All 87 entries tagged Politics

Happy Birthday Israel

Writing about web page http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-israel-is-suppressing-a-secret-it-must-face-816661.html

Johann Hari writes on Israel’s founding

So, for when the moment arrived, [Ben Gurion] helped draw up Plan Dalit. It was – as Israeli historian Ilan Pappe puts it – “a detailed description of the methods to be used to forcibly evict the people: large-scale intimidation; and laying siege to and bombarding population centres”. In 1948, before the Arab armies invaded, this began to be implemented: some 800,000 people were ethnically cleansed, and Israel was built on the ruins. The people who ask angrily why the Palestinians keep longing for their old land should imagine an English version of this story. How would we react if the 30m stateless, persecuted Kurds in the world sent armies and settlers into this country to seize everything in England below Leeds, and swiftly established a free Kurdistan from which we were expelled? Wouldn’t we long forever for our children to return to Cornwall and Devon and London? Would it take us only 40 years to compromise and offer to settle for just 22 per cent of what we had?

Christopher Rossdale : 01 May 2008 01:25 |  Tags: Ilan Pappe Israel Israel And Palestine Naqba Politics |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

The Lobby at Work

Writing about web page http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9474.shtml

Not really blogging at the moment, due to finals, just thought I’d post up this interesting study from Electronic Intifada. From e-mails they’ve obtained, it would appear that Israel Lobby group ‘CAMERA’ (Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America) has been systematically distorting Wikipedia articles on the Arab-Israeli conflcit to paint Israel’s history in a favourable light (no small task). It’s well worth a read, particularly the conscious efforts on the part of CAMERA to maintain secrecy:

Stealth and misrepresentation are presented as the keys to success. Ini suggests that after volunteers sign up as editors for Wikipedia they should “avoid editing Israel-related articles for a short period of time.” This strategy is intended to “avoid the appearance of being one-topic editors,” thus attracting unwanted attention.

Christopher Rossdale : 26 Apr 2008 10:52 |  Tags: Israel And Palestine Israel Lobby Politics |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Seperation Barrier: Future Border

Writing about web page http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/957116.html

Perhaps the strongest claim to date that Israel sees the wall/fence/thingy as the future border of its state.

“When a right-wing government headed by the Likud and Shas determined the route of the fence, it decided for all intents and purposes that everything beyond the fence will not be under Israel’s sovereignty,” Ramon said. “Indecision with regards to evacuation-compensation harms Israel’s ability to strengthen the settlement blocs west of the fence, where most of the settlers are today, and to keep them under Israeli sovereignty. In that way, it endangers the state of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.” Emphasis Added.

The pathway of the wall annexes around 10% of the West Bank, including “many of the West Bank’s most valuable water resources.”[1] It also “runs deep into the West Bank to encircle the large settlements of Giv’at Zeev (pop. 11,000) and Ma’ale Adummim (pop. 28,000) which are currently outside the municipal boundary” [2] whilst cutting off Palestinian communities such as Shu’fat Camp and Samiramees which lie within the municipal boundaries of East Jerusalem.

This has the effect of essentially separating Jerusalem from the West Bank, and dividing the West Bank into two seperate entities: north and south. As Americans for Peace Now note, “both of these situations are antithetical to the achievement of any real, durable peace agreement and the establishment of a viable, contiguous Palestinian state”.[3] Jeff Halper from the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions notes that “since 40% of the Palestinian economy revolves around Jerusalem and its tourist-based economy, the E-1 plan (the building between Ma’aleh Adumim and Jerusalem, both on the Western side of the wall) effectively cuts the economic heart out of any Palestinian state, rendering it nothing more than a set of non-viable Indian reservations.” [4]

[1] John Dugard, Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories Occupied Since 1967 (United Nations General Assembly) August 17, 2007: p.13
[2] The Humanitarian Impact of the West Bank Barrier on Palestinian Communities (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)) 2007: p.14
[3] E-1 & Ma’ale Adumim (Americans for Peace Now) May 13, 2005
[4] Jeff Halper, The End of a Viable Palestinian State (Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions) March 29, 2005

Go here for a more detailed map

Christopher Rossdale : 23 Feb 2008 14:07 |  Tags: Israel And Palestine Jerusalem Politics Separation Barrier Settlement Expansion |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Distorting Ahmadinejad

Writing about web page http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/949628.html

A few years ago Ahmadinejad was widely and excitedly quoted as saying that he wanted to ‘wipe Israel off the map’. Clear proof that this new Hitler was dangerous, and needed destroying.

Unfortunately the quote was a mix of both mistranslation and deliberate distortion. The sense of what he really meant was that he wanted to see the Zionist regime (ethno-superior, expansionist) cast into history. Personally, I have no problem with that.

Today he’s reported to have said something similar (this time translated more accurately, but still distorted):

Ahmadinejad further incited his listeners to “stop supporting the Zionists, as [their] regime reached its final stage. Accept that the life of Zionists will sooner or later come to an end,” the Iranian president said in a televised speech.

There is an important distinction to be made between ‘Israel’ as a state, and ‘Zionism’ as a concept. To the Arab world, the word Zionism represents the expansionist and rejectionist drives of the Israeli state. It is what keeps Arab Israelis as second class citizens because they are not Jewish, and it is what justifies the appropriation of the best Palestinian land. The state of Israel can, and should, exist without continued Zionist control.

However the headline of the article was ‘Ahmadinejad tells West: Accept Israel’s ‘imminent collapse’. They have substituted in a totally different term, which looks as though Ahmadinejad is planning on blowing up Israel. I’m certainly not Iran’s biggest fan, most definitely not Ahmadinejad’s. However such misquotation, and the threats from the West which the propaganda supports, will only strengthen the despots in Iran. Members of the democracy movements, who risk their lives and liberty to fight for justice, tell us time and time again that threatening Iran strengthens the hardliners and weakens their struggle. It’s common sense – people retreat behind a strong leader when they’re scared. Political support for Ahmadinejad is weak, inflation is out of control, and there is a chance he will be defeated at the next election. Continued aggression from the West will ensure that this is not the case.

Christopher Rossdale : 30 Jan 2008 11:55 |  Tags: Ahmadinejad Iran Israel Politics |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Why Israel Doesn't Need to Worry

Writing about web page http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1201523779464&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

One of the big questions troubling Shmuel Rosner, the conservative U.S. correspondent for the Israeli daily Ha’aretz, is the question of which U.S. presidential candidate would be best for Israel. In his section on the Ha’aretz site, ‘Rosner’s Domain’ (which to me has always sounded like an area in a Zelda game), he hosts ‘The Israel Factor’, a panel which analyses which of the candidates, from the Republicans and Democrats, would be best for Israel.

Rosner ignores the candidates silly enough not to support Israel, he never put Kuchinich or Gravel up when they were still running, and Ron Paul does not figure, despite have more popularity than some of the figures he has discussed. Of those who are counted, Giuliani is top with 8.37 (it’s oddly specific) and McCain is second with 7.75. Clinton has 7.5 whilst Obama is last with 5.12. Given that Obama is currently 3/1 to win the Presidency, this is obviously causing some alarm amongst the Israel Lobby. Or that’s what we’re told. I don’t buy it, whether or not they think they will before they get elected, once in office, American presidents are always going to support Israel. Getting elected without supporting them is difficult too, as Obama showed yesterday.

“The outlines of any agreement would involve ensuring that Israel remains a Jewish state,” Obama told The Jerusalem Post and other members of the Jewish and Israeli press on a conference call. He reiterated his support for a two-state solution, but said, “We cannot move forward until there is some confidence that the Palestinians are able to provide the security apparatus that would prevent constant attacks against Israel from taking place.”

In a few breaths Obama showed that, even whilst being the least Israel-friendly of the candidates, he accepts a state grounded in ethnic superiority, and has no problem ignoring both international law and international consensus about how to move towards a solution.

To his credit, Obama also said that “The Palestinians have a legitimate concern that a state have a contiguous coherent mass that would allow the state to function effectively.” However he says this whilst supporting a ‘stalemate’ that is in reality an opportunity for Israel to land grab and finish its wall. The real conditions necessary for a ‘contiguous coherent mass’ will not be achieved whilst you insist that Israel has no obligations until the Palestinians cease resisting the occupation which is making their lives intolerable.

Whoever becomes President will be subject to a military-industrial complex, intelligent and entrenched strategic planners, an oil lobby, an Israel lobby, and a highly disciplined media system, all who support America’s relationship with Israel. Obama, if he becomes president, will continue this support, as he showed yesterday. The lesson: we shouldn’t wait around for the U.S. to figure this all out. Well that was worth sticking around for!

Christopher Rossdale : 29 Jan 2008 12:13 |  Tags: Barak Obama Israel Israel And Palestine Politics Presidential Elections Usa |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Suharto's Legacy

Writing about web page http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7211565.stm

I’m getting really fed up with the pulled punches on Suharto. The pleas for the East Timorese to forgive him, or the rather obscene quote in the article on his death this morning which said that

Suharto’s rule was marked by rapid economic growth and political stability. Some Indonesians fondly call him the “father of development”.

Suharto’s life was marked by the merciless slaughter of over half a million people, a footnote only mentioned at the bottom of the BBC article, qualified by the fact that it was an anti-communist programme (i.e. the victims were landless peasants).

Britain and the U.S.’s complicity in the killings is unmentioned. As Mark Curtis shows, (Web of Deceit, London, Vintage, pp. 387-402) officials approved of his purges, only raising concern at the sheer barbarity of the events. “A woman of 78…was taken away one night by a village execution squad…Half a dozen heads were neatly arranged on the parapet of a small bridge.” (p.391).

Suharto also killed a few hundred thousand East-Timorese in the late 70’s, the 80’s and the 90’s. Fearing a bid for independence, in 1975 Suharto launched ‘one of the most brutal invasions by any country in the postwar period’. (p.403) No-one knows how many people were killed – no-one counts. Estimates suggest it was another half million people, taking Suharto into the one million club.

British support for this slaughter was just as strong as in the 60’s. The British Ambassador in Jakarta wrote to the Foreign Office that:

The people of Portugese Timor are in no condition to exercise the right to self-determination…The arguments in favour of its integration into Indonesia are all the stronger…Developments in Lisbon now seem to argue in favour of greater sympathy towards Indonesia should the Indonesian government feel forced to take strong action by the deteriorating situation in Portugese Timor.

Certainly, as seen from here, it is in Britain’s interest that Indonesia should absorb the territory as soon and as unontrusively as possible, and that if it should come to the crunch and there is a row in the United Nations, we should keep our heads down and avoid taking sides against the Indonesian government. (p.404)

Given previous examples of how Suharto dealt with dissent, it is clear what the Ambassador meant when he said ‘strong action’. The U.S. is more culpable here, with Ford and Kissinger meeting with Suharto the day before the invasion of East Timor, Ford telling Suharto that ‘we will understand and will not press you on the issue. We understand the problem and the intentions that you have.’ (p.405) The support, the shocking quotes, the diplomatic cover, go on and on. The records are disgusting.

Britain also increased arms sales to Indonesia following the invasion. Hawk aircrafts, Rolls Royce engines, the training of engineers and spare parts. Such support also continued throughout Suharto’s bloody rule, with our friends British Aerospace playing a willing role.

New Labour is also complicit in a fair few thousand deaths in East Timor, following the 1999 independence vote, but that’s another article!

You wouldn’t expect an article on Hitler, or Stalin, or Saddam Hussein, to start off by talking about his good economic record, and then mention ‘human rights abuses’. It would start by rightly condemning them as mass murderers. Suharto is a mass murderer, who killed somewhere between 700,000 and 1,000,000 people. The fact that he did most of this with Western support is to our shame, that it is not regarded as one of the worst atrocities of the post WW2 era is embarassing.

Christopher Rossdale : 27 Jan 2008 10:56 |  Tags: Human Rights Indonesia Media Politics Suharto |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Hillary the Joker

Writing about web page http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7193296.stm

Hillary Clinton made an amusing speech to the reporters aboard her campaigning jet. As she was looking for a little free press, I’m happy to oblige.

“My name is Hillary and I am so pleased to have most of you on board,” she said, referring to her sometimes difficult relationship with the media. In the event of an unexpected drop in poll numbers, this plane will be diverted to New Hampshire “[Federal Aviation Administration] regulations prohibit the use of any cell phones, Blackberries or wireless devices that may be used to transmit a negative story about me,” she continued. “In a few minutes, I am going to switch off the ‘Fasten Your Seat Belt’ sign. However, I’ve learned lately that things can get awfully bumpy when you least expect it – so you might want to keep those seat belts fastened,” she added. “And in the event of an unexpected drop in poll numbers, this plane will be diverted to New Hampshire.”

Taking the opportunity to make a political point, she continued: “If you look out from the right, you will see an America saddled with tax cuts for the wealthiest and a war without end. “If you look out from the left, you will see an America with a strong middle class at home and a strong reputation in the world,” she said.

This is actually pretty funny, so much so that I’m urging her to give up the day job and start working the circuits. People would respect professional politicians a lot more if they admitted all along that they really just wanted to be comedians, making obscene caracatures of world events and hanging about with Chris Rock.

Christopher Rossdale : 17 Jan 2008 10:49 |  Tags: Hilary Clinton Politics Presidential Elections |  Comments (3) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

For no reason, bang, a bullet in the stomach

Writing about web page http://heathlander.wordpress.com/2007/10/06/israeli-soldier-in-gaza-you-are-the-law-you-are-god/

I was going to link to this superb article from Haaretz, but The Heathlander keeps getting there before me! Well worth a read though, as are the comments at the bottom of the article.

“The most important thing is that it removes the burden of the law from you. You feel that you are the law. You are the law. You are the one who decides … As though from the moment you leave the place that is called Eretz Yisrael [the Land of Israel] and go through the Erez checkpoint into the Gaza Strip, you are the law. You are God.”

“We were in a weapon carrier when this guy, around 25, passed by in the street, and just like that, for no reason, he didn’t throw a stone, did nothing – bang, a bullet in the stomach – he shot him in the stomach and the guy is dying on the sidewalk and we keep going, apathetic. No one gave him a second look.”

“A 3-year-old kid, he can’t throw, he can’t hurt you no matter what he does, but a kid of 19 can. With women I have no problem. With women, one threw a clog at me and I kicked her here [pointing to the crotch], I broke everything there. She can’t have children. Next time she won’t throw clogs at me. When one of them [a woman] spat at me I gave her the rifle butt in the face. She doesn’t have what to spit with anymore.”

Christopher Rossdale : 08 Oct 2007 08:48 |  Tags: Gaza Haaretz Human Rights Idf Israel And Palestine Military Politics |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Dissertation

I’m in the process of trying to narrow down what I want to look at for my dissertation. I’m keen to look at the American funding of Fatah and its possible effects, or perhaps what it tells us about American foreign policy (my tutor teaches American Politics).

It was interesting (and disgraceful) that the Palestinian delegation to the UN last week sought to pull down the resolution put forwards by Qatar expressing concern over the deteriorating situation in Gaza. Such a resolution would have put pressure on Israel to loosen the conditions in the region, where a major humanitarian problem is developing. In getting the resolution pulled Fatah (who controls the UN delegation) are contributing to the appaling situation in Gaza in a transparent effort to discredit Hamas. If one wanted to be cynical (and sometimes I like to be cynical) the $80million the US recently gave to Fatah could be cited at this point.

Such movements on the part of both Fatah and the US could cause major problems in the region. A recent WPO report showed that Palestinians are becoming less likely to trust the UN because they perceive it as being controlled by the US, who they do not believe has their interests at heart. I could look at how American action is damaging the long term prospects for peace by engaging in regional power play. The democratic defecit inherent in such actions is a little overstudied at this point I think. Perhaps I could look at how it shows that the US has not got the Palestinian interests at heart.

Any ideas?

Christopher Rossdale : 28 Aug 2007 19:46 |  Tags: Dissertation Israel And Palestine Politics |  Comments (3) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Craig Murray on Civil Liberties and the Iran/Iraq Border

Writing about web page http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/craig_murray/2007/06/reids_new_best_friends.html

Craig Murray, the ambassador turned dissident who is becoming increasingly influential in the anti-war movement, writes eloquently about Reid’s assault on our civil liberties…

I have just been sickened by John Reid putting his new anti-liberty proposals to parliament. “Terrible things are threatening,” he gravely warned us, “which had not been anticipated or imagined,” when our liberties were adopted.

Just what are these “terrible things” that we can’t imagine? Reid’s flight of rhetoric is reminiscent of King Lear:

“I will do such things, What they are yet I know not; but they shall be The terrors of the earth”

The point is, of course, that Shakespeare’s Lear was supposed to be illustrating his descent into madness by this crazed rambling; whereas Reid’s daft statement comes from a supposedly rational man, intent on destroying the civil liberties of our country.

However he is most interesting in the comment he then posts on the entry (a comment which appears to have provoked the Guardian editors into taking his article down from the front page, when CiF articles posted before it are still marked under ‘latest’):

Good point about the Iranian Maritime Boundaries issue. After I blogged the (indisputable) fact that no maritime boundary between Iran and Iraq in the Persian Gulf had ever been agreed and the MOD map was a fake with no legal force, it took some time to seep into the public consciousness. Eventually the Mail published it, then the BBC took it up, and eventually everyone except the mad people on the Harry’s Place blog accepted it as true. I have now been asked by the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee to produce a paper explaining it to them.

The reason I note this here, is that before I did any of that, I phoned the Guardian and explained at length the problem with the map to David Leigh and Richard Norton Taylor. They took no notice whatever and the Guardian continued to reproduce the Blair fake boundary map as propaganda for weeks, with no hint there was a problem with it.

This is very sad for me, as I remember the days when the Guardian was a newspaper and not a Blairite neo-con rag. I think that what the Guardian/Observer has become under the war criminal supporting White, Tisdall, Wintour, Toynbee and Cohen is a national disaster. Rusbridger is just a cypher in a very bad wig. Anyway, I don’t want to derail the very interesting thread on civil liberties so if anyone wants to take any of this up, please move on to my blog.

Christopher Rossdale : 10 Jun 2007 13:26 |  Tags: Censorship Civil Liberties Craig Murray Guardian Iran Iraq John Reid Politics |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem