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Mar 12

IAEA Report Confirms Iran’s Peaceful Nuclear Program

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by Stephen Lendman

 

It’s no surprise. It’s been that way for years. Iran’s legally entitled to enrich uranium. Dozens of other countries do the same thing.

 

Tehran alone is criticized. Managed news misinformation begets more of it. Washington, Israel, and European partner collaborators repeat it ad nauseam.

 

They lie. They know they’re lying. They repeat what they know is false. Media scoundrels regurgitate it. Doing so makes them complicit.

 

Americans are the least informed, most entertained people anywhere. They’re mindless about what matters most.

 

Propaganda works. A new Gallup poll explains. It found 99% of Americans believe Iran’s nuclear program threatens US security. Its nonexistent nukes are considered more dangerous than nations with real ones.

 

Previous polls called Iran America’s top enemy. China ranked second.

 

Paul Craig Roberts calls thinking America’s “national disability.” Indifference lets Washington get away with murder and much more.

 

Iran fully complies with Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) provisions. Its nuclear program is peaceful. US intelligence says so. Annually it repeats earlier assessments.

 

On February 6, the IAEA said Iran began installing IR-2m centrifuges. It’s entitled to do so. It’s doing it at Natanz. It’s Tehran’s main uranium enrichment facility.

 

“This is the first time that centrifuges more advanced that IR-1 have been installed,” it said.

 

Ali Asghar Soltananieh is Tehran’s IAEA ambassador. Iran’s program is entirely peaceful, he stressed.

 

“The most important point of the report is that after a decade of continuous inspections by the agency, there is no evidence on divergence toward military purposes in Iran’s nuclear material and activities,” he added.

 

“The agency says that (uranium) enrichment is continuing in Iran without any problem and under (its) full supervision.”

 

“According to (its) report, enrichment to a purity level of 20 percent with the aim of fueling the Tehran reactor is successfully continuing, and it indicates the peaceful use of enrichment to supply the Tehran research reactor with fuel to provide hospitals with radioisotopes they need.”

 

Iran is committed to continued IAEA talks. It wants all outstanding issues resolved. Its research reactor produces radioisotopes for cancer treatment. Nothing proves otherwise.

 

On February 13, Tehran concluded its latest round of talks. Most issues were resolved. India’s ambassador said Iran successfully completed them. It’s committed to whatever else is required. It wishes to do so in a “calm atmosphere of cooperation.”

 

State Department spokeswomen Victoria Nuland called Iran’s new centrifuges “another provocative step.” Britain’s Foreign Office said it’s of “serious concern.”

 

IAEA’s report comes days ahead of more P1+5 talks. On February 26, they’ll begin in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Six major powers and Iran will meet.

 

Expect no breakthroughs. Washington obstructionism prevents them. So does Israel behind the scenes. Iran’s nuclear program is duplicitous red herring cover.

 

At issue is longstanding regime change plans. America tolerates no independent governments. It wants subservient pro-Western ones replacing them. If Tehran had no nuclear program, another pretext would be invented.

 

Rogue states operate that way. Washington and Israel are by far the worst. Iran faces formidable challenges. It’s committed to peaceful nuclear development.

 

It’s entitled to do so. It won’t abandon its sovereign rights. It’s unconscionable that America, Israel, and complicit European partners insist it do so.

 

Reuters and other sources said Tehran plans 16 new nuclear facilities. Sites were chosen to build them. At issue is developing alternative energy sources. Diversifying from oil and gas is planned.

 

Significant new uranium deposits were found in southern coastal areas. They triple amounts Iran previously had. Including discoveries over the past 18 months, Tehran’s uranium reserves approximate 4,400 metric tons.

 

Washington wants full control of Iranian oil, gas, uranium and other resources. They include coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc and sulfur.

 

America’s willing to go to war. It’ll do so for what it can’t achieve other ways. Media scoundrels support what they should condemn. New York Times editors play a lead role.

 

They call Iran’s peaceful nuclear program “one of the most polarizing issues in one of the world’s most volatile regions.” They omit saying why. They point fingers the wrong way. US imperial designs endanger strategic areas.

 

“Iran and the West have been at odds over its nuclear program for years.” Things escalated more recently. At issue is regime change. Its nuclear program is entirely legitimate.

 

Times editors suppress what demands truth and full disclosure. They support America’s longstanding imperial aims.

 

They back its lawlessness. They call it just. They march in lockstep with permanent war, corporate empowerment, and unchallenged global dominance plans.

 

They lie for power. They call Iran a threat to world peace. They say it’s able to build nuclear weapons and may do so. They back US sanctions. They violate international law.

 

They point fingers the wrong way. They blame Tehran for Washington obstructionism. They falsely claim Iran threatens to destroy Israel.

 

Managed news misinformation begets more of it. Truth and full disclosure are absent.

 

Doing so betrays loyal readers. They deserve better. They don’t get it. They publish irresponsibly. They spurn their own mandate.

 

“All the News That’s Fit to Print” is just a figure of speech. It’s demagogic boilerplate. It’s doublespeak duplicity.

 

Truth, the whole truth, and nothing else is spurned. Times editors do it on what matters most. Instead of supporting peace, they back war. Instead of explaining Iran’s nuclear program accurately, they lie for power.

 

They endorse wrong over right. They risk greater war doing so. They’re unapologetic. They’re well paid to back what demands condemnation.

 

What’s ahead who knows. Washington, Israel, and complicit NATO allies partner in imperial lawlessness. Doing so risks millions of lives.

 

Rogue countries threaten global war. They menace humanity. Stopping them is vital. Doing so before it’s too late matters most.

 

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

 

His new book is titled “Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity.”

 

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html

 

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

 

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour

 

http://www.dailycensored.com/iaea-report-confirms-irans-peaceful-nuclear-program/

Dec 14

Propaganda War on Syria Rages

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by Stephen Lendman

 

Propaganda wars precede hot ones. Conflicts and other forms of violence are glorified in the name of peace. Doublespeak duplicity claim it. Wars are waged to prevent it.

 

Ongoing ones assure more ahead. Unconscionable death counts rise. America, Israel, key NATO partners, and regional allies bear full responsibility. Humanity hangs in the balance.

 

Humanitarian intervention and responsibility to protect (R2P) mask ravaging one country after another. Slaughter and mass destruction are called liberating struggles.

 

Plunder is for economic development. Exploitation and dominance are called democracy building. Media scoundrels invert truth for public support.

 

When America goes to war or plans them, they march obediently in lockstep. Administration, congressional and Pentagon propaganda get reported as news and information.

 

Big Lies make headlines. They’re repeated ad nauseam. Media scoundrels are so addicted to lying, perhaps their employment contracts mandate misinformation, deceit and distortion while avoiding truth at all cost.

 

What better way to explain scoundrel journalism. Fundamental good reporting principles are spurned. Ethical standards are ignored.

 

The history of sensationalism, yellow journalism, and lying about what matters most in America is long and sordid. It dates back centuries. Accurate reporting is most important when lives, human welfare, and perhaps humanity are on the line.

 

Television is worst of all. In a June 1950 commencement address, Boston University President Daniel Marsh said, “If the (television) craze continues….we are destined to have a nation of morons.”

 

Famed comedian Ernie Kovacs (1919 – 1962) once called it a medium because it’s neither rare or well done.

 

He’d be horrified by what goes on now. It fails on all counts. So do scoundrel print media. They give news, information, and opinion reporting bad names.

 

Long before television arrived, journalist Walter Lippmann called the public “the bewildered herd.” In policy matters, they’re considered “spectators,” not “participants.”

 

“The common interests elude public opinion entirely,” he said. That’s how it should be, he added.

 

America’s privileged class alone should manage policy. Only they need proper education and training. Treat others like mushrooms – well-watered and in the dark. Distract them with bread and circuses. Misinform them with managed and junk food news.

 

Media scoundrels betray the reading and viewing public. They’re best served by walking away, tuning out, and choosing credible sources for what they most need to know. Greater numbers now do it. One day perhaps everyone will.

 

Scoundrel media wars rage against Syria. People are being systematically lied to and manipulated to accept more war. Western-recruited proxies wage it no-holds barred. They specialize in gruesome atrocities. Managed news reports suppress them.

 

Full-scale intervention looms. It could happen anytime. Early next year looks most likely.

 

Global Research associate Julie Levesque highlights ” ‘chemical propaganda’ and fabricated evidence.” When threats don’t exist, they’re invented.

 

When headlined enough most people believe them. War followed hyping nonexistent Iraq WMDs for months. False claims precede all wars. They’re based on lies and deception. It happens every time.

 

No matter how often people are fooled, they’re easy to deceive again. They’re being prepared for full-scale war on Syria. It’s deja vu all over again.

 

Michel Chossudovsky highlighted the “Syria Chemical Weapons Saga.” Perhaps another “US-NATO Humanitarian Disaster” awaits. It’s likely given how often the same scenario played out earlier.

 

After detailed planning and implementation, it’s hard imagining Washington now going soft. Don’t expect it. It won’t happen. Before Syrian ravaging ends, it may exceed the worst of charnel house Libya.

 

With about four times the population, imagine the possible death, injury, and mass destruction toll. Imagine potential cutthroat killer Islamofascist rule replacing Assad governance most Syrians support.

 

Libya 2.0 on a much uglier scale looks possible. Chemical propaganda and other misreporting precede what looks likely.

 

Chossudovsky says people are being manipulated to believe “that a ‘frustrated’ and ‘desperate’ (Assad) is planning to use deadly chemical weapons against his own people.”

 

Doing so would be like putting a gun to his head and pulling the trigger. The possibility of using them internally is nil except perhaps against NATO foreign invaders. Even then it’s unlikely unless Western WMDs are used on Syrians.

 

Managed news reports invent the worst about Assad. Chossudovsky quoted NBC News claiming “Syria’s military has loaded nerve-gas chemicals into bombs and are awaiting final orders from al-Assad.”

 

Media hype rages “full gear.” “Fake reports” make headline news. We’ve heard it all before many times. It’s repeated because it works. Only the war theaters, heads of state, and fakery vary.

 

Otherwise it’s an old script rerun. Propaganda films follow at times. History is re-invented. Facts are turned on their head. Bad guys are them, not us. The worst of all possible worlds is called the best.

 

An ending too gruesome to imagine perhaps looms. Humanity may not survive. America’s imperium matters most. Those in charge go for broke, and let the devil take the hindmost.

 

That’s how imperial rogues think. Media scoundrels share responsibility. Thoughts of blood on their hands never enter their minds. Only wealth, power, privilege, dominance, and winner take all matter.

 

Body counts are a small price to pay. It’s hard imagining how these people were raised. Perhaps they forgot moral lessons taught. Maybe they remember but don’t care. It shows in what they support and tolerate.

 

Wednesday reports hyped Abbas firing scud missiles inside Syria. Western headlines feature it. Unnamed US officials are sources. Ones preferring anonymity lack credibility. So do journalists using them.

 

At issue isn’t whether scuds, other missiles or rockets are used. It’s implying use of or plans to use chemical weapons.

 

Reports follow scurrilous ones about Assad loading sarin nerve agents or other deadly chemicals in bombs. They also suggest intensified Assad belligerence. Implied is that more civilians in his line of fire are dying.

 

At her daily press briefing, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said:

 

“As the regime becomes more and more desperate, we see it resorting to increased lethality and more vicious weapons moving forward, and we have in recent days seen missiles deployed.”

 

She added that Washington is concerned about a weapon called a “barrel (incendiary) bomb.” She said it contains inflammable materials. Human Rights Watch claimed he used them. More on that below.

 

“It’s sort of a napalm-like thing and is completely indiscriminate in terms of civilians, so very, very concerning and indicative of the regime’s desperation and the regime’s brutality,” said Nuland.

 

What’s most “indicative” is ignoring America’s longstanding use of napalm, agent orange in Southeast Asia, biological and chemical poisons, depleted and enriched uranium weapons, as well as other illegal toxins. It’s official US policy in all wars Washington wages.

 

Large areas of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Vietnam and elsewhere America attacked aren’t safe to live it. Toxicity levels are too high. Uranium contamination is permanent.

 

No evidence whatever shows Assad uses chemical or other toxins. Suggesting he does or may hypes fear ahead of likely full-scale intervention.

 

On December 13, his Foreign and Expatriates Ministry “denied as untrue rumors about the Syrian Arab Army using Scud Missiles to confront the armed terrorist groups.”

 

It responded to falsely circulating claims. It named Turkey and partnered countries conspiring against Syria.

 

On December 12, Human Rights Watch (HRW) was back to its old tricks. It shills for US direct and proxy wars as well as others planned. It features anti-Assad propaganda. It headlined “Syria: Incendiary Weapons Used in Populated Areas.”

 

It claimed Assad used them “in at least four locations….since mid-November.” Anti-Assad witnesses said so. Unverified video footage was shown. It’s been fake before. It’s simple to do.

 

HRW admitted it’s “investigating unconfirmed reports of the use of incendiary weapons in (various) parts of Syria.” Proper analysis demands doing so first, finding clear evidence if it exists, then reporting the findings.

 

HRW so far has nothing more than dubious video evidence and suspect witnesses. They’re not named or identified. Numerous earlier reports were falsified.

 

No verifiable evidence suggests this one is legitimate. HRW’s last comment said “Syria is not known to be a producer or exporter of incendiary weapons.” It claims a stockpile of Soviet origin remains.

 

If any were obtained that long ago, their usefulness may have expired. Chemical and biological weapons lose potency over time. Their shelf life is limited. Perhaps it’s true also for incendiaries.

 

The New York Times was most responsible for misreporting on non-existent Iraq chemical weapons. Judith Miller’s rewritten daily front page Pentagon handouts proved effective propaganda.

 

Her writing became a weapon of mass destruction. She featured an entire Noah’s Ark of scam artists hyping fake threats. War followed. The “cradle of civilization” was destroyed.

 

Iraq is permanently occupied. Libya followed. Afghanistan boils. Syria looms. The Times plays the lead propaganda role. Miller is gone, but other disreputable writers replaced her. No shortage exists in Times Square or foreign venues.

 

On December 12, Michael Gordon and Eric Schmitt headlined “Syria Uses Scud Missiles in New Effort to Push Back Rebels.”

 

Both writers called a Western-generated foreign invasion a “civil war.” Nothing “civil” characterizes what’s going on. Neither one explained.

 

At least six “Soviet-designed” scuds were fired. They’re “not known for their precision.” Obama’s red line stresses using chemical weapons internally.

 

Assad may have calculated he “can resort to such lethal weapons without the fear of international intervention….”

 

Former Army intelligence officer Joseph Holliday was quoted saying he “views every weapon short of chemicals as fair game.”

 

He “escalated its use of force whenever the rebels’ strength has presented a significant challenge to the regime.”

 

The detailed article omitted heavy weapons supplied foreign fighters. It ignored their atrocities. They’re committed regularly. Pro-Assad loyalists are targeted. Civilian neighborhoods are raided. Slaughter follows. Neither writer explained.

 

Death squads are considered liberators. They’re not “rebels.” They’re foreign mercenary killers. They’re paid or otherwise enlisted to murder and destroy.

 

Their ranks are infested with Islamofascists. Syrians deplore what they represent. They have no say in what Washington plans. No do civilians in other US targeted countries.

 

Rogue states demand unchallenged dominance. Popular sentiment isn’t tolerated. Imperial wars rage. The entire region and beyond is threatened.

 

Potential death and mass destruction too gruesome to imagine looms. Stay tuned. More reports will follow.

 

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

 

His new book is titled “Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity.”

 

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html

 

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

 

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour

Nov 17

Targeting Civilians: Israel’s Specialty

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By: Stephen Lendman

 

Bullies choose easy adversaries to pummel. Equal fights are shunned. It’s the same in schoolyards or battlefields.

 

America and Israel operate this way. They avoid foes able to give as much as they take. Rogue governments never say they’re sorry.

 

During Cast Lead in January 2009, Professor Jeremy Salt wrote “A Message to the brave Israeli Airmen.” His comments apply to what’s now ongoing.

 

What’s it like firing missiles at people you can’t see, he asked?

 

Does it help being unable to see who you’re killing?

 

Is your conscience eased by inflicting disproportionate force on people unable to fight back and civilian infrastructure?

 

Are you comfortable about slaughtering civilian men, women, children, and infants?

 

Does this weigh on your conscience, or are you at ease?

 

Do you sleep well or have nightmares about men, women and children you killed at home, in beds, kitchens, living rooms, schools, mosques, at work, or at play?

 

Do farmers in their fields, mothers with children, teachers in classrooms, imams in mosques, children at play, the elderly, frail or disabled threaten your security?

 

Do you ever question what you’ve done and why?

 

Have you no shame, no sense of decency, no idea of the difference between right and wrong?

 

Do you know the law? If so, why do you violate it? Doing so makes you complicit in crimes of war and against humanity? Do you know that?

 

Do you blindly follow orders or have a mind of your own?

 

Have you murdered civilians before?

 

Will you do it again if ordered?

 

Will you keep following orders blindly or do the right thing?

 

“Brave” Israeli airmen, soldiers, sailors, and other security force personnel are cowards. They’ve acted lawlessly for decades.

 

Palestinian suffering is a way of life. Imagine living every day not sure if you’ll live or die. Imagine young children growing up this way. Do Israeli children know what Palestinian ones endure? Are they told? Do they care? Do their parents?

 

Israel’s moving thousands of troops and heavy weapons to Gaza’s border. Mossad-connected DEBKAfile said:

 

“Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz and the high IDF command are pushing for the ground operation, Stage B of the Pillar of Cloud operation, to start without delay. The prime minister and defense minister prefer to wait.”

 

Another potential holocaust looms. Civilians always suffer most. Israel and America willfully target them. It part of the imperial strategy of both countries. Human lives don’t matter, just conquest, dominance, and exploitation.

 

Cast Lead took a terrible toll. Missiles, bombs, shells, and illegal weapons were used against defenseless people. Mass slaughter and destruction followed.

 

Horrific crimes of war and against humanity were committed. Responsible officials remain unaccountable. Security Council no-fly zone protection wasn’t ordered.

 

Over 1,400 Gazans perished. More than 80% were civilians. Over 300 were children. Around 5,300 were injured. Over 1,600 were children or infants. Israel willfully targeted them.

 

Neighborhoods, schools, universities, mosques, hospitals, UN facilities, fishing boats, civilian factories and workshops, municipal buildings, charitable foundations, civilian infrastructure, and other noncombatant sites were bombed and shelled.

 

Farmland was bulldozed. Power facilities and irrigations systems were destroyed. International leaders were indifferent about human slaughter and suffering. Only three low-level Israeli soldiers received punishments too minor to matter.

 

The al-Samouni family lost 27 members. Salah Talala al-Samouni saw his mother blown apart. Rocket and shell fire killed his two-year old daughter, father, aunt, cousin, and entire family. Media scoundrels said nothing. They support Israel’s worst crimes.

 

Under siege, Gazans haven’t recovered from Cast Lead. Now they face the prospect of more war perhaps worse than 2008-09.

 

International leaders share culpability through silence, indifference, and/or complicity. Washington is involved in all Israeli wars. Weapons, munitions and funding are supplied. Political support is given.

 

Obama told Netanyahu, go ahead and bomb and shell at will. Call it “self-defense” and pretend no one knows it’s not. On November 15, the Senate unanimously passed a non-binding supportive resolution. Not a single profile in courage expressed opposition.

 

AIPAC thanked Obama and Senate members for supporting Israel. Gazan civilians and resistance fighters are maliciously called terrorists. They’re heroes, not criminals.

 

On November 14, Anti-Defamation League (ADL) national director Abe Foxman expressed support for Israeli bombing and shelling, saying:

 

“Israel has shown tremendous restraint in the face of the unceasing rocket and mortar fire launched from Gaza.  This operation is directly targeting the leadership responsible for these attacks, as well as the warehouses and facilities housing their weapons.”

 

“No country in the world would stand by and tolerate such attacks on more than a million civilians.”

 

“The international community has a clear obligation to condemn these attacks and to support the actions taken by Israel against Hamas and other terror organizations operating in Gaza as Israel carries out its basic duty to defend its civilian population.”

 

For almost a century, ADL fronted for Jewish supremacy. It backs occupation harshness. It’s mindless about Palestinian suffering. It conducts smear campaigns against critics.

 

Its entire history is loathsome. Israeli crimes are called self-defense. It plays the same blame the victim game as Israel, Washington, AIPAC, and other Zionist organizations. Only Jewish rights matter. Palestinians are criminalized for defending themselves.

 

Israel agreed to halt military operations during Egyptian Prime Minister Hersham Kandil’s visit. He and Egyptian cabinet ministers arrived in Gaza Thursday. He’ll return Friday. Israeli attacks continued.

 

At Al Shifa Hospital, Kandil visited victims. He denounced Israeli attacks, saying: “This tragedy cannot pass in silence, and the world should take responsibility for stopping this aggression.” Cairo will try to mediate a truce, he added.

 

Since Saturday, over 40 Palestinians were killed. Hundreds more were injured. Many are in serious condition. Dozens of air strikes continue. Death and injury numbers may rise exponentially. Current figures underestimate the toll because some victims lie beneath rubble.

 

The International Middle East Media Center (IMEMC) said Israel conducted 30 sorties in less than 30 minutes on Friday. At 10PM Thursday, the IDF said it struck 70 targets in the previous hour.

 

Civilian sites and government buildings were bombed and shelled. Two UN schools were struck. Heavy damage was reported. The Ahrar Center for Detainees’ Studies said a church under construction was targeted.

 

IMEMC said, “Children, infants, women and elderly are among the casualties, including children whose bodies were severely mutilated and burnt due to Israeli shells. A pregnant woman and her unborn fetus are among the killed.”

 

Gazan resistance fighters said they won’t honor truce conditions as long as Israel keeps killing Palestinian men, women, children, infants, and the elderly. On Thursday evening, a Beit Hanoun home was bombed. Three children died. One was nine years old.

 

A 10-month old infant was killed when another home was struck. Through early Friday morning, at least eight children, a pregnant woman, and two elderly men died.

 

Thirty thousand IDF reservists were called up. Military leaves were cancelled. Tanks, armored vehicles, and troops are mobilizing on Gaza’s border. Invasion looks ominously likely.

 

On November 16, Mathaba said the Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) War Crimes Commission (KLWCC) “received numerous complaints on the atrocities and possible war crimes committed against the Palestinian people.”

 

On November 20 and 21, two days of open hearings will be held.

 

Commission members include former Magistrate Musa Ismail, former Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Dean Zulaiha Ismail, Center for Global Research Director Michel Chossudovsky, and two former Iraq UN humanitarian coordinators – Hans von Sponeck and Denis Halliday.

 

On November 16, Alternative News.org headlined “No safe haven: Civilians under attack in the Gaza Strip.” An eyewitness visited Al Shifa Hospital. Many injured Gazans are in serious condition.

 

Forty-year old Salem Waqef suffered brain injury. He’s in a coma on a ventilator. It’s unclear if he’ll survive.

 

Ten-month old Haneen Tafesh was admitted unconscious. She suffered a skull fracture and brain hemorrhage. She’s also in a coma on a ventilator. Doctors said her condition deteriorated since admitted. Hours later she died.

 

Ahmed Durghmush suffered brain trauma. Shrapnel penetrated his skull. Brain matter protruded from his head wound. His condition also deteriorated after surgery.

 

Throughout Thursday, emergency room staff were handling numerous arrivals. Injuries range from easily treatable to severe to life threatening.

 

Justice Ministry public information director, Khalid Hamad, was at home when shelling targeted a neighbor’s house. Israel “targeted civilians deliberately,” he said. “The Israeli forces don’t make mistakes.”

 

Thirteen-year old Duaa Hejazi was brought in “bleeding a lot.” She sustained upper body shrapnel wounds. Pieces are still embedded in her chest. She sent a message to other Gazan children, saying:

 

“I say, we are children. There is nothing that is our fault to have to face this. They are occupying us and I will say, as Abu Omar said. If you’re a mountain, the wind won’t shake you. We’re not afraid. We’ll stay strong.”

 

Al Shifa director general Dr. Mithad Abbas explained the dire conditions under which hospital staff must cope, saying:

 

“When those cases arrive at our hospital, it is not under normal circumstances. They come on top of the siege, the blockade, which has resulted in a lack of vital medicines and required medical supplies.”

 

Al Shifa lacks essential medicines, some equipment and supplies. They include antibiotics, IV fluid, anesthesia, gloves, catheters, external fixators, Heparin, sutures, detergents and spare parts for medical equipment.

 

Power outages exceed 12 hours daily. Small amounts of fuel maintain operations at those times. Dr. Abbas said his supply will be exhausted in days if current conditions continue.

 

He doesn’t know where the next missile or shell will strike. Perhaps Al Shifa will be targeted. Israel considers all civilian sites fair game.

 

On November 15, the Global BDS Movement issued the following statement in part:

 

“Stop a New Israeli Massacre in Gaza: Boycott Israel Now!”

 

Despite biased Western media reports, Israel “initiated and escalated this new assault on the eve of its upcoming parliamentary elections, underlining the time-honored Israeli formula of Palestinian bodies for ballots.”

 

“Israel will continue its belligerence, aggression and state terrorism unless it is made to pay a heavy price for its crimes against the Palestinian, Lebanese and other Arab peoples.”

 

“It is high time for BDS against Israel.  This is the clearest path to freedom, justice and equality for Palestinians and the entire region.”

 

At issue also is a pending November 29 vote on Palestinian UN non-member observer status. Israel and Washington have gone all out to subvert it. Member States have all the more reason to support Palestine. In less than two weeks we’ll know.

 

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah urged Arab leaders to use all means to halt Israeli attacks on Gaza.

 

“No one is telling Arab countries today, ‘Please go open your borders and begin the operation to liberate Palestine.’ What we want is to end the attack on Gaza.”

 

This is everyone’s battle…We’re not asking you for a solution. We’re asking for effort.”

 

“Some say the Arabs don’t have the courage to stop oil production. Decrease your oil exports or raise the price a little and you will shake the United States. You will shake Europe.”

 

“Brothers, if you can’t cut off oil, decrease your production or raise the price. Put on some pressure. No one is calling for armies or tanks or planes.”

 

Nasrallah called Israel’s Gaza attack “criminal aggression.” Multiple crimes of war and against humanity are committed.

 

Much is at stake in Palestine, the region and beyond. Washington’s aggressive wars continue. New ones are planned. Israel’s a key partner. Both countries have imperial agendas. War features prominently in achieving them.

 

Michel Chossudovsky calls attacking and invading Gaza “part of the broader US-NATO-Israel military agenda.” Based on what’s happened post-9/11, expect the worst ahead.

 

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

 

His new book is titled “How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War”

 

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

 

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

 

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour

Oct 07

Turkish False Flag on Syria

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by Stephen Lendman

 

The news is out but bears repeating. New reports confirm it. It shouldn’t surprise. It’s one of the oldest stunts around. Attacks launched are blamed on victims. Wars follow. More on Turkey’s false flag below.

 

Sinking the Lusitania in May 1915 preceded America’s April 1917 WW I entry. The 1933 Reichstag fire helped Hitler assume dictatorial powers.

 

On August 31, 1939, Nazis impersonating Poles attacked a Gleiwitz radio station. It was on the border between the two countries. WW II followed.

 

Roosevelt manipulated the Japanese to attack Pearl Harbor. It gave him the war he wanted. Japan’s fleet was tracked across the Pacific. Pearl Harbor’s Admiral HE Kimmel wasn’t warned. Casualties were needed to turn pacifist Americans into raving Japan haters and get congressional support.

 

Numerous other false flags followed. The August 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident is well-known. Over a decade of war followed. For suffering Vietnamese it never ended.

 

In August 1990, Washington colluded with Kuwait’s al-Sabah monarchy. Saddam was entrapped to invade. In January 1991, the Gulf War began. Genocidal sanctions, more war, occupation, and destruction of the “cradle of civilization” followed.

 

September 11, 2001 was the Big Lie of our time. Virtually everything about the official story was falsified. Most Americans still believe it. Wars on humanity rage out-of-control. Millions of corpses attest to Washington’s viciousness.

 

False flags are an American tradition. Big Lies launch wars. Official accounts are fake. Propaganda works that way. Turkey’s ruling government is a Washington tool. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a useful stooge. So are top officials around him.

 

They threaten world peace and their own people. On October 6, Hurriyet Daily News headlined “Turkey not far away from war: Erdogan.”

 

On October 5, he said:

 

“We are not war-lovers, but we are not far from war either….I am calling once more on the al-Assad regime and its supporters: Don’t dare to test Turkey’s patience.”

 

“We are not bluffing and we will follow this incident closely. God willing, the Syrian people would soon be saved from this cruelty and governed by an administration that guarantees the rights of all parties.”

 

He referred to the alleged Syrian mortar attack. Five Turkish nationals were killed. What he omitted says more than he revealed. Early reports suggested perhaps a stray Syrian mortar accidentally struck Turkish territory.

 

On October 6, Reuters and other news services reported more mortars from Syrian territory landing in Turkish territory. For four consecutive days, Turkish artillery shelled in response.

 

Erdogan is Washington’s lead regional belligerent. Smell a rat about what’s going on because there is one.

 

On October 6, the Syrian National News Agency (SANA) headlined “Yurt Newspaper: Erdogan’s Government Handed over the Mortars to Armed (Free Syrian Army) Groups in Syria which Shelled Akcakale Town.”

 

Yurt is a Turkish newspaper. Contributor Ali Sirmen reported what’s going on. He said Erdogan is acting on Washington’s behalf. He’s complicit in war crimes.

 

“The Newspaper also revealed that the bomber which was used to launch the mortar on the Turkish Akcakale town is only used by NATO.”

 

Editor-in Chief Merdan Yanardag explained more. He claimed he had information from a reliable source. He said “Turkey was the side which sent the mortars to the members of the so-called” Free Syrian Army.

 

This information “affirms that the Government of Erdogan’s wrong policy was behind the falling of the mortar in the town that claimed the lives of 5 Turks.”

 

Hamsayeh.Net (Iran & International News Online) reported the same story. On October 6, it also headlined “Turkey Attempts to Trigger a NATO-led War on Syria, saying:

 

Turkey is one of 28 NATO countries. It’s very much part of Washington’s imperial wars. In 2011, it helped wage war on Libya. It’s doing it now on Syria.

 

Even The New York Times admitted that it’s unknown who’s responsible for mortars landing in Turkey. Ankara’s knee-jerk response was scripted in Washington. False flag planning originated there.

 

Obama officials orchestrated the whole show. Ousting Assad was planned years ago. Only its timing remained to be determined. It arrived and continues daily. Turkey’s false flag suggests full-scale intervention perhaps looms.

 

Whether it precedes or follows US elections doesn’t matter. It’s likely coming. Perhaps Libya 2.0 is planned. NATO already is involved. Lead belligerents include America, Britain, France, and Turkey.

 

On October 6, Press TV headlined “Syrian army kills dozens of insurgents including four Turks,” saying:

 

Syria reported four Turkish nationals were killed in Aleppo. It’s not clear whether or not they were combatants. Perhaps more information will clarify.

 

In March 2012, Syrian forces captured 13 French officers. They were caught redhanded with FSA fighters. At the time, France’s foreign ministry dismissed the report. Lying is official policy.

 

On October 4, Syria News headlined “Turkey: Syrian rebels have taken responsibility for attack on Turkish village?!” saying:

 

Germany’s ZDF television reported the news. It said:

 

“Rockets and Mortar Fire – Turkey exacts vengeance for an attack from the Syrian side which took place yesterday afternoon. For weeks, Ankara has warned for any provocation in direction to Turkey. Until late at night, the fighting has taken place. Meanwhile, Syrian rebels have taken responsibility for this provocation.”

 

Another ZDF program called “Heute in Europa” reported the same story, saying:

 

“Yesterday night, Turkey took revenge for attacks from REBELS in Syria that have previously attacked a Turkish border village.”

 

Mortars were launched from territory controlled by FSA fighters. A leaked video clip said they admitted responsibility for striking Akcakale and killing five Turkish nationals.

 

On October 6, Mossad-connected DEBKAfile headlined “Syrian soldiers told to stay 10km from Turkish border, forming buffer zone.”

 

They were ordered out of artillery range. “Turkey had begun clearing a 10 km deep strip on the Syrian border” to facilitate FSA movement. The London Guardian reported the same thing.

 

Clearly the ball advanced closer to war. False flag provocations make it more likely.

 

On October 6, Voice of Russia‘s Roman Mamonov headlined “Turkey Effectively Declares War Against Syria,” saying:

 

Ankara preparations are underway. Parliamentary authorization was approved. Institute of Strategic Estimates expert Azhdar Kurtov said:

 

“Declarations made by the Turkish leadership speak for themselves. This is not just militant rhetoric but an order to the armed forces, in case of an emergency, to cross the border and carry out military activities on Syrian territory. What is this if not a war?”

 

“Though, certainly, Turkish commanders and politicians will think twice before starting an invasion. In my opinion, they will carry out a massive probing, just like towards another neighboring country, Iraq. The Turkish armed forces supported by their air force are quite capable of carrying out local hostilities on Syrian territory.”

 

Damascus understands the situation. It’s doing what it can to cool tensions. It’s impossible when foreign militants launch cross-border attacks from its territory on Turkey.

 

It’s a setup, a provocative false flag. At the same time, Syria’s army is strong and able to retaliate. Turkey is playing with fire. Full-scale war assures all sides lose.

 

What’s coming remains to unfold. Heightened tensions suggest the worst. It’s hard imagining why Erdogan and top officials around him would risk so much for so little. Serious internal opposition exists for good reason. Whether it can stop him remains unknown.

 

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

 

His new book is titled “How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War”

 

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

 

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

 

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour

Oct 07

Cowardly Terrorists Murder Syrian Civilians

By No Comments

by Stephen Lendman

 

Aleppo murders are the latest example. Western-recruited death squads ruthlessly target civilians. They’re armed and directed to do so. They’re merciless cowards.

 

Innocent men, women and children die. Murdering children, raping women, and beheading men are their specialities. So are other atrocities. Since winter 2011, many thousands of Syrians were slaughtered. Dozens more succumb daily.

 

That’s what terrorism is all about. Imperialism operates that way. Barbarism best describes it. It’s longstanding US practice in all its direct and proxy wars. Respect for human life isn’t America’s long suit. It never was.

 

Ravaging one country after another is official policy. It’s been longstanding since WW II. Post-9/11, it intensified. Peace, stability, and human rights aren’t in America’s vocabulary. The very notions are abhorrent.

 

Across the region, millions of corpses attest to Washington’s viciousness. Aleppo is the latest example. Fighting raged there on and off for weeks. It continues.

 

On October 3, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) headlined “People’s Assembly Condemns Aleppo Bombings and Terrorists-backing States.”

 

People’s Assembly Speaker, Mohammad Jihad al- Laham, opened the session, saying:

 

“Aleppo woke up today on a heinous crime, as horrible terrorist bombings targeted innocent civilians in fulfillment of the terrorists’ scheme who do not have any humane values.”

 

“We condemn these terrorist bombings and the conspiring countries which are backing the terrorists.”

 

He hopes God will have mercy on the souls of martyrs. He wished quick recovery to those injured and expressed solace for families of those killed.

 

Most Syrians understand America’s conspiracy against their country. They know and say so. Law Professor Daoud Khairallah told Russia Today that 95% of militants in Syria are foreigners.

 

SANA said 34 died, 122 were injured, and both totals may rise. Other victims are trapped under rubble.

 

Three blasts occurred. At 7:50AM, in Saadallah al-Jabri Square, two booby-trapped cars with an estimated 1,000 kg of explosives were detonated. Suicide bombers are suspected.

 

A second explosion happened at 8:17AM. The Governate Building was targeted. Another booby-trapped car with about 500 kg of explosives detonated. Two mortar shells also fell near the Municipal Palace.

 

At 10:35AM, a third blast took place. It occurred when engineering units were trying to dismantle a 1,000 kg explosive device in a car terrorists detonated remotely near the al-Amir Hotel, Aleppo’s Chamber of Commerce, and the Central Bank.

 

SANA said “the terrorist bombings have caused great damage to public and private property, public buildings, hotels and residential places, indicating that 250 public and private cars were destroyed.”

 

“The competent authorities at the Interior Ministry rushed to the area to trace evidence, taking samples of human remnants and the explosive material to be sent to specialized laboratories to establish the identity of the perpetrators and ascertain the type of the explosive material.”

 

Investigations continue. Responsible parties and supporters are sought. Web site photos show extensive damage. They make disturbing viewing.

 

Russia’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the bombings, saying:

 

“We renew utter condemnation of all forms of terrorism and rejection of using terrorist acts under any circumstances.” It added that “initiators and the perpetrators of such acts must be severely punished.”

 

SANA said Syrian political parties condemned the killings. The Baath Arab Socialist Party blamed “criminal gangs and mercenaries,” adding:

 

“This terrorist act is a new episode of a series of similar bombings that hit several Syrian cities not to mention massacres against civilians, elderly men, women and children.”

 

The National Reform Party called what happened “treason because targeting military, public and private properties and institutions (amounts to) targeting the Syrian people and Syria’s territorial integrity.”

 

Syria’s Arab Socialist Union Party called Aleppo killings “an escalation of the organized terrorism aiming to break the Syrians’ will.”

 

On October 1, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem addressed the General Assembly in New York. He did so before Aleppo bombings occurred, saying:

 

“While the peoples of the world wait to see effective and coordinated international efforts to overcome those crises, the reality indicates, instead, the escalation of hegemony and domination on the fortunes of nations and peoples in a way that contradicts the principles and purposes enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and the norms of international law.”

 

Worst of all, “permanent members of the Security Council, who launched wars under the pretext of combating terrorism, now support terrorism in my country without any regard to the United Nations resolutions that established the regulations and mechanisms for concerted international efforts to fight this scourge away from political polarization and double standards.”

 

Daily slaughter and destruction continue. Historic sites are targeted. They’re destroyed or damaged. Western-backed foreign terrorists are responsible. “It is no surprise that the Security Council failed to condemn….terrorist bombings because some of its members are supporting such acts.”

 

He left no doubt which ones he meant. Washington bears most responsibility. Its regional regime change plans are longstanding. It’s waging permanent direct and proxy wars to replace independent government with pro-Western puppets.

 

Permanent war is official US policy. So is state terrorism. Crimes of war, against humanity and genocide follow. Complicit NATO and regional partners are criminally involved. UN officials pointing fingers the wrong way share guilt.

 

The stench of cold-blooded murder spreads everywhere. Responsible parties run America, key NATO countries, and allied regional states. They’re mad dog killers. They’re contemptuous of human life and rule of law principles.

 

They can’t wait to kill again. Atrocities are their specialty. Those most vulnerable are targeted. It’s the American way. The same goes for rogue NATO allies and complicit regional despots.

 

International law prohibits foreign interference. Syrians alone may choose who’ll govern them. Most abhor violence and condemn it. They support their government’s efforts to rout death squad elements.

 

They’re living under nightmarish conditions. No one knows from day to day who’ll live or die. No one’s safe from merciless death squads. No end of conflict looms.

 

Press TV’s CEO of English language broadcasting, Mohammad Sarafraz, said Syrian militants target journalists reporting truths Western scoundrels want suppressed.

 

“Threatening and shooting journalists reporting the truth…aims to send this message that they will be shot if they continue reporting the realities on the ground,” he said. “This is unprecedented.”

 

Countries arming and directing them bear most responsibility. “It’s true that mercenaries that are getting money to come to Syria to fight are responsible for the terrorist acts but countries that are supporting them are even more responsible.”

 

“Turkey is (at) the forefront of those countries.” Washington bears most responsibility. US Special Forces and CIA elements are directly involved.

 

Last month, Press TV’s Maya Naser was murdered in cold blood. At the same time, its Damascus bureau chief Hosein Mortada was shot in the back and wounded. Both reporters were covering Damascus bomb blasts when targeted.

 

They and other independent journalists receive frequent death threats. They courageously stay and do their job. Some like Maya pay with their lives. Hosein was flown to Tehran for surgery.

 

Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan acts provocatively and belligerently. He’s Washington’s lead aggressor against Syria. He shelters Western death squads on Turkish territory.

 

He’s involved in training, arming and directing them. He established a CIA command and control center in Adana. America’s Incirlik Air Base is located there.

 

He’s menacing regional peace. Will he or won’t he wage war on Syria? He called a stray Syrian mortar killing five Turkish civilians in Akcakale “the last straw.”

 

Turkey’s UN ambassador Ertugrul Apakan called the incident “a flagrant violation of international law as well as a breach of international peace and security.”

 

Ergogan wants Security Council action against Syrian “aggression.” His comments are scripted in Washington. He says what he’s told. He’s partnered with America’s war on humanity. He’s menacing his own people.

 

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued his latest one-sided statement, saying:

 

He “calls on the Syria government to respect fully the territorial integrity of its neighbors as well as to end the violence against the Syrian people.”

 

He said nothing about Syria’s neighbors respecting its “territorial integrity.” He ignored months of Western-generated violence murdering thousands of civilians and security forces.

 

His imperial credentials remain unblemished. He blames victims, not perpetrators. So does the UN Human Rights Council. They mock principles of their own Charter.

 

Turkish artillery responded provocatively. It struck targets near Syria’s Tel Abyad border town for two consecutive days. Several Syrian soldiers were killed.

 

Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said authorities are investigating how Turkish lives were lost, adding:

 

“In case of border incidents that occur between any two neighboring countries, countries and governments must act wisely, rationally and responsibly, particularly since there’s a special condition on the Syrian-Turkish borders in terms of the presence of undisciplined terrorist groups spread across the borders who have varying agendas and identities.”

 

Erdogan’s spoiling for a fight. Washington eggs him on. White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said: “We stand with our Turkish ally and are continuing to consult closely on the path forward.”

 

Hillary Clinton said the same thing. She supports Turkey, of course, and blames Syria. She’s discussing with Ankara what’s next. She called spreading violence a “very, very dangerous situation.”

 

She should know. Washington bears full responsibility for what happened, and what’s been ongoing since winter 2011.

 

In Brussels, NATO held a special meeting. A statement followed, saying it “strongly condemns Syria, expresses solidarity with Turkey, and warns Syria to end its violent acts and violations of international law.”

 

NATO operates as a rogue killing machine. It’s well versed in violence and international law violations. Turkey is a member in good standing. It’s complicit in naked aggression when asked.

 

On October 4, Erdogan senior advisor Ibrahim Kalin said:

 

“Turkey has no interest in a war with Syria. But Turkey is capable of protecting its borders and will retaliate when necessary. Turkey has retaliated to yesterday’s incident without declaring war on Syria. Political, diplomatic initiatives will continue.”

 

At the same time, Ankara’s parliament considered a motion to permit further military action against Syria. Discussions were held in closed session.

 

Republican People’s Party (CHP) parliamentary group deputy chairman Muharrem Ince and his Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) counterpart, Oktay Vural, objected to closed door debate. They were outvoted.

 

Ince also opposes war on Syria. The motion discussed says the following:

 

“The ongoing crisis in Syria affects the stability and security in the region and now the escalating animosity affects our national security.”

 

“Syrian armed forces have been conducting assaults as part of military operations into Turkish land despite our several warnings and diplomatic overtures since Sept. 20, 2012.”

 

“This situation risks and threatens our national security. In this respect, the need for taking precautions and acting quickly against any threats to Turkey has arisen.”

 

“In the framework of the situation, under Article 92 of the Turkish Constitution, we kindly ask the Turkish Parliament to discuss a motion that authorizes the government for a year to send Turkish troops to foreign countries.”

 

Passage was overwhelming 320 – 129. It makes full-scale intervention more likely. Ince said the motion “has no limits. You can wage a world war with” it. Western-generated violence, complicit regional provocations, and heightened tensions risk it.

 

Repeated incidents suggest what’s coming. A regional conflict looks likely. The possibility should terrify everyone. If enough people cared, they could prevent it. Public concern so far is woefully lacking. Expect the worst. It’s coming.

 

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

 

His new book is titled “How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War”

 

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

 

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

 

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour

Aug 07

Rights of Demonstrators in Palestine

By No Comments

 

by Stephen Lendman

 

Last September, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) published an “Informational Pamphlet for Demonstrators in the Occupied Territories.”

 

It provided “coping strategies.” Free societies permit peaceful demonstrations. They also allow free expression. In Occupied Palestine, Israel prohibits both. Doing so violates fundamental international law.

 

Since 1967, Israeli decreed all rallies and demonstrations illegal without express permit permission. According to ACRI:

 

“The sweeping ban on the organization of demonstrations, the unreasonable restrictions placed upon them, and the forced dispersal of quiet and peaceful demonstrations – which are all practiced in the West Bank – represent a serious and severe infringement on the right to demonstrate and on freedom of speech, as well as a clear violation of the rules of international law that are incumbent on the occupying power.”

 

Coping strategies help Palestinians and others handle Israeli persecution.

 

Military repression governs Occupied Palestine. The Order Regarding Prohibition of Incitement and Hostile Propaganda Actions (Order No. 101) prohibits 10 or more persons assembling in one place publicly for politically related purposes.

 

Doing so requires permit permission. Larger rallies are called “illegal assemblies.” Violent security force confrontations disperse them. Doing so violates international law.

 

Force is only justified if legitimate security risks or public safety concerns exist. Maintaining law and order is proper. Exceeding appropriate authority constitutes abuse of power.

 

Crowd Control: What’s permitted, what’s prohibited?

 

Legitimately dispersing demonstrations requires doing it nonviolently with “minimal use of force.” Anything harmful or threatening is prohibited.

 

Under appropriate circumstances, warning shots may be fired in the air only after lesser measures were tried and failed to control threats to public safety.

 

In apprehending persons suspected of serious crimes, firing at their legs is permitted as a last resort, provided public safety isn’t endangered.

 

Rubber-coated bullets may be used “if and only if lesser measures” failed. Firing is forbidden within 40 meters. So is aiming at upper body parts and targeting children.

 

Firing tear gas canisters directly at demonstrators is prohibited.

 

Public Photography

 

Free information and expression include “the right to photograph, film, and documents incidents, and to gather information.”

 

It’s prohibited only if public order and safety are endangered.

 

Closed Military Zone Order: Who’s Authorized to Declare It and Under What Conditions?

 

Authorities permitted to do so include the IDF’s Central Command head, his deputy, a brigade commander, or Jerusalem Area Border Police chief. Declaring it’s only permitted to maintain public order.

 

Written signed orders with clear reference maps delineating boundaries are required. Verifying them is required with the following information: the precise area, date of expiration, for whom the order applies, and date signed.

 

Soldiers presenting an order must identify themselves. Proper documentation must be in order. Soldiers or police have eviction authority. Unauthorized persons in closed military zones may not be arrested or detained unless warned to leave and they refused.

 

The order doesn’t apply to closed area residents.

 

Arresting and Detaining Demonstrators: When It’s Permitted

 

Soldiers or police may arrest and detain when individuals are suspected of criminal activity, intent to commit it, or other acts endangering public safety or security.

 

Also if they witnessed a crime, to conduct a search, or to obtain identifying documents.

 

Authorities making detentions must identify themselves, inform the person it’s about detention, and for what reason.

 

Detentions are prohibited for “deterrence, intimidation, or punishment.”

 

Length of Detention

 

Shortest possible duration only is permitted for legitimate reasons. Exceeding three hours is prohibited unless a high-ranking military officer or authorized police personnel extends it for another three hours with reasons recorded in writing.

 

Detentions should always be where person held were apprehended, except when suspects or witnesses appear before investigative authorities.

 

Detention locations must have “reasonable waiting conditions with proper food and water provided.” Handcuffing and blindfolding are prohibited.

 

If detentions exceed three hours, apprehending soldiers or police must fill out a detainment report.

 

When Can Demonstrators Be Arrested?

 

Arrests must be for exceptional reasons only, never for punishment. According to the Order Concerning Security Provisions, soldiers or police may arrest individuals who acted illegally or were about to do so.

 

Rights of Those Arrested

 

Arresting soldiers or police must identify themselves and explain reasons for apprehension. Transfer to a police station or detention location must be soon as soon as possible.

 

If medical attention is needed, providing it is required without delay. Other than under exceptional circumstances, contact with legal counsel privately is required under conditions to assure confidentiality.

 

Length of Initial Arrest Period

 

Eight days maximum are allowed. If arrest orders aren’t issued within 96 hours, release is required. Persons apprehended must be brought before a judge within eight days or less. Ideally as soon as possible.

 

Extending Arrest Periods

 

Judges only may authorize them for up to 30 days at a time, not to exceed 90 days. Only a military appeals court can order longer periods up to an additional three months.

 

Presence at Arrest Hearings

 

Persons arrested must be allowed to appear unless health conditions don’t permit it. Legal counsel can represent them if unable to be present.

 

Arrested persons are permitted to have lawyers with them at all hearings.

 

Conditional or Unconditional Release

 

Police or judges may order detainees released, either conditionally or unconditionally. Lawyers can petition courts for release.

 

If judicial releases are ordered, prosecutors may request stays up to 72 hours to appeal or administratively detain individuals uncharged. Judges have sole decision-making authority.

 

Conditional releases may involve guarantees, such as bail, bond, or arrestee or guarantor money deposits.

 

Additional release conditions may include requiring court or investigation appearances on specified days at designated times. Restraining orders and/or travel restrictions may be imposed. Attorneys should be consulted before agreeing to any requested terms.

 

Unreasonable conditions should be rejected. For example, forbidding participation in peaceful demonstrations or sweeping prohibitions of activities otherwise permitted.

 

If unreasonable conditions are imposed, judicial appeals are possible. Filing them within seven days is required.

 

Violating release conditions provides grounds for rearrest. Bail and/or other release conditions are canceled if indictments aren’t filed within two years from the day release conditions were signed.

 

The only exception is when they were extended an additional three months.

 

The Investigation: Useful Information

 

The investigating officer is required to explain charges, the right to remain silent, and to have legal counsel present.

 

If detainee has no knowledge of or involvement in the detention reason, it should be stated straightaway.

 

Detainees are entitled to be interrogated in their native language or another they understand.

 

After interrogation ends, detainee should receive a written transcript. Reading it for possible errors is important. It must be prepared in language used during interrogation. Otherwise, it’s important not to sign it. Sign nothing not understood and agreed to.

 

Rest breaks are required if interrogations are lengthy or conducted late at night. If force, threats, or intimidation are used, it’s important to request information on it be included in transcript material

 

Additional Rights Granted Minors During Interrogations

 

Israeli military law considers children under age 16 minors. Under international law, it’s age 18. Investigating minors must be done by specially trained personnel. Israeli military legislation on this is absent.

 

ACRI’s position is as follows:

 

A parent or close relative must be present. Daytime only interrogations may be conducted. Video and/or audio recordings should be made.

 

Israel systematically violates international legal standards with regard to peaceful demonstrations, arrests, excessive violence, other abuses, detentions, interrogations, and related practices.

 

Palestinians are denied all rights. Challenging this abuse of power is essential. Failure permits it to continue unaccountable.

 

ACRI provided the above information so Palestinians and others know their rights. Coping with Israeli repression is another matter altogether.

 

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

 

His new book is titled “How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War”

 

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

 

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

 

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour

Jul 27

War Without Mercy on Syria

By No Comments

 

by Stephen Lendman

 

Western media misreport what’s happening in Syria and why. Propaganda substitutes for truth and full disclosure.

 

Syrians are struggling to prevent Western conquest, exploitation, and control. They’re fighting for their lives to stay free.

 

At issue isn’t whether Assad’s government is democratic, despotic or anything in between. Its sovereign independence made it vulnerable.

 

Washington tolerates no governments it doesn’t control. Replacing them with puppet regimes is policy. Whether Assad can hold out and prevail isn’t known. Most Syrians depend on him.

 

The longer conflict persists, the greater his support. Who else can Syrians turn to for help? They want no part of becoming another pro-Western vassal state. They know the daily horrors Afghans, Iraqis and Libyans face.

 

Syria was calm and peaceful until Washington unleashed its dogs last year. Daily violence, mass killing and destruction followed. It’s the American way. Media scoundrels support it.

 

Syria’s conflict isn’t an uprising, revolution or civil war. These characterizations distort reality. There’s nothing civil about what’s ongoing. Washington orchestrated everything. Its bloodstained hands control the conflict.

 

At issue is naked Washington-led Western aggression. Key NATO allies and regional partners are involved. Insurgents are Washington proxies. Protracted violence and bloodshed persist.

 

Imperial wars are called liberating ones. Western end game strategy calls for total war if other methods fail. Washington wages them two ways. In Afghanistan and Iraq, US forces are involved.

 

In Libya, a combination of air assets and ground proxies were used. Protracted conflict persists. Daily violence ravages the country. Media scoundrels ignore it.

 

They report little about Iraq and Afghanistan. They let nightmarish conditions pass beneath their radar. Only wealth, privilege and dominance matter. Charnel house conditions go unacknowledged.

 

So far, Western proxies alone battle Syrian forces. Despite heavy weapons, training and direction, military regulars outmatch them. Expect eventual direct Western intervention. Electoral politics dictates timing.

 

Voltaire Network’s Thierry Meyssan is right. Reagan’s Contra war 2.0 ravages Syria. Death squads employed are today’s Contras. In the 1980s, they battled Nicaragua’s Sandinista government. Washington enlisted, armed, trained, funded and directed them.

 

Anastasio Somoza ruled Nicaragua despotically. He ran it like a US colony. In 1979, the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) ousted his regime after years of conflict.

 

In 1981, Reagan authorized covert CIA intervention. Sandinistas were falsely called Moscow puppets. Contrarevolucionarios (Contras) were recruited. Many were former cutthroat Somoza National Guard regulars.

 

They became Washington proxy death squads. Contra wars raged throughout the decade. From Honduran bases they conducted cross-border terrorist raids. Nicaraguans suffered greatly. Many thousands died.

 

Managua’s economy was devastated. Resources needed for defense left little for domestic needs. In 1988, A New York Times op-ed headlined “Wrong From the Start; Reagan’s Contra War, Reagan’s Failure,” saying:

 

Reagan’s “seven-year record in Nicaragua is a chronicle of deceit and incompetence in pursuit of an unwinnable war.”

 

Expect nothing comparable today about Obama’s war on Syria. Times correspondents, commentators and editorial writers march in lockstep. They supported Reagan throughout the decade. Perhaps Iran-Contra caused the above change of heart.

 

Washington prevailed when Violeta Chamorro defeated Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega electorally in 1990.

 

The FSLN remained one of Nicargua’s two main parties. Washington manipulated electoral politics until Daniel Ortega was reelected president in 2006. He and FSLN parliamentarians prevailed again in November 2011.

 

They’re a shadow of their former selves. They’re more right of center than left. Ortega sought alliances with the conservative Catholic Church and Nicaraguan business interests. FSLN governance became more bourgeois than progressive.

 

Washington Consensus interventionism replaced counterinsurgency belligerence. Neoliberalism is America’s regional weapon. Finance is a new form of warfare. End results resemble military conquest without the death and destruction.

 

Modern-day Contras are jihadi extremists. They replicate Al Qaeda-linked Libya Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) insurgents. In December 2004, the US Treasury designation LIFG a Foreign Terrorist Organization, saying it:

 

“threatens global safety and stability through the use of violence and its ideological alliance with (Al Qaeda) and other brutal terrorist organizations.”

 

Washington strategically uses Al Qaeda fighters as allies and enemies. They’re assailed publicly while used against US enemies. They helped ravage Libya. They’re waging bloody war in Syria. They’re used as long as needed.

 

They’re allies of convenience. They’re returned to enemy status when services rendered no longer are needed.

 

After Syrian officials were killed at Damascus National Security headquarters, they launched Operation Damascus Volcano. Instead of “liberating” Damascus as planned, they were routed.

 

Official reports, media scoundrels, pro-Western observers, and hangers on proclaimed a conflict turning point. Syrian forces, in fact, have things well in hand.

 

Mostly calm returned to Damascus. Fighting shifted to Aleppo. It’s Syria’s largest city and commercial hub. Battles persist. Expect a similar outcome as Damascus. Western misinformation distorts what’s happening and why it matters.

 

Claims about Syria destabilized and Assad fleeing the country were falsified. Propaganda wars try to offset military failures. In confrontations against insurgents, Syrian forces consistently prevail.

 

Daily State Department press briefings combine imperial arrogance and misinformation. On July 24, spokeswoman Victoria Nuland claimed Assad “is increasingly losing control of swaths of territory, and clearly the opposition is trying to consolidate so it can have a base from which to operate.”

 

Washington is “committed to helping” them, she added. She left unaddressed in what ways, and that so far what’s been tried failed. What’s ahead remains to be seen.

 

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta urges more “aggressive” international action. On July 24, Foreign Policy contributor Josh Rogin headlined “Conservatives call on Obama to establish ‘safe zones’ in Syria,” saying:

 

A Foreign Policy Initiative/Foundation for the Defense of Democracies letter said:

 

“We believe it is clear that multilateral diplomacy and non-military pressure, by themselves, will neither compel Assad to step down nor ensure that America’s national security interests in Syria and the wider region are protected.”

 

“America’s national security interests are intertwined with the fate of the Syrian people and the wider region.”

 

“The longer we wait to act, the more others with interests contrary to ours will fill the void, limiting America’s ability to ensure a multi-sectarian pluralistic Syria.”

 

“We therefore believe it is long past due for the United States to adopt a strategy that will help the Syrian people to quickly end the Assad regime and actively promote order and stability after the regime’s fall.”

 

A rogue’s gallery of co-signers included Karl Rove, Elliot Abrams, Douglas Feith, Paul Bremer, and Robert Kagan, among others.

 

They support war and imperial conquest. Their letter also said inaction means “complicity in oppression.”

 

Mitt Romney made similar accusations, saying:

 

“While Russia and Iran have rushed to support Bashar al-Assad and thousands have been slaughtered, President Obama has abdicated leadership and subcontracted US policy to Kofi Annan and the United Nations.”

 

“Under this president, American influence and respect for our position around the world is at a low ebb.”

 

Safe zones are ground-based no-fly replicas. Both are acts of war. They’re belligerent and lawless. They assure full-scale intervention.

 

Co-signer hawks said “multilateral diplomacy and non-military pressure (won’t) compel Assad to step down nor ensure (US) national security interests in Syria and the wider region….”

 

They want war. So does Obama. Only their timetables differ. Post-election, expect the worst.

 

Perhaps Russia foresees it. On the one hand, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was clear and unequivocal. He condemned US support for terrorism.

 

He referred to Washington’s failure to denounce insurgents attacking Syria’s National Security headquarters, saying:

 

“This is quite an awful position, I cannot even find the words to make clear how we feel. This is directly justifying terrorism. How can this be understood?”

 

“In other words, to say it in plain Russian, this means ‘we (the United States) will continue to support such terrorist acts for as long as the UN Security Council has not done what we want.’ ”

 

Lavrov also criticized UN envoy Susan Rice’s hostile comments and Arab League leaders for pressuring Assad to step down.

 

Russia’s Ministry of Defense said warships entered the Mediterranean. Three vessels carry marines. They’ll rendezvous with other Russian ships off Syria’s coast.

 

Perhaps they’ll be positioned at Tartus. Moscow maintains its only Mediterranean base there. It’s strategic importance may be used. What’s planned remains unknown.

 

Russia has vital regional interests. So does China. Hopefully both countries will go all out to protect them and make their intentions known. Perhaps doing so can prevent war. There may be no other way.

 

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

 

His new book is titled “How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War”

 

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

 

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

 

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour

Jul 23

Washington’s Plan B for Syria

By No Comments

 

by Stephen Lendman

 

Replacing independent governments with pro-Western puppets is official US policy. So is war on Islam.

 

After Soviet Russia dissolved, Muslims replaced communists as public enemy number one. Since the 1990s, millions were ruthlessly killed. Many more die daily. Dozens succumb every day in Syria. US-sponsored death squads murder them.

 

On July 20 or 21st, Ramadan began. It continues for 30 days until August 18. It’s a time for prayer, fasting, reflection, spiritual purification, self-sacrifice, charity, and forgiveness.

 

On July 20, Obama hypocritically “extend(ed) warmest wishes to” American and global Muslims. He wished them a “blessed month.” He did it despite official US policy to murder them. It doesn’t stop in deference to Ramadan, Christmas, or any other time of year.

 

He contemptuously expressed support for their determination to achieve “democracy,” “equality,” “justice,” and “universal rights.” He said his administration stands forthrightly with them.

 

He lied. He’s a serial liar. He’s also a war criminal multiple times over.

 

America deplores these values at home and abroad. It won’t tolerate them. They’re anathema to the nation’s imperium. It seeks unchallenged global dominance. Ravaging the world one country at a time or in multiples is policy to achieve it.

 

Plans to get Security Council authorization for war failed. Russia and China vetoed three resolutions. Vladimir Putin said no to Libya 2.0.

 

He denounced efforts to circumvent Security Council authority. He said Russian National Security Council members deplore Western attempts to link ongoing violence to Moscow’s position.

 

Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov called Washington’s statements “hypocritical.” He added that America subverts efforts to urge opposition leaders to dialogue responsibly with Assad.

 

He called Hillary Clinton and Susan Rice accusations “absolutely unacceptable.”

 

Taking aim at Washington and Britain primarily, Russia’s UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said don’t “be misled by humanitarian discourse by some countries.”

 

“The policies on Syria are more geopolitical than humanitarian.”

 

“Unfortunately, the consequences of these policies will make the conflict and bloodshed continuous.”

 

He indicated that so-called aid is a prelude and pretext for military intervention, adding:

 

“The US and the UK intervened in Iraq under the most sublime of pretexts, causing (massive numbers of) civilian (deaths), let alone the displaced people inside and outside Iraq.”

 

Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich warned of serious consequences if Washington intention circumvents Security Council authority and intervenes directly in Syria’s internal affairs.

 

He said doing so constitutes “a very very alarming signal.” He rejected US retaliatory threats. He criticized congressional action and Western media denunciations.

 

Russia’s Duma International Affairs Committee Chairman Aleksey Pushkov called Western nations’ position on Syria political cover to escalate tensions. He rejected calls for unilateral approaches.

 

He accused Washington and so-called “Friends of Syria” of “double standards.” On the one hand, they support diplomatic solutions. On the other, they further violence, bloodshed, and resolving Syria’s conflict militarily. Russia stands firmly opposed.

 

Last week, Washington upped the stakes. Killing Syrian officials at Damascus National Security headquarters Wednesday was strategically timed.

 

They happened ahead of the latest Western Security Council scheme to authorize military intervention. It failed. At the same time, battles raged in and around Damascus and elsewhere. They failed.

 

Efforts were made to hijack Syria’s satellite channel frequencies and silence other state run online media. The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) was repeatedly hacked and shut down. On Sunday it was operating. It and other Syrian media remain vulnerable.

 

So far Western and complicit regional attempts to destabilize, weaken, and perhaps bring down the government failed. Expect continued schemes to topple Assad and his regime.

 

On July 21, a New York Times editorial headlined “Stymied at UN, US Refines Plan to Remove Assad,” saying:

 

Obama officials “abandoned efforts for a diplomatic settlement to the conflict in Syria, and instead it is increasing aid to the rebels and redoubling efforts to rally a coalition of like-minded countries to forcibly bring down the government of President Bashar al-Assad, American officials say.”

 

Obama officials are meeting with Israeli, Turkish, and Western counterparts. They’re also discussing policy with Syrian opposition leaders.

 

Internal Washington “daily high-level meetings” are held. At issue is Plan B “to help map out a possible post-Assad government.”

 

“The administration has had regular talks with the Israelis about how Israel might move to destroy Syrian weapons facilities, administration officials said.”

 

Washington is directly involved in arming, funding, training, and directing Syrian opposition mercenaries. They’re cutthroat killers. They’re enlisted to commit mass murder.

 

They target pro-Assad civilians and others randomly. Expect stepped up efforts ahead of direct Western and/or regional allies’ intervention.

 

Unnamed US officials said:

 

“You’ll notice in the last couple of months, the opposition has been strengthened. Now we’re ready to accelerate that.”

 

According to hawkish, pro-Israeli Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP) member Andrew Tabler:

 

“We’re looking at the controlled demolition of the Assad regime.”

 

He left unsaid that official Washington policy includes all options. They include full-scale war.

 

International Crisis Group member Robert Malley warned of “war that never ends.” Syrians won’t tolerate being ruled by elements now fighting them.

 

Josh Rogin reports on national security, foreign policy, and defense issues. On July 20, his Foreign Policy article headlined “Inside the quiet effort to plan for a post-Assad Syria,” saying:

 

Senior Syrian opposition group representatives are meeting covertly in Germany. The State Department provides funding.

 

For “the last six months,” they’ve been working with so-called US Institute for Peace (USIP) members. They’re planning a post-Assad government.

 

USIP is a pro-Western front group. According to the Weekly Standard:

 

Washington supplies millions of dollars. “Since 1985, taxpayers have forked over more than $720 million (inflation adjusted).”

 

“That has included support for a gleaming new 150,000 square foot office building in the shadow of that other taxpayer-supported institution (allegedly) devoted to peace: the State Department.”

 

USIP’s Steven Heydemann heads the initiative. In June, he met with Friends of Syria representatives in Istanbul. The project is called:

 

“The day after: Supporting a democratic transition in Syria.” Heydemann said USIP is “working in a support role with a large group of opposition groups to define a transition process for a post-Assad Syria.”

 

USIP shortly plans releasing a report. It’s a regime change strategy document. Implementing initial priorities needs to start now, said Heydemann. He disingenuously claims pushing Assad from power isn’t discussed.

 

“We have very purposely stayed away from contributing to the direct overthrow of the Assad regime,” he said. “Our project is called ‘the day after.’ There are other groups working on the day before.”

 

Of course, they’re interconnected. As the lyrics to the well-known spiritual “Dem Bones” say, the hip bone is connected to the thigh bone, etc.

 

USIP board chairman J. Robinson West is a corporate CEO (PFC Energy). President Richard H. Solomon is a former Assistant Secretary of State. Vice chairman of the board George E. Moose is a former Assistant Secretary of State.

 

Other board members include:

 

Judy Van Rest: right-wing International Republican Institute (ISI) executive vice president.

 

Michael H. Posner: Obama’s Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.

 

Of course, all US administrations deplore these values. They tolerate none of them at home or abroad.

 

James N. Miller: Obama’s Under Secretary of Defense for Policy

 

Nancy McEldowney: Interim president of the National Defense University (NDU).

 

Eric S. Edelman: A retired US Foreign Service Career Minister. He also held senior Defense Department positions.

 

Judy Ansley: Previously she held various high-level national security and Senate staff positions.

 

Syrian opposition members support violently overthrowing Assad’s government. Most Syrians support it. In May, free, fair, and open parliamentary elections were held. Ruling party members won most seats.

 

Washington, key NATO partners, and so-called Friends of Syria don’t recognize them. They represent Syria, not Western interests.

 

Replacing them with subservient puppets is policy. USIP was enlisted to help. It’s a wrongly named imperial tool. It supports war, not peace. It’s well paid for furthering Washington’s imperium. Destroying Syria is prioritized.

 

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

 

His new book is titled “How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War”

 

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

 

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

 

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour

Jul 21

Spoiling for Another Lebanon War

By No Comments

 

by Stephen Lendman

 

Lebanon has the misfortune of bordering Israel. The IDF attacked its northern neighbor in 1978, 1982, 1996, and 2006. More on the most recent war below.

 

Israel still illegally occupies Sheba Farms and Ghajar Lebanese territory.

 

Since at least the 1960s, it conducted repeated violations of its territory. Its warplanes overfly Lebanon provocatively. It committed thousands of terrorist attacks. It remains unaccountable for all of them.

 

Hezbollah was born out of Israel’s 1982 war. It’s a legitimate part of Lebanon’s government. It’s not a terrorist organization. It’s repeatedly accused of attacks it didn’t commit. The July 19 Bulgarian false flag is the latest. More on the aftermath below.

 

Hezbollah threatens no one. It’s fully prepared and committed to defend itself and its territory if attacked. International law supports it. In contrast, Israel is a serial war criminal. It’s a regional menace. Its nuclear, chemical and biological arsenals threaten humanity.

 

In July 2006, Israel committed naked aggression. Lebanon was preemptively attacked. Thinly veiled pretexts were used as justification. Israel lies about all its belligerence.

 

Crimes of war and against humanity were committed. Doing so is official Israeli policy.

 

Against Lebanon, Israeli strategy revealed its “Dahiya Doctrine.” Named after the destroyed Beirut suburb, it’s how all Israeli wars are waged.

 

Collective punishment/disproportionate force against civilians and non-military infrastructure is policy. Israel’s 2006 blitzkrieg killed over 1,000, injured thousands more, and displaced one-fourth of Lebanon’s four million people.

 

Beirut, Tyre, Sidon, and other Lebanon cities and towns were attacked. Targets destroyed or damaged included major ports, Beirut International Airport, 70 bridges, dozens of key roads, electrical power plants, gas and fuel stations, factories, schools, radio and TV stations, mosques, churches, hospitals, dams, civil defense centers, Sidon’s refugee camp, an orphanage, and civilian neighborhoods.

 

Jiyeh’s utility plant south of Beirut was also struck. Doing so caused a massive oil spill. It affected over 90 miles of coastal waters. It threatened biodiversity and heightened the risk of cancer for many thousands of Lebanese.

 

A land, sea and air siege was imposed. Illegal weapons were used. They included depleted uranium, chemical agents, white phosphorous bombs and shells that burns flesh to the bone, and so-called thermobaric bombs.

 

They contain polymer-bonded or solid fuel-air explosives. They’re able to penetrate buildings, underground shelters and tunnels. Its blast pressure sucks oxygen out of affected areas and people in them. It’s a terror weapon designed to kill and destroy horrifically.

 

On July 19, a bus carrying Israeli tourists and others was attacked. Eight deaths were reported. Israel spuriously blamed Hezbollah and Iran.

 

The New York Times regurgitated baseless Israeli/US accusations saying “American officials on Thursday identified the suicide bomber responsible for a deadly attack on Israeli vacationers here as a member of a Hezbollah cell that was operating in Bulgaria and looking for such targets, corroborating Israel’s assertions and making the bombing a new source of tension with Iran.”

 

An unnamed “senior American official” said “the bomber ‘act(ed) under broad guidance’ to hit Israeli targets when opportunities presented themselves….”

 

Two other unnamed US officials blamed Hezbollah. They called Iran “its primary sponsor.” They claimed the motive was in retaliation for assassinating Iranian nuclear scientists.

 

As always when these type accusations are made, no evidence whatever is cited. Charges without clear corroboration are baseless. The identity of a so-called bomber remains unknown.

 

Clearly one or more bombs exploded. Whether suicide was involved remains pure speculation. Most likely a Mossad operative safely distant from its detonation bore responsibility.

 

Hezbollah and Iran categorically denied involvement. Repeatedly they’ve said they don’t target civilians. They respond only when militarily attacked. International law permits it.

 

On July 19, Press TV said Tehran’s Sofia embassy dismissed spurious Israeli/US charges, saying:

 

“The Islamic Republic of Iran regards terrorism as an anti-human phenomenon and condemns acts of terror by whomever, for whatever purposes and deems it unacceptable.”

 

“The baseless remarks by the Israeli regime’s officials and the accusations against Iran regarding its alleged participation in the bus explosion are a known Israeli approach with political purposes, which shows the desperation of the accusers.”

 

Iran and Bulgaria maintain friendly relations was explained, adding:

 

“The enemies’ threadbare plots will never damage the strong cordial relations between Tehran and Sofia.”

 

On July 19, Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov called it “wrong and a mistake to point fingers at this stage of the investigation at any country and organization.”

 

It’s “wrong to jump to conclusions….At this stage,” very little is known, he added.

 

The Bulgarian false flag bears classic Mossad fingerprints. Car bombs are a favorite tactic. Netanyahu adds more lawlessness to his criminal legacy. He deflected attention saying:

 

“We will pursue the attackers and extract a heavy price from those who sent them. We will continue fighting Iranian terror, we will act against it with great force.”

 

“For over a year, Iran, along with its protege Hezbollah, has been waging an international terror campaign. (It’s) the world’s number one exporter of terror (along with its) Hezbollah ‘long arm.’ ”

 

“A terrorist state must not have a nuclear weapon,” he added.

 

Israeli officials spuriously claim the Iranian Quds Force and Hezbollah conduct numerous terrorist attacks. An unnamed Israeli official said “(t)hey work together when necessary and separately” otherwise.

 

He added that he couldn’t confirm if an alleged bomber intended to blow himself up or if he suffered a “work accident.” We’ll never know, he added. Conveniently that leaves a crime without an identifiable suspect by name.

 

Bulgarian authorities are trying to blame someone. They’re working with Israeli, US and Interpol operatives. DNA was taken from an alleged bomber. How he was selected remains unknown. Everyone on the bus looked like tourists.

 

The suspect wore plaid shorts, an Adidas T-shirt, and a baseball cap. Allegedly he had a fake driver’s license. Who can know what’s true and what’s not.

 

On July 19, Haaretz headlined “Netanyahu wants to turn the Israeli intelligence failure over Bulgaria into an excuse to strike Iran,” saying:

 

Before the dust settled in Bulgaria, he said “all signs lead to Iran.” Without proof, no suspect exists. Nonetheless, “Netanyahu and Barak are eager to deploy IDF forces on an attack mission targeting facilities in Iran.”

 

“They lack a convincing excuse,” and Obama is preoccupied until after November elections.

 

Israel also wants revenge for Hezbollah’s effectiveness in 2006. It embarrassed the vaunted IDF. It proved a formidable adversary no matter how much death and destruction it inflicted.

 

It’s likely better equipped, armed, and ready now than then. Nonetheless, Israel likely wants a longstanding grievance resolved.

 

It also covets Lebanon’s 20-mile stretch from its border to the Litani River. At issue are considerable water resources and offshore oil and gas.

 

The Tamar and Leviathan gas fields contain an estimated 25 trillion cubic feet supply as well as four billion or more barrels of oil. A prize this great exceeds any revenge benefit, but in a nation addicted to militarism and belligerence, both issues matter.

 

Official reports leave another issue unaddressed. Israel faces internal unrest. Most Israelis have longstanding social injustice grievances. Nationwide protests persist. People demand relief from unaffordable housing prices and eroding benefits.

 

Promises made were broken. Public rage grows. What better way to diffuse it than by hyping an alleged terrorist threat.

 

Expect a continued drumbeat to heighten fear, blame Iran and Hezbollah, and perhaps use the Bulgarian incident to attack Lebanon ahead of a possible war on Iran.

 

Who can know for sure what Israel plans. Given its history, anything is possible.

 

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

 

His new book is titled “How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War”

 

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

 

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

 

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour

Jul 06

Israel Likely Killed Arafat

By No Comments

by Stephen Lendman

 

Credible information on Arafat’s death surfaced years ago. It wasn’t natural. Evidence suggests he was assassinated. Israel most likely was responsible. More on that below.

 

Al Jazeera provided new information. On July 4, it headlined “Arafat’s widow (Suha) calls to exhume his body,” saying:

 

“A nine-month investigation suggests that the late Palestinian leader may have been poisoned with polonium.”

 

“Eight years after his death, it remains a mystery exactly what killed the longtime Palestinian leader.”

 

“Tests conducted in Paris found no obvious traces of poison in Arafat’s system. Rumors abound about what might have killed him – cancer, cirrhosis of the liver, even allegations that he was infected with HIV.”

 

“A nine-month investigation by Al Jazeera has revealed that none of those rumors were true: Arafat was in good health until he suddenly fell ill on October 12, 2004.”

 

Arafat’s personal belongings were examined. They included his clothes, his kaffiyeh and toothbrush. Polonium traces were found.

 

In 1898, Marie and Pierre Curie discovered the substance. Laboratory exposure killed their daughter Irene. Marie died from symptoms related to radiation exposure.

 

Science Daily calls polonium a “rare and highly radioactive metalloid.” It’s chemically similar to tellurium and bismuth. It’s found in uranium ores.

 

It’s “around 109 times” more toxic than hydrogen cyanide. Its main hazard is radioactivity. It’s “most lethal when ingested” or inhaled.

 

Evidence showed that polonium caused former Russian Federal Security Service officer Alexander Litvinenko’s 2007 death. In November 2006 he was hospitalized. Three weeks later he died.

 

He became the first known polonium-210 victim. Acute radiation poisoning killed him. Tests found traces in his tea cup. Polonium is hard to detect because it doesn’t emit gamma rays.

 

It emits only alpha particles. Normal radiation detectors don’t recognize them. Hospital equipment only detects gamma rays.

 

Ingesting or inhaling alpha particles causes significant radiation damage. Special equipment is needed to recognize them.

 

Switzerland’s Radiophysique (SR) analyzed Arafat’s belongings. Blood, sweat, saliva and urine samples were obtained. Tests showed abnormal polonium levels in his body when he died.

 

SR director Dr. Francois Bochud said:

 

“I can confirm to you that we measured an unexplained, elevated amount of unsupported polonium-210 in the belongings of Mr. Arafat that contained stains of biological fluids.”

 

As a result, Arafat’s widow, Suha, asked Palestinian Authority (PA) officials to exhume his body. If bone, tissue, and/or other bodily evidence substantiates SR’s diagnosis, conclusive proof of his poisoning will be confirmed.

 

“I know the Palestinian Authority has been trying to discover what Yasser died from,” she said. “And now we are helping them. We have very substantial, very important results.”

 

In 2004, Abbas was complicit in a coverup. Suha’s hopes may go unfulfilled.

 

Known polonium poisoning deaths are rare. Scientific consensus on its symptoms is lacking. Litvinenko suffered from diarrhea, weight loss, and vomiting. Arafat exhibited the same ones.

 

Animal studied found similar symptoms. A US 1991 study said:

 

“The primary radiation target….is the gastrointestinal tract. (It) activat(es) the ‘vomiting centre’ in the brainstem.”

 

SR scientists found Arafat’s belongings contained abnormally high polonium levels.

 

It’s present atmospherically. Natural amounts accumulating on bodily surfaces barely register. They dissipate rapidly. Polonium-210 found on Arafat’s belongings has a 138-day half life. It means half the substance decays around every four and a half months.

 

SR said “(e)ven in case of a poisoning similar to (Litvinenko), only traces of the order of a few” millibecquerels would be found.

 

However, Arafat’s belonging had much higher levels. Further tests “concluded that….between 60 to 80 percent (of the polonium) was ‘unsupported.’ ” It means it didn’t come from natural sources.

 

SR scientists ruled out official or suggested causes of Arafat’s death. Lausanne University Institute of Legal Medicine director Dr. Patrice Mangin said:

 

“There was no liver cirrhosis, apparently no traces of cancer, no leukemia. Concerning HIV, AIDS – there was no sign, and the symptomology was not suggesting these things.”

 

HIV specialist Dr. Tawfik Shaaban agreed there was no evidence of the disease.

 

Lausanne doctors wanted to study blood and urine samples taken when Arafat was hospitalized at France’s Percy Military Hospital. His wife Suha requested them. She was told they were destroyed.

 

“I was not satisfied with that answer,” she said. “Usually a very important person like Yasser” would require they be kept. Something suspicious was involved.

 

Doctors who treated him were told not to discuss his case even with Suha’s permission. It was considered a “military secret.” Most of his former Cairo and Tunis doctors refused interview requests.

 

Perhaps official coverup of his true cause of death is why.

 

It’s now up to PA officials to exhume him. Abbas may block credible efforts. He’s a longtime Israeli collaborator.

 

PLO official Saeb Erekat said two committees will be formed to investigate his death. PA ministers will comprise one. The other will include Fatah central committee members.

 

Key is whether efforts will be pro forma or real. Will a credible autopsy be performed? If so, will full disclosure follow?

 

Most important is that if evidence proves Arafat was murdered, will efforts be made to assign blame?

 

Key also is that sending bone, tissue and/or other bodily samples to reputable labs abroad requires Israeli permission.

 

Expect it to be denied. Doing so would raise obvious suspicions that Israel wants potentially incriminating evidence suppressed.

 

It had clear motive and opportunity. Mossad has a long history of targeted assassinations. It uses many methods including poison.

 

Attempts don’t always succeed. In 1997, Mossad agents failed to kill Hamas leader Khaled Mashal by spraying poison in his ear in Amman.

 

Hamas’ Mohammad al-Mabhouh wasn’t as lucky. In January 2010, he was found dead in his Dubai hotel room. Initially it was believed by natural causes.

 

Investigation determined he was injected with succinylcholine. It’s a quick-acting depolarizing paralytic muscle relaxant. Motor skills are lost instantly. He apparently died from suffocation. Mossad agents were named responsible.

 

In his book titled “Gideon Spies: The Secret History of the Mossad,” Gordon Thomas provided chilling examples of how it uses biochemists and genetic scientists to develop lethal agents.

 

They include nerve, choking, blood, and blister agents. Tuban is used. It’s virtually odorless and invisible when dispensed by aerosol or in vapor form. Various other substances are used to kill.

 

Effective ones do it efficiently and covertly. They leave behind minimal evidence. None is ideal. They try to leave those responsible unidentified. Mossad’s long history reveals a legacy of state-sponsored assassinations.

 

For now, Suha said:

 

“We got into this very, very painful conclusion, but at least this removes this great burden on me, on my chest.”

 

“At least I’ve done something to explain to the Palestinian people, to the Arab and Muslim generation all over the world, that it was not a natural death. It was a crime.”

 

In January 2007, this writer’s article headlined “Former Longtime Confidant Accuses Ariel Sharon of Assassinating Yasser Arafat.”

 

Uri Dan was close to Sharon. In 2006, his book titled “Ariel Sharon: An Intimate Portrait” accused him of assassinating Arafat by poison.

 

He claimed George Bush approved it. At the time, he was under siege at his Ramallah compound. Israel destroyed most of it.

 

Israeli and Washington officials wanted Arafat removed and replaced. They succeeded. On November 11, 2004, he died in Paris. He was 75.

 

In early October he took ill. On October 29, he was flown to France’s Percy Military Hospital for treatment. Doctors examining him couldn’t determine why.

 

On November 3, he slipped into a coma. Eight days later he was dead. French doctors prepared a 558-page report. They claimed he died of complications from a blood disorder.

 

They described what they called “disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC).” It causes malignancy and infection, they said.

 

They claimed his blood vessels exhibited small clots. They deplete platelets and clotting factors needed to control bleeding. It can cause death by hemorrhaging.

 

They also called DIC a secondary condition. In other words, it wasn’t the main cause of his illness or death. Something else was responsible. They left that issue unanswered.

 

At the time, this writer said:

 

“He may have been the victim of a slow acting….hard to detect poison somehow administered to him inside his West Bank compound from which no cure was possible at least once (he) arrived in Paris.”

 

Nothing was done to determine precisely what killed him. His longtime personal physician was suspicious. Dr. Ashraf Al Kurdi said Assad blocked an autopsy.

 

“They didn’t want to do it,” he said. “When you talked to them about an autopsy they would get fits. (Abbas) said it would disturb relations with France.”

 

Kurdi called this “stupid.” In suspected criminal cases, autopsies are mandatory. Given the strong possibility that Arafat was poisoned, failure to determine cause of death was unconscionable.

 

French doctors would have conducted a thorough autopsy unless ordered to back off. If performed, it wouldn’t have contradicted Islamic law.

 

Autopsies are permitted as long as performed as soon as possible after death and respect the deceased. Under normal circumstances, Muslims wish to bury their dead quickly. They also prefer to avoid embalming unless necessary.

 

On November 11, 2004, Arafat died. On November 12, he was buried beside his Ramallah compound. The ceremony was hurried. It didn’t follow customary Islamic religious rites.

 

Chief Palestinian religious authority Sheikh Taissir Tamimi ordered Arafat disinterred for proper reburial on November 13.

 

In April 2005, Dr. Kurdi was interviewed by MiddleEast.org. He discussed Arafat’s “stealth assassination,” saying:

 

“If someone (of the Islamic faith) dies of unknown causes, it is mandatory to have an autopsy – mandatory. They know the regulations. Here in Jordan, bodies have been exhumed in criminal cases….I suspect Arafat died of a ‘killing poison’….The death was due to this.”

 

He said unfounded rumors claimed he died from HIV/AIDS. He conducted tests before Arafat died and dispelled them. He also said he had no longstanding health problems except a benign tumor. It caused a slight tremor in his lips and hands. It was not life-threatening.

 

Overall he was in good health. He saw Arafat on the 16th day after his illness became serious. It was shortly before he was flown to Amman then on to Paris.

 

During his last examination, Kurdi noticed what he believed to be signs of poisoning. Arafat had a reddish patch on his face and a metallic yellow coloring to his skin.

 

Before flying to Paris, he saw him one more time in Amman. He’d lost half his body weight. Reddishness and metallic yellow coloring were prominent. He was sure he’d been poisoned and was dying.

 

Fourteen months earlier, then Israeli Vice Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Israeli radio after a cabinet meeting:

 

“How are we going to” remove Arafat? Expulsion is certainly one of the options, and killing is also one of the options.”

 

He’d been held captive in his Ramallah compound for 18 months. Supporters believed Israel wanted to kill him. Arafat addressed them saying:

 

“(S)hould the terrorist Sharon regime realize its threat to deport me, or assassinate me, the Palestinian people will continue, and even strengthen, the fight for national liberation and the independent statehood.”

 

From his earliest days as PLO Chairman and President,  Arafat went from enemy to ally back to enemy. Agreeing to Oslo got him a 1993 White House signing ceremony. He and Prime Minster Yitzhak Rabin shook hands.

 

In July 2000, “permanent status” talks followed. Bill Clinton hosted Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak at Camp David.

 

Barak insisted Arafat sign a “final agreement” and declare an “end of conflict.” Doing so would have renounced any legal claim to Palestine land.

 

Nothing was put in writing. No documents or maps were presented. Barak wanted Palestinian land divided into four isolated bantustans surrounded by expanding settlements and other Israeli controlled territory.

 

He offered terms Arafat had to refuse. No responsible leader would have agreed. They demanded unconditional surrender. Peace hopes would have been dashed.

 

He turned the deal down and was unfairly blamed. It very likely led to his death by assassination.

 

In February 2001, when Sharon became prime minister, he ended negotiations until George Bush’s fake “road map” to nowhere.

 

Peace talks always ended up tragedies and travesties. How could Palestinians negotiate in good faith without a willing partner. They never had one and don’t now with Netanyahu.

 

It shouldn’t surprise if indisputable evidence proves Sharon assassinated Arafat. Israel targets all Palestinians it wants removed this way when other methods fail.

 

Arafat likely fell victim. Betting odds favor it. Hopefully one day we’ll know for sure.

 

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

 

His new book is titled “How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War”

 

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

 

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

 

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour

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