Paul Craig Roberts
VDare
Monday, August 31, 2009
In Israel, a country stolen from the Palestinians, fanatics control the government. One of the fanatics is the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Last week Netanyahu called for “crippling sanctions” against Iran.
The kind of blockade that Netanyahu wants qualifies as an act of war. Israel has long threatened to attack Iran on its own but prefers to draw in the US and NATO.
Why does Israel want to initiate a war between the United States and Iran?
Is Iran attacking other countries, bombing civilians and destroying civilian infrastructure?
No. These are crimes committed by Israel and the US.
Is Iran evicting peoples from lands they have occupied for centuries and herding them into ghettoes?
No, that’s what Israel has been doing to the Palestinians for 60 years.
What is Iran doing?
Iran is developing nuclear energy, which is its right as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Iran’s nuclear energy program is subject to inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which consistently reports that its inspections find no diversion of enriched uranium to a weapons program.
The position taken by Israel, and by Israel’s puppet in Washington, is that Iran must not be allowed to have the rights as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty that every other signatory has, because Iran might divert enriched uranium to a weapons program.
In other words, Israel and the US claim the right to abrogate Iran’s right to develop nuclear energy. The Israeli/US position has no basis in international law or in anything other than the arrogance of Israel and the United States.
The hypocrisy is extreme. Israel is not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and developed its nuclear weapons illegally on the sly, with, as far as we know, US help.
As Israel is an illegal possessor of nuclear weapons and has a fanatical government that is capable of using them, crippling sanctions should be applied to Israel to force it to disarm.
Why Not Crippling Sanctions for Israel and the US?
Israel qualifies for crippling sanctions for another reason. It is an apartheid state, as former US President Jimmy Carter demonstrated in his book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.
Monday, 31 August 2009
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
stolen or democracy ? depends whos having the election...
taken from Barry Grey
World Socialist Web Site
Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:03 UTC
The attitude of the US government to rampant electoral fraud was summed up by Richard Holbrooke, Obama's special envoy to Afghanistan, who said it was too soon to question the legitimacy of the vote. "We have disputed elections in the United States," he quipped. "There may be some questions here...But let's not get out ahead of the situation." The US, he added, "will respect the process set up by Afghanistan itself."
In fact, Washington has intervened massively in the elections, seeking to manipulate the outcome so as to force a runoff between Karzai and Abdullah. Despite Karzai's service as a US puppet, Washington has become increasingly critical of his regime, which it sees as hopelessly corrupt, ineffective and unpopular. The American military has also complained of Karzai's occasional criticisms of US bombings of Afghan civilians.
The Obama administration is openly discussing installing an unelected "chief executive officer" to oversee the daily functioning of the government, regardless the final outcome of the vote.
The contrast between the US response to the Afghan election and the Iranian election two months ago is stark. In Afghanistan, Washington is downplaying pervasive evidence of fraud and charges by numerous candidates of massive vote-rigging. In Iran, the US government and media immediately embraced charges of a "stolen election" by the pro-Western opposition to incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, without presenting any substantive evidence of fraud.
The difference is to be explained by the foreign policy interests of the United States. In both cases, the overriding aim is to establish US imperialist domination of Central Asia, a region rich in energy resources and occupying a strategically critical position at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East and East and South Asia. But the US considers the Ahmadinejad regime an obstacle to this goal and has sought to use the disputed Iranian election to destabilize or remove the incumbent president, while it has a vested interest in shoring up a puppet "democratic" government in Kabul.
World Socialist Web Site
Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:03 UTC
The attitude of the US government to rampant electoral fraud was summed up by Richard Holbrooke, Obama's special envoy to Afghanistan, who said it was too soon to question the legitimacy of the vote. "We have disputed elections in the United States," he quipped. "There may be some questions here...But let's not get out ahead of the situation." The US, he added, "will respect the process set up by Afghanistan itself."
In fact, Washington has intervened massively in the elections, seeking to manipulate the outcome so as to force a runoff between Karzai and Abdullah. Despite Karzai's service as a US puppet, Washington has become increasingly critical of his regime, which it sees as hopelessly corrupt, ineffective and unpopular. The American military has also complained of Karzai's occasional criticisms of US bombings of Afghan civilians.
The Obama administration is openly discussing installing an unelected "chief executive officer" to oversee the daily functioning of the government, regardless the final outcome of the vote.
The contrast between the US response to the Afghan election and the Iranian election two months ago is stark. In Afghanistan, Washington is downplaying pervasive evidence of fraud and charges by numerous candidates of massive vote-rigging. In Iran, the US government and media immediately embraced charges of a "stolen election" by the pro-Western opposition to incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, without presenting any substantive evidence of fraud.
The difference is to be explained by the foreign policy interests of the United States. In both cases, the overriding aim is to establish US imperialist domination of Central Asia, a region rich in energy resources and occupying a strategically critical position at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East and East and South Asia. But the US considers the Ahmadinejad regime an obstacle to this goal and has sought to use the disputed Iranian election to destabilize or remove the incumbent president, while it has a vested interest in shoring up a puppet "democratic" government in Kabul.
Monday, 24 August 2009
Gaza: The horror ignored by western hypocrisy (never again obviously means for 60+ years)
Lisa Karpova
Pravda.Ru
Sun, 23 Aug 2009 02:46 UTC
The Israeli blockade of Gaza Strip, now in its third year, has shown the extremely deep seated hypocrisy in what is put forth as pristine, faultless, superior "western values." Westerners have been inoculated against any sympathy for the victims by the skillful portrayal in the western corporate media of them as perpetrators and mad suicide bombers, instead of people in the midst of a serious crisis of human dignity and people fighting for the right to live on their own land. Rather than feeling sympathy, the westerner at best has been taught that "both sides are at fault" and that people should "stop killing each other."
Meanwhile Israel...exploding beyond its agreed upon borders, holds the power of life and death over all of them. They have the bombs, the jets, the armored vehicles and all the latest technology at their disposal. What do Palestinians have? Primitive rockets at best and more often than not, just stones.
The population of Gaza has been forced to live with the steady degradation of the conditions of everyday life, caused by the erosion of the means of subsistence and by the gradual evaporation of the infrastructure. Vital services in the areas of the health, water, sanitation and education have been seriously eroded. Many are unable to go to their jobs, as nearly 120,000 Palestinians have lost their means to support their families. Water is a serious problem, as only 15% is allocated for the use of Palestinians while the Jewish residents around the block fill their swimming pools.
This blockade and the subsequent genocidal attack were the result of Hamas acquiring the majority of votes in the 2007 election. Since then, funds have been cut off, humanitarian workers have faced imprisonment and intervention against their efforts. While pretending to believe in free elections, the west has soundly condemned and refused to accept the collective will of the Palestinian people. In other words, vote for whom you are told or you will be starved, bombed, forced to live like animals, have your electric power cut off until you decide you've suffered enough. To remind, collective punishment is a war crime!
Haughtily, Israel and western leaders proclaim they will not speak to Hamas. Why? Because they are to be compelled to accept things as they are. They must declare Israel's right to exist, right along with Israel's denial of the Palestinian right to exist.
Worst of all was the recent Israeli attack on Gaza, using cluster bombs and white phosphorous bombs, burning and maiming countless children. But hey! Today a child, tomorrow a terrorist, right? On more than one occasion, Israeli authorities have declared that civilians are legitimate targets. The Yesha Rabbinical Council announced in response to an IDF attack in Kfar Qanna in Lebanon that "according to Jewish law, during a time of battle and war, there is no such term as 'innocents' of the enemy. All of the discussions on Christian morality are weakening the spirit of the army and the nation and are costing us in the blood of our soldiers and civilians," the statement said. (Efrat Weiss) I hate to report that one photograph of a little girl's severed head may be just a bit much for general viewing.
Israel also deployed a terrifying new tactic against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip by letting loose deafening "sound bombs" that cause widespread fear, induce miscarriages and traumatise children. Military air force jets create dozens of sonic booms by breaking the sound barrier at low altitude, sending shockwaves across the territory, often at night. Palestinians liken the sound to an earthquake or huge bomb. They describe the effect as being hit by a wall of air that is painful on the ears, sometimes causing nosebleeds and "leaving you shaking inside". The Palestinian health ministry says the sonic booms have led to miscarriages and heart problems. The United Nations has demanded an end to the tactic, saying it causes panic attacks in children. The shockwaves have also damaged buildings by cracking walls and smashing thousands of windows.
Additionally, as though this genocidal campaign against Palestinians weren't enough, 1,500 Palestinian sick captives are threatened with death in Israeli jails due to deliberate medical neglect. A recent report said that 47 prisoners died in Israeli occupation authority (IOA) jails due to such intentional medical neglect while 70 were tortured to death in IOA dungeons and 73 were executed in cold blood. Jails are void of specialized medical teams and some of them do not have a doctor at all or at best a doctor would be present for only two hours.
In conclusion, "Israel" means the original boundaries drawn up by the United Nations. Until Israel respects the norms of international law, it cannot claim full rights as a member of the international community. The international community must demand that Israel live within its originally drawn up borders and abide by all agreements, including the right of return. Israel must leave the lands it occupies illegally.
They have certainly proven themselves to be worse than Nazis during this illegal occupation. These people who have lived on this land for generations are under siege. Where is the outrage? Where are the sanctions? Where are the condemnations? Where are people's consciences?
Pravda.Ru
Sun, 23 Aug 2009 02:46 UTC
The Israeli blockade of Gaza Strip, now in its third year, has shown the extremely deep seated hypocrisy in what is put forth as pristine, faultless, superior "western values." Westerners have been inoculated against any sympathy for the victims by the skillful portrayal in the western corporate media of them as perpetrators and mad suicide bombers, instead of people in the midst of a serious crisis of human dignity and people fighting for the right to live on their own land. Rather than feeling sympathy, the westerner at best has been taught that "both sides are at fault" and that people should "stop killing each other."
Meanwhile Israel...exploding beyond its agreed upon borders, holds the power of life and death over all of them. They have the bombs, the jets, the armored vehicles and all the latest technology at their disposal. What do Palestinians have? Primitive rockets at best and more often than not, just stones.
The population of Gaza has been forced to live with the steady degradation of the conditions of everyday life, caused by the erosion of the means of subsistence and by the gradual evaporation of the infrastructure. Vital services in the areas of the health, water, sanitation and education have been seriously eroded. Many are unable to go to their jobs, as nearly 120,000 Palestinians have lost their means to support their families. Water is a serious problem, as only 15% is allocated for the use of Palestinians while the Jewish residents around the block fill their swimming pools.
This blockade and the subsequent genocidal attack were the result of Hamas acquiring the majority of votes in the 2007 election. Since then, funds have been cut off, humanitarian workers have faced imprisonment and intervention against their efforts. While pretending to believe in free elections, the west has soundly condemned and refused to accept the collective will of the Palestinian people. In other words, vote for whom you are told or you will be starved, bombed, forced to live like animals, have your electric power cut off until you decide you've suffered enough. To remind, collective punishment is a war crime!
Haughtily, Israel and western leaders proclaim they will not speak to Hamas. Why? Because they are to be compelled to accept things as they are. They must declare Israel's right to exist, right along with Israel's denial of the Palestinian right to exist.
Worst of all was the recent Israeli attack on Gaza, using cluster bombs and white phosphorous bombs, burning and maiming countless children. But hey! Today a child, tomorrow a terrorist, right? On more than one occasion, Israeli authorities have declared that civilians are legitimate targets. The Yesha Rabbinical Council announced in response to an IDF attack in Kfar Qanna in Lebanon that "according to Jewish law, during a time of battle and war, there is no such term as 'innocents' of the enemy. All of the discussions on Christian morality are weakening the spirit of the army and the nation and are costing us in the blood of our soldiers and civilians," the statement said. (Efrat Weiss) I hate to report that one photograph of a little girl's severed head may be just a bit much for general viewing.
Israel also deployed a terrifying new tactic against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip by letting loose deafening "sound bombs" that cause widespread fear, induce miscarriages and traumatise children. Military air force jets create dozens of sonic booms by breaking the sound barrier at low altitude, sending shockwaves across the territory, often at night. Palestinians liken the sound to an earthquake or huge bomb. They describe the effect as being hit by a wall of air that is painful on the ears, sometimes causing nosebleeds and "leaving you shaking inside". The Palestinian health ministry says the sonic booms have led to miscarriages and heart problems. The United Nations has demanded an end to the tactic, saying it causes panic attacks in children. The shockwaves have also damaged buildings by cracking walls and smashing thousands of windows.
Additionally, as though this genocidal campaign against Palestinians weren't enough, 1,500 Palestinian sick captives are threatened with death in Israeli jails due to deliberate medical neglect. A recent report said that 47 prisoners died in Israeli occupation authority (IOA) jails due to such intentional medical neglect while 70 were tortured to death in IOA dungeons and 73 were executed in cold blood. Jails are void of specialized medical teams and some of them do not have a doctor at all or at best a doctor would be present for only two hours.
In conclusion, "Israel" means the original boundaries drawn up by the United Nations. Until Israel respects the norms of international law, it cannot claim full rights as a member of the international community. The international community must demand that Israel live within its originally drawn up borders and abide by all agreements, including the right of return. Israel must leave the lands it occupies illegally.
They have certainly proven themselves to be worse than Nazis during this illegal occupation. These people who have lived on this land for generations are under siege. Where is the outrage? Where are the sanctions? Where are the condemnations? Where are people's consciences?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)