The testimony was ridiculous?

Rally Calls for Release of "Holy Land Five"

Published on Oct 28, 2012 by TheRealNews : Michael Ratner : Government incarceration of five leaders of a Muslim foundation that supported Palestinians is an affront to human rights.

PA will seek UN recognition next month despite US pressure

Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas leaves the podium after speaking
during the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly
at UN headquarters in New York on Sept. 27, 2012.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has declared that despite pressure from the US and Israel, Palestinians will move ahead with a plan to become a "non-member observer state" at the UN General Assembly next month.

Last year, the PA attempted to seek status as a full member state at the world body but the Palestinian drive for full membership of the United Nations failed because of a lack of support in the UN Security Council.

"We will go to the UN regardless of any threats," said Tawfik Tirawi, a senior member of PA chief Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement in Ramallah on Sunday.

"I expect the Israelis to take punitive measures against us, if we win this status, but this is our choice and we will not retract it," he added.

The Palestinians are seeking "non-member observer state" status in the UN General Assembly, where success is highly likely since most of the members at the 193-member body are sympathetic to the Palestinian cause.

The move has prompted a furious response from the Tel Aviv regime. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor warned that UN recognition would "irreversibly poison the atmosphere" and make it impossible to recommence “peace talks”.

"The Palestinians are openly declaring their intention to use this recognition as a weapon in an ever continuing diplomatic war they intend to wage against Israel," he said. "If they are going to wage a legal and diplomatic war against Israel, what are the odds of returning to the negotiating table?"

In November 2011, the Israeli regime accelerated illegal construction work in the occupied territories and froze the transfer of funds to the Palestinian Authority after the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) agreed to admit the PA as a member in September 2011.

source  >>>

Both Candidates Misleading on Iran and Afghanistan

Published on Oct 27, 2012 by TheRealNews : Gareth Porter: Obama and Romney debate a false narrative about US foreign policy

Saudi Arabia: Stop Prosecuting Peaceful Protesters

Rights Activists Among Those Charged in New Case | OCTOBER 28, 2012

(Beirut) – Saudi authorities should stop using the courts to prosecute and punish people for peaceful protest.

On October 17, 2012, the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution charged 19 men with “instigating chaos and sedition” and “gathering illegally” after they participated in a peaceful protest on September 23 outside Turfiya prison, in Qassim province in central Saudi Arabia. They were seeking the release of family members, some of whom have been held for years without charge. On October 18, a criminal court sentenced 15 of the men to between 3 and 15 days in prison, along with suspended sentences of between 50 and 90 lashes and suspended jail terms of between two and five months. The trial of the remaining four is scheduled for November 4.

“Instead of addressing the protesters’ concerns, the Saudi government has used the judicial system to punish them,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “The sentences handed to these men are part of a wider effort to target and harass activists across the country.”

Authorities have not alleged that the protesters engaged in or called for violence. Witnesses who participated in the protest told Human Rights Watch that security forces blocked off protesters’ access to food and water. Human Rights Watch examined video footage that protesters said was of the September 23 incident, which showed police beating demonstrators.

more from original report  >>>

Syria: tentative agreement for ceasefire during Eid

Published on Oct 24, 2012 by IBTimesUK : There's been a tentative agreement for a ceasefire in Syria, the first of its kind brokered by United Nations Peace Envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi since he took over from his predecessor Kofi Annan. Human rights activists say the 19-month long conflict in the country has now claimed the lives of more than 34,000 people. And now apparently President Bashar al-Assad has 'positively' received the proposal of a 'laying down of arms' ahead of the upcoming Muslim holiday, Eid. Brahimi is reported to have said he pushed "extremely hard" for the agreement.

Mr Brahimi who met with Assad in Damascus, said the truce between the Syrian government and some rebel forces will begin on Friday, lasting the whole four days of the festival. Last week, Brahimi held talks between opposition groups - inside and outside Syria - receiving "promises" but not a "commitment" from them to honour the cease-fire.

He said '...If this humble initiative is successful, we hope to use it as a building block for talks on a longer ceasefire and a ceasefire must be a part of a well-rounded political process."

As unverified footage emerged today of more attacks, this time on the Syrian border town of Haram, the Head of the Syrian National Council - the main opposition group in exile - claimed he had little hope the truce will hold. And despite this peace contract being more modest than the one Kofi Annan proposed, one which didn't sustain, world leaders will be holding their breath to see what happens here.

Security Council Statement: on Somalia

Published on Oct 23, 2012 by GermanyUN - Security Council Statement: Ambassador Wittig on Somalia, 16 October 2012

Chomsky in Gaza, on Estelle

Published on Oct 23, 2012 by CanadaBoatGaza : I'm here in Gaza, I've been here for several days. I was here hoping to greet the latest boat from the Flotilla, the Estelle. We were waiting at the Gaza port. The boat, like earlier ones, was hijacked by the Israeli navy. They call it Israeli territorial waters, it's actually Gazan waters or international waters, Israel has no right to those waters. The Estelle was another effort to break the siege, as in some way is our visit. The siege is a criminal act that has no justification. It should be broken and it should be strongly opposed by the outside world. It's simply an effort to intimidate the Gazans into self-destruction, to try to get rid of them and destroy the society. There is absolutely no justification for it -- military justifications are claimed but they have no credibility. The people on the boat should be honoured and respected for their courage and commitment and for undertaking a brave and important effort to break the siege, the criminal siege, and bring hope to the people of Gaza who are imprisoned, literally imprisoned in the biggest prison in the world.

The Next War: Destination “Lebanon.”

The New York times reported that a powerful bomb devastated a Christian neighborhood of Lebanon’s capital on Friday October 19, 2012, killing an intelligence official long viewed as an enemy by neighboring Syria and unnerving as Syria’s sectarian-fueled civil war threatened to engulf the region.

The blast which sheared off the face of buildings, killed at least eight people, wounded 80 and transformed a quiet tree-lined street in to a scene reminiscent of Lebanon’s long civil war. Within hours of the attack the Lebanese authorities said the dead included the intelligence chief of the country’s internal security service, Brig. Gen. Wissam Al-Hassan 47, spurring accusations that the Syrian government had assassinated him for recently uncovering what the authorities said was a Syrian plot to provoke unrest in Lebanon. They wanted to get him, and they got him, “said Paul Salem a regional analyst with the Carnegie Middle East Center.” [1]

The Associated Press reported that the Friday blast was a reminder of Lebanon’s grim history, when the 1975-1990 Civil War made the country notorious for kidnappings, car bombs, and political assassinations. The associated Press went on to say that even the war’s end, Lebanon has been a proxy battleground for the regional conflicts, and the seaside capital has been a prey to sudden and often unexplained violence shattering periods of calm. As usual State Department spokes-woman Victoria Nuland condemned the bombing. She said the U.S. had no information about the perpetrators. Meanwhile, Syrian information minister Omran Al-Zouebi denounced the bombing, calling it a “terrorist and cowardly” attack. At the same time, Syria’s top ally in Lebanon the Shiite Hezbollah movement also condemned the attack expressing its “state of great shock over this terrible crime.” [2]

Analysis

As in every crime scene we need to first assess who the instigators might be, and who would benefit from these acts of violence. Should we just gather the usual suspects and bury the truth? Or should we expand our horizon and explore other possible suspects.

Ironically and for decades, most of the sudden acts of violence in Lebanon have been committed by unknown hands and have gone unclaimed, leaving room for speculation and accusations, which is a convenient way to lay the blame on a specific person, group, party, sect, or country, resulting in the creation of a mistrustful and paranoid atmosphere that reinforces divisiveness.

It is no secret that Lebanon’s relationship with Syria has been toxic for many years despite the proximity between the two countries and the political declarations by their politicians who pronounce them as two closely-knitted nations.

Syria has been engulfed for the past year in an alleged civil unrest aiming at regime change just like in Egypt, Iraq, Libya and other neighboring Arab Countries under the guise of a revolutionary Arab spring financed by Western and Saudi money. These sham revolutions have been instigated, fueled, and staged by western powers and their proxies in the Middle East like the Israelis and the Saudis.

Lebanon bombings linked to civil war in Syria.

By Niall Green  | 22 October 2012

Two bombings in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, have thrown the country into crisis, further exposing the danger that the civil war in Syria could spark a far wider conflagration throughout the region.

On Friday, a massive explosion in Beirut killed eight people, including a top Internal Security Forces officer, Brigadier General Wissam al-Hassan. An estimated 78 people were injured in the blast, which hit a motorcade passing through a historic Christian neighborhood of the city.

A Lebanese security official told reporters that immediately prior to his killing, Hassan had returned from a visit to France and Germany. The car in which he was riding at the time of the attack was reportedly not armored, despite the obvious dangers associated with his position and the volatile state of Lebanese politics.

General al-Hassan headed an investigation this year that implicated a former minister in the Hezbollah-led government of Lebanon in an alleged plot with Syrian officials to carry out terrorist attacks inside the country. The minister implicated in al-Hassan’s investigation, Michel Samaha, is reported to have longstanding links with US, French and Syrian intelligence agencies. A former member of the fascist Phalangist movement during the Lebanese civil war, Samaha had in recent years formed an alliance with Hezbollah.

Several leading Lebanese politicians jumped to blame the government in neighboring Syria for the assassination. Saad al-Hariri, the leader of Lebanon’s main opposition bloc, accused the government in Damascus of being behind the killing of al-Hassan.

full from source here >>>

US Justice for British Citizens?

Published on Oct 18, 2012 by TheRealNews : Families of British men extradited to US feel betrayed by their government and judicial system.

If McKinnon's name is Ali or Abdul, he would have been handed to the yanks on a silver plate, too?

UN-AL envoy calls for Iran help for temporary ceasefire in Syria.

UN-Arab League Joint Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi

The UN and Arab League Joint Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi has called on Iran to help achieve a ceasefire in Syria during the four-day Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice).

"Lakhdar Brahimi has appealed to the Iranian authorities to assist in achieving a ceasefire in Syria during the forthcoming Eid al-Adha, one of the holiest holidays celebrated by the Muslims around the world," AFP reported on Tuesday.

Brahimi "underlined that the crisis in Syria was getting worse every day and stressed the urgent need to stop the bloodshed," the report said.

Brahimi said a ceasefire, timed to coincide with the Eid al-Adha starting October 25, “would help create an environment that would allow a political process to develop."

On the second leg of his second regional tour aimed at finding a solution to the 19-month conflict in Syria, Brahimi visited Iran following a trip to Turkey. The international envoy is currently in Iraq.

During his visit to Tehran, Brahimi held talks with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi and Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili.

Western states have been calling for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, but Iran, Russia, and China are strongly opposed to the Western drive to oust Assad.

The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the armed militants are foreign nationals, mostly from Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, and Afghanistan.

original source  >>>

History of Iran & USA in 10 min!

Published on Feb 5, 2012 by realpress : A brief history of Iran and America's relations and the facts that have led to this political gridlock.

UN briefs on Middle East situation ‎

By Undersecretary General for Political Affairs.

Published on Oct 16, 2012 by PressTVGlobalNews : Monday's UN Security Council meeting came to order and the ball was immediately passed to Jeffrey Feltman -- the UN's Undersecretary General for Political Affairs -- for his briefing on the situation in the Middle East.

Viva Scotland!

Scottish referendum to hit hard Britain:

Published on Oct 15, 2012 by PressTVGlobalNews : Scotland gained its own government in 1999 and is expected to sign a document that will allow for a referendum in 2014 to vote for its independence from Britain.

Press TV has interviewed Mr. Chris Bambery, a Scot and political analyst in London about Scotland's dream of escaping the imperial legacy of the United Kingdom and the impact a separation will have in Britain.

MALAYSIA - FOR THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE?

Uploaded by on Oct 15, 2012 : Thumbs up for Malaysia, will there be a lasting peace?

'Nobel Committee making another mistake'

Published on Oct 13, 2012 by PressTVGlobalNews : Although European nations support Israeli atrocities against the Palestinians, the Nobel committee has awarded its Peace Prize to the European Union, an analyst tells Press TV.

The EU has won the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize at a time that social unrest and financial problems are shaking the very pillars of the 27-nation bloc.

Announcing the award on Friday, the Nobel Committee President Thorbjoern Jagland acknowledged the EU's current financial woes and social unrest as many analysts also questioned the timing of the event coinciding with a wave of unrest in the bloc.

“Day of Rage”

On the behalf of ISI : would like to express our support on and urge all peace loving Americans to join you on this "Day of Rage".

We have selected November 6, 2012 for the date of this event since that is the date for our general Federal election. Given the proclivity of the US government to waive the requirement for some signatories to abide by the provisions of the 4th Geneva Convention I suspect our “Day of Rage” will continue through the next millennia and beyond.

ARE YOU REFERRING TO ISRAEL? https://www.facebook.com/events/388587067879005/

The suggested text of the message as well as the email address of his Public Information Officer and mailing address for Secretary Mabus is available for download at:

http://www.usslibertyveterans.org/files/DayOfRageforUSSLibertySurvivors.zip

or

http://www.usslibertyveterans.org/files/DayOfRageforUSSLibertySurvivors.exe

If you receive a response, please email it to us at joe@ussliberty.com or fax it to us at (747)333-2123. 

US military taskforce operating near Syria

US troopers prepare their gear during the Eager Lion joint 

military exercise near the Jordanian–Saudi border, 

260 kilometers (less than 162 miles) 

south of Amman, on May 24, 2012.

The US military has secretly deployed a force of ‘planners and specialists’ to Jordan in an apparent bid to protect the Amman regime from the spread of Syrian crisis and set the stage for creating of a “buffer zone” inside Syria.

The clandestine effort by the US military to dispatch “a task force of more than 150 planners and other specialists” marks the first reported bid by Washington to prepare for a military intervention in Syria and is being led by “a senior American officer” at a “Jordanian military training center in northern Amman,” influential US daily The New York Times reports Wednesday.

According to the report, quoting “American officials familiar with the operation,” the mission includes setting up plans to “insulate” the US-backed Jordanian dictatorship in Amman from the potential outbreak of the foreign-sponsored turmoil in Syria, a key base for anti-Israeli resistance in the region.

“The idea of establishing a buffer zone between Syria and Jordan - which would be enforced by Jordanian forces on the Syrian side of the border and supported politically and perhaps logistically by the United States - had been discussed,” the Times article reports, quoting unnamed US officials.

read more

Panetta: US sends forces to Jordan

Syria war is spreading?

Turkey Authorizes Military Operations in Syria

Published on Oct 4, 2012 by AssociatedPress : Turkey's Parliament authorized military operations against Syria on Thursday and its military fired on targets there for a second day after deadly shelling from Syria killed five civilians in a Turkish border town.

95% of 'Syrian rebels' not Syrians - report

Published on Oct 2, 2012 by RussiaToday : The Syrian crisis is a result of a coherent collective effort by a gang of foreign states - that's the message Syria's foreign minister laid out for the UN General Assembly.

International law professor Daoud Khairallah says that Syrians would never inflict such vicious destruction on their homeland and the fact that foreign fighters are involved in the war runs against the UN charter.

Syria: The men who would replace Assad

Analysis: Who are the Syrian opposition, and why do they seem to be fighting each other more than the regime?

LONDON — From the perspective of many outsiders, it appears the Syrian regime has been bent on self-destruction for 10 months.

More than 5,000 people are now thought to have been killed since the uprising began last year. Western leaders, most of the Arab League, and even one-time ally Turkey have turned against President Bashar Al-Assad, imposing sanctions and calling for him to step down. But in a defiant speech Tuesday, he insisted he would not be going anywhere.

On Wednesday, he made another rare public appearance. He addressed a rally in Damascus' Umayad Square, thanking the crowd for its support and pledging to defeat the opposition.

His position seems strong. There have been no major political or diplomatic defections, and despite some well-publicized army rebellions, the military is largely intact.

But despite almost a year of repression, the protest movement refuses to die down. So who are the men (and they are almost all men) who would replace Bashar Al-Assad?

Afghanistan : US has no exit strategy?

Published on Oct 2, 2012 by aston79suara : Gareth Porter - There is little debate in Election Campaign, Afghan war a failure : about why and what to do next. American not in the know, about recent major US military defeats, worst than Vietnam!

From original source  : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCvZ09q_Y_E

Pentagon Declares Failed Afghanistan Surge a Success…by Redefining its Goal after the Fact

After eleven years of war in Afghanistan, which have left 15,322 Americans wounded and 2,126 dead, the Pentagon appears ready to take the advice given by Senator George Aiken (R-Vermont) in 1966 regarding the failing war in Vietnam: unilaterally declare victory and go home. To make such a declaration even marginally credible, however, the military has first determined to “move the goalposts” by redefining the goals of the war after the fact.

 

That the war in Afghanistan, including the “troop surge” ordered by President Obama in 2009, has been a failure is clear from a recent report released by the NATO Afghanistan military command. For example, in July 2009, just a few months before the surge, insurgent attacks totaled about 2,000, while in July 2012 they attacked about 3,000 times, an increase of about 33%. (Because the precise number of attacks remains classified, precise statistical analysis is impossible.) The same is true for every month in 2009 compared to every month in 2012 for which data exists: The insurgency launched more attacks in 2012 than it did in 2009. The conclusion is inescapable: the troop surge has done nothing to degrade the insurgents’ military strength or capabilities.

And that was the purpose of the troop surge, as President Obama explained in a speech at West Point in December 2009 announcing his decision to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan: “We must reverse the Taliban’s momentum and deny it the ability to overthrow the government.”

Because that goal has not been met, as the surge winds down the military has discovered another, more limited goal that it believes it can claim to have achieved. Two weeks ago, General Martin E. Dempsey, who is Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,contended that the intended purpose of the surge was “to buy us some time to push back on some Taliban initiatives—particularly in the south and southwest—and to buy us some space to grow the Afghan security forces.”

While it is true that Afghan security forces have grown by about 50,000 during the surge period, it is also true that attacks by members of those forces on American and allied forces have also grown. With the troop surge ending October 1, and the U.S. committed to withdrawing all forces by the end of 2014, declaring victory and going home seems the most rational course of action, particularly as two-thirds of Americans want U.S. troops to return as soon as possible.

- Matt Bewig  |  1st Oct 2012 - original here    >>