Israeli Foreign Minister’s Party Proposes Ban on Arab Mourning

Yisrael Beitenu, the political party of Israel’s foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, has proposed that Arab Israelis be banned from marking the anniversary of the dispossession of hundreds of thousands of Arab Palestinians in 1948. An estimated 700,000 Arabs were expelled or fled from their homes in 1948 and forbidden from returning in what Israel calls its “War of Independence” but what Arabs call the “Nakba”, or “Catastrophe”. U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman with Israeli Foreign Minister... Read article

Obama Administration Statements on Iran Nukes Not Backed by Intelligence

A recent unclassified CIA report to Congress says that it is not known whether Iran is working towards developing a nuclear weapon, despite consistent rhetoric from the Obama administration that Iran is pursuing the bomb. The report was drafted by the CIA’s Weapons Intelligence, Nonproliferation, and Arms Control Center (WINPAC) and submitted to the Congress by the Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Analysis. It discusses the acquisition of technology related to weapons of mass destruction (WMD) for the year... Read article

Pakistan: Half a Million Refugees as Fighting Continues in Swat

Pakistani military officials have said that the number of civilians who have fled fighting in Pakistan has reached 1.3 million. A figure of more than half a million who have been registered has been confirmed by the U.N. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced on Tuesday that the number of people registered as refugees as a result of Pakistan’s ongoing conflict against militants had surpassed 500,000. Most of the registered refugees have found temporary homes among family and... Read article

Business As Usual in Washington As Humanitarian Crisis Looms in Pakistan

A major offensive against militants in the Swat and Buner districts of Pakistan is underway, as thousands of civilians flee the area, headed for refugee camps that have been set up to help mitigate the crisis. The offensive marks the complete collapse of a peace agreement between the government and Pakistani Taliban forces. Under the truce, the Taliban would be allowed to implement Sharia, or Islamic law, in Swat. But as Taliban forces took advantage of the lull in an attempt to expand their influence into Buner, the deal... Read article

Karzai Visit to U.S. Set Against Backdrop of Civilian Deaths, Opposition to Obama Plan

U.S. President Barack Obama met this week with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, while another U.S. airstrike in Afghanistan resulting in dead civilians set the tone for the visit. U.S. bombings in the Farah province of Afghanistan on Monday resulted in a large number of civilian deaths. Local villagers gave figures as high as 150 or more dead civilians, but the numbers have yet to be confirmed. Rohul Amin, the provincial governor, said he saw about 30 bodies, including many women and... Read article

Iraq Committed to June 30 Deadline for Withdraw of U.S. Forces from Cities

A spokesman for the Iraqi government said this week that the June 30 deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from urban areas would not be extended. Although there has been some talk that U.S. forces might be asked to stay longer due to an increase in violence in some areas, including the northern city of Mosul, spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said, “These dates cannot be extended, and this is consistent with the transfer and handover of responsibility to Iraqi security forces.” The June 30 deadline is part of the... Read article

Clinton Says Iran Policy Goal to Gain Support for “Crippling Sanctions”

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on Wednesday and outlined the Obama administration’s policy goals on Iran, arguing that engaging in talks would serve the purpose of getting more members of the international community on board with implementing tougher sanctions against Iran. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton outlines the Obama policy towards Iran at a hearing of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Clinton said the administration was “deploying... Read article

‘Shift’ Towards Iran Under Obama Is Change in Tact, Not Policy

The Obama administration announced this week that it would participate in negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, something that is being characterized as a significant change from the Bush administration in Western media accounts. The Wall Street Journal, for instance, reported that the move marks “a shift in U.S. policy toward Iran”, while AFP called it a “new direction of US policy”. But while the “shift” might qualify as a change in tactics, every indication so far is that... Read article

Iran’s ‘Outlawed’ Nuclear Program

A common refrain in the Western media is that Iran’s nuclear program is illegal, “outlawed”, or otherwise of a proscribed nature. This assertion is based on the fact that the U.N. Security Council passed a number of resolutions calling on Iran to halt its enrichment activities and imposing sanctions on the country for disinclining to acquiesce to the U.N. demand. The U.S. view, adopted elsewhere as well, is that the resolutions are binding and by failing to heed their demands Iran is in violation of international... Read article

Biden Vows to Continue Bush Policy Towards Iran

U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden last Saturday outlined the Obama administration’s continuation of the Bush administration’s foreign policy towards Iran. Reiterating the Bush policy of loosely defined “preventive” warfare outlined in Bush’s National Security Strategy, he said that the “U.S. will strive to act preventively to avoid having to choose between the risks of war and the dangers of inaction.” Echoing the previous administration’s policy, Biden offered an ultimatum, saying the U.S. would be “willing... Read article

Israel Attacks UN Aid Convoys to Gaza

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has suspended operations in Gaza since coming under attack by Israeli military forces on Friday. A statement from the UNRWA said its temporary suspension “was compelled by incidents in which UNRWA staff, convoys and installations have come under attack.” The statement said, “On numerous occasions in recent days, humanitarian convoys have come under Israeli fire even though their safe passage through clearly designated routes at specifically agreed times, had been confirmed... Read article

US Senate Endorses Israel’s War on Gaza

The US Senate on Thursday passed a non-binding resolution promoted by the influential Israeli lobby AIPAC (The American Israel Public Affairs Committee), effectively endorsing Israel’s war on Gaza. The resolution, entitled “A resolution expressing solidarity with Israel in Israel’s defense against terrorism in the Gaza Strip” recognizes “the right of Israel to defend itself against attacks from Gaza” and reaffirms “the United States’ strong support for Israel in its battle with Hamas”. The resolution does... Read article

What If Israel Was the Victim?

Gaza’s offensive against Israel continued today, sharply escalating with a ground incursion that cut off the southern part of Israel from the north. The Israeli death toll climbed past 400, at least 60 of whom were civilians, according to UN estimates. 4 Palestinian civilians have been killed as a result of Jewish settlers firing rockets into Gaza in response to the military operation led by Hamas. Cloud bursts with flaming smoke trails were seen over Israeli cities as Hamas employed white phosphorus munitions. The use... Read article

Top 5 Lies About Israel’s Assault on Gaza

Lie #1) Israel is only targeting legitimate military sites and is seeking to protect innocent lives. Israel never targets civilians. The Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated pieces of property in the world. The presence of militants within a civilian population does not, under international law, deprive that population of their protected status, and hence any assault upon that population under the guise of targeting militants is, in fact, a war crime. Moreover, the people Israel claims are legitimate targets are... Read article

Americans Should Act to End Violence Against Gaza

Israel’s bombardment of Gaza has long been in the planning, and the purpose is to terrorize the Arab population in the hopes that they will revolt against the Hamas leadership and to punish them further for electing them. The siege Gaza has remained under since Israel withdrew its military from the Strip in 2006 has had the same intended purpose. A comparable policy was implemented by the US against Iraq. The sanctions were intended to further the goal of regime change. The means by which this goal was pursued was to punish... Read article

Elements of an Inside Job in Mumbai Attacks

Indian police last week arrested Hassan Ali Khan, who was wanted for investigations into money laundering and other illicit activities, and who is also said to have ties to Dawood Ibrahim, the underworld kingpin who evidence indicates was the mastermind behind the terrorist attacks in Mumbai last month. Ibrahim is also alleged to have close ties with both Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) agency and the CIA. Another character linked to the CIA whose name is now beginning to figure into the web of connections... Read article

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