Iran 199

'Early Warning
A Secret Afghanistan Mission Prepares for War with Iran
By William M. Arkin 08/05/08
"Washington Post" -- --

Those predicting war with Iran or some Bush-Cheney October surprise attack on Tehran are constantly looking for signs of military preparations: a B-52 bomber that mistakenly takes off from North Dakota with nuclear-armed cruise missiles; a second or third aircraft carrier entering the Persian Gulf; a B-1 crashing in Qatar.
Since the most likely path to war with Iran is not Marines storming the beach but a strike on nuclear facilities and "regime" targets, signs such as these can often just be mirages. The true strike is not necessarily going to come with any warning, and the U.S. military has developed an entire system called "global strike" to implement such a preemptive strike.
A secret mission conducted last August over Afghanistan caught my eye because it tells us everything we need to know about the ability of the U.S. military to conduct a bolt-out-of-the-blue attack in Iran. It also tells us how useless such a strike might be.
On Aug. 12, 2007, four F-16CJ fighters took off on an 11-hour mission from Iraq to Eastern Afghanistan, crossing the airspace of six different nations, before dropping more than a dozen precision-guided bombs on Taliban targets. The crews of the record-breaking flight received the coveted Clarence MacKay Trophy for 2007, an award given annually for "the most meritorious flight" of the year.
The secret mission had never before been attempted, according to the Air Force, and the pilots were allotted a two-minute window of attack at the end of their 2,100-mile flight. The entire non-stop mission, which took 13 aerial refuelings, was the equivalent of flying from New York to Los Angeles and back.
The mission was a success, according to the Air Force: It resulted in "direct hits" that allowed coalition ground forces to "conduct raids on Taliban positions."
However, a check of the news out of Afghanistan for the week of Aug. 12 reveals no real air strike of significance. On Aug. 12, the wire services reported fighting near the Pakistani border and the death of three U.S. soldiers and their Afghan interpreter from a roadside bomb. Further fighting was reported on Aug. 13 and Aug. 14, but no significant bombing missions in support of U.S. or Afghan forces. On Aug. 15, the Afghan government announced a large scale three-day operation in the area of Tora Bora, an operation launched in response to the killing of three U.S. soldiers by IED earlier that week. Officials said nearly 50 suspected Pakistani and Taliban militants were killed in air and ground operations. Coalition aircraft carried out two sorties to target the Taliban positions in that area, an Afghan official said.'

Lees verder: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19891.htm

De Nuance van de NRC 58

De slijpsteen voor de geest stelt de volgende vraag: "60 jaar Israël, hoe solidair bent u met het lot van dit land?" Ik heb deze reactie gestuurd, maar nu blijkt dat reacties eerst worden beoordeeld, voordat ze worden geplaatst.

1. stan van houcke zegt: (NB: Deze reactie moet nog worden beoordeeld) vrijdag 9 mei 2008, 19:01 uur

wat een merkwaardige vraag: 60 jaar Israël, hoe solidair bent u met het lot van dit land?
solidair zijn met het lot van een land? wat bedoelt u? solidair met de meedogenloze politiek tegenover de Palestijnse burgerbevolking? of solidair met de terreur van een bezetting of annexatie?het lot klinkt nogal fatalistisch. waarom bent u niet precies?

http://weblogs.nrc.nl/weblog/discussie/2008/05/08/
60-jaar-israel-hoe-solidair-bent-u-met-het-lot-van-dit-land/#comment-60636

De Nuance van de NRC 57

Gisteravond opende de NRC op de voorpagina met: "Machtswisseling Kremlin is toneelstuk," 6 kolommen breed. Zou de redactie van de slijpsteen voor de geest niet weten dat ook hier in het vrije westen "machtwisseling een toneelstuk" is? Ik begin toch te vrezen van niet, want waarom anders die kop, alsof dit nieuws is. Denkt de NRC-redactie oprecht dat een zogeheten "democratische" regering de macht van de banken kan aantasten, de macht van de grote concerns, de macht van de institutionele beleggers? Nou dan, waar heeft de krant het over? Dit is gewoon propaganda. We worden geconfronteerd met "de smalle marges van de democratie," zoals de sociaaldemocratische voorman Joop den Uijl die noemde, wezenlijke veranderingen worden niet toegestaan. De Britse hoogleraar Ralph Miliband stelde het aldus: "Kan een overheidsinstantie het niveau van lonen, prijzen en winsten bepalen? Kan het, belangrijker nog, het niveau en de richting van investeringen vaststellen? Kan een regeringinstantie grondstoffen distribueren of bedrijfsvestigingen controleren? Kan zij op een of andere wijze volledige werkgelegenheid of een economisch groeipercentage garanderen?" Nee, democratische regeringen kunnen alleen "op de winkel passen" zoals de liberale politicus Hans Wiegel dat trots meldde. Met andere woorden: de suggestie van de NRC dat het hier anders is, is niets anders dan propaganda. In feite bewijst deze kop juist dat het hier niet anders is, want de werkelijkheid moet in het westen net zo verhuld blijven als in Rusland. Maar dit feit is veel te genuanceerd voor de krant die de nuance zegt te zoeken.

Ronny Naftaniel van het CIDI

Dit is Ronny Naftaniel, de directeur van de, volgens de Israelische kwaliteitskrant Haaretz, "pro-zionistische lobbygroep" het CIDI. In de VPRO gids staat deze week zijn antwoord op de vraag of hij als zionist "ooit nog in Israel" gaat wonen. Hij antwoordt: "Als alle Joden in de diaspora in Israel gingen wonen zou het dichtslibben." Dat is nonsens. Allereerst werd het niet aan alle joden gevraagd, het merendeel van de joden wil absoluut niet naar Israel emigreren, maar aan hem. Bovendien woont, volgens wetenschappelijk onderzoek, ook nog eens 80 procent van de Israeli's op slechts 12 procent van het land. 88 procent is dus nagenoeg onbewoond. Volgens de virtuele joodse bibliotheek is: "Zionism, the national movement for the return of the Jewish people to their homeland and the resumption of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel." Dus waarom gaat hij niet?

Zie: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Zionism/zionism.html

Ronny ziet liever anderen naar "het beloofde land" vertrekken, zoals Russische joden of christenen, het maakt niet uit, zolang het land maar niet naar de oorspronkelijke bewoners, de Palestijnen gaat. Naftaniel heeft nog een andere drogreden. Wanneer hem gevraagd wordt over de joodse nederzettingen op de Westoever antwoordt hij: "Ik ben een tegenstander van die nederzettingen, maar als men 3,5 miljoen Palestijnse vluchtelingen in Israel wil vestigen, waarom zouden die nederzettingen er dan niet mogen zijn? Ik vind dat de nederzettingen in een vredesregeling dienen te verdwijnen en de Palestijnse vluchtelingen zich in een Palestijnse staat moeten vestigen," aldus de directeur die er niet over piekert om naar de "joodse natie" te emigreren en desondanks toch meent het recht te hebben om te bepalen waar Palestijnen die speciaal voor hem en andere joden etnisch gezuiverd werden, moeten leven. Zijn redenering klopt niet, want het houdt geen enkele rekening met het internationaal recht. Speciaal voor Ronny leg ik nog 1 keer uit. Stel Ronny, ik zeg stel: ik dring met enkele kornuiten jouw huis binnen, en schop met veel terreur jou, je kinderen en je vrouw op straat. Na een halve eeuw besluit ik zand erover, want ik krijg genoeg van jouw verzet, en ik zeg tegen je: "Jij mag niet naar je huis terug, dat is van mij. En als je dat niet accepteert blijven mijn vrienden op het land dat ze van weer andere joden hebben gestolen. Jij, Ronny moet gaan wonen daar waar ik het bepaal. Punt uit. Dat zou onrechtvaardig zijn, nietwaar? Je zou niet kunnen volhouden dat ik dan werkelijk naar vrede streef. Waarom mogen de Palestijnse vluchtelingen die volgens het internationaal recht en de resoluties van de Verenigde Naties het recht op terugkeer bezitten, van jou niet terug naar het land waar jij zelf niet voorgoed naar toe zou willen? Waarom probeer je al zo ontzettend lang drogredeneringen te verkopen? De Palestijnen zijn verdreven, hebben het recht om terug te keren. De joden in Israel hebben geen recht op het geannexeerde land op de Westbank. De Palestijnen zijn akkoord gegaan met 22 procent van de 47 procent van het land dat ze van de Verenigde Naties toegewezen hebben gekregen. Meer dan de helft van het land waar ze volgens de internationale gemeenschap recht op hebben, hebben ze al aan de joden in Israel gegeven. Waarom eis jij nu nog meer op? Op welke andere grond dan grof geweld claim jij het bezit van anderen? Als alle landen zich zo barbaars als Israel gaan gedragen, wat blijft er dan nog over van de beschaving? Waarom respecteer je het internationaal recht niet? Waarom blijf je zo meedogenloos tegen Palestijnse vluchtelingen die voor onder andere jou en jouw familie in 1948 en 1967 van hun land en uit hun huis werden verdreven? Wat hebben ze je misdaan? Hebben zij de joden eeuwenlang vervolgd, hebben zij gaskamers gebouwd? Nee, dat waren de christenen, de Europeanen, de Beschaving van de Verlichting! Houdt het onrecht dan nooit op? Wat is er aan de hand met je Ronny? Wij kennen elkaar al heel lang, vertel het me! Wij beiden komen uit hetzelfde middenklasse milieu, we hebben hetzelfde onderwijs genoten, onze kinderen zaten zelfs op dezelfde scholen, wij zijn beiden opgegroeid met dezelfde burgerlijke normen en waarden. Wat is er met je gebeurd?

Armoede

Shrikrishna Kalamb's family. His daughter Usha, left, is seeking a publisher for her father's poems

'met de ontzetting en de tranen, ontwaakt daardoor ook het vertrouwen te zijn aangekomen in een land waar mensen wonen; want het vermogen andermans ongeluk in de herinnering te bewaren, zo luidt het lapidaire en overweldigende inzicht, te delen in de rouw, dat is het kenmerk van beschaving, daaruit bestaat het wezenlijke verschil tussen mensen en barbaren.' Joachim Fest in Tegenlicht.

'Suicide of farmer poet highlights the poverty trap in India
JAIDEEP HARDIKAR
By Andrew Buncombe and Jaideep Hardikar in Murtijapur
Tuesday, 6 May 2008

Farming and poetry were inextricably linked for Shrikrishna Kalamb. As he poured his efforts into scraping a livelihood for him and his family from the unyielding land, so he described in verse the scale of his struggle.

It was a struggle he ultimately lost. Confronted by large debts, a mounting sense of futility and worried as to how he would pay for the weddings of his five daughters, Mr Kalamb, 50, hanged himself. In his final poem, written just two days before he took life, he wrote: "My life is different; my death will be like untimely rain."

Mr Kalamb took his life at the end of March, one of tens of thousands of Indian farmers who have committed suicide in recent years. But rather than allowing her father to become another simple statistic, Mr Kalamb's eldest daughter, Usha, has gathered together the 50 or so poems that he wrote and is seeking to have them published. "My father died as a farmer, in perpetual debt and worries. But he lived as a poet, and will remain immortal in his poems," she said.

No one knows precisely how many farmers have taken their lives in recent years but campaign groups say the problem is huge as India's rural community seeks to deal with a downturn in prices and trade policies that have forced them to compete with subsidised products from other countries.

In the Vindarbha district of Maharashtra state in western India, where Mr Kalamb grew cotton, it is estimated that one farmer commits suicide every eight hours. "A mass clinical depression is silently sweeping the farmers of Vidarbha," said Dr Sujay Patil, a local psychiatrist who offers free treatment and counselling to farmers.

"The solution is to help farming. The farmers are feeling hopeless, they are feeling worthless and they are feeling helpless."

The Indian government is well aware of the scale of the crisis playing out in its agricultural sector, an area on which 70 per cent of the population depends for its livelihood. In this year's budget, about £8bn was set aside as a debt waiver for millions of small farmers across the country.

But campaigners say that still enough is not being done. They also claim that farmers are not being protected from the impact of subsidised farming elsewhere and that seed producers are, in effect, holding farmers to ransom.

The group Navdanya, headed by Dr Vandana Shiva, claims that that more 150,000 farmers have taken their lives in the past decade as a result of the impact of liberalisation policies in the agricultural sector.

"It's all related to the land," said Dr Shiva. "When they get into debt ... this is why they are committing suicide. Whatever the government has done issuperficial."'

Lees verder:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/suicide-of-farmer-poet-highlights-the-poverty-trap-in-india-821617.html

De Israelische Terreur 357

'There is hope in Gaza

Miko Peled,

The Electronic Intifada,

5 May 2008

Israel's assault on the people of Gaza is so horrendous that it will not soon be forgotten. This vicious attempt by Israel to destroy an entire nation has tipped the scales for good and Zionism will forever be remembered as a blemish in the history of the Jewish people. The people of Gaza, however, give us hope and they will forever be remembered for their courage and resilience during these trying times.The people of Gaza, while being deprived of rights and resources, still find the inner strength and the belief in their destiny to send their children to school. There are close to 800,000 children living in Gaza; they make up more than half of the population. The mothers and fathers and teachers of Gaza are creating hope where others see none, and they are building a future where some would claim there is none. But the price of education in Gaza is dear as the number of children targeted by Israeli violence rises continuously.In a previous article ("It's time to visit Gaza") I quoted from journalist Charles Glass' The Tribes Triumphant and I wish to do so again here. Glass, unlike CNN or any other news agency is not obsessed with violence but is impressed as we all should be by the children: "Thousands and thousands of children's feet padding the dusty paths between their mother's front doors and their schools ... Beautiful youngsters so innocent that they could laugh even in Gaza." One can only imagine the mothers preparing lunches for these children, and making sure their clothes are ready and clean as they send them off to school. But the road to school in Gaza is an uncertain one, and risk of death by Israeli death squads is imminent.I was deeply moved by Ramzy Baroud's recent piece about his late father ("There are no checkpoints in heaven"). Clearly the man was head and shoulders above most people and clearly he recognized the need to defy the occupation and maintain his dignity as a man and as a Palestinian. He paid dearly for this, because there is nothing more threatening to Israel's occupation than a man who would defy its brutal force.Ramzy's story is similar to that of another friend of mine who is also from Gaza and who was also prevented from visiting his dying father. This gentleman is a physician and is devoted to saving the lives of children. He is an inspiring man of deep religious conviction and optimism. When I visit Gaza, as I am determined to do before this year is out, I hope that they will be able to join me. In fact, I hope to be able to go with a delegation.For over 60 years Gaza has proven itself to be an endless source of optimism and courage. Even with a population density that is among the highest in the world, and a lack of resources that seems hopeless, and even with a brutal occupation and severe restrictions that have been part of life for Gazans since the destruction of Palestine some 60 years ago, still Gazans fight on. Resistance to the occupation, education and steadfastness are only a few of the hallmarks of the people of this ancient land.I recall the first time I heard first-hand about the type of torture that is the daily bread of people in Gaza. It was more than 20 years ago, while I was living in Japan as a student, a young Israeli who I mistook for a friend shared the following story from his days of service as an officer in Israel's "glorious" naval special-forces, or as Israelis call it, "The Commando." He told us how, as a matter of routine he and his unit would patrol the Gaza coast aboard their naval warships. As they came upon a Gazan fishing boat they would stop the boat and force the fishermen to jump into the water. Then, they would blow up the boat. Once the boat was blown to bits, the Israeli sailors would shift their attention to the helpless fishermen in the water. Under gunpoint, one by one, they would force the fishermen count from one to a hundred. One by one these men, who eventually could no longer hold themselves above water, drowned to death. This, the young Israeli officer said, was done "to instill fear in the Arabs, and to teach them who was boss."'

Lees verder: http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9510.shtml

Oil 31

'10 Tough Questions Reporters Should Ask on Oil and Gas Prices
For starters, Joseph Davis asks: Why is Congress so passive on the lack of refining capacity? What about probes into price manipulation? The House passed a bill on price gouging; who’s holding it up in the Senate?
By Joseph A. Davisjdavis2@starpower.net
Q. If Congress and the candidates are serious about reducing U.S. dependency on foreign oil, why would they passively accept little or no growth in U.S. refining capacity at a time when world refining capacity is growing?
Q. What has come of the various Congressional investigations, or calls for investigations, into possible manipulation of the domestic motor fuel market?
Q. What are the prospects for the House-passed bill (H.R. 1252) setting stiff penalties for gasoline price-gouging? Why has the Senate Commerce Committee taken no action on it? What Senators are holding it up?
Q. What are the root causes of soaring oil and gasoline prices? What will candidates and Congress do to address them?
Q. Why has U.S. refinery capacity not grown more and more quickly?
Q. What is the financial strategy that causes oil companies not to invest more in refinery capacity at a time when they are flush with profits and demand exceeds supply and is growing? How much, precisely, is industry currently investing in new or increased refinery capacity? What do stockholders think of this?
Q. How is the price of domestic wholesale and retail gasoline actually set? Is it really a free, open, and competitive market? Does the diminishing number of companies in the market – and the ownership of distribution and retail outlets by the refining companies – offer opportunity for anti-competitive practices?
Q. What is the credibility of industry claims that refiners are worried that demand for gasoline may drop disastrously as a result of the government push for more ethanol use? How does this square with historical demand growth and the current market signal of strongly and persistently rising prices?
Q. What is the credibility of the Federal Trade Commission’s 2006 report [also click here] finding no manipulation or collusion among refiners in restricting supply or setting prices. Are those findings consistent with findings in the FTC’s 2001 investigation?
Q. Has the Justice Department investigated the possibility of anti-competitive practices in the domestic motor fuel industry? What were the results? Did then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in 2006 shut down a Justice Department investigation sought by state Attorneys General?
The price of gasoline at the pump is climbing steadily toward $4.00, the summer driving season is likely to make things worse, and some political leaders have again begun trying to convince the voters that they have solutions.'

Lees verder:
http://www.mediachannel.org/wordpress/2008/05/05/10-tough-questions-reporters-should-ask-on-oil-and-gas-prices/

De Israelische Terreur 356

'Dear friends, colleagues and activists:

Another week of bad news, good news, and activism goes by. We can never rest until justice and peace is restored. Those of you able to make it, there will be a memorial service for Riad Hamad Saturday in Austin Texas (Saturday May 10, 1-3 PM, Celebrating the life of Riad Hamad, St. James Episcopal Church, 1941 Webberville Rd., Austin, TX 78721Info Contact: khartwell@austin.rr.com). I hope to see those of you who can attend there. You may want to check this new article on Riad: "Salamat, Riad Hamad," by Greg MosesRiad would want us to continue and actually expand the work that he dedicated his life to (and lost it!). So in that vein, there will be two other events in Austin on the issues that were central to Riad's work (I will dedicate both talks in Riad's memory):Saturday May 10, 1-3PM Jones Auditorium, Ragsdale Center, St. Edward's University, 3001 S. CongressPalestine/Israel: From the Catastrophe- HopeMazin Qumsiyeh Sponsored by the Interfaith Community for Palestinian RightsSunday May 11, 5:00 pmWestlake Hills Presbyterian Church, 7127 Bee Cave Rd., Austin, TX 78746Mazin Qumsiyeh speaking on the Nakba and the plight of native Christians and Muslims in PalestineYesterday we had a very good event in the Westport Library which created a controversy and today we have a good event in Hartford Seminary. Hundreds of events are going on around the world. Silence is no longer an option. Saying we did not know is no longer an option.Now for this week's other action itemsACTION 1: 100 Prominent British Jews signed and published a statement: We are not celebrating Israel's 60th anniversary A similar effort is being launched in the US to get signatures on this statement. If you are Jewish in the US and agree with the British statement, send your name and any identification (showing organizational affiliation does not mean organizational endorsement) to Stanley Heller at MECC@comcast.net(Stan is chair of the Middle East Crisis Committee, TheStruggle.org)ACTION 2: Canadian Postal Workers Union boycott of Apartheid IsraelFor background, see: http://www.cupw.ca/1/0/6/4/2/index1.shtml Article on the subject (not good but shows how Zionists are trying to minimize and dismiss such critical actions) http://www.cjnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14568&Itemid=86The Zionist organizations are busy exerting pressure on the leadership of the Union. Postal workers could benefit from messages of support sent toDenis Lemelin, National President, CUPW National Office, 377 Bank StreetOttawa , Ontario K2P 1Y3 tel : (613) 236-7238 fax : (613) 563-7861ACTION 3: For those in the Washington DC metropolitan area: 12000 visit the Holocaust Memorial Museum every day. This is an incredible educational opportunity on the issue of Palestine and the slow genocide (Baruch Kimmerling used "politicide") of the Palestinian people. Please contact me and I will connect you with those doing a vigil and flyering there on a weekly basis.ACTION 4: Action week for Dr. Sami Al-Arian. Please take action, seehttp://www.freesamialarian.com/ACTION 5: Congress is about to vote more money for war.. tell them NO.http://capwiz.com/fconl/callalert/index.tt?alertid=11325771&type=COFinally watch these two powerful videos1) If Americans Knew Video seen by half a million people on youtubehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynWjYHP91gA2) Amazing poetry reading (forwarded by Peace Action members):http://youtube.com/watch?v=NCOb2YlTJkwHere is the POEM readFor Eli by Andrea Gibson Eli came back from Iraqand tattooed a teddy bear onto the inside of his wristabove that a medic with an IV bagabove that an angelbut Eli says the teddy bear won't liveand I know I don't know but I say, "I know"cause Eli's only twenty-four and I've never seen eyesfurther away from childhood than hiseyes old with a wisdomhe knows I'd rather not haveEli's mother traces a teddy bear onto the inside of my armand says, "not all casualties come home in body bags"and I swearI'd spend the rest of my life writing nothingbut the word light at the end of this tunnelif I could find the fucking tunnelI'd write nothing but white flagssomebody pray for the soldierssomebody pray for what's lostsomebody pray for the mailboxthat holds the official lettersto the mothers,--------fathers,---------sisters,and little brothersof Micheal 19... Steven 21... John 33how ironic that their deaths sound like bible versesthe hearse is parked in the halls of the high schoolrecruiting black, brown and poorwhile anti-war activistsoutside walter reed army hospital scream100, 000 slainas an amputee on the third floorbreathes forget-me-nots onto the window painbut how can we forget what we never knewour sky is so perfectly blue it's repulsivesomebody tell me where god livescause if god is truth god doesn't live hereour lies have seared the sun too hot to live bythere are ghosts of kids who are still alivetouting M16s with trembling handswhile we dream ourselves stars on Survivoranother missile sets fire to the face in the locketof a mother who's son needed money for collegeand she swears she can feel his photograph burnhow many wars will it take us to learnthat only the dead returnthe rest remain forever caught between worlds ofshrapnel shatters body of three year old girltowelcome to McDonalds can I take your order?the mortar of sanity crumblingstumbling back home to a home that will never be home againEli doesn't know if he can ever write a poem againone third of the homeless men in this country are veteransand we have the nerve to Support Our Troopswith pretty yellow ribbonswhile giving nothing but dirty looks to their outstretched handstell me what land of the freesets free its eighteen-year-old kids into greedy war zoneshones them like missilesthen returns their bones in the middle of the nightso no one can seeeach death swept beneath the carpet and hidden like dirteach life a promise we never keptJeff Lucey came back from Iraqand hung himself in his parents basement with a garden hosethe night before he died he spent forty five minutes on his fathers laprocking like a babyrocking like daddy, save meand don't think for a minute he too isn't collateral damagein the mansions of washington they are watching them burnand hoarding the waterno senators' sons are being sent out to slaughterno presidents' daughters are licking ashes from their lipsor dreaming up ropes to wrap around their necksin case they ever make it home aliveour eyes are closedamericathere are souls inthe boots of the soldiersamericafuck your yellow ribbonyou wanna support our troopsbring them homeand hold them tight when they get here-----------------Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhDhttp://justicewheels.org/http://peace-action.org/http://academicsforjustice.org/http://qumsiyeh.org/http://palestineconference.org/

Een Ander Joods Geluid 2

'Een Ander Joods Geluid en SIVMO (Steuncomité Israëlische Vredes- en Mensenrechtenorganisaties) haalt in de periode van 5 tot en met 16 mei acht vertegenwoordigers van Israëlische vredes- en mensenrechtenorganisaties naar Nederland, in het kader van het zestigjarig bestaan van Israël. Ze zullen hier met het Nederlandse publiek en de Nederlandse politiek in gesprek gaan en een pleidooi houden voor een andere Israëlische politiek. Zij vragen hiervoor steun van Nederland en Europa.
Wij willen u graag alvast wijzen op de twee volgende bijeenkomsten die in die twee weken georganiseerd worden.
Voor deze bijeenkomsten verzoeken wij u wel om van te voren te reserveren (onder opgave van Amsterdam of Utrecht) via eajg@xs4all.nl of telefonisch op 020 679 58 50. Kijk voor meer informatie de komende tijd op http://www.eajg.nl/ of http://www.sivmo.nl/.

Programma 7 mei
Het andere Israël bestaat!
Plaats: Studio Desmet, Amsterdam, Plantage Middenlaan 4
Aanvang: 20:30
Op 7 mei presenteren Een Ander Joods Geluid en SIVMO het andere Israël in studio Desmet in Amsterdam. Vier vertegenwoordigers van Israëlische vredes- en mensenrechtenorganisaties zullen aanwezig zijn om te laten zien dat er een ander Israël bestaat, en zullen hun ideeën en activiteiten presenteren. Er is gelegenheid tot het stellen van vragen en discussie.
Deelnemers:
Nurit Peled van the International Committee on Education and Occupation (ICEO)
Esther Goldenberg van Zochrot
Suleiman Al Hamri van Combatants for Peace
Elik Elhanan van Combatants for Peace
Midden-Oostendeskundige Ruud Hoff zal de avond leiden. De voertaal tijdens het programma zal Engels zijn.
Inloop 20:00
Programma 20:30 - 22:30
Napraten 22:30 - 23:00
De avond zal muzikaal worden begeleid door de Ot Azoj Klezmer Band, en er kan nagepraat worden onder het genot van een drankje en een hapje.
Entree € 5,–

Programma 15 mei
Israël: welke toekomst na 60 jaar?
Plaats: Domkerk, Utrecht, ingang bruine deur t.o. Domstraat
Aanvang: 19:30
Op 15 mei zal er in de Domkerk in Utrecht een discussieavond plaatsvinden over het zestigjarig bestaan van de staat Israël. Vertegenwoordigers van verschillende organisaties zullen met elkaar hierover in debat treden.
Deelnemers:
Annelien Kisch van de Israëlische vredesorganisatie Machsom Watch
Eldad Kisch van de Israëlische mensenrechtenorganisatie Physicians for Human Rights
Wim Kortenoeven van Centrum Informatie en Documentatie Israël (CIDI)
Jan Slomp, islamoloog en voorzitter van SIVMO.
De voertaal is Nederlands.
Entree is gratis.'

Fundamentalistische Christenen

Dit is de evangelist John Hagee, John is gek, maar ook een echte christen die alle joden so snel mogelijk naar Israel terug wil hebben, zodat het einde der tijden kan aanbreken en iedereen, inclusief de joden die zich niet tot het christendom bekeren, door de allerhoogste in het christelijke vagevuur zullen verdwijnen. Zoals gezegd: John is gek. Opvallend is intussen dat je als zwarte dominee veel minder mag zeggen dan als witte evangelist. De VS is gebouwd op racisme, eerst gingen de Indianen eraan, toen werden de zwarten gedeporteerd vanuit Afrika en nu worden de Latino's uit Mexico vervolgd.

Kijk even mee naar John Hagee's show: kostelijk. Daar kan Balkenende nog een puntje aan zuigen.

The All-White Elephant in the Room By Frank Rich The New York Times

Bored by those endless replays of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright? If so, go directly to YouTube, search for "John Hagee Roman Church Hitler," and be recharged by a fresh jolt of clerical jive.
What you'll find is a white televangelist, the Rev. John Hagee, lecturing in front of an enormous diorama. Wielding a pointer, he pokes at the image of a woman with Pamela Anderson-sized breasts, her hand raising a golden chalice. The woman is "the Great Whore," Mr. Hagee explains, and she is drinking "the blood of the Jewish people." That's because the Great Whore represents "the Roman Church," which, in his view, has thirsted for Jewish blood throughout history, from the Crusades to the Holocaust.
Mr. Hagee is not a fringe kook but the pastor of a Texas megachurch. On Feb. 27, he stood with John McCain and endorsed him over the religious conservatives' favorite, Mike Huckabee, who was then still in the race.
Are we really to believe that neither Mr. McCain nor his camp knew anything then about Mr. Hagee's views? This particular YouTube video - far from the only one - was posted on Jan. 1, nearly two months before the Hagee-McCain press conference. Mr. Hagee appears on multiple religious networks, including twice daily on the largest, Trinity Broadcasting, which reaches 75 million homes. Any 12-year-old with a laptop could have vetted this preacher in 30 seconds, tops.
Since then, Mr. McCain has been shocked to learn that his clerical ally has made many other outrageous statements. Mr. Hagee, it's true, did not blame the American government for concocting AIDS. But he did say that God created Hurricane Katrina to punish New Orleans for its sins, particularly a scheduled "homosexual parade there on the Monday that Katrina came."
Mr. Hagee didn't make that claim in obscure circumstances, either. He broadcast it on one of America's most widely heard radio programs, "Fresh Air" on NPR, back in September 2006. He reaffirmed it in a radio interview less than two weeks ago. Only after a reporter asked Mr. McCain about this Katrina homily on April 24 did the candidate brand it as "nonsense" and the preacher retract it.'

Zie: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/050508K.shtml En:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uViQ0hVV57Q

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'Iraq Backs Off Allegations That Iran Is Behind Violence By Leila Fadel and Shashank Bengali McClatchy Newspapers

Baghdad - The Iraqi Government seemed to distance itself from US accusations towards Iran Sunday saying it would not be forced into conflict with its Shiite neighbor. And Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki ordered the formation of a committee to look into foreign intervention in Iraq.
As the government appeared to back down from its hardening stance against Iran, four marines were killed in Anbar in the deadliest attack in the Sunni province in months.
The government spokesman, Ali al Dabbagh, told reporters Sunday that a committee was formed to find "tangible information" about foreign intervention, specifically Iran's role in Iraq rather than "information based on speculation."
"We don't want to be pushed into any conflict with any neighboring countries, especially Iran. What happened before is enough. We paid a lot," Dabbagh said, referring to the eight years war between the two nations in which an estimated 1 million people died.
While the Iraqi government has long said they would not be used for a proxy war between the U.S. and Iran at odds over Iran's nuclear aspirations, the statement came as the Iraqi government had taken tough stances towards Iran in the past week. This included sending a delegation last week to Iran to urge them to stop the flow of weapons and to refrain from funding Shiite militias battling Iraqi Security Forces.
U.S. officials in Baghdad rejected allegations made Saturday by a senior Iranian official who, according to Iranian state media, accused the United States of attacking Iraqi civilians.
U.S. Embassy spokesman Armand Cucciniello said that the remarks by an unnamed Iranian official "align the Iranian government with these very extremists and criminal elements and against the Iraqi government and people.
"The only appropriate response...to the concerns raised by the government of Iraq is for Iran to immediately cease providing funding, training and arms to extremist militias in Iraq."
In Sadr City the battle continued with overnight U.S. air strikes in the northeast Shiite slum and stronghold of Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr's Mahdi Army.
While Maliki said he would not stand for enemy "gangs" in Iraq, Sadr officials said they were open to negotiation.
Baha al Araji, a Sadrist lawmaker, condemned attacks on the heavily fortified Green Zone where the U.S. Embassy and Iraqi government offices are located and said that disbanding the Mahdi Army was a legitimate request. The Green Zone has come under heavy rocket fire for over a month.'

Lees verder: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/050508J.shtml

Het Israelisch Expansionisme 75

Zie: http://www.netwerk.tv/weblog/index.php?itemid=102