدخل الحصن بريف حمص و يسيطر على بعض أحياءها
 الجيش السوري يدخل الحصن بريف حمص و يسيطر على بعض أحياءها

Local Editor

Syrian soldierThe Syrian army achieved another great victory on Wednesday when soldiers advanced towards Ras el-Ein town east of Yabroud city, which was liberated on Friday.

Al-Manar correspondent reported that scores of terrorist militants have escaped the Syrian army in the place.

In the meantime, Syrian army on Wednesday repelled armed terrorist groups in several areas, inflicting them heavy losses.

A military source told SANA that the army units killed and injured a number of terrorists in an ambush to the west of al-Zarah village in al-Rastan area in Homs countryside.

The source added that the army units also destroyed 4 boats along with the weapons, killing all terrorists aboard.

A unit of the armed forces foiled an armed terrorist group’s attempt to infiltrate towards the Justice Palace in Aleppo, killing and injuring a number of its members.

Another military source told SANA that units of the armed forces targeted terrorists’ gatherings in Aleppo and in its countryside in al-Sakhour, al-Shaar, Hanano, Bustan al-Qaser, in the surrounding of the Central Prison, the Industrial City, Handarat camp, Sheikh Zayat, Fifan, Kishish , Andan, Bani Zaid, Khan al-Assal, Orum, Azzan, al-Mansourah, Kafr Hamra, Kafr Aleppo, Dahret Abded-Rabbeh, Khan Touman, Kwairis, al-Jadideh and Rasem al-Abboud.

The army killed a number of terrorists, injured others and destroyed their tools during the operation.

Source: Agencies
19-03-2014 - 14:17 Last updated 19-03-2014




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THE KOSHER PINÓQUIO - DERSHOWITZ ON ATZMON AND FINKELSTEIN

March 19, 2014, 11:42 am
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TUESDAY, MARCH 18, 2014 AT 3:31PM GILAD ATZMON

http://www.jpost.com/
Atzmon, a hard leftist, describes himself as a proud self-hating Jew and admits that his ideas derive from a notorious anti-Semite. He denies that the Holocaust is historically proven, but believes that Jews may well have killed Christian children to use their blood to bake Passover Matzah. And he thinks it’s “rational” to burn down synagogues.

Finkelstein believes in an international Jewish conspiracy that includes Steven Spielberg, Leon Uris, Eli Wiesel and Andrew Lloyd Webber! Some of the Soviet Union’s leading anti-Semitic propagandists were Jews.
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AGAINST OUR BETTER JUDGMENT: THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF HOW THE U.S. WAS USED TO CREATE ISRAEL BY ALISON WEIR

March 19, 2014, 11:54 am
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TUESDAY, MARCH 18, 2014 AT 9:24PM GILAD ATZMON

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51-de7nakFL._SY344_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_BO1,204,203,200_.jpgA book review by Gilad Atzmon
Alison Weir’s new book is by far the most comprehensive and precise expose of the depth of Zionist interference with American life in general and the politics of the United States in particular. It is a book every American should obtain, read and discuss openly. 
In spite of its succinctness, the book is saturated with information and insights that are backed by valuable historical references and  primary source quotes. Since I am an avid reader of modern Jewish history, I was surprised to learn so much from such a relatively short text.  
The story that is told by Weir is devastating – for more than a century, a matrix of Jewish political lobbies, pressure groups, media operators and agents within the American government and legal system have been dominating the United States' public life as well as its foreign policy. Consequently, the United States has been operating against its own best interests. It has compromised its most precious principles and even its own security. 
For many years, it was largely Jews and people of the Left who dominated the Anti Zionist discourse. The outcome is very clear. The criticism of Zionism and Israel was partial and Judeo-centric by nature. It evaded broad scrutiny of Jewish power and the tribal operation involved. The majority of anti Zionist texts were designed to vindicate the Jews of crimes committed by the Jewish State and Zionism. Consequently, the anti Zionist discourse achieved very little as far as Palestinians are concerned. In fact, it was successful in diverting attention from the root cause of the conflict in the Middle East.
Weir however, approaches the topic from a completely different perspective. Weir is an American patriot. She examines the extensive Zionist operation that hijacked her country and robbed the United States of its most precious values.  Weir points out that time after time there has been an ethical and political clash between American national interests and the policies dictated by the Jewish pressure groups.
Against Our Better Judgment throws light on the depth, intensity and the efficiency of Zionist operators within America. The book reveals a ferocious, unified and coordinated campaign by the Zionists, and it is far from clear that the American people can find the political and cultural means to deal with this form of foreign and immoral intervention. Weir’s new book is a crucial and bold step in an attempt of a nation to restore its immune system.  
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President Putin's speech to the Federal Assembly in English (MUST WATCH!)

March 19, 2014, 12:24 pm
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(MUST WATCH!)

POSTED BY AT 

From the Kremlin - no translation needed!

Check out this short video of the actual signing of the agreement of reincorporation of Crimea and Sevastopol into Russia and see for yourself the mood in the Russian Federal Assembly (no translation needed):


POSTED BY AT 


Chechen terrorist leader Doku Umarov killed in special operation

The President of Chechnia, Ramzan Kadyrov, has just confirmed that Chechen terrorist leader Doku Umarov, the self-styled "1st Emir of the Caucasus Emirate and 5th President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria" has been killed in a special operation of the Chechen security services.

Recently, Dokku Umarov had promised to attack the Sochi Olympics.  The leader of the Ukrainian Nazis Dmitri Iarosh had appealed to Umarov to attack Russia and the Ukraine.



Umarov was the last major Chechen terrorist still not killed by the Russian or Chechen special services.  Though he had no more real power - the Chechen insurgency has been basically wiped out - he was still the living personification of evil for many Chechens and Russians and his death marks the end of a tragic and ugly era.  May God protect the Russian and Chechen people and may they always live in peace together.

The Saker
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Salem Zahran: From Yabrood TO Crimea a Comprehensive Reading

March 19, 2014, 12:33 pm
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سالم زهران _ من يبرود الى القرم قراءة شاملة / حوار الاخبارية 18 03
2014



بين قوسين | أمير الموسوي - عبدالباري عطوان 17-3-2014



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    A genuine uprising to remedy the Future Movement’s woes

    March 19, 2014, 1:04 pm
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    Supporters of the Future Movement wave the party's blue flags at a rally in downtown Beirut. (Photo: Marwan Bou Haidar)
    By: Ibrahim al-Amin
    Published Wednesday, March 19, 2014
    It is now our duty to reveal the discussions happening behind closed doors. To put matters simply, a few weeks ago, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri realized that he was obliged to engage in a course of action planned by the Saudis under US pressure, a plan Europe was compelled to implement gradually. Hariri’s new course of action is related to the position of takfiri Islamist organizations active in Syria, Lebanon, and the Arab region. Hariri informed most of his aides that there is no more room to maneuver and that they have to abide by the directions of the Saudis and the West.


    Part of Hariri’s program is to go along with the Saudi decision to classify the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and al-Nusra Front as terrorist organizations. He was compelled to raise his voice, where he could not take up arms. Yet Hariri finds himself in quite the predicament as Saudi Arabia did not include Hezbollah on their list, which infuriated his supporters. They are now faced with protesters in Tripoli, the Beqa’a Valley, and Sidon. Hariri, for his part, was unable to bargain. Not only was it demanded that he accept this decision, but he had to reach an understanding with Hezbollah regarding the new Lebanese cabinet.
    There is another issue that Hariri loathes to discuss with any of his affiliates, yet it is well-known by most of the Future Movement's cadre, especially those active in the region. Hariri had mentioned explicitly that instead of using extremist groups to push Hezbollah to cooperate, he now needs help to counter their influence among his supporters. The experience of Ahmed al-Assir in Sidon was the first warning. It was followed by the events of the north and the Bekaa, which confirmed that the threat was bigger than he thought. Even the Information Branch, which is under the political influence of the Hariri camp, announced it was difficult to control the situation without confronting those groups.
    Hariri's countermeasure seems to be the development of a program with two linked actions.
    The first is to speak out against takfiri ideology, while promoting the idea that Hezbollah is the other side of the coin of such movements. 
    The second entails raising the level of political and sectarian discourse to show the Sunni population that it is not removed from its leadership in the Future Movement. However, the latter’s officials have interpreted this plan as they see fit. While Interior Minister Nouhad al-Machnouk pitted Brital against Ersal, the leadership in Tripoli linked the fate of the fighters and the Islamist groups with that of Jabal Mohsen as a whole.
    There is another sticking point, which the Future Movement avoids discussing in public: re-establishing links with the Mufti of the Republic, Mohammed Rashid Qabbani. This is the Future Movement’s effort to restore the influence of the official Sunni establishment against extremist movements and bring it under their control. Practically, this would mean utilizing Dar al-Fatwa to serve the interests of the Hariri camp; however, it is difficult to expect this to happen anytime soon.
    What about the "tools?"


    The problem with the Future Movement's plan is two-fold. Its supporters have been instilled with constant sectarian and confessional discourse. Moreover, the Future Movement has an older generation of opportunistic leaders, who sustain themselves on tensions and incitement. There is also the younger generation, which is involved in militia activities in various regions. The Future Movement is now a prisoner of the Lebanese political game and under the command of leaders who only care about having their names in the forefront, even as dead bodies.
    The other half of the problem is that Hariri hopes to implement his plan without giving the impression that he is revising his calculations or criticizing certain legacies, methods, or patterns of thinking. This means he will need a lot of distractions to cover up his turnaround. In the minds of the Future Movement’s leadership, there is no better distraction than the current chaos in various places like Tripoli and Ersal.
    The Future Bloc's statement on Tuesday confirms the aforementioned, concerning this group, its intransigence, and madness. What change could be expected when Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi puts the blame on Hezbollah for the situation in Ersal, or when he considers the insanity of his thugs in Tripoli as a conspiracy organized by the Syrian intelligence?
    If the Future Movement remains in a state of denial concerning the takfiri criminals in its midst, it will always produce terrorists and God alone knows where they will vent their anger and madness. When the Future Movement keeps its eyes closed, they will not notice the fire devouring its own house. And as they keep thinking that screaming and verbal intimidation will cure their constant and accelerating failure in their policies, they will be digging their own grave deeper into the earth.
    This reasoning means one thing. The Future Movement needs a real uprising, an uprising that goes beyond loud words followed by a settlement in the shadows. It needs an uprising to change faces and names, which have only caused defeat and death in this country.
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    Lebanon to Encounter Immigration of Defeated Terrorists... ’Israel’ Fettered

    March 19, 2014, 8:17 pm
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    الإنجاز العسكري السوري.. وما بعد يبرود
    Mohamed Salami

    As the Syrian army regained control over the town of ZaraSyrian Army in Homs and that of Yabroud in Damascus, the bordering arc along the two provinces was secured, leading to a strategic victory which eliminated the militant plots against the capital.

    Damascus and all the coast are now considered the demographic, economic and political center in Syria; thus, protecting it from the terrorist groups crossed out all the possibilities of defeating the Syrian government in the ongoing crisis.

    How would Qalamoun's victory affect Lebanon's security?


    In an interview to Al-Manar website, the strategic expertHotait General Amin Hotait, revealed that around 2500 militants escaped from Qalamoun towns into the Lebanese town of Arsal and that they pose a real threat against Lebanon's security unless they are encountered.

    General Hotait considered that there are four elements which can reduce the terrorist threat in Lebanon.
    1. Repulsion of Lebanese social environment: The militants must not gain an embracing environment, what will complicate their plots.
    2. Clear Political Decision: The government and all the Lebanese political factions must boldly announce their readiness to face the terrorist groups.
    3. Military Capabilities: The Lebanese army must be provided with all the means to fight the militants, knowing that it is overloaded with missions all over the country.
    4. Strict Security Measures: The targeted areas must be ready to encounter the terrorist threat.
    Hotait pointed out that the al-Mustaqbal political party must take a clear decision to face this terrorist phenomenon in Lebanon, especially that it took over the main security ministries in the new Lebanese government.

    Can Israel break the "Balance of Deterrence" and help the terrorist groups?

    General Amin Hotait considered that when Israel targeted Hezbollah garrison in Bekaa, it had two main aims:
    1. Strategic:Rockets To break the balance of deterrence which was set after 2006 war.
    2. Temporary: To provide the Saudis and their militant groups in Syria and Lebanon with a moral support.

    "However, the resistance axis's response (Detonation of explosives at borders) frustrated the Israeli plot," Hotait asserted.

    Israel is unable to launch a  war against Lebanon, yet the skirmishes at the Lebanese-Palestinian borders  and on the Golan Heights will continue, he added.

    The Zionist-terrorist threat against Lebanon is real and serious, yet accumulating the efforts of the army and the resistance can overcome those challenges.

    Source: Al-Manar Website
    		19-03-2014 - 19:23 Last updated 19-03-2014



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    Israeli Forces and Settlers Storm Muslims’ First Qiblah and Where is the Nation?

    March 20, 2014, 2:42 am
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    Israeli Forces and Settlers Storm Al-Aqsa Mosque

    Local Editor


    Dozens of Zionist soldiers and Jewish settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Al-Quds (occupied East Jerusalem) through the Bab al-Maghrabeh Gate, on Wednesday.

    In recent months, groups of extremist Jewish settlers, often accompanied by Zionist security forces, have stepped up their intrusions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, the world's third holiest site for Muslims.

    The frequent violations anger Palestinian Muslims and occasionally lead to violent confrontations.

    Jews refer to the area as the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two prominent Jewish temples in ancient times.

    In September 2000, a visit to the site by then opposition politician Ariel Sharon triggered what later became known as the "Second Intifada"– a popular uprising in which thousands of Palestinians were killed and injured.

    The Zionist entity occupied Al-Quds during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed the holy city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the self-proclaimed Jewish state.


    Source: Websites
    		19-03-2014 - 17:10 Last updated 19-03-201


    Muslims’ First Qiblah Under the Threat of the Zionists...and Where is the Nation?
    Ali Matar

    Since the Zionists occupied Palestine and the Palestinian Nakba in 1948, the General Assembly of the United States issued the unfavourable resolution No. 181, which divides the state of Palestine, and the occupied territories of Palestine in 1967 by the Zionists. Since then, "Israelis" have been causing corruption in that holy land.

    The occupiers killed Palestinians and confiscated their rights. They have sought, and are constantly seeking to Judaize Al-Quds through several ways in light of the disgraceful Arab silence. The "Israeli" occupier is currently seeking to impose its authority on Al-Aqsa Mosque and to withdraw the Jordanian state from it through announcing its decision in the Knesset. It's a plan that paves the way for a complete Judaization.

    It is obvious to the whole world that the occupier is seeking to impose plans of dividing Al-Aqsa Mosque through its practices on the ground after effectively controlling over it and its courtyards by implementing all the resolutions concerning Al-Haram Al-Maqdisi and Jerusalemites by force and repression.
    This is completely against the international law, which affirms in the military occupation law that it prevents the occupier from changing the landmarks of the occupied territory, and prevents it from imposing its beliefs on the people of the country."Israel" has violated the international law twice. Once, through occupying the Palestinian lands; then, by seeking to withdraw the guardianship of Al-Quds from its religious endowments department (awqaf) that is affiliated with the Ministry of endowments, holy shrines, and the Islamic Affairs in Jordan. This state is considered a legitimate and legal right maintained by the international law, after signing the convention between Palestine and Jordan that gives Jordan the right of guardianship and "the defense of Al-Quds and the Holy Sites" in Palestine. This convention was signed to prevent the occupiers from controlling Al-Quds Affairs, which is considered one of the Islamic and Christian sanctities that cannot be harmed or desecrated.

    The following conditions are legally required from the "Israeli" entity in order not to breach the international law, not to change the landmarks of the Holy Quds, and not to infringe Al-Aqsa Mosque:

    1) The "Israeli" authorities must be considered as occupation authorities because it is an occupation, according to international law, when an army exercises an unacceptable actual control over lands that it doesn't possess sovereignty rights over. Article 42 of the Hague Regulations of 1907 defines occupation: "The land is occupied when it is effectively placed under the control of the hostile army.

    2) The Zionist entity still rejects to apply the Fourth Geneva Convention, and accepts to apply the regulations of the Hague Convention of 1907. Since the Partition Resolution No. 181 confirmed that Palestine was occupied, and that the occupation army is a hostile army, which has established a military rule in the Palestinian territories, the occupation authorities, therefore, must respect the belligerent occupation law and apply it.

    3) The status of Jerusalem is determined in accordance with the principles, rules, and provisions of the public international law, particularly in accordance with The Hague Conventions of 1899, 1907, and the Fourth Geneva Convention issued in August 1949, as well as the international agreements affiliated to the international humanitarian law. All of these conventions confirm that the Palestinian territories are occupied and that they belongs to the Palestinian people who were obstructed from sovereignty and independence by the "Israeli" occupiers. Therefore, the occupation army is not allowed to impose its legislation on the Palestinian people, especially when it seeks to Judaize them.

    The above mentioned confirms that the Zionist entity is exercising its powers by force on the Palestinian authorities, thus violating the international law- particularly in terms of humanity and the handling of religious beliefs and sanctities that ensure respecting and protecting all religious laws and norms.

    The "Israeli" occupation continues to exercise its hostile policies toward the Palestinians and Al-Aqsa Mosque, and its continuous quest to Judaize Jerusalem in accordance with the divisive, racist policies that violates human rights, emphasize the belief of freedom, the international Convention on the elimination of all Forms of racial discrimination, and the decision of the General Assembly of the United Nations 1514, 1960 (a declaration that granted independence to colonized countries and peoples).

    It violates as well the resolutions of the United Nations, which affirm the right of the Palestinians to determine their fate, which was voted by the majority in the Committee of Social, Cultural, and Humanitarian Affairs of the General Assembly on November 22, 2013. "Israel" is violating the belligerent occupation law in accordance with the following:

    1) The occupying power does not have sovereignty right over the occupied territories, according to the law of occupation. It is required to respect the existing laws and institutions as much as possible. It is assumed in this regard that the occupation is temporary, and that the occupying power will maintain the previous status of the occupation in the occupied territories.

    2) The belligerent law affirms that the occupation forces keep the local administration in the region; this confirms the legal breach in transferring Al-Aqsa administration to it.

    3) Article 43 of The Hague Convention orders the occupiers to respect the enforced laws and conventions. Therefore, it is not permitted to control Al-Aqsa.

    4) The "Israeli" occupier must comply with the obligations of the occupying authority that are mainly laid out in The Hague Regulations of 1907 (Articles 42-78) and the fourth Geneva Convention (Articles 27-34 and 47-56).

    Following this presentation of points, it is necessary to point out that what "Israel" is doing today is in violation of international law. It stresses on its racism, aggressiveness, and malicious intentions. Therefore, an action must be held at all levels and using all mechanisms because the situation of Al-Quds has become dangerous, and Al-Aqsa Mosque is under the threat of the Judaizing efforts by the enemy.

    Source: Al-Ahed news

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    Al-Qaeda Building its Network in Lebanon: Washington Post

    March 20, 2014, 7:35 am
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    Hussein Malla/AP - A Lebanese man holds part of an exploded rocket that hit a house in the  town of Labweh, near the border with Syria, on Monday.

    Local Editor

    Al-Qaeda is building its network in Lebanon in the light of the developments taking place in the neighboring Syria, US daily Washington Post reported.

    “Al-Qaeda appears to be steadily building its support networks and capacity in Lebanon, where fears are growing that a new influx of militants from the Syrian border region could bolster the terror group’s ranks and stoke instability,” the daily said on Wednesday.

    It noted that the security in Lebanon has deteriorated after the latest developments in Syria: the recapturing of the last bastion of the foreign-backed militants in Qalamoun, Yabroud and the escalation in the border with the occupied territories in Golan.Nusra Front
    “A significant number of fighters from the Syrian wing of Jabhat al-Nusra — al-Qaeda’s representative in the Syrian war — are present in Syria’s mountainous border region, and analysts said the Syrian government’s continued efforts to squeeze out rebels from the area could push more of them into Lebanon.”

    The Washington post quoted these analysts as saying that these developments could “escalate instability by significantly boosting the operational capability of the Lebanese branch of Jabhat al-Nusra, which is already gaining a foothold.”

    “Nusra in Lebanon are so far localized in the lawless border zones and are not that significant yet,” said Aymenn al-Tamimi, a fellow at the Middle East Forum who specializes in extremist groups.

    “They appear to have just adopted the name of the Syrian group and the two have not become one yet, but that could change if there was an influx of fighters from Syria.”

    Nusra Front claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on Sunday in the Bekaa town of Nabi Othman. The Grand Cherokee car driven by the suicide bomber was heading to another place but was discovered by two men, Abdul Rahman al-Qadi and Khalil Khalil who hased it and tried to stop the vehicle before it blew up.

    But other terror groups, particularly the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, a Lebanese al-Qaeda affiliate, “pose the most immediate threat,” said a senior army officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.

    The group has asserted responsibility for double suicide bombings on the Iranian cultural center in Beirut and the Embassy of Iran.

    The officer said the Azzam Brigades and Jabhat al-Nusra appear to work in tandem, sometimes releasing joint statements.

    The army has largely dismantled one strand of the Azzam Brigades, which has its roots in Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp, the daily quoted the officer as saying, but has not arrested any members of its second cell, headed by Sirajeddine Zuraiqat, the group’s religious leader.

    The Azzam Brigades suffered a blow in December, when the group’s leader, Majid bin Muhammad al-Majid, was apprehended as he sought medical treatment in Lebanon for a kidney problem, then died shortly after.

    While the ranks of Jabhat al-Nusra and the Azzam Brigades are believed to be small, al-Qaeda affiliates have a large pool of disenfranchised Sunnis in Lebanon to call upon, according to the daily.

    “Several of the suicide bombers in recent attacks have been Lebanese nationals. Others have been Palestinian and Syrian, according to Lebanese authorities.”

    “With a vacuum in mainstream Sunni political leadership in Lebanon, Sunni youth in areas such as the northern port city of Tripoli are increasingly expressing support for extremist groups, analysts say.”

    Source: Newspapers
    		20-03-2014 - 13:50 Last updated 20-03-2014 
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