Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Impressions of Gaza


 
Noam Chomsky

Chomsky.info, November 4, 2012

Source: Noam Chomsky
http://chomsky.info/articles/20121104.htm

Even a single night in jail is enough to give a taste of what it means to be under the total control of some external force. And it hardly takes more than a day in Gaza to begin to appreciate what it must be like to try to survive in the world’s largest open-air prison, where a million and a half people, in the most densely populated area of the world, are constantly subject to random and often savage terror and arbitrary punishment, with no purpose other than to humiliate and degrade, and with the further goal of ensuring that Palestinian hopes for a decent future will be crushed and that the overwhelming global support for a diplomatic settlement that will grant these rights will be nullified.

The intensity of this commitment on the part of the Israeli political leadership has been dramatically illustrated just in the past few days, as they warn that they will “go crazy” if Palestinian rights are given limited recognition at the UN. That is not a new departure. The threat to “go crazy” (“nishtagea”) is deeply rooted, back to the Labor governments of the 1950s, along with the related “Samson Complex”: we will bring down the Temple walls if crossed. It was an idle threat then; not today.

The purposeful humiliation is also not new, though it constantly takes new forms. Thirty years ago political leaders, including some of the most noted hawks, submitted to Prime Minister Begin a shocking and detailed account of how settlers regularly abuse Palestinians in the most depraved manner and with total impunity. The prominent military-political analyst Yoram Peri wrote with disgust that the army’s task is not to defend the state, but “to demolish the rights of innocent people just because they are Araboushim (“niggers,” “kikes”) living in territories that God promised to us.”

Gazans have been selected for particularly cruel punishment. It is almost miraculous that people can sustain such an existence. How they do so was described thirty years ago in an eloquent memoir by Raja Shehadeh (The Third Way), based on his work as a lawyer engaged in the hopeless task of trying to protect elementary rights within a legal system designed to ensure failure, and his personal experience as a Samid, “a steadfast one,” who watches his home turned into a prison by brutal occupiers and can do nothing but somehow “endure.”

Since Shehadeh wrote, the situation has become much worse. The Oslo agreements, celebrated with much pomp in 1993, determined that Gaza and the West Bank are a single territorial entity. By then the US and Israel had already initiated their program of separating them fully from one another, so as to block a diplomatic settlement and punish the Araboushim in both territories.

Punishment of Gazans became still more severe in January 2006, when they committed a major crime: they voted the “wrong way” in the first free election in the Arab world, electing Hamas. Demonstrating their passionate “yearning for democracy,” the US and Israel, backed by the timid European Union, at once imposed a brutal siege, along with intensive military attacks. The US also turned at once to standard operating procedure when some disobedient population elects the wrong government: prepare a military coup to restore order.

Gazans committed a still greater crime a year later by blocking the coup attempt, leading to a sharp escalation of the siege and military attacks. These culminated in winter 2008-9, with Operation Cast Lead, one of the most cowardly and vicious exercises of military force in recent memory, as a defenseless civilian population, trapped with no way to escape, was subjected to relentless attack by one of the world’s most advanced military systems relying on US arms and protected by US diplomacy. An unforgettable eyewitness account of the slaughter — “infanticide” in their words — is given by the two courageous Norwegian doctors who worked at Gaza’s main hospital during the merciless assault, Mads Gilbert and Erik Fosse, in their remarkable book Eyes in Gaza.

President-elect Obama was unable to say a word, apart from reiterating his heartfelt sympathy for children under attack — in the Israeli town Sderot. The carefully planned assault was brought to an end right before his inauguration, so that he could then say that now is the time to look forward, not backward, the standard refuge of criminals.

Of course, there were pretexts — there always are. The usual one, trotted out when needed, is “security”: in this case, home-made rockets from Gaza. As is commonly the case, the pretext lacked any credibility. In 2008 a truce was established between Israel and Hamas. The Israeli government formally recognizes that Hamas observed it fully. Not a single Hamas rocket was fired until Israel broke the truce under cover of the US election on November 4 2008, invading Gaza on ludicrous grounds and killing half a dozen Hamas members. The Israeli government was advised by its highest intelligence officials that the truce could be renewed by easing the criminal blockade and ending military attacks. But the government of Ehud Olmert, reputedly a dove, chose to reject these options, preferring to resort to its huge comparative advantage in violence: Operation Cast Lead. The basic facts are reviewed once again by foreign policy analyst Jerome Slater in the current issue of the Harvard-MIT journal International Security.

The pattern of bombing under Cast Lead was carefully analyzed by the highly informed and internationally respected Gazan human rights advocate Raji Sourani. He points out that the bombing was concentrated in the north, targeting defenseless civilians in the most densely populated areas, with no possible military pretext. The goal, he suggests, may have been to drive the intimidated population to the south, near the Egyptian border. But the Samidin stayed put, despite the avalanche of US-Israeli terror.

A further goal might have been to drive them beyond. Back to the earliest days of the Zionist colonization it was argued across much of the spectrum that Arabs have no real reason to be in Palestine; they can be just as happy somewhere else, and should leave — politely “transferred,” the doves suggested. This is surely no small concern in Egypt, and perhaps a reason why Egypt does not open the border freely to civilians or even to desperately needed materials

Sourani and other knowledgeable sources observe that the discipline of the Samidin conceals a powder keg, which might explode any time, unexpectedly, as the first Intifada did in Gaza in 1989 after years of miserable repression that elicited no notice or concern,

Merely to mention one of innumerable cases, shortly before the outbreak of the Intifada a Palestinian girl, Intissar al-Atar, was shot and killed in a schoolyard by a resident of a nearby Jewish settlement. He was one of the several thousand Israelis settlers brought to Gaza in violation of international law and protected by a huge army presence, taking over much of the land and scarce water of the Strip and living “lavishly in twenty-two settlements in the midst of 1.4 million destitute Palestinians,” as the crime is described by Israeli scholar Avi Raz. The murderer of the schoolgirl, Shimon Yifrah, was arrested, but quickly released on bail when the Court determined that “the offense is not severe enough” to warrant detention. The judge commented that Yifrah only intended to shock the girl by firing his gun at her in a schoolyard, not to kill her, so “this is not a case of a criminal person who has to be punished, deterred, and taught a lesson by imprisoning him.” Yifrah was given a 7-month suspended sentence, while settlers in the courtroom broke out in song and dance. And the usual silence reigned. After all, it is routine.

And so it is. As Yifrah was freed, the Israeli press reported that an army patrol fired into the yard of a school for boys aged 6 to 12 in a West Bank refugee camp, wounding five children, allegedly intending only “to shock them.” There were no charges, and the event again attracted no attention. It was just another episode in the program of “illiteracy as punishment,” the Israeli press reported, including the closing of schools, use of gas bombs, beating of students with rifle butts, barring of medical aid for victims; and beyond the schools a reign of more severe brutality, becoming even more savage during the Intifada, under the orders of Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin, another admired dove.

My initial impression, after a visit of several days, was amazement, not only at the ability to go on with life, but also at the vibrancy and vitality among young people, particularly at the university, where I spent much of my time at an international conference. But there too one can detect signs that the pressure may become too hard to bear. Reports indicate that among young men there is simmering frustration, recognition that under the US-Israeli occupation the future holds nothing for them. There is only so much that caged animals can endure, and there may be an eruption, perhaps taking ugly forms — offering an opportunity for Israeli and western apologists to self-righteously condemn the people who are culturally backward, as Mitt Romney insightfully explained.

Gaza has the look of a typical third world society, with pockets of wealth surrounded by hideous poverty. It is not, however, “undeveloped.” Rather it is “de-developed,” and very systematically so, to borrow the terms of Sara Roy, the leading academic specialist on Gaza. The Gaza Strip could have become a prosperous Mediterranean region, with rich agriculture and a flourishing fishing industry, marvelous beaches and, as discovered a decade ago, good prospects for extensive natural gas supplies within its territorial waters.

By coincidence or not, that is when Israel intensified its naval blockade, driving fishing boats toward shore, by now to 3 miles or less.

The favorable prospects were aborted in 1948, when the Strip had to absorb a flood of Palestinian refugees who fled in terror or were forcefully expelled from what became Israel, in some cases expelled months after the formal cease-fire.

In fact, they were being expelled even four years later, as reported in Ha’aretz (25.12.2008), in a thoughtful study by Beni Tziper on the history of Israeli Ashkelon back to the Canaanites. In 1953, he reports, there was a “cool calculation that it was necessary to cleanse the region of Arabs.” The original name, Majdal, had already been “Judaized” to today’s Ashkelon, regular practice.

That was in 1953, when there was no hint of military necessity. Tziper himself was born in 1953, and while walking in the remnants of the old Arab sector, he reflects that “it is really difficult for me, really difficult, to realize that while my parents were celebrating my birth, other people were being loaded on trucks and expelled from their homes.”

Israel’s 1967 conquests and their aftermath administered further blows. Then came the terrible crimes already mentioned, continuing to the present day.

The signs are easy to see, even on a brief visit. Sitting in a hotel near the shore, one can hear the machine gun fire of Israeli gunboats driving fishermen out of Gaza’s territorial waters and towards shore, so they are compelled to fish in waters that are heavily polluted because of US-Israeli refusal to allow reconstruction of the sewage and power systems that they destroyed.

The Oslo Accords laid plans for two desalination plants, a necessity in this arid region. One, an advanced facility, was built: in Israel. The second one is in Khan Yunis, in the south of Gaza. The engineer in charge of trying to obtain potable water for the population explained that this plant was designed so that it cannot use sea water, but must rely on underground water, a cheaper process, which further degrades the meager aquifer, guaranteeing severe problems in the future. Even with that, water is severely limited. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which cares for refugees (but not other Gazans), recently released a report warning that damage to the aquifer may soon become “irreversible,” and that without remedial action quickly, by 2020 Gaza may not be a “liveable place.”

Israel permits concrete to enter for UNRWA projects, but not for Gazans engaged in the huge reconstruction needs. The limited heavy equipment mostly lies idle, since Israel does not permit materials for repair. All of this is part of the general program described by Israeli official Dov Weisglass, an adviser to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, after Palestinians failed to follow orders in the 2006 elections: “The idea,” he said, “is to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger.” That would not look good.

And the plan is being scrupulously followed. Sara Roy has provided extensive evidence in her scholarly studies. Recently, after several years of effort, the Israeli human rights organization Gisha succeeded to obtain a court order for the government to release its records detailing plans for the diet, and how they are executed. Israel-based journalist Jonathan Cook summarizes them: “Health officials provided calculations of the minimum number of calories needed by Gaza’s 1.5 million inhabitants to avoid malnutrition. Those figures were then translated into truckloads of food Israel was supposed to allow in each day ... an average of only 67 trucks — much less than half of the minimum requirement — entered Gaza daily. This compared to more than 400 trucks before the blockade began.” And even this estimate is overly generous, UN relief officials report.

The result of imposing the diet, Mideast scholar Juan Cole observes, is that “[a]bout ten percent of Palestinian children in Gaza under 5 have had their growth stunted by malnutrition ... in addition, anemia is widespread, affecting over two-thirds of infants, 58.6 percent of schoolchildren, and over a third of pregnant mothers.” The US and Israel want to ensure that nothing more than bare survival is possible.

“What has to be kept in mind,” observes Raji Sourani, “is that the occupation and the absolute closure is an ongoing attack on the human dignity of the people in Gaza in particular and all Palestinians generally. It is systematic degradation, humiliation, isolation and fragmentation of the Palestinian people.” The conclusion is confirmed by many other sources. In one of the world’s leading medical journals, The Lancet, a visiting Stanford physician, appalled by what he witnessed, describes Gaza as “something of a laboratory for observing an absence of dignity,” a condition that has “devastating” effects on physical, mental, and social wellbeing. “The constant surveillance from the sky, collective punishment through blockade and isolation, the intrusion into homes and communications, and restrictions on those trying to travel, or marry, or work make it difficult to live a dignified life in Gaza.” The Araboushim must be taught not to raise their heads.

There were hopes that the new Morsi government in Egypt, less in thrall to Israel than the western-backed Mubarak dictatorship, might open the Rafah crossing, the sole access to the outside for trapped Gazans that is not subject to direct Israeli control. There has been slight opening, but not much. Journalist Laila el-Haddad writes that the re-opening under Morsi, “is simply a return to status quo of years past: only Palestinians carrying an Israeli-approved Gaza ID card can use Rafah Crossing,” excluding a great many Palestinians, including el-Haddad’s family, where only one spouse has a card.

Furthermore, she continues, “the crossing does not lead to the West Bank, nor does it allow for the passage of goods, which are restricted to the Israeli-controlled crossings and subject to prohibitions on construction materials and export.” The restricted Rafah crossing does not change the fact that “Gaza remains under tight maritime and aerial siege, and continues to be closed off to the Palestinians’ cultural, economic, and academic capitals in the rest of the [occupied territories], in violation of US-Israeli obligations under the Oslo Accords.”

The effects are painfully evident. In the Khan Yunis hospital, the director, who is also chief of surgery, describes with anger and passion how even medicines are lacking for relief of suffering patients, as well as simple surgical equipment, leaving doctors helpless and patients in agony. Personal stories add vivid texture to the general disgust one feels at the obscenity of the harsh occupation. One example is the testimony of a young woman who despaired that her father, who would have been proud that she was the first woman in the refugee camp to gain an advanced degree, had “passed away after 6 months of fighting cancer aged 60 years. Israeli occupation denied him a permit to go to Israeli hospitals for treatment. I had to suspend my study, work and life and go to set next to his bed. We all sat including my brother the physician and my sister the pharmacist, all powerless and hopeless watching his suffering. He died during the inhumane blockade of Gaza in summer 2006 with very little access to health service. I think feeling powerless and hopeless is the most killing feeling that human can ever have. It kills the spirit and breaks the heart. You can fight occupation but you cannot fight your feeling of being powerless. You can't even dissolve that feeling.”

Disgust at the obscenity, compounded with guilt: it is within our power to bring the suffering to an end and allow the Samidin to enjoy the lives of peace and dignity that they deserve.

Noam Chomsky visited the Gaza Strip on October 25-30, 2012.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

New Canadian $20.00 Dollar Bill is a reminder of foreign Ownership




Video Source: Press TV

Opinion By: Stewart Brennan

The changes made to the new Canadian Twenty Dollar Bill ($20.00) proves itself to be another example of a stab by the Harper Government directly at the First Nations People of this country. It is also perceived as an imperial statement to glorify war. The new 20 which is the most common note used throughout Canada, leaves the Impression of subservience. It’s a real kick in the teeth to anyone that believes Canada is a free and Independent nation.

In my opinion, the new Canadian $20.00 dollar bill drives home the fact that Canada is not an independent nation but one that is still controlled by Britain. To further bring this point home, witness the recent actions and statement of British Foreign Secretary William Hague where he announced that Britain and Canada were to clinch an agreement to establish joint diplomatic missions in other states in a bid to cut costs. Hague also said that, “the new partnership will give “BRITAIN" a bigger reach abroad for less cost”. (1)

Another revealing statement was made last year in 2011 by British Premier David Cameron where he said, “We are two nations, but under one Queen and united by one set of values”. (2) What set of values was he talking about? Was it the position that both countries were aligned in past military conflicts or is it Canada’s present day change from peacekeepers to one of military aggression with the UK? Cameron’s statement is also perceived as an arrogant reminder that we do not have complete independence from Britain politically, or monetarily and since Canadian money is “BORROWED” with an added interest by the Bank of Canada for the Government of Canada (3), Cameron is telling Canadians flat out that we are subservient to their crumbling empire.



Video: British PM Cameron Addresses Canadian Parliament (September 2011)

The NEW Canadian 20 dollar Bill

The New twenty dollar bill boldly shows the WWI Vimy Ridge memorial, which does not rest in Canada, but in France. The WW I memorial was unveiled by British Monarch “King Edward VIII in 1936 when Canada still flew a colonial flag. Following an extensive multi-year restoration, Queen Elizabet II rededicated the memorial on April 9th, 2007 when Canada had its own flag.(4) The figurehead, “Queen Elizabeth II” is placed smack in the Middle of this new 20 dollar bill in a sea of sickly coloured lime green. 


 Back of New Canadian $20.00 Bill (War memorial in France)

What really stands out is how European the new note is with no traces of Canada or the people of this Country. Removing the Indigenous Art is like removing the heart and soul of this nation for an Imperial standard of the old Roman Empire…it sure feels that way.


Front Face of New Canadian $20.00 Bill


Back of Old Canadian $20.00 Bill (with Native Art)
  
If one was to travel the unofficial threads of history, by tracing the money trail of the European Royal families back to the ruling elite and Patrician class of the Roman Empire, one could also draw the conclusion that World War I was the final war to end all wars between these self imposed Monarchies and rulers of men. A winner take all won by an elite that quickly claimed all spoils of war for their own, including the people as their subjects. I don’t like the new Canadian twenty dollar bill because it does not reflect Canada, it reflects British Rule.


 The Canadian World War I Memorial in Vimy France
Links:


British PM Cameron Addresses Canadian Parliament (September 2011)

Canada issued Debt Free Money from 1935 - 1974

Canadian National Vimy Memorial

The Crime of the Canadian Banking System

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Victory for Palestine and the People of the World: “We are all Palestinian”


By: Stewart Brennan
World United News

On November 21st, 2012 we were witness to an agreement of peace between the government of Hamas in the Gaza strip, and the Israeli government; a MAJOR breakthrough for global peace.

However, it is important to note that the reason why this peace treaty was reached between the two sides in the first place was due to the massive outcry by ordinary people around the World…the voice that cried out at every protest on every street around the World, “The People United, Will Never Be Defeated”!  

A Lasting Peace?

If we are to see a lasting peace in the Middle East we will need to see the total cessation of hostilities between Israel and the people of Gaza, but also, this cessation must include ending the hostile starvation blockade placed on Gaza by Israel and its supporting Western Governments.

The terms of the peace agreement reveal that the air, land, and sea blockade will be lifted by Israel…so this is a MAJOR step forward IF the Israelis remain true to their word…only time will tell. For the time being however, we must rejoice that significant progress has been made for the besieged people of Gaza.

Choices and Requirements for Lasting Peace:

Requirements for a lasting Peace throughout all of Palestine and Israel must also include an end to all illegal settlements, occupations, including a cessation of hostility towards the people, that is, of course, if a two state solution is still being supported. If so, then Israel must return to 1967 borders as stated by the United Nations and its general assembly.

Let’s be realistic about this, the two state solution has no possibility of working because the Israeli government and the settlers will refuse to give up any of the land they have seized from the Palestinians, and the Palestinians will refuse to concede the land that was taken from them, so there is no possible way to do this unless both sides are forced to do it at gunpoint. 

The problems faced in the region today go back to the errors made by the United Nations in 1948 when they created the State of Israel by carving it out of Palestine. In essence, the two state solution was a UN Security Council decision which is at the heart of this problem.

The "One State Solution", dominated by the Israeli's or by the Palestinian's is also not acceptable because it is a recipe for total disaster. Dominance by either side would be destructive because it is totally divisional, militaristic, driven by fanaticism and powered by a warlike nationalist mindset. Taking this path leads to an endless war between both sides that could quickly lead to regional war and or a global conflict, so this path must be avoided at all costs.

Real Solution for Lasting Peace

The only real solution for the region is the one that nobody is talking about and that is a “Reunification of Palestine” where ALL THE PEOPLE, within the old borders of Palestine, rule together. Shared power would mean a democratic process for all the inhabitants regardless of faith or ethnicity, and it would mean freedom of worship, freedom of movement, and the right to live for all.

The reunification solution also calls for the creation of provinces within the state, where for example, one region could be called Israel, another Gaza, etc. This option requires that ALL POLITICAL FACTIONS make concessions in the name of peace, prosperity, respect, and unity. This option is the true path to peace in the Middle East and for that matter the road to global peace that I am sure is supported by a large majority of the people.

Back to the Present Reality

There’s one thing that Israel and the Western leaders did not expect when they gave Israel the authorization to attack the people of Gaza, and that was the backlash from a growing political awakening by people around the world.

Communication with each other VIA the Internet has fostered the awakening of a global consciousness that is dynamic in the social, political, and ethical spheres; and it was this global consciousness that forced the World leaders to pressure Israel into a peace treaty on November 21st, 2012. It will be a day remembered when the global majority spoke out with one voice on the World’s Political stage.

On this day, the global collective declared themselves to be Palestinian.

Common Sense

If the UN is going to hold onto any credibility with the citizens of the world, then the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council must be unanimous in recognizing Palestine and the needs of all people throughout the world. If they cannot agree to this simple fact then there simply will not be a need for the United Nations body, such as it is, anymore. It’s time to turn swords into ploughshares and evolve with the citizens of the World.

A transition period is always required, when bringing any new venture into reality, so let's move away from the standard process of extremes and move forward through gradual change towards a realistic goal.

Freedom for the Palestinian people is directly linked to the moral well being of the Worlds population and by the global political awakening that has put an Imperial driver in check.

There is a great deal of danger ahead for everyone, but we can rise together in unity and end the insanity that dictates the direction of the world simply by adding a moral consciousness to it.

The younger generation that is coming up will be a tidal wave of change…things will never go back to the way they were again. The economy and its stinging reality in hardship is beginning to hit home throughout Europe and North America, and that is causing more minds to open in the global consciousness. 

The common foundation of all people in North America, Europe and the rest of the World, including those asleep, is moral perception and common sense based on education and upbringing. Social networks have given all of us a platform for education, where we can voice our opinions and interact in a spirit of sharing knowledge and most importantly, a chance to see what life is really like on the other side of the fence.
The internet has given rise to a consciousness that has united people in mind and spirit around the world...it is a global awakening…however there are many that have been left behind by the advances in global communication simply because they cannot escape the prisons of propaganda in their minds due to years of state programming. Many of my generation in North America (Baby Boomers) will pass with the old world beliefs, mainly because they are fearful of letting go of old programs. During the baby boom years people were only given a distorted one sided view of the World, so today’s information age can be a real challenge for those who are set in their ways. The younger generation, for the most part, has no such limit and is very quick to find out how the world works and who is running it. This is a generation that finds time on its hands to do extensive information research on the internet due to mass youth unemployment and rising costs for education. They are the future, and they are awake.

Global Identity

All around the World, people have evolved during the Information age and become more aware of the extremely criminal and fraudulent banking cartel that has systematically destroyed of their freedoms and liberties. When protesting the power elite and their monopoly, people are met with a militarized police force who use teargas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets to disperse them. The riot police are there to enforce the system and beat down any resistance to it. But it is also in this context of suffering that people begin to understand and identify with what it is like to be Palestinian, although it pales in comparison to the daily strife that the Palestinian people endure everyday under their brutal occupation by the Israelis.

Sticking with the current World Banking System is a recipe for disaster which only leads to extreme poverty. The people have had enough and will not allow the status quo to continue. Change is required across the board, be it in banking, institutional education, living conditions, or human rights. The people of the World have expressed their anger towards today's economic system controllers and have stated vociferously that they (we) are in complete solidarity with the Palestinian people. We are all Palestinian, and that means the people of the World want their freedom and independence from the totalitarian power structure that drives the world towards war. It is time for the voice of the people to enter the sphere of decision-making and to forge a new World that drives humanity towards a 1000 years of peace. Free Palestine, Free Gaza, Free the World!

Today, we are Palestinian.

Stewart Brennan

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Bus Bomb in Tel Aviv was a False Flag Attack


 
Photo – Russia Today (rt.com)

Opinion By: S. Brennan
http://worldunitednews.blogspot.com/

The Bus bombing in Tel Aviv today (November 21st, 2012) was a false flag attack to drum up sympathy and support for an Israeli government that is committing Mass Murder in the Gaza strip.

I’m sure there are some inside Gaza or the West Bank that would love to claim responsibility for the bombing, but in truth the only ones that will gain from this crime are the Israeli and Western governments image, as they search for ways to hide their acceptance of ethnic cleansing in the current Gaza massacre.

Israel, and the Western governments that back the despotic regime are being challenged by an informed public that demands justice for the Zionist War Crimes being committed in Gaza.

Repercussions of a Planned Invasion on Gaza

Moving forward with the pre-planned Israeli ground invasion of Gaza will spark an exponential outcry by the global public to demand immediate cessation of relations with Israel.

The international political landscape would be changed immediately under this scenario and the implications will certainly destroy the credibility of every western government leader should nothing be done to villianize Hamas before they begin their pre-planned invasion. The establishment will never admit that Israel is wrong so they have been scheming of ways in which to change the direction of public opinion.

You can be sure that evil minds have been hard at work to find a way in justifying a ground war on Gaza and since the scenario needs to be within the confines of Israeli control, they decided to come up with the elusive bus bomber.

The type of minds are we dealing with here are absolutely evil in every way. Consider that these monsters can commit indiscriminate mass murder on the women and children of Gaza and get away with it time and again. Israel is a lunitic state that is out of control…and your Western leaders approve of their despotic actions!!

Bombs Placed on a Bus

The story is so full of holes that one has to wonder at the shear insanity at play trying to convince the World that it was an outside terrorist attack. Itis only a matter of time before they blame someone for the attack, and we all know whom they will blame…

As the story goes, a bomb was PLACED inside public transportation (Bus) as opposed to a suicide bomber and when it was further investigated a SECOND bomb was found that did not go off. These bombs were planted in one of the most security control freak states in the World!

Afterwards, Israeli police claimed that they are looking for 2 men, which contradicted eyewitness claims of one person fleeing the scene. Later the police arrested someone but then let him go…starting to sound familiar.

Hamas did not claim responsibility for the bombing incident although with the anguish and grief they are experiencing during these grievous times, I’m sure they would love to or at least express some sort of gratification to ease their suffering. If Hamas was going to carry out an attack inside Tel Aviv they would have attacked a significant structure such as the Knesset or IDF Military Building and you can be damn sure it would have been huge!

Internationally, we already know who will be blamed by the Western Zionist Controlled Media, and we also know what our bullshit western leaders would say publicly AGAIN and that is, Israel is justified for committing a holocaust on the Palestinian people.

However, what these ass holes have failed to see is that hundreds of millions of people around the World are politically, socially and intellectually awake and have already seen through this self inflicted, FALSE FLAG ATTACK in Tel Aviv. I don’t believe the Israeli officials side for one second, do you. This attack was carried out by Israeli Mossad, end of story!

 

False Flag? - Bus explodes in central Tel Aviv, first terror attack in the city since 2006




An Israeli police officer looks at a damaged bus after an explosion in Tel Aviv November 21, 2012 (Reuters / Nir Elias)

Source: Russia Today

At least 16 people were injured, one seriously, in a bus bombing in central Tel Aviv at the corner of of Shaul Hamelech and Henrietta Szold streets. The blast was a terrorist attack, police said.

Bystanders were ordered to stay away from the scene of the explosion. Police cordoned off the Azrieli Center compound nearby, but said they did not believe there were other terror plots taking place in the area.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesperson confirmed the bombing was a terrorist attack.

The bomb was not a suicide attack and was triggered remotely. Another explosive that did not detonate was reportedly found on the bombed bus.

This bombing is the first one in Tel Aviv since 2006.

Police are searching for two people involved in the attack, contradicting previous reports of a single suspect. Eyewitnesses reported seeing the bomber flee the scene, Israeli radio said.

A suspect was reportedly taken into police custody about half an hour after the explosion, and was later released.

Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri praised the bombing as a just response to Israel’s recent attacks on Gaza, but stopped short of claiming responsibility, Haaretz reported.

MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW


Israeli police survey the scene after an explosion on a bus in Tel Aviv November 21, 2012 (Reuters / Nir Elias)

Image from tweeter.com @Vostvitzech

Fed chairman warns US lawmakers on impact of 'fiscal cliff'


 
US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/11/21/273685/us-lawmakers-alarmed-on-fiscal-cliff/

US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke has once again warned American legislators to ward off the abrupt and severe combination of legislated tax hikes and federal spending cuts, known as ‘fiscal cliff,’ due to take effect by the end of the year.

In a Tuesday speech at the New York Economic Club, Bernanke described fiscal cliff as a “substantial threat” to the country’s economic recovery and urged US lawmakers to put aside partisan political rivalries to avert the massive financial impact on the nation’s already slow economy.

‘‘Uncertainties about the situation in Europe and especially about the prospects for federal fiscal policy seem to be weighing on the spending decisions of households and businesses as well as on financial conditions,’’ he said, adding, ‘‘Such uncertainties will only be increased by discord and delay.’’

According to reported estimates, the impact of the scheduled federal spending cuts and the expiration of temporary tax breaks will take at least USD 500 billion out of the US economy, threatening to push it back into yet another recession.

Citing several outside economic assessments on the enormity of the ensuing tax hikes and spending cuts, Bernanke said ‘‘a fiscal shock of that size would send the economy toppling back into recession.’’

This is while the Obama administration and Congress are still negotiating over an agreement to reduce the government's massive budget deficit, which has exceeded USD 1 trillion for a fourth consecutive year.

The last time the debt limit was about to be reached, Republican lawmakers in the US Congress waited until the very last minute before deciding to raise the limit.

Saying "the deficit is on an unsustainable path," the Fed chairman further added, ‘‘As you will recall, the threat of default in the summer of 2011 fueled economic uncertainty and badly damaged confidence, even though an agreement ultimately was reached.’’

‘‘A failure to reach a timely agreement this time around could impose even heavier economic and financial costs,” he warned.

Japan posts another record trade deficit


 
(Reuters / Toru Hanai)

Source: Russia Today
http://rt.com/business/news/japan-trade-deficit-record-219/

Japan has seen its worst trade deficit for October in over 30 years, renewing September’s record, with dropping exports to China due to the territorial dispute, and easing demand from debt-stricken Europe.

The government data showed that a 549 billion yen ($6.7 billion) visible trade deficit in October far exceeded the 360 billion yen shortfall expected by economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires and the Nikkei. This year, Japan posted trade deficits every month except February and June.

Overall, exports fell 6.5% year on year in October to 5.15 trillion yen. Total exports to China were down 11.6% year on year, compared with a 14.1% drop in September due to the growing anti-Japanese sentiment. Exports of automobiles to China were down 82% year on year, and exports of car parts were off 28.1%. The shortfall in car exports to China was the largest since October 2001, according to Japan’s Ministry of Finance.

The territorial dispute with China that sparked anti-Japanese riots in September re-emerged after the Japanese government bought a group of islands that China also claims.

Meanwhile, exports to the European Union dropped 20.1% year on year according to the data. But exports to the US were up 3.1%, supported by a rise in supplies of cars, engines and car parts.

Weaker exports have hit Japanese corporate majors such as Sharp, Panasonic, and Nissan, which heavily rely on foreign trade. Panasonic forecast a $9.5bln loss this year, 30 times bigger than analyst estimates, while Hitachi Construction Machinery Co. and Nissan Motor Co. cut their full-year profit forecasts.

Experts say Japan’s economy would experience its fifth technical recession in 15 years as it is expecting a fall in October-December, after dropping by 3.5% in Q3, which is below analysts’ expectations.

On Tuesday the Bank of Japan announced it has no plans for further stimulus measures, but experts suppose that weak figures would force them to change their mind. "With weak trade data, and likely a weak result to the BOJ's December Tankan survey, the BOJ could very probably ease in December," said Daiwa Securities senior economist Maiko Noguchi.

 

Recent Israeli war on Gaza pre-planned: Israel diplomat


 
People carry the body of a Palestinian in the West Bank city of Ramallah, November 20, 2012.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/11/21/273680/gaza-war-preplanned-israeli-diplomat/

An Israeli diplomat says the Tel Aviv regime’s ongoing aggression against the besieged Gaza Strip was pre-planned.

In an interview with France 24 TV channel on Tuesday, Freddy Eytan said the Israeli regime had long been preparing for the attack on Gaza, but was waiting for an opportunity to enforce the plan.

Assassinating the senior commanders of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas was also part of the Israeli mission, the diplomat stated.

Eytan also said that a ground operation against the Gaza Strip would be possible if the desired goals of the Israeli regime were not achieved.

Tel Aviv has intensified its deadly attacks on Gaza despite Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s expression of hope for a ceasefire.

On Wednesday, Israeli Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Benny Gantz said Tel Aviv will continue its attacks on Gaza despite ongoing truce talks.

Meanwhile, Gilad Sharon, son of former Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, has said that the regime should “flatten Gaza” in the same manner as the United States ruined Hiroshima in its nuclear bombing of the Japanese city in 1945.

“We need to flatten entire neighborhoods in Gaza. Flatten all of Gaza. The Americans didn’t stop with Hiroshima - the Japanese weren’t surrendering fast enough, so they hit Nagasaki, too.”

Over 135 Gazans, including women and children, have been killed and more than 1,100 others have been injured in over 1,450 Israeli attacks on the besieged Palestinian territory since November 14.

Puppet state America


 
Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu and President Obama at the White House

By: Dr. Paul Craig Roberts
Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/usdetail/273689.html

The United States government and its subject peoples think of the US as “the world’s only superpower.” But how is a country a superpower when its entire government and a majority of the subjects, especially those members of evangelical churches, grovel at the feet of the Israeli Prime Minister? How is a country a superpower when it lacks the power to determine its own foreign policy in the Middle East? Such a country is not a superpower. It is a puppet state.

In the past few days we have witnessed, yet again, the “American superpower” groveling at Netanyahu’s feet. When Netanyahu decided to again murder the Palestinian women and children of Gaza, to further destroy what remains of the social infrastructure of the Gaza Ghetto, and to declare Israeli war crimes and Israeli crimes against humanity to be merely the exercise of “self-defense,” the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, the White House, and the U.S. media all promptly declared their support for Netanyahu’s crimes.

On November 16 the Congress of the “superpower,” both House and Senate, passed overwhelmingly the resolutions written for them by AIPAC, the Israel Lobby known as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the only foreign agent that is not required to register as a foreign agent. The Global News Service of the Jewish People reported their power over Washington with pride. Both Democrats and Republicans shared the dishonor of serving Israel and evil instead of America and justice for the Palestinians.

The White House quickly obeyed the summons from the Israel Lobby. President Obama announced that he is “fully supportive” of Israel’s assault on Gaza. Ben Rhodes, White House deputy national security adviser, told the media on November 17 that the White House “wants the same thing as the Israelis want.” This is an overstatement as many Israelis oppose the crimes of the Israeli government, which is not the government of Israel but the government of the “settlers,” that is, the crazed land-hungry immigrants who are illegally, with Netanyahu’s support, stealing the lands of the Palestinians.

Netanyahu’s Israel is the equivalent of the Lincoln Republicans 150 years ago. Then there was no international law to protect Southern states, who left the voluntary union, a right under the Constitution, in order to avoid being exploited by Northern business interests. Subsequently, the Union army, after devastating the South, turned on the American Indians, and there was no international law to protect American Indians from being murdered and dispossessed by Washington’s armies.

Washington claimed that its invasion forces were threatened by the Indian’s bows and arrows. Today there is international law to protect the Palestinian residents of the West Bank and Gaza. However, every time that the world tries to hold the Israeli government accountable for its crimes, Israel’s Washington puppet vetoes the UN decision.

Demonizing a victim is a way of hiding state crimes. The American print and TV media is useless as a check on state crimes. The only crimes reported by the media are assigned to “terrorists,” that is, those who resist U.S. hegemony, and to Americans, such as Bradley Manning and Sibel Edmonds, who liberate truth from official secrecy. Julian Assange of WikiLeaks remains in danger despite the asylum granted to him by the President of Ecuador, as Washington has little regard for international law.

In the U.S. the exercise of the First Amendment is coming to be regarded as a crime against the state. The purpose of the media is no longer to find the truth, but to protect official lies. Speaking the truth has essentially disappeared as it is too costly to journalist who dare to do so. To keep one’s job, one serves Washington and the private interest groups that Washington serves.

In his November 19 defense of Israel’s latest war crimes, President Obama said: “no country on earth would tolerate missiles raining down from outside its borders.” But, of course, numerous countries do tolerate missiles raining down from the U.S. The war criminal Obama is raining down missiles in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen, and has rained missiles on Libya, Somalia, Iraq and Syria as well.

The German assault on the Warsaw Ghetto is one of the horror stories of Jewish history. Such an event is happening again, only this time Jews are perpetrators instead of victims. No hand has been raised to stay Israel from the goal of the operation declared by Israeli Interior Minister Eli Yishai to be “to send Gaza back to the Middle Ages.”

Cristiano Ronaldo donates €1.5mn to children in Gaza


 
Real Madrid's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo (AFP Photo / Dani Pozo)

Source: Russia Today
http://rt.com/sport/football/ronaldo-gaza-real-madrid-237/

Real Madrid iconic forward Cristiano Ronaldo has donated €1.5 million to Palestinian children in Gaza, the Arabic version of the club’s Classico network reports.

The star forward gave his Golden Boot which he earned in 2011 to the Real Madrid foundation. The Spanish giants in their turn sold it at auction and will now donate the funds to schools in Gaza

According to various reports, the Real Madrid Foundation has helped to build 167 schools in 66 countries.

It’s not the first time Ronaldo has given to charity. Last year he sold most of his sports shoes at a Real Madrid Foundation auction which was also dedicated to raising funds for schools in Gaza.

Ronaldo became the most expensive footballer in history after moving from Manchester United to Real Madrid in a transfer worth €93.9 million. In addition, his contract with Real Madrid, in which he is paid €12 million per year, makes him one of the highest-paid footballers in the world.

Israel should flatten Gaza like Hiroshima says Ariel Sharon’s son


Left - Gilad Sharon, the son of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon -
Right - A Palestinian man carries the dead body of a child out from rubble after an Israeli missile struck a house killing at least seven members of the same family in Gaza City, November 18, 2012.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/11/21/273663/israel-must-flatten-gaza-sharons-son/

The son of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says the Tel Aviv regime should “flatten Gaza” in the same manner as the United States ruined Hiroshima in its nuclear bombing of the Japanese city in 1945.

In an article for the Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post, Gilad Sharon said that the Israeli military should annihilate or re-occupy the besieged Gaza Strip.

“There should be no electricity in Gaza, no gasoline or moving vehicles, nothing. Then they’d really call for a ceasefire,” wrote Sharon.

“We need to flatten entire neighborhoods in Gaza. Flatten all of Gaza. The Americans didn’t stop with Hiroshima - the Japanese weren’t surrendering fast enough, so they hit Nagasaki, too.”

He also said that the Palestinians living in the besieged territory “are not innocent” and that the true innocents are Israelis living in occupied territories.

Sharon then called on Tel Aviv to step up its aggressive tactics against the Palestinians in the coastal territory, “Otherwise there will be no decisive victory. And we’re running out of time.”

Over 135 Gazans, including women and children, have been killed and more than 1,100 others have been injured in over 1,450 Israeli attacks on the besieged Palestinian territory since November 14.

 

AFP Gaza office hit by Israeli strike 3 Palestinian reporters killed in other attacks




AFP Gaza office hit by Israeli strike, 3 Palestinian reporters killed in other attacks

Video Source: RT News
Story Source: Russia Today

Israel struck media offices in Gaza twice on Tuesday and killed three Palestinian journalists. The IDF claimed the buildings, which included an AFP bureau, were being used by Hamas to direct military operations, and were legitimate targets.

Two Israeli strikes have left three Palestinian journalists dead, with media buildings targeted by the IDF two days in a row. The AFP building was hit in another attack later on, with no casualties reported.

Mahmoud al-Koumi and Husam Salameh, cameramen for the local al-Aqsa TV station, were killed in a car marked with a press sign near the al-Wihda towers in Gaza.

Both journalists were 30 years old and fathers of four children. Two other al-Aqsa employees were wounded in the first strike.

The second attack killed the director of al-Quds Educational Radio, Muhammad Abu Aisha, in his car.

Then, the AFP building in Gaza was hit, with no casualties reported so far.

A series of massive explosions, followed by a massive blackout, were also reported near the Al Shorook building in Gaza, which houses several media outlets.

Later on, airstrikes targeted two hotels in Gaza where reporters covering the Israeli assault were staying. There were no reports of deaths, but Press TV correspondent Akram al-Sattari was injured. Hugh Naylor of The National newspaper told Ma'an news agency said the blasts blew out windows in the Deira and Beach hotels.

Meanwhile, the IDF posted on its Twitter that its air forces “surgically targeted a Hamas operations center on the 7th floor of a media building in Gaza”, with a “direct hit confirmed.” The IDF also tweeted a warning to all journalists to stay away from Hamas facilities within Gaza territory, claiming that the group will use them as human shields.

The al-Qassam Brigades have responded with a “Warning to Israelis: Stay away from Israeli #IDF = #IOF, We just targeting Israeli soldiers, fighter jets, tanks and bases."

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

USA blocks UN Security Council statement that calls for Gaza ceasefire labeling it Unbalanced


 
Source: Russia Today
http://rt.com/news/us-blocks-gaza-un-185/

The United States has blocked a Moroccan-brokered UN Security Council call for a ceasefire in the Israeli-Gaza conflict, labeling it "unbalanced."

­“The draft press statement failed to address the root cause of the current escalation – the continuing barrage of rocket attacks from Gaza against Israel,'' the spokeswoman for the US Mission to the UN, Erin Pelton, said in a statement.

He added that the “counter-productive” statement failed to support “the ongoing diplomacy toward de-escalation of violence and a durable outcome that ends the rocket attacks on Israeli cities and towns and restores a broader calm.”

­Morocco proposed the statement last Thursday, and it would have been adopted automatically if no UN Security Council member spoke against it before 14:00 GMT. Security Council press statements require unanimous approval.

Russia said it is ready to propose the full resolution to halt the violence between Israel and Gaza.

Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said that document will focus on putting an end to the violence by a negotiated a ceasefire, support for international and regional efforts to settle the crisis peacefully and a call for the resumption of talks between Palestinians and Israelis on a wider range of problems.

Churkin sharply criticized the way the Moroccan statement was handled by the Council, accusing Western governments of “filibustering” it. He argued that three days was ample time to provide written comments, while Council members only commented orally.

Some say the Russian resolution has little chance of being adopted as it also does not claim that Hamas rocket attacks are the cause of the current conflict.

 

Israeli attacks kill 7 more people in Gaza


 
Palestinians youths search through the rubble of destroyed buildings following Israeli air strikes on the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah on November 18, 2012

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/11/20/273596/7-more-palestinians-killed-in-gaza/

At least seven more people, including three journalists, have been killed as Israeli warplanes conduct a fresh round of air raids on the besieged Gaza Strip.

The Tuesday deaths included two al-Aqsa cameramen and the al-Quds radio chief.

"Two cameramen from Al-Aqsa TV have been killed: Mahmud Komi and Hossam Salama," said health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra, adding the strike hit a car in Gaza City's Nasser area that was clearly marked as a press vehicle.

Two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike that targeted a car in the central part of Gaza, and another one lost his life in the southern city of Rafah, close to the enclave's border with Egypt.

In retaliation, Palestinian resistance fighters poured rockets and missiles onto the southern Israeli areas, killing 2 Israelis, including a soldier, and injuring 15 others in Eshkol Regional council.

At least five Israelis have reportedly been killed in Palestinian rocket attacks since the fatal offensive on the coastal enclave started on November 14.

Five Israelis were also injured in Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel's fourth-largest city of Rishon LeZion, following a similar attack that critically wounded an Israeli in the southern city of Ashkelon.

According to reports, another Israeli has seriously been hurt in another rocket attack on Gush Etzion outside al-Quds (Jerusalem).

 

US dispatches 3 warships to occupied Palestine to evacuate citizens


 
The amphibious dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall operates off the coast of Killick, Haiti. (File photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/11/20/273407/us-sends-3-warships-to-palestine-to-evacuate-citizens/

The United States has dispatched three warships to the occupied Palestinian territories to evacuate US citizens caught up in the Israel-Gaza conflict in the event of need.

The three ships, USS Iwo Jima, the USS New York and the USS Gunston Hall are returning from Gibraltar to eastern Mediterranean to remain on standby to assist Americans leaving the occupied lands, according to two US officials.

The officials stressed the evacuation remains a remote possibility and the Obama administration has no plans for the evacuation of the US citizens for the time being.

"This is due diligence. It is better to be prepared should there be a need," one official said.

The American officials reiterated that the US citizens willing to leave the volatile region can use commercial flights.

On Monday, US President Barack Obama held a telephone conversation with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to explore the possibility of reaching an agreement on a ceasefire.

Israeli airstrikes and shelling have left at least 109 Palestinians dead and over 900 others injured since November 14. Some of the injured are in critical condition.

The Israeli military said on Monday that it had conducted more than 1,350 aerial and sea attacks against the Gaza Strip since the beginning of its aggression on the coastal enclave.

Russia to propose UN resolution on Gaza crisis


 
Russian ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin.(Reuters / Allison Joyce)

Source: Russia Today
http://rt.com/news/russia-un-gaza-conflict-111/

Russia is ready to propose a full resolution aimed at stopping the violence between Israel and Gaza if the West continues to “filibuster” the UN Security Council statement on the crisis.

“Russia is ready… to submit a draft resolution focusing on three key components,” Russia’s envoy to the UN, Vitaly Churkin told the UN Security Council during consultations on the Gaza conflict arranged at Russia’s initiative.

Morocco proposed a statement calling for a halt to the hostilities last Thursday and since then diplomats have had enough time to present their amendments in writing, Churkin said. “The fact that they introduced these amendments orally… after three days of having the Moroccan text at their disposal, they could, at least, have prepared their amendments in writing,” he said. “To me it unfortunately looks like a little bit of a filibuster attempt.”

Churkin did not name any one country that has been hampering progress and indicated “quite transparently that they will not be prepared to go along with any reaction of the Security Council.”

“Maybe it’s just a laid back attitude in a situation where we cannot afford procrastination,” he added.

According to Churkin the key components of Russia’s resolution would be the following: An end to the violence by a negotiated a ceasefire, support for international and regional efforts to settle the crisis peacefully and a call for the resumption of talks between Palestinians and Israelis on a wider range of problems.

Russia is also calling for an emergency ministerial meeting of the Quartet on the Middle East – the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union. “We believe the quartet should also actively play its role in trying to prevent further aggravation of the extremely dangerous situation,” Churkin said.

In the meantime, the text of what appears to be a draft document has been leaked on the internet.

One article of the six-point document urges all parties to address the serious humanitarian and economic needs in Gaza, and to allow for the safe and unhindered access of humanitarian assistance and personnel to the Palestinian people and to ensure the unimpeded provision of humanitarian supplies throughout Gaza.

Some 110 Palestinians, including at least 24 children and toddlers and 13 women have been killed since Israel launched its Operation Pillar of Defense against Gaza. Meanwhile three Israelis were killed in rocket fire on Thursday, a day after the IDF assassinated the head of the Hamas military wing, Ahmed Jabari.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon is visiting Cairo in a bid to broker a peace deal between the two sides as the threat of a ground invasion looms. On Monday, Israel warned Hamas it will step up its offensive in the Gaza Strip in 36 hours if it does not cease rocket fire.

Netanyahu postpones ground operation in Gaza for 24 hours – reports


 
Israeli soldiers prepare tanks at an Israeli army deployment area near the Israel-Gaza Strip border, in preparation for a ground operation in the Palestinian coastal enclave on November 18, 2012. (AFP Photo/Menahem Kahana)

Source: Russia Today
http://rt.com/news/postpones-ground-operation-netanyahu-128/

Israel’s PM has reportedly pushed back by 24 hours an IDF ground invasion into Gaza, RT’s Middle East bureau chief said. The announcement precedes a series of critical international negotiations pushing for a ceasefire between the two sides.

The postponement of the military ground offensive coincides with UN chief Ban Ki-moon’s peace talks in Cairo, which lobbied for an immediate ceasefire. Ban is expected to arrive in Jerusalem on Tuesday before traveling into Gaza to assess the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is due to arrive in Israel for emergency talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday. She is also scheduled for talks with Palestinian authority figures, but will not meet with any representatives of Hamas. Washington regards the organization as a terrorist group.

A delegation of Arab League representatives arrived in Gaza on Monday in a gesture of solidarity with the Palestinians who have been under Israeli bombardment since last Wednesday.

They discussed a truce that is set to be announced on Thursday, which Hamas has already agreed to in principle, an Egyptian official knowledgeable on the matter told Ahram Online. He added that the “details were still being worked out.”
­

US, Russian stalemate in UN Security Council

The UN Security Council was deadlocked by a stalemate over the Gaza crisis during a meeting in New York on Monday night. Russia warned it may call for a resolution vote if an Arab League proposal to end hostilities is not approved by Tuesday morning.

If the resolution goes to a vote, it could lead to a diplomatic clash between Moscow and Washington reminiscent of Russia’s repeated vetoes of UN resolutions on the Syrian conflict.

Following the meeting, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin intimated that the US was trying to "filibuster" progress towards a ceasefire.

"One member of the Security Council, I'm sure you can guess which, indicated quite transparently that they will not be prepared to go along with any reaction of the Security Council. Somehow, allegedly, that would hurt the current efforts carried out by Egypt in the region," Churkin said.

Hamas and Israel reportedly made progress during negotiations over the weekend, but both parties have yet to reach an agreement.

Tel Aviv has demanded that Hamas cease all attacks on Israel for the next 15 years, and the right to target terrorists in Palestinian territory. Hamas refused those terms, and called on Israel to lift its longstanding blockade of Gaza.

 

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