Middle East on fire

Iran deal with Russia for air-defence missiles scuppered by US and Israel

From the Link:

Iran deal with Russia for air-defence missiles scuppered by US and Israel

Russian military chief says sale is off after concerns Tehran would use S-300 weapons system to protect nuclear facilities

Ian Black, Middle East editor guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 22 September 2010 17.51 BST

Russia has confirmed that it will not deliver advanced air-defence missiles to Iran in the face of strong opposition from the US and Israel – demonstrating that Moscow is willing fully to support international pressure on the Islamic regime.

General Nikolai Makarov, the armed forces chief of staff, told Russian media today that delivery of the S-300 high-precision weapons system would violate the UN sanctions imposed on Iran because of concerns about its nuclear programme. Iran says the programme is peaceful.

"A decision was taken not to supply S-300s to Iran," Makarov was quoted as saying by the state-run RIA. "They definitely fall under sanctions. There has been an instruction from the leadership to stop the shipment, and we are obeying it."

Until now, Russian officials had given conflicting signals about whether the fourth round of sanctions, agreed by the UN security council in June, would cover all weapons sales.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is scheduled to address the UN general assembly on Thursday.

Iran appeared to have been taken by surprise by the announcement from Moscow, as the defence minister, Brigadier-General Ahmad Vahidi, said that there were "no new developments" with regard to delivery, Fars news agency reported.

The S-300 is a mobile, long-range air-defence system that can simultaneously lock on to multiple targets and destroy incoming ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as helicopters and jets. Iran announced the $800m (£511m) deal in 2007, and Russia has used it as a lever in its relations with Tehran, the west and Israel.

The US and Israel joined forces in opposing the deal because, they argued, the system could help Iran defend itself against potential attacks on its nuclear facilities. Israel also warned that the weapon could fall into the hands of Hezbollah guerillas in Lebanon, who are supported by Iran. The CIA has said that it believes the missiles would be deployed to protect Iranian nuclear facilities.

US and British officials say Iran was unpleasantly surprised by Russian and Chinese support for the sanctions, which were followed by additional measures adopted by the EU. Moscow and Tehran have exchanged barbed comments about the nuclear issue in recent months.

Russia angered Israel and triggered an expression of concern from the US last week by announcing that it would go ahead with a $300m sale of Yakhont anti-ship cruise missiles to Syria, Iran's only Arab ally. Israel admitted that it had tried but failed to scupper that deal.

The impact of sanctions on Iran was being discussed at the UN in New York today, by the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, and her counterparts from Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia. William Hague, the foreign secretary, is scheduled to meet the Iranian foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki.

Link

Yes, we would not want Iran to be able to defend it's nuclear facilities do we? The US and Israel especially don't want Iran to have the ability to defend it's nuclear facilities in the event of an aerial attack. Oooh I wonder why.

It took a long time for Russia to make it's mind up, flip-flopping spinelessly as they went. No doubt they will get something in return from Israel, in particular The Israeli drones and how to use them, and something from the US, possibily a deal for the US to buy Russian helicopters for Afghanistan as Gates put forth as a possibility recently, also a new head-to-head between Obama and Medvedev on reducing nuclear warheads (haha) and perhaps for the US to stop arming Georgia as a few scenarios that come to mind.

I'm sure Russia have got a sweet deal out of this, and it merely reinforces my suspicions the missiles Russia sold to Syria are probably going to be strangely faulty and hard to operate, if they ever arrive. I can't see how Israel would allow Russia access to it's drones otherwise.


China gains in the long-term. Iran will simply get Russian weapons from China, who no doubt will produce an S-300 version of their own, knowing their tendancy to produce copies of Russian weapons.

Elsewhere....

Jerusalem clashes after Israeli guard kills Palestinian (Video)

BTW China does have S-300s... so they could even sell a few of those to Iran.

And now for the whole Russia-Iran-Syria-UAV deal...
Israel threatens to decide against potential military cooperation with Russia, outraged at Moscow's refusal to cancel its weapons sales to Syria.
It seems the deal could be in real jeopardy.... or it's all hot air.

Venezuela is preparing for congressional elections and political parties are in full campaign mode, presenting their electoral promises.
There could be a CIA-US sponsored coup there.

US economy hangs on Arab arms sales
A total of 123 billion $ for the middle-east... Only 13 times the Iranian defense budget...

Egyptians slam Mubarak son's candidacy
Ah US funded democracy... in Egypt, they burn the portray of the son for running... what do they do in the US? They elect him TWICE... (Bush Sr./Bush Jr.) Egyptians love more democracy than Americans it seems.

Israel has embarked on the most sweeping shuffle of its top military and intelligence echelons in which virtually every senior officer will be replaced because their appointments are expiring
According to analysts, the whole thing won't be completed until a year from now. That means no war before at least a year...

UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams said in a statement issued on Thursday following his meeting with Prime Minister Saad Hariri that Saturday’s airport incident is just an example of how tension has risen in the country.
Gee ya think? Tensions have not been that high since the end of the civil war IMO.

Mohammad Dahlan: Israel is trying to start third Intifada (Israel Radio)

Well when they enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque yes....

Report: U.S. Embassy in Lebanon intructs American citizens to leave country (Ch.10)

Not good.

UN experts: Israel flotilla raid broke international law (AP)

Gee what a surprise... NOT.

Riots continue in East Jerusalem; police officer lightly injured (Ch.10)

Yet Haaretz was saying earlier that it was all calm...

MK Zuabi: The criminals who ordered the Gaza flotilla raid should be put on trial (Haaretz)

Not going to happen but yeah.

Mubarak and Merkel: Israel-PA direct talks is a rare opportunity for peace (Army Radio)

What the hell are they talking about? They've been doing direct peace talks for 20 years + with no results. It's not a rare opportunity.

Deputy PM Dan Meridor: Netanyahu is 'sincere' in Mideast talks (DPA)

Well if he is he should be showing it more with actions.

Obama to UN: Settlement moratorium should be extended (Haaretz)

And if I've seen this right, Israel representatives weren't there when Obama made his speech at the UN...

Turkish President expects 'a formal apology and compensation' from Israel (Haaretz)

That's a good joke.

Ahmadinejad to UN: Zionist regime contributes to the proliferation of nuclear weapons (Haaretz)

Yep. They tried to sell nukes to Apartheid South Africa.

Delegates leave as Ahmadinejad accuses 'U.S. and Zionists' of orchestrating 911 attacks (Haaretz)

Which they did. 9/11 was an inside job.

Ahmadinejad: The occupation of other countries is an unforgivable crime (Haaretz)

Is it not? Under all UN laws it is.

Originally posted by Vitchilo
BTW China does have S-300s... so they could even sell a few of those to Iran.

Indeed.

Originally posted by Vitchilo
And now for the whole Russia-Iran-Syria-UAV deal...
Israel threatens to decide against potential military cooperation with Russia, outraged at Moscow's refusal to cancel its weapons sales to Syria.
It seems the deal could be in real jeopardy.... or it's all hot air.

I suspect hot air. Possibly so as not to make Syria wonder why they are allowed to have anti-ship missiles from Russia, but Iran are not allowed to have anti-air missiles. I suspect a deal may have been reached between Israel and Russia for Syria to have faulty missiles that will be hard to operate. Israel's hot air may be a cover for this, an act to pretend to show "how concerned" they are at Syria getting the missiles.

Syria will think that if Israel is complaining, the missiles must be in good order for Israel to be complaining.

Originally posted by Vitchilo
Venezuela is preparing for congressional elections and political parties are in full campaign mode, presenting their electoral promises.
There could be a CIA-US sponsored coup there.

They've tried it before, and the people from the Barrios marched to the government buildings, demanding Chavez be allowed back as President.

Originally posted by Vitchilo
Egyptians slam Mubarak son's candidacy
Ah US funded democracy... in Egypt, they burn the portray of the son for running... what do they do in the US? They elect him TWICE... (Bush Sr./Bush Jr.) Egyptians love more democracy than Americans it seems.

The Egyptian government should just drop all pretence and rename Egypt from a Republic to a Kingdom. That's what hereditary power means.

Bush sr, Bush jr, Bill Clinton, Hilary Clinton....a nasty build-up of rich and powerful family lines reminiscent of European aristocracy and their ruling houses.

Originally posted by Vitchilo
Israel has embarked on the most sweeping shuffle of its top military and intelligence echelons in which virtually every senior officer will be replaced because their appointments are expiring
According to analysts, the whole thing won't be completed until a year from now. That means no war before at least a year...

It could be smoke and mirrors, so people let down their guard...

Originally posted by Vitchilo

Ahmadinejad to UN: Zionist regime contributes to the proliferation of nuclear weapons (Haaretz)

Yep. They tried to sell nukes to Apartheid South Africa.

Delegates leave as Ahmadinejad accuses 'U.S. and Zionists' of orchestrating 911 attacks (Haaretz)

Which they did. 9/11 was an inside job.

Ahmadinejad: The occupation of other countries is an unforgivable crime (Haaretz)

Is it not? Under all UN laws it is.

Ahmadinejad made one of the best speeches I've heard given at the UN in the long time. But because it came from Ahmadinejad, because it came from Iran's President, the bogeyman, then it will be demonised, and painted by the MSM as I saw last night as "taunting the US", which he wasn't.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Speech at the United Nations (Full):



Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Speech at the United Nations + Transcript Sept. 23, 2010

From the Link: (excerpt of transcript)

Human beings and nations were considered rivals and the happiness of an

individual or a nation was defined in collision with, and elimination or suppression of

others. Constructive evolutionary cooperation was replaced with a destructive struggle

for survival.

The lust for capital and domination replaced monotheism which is the gate to love

and unity.

This widespread clash of the egoist with the divine values gave way to slavery and

colonialism. A large portion of the world came under the domination of a few western

States. Tens of millions of people were taken to slavery and tens of millions of

families were shattered as a result. All the resources, the rights and the cultures of the

colonized nations were plundered. Lands were occupied and the indigenous people

were humiliated and mass- murdered.

Yet, nations rose up, colonialism was alienated and the independence of the nations

was recognized. Thus, the hope for respect, prosperity and security was revived

amongst nations. In the beginning of the past century nice talks about freedom,

human rights and democracy created hopes for healing the deep wounds of the past.

Today, however, not only those dreams are not realized, but memories, even at times

worse than before, have been recorded.

As a result of the two World Wars, the occupation of Palestine, the Korean and the

Vietnam’s Wars, the Iraqi war against Iran, the occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq as

well as many wars in Africa, hundreds of millions of people were killed, wounded or

displaced.

Terrorism, illicit drugs, poverty and the social gaps increased. The dictatorial and

coup d’etat governments in Latin America committed unprecedented crimes with the

support of the West.

Instead of disarmament, the proliferation and stockpiling of nuclear, biological and

chemical weapons expanded, putting the world under a bigger threat. As a result, the

very same old goals of colonialists and the slave masters were, this time round,

pursued with a new facade.

B) The Global Management and Ruling Structures

The League of Nations and, then, the United Nations were established with the

promise to bring about peace, security and the realization of human rights, which in

fact meant a global management.

One can analyze the current governance of the world by examining three events:

First, the event of the II September 2001 which has affected the whole world for

almost a decade.

All of a sudden, the news of the attack on the twin towers was broadcast using

numerous footages of the incident.

Almost all governments and known figures strongly condemned this incident.

But then a propaganda machine came into full force; it was implied that the whole

world was exposed to a huge danger, namely terrorism, and that the only way to save

the world would be to deploy forces into Afghanistan.

Eventually Afghanistan, and shortly thereafter Iraq were occupied.

Please take note:

It was said that some three thousands people were killed on the II September for

which we are all very saddened. Yet, up until now, in Afghanistan and Iraq hundreds

of thousands of people have been killed, millions wounded and displaced and the

conflict is still going on and expanding.

In identifying those responsible for the attack, there were three viewpoints.

1- That a very powerful and complex terrorist group, able to successfully cross

all layers of the American intelligence and security, carried out the attack.

This is the main viewpoint advocated by American statesmen.

2- That some segments within the U.S. government orchestrated the attack to

reverse the declining American economy and its grips on the Middle East in order

also to save the Zionist regime.

The majority of the American people as well as other nations and politicians agree

with this view.

3- It was carried out by a terrorist group but the American government supported

and took advantage of the situation. Apparently, this viewpoint has fewer proponents.

The main evidence linking the incident was a few passports found in the huge

volume of rubble and a video of an individual whose place of domicile was unknown

but it was announced that he had been involved in oil deals with some American

officials. It was also covered up and said that due to the explosion and fire no trace of

the suicide attackers was found.

There remain, however, afew questions 10 be answered:

1- Would it not have been sensible that first a thorough investigation should have

been conducted by independent groups to conclusively identify the elements involved

in the attack and then map out a rational plan to take measures against them?

2- Assuming the viewpoint of the American government, is it rational to launch a

classic war through widespread deployment of troops that led to the death of hundreds

of thousands of people to counter a terrorist group?

3- Was it not possible to act the way Iran countered the Riggi terrorist group who

killed and wounded 400 innocent people in Iran. In the Iranian operation no innocent

person was hurt.

It is proposed that the United Nations set up an independent fact-finding group for

the event of the II September so that in the future expressing views about it is not

forbidden.

I wish to announce here that next year the Islamic Republic of Iran will host a

conference to study terrorism and the means to confront it. I invite officials, scholars,

thinkers, researchers and research institutes of all countries to attend this conference.

Second, is the occupation of the Palestinian territories

The oppressed people of Palestine have lived under the rule of an occupying

regime for 60 years, been deprived of freedom, security and the right to selfdetermination,

while the occupiers are given recognition. On a daily basis, the houses

are being destroyed over the heads of innocent women and children. People are

deprived of water, food and medicine in their own homeland. The Zionists have

imposed five all-out wars on the neighboring countries and on the Palestinian people.

The Zionists committed the most horrible crimes against the defenseless people in

the wars against Lebanon and Gaza.

The Zionist regime attacked a humanitarian flotilla in a blatant defiance of all

international norms and kills the civilians.

This regime which enjoys the absolute support of some western countries regularly

threatens the countries in the region and continues publicly announced assassination

of Palestinian figures and others, while Palestinian defenders and those opposing this

regime are pressured, labeled as terrorists and anti Semites. All values, even the

freedom of expression, in Europe and in the United States are being sacrificed at the

altar of Zionism.

Solutions are doomed to fail because the right of the Palestinian people is not taken

into account.

Would we have witnessed such horrendous crimes if instead of recognizing the

occupation, the sovereign right of the Palestinian people had been recognized?

Our unambiguous proposition is the return of the Palestinian refugees to their home

land and the reference to the vote of the people of Palestine to exercise their

sovereignty and decide on the type of governance.

Third, is the nuclear energy

Nuclear energy is clean and cheap and a heavenly gift which is amongst the most

suitable alternatives to cut the pollutions emanating from fossil fuels.

The Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT) allows all member States to use nuclear

energy without limits and the International Atomic Energy Agency is mandated to

provide member States with technical and legal support.

The nuclear bomb is the worst inhumane weapon and which must totally be

eliminated. The NPT prohibits its development and stockpiling and calls for nuclear

disarmament.

Nonetheless, note what some of the permanent members of the Security Council

and nuclear bomb holders have done:

They have equated nuclear energy with the nuclear bomb, and have distanced this

energy from the reach of most of nations by establishing monopolies and pressuring

the IAEA. While at the same time, they have continued to maintain, expand and

upgrade their own nuclear arsenals.

This has entailed the following:

5

Not only the nuclear disarmament has not been realized but also nuclear bombs

have been proliferated in some regions, including by the occupying and intimidating

Zionist regime.

I would like here to propose that the year 2011 be proclaimed the year of nuclear

disarmament and “Nuclear Energy for all, Nuclear Weapons for None”.

In all these cases the United Nations has been unable to take any effective course

of action. Unfortunately, in the decade proclaimed as the “International Decade for the

Culture of Peace” hundreds of thousands were killed and injured as a result of war,

aggression and occupation, and hostilities and antagonism increased.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Very recently the world witnessed the ugly and inhumane act of burning the Holy

Quran.

The Holy Quran is the Divine Book and the eternal miracle of the Prophet oflslam.

It calls for worshipping the One God, justice, compassion toward people,

development and progress, reflection and thinking, defending the oppressed and

resisting against the oppressors; and it names with respect the previous Messengers of

God, like Noah, Abraham, Isaaq, Joseph, Moses and Jesus Christ (Peace be Upon

them all) and endorses them.. They burned Quran to bum all these truths and good

judgments. However, the truth could not be burned. Quran is eternal because God and

truth are everlasting. This act and any other act which widens the gap and distances

between nations is evil. We should wisely avoid playing into the hands of Satan. On

behalf of the Iranian nation I pay respect to all Divine Books and their followers. This

is the Quran and this is the Bible. I pay respect to both of them.

Esteemed Friends,

For years the inefficiency of the capitalism and the existing world management and

structures has been exposed and the majority of States and nations have been on a

quest for fundamental changes and for the prevalence ofjustice in global relations.

The cause of the United Nation’s ineptitude is in its unjust structure. Major power

is monopolized in the Security Council due to the veto privilege, and the main pillar

of the Organization, namely the General Assembly, is marginalized.

In the past several decades, at least one of the permanent members of the Security

Council has always been a party to the disputes.

The veto advantage grants impunity to aggression and occupation; How could,

therefore, one expect competence while both the judge and the prosecutor are a party

to the dispute?

Had Iran enjoyed veto privilege, would the Security Council and the IAEA

Director General have taken the same position in the nuclear issue?


Dear Friends,

The United Nations is the key center for coordinating the common global

management. Its structure needs to be reformed in a manner that all independent

States and nations be able to participate in the global governance actively and

constructively.

The veto privilege should be revoked and the General Assembly should be the

highest body and the Secretary-General should be the most independent official and

all his positions and activities should be taken with the approval of the General

Assembly and should be directed towards promoting justice and eliminating

discrimination.

The Secretary-General should not come under pressure from powers and/or the

country hosting the Organization for his stating the truth and administration ofjustice.

It is suggested that the General Assembly should, within one year and in the

framework of an extraordinary session, finalize the reformation of the Organization’s structure.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has clear suggestions in this regard and stands ready

to participate actively and constructively in the process.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I announce clearly that the occupation of other countries under the pretext of

freedom and democracy is an unforgivable crime.

The world needs the logic of compassion and justice and inclusive participation

instead oflogic offorce, domination, unilateralism, war and intimidation.

The world needs to be governed by virtuous people like the Divine Prophets.

The two vast geographical spheres, namely Africa and Latin America, have gone

through historic developments during the past decades. The new approaches in these

two continents, which are based on increasing level of integration and unity as well as

on localizing the growth and development models, have born considerable fruits to the

‘peoples of those regions. The awareness and wisdom of the leaders of these two

continents has overcome the regional problems and crises without the domineering

interference of non-regional powers.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has expanded its relations with the Latin America

and Africa in all aspects in recent years.

And about the glorious Iran,

The Tehran Declaration was a hugely constructive step in confidence building

efforts which was made possible through the admirable good will by the governments

of Brazil and Turkey along with the sincere cooperation of the Iranian government.

Although the Declaration received inappropriate reaction by some and was

followed by an unlawful resolution, it is still valid.

We have observed the regulations of the IAEA more than our commitments, yet,

we have never submitted to illegally imposed pressures nor will we ever do so.

It has been said that they want to pressure Iran into a dialogue. Well, firstly, Iran

has always been ready for a dialogue based on respect and justice. Secondly, methods

based on disrespecting nations have long become ineffective. Those who have used

intimidation and sanctions in response to the clear logic of the Iranian nation are in

real terms destroying the remaining credibility of the Security Council and the trust of

nations for this body, proving once and again how unjust is the function of the Council.

When they threaten a great nation such as Iran which is known throughout history

for its scientists, poets, artists and philosophers and whose culture and civilization is

synonymous to purity, submission to God and seeking justice, how can they ever

expect that other nations grow confidence on them?

It goes without saying that domineering methods in managing the world has failed.

Not only has the era of slavery and colonialism and dominating the world passed, the

path to the reviving old Empires are blocked, too.

We have announced that we stand ready for a serious and free debate with the

American Statesmen to express our transparent views on issues of importance to the

world in this very venue.

It is proposed here that in order to have a constructive dialogue, an annual free

debate be organized within the General Assembly.

In conclusion,

Friends and Colleagues,

The Iranian nation and the majority of the world’s nations and governments are

against the current discriminatory management of the world.

The inhumane nature of this management has put it at a dead-end and requires a

major overhaul.

Reforming the world’s affairs and bringing about tranquility and prosperity

requires the participation of all, pure thoughts and the divine and humane

management.

We are all ofthe idea that:

Justice is the basic element for peace, durable security and the spread of love

among peoples and nations. It is in the justice that mankind seeks the realization of his

aspirations, rights and dignity, since he is wary of oppression, humiliation and ill

treatment.


The true nature of mankind is manifested in the love for other fellow humans and

love for all the good in the world. Love is the best foundation for establishing relation

amongst people and amongst nations.

As Vahshi Bafqi, the great Iranian poet, says:

“From the fountain of youth, drink thousand sips

You’ll still die if you don’t have love’s grip”

More (Full transcript)



When Ahmadinejad put forth the doubts about September 11th 2001's official story that are shared by a growing number of people, the US and Israeli delegations walked out. Ahmadinejad called them out, and they walked out.

When Ahmadinejad talks in the speech about the disconnection of heaven, well that is exactly what the Pope said the other day. If the Pope says it, he is a wise religious man warning of secularism, according to the MSM. But if Ahmadinejad says it, he's a lunatic, according to the MSM.

Syrian Ambassador Warns of 'Signs of Civil Strife Israel Plotting Around the Clock'
Indeed.

Israeli drones buzz over south Lebanon
Another day... another provocation.

Israel to use all means in next Gaza war
So instead of bombing civilian infrastructure you'll nuke them?

Abbas rejects Israeli suggestion of settlements compromise
The talks are collapsing... AND FAST.

Israeli settlement halt not real: Report
Wouldn't surprise me.

Israel kills fisherman in Gaza
I'm sure he was a terrorist...

Anti-nuclear deal against Israel's interests: chief
Finally some sanity from the IAEA.

Settler leaders outraged over Obama's call to continue moratorium (Haaretz)

Why don't they stay in mainland Israel? What about stopping immigration in Israel for a few years?

Lebanese politician warns of civil war over tribunal (Reuters)

At least one knows what he's talking about.

U.S. delegation walks out of Ahmadinejad's speech over 9/11 accusations (Reuters)

As you said, the US leaders can't face the truth.

MK Herzog: Peace talks will influence future of government coalition (Army Radio)

Yep and if they fail, hopefully it will not be in vain and the extremist scum leading the country will get kicked out.

Jordan King: If peace talks fail, U.S. will be involved in another Mideast war (Haaretz)

Indeed. His interview on the Daily Show was very interesting.

U.S. congressmen ask Obama to pardon jailed Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard (Ch.10)

Yeah... let's show how Israeli spies are above the law...that congressman is a traitor.

Barak to remain in N.Y. over weekend to work out compromise on freeze (Ch. 10)

You better do it otherwise it will not be pretty.

Foreign Ministry expresses satisfaction at IAEA decision to not reprimand Israel (Ch. 10)

IAEA... so independent...

PM Netanyahu meets with Tony Blair in Jerusalem on settlement freeze issue (Haaretz)

No wonders things fail when war criminal scum like Blair is in the process.

Arab League chief: Israel's nuclear weapons will cause Mideast arms race (Haaretz)

Why now and not in the 70s when they got them? Ah yes, technologically, the Arab states are in the 70s.

Arab League chief: Fate of the peace talks depends on the settlement freeze (Haaretz)

Which have been said for months now.

Obama: U.S. will be in Afghanistan until 'job is done' (AP)

Till Iran is done you mean?

Iraq, Syria agree to restore ambassadors to each others capitals (Reuters)

One more news Israel-US won't like.

Lebanon president at UN: World community must divert Israel from aggressive acts (Ch. 10)

Good luck with that.

``Peace`` talks...

Arab League chief: No peace talks if Israel continues building (AP)

It's gonna continue.

Abbas: Jerusalem is the capital of the independent state of Palestine (Haaretz)

Israel is not gonna accept that. No way in hell.

Abbas: Gaza is subjected to an unjust blockade in violation of UN resolutions (Haaretz)

Basically end the blockade. Not gonna happen.

Abbas: Thousands of Palestinian freedom fighters languish in Israeli prisons (Haaretz)

Basically release thousands of prisoners. Not gonna happen.

Abbas: Peace must include Israeli withdrawal from all land occupied in 1967, Jerusalem (Haaretz)

Withdraw from 1967 land, MAYBE... but Jerusalem, forget about it.

Abbas: Israel must choose between peace and the continuation of settlement building (Haaretz)

They've already chosen. It's not peace.

Abbas: Israel must halt settlement building, stop building of West Bank separation fence (Haaretz)

Not gonna happen.

Clinton to meet Abbas in last ditch effort to keep peace talks from collapsing (AP)

Even Clinton is admitting they are collapsing now?

Clinton to meet Syrian counterpart in bid to start Syria-Israel peace talks (Army Radio)

Is this some kind of joke? You can't even tackle the Israel-Palestine talks and you already want to do those? Fail forward much?

U.S. State Dept.: We are doing everything we can to keep the parties in direct talks (Haaretz)

Shilling for Israel you mean? Coercing Abbas? Threatening them with economic and physical war and bribing them as you always do?

Egypt FM: Israel must bear blame if talks fail (Reuters)

Like they gonna do that... hell will freeze over before Netanyahu says he's a big stinking liar and don't want peace or compromise... it's not just Netanyahu, no leader in the world, except a few in the whole history ever did.


Forget peace talks. Prepare for war.

And at the same time on the Korean peninsula...

U.S. and South Korea to hold new naval exercises (DPA)

Next week... while NKorea is changing their leadership...first time in 30 years+... Russian foreign minister is saying war is imminent on the Korean peninsula...

4-5 days left before total collapse of talks. 2 days left before new leader in North Korea.

The next week is gonna be interesting, not just interesting but probably a turning point in history too.

Truly excellent updates Vitchilo. Many thanks for keeping us all informed of the latest developments.


'US, Mossad played roles in 9/11 event'

From the Link:

'US, Mossad played roles in 9/11 event'

Following the Iranian president's doubts on the 9/11 event, a top military adviser to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution says the CIA and Mossad were involved in the attacks.

"The US and the Zionists developed the strategy of the September 11 attacks in an effort to counter the Islamic vigilance and to control energy resources in the Middle East," IRNA quoted Brigadier General Yahya Rahim-Safavi as saying on Saturday.

He further added that al-Qaeda and its leader Osama bin Laden did not possess the essential intelligence capacity anywhere near the level of CIA, Pentagon and the FBI in order to conduct the surprise attacks against sensitive centers in the United States on September 11.

According to General Rahim-Safavi, heads of Israel's Mossad and the US played roles in the event.

"The September 11 attacks in the US and the shameful act of Qur'an burning by the US and Zionist regime (Israel) were in line with Islamophobia efforts by enemies of Islam who have fears over the spread of Islam and the Islamic vigilance," he further explained.

The Iranian commander also pointed out that the US and certain Western countries invaded Iraq and Afghanistan, a move that proved security is not sustainable in the world.

Moreover, General Rahim-Safavi pointed to the high potentials of Muslim countries and predicted that the Muslim world with its unique features and capabilities will turn into a premier and important power center of the world in the near future.

In his address to the UN General Assembly on Thursday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the US took advantage of the 'suspicious' September 11 incidents to justify its destructive occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq that cost many thousands of innocent lives.

The Iranian chief executive went on to raise serious questions about the credibility of the US government's account of the 9/11 attacks, suggesting that "a very powerful and complex terrorist group, able to successfully cross all layers of the American intelligence and security, carried out the attacks.”

SF/MB/HRF

Link


Unfortunatly, because it's an Iranian Revolutionary Guards Brigadier General saying this, it will, as with the Iranian President's speech at the UN, be dismissed out of hand.

But we can not ignore that indeed, the PNAC talked of how the US could strengthen it's interests in the world, but that "Further, the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event––like a new Pearl Harbor"

For Islamic vigilance that the Brigadier General refers to, note this refers to Iran defying successive US Administrations and their TPTB backers from dominating and subjugating them as was the case in 1953.

This also refers to Iraq, a country of Muslims whose leader Saddam had slipped the leash and ceased to be America's man in Baghdad the day he decided to invade Kuwait and possibly on his own hold more oil in his hands as an Arab leader then the US liked the idea of.

And we know all about energy resources, which the Brigadier General also mentions.

What would be interesting would be if Iran offered evidence of US/Mossad involvement in September 11th 2001 attacks. Imagine if it had evidence.

The danger there for Iran is also a danger for the 9/11 truth movement, namely Iran would be accused of falsifying documents liked to September 11th 2001 attacks to hide it's own involvement, (I can imagine this being stated) the 9/11 truth movement accused of being an Iranian-sponsored operation.

Of course, the fact Iran and Al CIAda hate each other with a passion as mortal enemies would be ignored and nicely glossed over by the on-side for war MSM.

'Iran's military might deters enemies'

From the Link:

'Iran's military might deters enemies'

A senior Iranian commander says the Islamic Republic's armed forces are capable of crushing any act of aggression in case of an enemy military strike.

“The Islamic Republic has gained valuable experiences during the eight-year Iraqi-imposed war on Iran. The war has turned Iran's Army and Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) into formidable military forces,” IRNA quoted Deputy Head of Iran's Joint Chiefs of Staff Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri, as saying on Saturday.

Thanks to the commitment and capabilities of our defense forces, “today the Islamic Republic enjoys security and stability,” he said, reiterating that these forces have also been responsible in developing a domestically-based, top-notch defense industry that is wide-ranging and dynamic.

The top Iranian commander insisted that no adversary could undermine the sovereignty of the Islamic establishment, noting that the military might of the Islamic Republic enables it to vigorously encounter arrogant powers and deter any act of aggression.

According to General Jazayeri, Iran's mass production of a wide variety of military hardware products has made the ineffectiveness of tough US-led sanctions quite evident.

“The infrastructure of the country is totally different from that of 30 years ago and we have made enormous achievements in different spheres, some of which will be revealed to the world in the near future," he further explained.

“The Islamic Republic's primary focus is on establishing peace and justice, in adherence to Islamic principles,” he went on to say. “We hope for a world free from oppression and extremism.”
The US and Israel have been persistently making provocative military threats against Iran over its civilian nuclear energy program, in addition to their world-wide campaigns to impose variety of sanctions on Tehran.

Iran in turn maintains that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it has every right to pursue a peaceful nuclear program. It has repeatedly questioned Western indifference towards Israel's nuclear activities and has called for a global abolition of all nuclear weaponry.

HJ/MB/HRF

Link

It is true to say that the Iran-Iraq War changed the Iranian armed forces. Whereas at the beginning they could be described as rag-tag against Saddam's Army which was armed to the teeth and had a potent armoured force in comparison, by the war's end, the Iranians had proved themselves in battle, carrying out daring commando operations, launcing co-ordinated offensives, and still possessing an air force able to pick off Saddam's ground forces with ease.

This led to Saddam to launching chemical weapons (supplied by that lovely man Donald Rumsfeld) at the Iranians, and also at the Kurds with devastating results, which Saddam described as "like spraying ants".

To compare Iran's military now with it's military in the Iran-Iraq War would be like comparing the US armed forces of WW1 with the US Armed forces of thirty years later.

With those thirty years, comes advances including allegedly this.

Iran makes over 800 military simulators

Which Iran could not claim to have thirty years ago.

If Iran is attacked, they will get hurt, but Iran will try it's damnest, as a nation under attack, to strike back as hard as it itself is hit.

We know Iran will be up against it. But nor will it take having war waged upon it laying down. It will strike back. Iran will defend itself. As it is hurt, so it too will try to hurt, such is the nature of war.

Reading between the lines, that is what Iran means when it says it will confront aggression.

In other news...

Viva Palestina 5 convoy reaches Greece

How far will they get before they are stopped?


Hamas, Fatah hold meeting in Damascus

Israel will be furious if Hamas and Fatah reconcile thanks to Syrian mediation. Israel likes the divide and conquer thing it has going.


Abbas says no immediate halt to peace talks

Abbas backtracks on pledge to walk away from 'peace' talks if settlement 'freeze' is not continued.

That should cheer the Israelis up. A man who can't stand by his red lines in negotiations which are already weighed heavily against him. A weak man made weaker.


FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, Sept 26

Fresh violence claims two in Iraq

But-but....that war is over, right?



Iran 'attacked' by computer worm


From the Link:

Iran 'attacked' by computer worm

Iran's nuclear agency trying to combat a virus capable of taking over systems that control power plants, media says.

Iran's nuclear agency is trying to combat a complex computer worm that has affected industrial sites throughout the country and is capable of taking over the control systems of power plants, Iranian media reports have said.

Experts from the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran met this week to discuss how to remove the malicious computer code, or worm, the semi-official Isna news agency reported on Friday.

No damage or disruption of nuclear facilities has yet been reported, however.

The computer worm, dubbed Stuxnet, can take over systems that control the inner workings of industrial plants.

Experts in Germany discovered the worm in July, and it has since shown up in a number of attacks - primarily in Iran, Indonesia, India and the US.

'Disrupting Bushehr'

Isna said the malware had spread throughout Iran, but did not name specific sites affected.

Foreign media reports have speculated the worm was aimed at disrupting Iran's first nuclear power plant, which is to go online in October in the southern port city of Bushehr.


The Russian-built plant will be internationally supervised, but world powers remain concerned that Iran wants to use its civil nuclear power programme as a cover for making weapons.

Iran denies such an aim and says its nuclear work is solely for peaceful purposes.

The destructive Stuxnet worm has surprised experts because it is the first one specifically created to take over industrial control systems, rather than just steal or manipulate data.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Rik Ferguson, a senior security adviser at the computer security company Trend Micro, described the worm as "very sophisticated".

"It is designed both for information theft, looking for design documents and sending that information back to the controllers, and for disruptive purposes," he said.

"It can issue new commands or change commands used in manufacturing.

"It's difficult to say with any certainty who is behind it. There are multiple theories, and in all honesty, any of of them could be correct."

Western experts have said the worm's sophistication - and the fact that about 60 per cent of computers infected looked to be in Iran - pointed to a government-backed attack.

Washington is also tracking the worm, and the Department of Homeland Security is building specialised teams that can respond quickly to cyber emergencies at industrial facilities across the US.

Link

I'm sure Washington are indeed tracking the worm. *cough*

Of course, we know who the usual suspects could be here, I don't need to name them, but what if this is Russia's doing? As part of the deal to have Israeli drones, I have mentioned the possibility of the anti-ship missiles Russia is said to be giving to Syria may be faulty so as to soothe Israel's concerns and not upset the Israeli drone deal. The Russian no-sale of the S-300s to Iran may be part of this.

Not to hard to imagine that if the above rings true, Russia may have sabotaged the plant with a worm in return for the Israeli drones as well.

Let us not forget that Iran has over the years accused Russia of deliberately delaying construction of the plant.

Israel and the US gets the blame for the worm, but Russia may be the ones who did the deed on their behalf.

In regards to the tensions in the Middle East and in East Asia, the current mood geopolitically reminds me of the run-up to WW1 or WW2. Nations aligning with each other, other nations readying for war.

Like the gunshot in Sarejevo, a perceived small thing could start off a World War.

I'm not saying a World War in the next few days or weeks or months, so don't head for the shelters, but what I am saying is that the mood geopolitically, reminds me of the run up to The First or Second World War, so say, we are in the mid to late 1900's if we relate what is happening now to the lead up to WW1, and we are in the thirties if we relate to what is happening now to the lead up to WW3.

WW1 and WW2 were many wars that combined through alliances to make one big war. WW3 will be no different, I should imagine.

Interestingly, I think Jordan may be the surprise package in a new Middle East War. Who they side with may surprise people.

This also refers to Iraq, a country of Muslims whose leader Saddam had slipped the leash and ceased to be America's man in Baghdad the day he decided to invade Kuwait and possibly on his own hold more oil in his hands as an Arab leader then the US liked the idea of.

The whole Iraq-Kuwait affair was even worse than that. Saddam asked the US at the UN a few weeks before the war what the US would do if Iraq invaded Kuwait... the US said they would do nothing... Saddam said alright then... invaded and was back stabbed when the US said no no no... it was not Saddam going against the US, it was the US entrapping Saddam.

If Iran is attacked, they will get hurt, but Iran will try it's damnest, as a nation under attack, to strike back as hard as it itself is hit.

Not to mention there's 3 times the population and 3 times the area in Iran compared to Iraq. It's gonna be a lot harder to kill enough of them to calm them down like they did in Iraq.

Israel will be furious if Hamas and Fatah reconcile thanks to Syrian mediation. Israel likes the divide and conquer thing it has going.

It worked for a while... Bribing Fatah and cutting foreign aid to Palestinians when Hamas got elected... so the extremists in the party would get control and Israel could claim they are terrorists...which happened.

That should cheer the Israelis up. A man who can't stand by his red lines in negotiations which are already weighed heavily against him. A weak man made weaker.

Yep. Any deal that happens now, the Palestinian side will get raped. And of course nobody on the Palestinian side will accept the joke of a deal they gonna be proposed.

Interestingly, I think Jordan may be the surprise package in a new Middle East War. Who they side with may surprise people.

Siding with no one? King Abdullah 2 looked pretty pro-peace to me in his interview. Of course he could always be overthrown...but I doubt it, living standards in Jordan really went up since he took power...

Jumblatt: It would have been better if STL never existed
Indeed.

Iran rejects UAE ship inspection claims
So who's lying here? Did the UAE really inspected hundreds of Iran-bound ships?

Israelis have planned to resume settlement activities in the occupied West Bank as soon as the partial freeze ends at midnight on Sunday.
6 hours left.

Abbas to host Arab FMs conference in Egypt (Ch. 10)

Asking his friends what to do if peace talks fail... war?

Abbas: Even if talks break down, Palestinians won't resort to violence (Israel Radio)

Somehow I doubt that. Both sides extremists will resort to violence.

French FM: Paris, Washington looking for way to aid settlement freeze extension (Israel Radio)

Easy one right here : say you'll cut Israel funding if they don't freeze settlement extension right now.

Force peace on them. You give them money, you should decide what's going on in their country...not everything but this kind of thing yes.

Palestinians ask Israel to free political prisoners as goodwill gesture (Israel Radio)

Never going to happen.

Settler council head: Settlement building is a natural thing for a Jew in his country (Ch. 10)

Yeah since you annex land all the time. Getting more Lebensraum is natural for Israelis basically is what you're saying?

PM's office tells government ministers not to discuss settlement freeze with media (Haaretz)

Because eh, people could be pissed and vote your butt out of office.

Barak: There's a 50-50 chance of reaching settlement freeze compromise (Army Radio)

So 50% of war...

'Jews for Justice for Palestinians' boat sets sail from Cyprus toward Gaza (AP)

Gonna be interesting. They are sending a message saying that not all jews support Israel policies... if people didn't know that...

MK Tibi: Netanyahu decided to be for settlements, against an agreement (Haaretz)

You noted that too uh?

Countdown ceremony to moratorium end kicks off in Kiryat Netafim (Ch. 10)

6 hours left....

Abbas arrives in Paris for talks with Sarkozy (News Agencies)

Your wasting the last 6 hours of settlement freeze to talk with Sarkozy? Really?

I thought it was a few days before the settlement freeze ended... it seems the King Abdullah was wrong in his interview... (that's what I thought) only 6 hours or so left.

Originally posted by Vitchilo
The whole Iraq-Kuwait affair was even worse than that. Saddam asked the US at the UN a few weeks before the war what the US would do if Iraq invaded Kuwait... the US said they would do nothing... Saddam said alright then... invaded and was back stabbed when the US said no no no... it was not Saddam going against the US, it was the US entrapping Saddam.

Indeed. After the Iran-Iraq War, the Americans got worried about their man in Baghdad. He was getting too big for his boots as far as they were concerned, proclaiming himself the successor to Nasser and the supporter of Palestinians. He had just done the dirty for the US by waging war on Iran and thought he had some slack on his leash.

Kuwait was entrapment. The US could have resolved the Iraq-Kuwait dispute but instead waited for Saddam to send in the tanks into Kuwait. The trap snaps.

Originally posted by Vitchilo
Not to mention there's 3 times the population and 3 times the area in Iran compared to Iraq. It's gonna be a lot harder to kill enough of them to calm them down like they did in Iraq.

And they never pacificed Iraq, never crushed the resistance. Quite simply US Soldiers avoided Shia areas and resigned themselves to seeing Shia insurgents in government, thus avoiding problems. The Sunni Insurgents were paid off and given autonomy, when it was realised that they could not be destroyed.

They can not pacify Iraq and Afghanistan....should the US attack Iran, they really will be opening up a whole new can of worms, and the consequences will be immense.

Originally posted by Vitchilo
It worked for a while... Bribing Fatah and cutting foreign aid to Palestinians when Hamas got elected... so the extremists in the party would get control and Israel could claim they are terrorists...which happened.

It was the corruption of Fatah that led to the rise of Hamas, which Israel intially aided to sow division amongst the Palestinians.

Originally posted by Vitchilo
Yep. Any deal that happens now, the Palestinian side will get raped. And of course nobody on the Palestinian side will accept the joke of a deal they gonna be proposed.

Which is precisely Israel's aim.

Originally posted by Vitchilo
Siding with no one? King Abdullah 2 looked pretty pro-peace to me in his interview. Of course he could always be overthrown...but I doubt it, living standards in Jordan really went up since he took power...

Alot of people naturally assume he would side with Israel and the West, as he is seen to be pro-western.

But Israeli-Jordanian relations are reportedly at a new low (relations before were minimal to non-existent) and siding with Israel and the West carries it's risks.

Neutrality, and minimal and/or discreet aid to the West, not Israel, may be Jordan's strategy, but I personally believe there's every possibility Jordan may side in some form with Syria, Iran and Lebanon and possibly Turkey, fearing that after the eradication of The West Bank and Gaza as viable territories of a viable Palestinian state, Israel may begin to look elsewhere for more Lebensraum.

From what I've read and gathered on the subject in the past year, what Jordan's King says in public, where he tries to placate the West he is on their side, what he thinks in private is quite different.

The throne in Jordan fears Israel's intentions. And Jordan reluctantly throwing in it's lot with Iran, Syria and Lebanon in the event of war may seem to Jordan the only way to stop Israel expanding and waging war further.

Of course, the fear for Jordan is that by joining a war, Israel will be given an excuse to annex Jordanian territory, but Jordan, of all the Arab Armies, had the most potent and effective of the Arab armed forces but were on the back foot in 1967 because of the devastation of Syria and Egypt's miltary forces. Therefore, their absence from the 1973 War was sorely missed by both Syria and Egypt, which Jordan largely stayed out of fearing territorial losses to Israel and doubting the ability of it's Arab allies and mistrusting them.

Jordan has a powerful and respected military. With a new war, should they see themselves as having no other choice but to join it, they may present quite the challenge to Israel.

Settlers poised to build despite 11th-hour bid to save talks

As the midnight deadline approached, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, who until now had vowed to abandon peace talks if Israel resumes building, stepped back from the brink, telling AFP in Paris he would meet top Arab diplomats on October 4 before deciding his next move.

So October 4 is the date.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to calm tensions, urging settlers to display "restraint and responsibility" once the moratorium expires.

Yeah because settlers are known for their restraint and responsibility... that's a good one Netanyahu.

Barak returned earlier on Sunday from the United States where he had been engaged in efforts to find a way around the impasse.

And by ``way around the impasse`` he means ``how to continue the building of settlements without looking like we don't care about the peace process.

Around 2,000 people, including hundreds from Netanyahu's own right wing Likud party and a large contingent of flag-waving evangelical Christians, flooded into Revava settlement in the northern West Bank for a rally marking the end of the freeze.

What are those turds doing there?

- They are not living there
- They want Armageddon so all Jews die but a few thousands which will convert (basically they hate Jews)
- They hate everyone that is not christian extremist like them

Seriously those people are the most dangerous kind of people around. They should be in mental hospitals, not stirring up tensions in an area already screwed enough.

]"We are getting back to business as usual and building but we will respect the prime minister's request," said David Ha'ivri, head of the Samaria regional council.

Business as usual eh? Bulldozing Muslim cemeteries and the like? I'm sure they'll love this.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, settler sources told AFP they had been given the nod from the premier's office to start building -- but on condition they "don't make a big deal of it."

The freeze is generally accepted to end at midnight, when the settlers will be able to begin work on 13,000 new housing units, settlement watchdog Peace Now says.

Yeah do it, but don't get caught basically... don't let any journalist report it...

Makes me sick.

Iran crosses into Iraq to hit bombing suspects
Doing a little ``America`` there?

10-month freeze on settlement construction officially expires (Haaretz)

Now official.

Netanyahu calls on Abbas to continue peace talks, as settlement freeze ends (Haaretz)

Be our slave, please Abbas, please!

President Ahmadinejad interview with NBC News (40 minutes long):



Sorry for the captions that pop up at times in the video, there was no other video I could find of the interview that was as long and thus complete.


President Ahmadinejad interview with ABC News' Christiane Amanpour (14 minutes long):




Christiane Amanpour begins the interview by bringing up the case of the two remaining American 'hitchikers' still held in custody in Iran.

When Ahmadinejad mentions that the US could release 8 Iranians held in custody "illegally detained" in the US as a 'humanitarian gesture' in response to the 'humanitarian' release of an American hitchiker, Amanpour mentions many of the Iranians have been convicted of sanctions and arms-busting, Ahmadinejad asks her how does she now they are criminals, is she a judge, he asks?

Very testy exchange which Amanpour does not address but instead turns to a video of the relatives of the 'hitchikers' asking Ahmadinejad to release the 'hitchikers'.

If my memory serves, Christiane Amanpour is the daughter of an former officer in the Shah's military.

I'm sure Ahmadinejad has been made aware of this by 'his people'.


And with much dramatic bombastic introduction by Larry King including dramatic music that is akin to to the precursor of a big-time boxing fight, Larry King interviews President Ahmadinejad, beginning by asking him the very important and pressing question "Do you like coming to America?":

(Part One)




(Part Two)




(Part Three)



Note in this part, Larry King brings up the issue of political prisoners in Iran.

Ahmadinejad responds by saying Larry King is judging Iran, and mentions that the US has 2.5 million people in it's prisons. When Larry King responds very irritably they did not get put in prison for holding up anti-government signs, Ahmadinejad asks why is it the US sees the people in it's prisons as criminals, but the people in Iranian jails are not, and the US sides with them, at which point Larry King changes the subject, again with barely-disguised haughtiness and irritance.

Then a little while later, Larry King cuts off Ahmadinejad mid-flow very rudely to go to adverts. Very amusing. Would he have done that to Obama?

Then Larry King brings up Fidel Castro reportedly criticising Ahmadinejad about the use of the word "Zionism", Ahmadinejad deeply sighs.

Then Larry King mentions "7, 8 million Jews died in the holocaust" no Larry, it was 6 million jews. Unless you've just found evidence of two million more Jewish people being killed which I think you should share with the world as something quite important to disclose.

I hate that. I hate the way the genocide and mass murder of the Jewish people is used to justify oppression 60 years later in the form of Zionism. It's grotesque. It's using mass killing to somehow making mass killing today acceptable.

I hate the way the Holocaust is used by people so that only Jewish people died but nobody else. You know, the Socialists, the Communists, the Anarchists, the Gypsies, the disabled, the monarchists, democrats, Catholics, the Slavs and just about anybody else who the Nazis hated.

I hate the fact that the Holocaust, those who died are forgotten, and it's numbers are twisted, and do you know why?

Because it gives holocaust-deniers the excuse to question the validity of the holocaust.

Let us NEVER forget the Jewish people who died, but let's NEVER forget those were non-Jewish.

Or don't they matter anymore because their deaths are not unashamedly used to justify an Apartheid state?

I'm sorry for having a rant. Sorry. But I had relatives who fought the Nazis, some of whom who died, and I live by the mantra in regards to WW2 that we should forgive, but not forget.

Note we should not forget. By twisting numbers, by forgetting people who died at the hands of the Nazis, by using the deaths of one section of people at the hands of the Nazis and forgetting others for political ends, is something we do at great risk.

"Those who forget history, are condemned to repeat it." as Churchill once said.

Back to Larry King. At the end of the interview, he tells President Ahmadinejad "We're out of time, we're out of time" when Ahmadinejad begins to mention the deaths 1 million Iraqi deaths since the beginning of the Iraq War, and promptly ends the interview.

Larry King. Bias and dismissive of Ahmadinejad's answers, which he should have engaged in as an interviewer, instead of putting across the obvious contempt he had for Ahmadinejad.

A shame Larry King could not truly interview Ahmadinejad, instead changing the subject whenever Ahmadinejad brought up something Larry King did not like.


(Part Four)



In the final part, Larry King looks back on his Ahmadinejad interview with Fareed Zakaria.

Zakaria claims Ahmadinejad was playing games with Larry King, probably to comfort Larry King and not to tell him the alternative, which is apparently that Larry King is c**p at interviewing Ahmadinejad.

Zakaria goes on to say Ahmadinejad does not have much of an olive branch to extend at all. Yeah, very neutral reporting that. He's more or less saying Ahmadinejad's a warmonger, let's go to war!

Larry King reponds with "Why" very morosely and asks why "they" (whoever "they" are) "have to stay hardcore."

They. Those people. "Why do they have to stay hardcore?"

Zakaria goes on to say Ahmadinejad brings up "inconvenient truths" and "inconvenient problems" about Israel having nuclear weapons, and Ahmadinejad is very good at that. Yes. Ahmadinejad is very good at stating the obvious.

And when Larry King mentions he has never seen Ahmadinejad so "harsh", calling Netanyahu "a killer", Larry King shakes his head, and makes a "wooo" noise while Zakaria nods sympathetically, saying "that was extraordinary, it was extraordinary."

Because as we all know, Netanyahu is a lovely charming man who is not a killer.

I posted the interviews, because when it comes to people like Ahmadinejad being interviewed by the MSM, usually when they are interviewed, around five minutes is usually shown, with edited clips that usually fit an agenda.

Showing the interviews in full, gives a better context of the interview and the subjects raised, and enables us to hear what Ahmadinejad really has to say, an opportunity not always afforded to him in the MSM it has to be said.

Real interesting thanks.

Nuclear-Armed Pakistan Takes Over as Chair of IAEA Board
And the joke continues...

Abbas: No immediate reaction to Israeli settlement restart
What kind of weakling is that?

Mashaal: We'll continue 'to kill illegal settlers'

Hamas leader says Palestinians will return to "resistance" if int'l community doesn't force Israel back to 1967 borders

Well there's really two choices for Palestinians... Israel going back to their initial borders... or letting them continue to annex territory till there's no more Palestinian land. It's pretty much peace or fight for you life. They don't have much choice. Talking with Israel have been tried for 40 years now and it ain't working.

Israel vows to stop Jewish aid boat
Not a big surprise there.

Iran to inject fuel to nuclear plant soon
So it's not up yet... Israel could still bomb it...

US seeks to turn 9/11 into Holocaust
3000 deaths on 9/11. 1 MILLION killed by the Iraq War. 3 MILLION killed by the Vietnam War. Turning 3000 deaths into a crusade is utter ridiculous. Not to mention it was an inside job.

Israel representative of Devil on Earth


Israel's ten-month partial freeze on settlement building came to an end with the launch of the construction of two thousand illegal houses across the West Bank.
And the race to the control of the area continues.

Report: Egypt consul meets with senior Hezbollah official in Beirut (Haaretz)

Israel won't like that.

Likud MK Eitan: Invite Kadima to coalition, broad unity government needed now (Haaretz)

So if it fails, no party precisely can be blamed in Israel, so Likud can win another election/stay in power... when you fail, or plan to fail, share the fail with your adversaries...

Kadima MKs: We'll join government if Netanyahu is serious about a peace deal (Ch. 10)

Or when hell freezes over... whichever comes first.

Report: 6371 Palestinians, 1317 of them children, killed by IDF in last decade (Haaretz)

And those killed by the horrible conditions they are living in? Double, triple that?

Kadima MK Tirosh: Netanyahu's support for a referendum shows he is serious (Ch. 10)

Yeah sure.

U.S., European embassies in Beirut increase alert level, issue advisories (Israel Radio)

Are they planning a false-flag or a provocation...or just another Israeli war?

Israel calls on UNHCR to end Gaza investigation (Reuters)

War crimes need to stay hidden...

Fatah official: Settlement expansion could kill two-state solution (Reuters)

Gee ya think?

Silvan Shalom: World pressure on Israel distancing PA from peace (Ch. 10)

Don't you have this backwards? Wouldn't world pressure on Israel distancing Israel from peace?

Barak and Blair meet in Tel Aviv to discuss future of peace talks (Haaretz)

Barak talking with war criminals like Blair for tips for peace is one major problem...for peace.

U.S. 'disappointed' by Israel's settlement decision (Reuters)

Yeah I'm sure it will be very disappointed too when US soldiers die by the dozens and Lebanese/Palestinians civilians die by the thousands because the failed peace talks created a new war.

Meretz MK Horowitz: Limiting women's movement in Jerusalem's Mea She'arim resembles Iran (Ch.10)

What do you expect from Apartheid Israel?

Livni to Netanyahu: Israel's main goal should be renewal of peace talks (Haaretz)

Mmmm no. The main goal should be to freeze settlement again with no date of expiring and also putting a freeze on immigration. No more immigration = no new settlement need.

And now for the funny news of the day:
Japan plans to demand compensation from China for damages to its patrol vessel as a result of collision with a Chinese trawler in disputed waters.

Is Japan serious? Hahahahahahaha. Funny that.

Originally posted by Vitchilo
Real interesting thanks.

No problem, keep up the good work on the updates.

Originally posted by Vitchilo

Report: Egypt consul meets with senior Hezbollah official in Beirut (Haaretz)

Israel won't like that.

Probably meeting the senior Hezbollah official on behalf of the US, to report back on what Hezbollah have to say to it's masters.

But it could be looked at differently. With Mubarak's failing health, it could be Egypt may to be resigning itself, despite it's animosity towards Iran, to being involved in a post-Mubarak Middle East War for similar reasons as Jordan might. This may be Egypt sending out feelers to possible allies in such a war, fearing Israeli expansion.

Originally posted by Vitchilo

U.S., European embassies in Beirut increase alert level, issue advisories (Israel Radio)

Are they planning a false-flag or a provocation...or just another Israeli war?

Probably much to do with recent tensions in Lebanon, and the knowledge Israel may be preparing for war.


Meanwhile....

Israel seizes Gaza aid boat

From the Link:

Israel seizes Gaza aid boat

Voyage organised by European Jewish groups to condemn "collective punishment against 1.5 million Palestinians".

An aid ship carrying eight Jewish activists from Europe, Israel, and the US was apprehended by the Israeli navy just miles off the coast of Gaza after being warned by a warship.

Navy commandos boarded the Irene, and then the passengers were led off the boat.

Rich Cooper, an organiser with Independent Jewish Voices, told Al Jazeera that his group is now demanding the immediate release of the activists.

The ship had left the port of Famagusta in Turkish-held northern Cyprus on Sunday afternoon.

The Israeli army had said it would offer to transfer the ship's aid supplies to the port of Ashdod and then ask the crew to turn back.

Ehud Barak, Israel's defence minister, had repeatedly warned that Israel will intercept any ship nearing Gaza, which is governed by the Palestinian group Hamas.

"In the tradition of the civil rights movement ... we assert our right to continue to Gaza under international law," Glyn Secker, the Irene's captain, told Al Jazeera on Monday.

Jewish gesture

The 10-metre catamaran was tiny in comparison with the six-ship May 31 aid convoy that contained 10,000 tonnes of aid and over 700 activists.

But the voyage was a gesture by left-leaning European Jewish groups to highlight what they see as a flawed Israeli policy of collective punishment against 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza.

Yousef Rizka, a Hamas official, said: "The government has received Jewish activists heading to Gaza before. The government positively views all attempts to break the siege on Gaza".

Israel eased its naval blockade following harsh international condemnation for storming the Mavi Marmara. The nine deaths aboard the Freedom Flotilla were a public-relations disaster for Israel.

Since then, groups from Iran, Ireland, Lebanon, and Libya, among others, have been trying to reach Gaza - with varying degrees of success.

Groups represented on board the Irene included the UK-based Jews for Justice for Palestinians and the German Jewish Voice organisation.

"The boat's cargo includes symbolic aid in the form of children's toys and musical instruments, textbooks, fishing nets for Gaza's fishing communities and prosthetic limbs," read a statement from European Jews for a Just Peace movement, the activist network that co-ordinated the voyage.

"We stand in the proud Jewish tradition of justice, of championing the rights of the downtrodden, of implacable opposition to prejudice and racism."

Kate Katzenstein-Leiterer, a leader of the German Jewish Voice, was quoted in June as saying, "We want Israel to behave in a way that it can be recognised as a democratic state. Now it is recognised as a criminal state. That is not what we want."

'One future'

Reuven Moskovitz, an 82-year-old Holocaust survivor among the passengers on the British-flagged vessel, is a founding member of the Jewish-Arab village Neve Shalom (Oasis of Peace).

"We are two peoples, but we have one future," Moskovitz said in a statement on the Jewish Boat to Gaza website.

Another passenger was Rami Elhanan, an Israeli whose daughter died in a 1997 suicide bombing at a Jerusalem shopping centre.

Eli Osherov, a reporter from Channel 10 in Israel, was also on board.

Andy David, Israel's foreign ministry spokesman, described the voyage as "a provocative joke that isn't funny".

Secker, the Irene's captain, told Al Jazeera Monday that the organisers had "a particular point to make, as the voice of Jews who have an alternative opinion to that of the Israeli establishment".

Link

Let this be evidence that Israel does not represent Judaism or Jewish people but through it's actions represents an intolerant, hateful and extremist mindset.

Of course, these wonderful people on this aid boat will be denounced by Israel and it's supporters as "self-hating Jews" as many Jewish people critical of Israel have been criticised as.


The statement made by the activists that:

"We stand in the proud Jewish tradition of justice, of championing the rights of the downtrodden, of implacable opposition to prejudice and racism."

is a tradition they proudly continue to uphold.

Let us be clear: being Jewish, and being a Zionist, are two very seperate things.



Another day in Gaza:

Palestinians killed in Israeli raid



While in The West Bank:

Not 'settling' for nothing

From the Link:

Not 'settling' for nothing

The cessation of the settlement moratorium was never in doubt to the Palestinian residents of Wadi Rahaal.

Nora Barrows-Friedman

The one-lane road to Wadi Rahaal weaves its way through impossibly deep, rocky valleys, whose perimeters are speckled by Israeli settlements and settler outposts cascading from the hilltops.

“It wasn’t always like this,” Shadi Fuwaghara, an energetic 23 year-old resident of Wadi Rahaal told me as we stepped outside in the searing afternoon heat.

Pointing to an empty asphalt road once used by villagers -- and now behind the barriers of the nearby Efrat settlement, next to the rows of identical housing tracts -- he said it used to take people five minutes to get to Bethlehem’s city limits. “Now, it takes us thirty minutes or more, and we have to pass by seven villages,” he continued. In the winter months, the roads are flooded, making the route impassable -- and further locking the entire community of 1700 people inside a veritable prison.

A tiny village on the dry desert outskirts of Bethlehem, Wadi Rahaal has been suffocated by the settlement and its accompanying security apparatus: the path of the separation wall has been set with concrete curbstones, and when completed, it will pull more of the village inside the walled boundaries of the settlement.

Several homes were demolished when plans were drawn to re-route the wall deeper into Wadi Rahaal’s land, and there has been an Israeli military order in place since 2006 that prohibits any new homes from being built in the village -- a punitive and cynical measure when compared to the 4,000 new, modern homes the mayor of Efrat, Oded Revivi, says he will start building inside his settlement across the street as the ten-month moratorium ends this week.

"In the matter of practicalities it can be done within days, within a day or two we can have the tractors turned on and starting to work," Revivi told ABC News this week. In other words, the villagers of Wadi Rahaal are bracing for more aggressive annexation, after years of slow and steady land confiscation that has devastated their village.

Efrat’s expansion has already taken nearly fourteen per cent of the village’s land, according to Fuwaghara’s statistics, and Wadi Rahaal’s residents feel that there is an atmosphere of incessant siege. “They dump the garbage from the settlement right next to our elementary school,” Fuwaghara said. It was not hard to guess what kind of message this sends to the village’s youngest population.

More

Stuxnet file hints at Israeli link: NY Times
What a surprise. Now attacking Russia and China BTW...

Report says cyber attacks should trigger NATO alliance
Well then, maybe NATO should take care of Israel... if this would have been the case back in 07, Russia, using cyber attacks, was accused of bringing down critical infrastructure in Estonia... Estonia parliament, banks, ministries, newspapers and broadcasters... Now if that would have been in place back then, NATO would have been activated and we could have had lots of trouble.

They don't really know who really did it... but they blamed Russia for about a year...


Musharraf vows to end Pakistan crises
MWHAAHHAHAAHAHHAAHAHA

US tax money gone to Taliban militants
Kinda old news..but since the US is accusing Iran of terrorism more and more... AHAHAHHA.

Dubai's police chief, who had played a key role in uncovering details of the assassination of a senior Hamas leader, says he has received two death threats from Israel's spy agency, Mossad.
Wouldn't surprise me.

Israel Says Ahmadinejad's Upcoming Visit to Lebanon 'Very Worrying'
BS. Yeah as worrying as Ashkenazi visiting the border or Israel doing a buildup on the border... yeah I'm sure A MILITARY BUILDUP is less worrying than a visit by a 5 feet tall Iranian...

Iraq: Return of Sheibani's killer squads
``Iranian terrorists are back in Iran``... yeah sure. And why did you invade Iraq again eh US government? For human rights?

Syria's Watan Warns: Lebanon Situation Heading toward 'Unprecedented' Escalation
Indeed.

Israel violates Lebanon airspace again
Another day...

Russia may lose $1bn over S-300 ban
As I've said on this thread about a hundred times...

ICC may probe Israel's flotilla attack
That would be neat but I'm not holding my breath.

Muallem Says STL to Accuse Hizbullah, Warns of Sectarian Violence over Indictment
Well it could get hot. Sorry but I don't trust any US backed UN probe. Especially when it involves Iran/Israel...

Israeli Warplanes Carry Out Mock Air Raids over Rashaya
Real friendly there.

French cargo ship owned by the North Korean origin and final destination of Syria held yesterday in Piraeus, after ameriknaikon signal intelligence and their Israeli ship that probably carries accessories ballistic weapons or build nuclear.
Syria is buying nukes from NKorea! Yeah sure. Except the containers have not been opened yet and they just guess at what's inside... great journalism there.

The US has reportedly pledged Israel to block any efforts to bring Palestinian statehood before the UN Security Council should Tel Aviv extend its settlement freeze.
Wouldn't surprise me. Obama doesn't support human rights, he's a Zionist shill.

Israeli plane violates Lebanon airspace
Another day...

Lieberman: U.S. forced Palestinians into negotiations (Ch.10)

Kinda true.

Lieberman: Arab League should deal with its own problems, not blame Israel (Haaretz)

And Israel and their daddy the US isn't part of their problems? Mwahahahaa.

Netanyahu seen unlikely to accept U.S. offer for compromise in Mideast talks (Haaretz)

Ya think.

Experts: Iranian computer worm targeted Natanz enrichment facility (Haaretz)

And according to many experts, came from Israel, and now is affecting Russia and China...

Supreme Court ruling paves way for eviction of dozens of Arab families from Sheikh Jarrah (Haaretz)

Gee what a surprise.

Barghouti: Israel is not ready for peace with Palestinians (Ch.10)

Not that government for sure.

Iran vows to make no concessions in future nuclear talks (DPA)

What the US wants is Iran to abandon all their nuclear program, which they can't logically do.

Mubarak vows free Egypt elections amid opposition boycott calls (DPA)

Another lie by a politician...

U.S. criticizes UN report on Gaza flotilla raid (Israel Radio)

Doesn't matter that a US citizen was executed by Israel on that ship...

Abbas: Settlement construction will 'force' us to quit talks (Reuters)

Peace talks doomed.

Kadima MK: Israeli activists aboard Gaza aid boat should be prosecuted (Ch.10)

And Kadima are supposed to be the sane ones?

UN panel: Israel hiding images of May 31 Gaza flotilla raid (AP)

Yep.

Irish Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Maguire barred from entering Israel (Haaretz)

But they let war criminals like Blair or Bush in... truly shows who they really are.

Palestinian negotiator: PA won't talk as long as settlement construction continues (Army Radio)

Forget peace talks then.

MK Hasson: Maybe it is Netanyahu, not Lieberman, who only speaks for himself (Haaretz)

Maybe indeed.

Barak: Lieberman's comments don't represent Israeli government, Labor party (Ch. 10)

If he isn't, FIRE HIS ASS.

Syrian FM calls upon Israel to return to indirect talks with Turkey as broker (Israel News)

Of course Israel have ignored that call since it was made... 5 days ago.

Minister Braverman: Lieberman should be fired over UN address (Army Radio)

Yep. And banned from politics.

U.S. senators urge Obama to punish Chinese company for investing in Iran (AP)

You really want to piss off China even more?

Netanyahu to Mitchell: I and my government are committed to peace (Haaretz)

Funny.

Avigdor Lieberman: My views are supported by a majority of Israelis (DPA)

Well if that's true, you deserve to be nuked. But of course it's not true, so STFU Lieberman and GO AWAY.

Iran puts off Bushehr plant launch to early 2011 (Reuters)

Got problems? Or just technologically too behind? Sanctions hitting?

Obama signs executive order sanctioning Iran top officials over human rights abuses (Haaretz)

Now that's just rich.

Hezbollah: We will block Lebanon funding to UN panel probing Hariri assassination (AP)

Not gonna change a thing.

PLO leadership to meet Saturday to decide whether to continue negotiations (Haaretz)

What's it gonna be.

Turkish PM Erdogan to visit Lebanon after Iranian President Ahmadinejad (Army Radio)

Nice.

Rahm Emanuel to leave White House on Friday, sources say (AP)

One less proud-son-of-an-Israeli-terrorist (Irgun) in the White House can only do good.

Arab UN reps may call for Security Council session on settlement freeze (Haaretz)

The US will veto it.

State Dept.: U.S. doing everything it can to keep peace talks moving forward (Haaretz)

Tea bagging Israel isn't doing everything.

Turkey's Kurdish rebels extend ceasefire for month (Reuters)

Israel telling their anti-Turkey militia force to keep it quiet for now?

Japan says its top oil exporter Inpex may quit Iran over U.S. sanctions (Reuters)

And who the hell will provide Japan with oil? The other US puppet, Saudi Arabia?

Militants set fire to NATO supply tankers in Pakistan (Reuters)

Why are they doing that? Those silly Pakistanis... the US is their god! Without them they wouldn't exist! They should be grateful that only a few of them die at the hands of drones. /sarcasm off

Coalition chairman Elkin: Settlement freeze would put Israel under constant rocket threat (Haaretz)

That is some retarded talk. First fact : Israel would be under constant rocket threat ANYWAY. Second fact : PEACE ACHIEVED WITH A SETTLEMENT FREEZE COULD STOP ALL ATTACKS. Summary : YOU'RE A DUMBASS.

Syrian leader to visit Iran as tensions in Lebanon and Iraq simmer (DPA)

War talks?

Catharine Ashton: Israel should extend settlement freeze to continue talks (Army Radio)

Indeed.

Chief PA negotiator Saeb Erekat: Key to direct talks is in hands of Netanyahu (Reuters)

We are doomed then.

U.S.: New settlement construction doesn't dampen our resolve to continue peace talks (Haaretz)

I'm sure some parts of the US were being annexed by Israel, you would say otherwise.

Lebanon PM's aide: Hezbollah planning to take over the country (Ch. 10)

This guy is a double agent.

Egypt opposition leader defends ties with banned Islamist group (AP)

How dare they associate with who the hell they want? That's not how US puppet dictatorships work!

Syria to arrest Hariri probe misleaders
Why can't you let the Lebanese government arrest them?

Israel to extend partial settlement halt
Really? If it's true it's a good move.

March 14 ministers agree that Syrian arrest warrants are unacceptable
Well yeah. Let the Lebanese government deal with them.

Sayyed: Hariri might eventually be named in arrest warrants
Totally NOT GOOD.

Harb: Arrests Ordered by Syria Insult to Lebanon, Government
Yep.

Syria's Ambassador: Warrants have No Effect on Assad-Hariri Ties
Really?

Analysts: Lebanon Heading toward Crisis over Hariri Case
And they are being paid to say the obvious? Where's my check? Since we've been talking about that for months now.

Iran arrests 'nuclear spies' accused of cyber attacks
Maybe this is true... after all, the virus was probably made in Israel, and spread through internet, but it still needed a link between internet and the nuclear power plant...

Marouni says Syria awaits sedition to re-occupy Lebanon
Maybe, maybe not. Still saying those things when tensions are that high sure won't help keeping things calm. Israel could also use that to annex Lebanese territory. A nation divided falls...

PLO: No peace talks with Israel as long as settlement continues
Yep.

Asarta: Indictment will Not have Repercussions on UNIFIL
Good.

ISF Denies Alleged Security Source Remarks that Hariri is Convinced Hizbullah Killed His Father, Al-Akhbar Hits Back
Good.

Israeli Army Denies Raising Alert Level over Ahmadinejad's Lebanon Visit
Let's hope they do not raise it... it could lead to war with tensions that high.

Blackwater wins new deal in Afghanistan
And the corruption by the US government continues... hiring war criminals... how nice. I'm sure it's gonna help peace in the middle-east. NOT.

Israel to Lebanon: Ahmadinejad visit to Israel border will be a provocation
BS.

Jumblat: Heavy Clouds Looming over Lebanon, Let Those behind Thoughtless Rhetoric Shut Up
Yep. Those people shutting up would be a good start.

Israeli Gunboat Fires Machine Guns, Mortars Toward Naqoura
How peaceful. Why should Lebanon enter in peace talks with Israel who commit such acts almost daily again?

Arms Market Active in Lebanon
When the prices of arms go up in Lebanon, it's never a good sign.

The acting Palestinian Authority (PA) chief, Mahmoud Abbas, says the PA will continue talks with Israel if Tel Aviv freezes its settlement activities.
Which might happen...

Iran opens airspace to China warplanes
Will it still be open after that? Meaning if Iran needs a little Chinese assistance in case of war... or if China will send warplanes to protect their investments in Iran... this could be very dangerous if a war breaks out.

U.S. plans $4.2 billion arms sale to Iraq
Are they gonna pull another ``let's arm and pay Iraq to attack Iran``?

US Commenting on Arrest Warrants: Syria Should Respect Lebanon's Sovereignty
Now that's just rich. I agree with the concept, but the US saying it is just hilarious. Mr. America, invading countries on lies, putting economic pressure on countless countries to make them bow to America's will, ect... just freaking hilarious.

Bomb explodes at Tehran hospital
How nice.

Ahmadinejad, Assad to meet for second time in two weeks in Tehran (Army Radio)

Yeah and? There's lots to talk about.

Syria deputy FM: Syria ready for peace, Israel is the problematic side (Israel Radio)

Well Israel sure is ignoring Syria peace openings.

Khaled Meshal in Damascus says Israel afraid of new generation in PA (Ch. 10)

Yeah because they gonna have to buy a whole new set of puppets and that is expensive.

Iran, Syria agree to strengthen ties against Israel (Army Radio)

It would be hard to strengthen more... they already have a mutual defense treaty.

Ehud Barak: A compromise to save the peace talks is still possible (Haaretz)

Yeah. Just freeze settlements.

Settler leader Dayan: Abbas using 'extortion' in talks with Israel (Haaretz)

Really? And US-EU cutting all funding when Hamas was elected isn't extortion?

Interior Minister Yishai: We cannot become a refuge for 'criminal' foreigners (Haaretz)

Newsflash : You already are.

Report: If FM Lieberman is present at Euromed summit, Syria will not attend (DPA)

As most people say, it was really retarded for Netanyahu to name that piece of garbage Lieberman as FM...

Habayit Hayehudi Knesset faction to oppose even partial building freeze (Army Radio)

Who cares. They are right wing crazies and they have only 3 seats.

NATO chief: I hope Pakistan supply route to Afghanistan will reopen soon (Reuters)

Hope away.

Iran: 'Small leak', not virus, caused delay of launch of Bushehr nuclear plant (Reuters)

Small leak uh? It took 20 years to build that reactor and it's already leaking... fail.

Poll: Most Palestinians back dropping talks if Israel builds settlement (DPA)

Yep. Israel don't want peace if they continue annexing territory...

CBS poll: Only 2 in 10 Americans would support war if Iran attacked Israel (Haaretz)

Have people finally stopped buying the propaganda?

Iran insists computer worm was Western plot (AP)

All experts agree it was made in Israel so... yeah.

Tomorrow should be interesting. Abbas is meeting his ``leaders``... we'll see if Netanyahu puts up or shuts up on the settlement freezes. The rumor is that he's giving two months more to settlement freeze...

Ahmadinejad taunts West to put more pressure on Iran
Asking for it are we?

Iran muscles into the UAV battlefield
Probably helped by China/Russia...

Israel may halt new Palestinian city over 'green concerns'
What about stopping jewish settlements over green concerns? IMO this is a stinking lie.

Russia to compensate Iran some $800m over shelved missile deal
They need to pay a fine too... if Iran sues them for breach of contract.

Debkafile: Damascus at Risk if Syria, Hizbullah Attempt to Overpower Beirut
Debka... spreading such propaganda... warmongering scum.

Peace talks impossible with this Israeli govt: Abbas aide
Gee ya think?

Abbas Hints at Resigning if Peace Talks with Israel Failed
That would anger Israel since they would need to buy new puppets.

Israeli military 'stronger than ever' despite threat of 5-front missile war
So... Israel doesn't need more US aid then? No more US troops doing wars for Israel?

Washington Calls on Americans to Avoid Traveling to Lebanon
Planning a war are we?

Muallem Confirms Coordination with Saudi Arabia: Situation in Lebanon is Worrisome
Gee... just figured that out? We've been talking about Lebanese tensions for a few months now.

Pakistan reopens border to NATO
Pakistan blinked... or the leaders just did the temporary freeze to not be overthrown.

Israel's forum of seven top ministers meets, doesn't discuss peace talks (Haaretz)

Probably talking about who's got the bigger ego...

Livni: Government wasted 2 years with no peace talks (Haaretz)

+1

Iraqi air force will not take over aerial control until at least 2020, says Iraqi official (Reuters)

The US is not out of there... by a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG SHOT.

Syria and Saudi Arabia working together to ease tensions in Lebanon, says Syrian FM (AP)

At least some are working to avoid civil war in Lebanon...

Government approves draft of controversial loyalty oath (Haaretz)

Oh dear.

Assad: Chances of peace with Israel are unknown (Reuters)

With this government, from pretty slim to impossible.

Israeli Arab judge: Proposed loyalty law amendment is 'racist' (Israel Radio)

Yep...

Netanyahu: We are here because of a deep connection to the land of Israel (Haaretz)

Yeah, ``land`` given to you by ``god`` in a SCIENCE FICTION BOOK which only 0.2% OF THE WORLD POPULATION BELIEVES IN.

Finance Minister Steinitz: Sanctions alone won't stop Iran's nuclear ambitions (Haaretz)

So let's bomb them uh?

Hezbollah leader to participate in ceremony in honor of Ahmadinejad in Beirut (Ch.10)

If Israel had serious balls, they would bomb that ceremony.

NATO chief in Turkey for strategic discussions (DPA)

Yeah sure... only for strategic discussions uh? Not Syria-Israel talks, nor China doing military drills with Turkey...nor Turkey trade with Iran...

U.S. warns Egypt against renewing business with Iran (Ch. 10)

What a surprise... Mubarak, bow to our will or we will support a coup against you... after all you are out puppet...

NATO: Terror threat in Europe justifies Afghan war (AP)

You've got that backwards you twat. Remember pre-US funding Mujadeens and extremist madrassas in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia? Ah yes... islamic terrorism didn't exist or was very very rare.... ooops.

Palestinian report: Head of settler group ran over two Palestinian children (Ch. 10)

Gee what a surprise. An extremist doing what an extremist would do. But of course nobody will call this piece of garbage a neo-nazi...because after all, palestinians are semites too... We need to find a word for extremist jews like that piece of trash.

Neo-zionist? Or maybe we should just call him an anti-semite since he's one.

Report: Syria opposes any attempt to resume Israeli-Palestinian direct talks (AP)

It's a waste of time with that government.

Israeli Arab MKs: Israel to blame for breakdown of peace talks (Ch. 10)

Well they won't freeze settlements nor listen to anybody.

Qatari FM: Arab League to meet again in a month to study Abbas proposals (Reuters)

In a month? What do they have to do before then?

U.S.: China mounts joint air exercise with Turkey (Reuters)

If I'm not mistaken, this is the first time a NATO country does a military drill with China.

Gunmen in Pakistan torch nearly 30 NATO fuel tankers (Reuters)

Boohoo.

Abbas may ask U.S. to recognize Palestinian state (Reuters)

Freeze settlements, recognize Palestinian state... that should make peace immediate and durable.

Livni: Netanyahu should extend settlement freeze if that is what Obama demands (Ch. 2)

Finally a sane statement from someone.

Syria FM: U.S.-Israel aircraft deal destabilizes region (Army Radio)

Because it's not already destabilized?

Cabinet expected to approve loyalty oath law in vote on Sunday (Haaretz)

Racists...but not a big surprise from the Netanyahu government.

Lieberman: Vote on loyalty oath law will determine if we will be a Jewish state (Ch.10)

Even the Israeli population doesn't want this.

King Abdullah: Israel-PA Peace talks are the only guarantee for Mid East stability (Haaretz)

Indeed.

Israeli academic: Loyalty oath resembles racist laws of 1935 (Haaretz)

Yep.


Ahmadinejad visit is this week... gonna be interesting.

So it's been a while since I've posted an update... lots of school work.. you know.

This is quite a massive update...

With talks at impasse, Palestinians explore other options

"The negotiations with Israel have been ongoing for more than 19 years since the Madrid peace conference in 1991 and until now have not achieved anything,"

A fact many ignore.

One option would be to ask the UN Security Council to declare a state on Palestinian lands occupied by Israel in 1967, but Abbas has also hinted that he might resign from the Palestinian Authority or dissolve it altogether.

That would be neat. After all, the UN created Israel with a mandate... time for the UN to man up and create Palestine with a mandate.

Soldiers hurt by blast at Iran military base
Who did this... Israel, US, rebel groups... we'll never know.

Israeli MP Calls for Liquidating Ahmadinejad … Netanyahu's Deputy: We Don't Kill Presidents
Up to now.

Thousands greet Ahmadinejad on first state visit to Lebanon
Of course, he's the only want standing up for Lebanese territorial integrity, Israel still occupies parts of Lebanon.

Israel has carried out a large-scale maneuver in its central and eastern cities to practice countering coordinated attacks and unconventional warfare.
More preparation for war.

Israel stages mock air raids over Gaza
Real peaceful.

Report: Israelis shoot Gazan kids
Of course.. not the first time.

Official: NATO supplies ambush kills 2 in Pakistan
More trouble in Pakistan.

Ahmadinejad, near Israel's border, slams the Jewish state
Still what will he do in a real war situation?

16 Agreements, But No Military Aid, Signed between Lebanon, Iran
Well if it can improve Lebanon economy at least it will help things.

Iran Exports First Petrochemicals to Egypt
This is massive news. US egypt puppetship is failing.

Iran spies claim signals nuclear problems
Sabotage is so fun. Iran really does have a cool temper. If China/Russia were doing military sabotage against the US, we would be close to war.

Commentary: Dissension in the Pakistani ranks

Pakistan's most prominent -- and vocal -- retired chiefs of the army
are demanding that the country's air force be ordered to shoot down drones and helicopters -- and increasingly angry active duty officers are voicing their approval in off-the-record conversations with Pakistani journalists.

Pakistan military leaders have had it. We could wake up one day and see that Pakistan have been overthrown with leaders pissed at the US. And they've got nukes. It can happen ANYTIME.

Israeli choppers hover over Iran pres.
I knew they'd do this. After all, a flyover is something they do almost everyday. So a flyover while Ahmadinejad was there was almost a given.

Russia agrees to build nuclear plant in Venezuela
This is gonna give a headache to Israel and the US.

Israel Plans 238 New Settler Homes in Arab East Jerusalem
And over 500 of them are presently under construction.

Russia may sell S-300 missiles to Venezuela, instead of Iran - analyst
Of course Iran could give Venezuela money to make the purchase... Venezuela could send a few to Iran... or have Iranian engineers over to study it and go back with the technology.

Iraqi premier arrives in Tehran for talks
Something else Israel and the US won't like.

Jumblat Calls for Calm: Saudi-Syrian Axis is the Guarantee
Anything that can stop civil war in Lebanon.

Iran's non-oil exports rise by 30%
Sanctions : fail.

Turkey: Iran no threat to NATO
Duh. Iran military budget : 6 billion. NATO military budget : over a trillion.

'Israel choosing settlements over peace'
Of course they are. With the leadership they have.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the Israeli premier is proud about the deadly attack on the Freedom Flotilla, which killed nine Turks.
I'm sure he is. He probably sees this as defending Israel or some BS like that.

Israel violates Lebanon's airspace
Of course.

UN: Israeli settlements defy intl. law
They do all the time.

Canada arrests Dubai hit suspect
Good. Maybe more details will come out.

Militants torch NATO trucks in Pakistan
Again. Our ally Pakistan sure loves us uh?

Iran slams Europe over jet fuel denial
Finally it's happening uh?

Israeli lawmakers slam loyalty oath
Which is totally racist.

12 Israeli jets violate Lebanon airspace
That's a lot of jets.

Israeli forces, tanks invade Gaza
Just for fun.

Jimmy Carter says Palestinians live in a 'cage' in Gaza; urges reconciliation
Yep.

Nothing Cooking' in Netanyahu-Abbas Talks, Says Top Palestinian Negotiator
Yep, talks are dead.

Hariri-Hizbullah Meeting Soon
Hopefully it helps.

New Gaza peace flotilla to have up to 20 boats: organisers
This smells like trouble.

Iran doesn't need nuclear weapons: Pakistan
The US and Israel are threatenning them on a daily basis.

US takes up Pakistan military wish-list
More weapons for our potential enemies...

Gulf states eye new combat jets
More military hardware to the gulf states, really?

Iran posts diplomatic gains despite Western cold-shoulder
Yep. Iran is winning the diplomatic war.

Iran may retaliate over fuel denial
Hopefully it's lawsuits, not bombs.

US deploys second air carrier in Persian Gulf with 60 warplanes
Probably just normal. But you never know. October surprise and all.

Obama to visit Pakistan next year
He cancelled his next month meeting. Something's wrong? Afraid of assassination? What?

US announces massive arms sale to Saudi Arabia
Finally official.

Commander of the Galilee unit in the Israeli army Yossi Bachar revealed on Thursday that that the Israeli army has prepared a plan to invade southern Lebanon and "destroy Hizbullah."
This ain't a surprise.

'Israeli settlements' growth pace rising
550 new settlements since it expired.

Lieberman to French, Spanish FMs: We won't be 2010's Czechoslovakia (Haaretz)

Ah Lieberman... no you're 2010 Nazi Germany.

Auschwitz survivor: 'Israel acts like Nazis'
See?

Report: Hamas, Fatah meeting to avoid peace talks collapse (Ch. 10)

Good.

Report: 6 arrested in Lebanon, suspected of spying for Israel (Israel Radio)

Again?

Fischer: Israel must free up more land for housing to curb real-estate prices (Army Radio)

More expansion?

Ministerial committee approves referendum for territorial withdrawal (Haaretz)

I wonder what they will vote.

Iranian official: Tehran will expose U.S. uranium delivery to Israel (Army Radio)

Why would they need to send enriched uranium to Israel? Israel got a nuclear reactor...

Peres calls for two-state solution, right-wing MKs interrupt his speech (Haaretz)

Some common sense from Peres!

Netanyahu: The Zionist movement has created an exemplary democracy (Haaretz)

Ah! What a joke.

Netanyahu: Palestinian state might increase terror, if created irresponsibly (Haaretz)

Like you want to create it at all.

Netanyahu: We will never have peace if we don't try (Haaretz)

Why don't you try then?

Netanyahu: If PA recognizes Israel as Jewish state, we will consider settlement freeze (Haaretz)

Except even Israeli jews don't want it recognized as such.

Livni: Netanyahu has turned Israel into a weak, defiant state (Haaretz)

Because it wasn't like that before?

MK Katz: If Netanyahu freezes construction, there will be spring elections (Israel Radio)

Good. Maybe then those right wing extremists will get the hell out and peace will happen.

MK Oron: Recognition issue is a way of avoiding serious negotiations (Israel Radio)

Probably.

Deputy PM Ya'alon: No chance of peace deal with Palestinians in coming years (Army Radio)

So much enthousiasm there.

Opposition cuts $5 million budget for government adverts due to 'racist ads' (Israel Radio)

Those ads must had really been racists...if the government cut their own ads.

EU: Israel as a Jewish state would have to ensure equality (DPA)

It's already not the case, so forget about it.

Olmert says Netanyahu must cede to U.S. requests and stop 'fighting the world' (Haaretz)

Indeed. The world created Israel, they should listen.

Likud slams Olmert: Thousands of missiles, Goldstone report during Kadima government (Haaretz)

Yep, Kadima is not better... that's why the whole area is screwed.

Arab press: Ahmadinejad's visit to Lebanon will include meeting with Erdogan (Ch. 10)

Not good for NATO, Israel, US.

MK Eldad: If Ahmadinehad approaches border, Israel should take opportunity to kill him (Ch. 10)

Great idea... NOT.

PLO chief: We will recognize Israel in any way in exchange for retreat to 1967 borders (Haaretz)

Israel can even call themselves the land of candies and ponnys as long as they go back to the original borders.

Likud: Livni willing to make concessions on the account of Israel's interests (Haaretz)

Israel interest is PEACE. Doing PEACE is in the interest of Israel.

Netanyahu spokesman: Israel could reconsider presence in Jordan Valley (AP)

Do it then. Help peace.

Report: Turkey will not attend OECD conference in Israel, minister says (Haaretz)

Tensions still high.

White House: Ahmadinejad's visit to Lebanon is a provocation (DPA)

Yeah and the US funding terrorists in Iran isn't?

Iraqi PM and Syrian president meet in Damascus, discuss politcal stalemate in Baghdad (DPA)

Not good for Israel/US.

Ahmadinejad: Lebanon is a school of resistance against tyrants (DPA)

Yep. Armed militias... just like the founders of the US.

Nasrallah: West is against Ahmadinejad because he says Israel must disappear (DPA)

That and iranian oil.

Egypt increases censorship ahead of next month's vote (AP)

America's sponsored democracy... so beautiful.

Ahmadinejad: U.S. and Israeli power in the Middle East will soon be eclipsed (AP)

Once the US is bankrupt, yes.

Israel Aerospace Industries signs $400 million deal to sell drones to Russia (Haaretz)

Finally official...

Deputy Defense Min.: Ahmadinejad in Lebanon to see weapons aimed at Israel (Army Radio)

Crappy weapons.

Israeli official: Tragedy that Lebanon letting non-Arab Ahmadinejad destroy it (DPA)

And who killed 1200 lebanese and destroy every major infrastructure in Lebanon? Ah yes, Israel.

Ahmadinejad: World intentionally confusing peaceful energy with nuclear bombs (Israel Radio)

Lots of ignorant people are.

Turks accuse Israel of war crimes over Gaza flotilla raid at international court (AP)

Not the first time... nobody ever goes to jail over war crimes.

France denounces Ahmadinejad's speech in Lebanon against Israel (Israel Radio)

Really? France? Who helped the nazis kill the jews and lick the nazi boots? That France?

Israel Air Force finishes week-long joint military training in Greece (Ch.10)

More preparation for war.

Media magnate Murdoch: Stop trying to isolate Israel (Haaretz)

Israel should stop committing crimes then.

ADL publishes list of 10 most anti-Israel organizations in U.S. (Haaretz)

And as usual, the list is ridiculous.

Jordanian king grants audience to George W Bush (DPA)

He should have arrested him for war crimes, but that's just me.

Egypt FM: Arab states may ask UN to recognize Palestinian state (AP)

That would be sweet.

Abbas: PA will never sign agreement requiring recognition with Israel as Jewish state (Haaretz)

Because that's stupid in the first place.

U.S. 'disappointed' by announcement of new settlement building (Haaretz)

CUT FOREIGN AID.

Jordan says building in East Jerusalem 'blow to peace talks' (Ch.10)

More like nukes them.

Turkish PM condemns U.S. for supporting Israel after Gaza flotilla raid (Ch.10)

One more hit to NATO.

PA negotiator: Decision on unilateral statehood will be postponed until November (AP)

Do it already.

Turkish intelligence report: High risk of Kurdish assassination attempt on Erdogan (Ch. 10)

And that happens, Israel and Turkey are going to war. Kurds are armed, trained and financed by Israel. And Turkey can give Israel a run for their money.

Thousands in Tel Aviv participate in protest against loyalty oath bill (Haaretz)

The good Israelis are showing themselves, good.

Two Israelis arrested in Georgia on suspicion of bribing Georgian deputy finance minister (Ch. 10)

What the hell are they doing there? Bribing Georgian officials to put military hardware in Georgia to bomb Iran?

Iran releases American businessman imprisoned for two years (AP)

Good for him.

National Union MK Ben-Ari: Protest proves we must also impose loyalty oath on Jews (Ch. 10)

Because of self-hating jews right? How can a piece of dung like him be elected?

Ahmadinejad: Israel will soon go to hell (DPA)

Real good for PR those statements... /sarcasm

Abbas sends message to Netanyahu that he is willing to accept 'quiet' building freeze (Israel Radio)

Not gonna happen.

Top IDF officer warns of new Gaza war if Hamas abducts soldier (Haaretz)

But Israel can kidnap anyone they want right?

Hamas: Israeli troops arrested one of our lawmakers in West Bank (AP)

See?

Report: U.S. asks China to stop companies from aiding Iran's nuclear, missile programs (AP)

Not gonna happen.

Report: Lebanon foiled assassination attempt during Ahmadinejad's visit (Ch.10)

Not a big surprise.

Report: Turkey to remove Iran from list of 'threatening countries' (Haaretz)

Pissing off Israel/US of course.

Soldier charged with stealing electronics from Gaza flotilla ship jailed for 5 months (Ch.10)

Accountability... WOW.

Netanyahu: East Jerusalem construction shouldn't affect peace talks (Army Radio)

Yeah sure. If it was your land being annexed, you wouldn't say that.

PM: We can move ahead when Palestinians want to solve, not create, problems (Haaretz)

The problem is you Netanyahu. Someone should solve your case with a bullet or an election. Whatever comes first.

PM instructs justice minister to prepare loyalty oath law proposal for Jews as well (Haaretz)

So Netanyahu believes in the self-hating jews BS... what a surprise.

UN officials: Mideast peace may elude Israel, PA if world powers don't step in (AP)

... and crack some skulls to force it.

Joint U.S., Israel statement: Iran poses threat to Mideast stability (AP)

AH! And US invading 2 countries, supporting probably close to all mideast regimes and terrorist groups isn't destabilizing? AHAHAHAHAHAHA

Kadima MK Molla: Netanyahu government is racist and anti-Zionist (Israel Radio)

Racist for sure.

High Court criticizes government for not enforcing orders to evacuate illegal outposts (Army Radio)

What a surprise. As long as it expands Israel territory...

Israeli envoy to U.S. Oren: Netanyahu won't let UN or anyone dictate our borders (Haaretz)

Well then, CUT OFF AID TO ISRAEL. It your money, you decide. They don't want to be controlled for the money they've been given? DON'T GIVE THE MONEY.

Jordanian king approves new family law that expands women's rights (AP)

Good.

Turkish government considering lifting head scarf ban at universities (AP)

Good.

PM: Most of Israel recognizes that we cannot continue without a peace agreement (Haaretz)

+1

Rabin's daughter: We did not come to Israel to sanctify land over life (Haaretz)

+10000000000000000000000

Minister Braverman: Labor will quit coalition if talks with Palestinians don't resume (Reuters)

Hopefully new elections and the end of Lieberman/Netanyahu.

Human Rights Watch: More than 100 cases of torture reported in West Bank detention centers (Haaretz)

What a surprise. Not.

Egypt's president sets parliament vote for Nov. 28 (Reuters)

Vote. That's a good joke.

U.S. official: Turkey must help enforce international sanctions against Iran (Reuters)

Or what ya gonna do?

Netanyahu and Livni meeting to discuss option Kadima will join coalition (Ch. 2)

Netanyahu afraid of elections uh...

Peres: Israel won't be able to survive without U.S. aid (Israel Radio)

And since the US is bankrupt as soon as foreclosuregate finally explodes... well.

Check out answer number "3", and remember this is supposedly a fictional book, about "The Twelfth Imam"....


flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com...

reply to post by freetree64


Yeah back in 2006, I talked to Ahmadinejad on his blog, and I asked him what he thought about the Mahdi. He said he didn't know for sure but that he would be revealed on the day of the US election in 2008.

So maybe he thinks that Obama is the Mahdi, who knows.

I've not been able to access the internet as I would like recently, so apologies for not posting on this thread for well over a month. I hope I'm not too late....this is a great thread. Don't stop posting Vitchilo!



Lebanese PM Saad Hariri warns of 'disaster' in Mid-East (BBC Interview Video)


From the Link:

Lebanese PM Saad Hariri warns of 'disaster' in Mid-East

Lebanese PM Saad Hariri has said the Middle East is "heading towards disaster" if peace cannot be reached between Israel and the Arab world.

Mr Hariri told the BBC's Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen that the current situation was allowing extremism to flourish.

He said the whole world was paying the price for Israel's policies on the Palestinians.

The lack of peace was also aiding anti-Western forces including Iran, he said.

Mr Hariri, who is currently on a visit to the UK, said that Iran had significant influence in the Middle East region but that the real threat to stability was from failing to achieve peace between Israel and the Arab world.

He said hundreds of millions of Arabs and Muslims were daily watching television footage of Palestinian homes being destroyed by Israeli bulldozers, and that such actions were "not just inflaming the region but ... affecting the whole world".

"You're paying the price in London, you're paying the price in Europe, you're paying the price in the United States, you're paying the price everywhere," he said, and asked what the international community was doing to aid the peace process.

The prime minister also said he would continue to support the UN-backed investigation into the 2005 assassination of his father, former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.

The tribunal, taking place at the Hague, is expected to issue indictments by the end of the year and many believe those accused could include prominent members of Hezbollah, the most powerful military and political force in Lebanon.

On Tuesday, the movement told BBC Arabic that indicting any of its members would be "equivalent to lighting the fuse and is dangerous for Lebanon".

Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has denied the movement was involved in the assassination, and has called on all Lebanese to boycott the investigation.

Link (Video)


Hariri adds to the chorus of regional leaders' voices warning of the consequences of a lack of serious peace talks and allowing Israel to do what it wants.

The mood is very pessimistic in the region right now, and for a region known for strife, that's saying something. The common concensus seems to be that the lack of real peace talks, of genuine mediation and impartiality, of allowing Israel to do whatever it wants is leading inexorably to conflict. And I could not agree more.


Israel is breaking all international conventions - Al-Hariri (Russia Today Interview Video)


From the Link:

Israel is breaking all international conventions - Al-Hariri

Israel is the main reason why the peace process in the Middle East failed, insists Lebanon’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Saad Al-Hariri.
RT: Do you think that a resolution of the political crisis in Iraq will have a positive impact on Lebanon and lead to a resolution of the political crisis there as well?

Saad Hariri: I think that the main problem here is that the key issue is ignored – I mean about fair peace for everybody. In 1991, there was a peace conference in Madrid; then there was also the Arab Summit Conference in Beirut, where the participants came up with the Arab Peace Initiative. But now the peace process is being destroyed by different amendments which will lead us to nowhere. The principles behind the resolutions – which were supported by everyone – demand that Israel should follow the resolutions. There would be no need now to talk about arms and other problems, had this peace process not been buried in the 1990s. We face many difficulties today, because Israel denies Palestinians their legal rights, refuses to return the Golan Heights to Syria; the Shebaa Farms, Kfar Shouba and Ghajar – to Lebanon. But the Arab Peace Initiative was adopted. Why is Israel doing that? The international community has an obligation here. It needs to know that we can only solve problems in the region through a fair peace for all.

RT: Do you think Israel is responsible for the deadlock in the peace process?

SH: Not only is it responsible, Israel is the main reason why the process failed. Netanyahu’s government is not able, nor is it willing, to continue with the peace process.

RT: What role could Russia place in promoting the peace process in the Middle East?

SH: Russia participated in the Madrid conference and is part of this process. It is also part of the ‘quartet’, mediating in the Israeli-Palestinian talks. Therefore I think Russia could play a very important role. It has many friends in the Arab world. We need to use our relations with Russia in order to communicate the Arab stance on things to the international community, because it is very unnerving to see the injustice done by Israel to Palestinians, as well as to Lebanon and Syria. We can no longer ignore this. Israel is trying to impose its own agenda and keeps seizing land daily. Unfortunately, the world is not doing anything about it. This is unacceptable in all aspects – international, human and religious. It goes against the Geneva Convention and any other regulations. Israel is breaking all international conventions.

RT: Everybody knows that your relationship with Russian leaders is very good. What key issues will you discuss during your visit to Russia?

SH: Politically, relations with Russia are very important to us. We would like these relations to be economically beneficial as well. We would also like to find out how Russia could assist Lebanon in equipping our army and security forces. In this respect, we are going to propose some ideas to our Russian friends. We have been promised certain assistance, and Lebanon is ready to work out a plan for purchasing Russian weapons. Lebanon has purchased arms from Russia in the past, and now we are trying to figure out if we could get some discount on weapons for the Lebanese Army and security forces.

RT: And what about jets?

SH: We will study the issue during our visit. Our pilots are going through training, and hopefully this visit will be a successful end to what our President has started.

More


There was going to be a deal for the US to arm Lebanon's Army, but this was blocked by pro-Israeli lobbyists and shills.

So naturally, other nations will step into that void.

Russia to supply Lebanon with weapons and ammunition


Russia-related....

Iran nuclear plan 'must be peaceful' - Russia

From the Link:

Iran nuclear plan 'must be peaceful' - Russia

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has stressed the importance of Iran having a peaceful nuclear programme, following a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

This is the first meeting between the two leaders since a breakdown in ties.

Earlier this year, Moscow backed a series of UN sanctions against Iran and later dropped plans to supply the Iranians with surface-to-air missiles.

Mr Ahmadinejad recently accused Russia of selling out to Iran's enemies.

Thursday's meeting was held on the sidelines of a regional summit in Azerbaijan.

Mr Medvedev told Mr Ahmadinejad that nations stood ready to support Iran as long as it kept its ambitions in check, the Kremlin said.

"The president [Medvedev] spoke of the importance of the continuation of a peaceful Iranian nuclear programme," Russian news agencies quoted Mr Medvedev's top foreign policy aide Sergei Prikhodko as saying.

"An example [of such co-operation] came at Bushehr" where Russia recently launched Iran's first nuclear power plant, Mr Prikhodko added.

Earlier this year, Russia voted in favour of sanctions on Tehran for failing to halt its nuclear enrichment programme.

But Russian scientists recently completed Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant, which is set to produce electricity from 2011, and are providing the fuel.

More


Meanwhile...

Israeli air strikes hit two Gaza towns

Yeah I'm a slacker... haven't posted in a while on this thread... I think I'm gonna go a huge post with all the news since my last post... gonna be lots of them

Originally posted by Vitchilo
Yeah I'm a slacker... haven't posted in a while on this thread... I think I'm gonna go a huge post with all the news since my last post... gonna be lots of them

I'm looking forward to it!



Republican Cantor recants on Israel


From the Link:

Republican Cantor recants on Israel

Incoming House Majority Leader tries to explain why he pledged allegiance to Israel's leader over the US President.

MJ Rosenberg Last Modified: 18 Nov 2010 10:08 GMT

Soon-to-be House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) is desperately trying to explain away the promise he made to Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu last Wednesday.

Cantor huddled with Netanyahu just prior to the Prime Minister's meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Clinton was expected to reaffirm the American commitment to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and opposition to Israeli settlement expansion.

Cantor wanted Netanyahu to know that he had his back.

Cantor's office itself put out a statement bragging about his pledge to Netanyahu: "Eric stressed that the new Republican majority will serve as a check on the Administration and what has been, up until this point, one party rule in Washington," the readout said.

"He made clear that the Republican majority understands the special relationship between Israel and the United States, and that the security of each nation is reliant upon the other."

For now, forget Cantor's ridiculous assertion that the security of Israel and the United States are "reliant upon the other."

No, the United States provides Israel with the security assistance to survive - it is not the other way around.

But lay that aside. It is Cantor's statement of loyalty to Netanyahu that is the shocker. Specifically, it is his promise that he would ensure that Republicans in the US House of Representatives "will serve as a check" on US Middle East policy.

Almost immediately, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency's bureau chief in Washington, Ron Kampeas, declared that Cantor's statement was "extraordinary".

He wrote that he could not "remember an opposition leader telling a foreign leader, in a personal meeting, that he would side, as a policy, with that leader against the President."

Kampeas was clearly shocked, but he was understating the enormity of Cantor's offense.

Cantor's pledge of allegiance to a foreign leader would be remarkable, and deeply offensive, even if the foreign country in question were Canada or the United Kingdom, our two closest allies with whom we have few policy differences.

The United States has major policy differences with Israel, and has had them for decades, most notably over settlements, the occupied West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem, etc.

Israel is also the largest recipient of US foreign aid in the world, which means that the President of the United States has every right to express those differences firmly and clearly.

On the other hand, no American official - by any stretch of the imagination - has the right to tell the government of Israel, or any foreign government, that he stands with the foreign leader against his own president.

It is one thing to oppose particular US policies; it is quite another to tell a foreign leader, "I'm with you, not my president." Of course, Cantor was just being honest.

Although he does oppose virtually all of President Obama's policies - he's a Republican and that is what Republicans do - he supports 100 per cent of Israel's policies.

And although an extreme partisan domestically, when it comes to Israel, he supports whichever government is in power.

He believes in the right to criticise this government, just not that one.

Cantor's mistake was not telling Prime Minister Netanyahu what everyone knows is true anyway, but telling the world what he said.

This is the classic Washington definition of a gaffe (i.e., inadvertently speaking an inconvenient truth).

In this case, the gaffe produced a firestorm.

And this is where I consider the possibility that Cantor simply doesn't understand what he's doing.

After all, he has been an American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) cutout since he first was elected to office.

He's been to more AIPAC meetings than he can probably count.

And he should have figured out by now that the lobby is extremely careful, obsessively careful, to always empathise loyalty to the United States while simultaneously endorsing Israeli policies that undermine our foreign policy objectives.

AIPAC officials never, ever, say that when push comes to shove their loyalty is with Israel not the United States. In fact, the accusation that this is the case is the charge AIPAC hates most.

But the soon-to-be Majority Leader came right out and said it: Israel, right or wrong.

It took a few days for Cantor to understand how utterly offensive his statement was. He might have heard from a few Tea Party types who, say what you will about them, tend to take their patriotism seriously.

So Cantor explained that he was misunderstood. His inconvenient truth, his gaffe, was replaced by a laughable untruth.

More


Silly Cantor, a pro-Israeli lobbyist and shill, pledging loyalty to Israel over the US in public! *gasp*


AIPAC knows not to be too obvious in pledging allegiance to Israel before the US! Silly Cantor! You slipped up there! By all means, promote Israeli interests over American interests, but don't make your allegiance that obvious!

The pro-Israeli lobby has penetrated various levels of US Government to the extent that lawmakers are now brazenly pledging loyalty to Netanyahu.

The US's successive administrations does not really have any policy differences with Israel...not enough to stop Israel being armed to the teeth at the expense of the US taxpayer and allowed to continue building colonies, or to be an impartial mediator, anyway.


Meanwhile, life for Palestinians in The West Bank...

Too late for two states


From the Link:

Too late for two states

Palestinians say there can be no meaningful resistance as long as their leadership remains divided.

Robin Yassin-Kassab Last Modified: 14 Nov 2010 13:38 GMT

Nablus is built over deep wells on the narrow valley floor between Mount Jarizeem and Mount Aybaal. Its alleyways brim with ground coffee and spices, abrupt wafts of aniseed, plus honied tobacco bubbling from the argilehs, meat vaporising on the grills, traffic fumes, baking odours, pavement rubbish and dust. By day there is plenty of friendly Arab noise; by night barks and cock crows take over.

Although it is a city of over 130,000, everybody seems to know everybody else. Deeper than that, there is a connecting air of solidarity.

The intricate Old City, and the view of the ochre mountainside, reminded me of Damascus. In fact, Nablus used to be known as Little Damascus. Before Messrs. Sykes, Picot and Balfour chopped up the world, there was a trade route from Nablus (the West Bank) via Irbid (Jordan) to Damascus (Syria). Nabulsis and Damascenes intermarried. In Syria today the famous sweet knafeh is known simply as nabulsiyeh, the Nablus thing.

Nablus is also famed for its olive oil soap. Although local bedazzlement by 'modern' products and (mainly) the obstructions of Israeli occupation have shrunk the industry, factories still operate in the Old City, sourcing their oil from the semi-besieged villages in the nearby hills.

These days life is a little easier than it has been. Palestinians can get to Ramallah fairly fast. They cannot get to Jerusalem, Gaza or Haifa, but they can benefit from some of the European Union/Palestinian Authority cash sloshing around if they are lucky. They can even drive up to the Sama Nablus viewpoint and drink tea without being shot at from the military base above.

But the Nabulsis remain surrounded; they become moreso every day. The Samaritan village up the hill is closed off (the Samaritans, who are Palestinians, are allowed through the checkpoint to work or school in Nablus). Iraq Burin, a nearby mountaintop village, suffers constant land theft as well as physical attacks by settlers and soldiers. In March, two village teenagers were murdered.

Forbidden Jerusalem

On every hilltop, there is a Jewish settlement.

Near Nabi Saleh in the Ramallah area I saw a settlement - caravans, concrete foundations and fenced-off farmland - constructed during the recent 'freeze'. While I was in Palestine the 'freeze' thawed entirely, sparking a rush of new building as well as some orgiastic orchard-burning.

Half of Nabi Saleh's agricultural land and now its agricultural water supply have been stolen by armed men from the neighbouring Halamish colony.

In the Salfit region, the Jewish settlement of Ariel cuts the West Bank into south and north. With its own university and theatre complex, the settlement constitutes a veritable city.

The settlements are linked by gleaming highways to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. But these roads are for Jews only. Palestinian roads access only segments of the land, and are controlled by checkpoints and ditches.

Signs alongside these roads indicate Jewish settlements but not Palestinian towns. Forbidden Jerusalem is signposted in Arabic by the Hebrew name "Urushaleem," and only between brackets as "al-Quds" - its ancient and contemporary Arab name.

Mountain of Fire

That is the situation, and for now the Nabulsis bear up quietly. Examples of what will happen when they next make a noise are not only delivered across the airwaves from Gaza but are immediately at hand, embedded in the structure of the city itself.

There are bullet holes in the ornamental windows of the Yasmeen Hotel, scars of Israel's re-occupation of the city centre in 2002, when at least 80 Palestinians were killed and tens of historic buildings were destroyed, including ancient mosques and an Orthodox church.

There are the emptied ruins of entire blocks exploded by F16s. There is a memorial plaque at the site of a home which was bulldozed with a whole family trapped inside. Eight people were murdered there, nine if you count the foetus in the womb of Nabila Shu'bi.

Popularly known as Jabal an-Naar, the Mountain of Fire, the Nablus area has lost 1,600 martyrs in the last decade. Each quarter has a plaque listing local names, and the faces of fighters adorn the Old City walls.

In a strange echo of these posters, and what felt like proof that death's memory is inescapable in Nablus, an icon in the restored Byzantine-Crusader church at Joseph's Well (where Jesus revealed himself as messiah to a Samaritan) shows Archimandrite Philoumenos Khassapis being hacked 36 times by the axe of a fanatical settler in 1979.

Greek tourists and Palestinian Christians pray at the Archimandrite's shrine.

The family of martyrs

After one Friday's prayers I visited the grave of a friend's mother, Shaden al-Saleh. Shaden was a teacher and community organiser. She was executed by Israeli soldiers while embroidering on the step at home. After we had paid our respects, her son and I brushed the needles from the grave of Jihad al-Alul, who was shot in the head on the first day of the Second Intifada, ten years ago.

The 20-year-old had been part of an unarmed crowd confronting soldiers at the Hawwara checkpoint which blocks the city's southern exit. As we swept the needles from Jihad's memorial we chatted with Abu Fadi, whose two martyred sons are nearby. A warm, mournful man, Abu Fadi has made a garden of their tombs. My friend knows him well, as he knows all the families who visit these graves. He says that when his mother died he became part of the great family of the martyrs.

I had come to Nablus to teach a creative writing course. For one exercise I asked the students to write about a moment connecting a character to history. One young woman wrote about her younger self clutching the radio as bombs gobbled surrounding buildings. One wrote about her big brother, not the story of his murder but the story of her finding out. Another wrote about her 12-year-old nephew's funeral. He had been shot in an empty street. His aunt choked with tears as she read out her text.

I feared that I had gone too far, imposing on them a subject they must be constantly picking at. But the class reassured me. One used the word 'therapeutic'. "We never normally have an opportunity to talk about these things," she said.

Dual occupation

One reason for the silence is the censoring chill cast over public discourse by the split in Palestinian leadership.

The besieged Hamas government in Gaza rounds up Fatah activists, while the West/Israeli-backed Palestinian Authority (PA) arrests Hamas sympathisers in the West Bank. Six-hundred Nabulsis are currently held in the PA's Junaid prison.

People speak guardedly in public, as they do in any other Arab police state. But many Palestinians call the current system a dual occupation.

When the Israelis choose to they order the PA police off the streets and then take men from their homes. This happened several times during my visit, always at night - once two brothers were taken from the kiosk at the end of my street.

The people in Balata Camp - a place far more harrowing than the graveyard - told me that the soldiers came in most nights.

The Balata refugees have their own graveyard, containing an absurd proportion of young martyrs. But what is more painful than death in Balata is the caged density of the living - the numbers crammed in narrow rooms, the high ratio of men in wheelchairs, the broken faces of the prematurely aged. These people came from Haifa, Jaffa, Acre. They lived in farms, towns and villages within sight of the sea. Today they are not safe even in their breezeblock cells. During the Intifada Israeli troops used to enter their houses by blowing holes through the walls.

No resistance without unity

I saw Haneen al-Zoabi giving a lecture. She is the knesset member who sailed with the Gaza Flotilla and was so shabbily abused while attempting to give her account of events to Israel's parliament. In Nablus, she spoke emotionally about the situation of Palestinian-Israelis, the descendants of those few who escaped ethnic cleansing in 1948.

Citizens but not nationals of the state (nationality is for Jews only), Palestinian-Israelis receive a fraction of the services offered to Jews, are forbidden from teaching Palestinian history in schools and are as likely to be victims of land confiscation as fellow Palestinians in the West Bank. Ninety-three per cent of Israel's land is off-limits to non-Jews and half of Palestinian-Israeli families live below the poverty line.

I heard Jamal Hwayil speak. He was the leader of the Fatah-affiliated al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade in Jenin at the time of Israel's 2002 massacre there and now he is an independent member of the Palestinian parliament. He took a clear position on Palestinian division: "Political arrests are wrong. Wrong in Gaza and wrong in the West Bank. Political arrests have no place in a liberation struggle."

A little later he added: "There can be neither meaningful negotiations nor productive armed resistance so long as the political leadership is divided."

More

And with the Palestinians divided, the Israeli administration not interested in negotiating with any Palestinian on equal terms in peace talks, and the Obama administration continuing the tradition of successive US Administrations in supporting and arming Israel while pretending to be a mediator, the future is very bleak indeed.


Iran tests air missile


From the Link:

Iran tests air missile

Missile system called the S-200 successfully launched as Tehran boosts defences to protect nuclear plants.

Iran has successfully test-fired an air missile, Iranian state media has reported.

Pictures broadcast on Saturday showed the launch of the missile system called the S-200. Though it shares the same name as a Russian missile S-200, it is said to have the capabilities of a stronger Russian system known as the S-300, according to Press TV.

More


Let's hope they never have to try and see if it compares with the S-300 when fired in anger.