by Diane V. McLoughlin - September 24, 2014
Two essentials necessary, for both armies and uprisings, to advance, are arms and cash. The U.S. has just authorized 500 milion dollars-worth of training and weapons for Syrian rebels and the wisdom of doing so must be questioned.
Certainly American 'PNAC' neocons want to keep arming so-called 'good' rebels to help them overthrow Syria's government. The U.S. should not be involved with the attempt at overthrowing Syria's secular regime, and the reasons for wanting to do so must be questioned, as well. Why would U.S. interests be keen? Who profits?
Israel continues to illegally occupy Syrian territory, and has recently put out tenders for oil exploration contracts on the occupied Golan Heights. (How about Gaza? Does Gaza have natural resources, too? Check - Gaza has a territorial stake in the vast wealth of off-shore natural gas.)
What seems a fairly predictable eventuality may have come to pass: The Syrian rebels reportedly have agreed to a ceasefire with ISIS (also known, variously, as Isil; Is, or Islamic State) circumstances in which you cannot expect arms provided to one will be used to degrade the military capabilities of the other.
Nevertheless, U.S. pro-war cheerleaders such as U.S. Senator John McCain, assert that they can tell the 'good' guys from the bad in the quest to pump more U.S.-manufactured arms in. Profitable, yes. Potential pots of gold at the ends of various political rainbows, no doubt.
There are pictures purportedly showing McCain hobnobing with ISIS rebels. Some pundits are rubbing their hands with glee at the karma, that McCain may ultimately find himself charged with the crime of aiding terrorists.
Iraq and Syrian oil that ISIS is reportedly selling on the global black market also keeps ISIS in arms and other necessary supplies, in addition to Syrian rebel-held American weaponry somehow being added to their arsenals. Looting, including banks, keeps their conquest going, too.
Bombing campaigns are destructive, rather indiscriminate, and they make more enemies. This is not the answer to ISIS so far as western strategic interests are concerned, if we actually are concerned with not stirring a terrorism hornet's nest any further than we have already. Cut off the flow of arms and cash and frustrate supply lines, instead.
As for beheadings, Saudi Arabia, treated as one of the good guys and part of the ad hoc coalition fighting ISIS, has had something like 41 beheadings as judicial punishments this year alone - the country where the 9/11 terrorists came from.
So ISIS utilizing the violent propaganda tool of beheading innocent people might be viewed in a wider context. Our own political leaders garner political traction with the ISIS beheadings, as well.
Bombing ISIS targets legitimates their propaganda that 'the west' is the enemy.
Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts
September 24, 2014
September 15, 2014
Fmr IDF Soldier to US - Stand Up to #Israel War Crimes [RT crosspost - YouTube 12mins]
Fmr. IDF Soldier Calls on Americans to Stand Up to Israel War Crimes - Interview with Eran Efrati
Published September 15, 2014
Abby Martin speaks with Eran Efrati, a former IDF soldier who
recounts his experience being ostracized for attempting to
expose crimes he witnessed as a soldier.
LIKE Breaking the Set @ http://fb.me/BreakingTheSet
FOLLOW Abby Martin @ http://twitter.com/AbbyMartin
_______________________________________
recounts his experience being ostracized for attempting to
expose crimes he witnessed as a soldier.
LIKE Breaking the Set @ http://fb.me/BreakingTheSet
FOLLOW Abby Martin @ http://twitter.com/AbbyMartin
_______________________________________
September 14, 2014
Rare - Mandela on Palestine [YouTube - 12mins]
Rare Video [1990]: Mandela Speaking on Palestine; live-audience Town Hall in New York, with Ted Koppel
September 11, 2014
Pro-Israel Group Think
by Diane V. McLoughlin, September 11th, 2014
The highest ideal espoused in Rabbi Shmuel Bloch's argument, 'Unity - It's surreal and frightening'; [South African Jewish Report, Sept 10, 2014], is cohesiveness of group politics rather than questioning the direction, politics and morality of the group in a personal quest for truth. Can good be expected to follow from this premise or is such a stance fraught with risk?
The rabbi reports that 'unity became even stronger and tighter' once Israelis learned the tragic fate of the three Jewish youths who were kidnapped in the occupied West Bank when hitchhiking, presumably back to their respective homes, from a settlement religious school.
There is an enormous gap the rabbi leaves unexplained regarding how the country went from the crime of the former, to an entire country choosing to wage war:
'Then the rockets started falling and Operation “Protective Edge” began...The entire country supported the government and the army with almost universal approval.'
Without questioning, we would not know that tensions began to rise not with the abduction and murders of the three Jewish teens in June, but three weeks before, on Nakba Day, May 15th. The IDF shot and killed two Palestinian teens in cold blood at a demonstration outside of Ofer Prison. One of the youths was shot in the back. Both were unarmed, it was in broad daylight and there were many witnesses to these events.
After the three Jewish teens went missing, this gave Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the excuse he needed to ramp up tensions further by instituting what was the equivalent of a Palestinian Kristalnacht in the occupied West Bank on the pretext of searching for the teens. There was a clear purpose in instigating such provocations. In recent days, Palestinian political leadership of rival political parties Hamas and Fatah signaled their intention to reconcile. Unified, Natenyahu et al could no longer claim that they had no 'partner for peace'. Peace means the cessation of further ethnic cleansing and colonization of Palestinian land.
Hundreds of West Bank homes were violently broken into in the middle of the night. IDF soldiers caused gratuitous wanton damage to households; stole money and other valuables; viciously beat people; and arrested hundreds without charge - including many in the Hamas party leadership. And with this for background, how things devolved becomes far more clear. Rabbi Bloch's timeline of events makes absolutely no sense otherwise.
Logic
No logical person would ever accept the premise that oppressing the Other could foster greater prospects for peaceful security for oneself.
There is no logical correllary between a criminal investigation into the kidnappings and murders of three teenagers versus the ultimate crime of aggressive war on a captive civilian population.
The 1.8 million people of The Gaza Strip have been suffering under an illegal Israeli military occupation for years. This latest military slaughter caused the deaths of over 500 children alone. Israel's 'Operation Protective Edge' was instigated by Israel, the violence was wanton, the IDF committed many war crimes, Israeli political leaders openly call for genocide [or the practical equivalent, as seen in Deputy Minister of Defense, Dany Alon's recent inane, amoral tweet:
The highest ideal espoused in Rabbi Shmuel Bloch's argument, 'Unity - It's surreal and frightening'; [South African Jewish Report, Sept 10, 2014], is cohesiveness of group politics rather than questioning the direction, politics and morality of the group in a personal quest for truth. Can good be expected to follow from this premise or is such a stance fraught with risk?
The rabbi reports that 'unity became even stronger and tighter' once Israelis learned the tragic fate of the three Jewish youths who were kidnapped in the occupied West Bank when hitchhiking, presumably back to their respective homes, from a settlement religious school.
There is an enormous gap the rabbi leaves unexplained regarding how the country went from the crime of the former, to an entire country choosing to wage war:
'Then the rockets started falling and Operation “Protective Edge” began...The entire country supported the government and the army with almost universal approval.'
Without questioning, we would not know that tensions began to rise not with the abduction and murders of the three Jewish teens in June, but three weeks before, on Nakba Day, May 15th. The IDF shot and killed two Palestinian teens in cold blood at a demonstration outside of Ofer Prison. One of the youths was shot in the back. Both were unarmed, it was in broad daylight and there were many witnesses to these events.
After the three Jewish teens went missing, this gave Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the excuse he needed to ramp up tensions further by instituting what was the equivalent of a Palestinian Kristalnacht in the occupied West Bank on the pretext of searching for the teens. There was a clear purpose in instigating such provocations. In recent days, Palestinian political leadership of rival political parties Hamas and Fatah signaled their intention to reconcile. Unified, Natenyahu et al could no longer claim that they had no 'partner for peace'. Peace means the cessation of further ethnic cleansing and colonization of Palestinian land.
Hundreds of West Bank homes were violently broken into in the middle of the night. IDF soldiers caused gratuitous wanton damage to households; stole money and other valuables; viciously beat people; and arrested hundreds without charge - including many in the Hamas party leadership. And with this for background, how things devolved becomes far more clear. Rabbi Bloch's timeline of events makes absolutely no sense otherwise.
Logic
No logical person would ever accept the premise that oppressing the Other could foster greater prospects for peaceful security for oneself.
There is no logical correllary between a criminal investigation into the kidnappings and murders of three teenagers versus the ultimate crime of aggressive war on a captive civilian population.
The 1.8 million people of The Gaza Strip have been suffering under an illegal Israeli military occupation for years. This latest military slaughter caused the deaths of over 500 children alone. Israel's 'Operation Protective Edge' was instigated by Israel, the violence was wanton, the IDF committed many war crimes, Israeli political leaders openly call for genocide [or the practical equivalent, as seen in Deputy Minister of Defense, Dany Alon's recent inane, amoral tweet:
The highest ideal is not group cohesiveness. Cohesiveness is for cowards. The highest ideal is risking rejection by the group by pointing out the errors of the group's leadership.
Some of the best blogs [of which there are many]: Mondoweiss; Richard Silverstein.
Organizations: Independent Jewish Voices; Jewish Voices for Peace
September 02, 2014
#Israel - open all six borders and lift siege to avert humanitarian disaster in #Gaza - Sept 01 2014
by Diane V. McLoughlin, September 02, 2014
Israel is demanding a bilateral committee be formed to coordinate inspections of all truck shipments into Gaza. [1]
Israel continues to maintain the illegal military siege despite understandings to the contrary arrived at during the preliminary ceasefire negotiations, the first phase of which concluded a few days ago.[2]
The siege of Gaza is now into its seventh year. The siege has destroyed Gaza's economy, the conditions of which are described as being worse than the Great Depression. It has had a particularly devastating effect on the physical health of Gaza's children. They do not get enough to eat. Israel, in addition to cutting calories in, at one point even denied in children's shoes, hearing aids and school supplies. What is allowed in seems to depend on the year and the whim of whichever functionary is in charge along with how much attention the world pays.
Israel has caused immense destruction in Gaza this summer. Israel bombed hospitals, ambulances and schools along with tens of thousands of homes, rendering hundreds of thousands of people homeless.
Israel killed over 2,000 Palestinian people including approximately 500 children. As many as 1,500 children have been orphaned. Over 10,000 people have been injured. 1,000 children were severely injured and will suffer lifelong disabilities.
Many fear that Israel has no intention of honoring the ceasefire agreement. The deal was to open all borders and that is not happening. The last daily report over the weekend I read indicated that 100 truckloads of food were able to get in along with 200 trucks bearing construction supplies.
Six years ago, the estimated daily shipments of food, fuel, and other goods was in the neighborhood of 500 to 600 trucks per day. The number of truckloads necessary to sustain human life in the face of Gaza's destruction is obviously going to be many more. It will be nothing less than a humanitarian catastrophe if this is not made to happen.
The water treatment plants were bombed. The sewage treatment plants likewise were bombed. Thus there is not even any clean drinking water to drink. The risk of water-borne disease is a very grave concern.
Winter will be coming on soon. People are homeless with nowhere to live.
There is no way to accomplish the impossible demand of inspecting down to the last toothpick every box and bag in every truck without hopelessly clogging up the entry points.
There are people who hold power and influence over whether or not food, medicine or housing construction materials get in. One, Deputy Minister of Defense, Danny Alon, tweeted days ago that Israel should prevent water and food into Gaza. So even if a sensible plan is laid out between the parties about truck inspections and so forth, robust monitoring to ensure swift and efficient processing at the border crossings will be a must.
What exactly is the purpose of the siege in the first place? The people of Gaza are refugees who had their homes taken away from them by Israel in 1948. They would like to go home.
On a positive note, efforts to raise humanitarian funds for Gaza are underway in countries such as Qatar and Turkey.
[1] Israel demands formation of bilateral committee to supervise entry of construction material to Gaza; MEMO - Middle East Monitor; Monday, September 01, 2014.
[2] Gaza blockade shows no signs of loosening; Maan New Agency, September 2, 2014:
'...Number of trade trucks entering daily ha[s] remained roughly static at its wartime level of between 200 and 250'
'...the medical need in Gaza [i]s acute.'
"Even before the aggression, there were severe shortages of drugs - 28 percent of essential goods were at zero stock," she said. "Now the situation is critical." ...
'...much of Gaza's infrastructure [is] destroyed, food aid is only a short-term fix - stemming the humanitarian crisis over the longer term requires deals on restricted items such as cement and heavy machinery.'
"You can't bring in bottled water for 500,000 people. You need to repair the water facilities. To do that you need technical equipment. that is the most cost-effective way of giving Gazans clean water," he said.''
________________________
Israel is demanding a bilateral committee be formed to coordinate inspections of all truck shipments into Gaza. [1]
Israel continues to maintain the illegal military siege despite understandings to the contrary arrived at during the preliminary ceasefire negotiations, the first phase of which concluded a few days ago.[2]
The siege of Gaza is now into its seventh year. The siege has destroyed Gaza's economy, the conditions of which are described as being worse than the Great Depression. It has had a particularly devastating effect on the physical health of Gaza's children. They do not get enough to eat. Israel, in addition to cutting calories in, at one point even denied in children's shoes, hearing aids and school supplies. What is allowed in seems to depend on the year and the whim of whichever functionary is in charge along with how much attention the world pays.
Israel has caused immense destruction in Gaza this summer. Israel bombed hospitals, ambulances and schools along with tens of thousands of homes, rendering hundreds of thousands of people homeless.
Israel killed over 2,000 Palestinian people including approximately 500 children. As many as 1,500 children have been orphaned. Over 10,000 people have been injured. 1,000 children were severely injured and will suffer lifelong disabilities.
Many fear that Israel has no intention of honoring the ceasefire agreement. The deal was to open all borders and that is not happening. The last daily report over the weekend I read indicated that 100 truckloads of food were able to get in along with 200 trucks bearing construction supplies.
Six years ago, the estimated daily shipments of food, fuel, and other goods was in the neighborhood of 500 to 600 trucks per day. The number of truckloads necessary to sustain human life in the face of Gaza's destruction is obviously going to be many more. It will be nothing less than a humanitarian catastrophe if this is not made to happen.
The water treatment plants were bombed. The sewage treatment plants likewise were bombed. Thus there is not even any clean drinking water to drink. The risk of water-borne disease is a very grave concern.
Winter will be coming on soon. People are homeless with nowhere to live.
There is no way to accomplish the impossible demand of inspecting down to the last toothpick every box and bag in every truck without hopelessly clogging up the entry points.
There are people who hold power and influence over whether or not food, medicine or housing construction materials get in. One, Deputy Minister of Defense, Danny Alon, tweeted days ago that Israel should prevent water and food into Gaza. So even if a sensible plan is laid out between the parties about truck inspections and so forth, robust monitoring to ensure swift and efficient processing at the border crossings will be a must.
What exactly is the purpose of the siege in the first place? The people of Gaza are refugees who had their homes taken away from them by Israel in 1948. They would like to go home.
On a positive note, efforts to raise humanitarian funds for Gaza are underway in countries such as Qatar and Turkey.
[1] Israel demands formation of bilateral committee to supervise entry of construction material to Gaza; MEMO - Middle East Monitor; Monday, September 01, 2014.
[2] Gaza blockade shows no signs of loosening; Maan New Agency, September 2, 2014:
'...Number of trade trucks entering daily ha[s] remained roughly static at its wartime level of between 200 and 250'
'...the medical need in Gaza [i]s acute.'
"Even before the aggression, there were severe shortages of drugs - 28 percent of essential goods were at zero stock," she said. "Now the situation is critical." ...
'...much of Gaza's infrastructure [is] destroyed, food aid is only a short-term fix - stemming the humanitarian crisis over the longer term requires deals on restricted items such as cement and heavy machinery.'
"You can't bring in bottled water for 500,000 people. You need to repair the water facilities. To do that you need technical equipment. that is the most cost-effective way of giving Gazans clean water," he said.''
________________________
September 01, 2014
Caller - does #Israel not have right to defend itself - Mike Malloy explodes [6mins]
The Mike Malloy Show - YouTube
August 12, 2014
____________________________
A little love to The McLoughlin Post
August 31, 2014
#Israel - WaPo whitewashes plan to steal 1000 acres of #Palestinian land - August 31 2014
by Diane V. McLoughlin
Comment posted at 8:43 PM, August 31st, 2014.
One has to wonder, exactly when will the WaPo editorial board quit giving solace to Israel's criminal regime and start telling it like it is? The title of this piece, 'Israel proposes taking more West Bank land for Jewish settlers' [William Booth and Ruth Eglash; Washington Post; August 31, 2014] soft-peddles the horror.
A more accurate title and lead would read something like this:
'In a stunning act of betrayal within mere days of a ceasefire agreement, in a move reminiscent of Fascism's darkest days, Israel's hard-right leadership proposes stealing a whopping 1,000 acres of Palestinian land to further displace the native population. The long-term aim is clearly meant to replace the indigenous Palestinian people with Jewish European squatters. This will only further cement the current apartheid system, frustrating the efforts of moderates on both sides working for human rights, security and peace'.
________________________________
Reading Room:
The Establishment
And how they get away with it
New: September 4 2014
By Owen Jones
'A biting critique of the British Establishment and a passionate plea for democracy from the author of the acclaimed "Chavs". Jones is a prominent political voice in the UK as a weekly columnist for the "Guardian" and having appeared on "Question Time" and "Newsnight".'
Comment posted at 8:43 PM, August 31st, 2014.
One has to wonder, exactly when will the WaPo editorial board quit giving solace to Israel's criminal regime and start telling it like it is? The title of this piece, 'Israel proposes taking more West Bank land for Jewish settlers' [William Booth and Ruth Eglash; Washington Post; August 31, 2014] soft-peddles the horror.
A more accurate title and lead would read something like this:
'In a stunning act of betrayal within mere days of a ceasefire agreement, in a move reminiscent of Fascism's darkest days, Israel's hard-right leadership proposes stealing a whopping 1,000 acres of Palestinian land to further displace the native population. The long-term aim is clearly meant to replace the indigenous Palestinian people with Jewish European squatters. This will only further cement the current apartheid system, frustrating the efforts of moderates on both sides working for human rights, security and peace'.
________________________________
Reading Room:
The Establishment
And how they get away with it
New: September 4 2014
By Owen Jones
'A biting critique of the British Establishment and a passionate plea for democracy from the author of the acclaimed "Chavs". Jones is a prominent political voice in the UK as a weekly columnist for the "Guardian" and having appeared on "Question Time" and "Newsnight".'
August 27, 2014
Child deaths - #Gaza 577 - #Israel 1 - and yet -- August 26 2014
by Diane V. McLoughlin
Gaza has suffered massive loss, particularly in the catastrophic numbers of children killed during Operation Protective Edge, Israel's latest and most brutal assault on the besieged Gaza Strip. 577 children in Gaza are now deceased, versus Israel's loss of one child.
And yet a columnist with Haaretz, one Amir Oren (any relation to Michael Oren of the exploding toasters claim?) can still write this:
'...for Israel the experience has been more stomach-turning.'
Israel is the one with the greater indigestion?!
In fact, there is not a straight line of clear analysis in the piece. Logic and ethics seem to bounce around all over the place with no discernable personal conviction apparent, but perhaps this provides a fair representation of attitudes and opinions of the country as a whole.
There is no 'next time' if Israel does what it should: Lift the siege of Gaza, end the occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem and permit the right of return to Palestinians forced to flee their homes in 1948.
Ironically, on the same page as Oren's commentary, an organization advertises that it assists with Holocaust second-generation reparations claims (centerforreparations.org) - dispensing with any notions that too much time has passed for Israel to be obligated by international law to give back anything of what belongs to the Palestinian people.
Gaza has suffered massive loss, particularly in the catastrophic numbers of children killed during Operation Protective Edge, Israel's latest and most brutal assault on the besieged Gaza Strip. 577 children in Gaza are now deceased, versus Israel's loss of one child.
And yet a columnist with Haaretz, one Amir Oren (any relation to Michael Oren of the exploding toasters claim?) can still write this:
'...for Israel the experience has been more stomach-turning.'
Israel is the one with the greater indigestion?!
In fact, there is not a straight line of clear analysis in the piece. Logic and ethics seem to bounce around all over the place with no discernable personal conviction apparent, but perhaps this provides a fair representation of attitudes and opinions of the country as a whole.
There is no 'next time' if Israel does what it should: Lift the siege of Gaza, end the occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem and permit the right of return to Palestinians forced to flee their homes in 1948.
Ironically, on the same page as Oren's commentary, an organization advertises that it assists with Holocaust second-generation reparations claims (centerforreparations.org) - dispensing with any notions that too much time has passed for Israel to be obligated by international law to give back anything of what belongs to the Palestinian people.
August 26, 2014
Food in #Gaza - The reality of slow starvation - August 26 2014
August 26, 2014 - by Diane V. McLoughlin
Mainstream media outlets are reporting that all parties to the current assault on Gaza have agreed today to ceasefire proposals brought forward by Egypt. The blockade will be eased at the crossings controlled by Egypt and Israel to allow humanitarian goods in to Gaza.
All issues are to be put off for one month at which time negotiations on peace proposals are to begin.
I will tell you that I had difficulty locating on the internet the actual terms and proposals from Egypt. At time of writing I have been unsuccessful in locating any copies of the text of the ceasefire agreement.*
*Update: Here is a summary of the proposals: 'What's in the Gaza peace deal?'; Al Quds English; August 27, 2014.
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is on record stating that Israel will not participate in these planned negotiations unless there is a "total end to terror attacks". As Israel is notorious for provoking a response and then blaming the other side, anything can happen between now and then.
On August 24 2014, Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs boasted that they permitted 118 truckloads of humanitarian goods into Gaza that day.
Minimum daily truck traffic of food and other necessities was pegged at 500 back in 2009. Obviously this number would have increased during the intervening years leading up to 2014's so-called Operation Protective Edge [some idea of potential logistical issues, here, although the statistics at link are outdated.]
Estimates are that it might take as long as 20 years for Gaza to rebuild what Israel destroyed.
 |
| East Al Shaaf, Gaza - Operation Protective Edge - via Palestinianism |
Israel and Egypt better calculate into their truce negotiations a month hence that they may need to multiply by a factor of 20 that 118 figure so helpfully supplied - 2,000 or more trucks per day. But who knows? Maybe it's 4,000 trucks per day. The numbers of trucks that will need to pass through the eyes of needles they control into Gaza, while some in Israel will no doubt continue to attempt fomenting discord means the situation will continue to be frought with issues.
 |
| Israeli Deputy Minister of Defense, Danny Alon's suggestion on maintaining 'quiet' in Gaza - prevent transfer of food and water; August 20, 2014 - Twitter |
Who will personally take ownership of the task of seeing to it that the people of Gaza will have food to eat, safe water to drink, medicine and medical supplies for the sick and injured along with vital building supplies to repair hospitals, roads, schools and homes?
Israel and Egypt have caused, through their seven year long siege, followed by so-called 'Operation 'Protective Edge', conditions in which the people of Gaza have no reserves left with which to survive.
This August 26, 2014, Facebook post, a picture of Gaza resident Mohammed Baroud's empty fridge, illustates the point, well enough:
 |
| Food in Gaza - the reality of slow starvation - by Mohammed Baroud; August 26, 2014 |
August 25, 2014
I #BOYCOTT #ISRAEL [August 12 2014 - 2mins]
Like for Syria YouTube channel
Published on Aug 12, 2014
Like for Syria on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/like4syria
Visit http://www.bdsmovement.net for list of companies
Producer: http://twitter.com/farisxi
Visit http://www.bdsmovement.net for list of companies
Producer: http://twitter.com/farisxi
- 620,000 YouTube views, as of August 25, 2014.
August 24, 2014
Images - #Israel airstrikes destroy commercial district of #Rafah #Gaza - August 22 2014
Via Twitter, Mahmoud Zaqout, reports that tens of shops have been completely destroyed. Saberpal's photographs depict the aftermath of Israel's shelling of the commercial district of Rafah, Gaza, on August 22, 2014.
With Mr. Zaqout's permission I downloaded, cropped and posted Saberpal's extraordinary photographs.
- Diane V. McLoughlin, August 23, 2014
Images: Israeli airstrikes target commercial district of Rafah, Gaza Strip August 22, 2014. Photographer: Saberpal (Facebook) via @maymoud_zaqout
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