Ehud Olmert: Right-wing Americans thwarted Israeli-Palestinian peace accord

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert tells CNN that right-wing extremists from the United States toppled his government with “millions and millions of dollars” in order to thwart his attempt to reach a lasting peace agreement with the Palestinians.

In the interview Olmert gave CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that aired on Friday, Olmert said that his peace plan was supported by a majority of Israelis and that it could have been, and still can be, implemented were it not for “superior powers” in the U.S. which he would not name.

Olmert told Amanpour that he was working toward a peace agreement in 2008, knowing that this would mean handing over East Jerusalem to the Palestinians. “But I had to fight against superior powers, including millions and millions of dollars that were transferred from this country (the U.S.) by figures which were from the extreme right wing, that were aimed to topple me as Prime Minister of Israel. There is no question about it.”

Amanpour asked Olmert if there is still time for a two-state solution “There is time,” Olmert answered, “but time is running out.”

Olmert acknowledged that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas never said yes to his 2008 proposal, but also insists that “he never said no.”

“So why not reintroduce this plan again,” asked Olmert, “and present the challenge to the Palestinians?”

Olmert criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s dealings with the Palestinians, saying, “The fact is that we don’t negotiate with the Palestinians, and the fact is that we have not proposed anything.”

When asked if Netanyahu will seek such a peace, Olmert said, “I certainly pray that he will,” adding “I doubt that he will.”

"Peace is important for Israel,” insisted Olmert. “We want peace. We need peace. We want to separate from the Palestinians. We don’t want to control the life of the Palestinians. We want them to have their own separate state.”

The first part of the former prime minister's CNN interview was released on Monday, in which he said Israel could take part in a possible military strike on Iran, but should not lead it.

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Israeli diplomat's car blast in New Delhi: WAS IT A STAGE- MANAGED CAR BOMB?

Though India called it a " terror attack," both Home Minister P Chidambaram and External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna did not echo the Israeli accusations against Iran. Chidambaram merely said that the motorcyclist who planted the sophisticated magnetic explosive device on the Israeli car was " very well trained.'All the pieces of the Israeli jigsaw do not seem to fit. Eyewitness Manjeet Singh, who was trailing the Israeli embassys Innova car, has told the police that he did not see any motorcyclist sticking the reported magnetic bomb to the car.

Security agencies are now probing the angle whether the attack was stage- managed by Israelis to ratchet up tensions with Iran.

They are also looking at the possibility of the bomb being activated by a remote- controlled device.

Incidentally, the Israelis are not giving Indians any access to Tal Yehoshua Koren, wife of the Israeli military attaché, who was wounded in the explosion.

In fact, on Tuesday the buzz was that she might be flown to Jerusalem as soon as her condition stabilises.

Realizing that she might slip out of their hands, the security agencies have communicated to the Israeli authorities through the MEA that she will not be allowed to leave Delhi until her testimony is recorded. They want her to cooperate in the probe and stay put in the Capital for the time being.

The security agencies' inquiries at the private Primus Hospital, too, have been stonewalled. The hospital claims to have conducted surgeries on the military attaché's wife to remove shrapnel that pierced her in the explosion, but it is not providing any exact details, nor allowing the Indian sleuths to speak to her on the plea that she is still in the intensive care unit.

She was not as badly injured as the Primus doctors are claiming, sources said.

Every citizen in Israel has to compulsorily undergo army training and the calmness shown by Koren after the blast reinforces suspicion that a trained militia person could be part of the staged- managed bombing job. Koren was conscious and talking coherently with people who extricated her from the burning car, and even directed them to take her to the embassy and not to a hospital. The embassy staff, too, did not allow the police to take her to a government hospital, which raises suspicion, sources in the investigation team said. Also, the incident happened before she picked up her children from school.

The Indian security agencies have also sought information about the defused bomb in an Israeli embassy car in Georgia and the latest blasts in Bangkok to ascertain if there was any link, since media reports have suggested that the same kind of magnetic bombs were used there.

INVESTIGATORS ARRIVE: Israel, meanwhile, flew in its top detectives to join the investigations into the abortive attempt to blow up the car. Giving the first official sequence of the incident after getting a briefing from the police commissioner, Chidambaram said the device exploded within seconds. The biker took advantage of the red light at the crossing to come from behind to stick the sophisticated device on the trunk side of the rear door.

He said the CCTV cameras in the area were screened, but there was " no clear image of the motorcycle rider or the number plate." The Police Commissioner, in turn, said the bomb appears to be most sophisticated and could not have been assembled in India.

An intelligence alert that Israel may hit back has led to heightened security alert at the Iranian embassy here, even as Israeli sleuths who arrived from Tel- Aviv claimed four suspects involved in the Monday attack were holed up in the embassy.

A report in Free press Journal. Here

In recent years, India has taken care to insulate its multi- faceted ties with Iran from the West's collision with Tehran over its nuclear programme. The West accuses Iran of developing nuclear bombs.

India is uneasy at Israeli accusations about Iran's hand in the Monday bombing that targeted an Israeli embassy car, badly injuring the wife of the Israeli defence attache.

India, the sources said, does not want to be drawn into a diplomatic war of words between Tehran and Tel Aviv. Iran has rubbished Israeli charges as " empty lies". But with Israel launching a diplomatic offensive and the American Jewish Congress ( AJC) asking India to scale down its engagement with Iran, New Delhi could come under renewed pressure from the West to cut off ties with what the Americans say is a rogue regime.

India has launched a probe into the terror attack.

" The probe is on," is all Indian officials would say.

K C Singh, a former Indian ambassador to Iran, told IANS: " Anything is possible.

We have to wait and watch." Ajai Sahni, a terrorism expert, said that it was very unlikely that the attack would ever be traced to the Iranian state.

A report in Free Press Journal Here

Obama Sold Israel Bunker-Buster Bombs

President Obama secretly agreed to sell Israel 55 bunker-busting bombs, according to a Newsweek report.

Israel's request for bunker-busters in 2005 was denied. At the time, the Defense Department had frozen most military sales to Israel because of concerns Israel was transferring advanced military technology to China.

Pentagon officials apparently had a change of heart.

Here's what Newsweek's Eli Lake reports:

Even some of the hawks from the George W. Bush administration grudgingly give Obama credit for behind-the-scenes progress. "If you say to the White House, 'Obama has been very unfriendly to Israel,' they say, 'What do you mean? It's the best military-to-military relationship ever.' And that part is true," says Elliott Abrams, who oversaw Middle East policy at the National Security Council. "If you look at the trajectory from Clinton to Bush to Obama, the military relationship has gotten steadily stronger. I don't think Obama changed the trajectory, but he certainly didn't interfere with it, and it continued under him."

The bunker busters were a significant breakthrough. The Israelis first requested the sale in 2005, only to be rebuffed by the Bush administration. At the time, the Pentagon had frozen almost all U.S.-Israeli joint defense projects out of concern that Israel was transferring advanced military technology to China.

In 2007, Bush informed then prime minister Ehud Olmert that he would order the bunker busters for delivery in 2009 or 2010. The Israelis wanted them in 2007. Obama finally released the weapons in 2009, according to officials familiar with the secret decision.

James Cartwright, who served until August as the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Newsweek the military chiefs had no objections to the sale.

A report by Aamer Madhani in USA Today. Here and a report in The Daily Beast. Here

WikiLeaks Exposes Israeli Mafia's Growing Influence

I love how the pundits are yawning over the latest WikiLeaks revelations: oh, there's nothing to see here, it's all so boring, no "smoking gun," so let's just move right along. These people are just plain lazy: they want "scoops" delivered to their front doors, all neatly packaged and labeled as such. In short, they don't want to have to do any work, beyond the usual cut-and-paste. Which is why a lot of the really juicy stuff coming out of WikiLeaks continues to elude them.
Take, for example, this excerpt from a cable dated May 15, 2009 – entitled "Israel, A Promised Land for Organized Crime?" – sent by our embassy in Tel Aviv, which deals with the rising influence of Israeli organized crime:

"As recently as March 2009, Zvika Ben Shabat, Yaacov Avitan, and Tzuri Roka requested visas to attend a 'security-related convention' in Las Vegas. According to local media reports, all three had involvement with OC. Post asked the applicants to provide police reports for any criminal records in Israel, but without such evidence there is no immediate ineligibility for links to OC. Luckily, all three have so far failed to return for continued adjudication of their applications. Nevertheless, it is fair to assume that many known OC figures hold valid tourist visas to the United States and travel freely."

What are organized crime figures doing showing up at a "security-related convention" in Las Vegas? Well, it seems Mr. Zvika Ben Shabat is the President of "H.A.Sh Security Group," an Israeli company that offers security services worldwide. Indeed, they just signed an agreement to start a joint venture with India's giant Micro-Technologies, a company which is described as follows:

"Micro Technologies was established by Dr. [P.] Shekhar, who served as the person in charge on behalf of the Indian Government for advancement and development of the technology and software field in India (First Director Software Technology Park in India), and his company deals with the development of technologies and is already active in many markets around the world, amongst which are: Denmark, Brussels, Italy, New York, Japan, Singapore, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and more. The company has security technologies for identification and monitoring of cell phones, vehicles, structures, computers, infrastructures and WIFI technologies."

In other words, they specialize in snooping, otherwise known as spying. The first Micro Technologies/H.A. Sh Security Group project is a "command and control center" to be built in Mumbai, India. As for what theH.A.Sh Security Group specializes in, well, take a look at these Youtube videos:  here,  here, and  here, for starters. And get a load of who is the Chairman of H.A.Sh Security: none other than retired Major General Dan Ronen, whose resume appears  here:

"2001-2003 – Israel Police: Head of the Operations Division, with the rank of Major General; Coordination of activities of all police units in the operational field; Coordination with the General Security Service and IDF units in the battle against terrorism; 2004-2007 – Israel Police: Commander of Northern Region (the largest of the police regions); Responsible for liaison and coordination vis-à-vis heads of local authorities; Responsible for leading and commanding the overall forces and systems during the second Lebanon War, in missions involving defense of the residents in the northern home front; Areas of Expertise: Combat against terrorism and suicide bombers coordination and operation of emergency and rescue organizations Combat against crime and crime organizations."

Gen. Ronen is listed as the Chairman of H.A.Sh Security Group, with Mr. Ben Shabat, variously described [pdf] as the President, Vice-President, and Director. So why is one of Israel's former top cops in a business relationship with a known member of the Israeli Mafia?
Enquiring minds want to know!

From Justin Raimondo's  report in Sabbah. More Here

Terror in the name of the God of Israel...

The standing military of the United States most ardent ally, Israel has killed 9 peaceful humanitarian workers in international waters on ships carrying aid to starving gentiles in Ghaza. It was all done in the name of God as the Israeli soldiers storming the ships prayed to God for the success of their mission to stop food reaching the hungry people under the blessings of their priests.

Pro-Israeli organizations in America and all over the world are silent, the same way as Christians were silent when Jews were massacred by Hitler\'s mainly Christian soldiers in Germany. Those who claim to champion the cause of justice among the Israelis are justifying the killing and the strongest ally of the Jewish state is still studying the situation. What a shame.

What was done is inhumane and among the ugliest form of terrorism. It is terrorism sponsored by the state. No ifs and no buts. But some refuse to see this as inhumane. Probably it is because a gentile has no value in the eyes of those who claim that God has given them all the wisdom to decide and determine the status of everyone else.

The so called holy land, today, offers the most unholy scene. Everything, the divine guidance inspires humans to accomplish is violated. Peace, human dignity, human life has no meaning. What is even more ironic is that the conflict is among people who claim that they have the most comprehensive divine guidance for justice, peace and love.

Only a sick mind can see the other human suffer. For almost 60 years, a people have been kicked out of their land and placed in holes not even fit for insects. At will they have been killed, humiliated and tormented. Only a sick mind will let the people die in hunger and face starvation. And only a sick mind will stop relief reaching the injured and wounded.

That sick mind, in our world, today is represented by those who claim to be the defenders of the Jewish state. Jews in America owe it to Americans to distance them from this thinking. Palestinians have the same human rights that Jews and Christians have and they have the same right to live in peace and security as the Israelis have.

In the last 60 years the Israelis have created a myth of insecurity to their existence. They have always argued that their tiny state is surrounded by Muslims who pose a constant threat to them. Well, in the 2,000 years of their existence, Jews have found them selves on the verge of annihilation either by Christian Romans or Christian Europe. Never, in their presence among Muslims, they ever felt that their religious existence was ever under threat. This myth is perpetuated by their sympathizers all over the world. In the US, their lobbies propagate lies and use all tactics including intimidation and coercion to influence the opinion of the so called people\'s representatives.

From Aslam Abdullah's article in Radiance. More Here

Why America Hates Iran?

An analysis of the U.S. political scene would reveal that it is the Evangelical Right, also known as the Christian Zionists, led by extremist televangelists such as John Hagee, Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, who, along with the Jewish lobby, call the shots, in so far as the U.S. Middle East policy is concerned. It must, however, be said that mainstream Christianity (including the Catholic Church) does not identify itself with the fanatical beliefs of Evangelical Right such as those discussed below.

In a recent article in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz titled Why Christian Zionists really support Israel Hagee wrote; “Our support for Israel starts with God’s promises in the Hebrew Bible, but it does not end there. Christian Zionists recognize that we owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the Jewish people. As I have stressed to my Christian audiences for years: If you take away the Jewish contribution to Christianity, there would be no Christianity.” 

By “God’s promises” Hagee is actually referring to the deliberate misrepresentations of certain biblical verses. One such verse promises Prophet Abraham and his descendants the land “from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the Euphrates” (Genesis 15:18). In another one God offers to give Abraham and his “seed” after him the entire land of Canaan (Palestine) “for an everlasting possession” (Genesis 17:8). It may be noted here that according to the Old Testament the Arabs and the Jews are the descendants of Abraham through Ishmael and Isaac respectively which, hypothetically speaking, makes them the joint owners of the “promised land.”

But for obvious reasons the Zionists and their Christian supporters do not recognise Ishmael as the legitimate son of Abraham as he was born to a “slave woman” named Hagar, the handmaiden of Sarah, the first wife of Abraham and the mother of Isaac (Genesis 16:1-6). This divide was further aggravated by St.Paul who advised the Christians saying, “Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. At that time the son born in the ordinary way [Ishmael] persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit [Isaac]. It is the same now. But what does the Scripture say? ‘Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.’” (Galatians 4:28-31).

It is therefore the belief of the Christians Zionists that the occupation of all Arab lands by the Jews (in fulfillment of the prophesy in Genesis 15:18), after driving out the children of the “slave woman”, is a prelude to the Second Coming of Christ and Armageddon, the biblical concept of the last battle between the Good and the Evil before the day of Judgment (Ezekiel 38-39). It is in this context that the US attitude to Iran must be seen and understood, and once again John Hagee personifies this extremist mindset. In his provocative book Jerusalem Countdown Hagee advocates a war on Iran saying; “The rise of terrorism in our world and the emerging crisis in the Middle East between Israel and Iran are part of a much bigger picture – that of God’s plan for the future of Israel and the entire world. We are going to discover we are facing a countdown in the Middle East – the Jerusalem Countdown, a battle such as the world has never seen or will ever see again.”

....  .... ....

It is a strange paradox that, on the one hand we have the Christian Zionists supporting Israel with financial, moral and military aid in the dogmatic hope of one day converting all the Jews to Christianity, and on the other, we see the cunning Zionists – who never accepted Jesus as their Messiah – successfully manipulating the Christian Right using their own Bible to further their diabolical expansionist agenda. The ultimate victims of this unholy scheming between two Machiavellian religious groups are the innocent Palestinians who have been rendered refugees in their own homeland.

From A Faizur Rahman's article in Indian Muslims. More Here.

A. Faizur Rahman is the Secretary General of Forum for the Promotion of Moderate Thought Among Muslims in Chennai.. He may be reached at faizz@rocketmail.com

"Israel cannot get away with it...", asserts Kuldip Nayar

America is the only nation which can put pressure on Israel. But every US president assesses how much he can do without annoying the powerful Jewish lobby in America. President Barack Obama appears to be different but his reaction is lukewarm. He may not prove to be a Bill Clinton who got Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat to shake hands and come to an understanding which had the makings of a settlement.

Obama has to start all over again and emphasise to Israel that peace or security in the region can be achieved through conciliation, not by force. The Security Council’s resolution was too tepid to be taken seriously.

The attack on the flotilla indicates how power has become the arbiter in the world. Countries in a region have to come together to withstand pressure from outside. This is yet another reminder to South Asia that unless it puts its act together, it may expose itself to outside interference. The manner in which the US is enhancing its presence in Afghanistan and Pakistan is ominous. The region must wake up to the danger.

Israel has reintroduced gunboat diplomacy. Colonisation belongs to an age when there was no UN, no forum to discuss aggression and no lobby to seek peace. What has happened recently cannot be taken lightly.

The entire international community has to sit up and take note. Israel cannot get away with it as it has so far by reducing the people of Palestine to a commodity that Tel Aviv can use in the manner it likes.

Israel is not the face of the Jews who are generally known as a peace-loving community. It should not be allowed to blacken their faces.

From Kuldip Nayar's article in Dawn. More Here.

Furqan Dogan and me

Who is Furkan Dogan you may ask?

He was the lone US citizen of the nine activists killed by the Israelis during the Flotilla Massacre. I was horrified to read about his execution-style killing and the even more horrifying, but not surprising, silence by the US on one of its citizens being murdered abroad.

What does this 19-yr old martyr have to do with me?

Well, besides his obviously extraordinary act of courage and sacrifice, I didn’t give any extra thought to him over the others who died at the hands of the IDF.

But when I read that he was born in a small town located in upstate New York named Troy, I immediately sat up.

You see, Troy, NY is known for nothing - absolutely nothing. The weather is dreary, the social life is non-existent, and the locals are aloof. Those living in this ex-industrial town are infamously known as Troilets.

The only thing of real value located in Troy is my Alma mater, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). Yes, that makes me the only human being in the world who has the ignominy of being both a Troilet as well as a Baltimoron (being from Baltimore). Yay for me!

Anyways, so when I read that he was born in Troy 19 years ago, the story became a bit more personal. I was there in Troy from 1990 to 1994, the exact time of his birth.

And since I know that the only Turkish residents of Troy are RPI postgrads, I immediately started racking my brain for any Turkish brother with the last name Dogan, in the off chance that I actually may have known Furkan’s father. Seeing that it was almost 20 years ago, many names and faces have begun to blur, so I wasn't having much luck there.

And then when I finally found a picture of the good brother whose son was killed in the Flotilla Massacre, my heart dropped.

His name is Ahmet Dogan and I knew him from the local masjid at RPI. While he was pursuing his PhD, I was an undergrad youngling. I remember him for two things, his extremely quiet demeanor and his sweet jump shot. Our paths regularly crossed in many places during my four years there – at the masjid, at social gatherings, at Juma’a, on campus.

And it is not beyond the realm of possibility that I actually held little Furkan in my arms, during one of the countless encounters with dear Ahmet.


And for the mere possibility of having met modern-day martyr Furkan Dogan, I am humbled and honored.

From Naeem's Blog. More here.

Thomas Friedman on the Flotilla attack : It was definitely a "setup"

No question! No question, at all, that this flotilla was a setup, designed to trick the Israeli commandos into boarding it, from a helicopter. That is why those "humanitarian" activists were so well-armed with... poles and chairs and sticks and things one would find on a boat. They had set a trap, for Israel, to trick Israel into killing between 9 and 20 people. (But because Friedman is very balanced he admits that it was very stupid of Israel to fall for this trap and kill those people.)

You must always remember that while reasonable people consider Thomas Friedman to be a joke -- a barely literate cartoon mustache of oversimplification whose understanding of global politics is slightly less comprehensive than a USA Today infographic and who possesses about as much insight into world events as a lightly vandalized Wikipedia stub entry -- the sort of people who ineptly manage and run the nation take him very seriously and look to him to form their opinions about important subjects outside (and sometimes relating to) their immediate expertise, be that foreclosing on families or running the Defense Department for the Bush Administration.

From Alex Parene's article in Salon. More here.

After Rachel Corrie, Furkan Dogan is the second US citizen murdered by Israel

Furkan Dogan was struck by five bullets shortly before dawn on Monday while aboard the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara ship. His US citizenship was highlighted at the funeral of eight of the nine Turks who died during the incident.

"Furkan was my friend," said Ali Yunusoalu, who had accompanied his friend during pre-dawn prayers on the top deck of the Mavi Marmar on Monday.

Dogan's father told how his son had been shot in the forehead, but he also mentioned how the family took comfort in believing that Furkan had died in an honourable manner. "I feel my son has been blessed with heaven," he said. "I am hoping to be a father — worthy of my son."

American activist Rachel Corrie was killed by an Israeli military bulldozer, as she tried to stop it from destroying a Palestinian home in Gaza.

From a report in Gulf News. More here.

Attack on Freedom Flotilla and the hypocrisy of the western media

The people of the Western world have been given a jaded perspective on the unprovoked Israeli attack on an unarmed, six-ship relief flotilla on the high seas, some 130 km off the Gaza coast in international waters.

The assault by marauding commandos has drawn condemnation from the United Nations, the European Union and NATO-member Turkey, but US and British media outlets for the most part have opted to broadcast the Israeli government’s official line, branding the foreign nationals as terrorists.

The Israeli naval forces disrupted maritime communication from the flotilla before the combined air-and-sea assault, and less critical newsgathering organizations are settling for handouts from the Israeli government.

A good comparison is the coverage between the British Broadcasting Corp. and Qatar-based Al-Jazeera News.

At the noon (Saudi time) bulletin BBC ran the story as its lead and continued to air Israeli version of the gruesome attack. Not just that, it gave precious airtime to the Israeli spokespersons with little interruption or questioning from the anchor. One missed Nik Gowing in the newsroom. The Israeli spokesperson and Israeli sympathizers waxed eloquent on how the organizers of the flotilla were responsible for bringing the tragedy upon themselves. There was little or no mention about the fact that the attack had taken place in international waters.

Al Jazeera English brought in everything. In its 1 p.m. bulletin, the anchor led the story by mentioning that 14 people had died in the Israeli attack on the lead ship called Mavi Marmara. It then showed dramatic footage right from the ship that was under attack. Al Jazeera’s Jamal Al-Shayyal was on board the main ship — a sharp contrast to Tia Goldenberg of The Associated Press filing her reports from the Israeli missile boat INS Kidon, which took part in the attack.

“Two people have been confirmed dead,” Al-Shayyal reported. “The organizers of the aid flotilla have now asked all passengers to go inside. Israeli commandos have descended upon the ship. The ship is still in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea. The Marmara has been surrounded on all sides by armed boats. We can still hear shots being fired — even after the white flag has been raised. There are all civilians on this ship. They include women, children and the elderly.”

Al-Shayyal’s reports and the dramatic shipboard footage explained it all. It was there in images. Al Jazeera then took the viewers to the Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon who was reading a statement.
“We were attacked by those on board the ship. We regret the loss of life but the responsibility for this tragedy lies with the organizers of the flotilla. We told them not to enter Gaza. We told them to deliver the aid through appropriate channels. The organizers of the aid flotilla are the supporters of Al-Qaeda and Hamas. They were armed and trying to lynch our soldiers, and that is why we acted in self defense,” he said.

Al Jazeera then brought in Murat Mercan, chairman of the Turkish Parliament commission of foreign affairs. “Ayalon is a liar,” he said. “The ships were cleared by the Turkish authorities. There were no arms of board. Only people. There were so many ways of stopping the ship. Obviously, Israel wasn’t interested in merely stopping the ship. This will have consequences. No country has the right to attack any ship, armed or unarmed, in the international waters. This is a serious violation. In the coming days, you will see how Turkey will respond,” he said.

Al Jazeera took the viewers to Ayman Mohyeldin in Umm Al-Fahm which is where Sheikh Raed Salah, a prominent theologian from Palestine, came from. He was also on the ship and was shot in the head by the Israeli commandoes. He also gave a sense of the people’s feeling saying, “All the images being shown from the activists on board those ships show clearly that they were civilians and peaceful in nature, with medical supplies on board. So it will surprise many in the international community to learn what could have possibly led to this type of confrontation.”

Anita McNaught, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Istanbul, was out in the streets of Istanbul gathering people’s reactions. Turkish protestors carrying Palestinian and Hamas flags were swelling up in the town square to register their protest. "The Turks had a constructive military alliance and for many years they saw the issue of domestic terrorism as one they had to share information about,” she said. “But since the Gaza war relations have nose-dived and it would be absolutely fair to say that this attack is the lowest point."

The best part of Al Jazeera coverage was the soundbyte from the erudite Palestinian leader Nabil Shaath. Very methodically, he called the Israeli bluff. “This is a murderous attack,” he said. “All this talk about there being arms on the ship is absolute nonsense. One is reminded of the American drugs police who sometimes plant drugs on somebody just so they can arrest him. Nobody is going to believe Israel. Such excessive use of force indicates their nefarious designs. They went in to kill, and they did.”

So far, Western news outlets seem content to take statements and press releases from the Israelis; the rest of the story remains unreported.

From Siraj Wahab's article in Arab News. It is a telling comment on the hypocrisy of the western media. More Here.

"Israel is the biggest threat to the peace loving world" asserts Jamaat-e-Islami Andhra Chief

Jamaat-e-Islami Hind AP alongwith SIO, IYM and MPJ staged a protest against the cruel Isareli attack on flotilla. Moulana Malik Moatasim Khan, Zonal President, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Andhra Pradesh condemned Israel in unequivocal terms. He declared Israel as the biggest threat to the peace loving world. He termed the brutal attack on Flotilla as barbaric. Moulana Malik Moatasim Khan urged the Indian government to severe diplomatic relationship with Israel immediately. He also asked Arab world to come forward and condemn Israel and put diplomatic pressure to end Gaza siege.

From a report in Jamaat-e-Islami Hind's website. More here.

Attack on Freedom Flotilla- Come on Obama, earn your Nobel!

There are moments in history which demand change in our perceptions and attitudes to what looks routine. We have become immune to the siege and violence of Gaza. We have become deaf to the cries of mothers and lamenting of daughters. The complex power equations of the Middle East have muddled the cost of human suffering which is an inevitable part of the package. With each day the darkness around Gaza deepens. Peace talks, war crimes and peace talks again. The cycle goes on with a status quo which suites the perpetrators more than the victims.

The attack on Freedom Flotilla is one such moment which has thrown a chance not towards Barak Obama, the President of the most powerful country in the world, but towards Barak Obama, the Nobel Laureate for Peace 2009. There is no paucity of options on Barak Obama’s platter. Israeli economic blockage, redefining biased territorial divisions, UN sanctions, maybe use of force or even freedom for the people of Palestine in general and Gaza in particular. President Obama was criticized by many for being given the Nobel Prize prematurely. This is the opportunity to justify the award and to reaffirm the faith of people in hope and humanity.

We know the cost of standing up against Israel and the Zionist agenda can be exorbitant and pure dangerous, but then the cost to maintain status quo is already deadly. We hope Barack Obama, the first black President of the United States of America stands up to what he writes and thinks. We hope that his actions, not rhetoric, will manufacture global consent against any further Israeli oppression. We hope that he frees the prisoners of Gaza not only from their brutal masters but from their fates as well. President Barak Obama, we will wait to see if you are just one of them or are you a rare breed.

From Shah Alam Khan's blog

To read the full article click here.

Shah Alam Khan is a Orthopaedic Surgeon working at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India