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THE GREAT SHARON DECEPTION
The latest
US-Israeli-UK Time Buying Political Con Game
"Deception and lies have been a corner
stone in Israeli policy, brought to a
new level of perfection since Oslo. While the world believed that Rabin
promised to eventually end the occupation and dismantle the settlements,
the number of Israeli settlers actually doubled during his rule. At the
same time that Barak declared he intends to dismantle the Golan Heights
settlements, in 1999, he actually poured money into their expansion. As
Sharon promised to dismantle at least the illegal settlement posts in
the
West Bank, their number kept increasing. Still, none of this is ever
remembered. Each new lie is received with welcome cheers by the Israeli
peace camp, and by European governments. Since Oslo, every Israeli
government knows that all it takes, to ease diplomatic pressure, is to
come up with a new 'peace plan'."
"The
Palestinians (in Gaza) will be imprisoned from all sides,
with no connection to the world, except through Israel."
MIDDLEEAST.ORG - MER - Washington - 16
November: How
convenient, as well as perplexing, the new energized U.S.-Israeli
scheme for dealing with the de-Arafatized Palestinians; the latest
'peace plan' in a long line of so many prior 'peace plans' going back
now more than
half a century.
It's actually 'Roadmap II' if you will. Arafat had been
entombed only hours in
fact when the American President and the British Prime Minister held a
dramatic joint press conference to capture the headlines by announcing
one more time another reenergized 'peace process' that will finally
somehow somewhere lead to
a 'Palestinian State' of some sort...maybe...if....
And indeed so much of the gullible, lazy,
on-the-take corporate media just keeps on playing the same old stale
tunes
with the same old discredited singers, over and over, time after
time.
A little perspective here. This latest escalation of the new
U.S.-Israeli-U.K. 'peace plan' comes just after the International Court
of Justice nearly unanimously ruled Israeli policies illegal, just as
the 'international community' and most especially the new European
Community has finally been talking about 'sanctions' against Israel,
and just as the Israelis are busy killing off the last of the senior
respected Palestinian leaders and finishing their Apartheid
Wall.
And it all comes in tandem with Ariel Sharon's tongue-in-cheek
insistance that something he calls a 'Gaza Withdrawal' will somehow
lead to peace; even though the Palestinians are now divided up and
literally imprisoned more than ever before, even as all the major and
important Israeli settlements keep growing and expanding gobbling up
still more of the remnants of what could have once been but no longer
can be
a real Palestinian State.
And yet, even with the personal history
of Sharon on top of the long sordid history of Anglo-American 'Peace
Plans' going back to the 1930s in fact, so many in the Western world
including the U.N. Secretary-General are actually applauding Sharon,
though in fact he be the same old crafty and bloody war criminal who
after the historic 1982
massacres was never again supposed to hold any position of power in
Israel.
Indeed how convenient this latest historical charade both
politically and personally for Ariel Sharon, as well as for George Bush
and Tony Blair, as well as for the imperialist neocons who now have
American power firmly by the balls as never before.
How
convenient indeed for all the various cronies and false-flag
organizations who have
for so long now been swimming in this historical cespool 'peace
process' sea of lies, deceptions and
distortions -- from the far-right neo-racist types to the pseudo-left
disingenuous 'Peace Now' charlatans.
Fortunately for us all however there remain individuals of both
considerable expertise and integrity who can help cut through all the
mind-boggling
rhetorical and political smokescreens.
One near the top of the list is Professor Tanya Reinhart -- a true
expert; a committed Israeli; a bold, courageous, extraordinarly
insightful analyst; and an academic with an excellent track
record.
Years ago when everyone was applauding the 'Oslo Peace Process'
Reinhart was talking sense about its inevitable collapse; when
Ehud Barak
became Prime Minister with all singing his praises she immediately
exposed his dark underside; when Clinton and Barak dragged Arafat to
Camp David she explained what a grand deception the Israelis were
attempting to perpetrate.
And now, as the plot to remake the Middle East in a 'new world order'
Pax
Americana/Israelica form escalates with ever greater twists and
turns Professor Reinhart brilliantly helps
explain what is really going on under the rock of all the slimy
rhetoric coming not only from the Bush and Sharon and Blair governments
but from
so much of the semi-independent media which so sadly allows itself to
be continually manipulated.
November
6, 2004
Sharon's Gaza
Pullout: Not Gonna Happen!
Tanya
Reinhart*
We gather here at difficult times, when it seems that the Palestinian
cause
has been almost eliminated from the international agenda. The Western
world is hailing the new "peace vision" of Sharon's disengagement plan.
The day this plan passed in the Israeli Knesset (parliament) last week
was hailed by Le Monde as a
historical day. Who would pay attention to the two line news piece that
on that same day, the Israeli army killed 16 Palestinians in Khan-Yunes?
It is pretty much known even in the West that Sharon's plan is not about
ending the occupation. With regard to the Gaza strip, the disengagement
plan published in the Israeli papers on Friday, April 16, specifies that
"Israel will supervise and guard the external envelope on land, will
maintain exclusive control in the air space of Gaza, and will continue
to
conduct military activities in the sea space of the Gaza Strip".
In other
words, the Palestinians will be imprisoned from all sides, with no
connection to the world, except through Israel.
Israel also reserves for itself the right to act militarily inside the
Gaza strip. In return for this "concession", Israel would be permitted
to complete the wall and to maintain the situation in the West Bank as
is. The innovation in the Bush-Sharon agreement that approved this plan
is that this is not a
proposal awaiting the approval of the Palestinian people.
Now the
Palestinians are not even asked. It is Israel and the U.S. who are
determining the facts on the ground. Israel marks the land that it
desires, and builds a wall on that route.
For those who oppose Israeli occupation, it is clear, then, that
Sharon's
disengagement is just a plan for maintaining the occupation with more
international legitimacy.
However, there is one presupposition shared in all discussions of this
plan - that in the process, Sharon also intends to dismantle the
settlements of the Gaza strip, and return the land they are built on to
the Palestinians. I should say that had I believed this might happen, I
would have supported the plan. The Gaza settlements, together with
their land reserves, security zones, Israeli-only roads, and the
military array protecting them, occupy almost a third of the strip's
land, which is one of the most densely populated areas of the world.
Had thisland been returned to its owners, it would be a step forward.
We should never forget that the Palestinian struggle is not only for
their liberation, but for regaining their lands in the occupied
territories - lands that Israel has been appropriating since 67. As
long as the Palestinians manage to hold on to their land, under
even the worst
occupation, they will eventually also gain their liberation. Without
land,
what is at stake is not just their liberation, but their survival.
But what basis is there to believe that Sharon indeed plans to dismantle
settlements at some point? Certainly not the content of the resolution
passed by the Israeli Knesset on October 26 - the day that has been
depicted by Israeli and virtually all Western media as a "historical"
day
with "dramatic" resolution. In fact, the Israeli parliament voted to
approve "the revised disengagement plan", which was previously approved
in another "historical meeting" of the Israeli Cabinet, on June 6,
2004. So it is appropriate to check what was actually approved at that
Cabinet meeting.
Ha'aretz' ceremonial headlines on June 7 declared "Disengagement on its
way". But here are the smaller letters in the body of the report:
"At the end of a dramatic cabinet meeting yesterday, the government
passed Ariel Sharon's revised disengagement plan, by a vote of 14-7,
but the decision does not allow for the dismantling of settlements and
the prime
minister will have to go back to the cabinet when he actually wants to
begin the evacuation process. ...The decision on the evacuation of
settlements will be brought to the government at the end of a
preparation
period... [that] would end next March 1" ( Aluf Benn, Gideon Alon, and
Nathan Guttmanm, Ha'aretz, June 7, 2004).
Elsewhere in that paper it is explained that "there was no approval of
actual evacuations... A second government discussion would be
held in this
regard, 'taking into account the circumstances at the time' " (Aluf
Benn,
Ha'aretz, June 7, 2004).
The only thing the Israeli government, followed now by the Israeli
Knesset, have approved, then, is to have a discussion of the idea of
dismantling Gaza settlements sometime next year. It was also decided
that in the meanwhile, building and development in the Gaza settlements
may continue: "The approved plan ensures 'support for the needs of
daily life' in settlements slated for evacuation. Bans on construction
permits and leasing of lands were also removed from the prime
minister's proposal" (ibid). And indeed, on the ground, slots of
land are still being leased (for ridiculously cheap prices) to Israelis
who wish to settle in Gaza, and building permits are granted by a
special committee appointed by the government in the same "dramatic"
meting on June 6.(1)
Still, none of these facts were registered in public consciousness. The
actual content of the cabinet decision was reported only once - on that
same day - and then disappeared from the papers that keep recycling the
stories about its heroic significance. Precisely the same happened in
the
present round. The fact that the Knesset has only voted to approve "the
amended disengagement plan" that contains no decision to dismantle
settlements was reported in the Israeli media:
Knesset members voting tonight on the disengagement plan have received
a copy of the "amended disengagement law" the cabinet passed on June 6,
plus appendices containing the principles of the plan and its
implementation... According to the compromise negotiated at the
time... the cabinet decision "contains nothing to evacuate
settlements." To remove any doubt in this regard, the cabinet decision
also states that "after the conclusion of preparatory work, the cabinet
will reconvene to separately debate and decide whether or not to
evacuate settlements, which settlements, and at what speed, in
consideration of circumstances at that time. (Yuval Yoaz, Ha'aretz, Oct
26, 2004) But again, this information appeared only once or
twice, buried underneath bold headlines that even compared Sharon to
Churchill. This is how a myth is built.
Another test-case for how serious the evacuation intentions are is the
issue of compensations for the evacuated settlers. Since the
cabinet's
decision in June, many of the Gaza settlers began inquiring, directly or
through hired lawyers, how and when they can be compensated.
Behind the
noisy protest of the settlers' leadership, many are relieved to be able
to
finally leave, and are just waiting for the compensations.
Anybody intending seriously to evacuate them, would start by
compensating first those who are ready to leave immediately, leaving
only the ideological minority to be evacuated forcefully.
Indeed, for five months, since the cabinet's decision in June, both the
settlers and the Israeli public believe that this is about to happen
any moment now. Again, a faith with no basis.
Special committees have worked with much publicity on every detail of
the compensation plan. Many believe this was finally approved by
the Knesset on November 4. Only in the small letters of what actually
happened one can learn that the compensation law has passed only its
preliminary first hearing (reading). In principle, the second and
third hearing could take place within few weeks, but it was
clarified in advance that the second reading will take place only
after the government decides on actual evacuation, in March 2005, or
later (Yosi Verter, Ha'aretz, Oct 8, 2004.) Till then, no one
will be compensated. As Aluf Ben summarized this, "the Knesset
will vote in the first reading of the Implementation of the
Disengagement Plan Law, which authorizes the government to evacuate
settlements and compensate those evacuated. Then there will be debates
in the committees, and a second and third reading... and the law could
be blocked at any stage" (Ha'aretz, Oct 27, 2004).
Outside Israel, the details of what was actually decided didn't even
make
it into the news once, and all that is repeated over and over again in
the
Western media is the propaganda produced by the Israeli political
system -
headlines from which one could infer that the dismantling of
settlements is
around the corner. Thus, the political debate around Sharon's plan
concentrates only around whether it is good enough. The possibility that
this is just another Israeli deceit does not even arise. And if you try
to
bring it up, you are perceived as having landed from the moon, as has
happened to me in several European media interviews.
Deception and lies have been a corner stone in Israeli policy, brought
to a
new level of perfection since Oslo. While the world believed that Rabin
promised to eventually end the occupation and dismantle the settlements,
the number of Israeli settlers actually doubled during his rule. At the
same time that Barak declared he intends to dismantle the Golan Heights
settlements, in 1999, he actually poured money into their expansion. As
Sharon promised to dismantle at least the illegal settlement posts in
the
West Bank, their number kept increasing. Still, none of this is ever
remembered. Each new lie is received with welcome cheers by the Israeli
peace camp, and by European governments. Since Oslo, every Israeli
government knows that all it takes, to ease diplomatic pressure, is to
come
up with a new "peace plan".
The ritual repeats itself with each new "plan" of this sort. The crucial
factor in convincing the world that this time "it is for real" is right
wing protest. Of course when the government comes up with a new
scheme of deception, the right wing and settlers believe it as
well. Rabin's deceit
has cost him his life. The same threats are now being directed at
Sharon.
This is sufficient to convince the Israeli peace camp that Sharon is
determined to dismantle settlements. Even serious anti-occupation
thinkers
write articles warning of the danger of "civil war" with the settlers
(forgetting that for this to be even remotely possible, someone should
try
indeed to evacuate them first). The implication is almost unavoidable:
In
view of this coming civil war, Sharon is our leader. We should all unite
behind him, against the dark forces in Israel.
Indeed, this massive Israeli propaganda works. Throughout the Western
world, Sharon is now depicted as a messenger of peace, because he has
declared that he is willing to evacuate some of the territories. All of
a
sudden, Sharon is viewed as the sane center of Israel, withstanding
right
wing pressure. The prevailing perception is that Israel is finally led
by a
man of peace, with a respectable determination to carry out painful
concessions. And as long as this is the perspective, Sharon can do
whatever
he wants. The Israeli army terrorizes the Gaza strip. dozens of
Palestinians are being killed, including children on their way to
school,
houses are demolished and agricultural land destroyed. At the time of
operation "Defensive Shield" in the West Bank and Jenin refugee camp
two years ago, there was substantial world protest. The last operation
"Days of Penitence" in the Jabalia camp in the Gaza strip has hardly
received any coverage.
Backed by the U.S., Sharon is realizing with frightening efficiency his
long-standing vision of evicting the maximum number of Palestinians
from their land. In the spirit of Orwell, it was even explained that
one of the aims of "Days of Pertinence" is to "expand the security
zones" around the Gaza settlements (namely to enlarge their lands,
pushing more Palestinians out of these lands), in order to guarantee
that when they are evacuated, it would not be "under fire". (Aluf Ben,
Ha'aretz, Oct 4, 2004). But Europe looks the other way, reassured
of Sharon's new vision of peace.
These are difficult days, when Orwell seems to pale, compared to the
power
of present day propaganda, when it seems that the European governments
are immovable in their support of Israel, no matter what crimes it
commits; and the Palestinians are dying slowly, with their suffering
not even being
reported.
But in such times, when governments are unwilling to impose
international law, the people of the world can still take matters in
their
hands.
Largely unreported, there is a growing on-going joint struggle of
Palestinians, Israelis and internationals from the International
Solidarity
Movement, who stand daily in front of the army and the settlers in the
Palestinian territories, in non-violent, peaceful protest, documenting
the
crime, protecting as much of the land as they can, and slowing down
Sharon's massive work of destruction. For the first time in the history
of
the occupation, we are seeing joint Israeli-Palestinian struggle. Along
with Israel of the army and the settlers, a new Israel-Palestine is
forming.
The breathtaking scenery of the West Bank has been sliced up by the new
roads that the rulers have built for their own exclusive use. Beneath
them
lie the old roads of the vanquished. There, on the lower level, is where
the other Israel-Palestine treads. For almost two years, Israeli youths
arrive in settlement buses and then make their way on foot and in
Palestinian taxis among the checkpoints. They trek between the villages
in
groups or alone. Some sleep in the villages. Others will travel the same
route the next day to reach the demonstration. Everywhere they go they
are greeted with blessings and beaming faces. "Tfaddalu," the children
in the doorways say, as if they had never heard of stone-throwing.
All along the "seam line" in the West bank, along the root of the wall,
the Palestinians have opened their hearts and their homes to the
Israelis and internationals who come to support their non-violent
resistance to the wall and the occupation robbing them of their land.
These days, hundreds of Israelis are going almost daily to the West
Bank to protect the Palestinian olive harvest from the settlers, who,
protected by the Israeli army, try to
prevent the harvest.
What has brought young Israelis to stand with the Palestinians in front
of
the army is the conviction that there is a basic line of justice that
must
not be crossed, that there is a law that is higher than the army's laws
of
closed military zones: there is international law, which forbids ethnic
cleansing, and there is the law of conscience. But what makes them
return,
day after day, is the new covenant that has been struck between the
peoples of this land, a pact of fraternity and friendship between
Israelis and
Palestinians who love life, the land, the evening breeze. They know
that it
is possible to live differently on this land.
This daily struggle is our hope. It has become possible with the help of
individuals from all over the world who come there to join the new form
of
resistance. They are facing harassment. Many are being stopped and
deported, but they still keep coming. As long as more people come, even
for a short time, as long as they are backed and supported by many
others at home who could not join in yet, the struggle will go on,
offering hope
where governments fail. (1). E.g.: " Yesterday, press photographers
were invited in to take a picture of the first session of the committee
to deal with the construction in the [Gaza] settlements, headed by PMO
Director General Ilan Cohen. The committee is meant to examine the
issue of construction and other development projects in settlements
that are designated for evacuation. Cohen says Sharon told him
'not to compromise over security needs'. Gaza Regional Council Chairman
Avner Shimoni won approval for 26 bullet-proofed buildings in Gush
Katif. The new buildings are meant for residences, and school rooms are
meant for Kfar Darom, Netzarim and Neveh Dekalim. So far,
some 350 development projects have been submitted to the committee"
(Aluf Benn and Nir Hason, Ha'aretz, July 27, 2004).
* Professor Reinhart teaches
Linguistics at Tel Aviv University and the University of the
Netherlands. This speech was delivered in Paris on 6 November at
the Euro/Palestine
concert.
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November 2004
Condi Rice - Weakest and Worst Sec State in Washington Memory (November 29, 2004)
"So we are to have a new Secretary of State who dreadfully misjudged the terrorist threat leading up to 9/11 and then misled America and the world about the case for invading Iraq. As if that's not disturbing enough, look who is succeeding her
as the President's National Security Adviser... I'm not making this up; it's all on the record. So instead of putting America's foreign policy in the hands of people who might have restored the country's credibility in the world, the President has turned it over to two of the people who helped to shred it." -Bill Moyers
US in Iraq 'worse than Hitler'? Turkish Parliament Leader Has His Say (November 28, 2004)
"The occupation has turned into barbarism. The
U.S. administration is committing genocide...in Iraq. "This occupation has entirely imperialist aims." - Mehmet Elkatmis, Head of Tukish Parliament's human rights commission
Islamabad 25 Years Ago Was Forecast of What Has Since Come (November 27, 2004)
Twenty-five years ago, as hate-filled crowds invaded the American Embassy in Islamabad and the 100+ Americans hiding in 'The Vault' feared they would be killed, there was already in the air of international affairs an omen of what was to come. What happened then has since politically metasticized into what is happening today, an escalating 'Clash of Civilizations' with the United States doubly tinged with fundamentalist Crusading zealotry and Israeli Zionist ideology. And the hatreds, despair, and sense of grievance in many places in the world, including today's Pakistan, are still growing....
Washington's War-Mongering Military-Industrial-Government Complex (November 27, 2004)
They could have sub-titled this excellent 48 minute Dutch documentary "Cesspool Washington" for it exposes a significant aspect of how the American capital has incestuously and unethically entertwined big business, big money, and government. Exposed in this documentary is a major part of the U.S. war-making and war-profiteering scene of which few Americans are aware. These realities goe a long way to explain how and why U.S. war policies are what they are.
The CIA's TORTURE AIR (November 26, 2004)
Witnesses have claimed that the suspects are frequently bound, gagged and sedated before being put on board the planes,
CIA Purge Converting Agency To Neoconism (November 25, 2004)
They already have firm control of the Pentagon, which also actually means some 80% of the "Intelligence" Budget. And they've made great progress in recent years taking over the State Department as well as the National Security Council. Now crusading "Neocons" -- many Jewish and nearly all connected over the years with the Israeli-Jewish lobby in Washington -- are determined to finally bring the last resistant power center, the CIA, into line. Washington these days is like the land of the body-snatchers, everyone looking over their shoulders, the fear factor rising higher and higher.
Falluja in Memorium on Thanksgiving (November 25, 2004)
As for the new killing fields of Iraq -- most recently in Falluja, the 'City of Mosques' -- the alternative-media reports that follow from Green Leaf Weekly in Australia and The Village Voice in New York make for devastating reading. "Sorry Faluya"..."Sorry Faluya"...
January Elections - Truth or Consequences (November 25, 2004)
Under the conditions that actually exist -- unprecedented military occupation, extraordinary impoverishment and bribery, still-expanding CIA infiltration, massive propaganda manipulation -- the very concept of 'free and fair' elections takes quite a credibility stretch.
New from MER (November 22, 2004)
New from MER - MER realizes that today situation in the Middle East and in Washington requires new and creative means to provide critical information and independent expert analysis. But this can only be achieved if those who appreciate today's historical moment will dig in and provide the independent financial support necessary. Please make your check to MER and contribute today.
MER
P.O. Box 4918
Washington, DC 20008
Fearing Bush Assassination (November 22, 2004)
Over the weekend during Bush's short visit to Chile there was an extraordinary double display of this concern. First Bush himself got man-handled in a crowd of security people literally having to pull his senior protective body man after him through a small blocking crowd of Chilean security. Later the elaborate State Dinner the Chilean President was putting on was abruptly canceled when the American's demanded that every one of the two hundred carefully selected guests go through metal detectors and possible body frisks. The Chileans said not very dignified, no need; the Americans said too bad, no dinner.
Please read and contribute this weekend, thank you. (November 21, 2004)
If MER is to move forward and have the kind of impact we can and should now have, independent financial support is now absolutely crucial. After all the steps we have taken in recent years to reorganize and improve MER, serious financial support is now the key missing ingredient we must have. Yes we are now positioned to reach far more persons worldwide and to have far greater impact including on radio and TV programs. But this can happen only with your substantial financial support. So please contribute this weekend making your check to MER and sending to:
MER
P.O. Box 4918
Washington, DC 20008
Israel Buys Another Piece of Washington (November 20, 2004)
Read the details about Haim Saban, Ariel Sharon's "close personal friend", keeping all this crucial perspective and context in mind which the nation's 'newspaper of record' largely ommitted.
Please read and contribute this weekend (November 20, 2004)
If MER is to move forward and have the kind of impact we can and should now have, independent financial support is crucial. After all the steps we have taken in recent years to reorganize and improve MER, financial support is now the key missing ingredient if we are to be able to take the steps we now could. We are now positioned to reach far more persons worldwide and to have far greater impact including on radio and TV programs. But this can happen only with your serious financial support. So please contribute this weekend making your check to MER and sending to: MER - P.O. Box 4918 - Washington, DC 20008
Yasser Arafat's Life and Legacy (November 19, 2004)
There are only a small handful of Western journalists who have the background, the credibility, and the conviction, to write with historical depth and considerable insight about the death of Yasser Arafat. David Hirst, still writing for The Guardian after all these years, the man who authored THE GUN AND THE OLIVE BRANCH, is right up there at the top of that list. This article was published in The Guardian last week just as Arafat's death was announced.
Nuke Attack on U.S. 'all but inevitable' warns top CIA official (November 19, 2004)
As the new historic purge of non-neocons roles over Washington, firing, resignations, and fear have the CIA, the State Department, and lesser known sometimes secret U.S. Government agencies in a tizzy. One of those now forced out at the CIA is the man who has headed up the great manhunt for Osama Bin-Laden. He spoke up last year in a book written by 'Anonymous' titled "Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror." Just days after leaving the Agency he spoke up on the popular CBS News Program Sixty Minutes.
U.S. and ISRAELI Deceptions...over and over again (November 18, 2004)
Even as Yasser Arafat was being buried last Friday the American President and the British Prime Minister purposefully tried to immediately dim his memory and twist the headlines by holding an unusual joint press conference at the White House. What Bush and Blair spewed forth grabbing TV time that evening from Arafat's Cairo funeral and Ramallah burial twisted and distorted history further beyond recognition. This extraordinary and urgently needed corrective was published by Robert Fisk earlier this week in The Independent.
More on the Arafat 'Stealth Assassination' and Cover Up (November 17, 2004)
With the 'Stealth Assassination' of Yasser Arafat, following a campaign to kill or imprison most of the popular Palestinian leaders that was greatly stepped up when Ariel Sharon became Israeli Prime Minister, the Arab-Israeli conflict does indeed enter a new phase. But the political cancer has already considerably metastacized region-wide and the 'two-state' cure is not really any longer possible.
The Great Sharon Deception (November 16, 2004)
"Deception and lies have been a corner stone in Israeli policy, brought to a new level of perfection since Oslo. While the world believed that Rabin promised to eventually end the occupation and dismantle the settlements,
the number of Israeli settlers actually doubled during his rule. At the same time that Barak declared he intends to dismantle the Golan Heights
settlements, in 1999, he actually poured money into their expansion. As Sharon promised to dismantle at least the illegal settlement posts in the West Bank, their number kept increasing. Still, none of this is ever remembered. Each new lie is received with welcome cheers by the Israeli
peace camp, and by European governments. Since Oslo, every Israeli government knows that all it takes, to ease diplomatic pressure, is to come up with a new 'peace plan'."
To Readers of MER (November 16, 2004)
If MER is to move forward and have the kind of impact we now can and should have financial support making it possible to do so is now the key missing ingredient. We have done so much in recent years. And now we are positioned to reach far more persons worldwide and have far greater impact including on radio and TV programs. Please contribute today making your check to MER and sending to:
MER -
P.O. Box 4918 -
Washington, DC 20008
Powell Out, CIA Purging, Iraq Exploding, Palestinians Erupting (November 15, 2004)
Just hours after once again fronting for U.S. Middle East policies as today's article in The Guardian points out; just hours, after proclaming about the 'new Palestinian leaders' "We know these gentlemen well, and I hope to be able to see them..."; just hours after the extent of the historic purge of the CIA has flashed into the headlines...; Colin Powell has cashed in his chips in a combination of being pushed and walking away while he still can without even further damage to his once considerable reputation.
ARAFAT - The Assassination and The Cover Up (November 13, 2004)
Five critical days before it was officially announced that Yasser Arafat was actually dead -- even as leading media organizations were repeatedly parroting officials to the contrary -- MER not only reported the real news that Arafat was all but legally dead but the important news that he had been 'Stealth Assassinated' by blood poisoning by the Israelis. Below are links to MER articles published from 4 to 12 November about the assassination of Yasser Arafat and the cover up that followed.
Israel's Public Threats Against Arafat Telegraphed the Assassination (November 13, 2004)
These are some of the public threats in the past few years. One can only imagine what has been said when the cameras and microphones were not present.
Sharon's Lethal Words and Cartoons Foretold what was to come (November 13, 2004)
"Speaking of the Palestinians, they were dealt
a lethal blow... It will bring their dreams to an end." -- Ariel Sharon upon returning from his ninth and last meeting at the White House with George W. Bush - 16 April 2004
Public Israeli Threats from top officials to Kill Yasser Arafat (November 12, 2004)
Public Israeli Threats from top officials to Kill Yasser Arafat escalated in recent months. In any murder investigation, or death under suspicious circumstances, an autopsy is done and those who have threatened the person are investigated. But in the case of Yasser Arafat even though his personal doctor of over 20 years 'demanded' an 'official death investigation' and 'autopsy' those in charge worked feverishly to bury Arafat quickly and prevent any serious independent investigation.
NYTimes Articles on Arafat - 1 to 12 Nov 2004 (November 12, 2004)
New York Times Articles on Yasser Arafat
1 to 12 November 2004
ARAFAT Assassination Coverup as quick and limited funeral and burial take place (November 12, 2004)
They are racing now to get the funeral over with very quickly and with no real opportunity for the public outpouring of grief and anger that would result if everything were not so closed and controlled by the military. And they are racing as well to get him quickly buried in a rock tomb. His 'wife' has received a huge payoff, $22 million yearly, for her silence. The top 'new leadership' of the Palestinians that has approved these arrangements are all known to be persons closely connected with the Israelis and supported by the U.S. -- Nabil Sha'ath, Abu Mazen, and Abu Ala -- and all known themselves to be politically and financially corrupt.
ARAFAT ASSASSINATION - Article links, Media Interviews (November 12, 2004)
The personal physician of Yasser Arafat called for an inquiry into the cause of the veteran Palestinian leader's death on Thursday. "I demand an official inquiry and an autopsy ... so the Palestinian people can learn in all transparency what caused the death" of their leader, Dr Ashraf al-Kurdi said on Al-Jazeera television only hours before Arafat was due to be buried... Kurdi, who was Arafat's personal physician for more than 20 years, said he had been surprised by the actions of some members of the veteran leader's office...
Yasser Arafat's 'wife' Suha will receive $22 million a year out of the Palestinian Authority budget. Abu Mazen is said to have personally approved this extraordinary arrangement, and it appears to have silenced Suha Tawil from the 'conspiracy' charges she publicly made Monday.
MER on KTSA San Antonio (November 11, 2004)
Listen to MER on KTSA San Antonio about Arafat's Death; and check links to the past week's MER articles about Arafat.
MER and Media Articles about Arafat on day of his death (November 11, 2004)
"I demand an official inquiry and an autopsy ... so the Palestinian people can learn in all transparency what caused the death" of their leader, Dr Ashraf al-Kurdi said on Al-Jazeera television only hours before Arafat was due to be buried... Kurdi, who was Arafat's personal physician for more than 20 years, said he had been surprised by the actions of some members of the veteran leader's office.
Sharon Kills Arafat? Assassination Coverup Succeeds? (November 11, 2004)
The message is rather clear: "You Arab and Palestinian 'leaders' have much more to fear from us (Israel and the U.S.) if you don't play ball than you do from your own people. On top of all the other leaders we have killed off or imprisoned one way or another, we can even pull off a 'Stealth Assassination' of Nobel Peace Prize winner, former most frequent foreign guest to the White House, and international famed Yasser Arafat because he refused to do as we told him he must. So beware: COMPLY, RESISTANCE IS FUTILE."
ARAFAT - Assassination Covered Up As Death Announced (November 11, 2004)
**MER was first, was right, was most insightful**
Days before it was finally officially announced early this morning in the Middle East MER reported that Yasser Arafat was all but legally dead. Even as leading media organizations were parroting contrary and purposefully deceptive information MER not only reported the real news but the important realities. In this case that Yasser Arafat had been 'Stealth Assassinated' by the Israelis with help from as yet undisclosed Palestinians and an American OK.
ARAFAT - How and Where to Properly Bury Him (November 10, 2004)
And when Arafat's body is flown from Cairo to Ramallah representatives of the Arab League, of all the Arab countries, and of all the countries who have long recognized the PLO and long called for a free and independent Palestinian State, should accompany the body whether the Israelis give their 'permission' or not. They should in this way not only show their respects for Arafat the symbolic man but for the imprisoned and all-too-forgotten people he leaves behind, half in refugee camps, half increasingly behind walls and fences in ghettos and concentration camps.
ARAFAT Update (November 10, 2004)
Yasser Arafat has been all but legally dead for many days now. He has been kept 'between life and death' in a very 'complex situation' (to use the crafty words that have come from key officials) for financial and political reasons rather than for medical reasons. By a preponderance of the circumstances and the evidence Yasser Arafat has effectively been stealth assassinated by the Israelis as MER first reported and explained last Saturday.
China Rocks the Geopolitical Middle East (November 10, 2004)
As the Americans expend their power, their money, their blood, and their credibility both Europe and China are on the march. Europe is more often discussed, but the Chinese have been taking important steps into Africa in recent years, and now they are doing so into the Middle East in a bigger way than ever via Iran.
Arafat's Death Announced (November 9, 2004)
MER reported and explained Arafat's death -- indeed his assassination by blood poisoning -- many days ago, in fact last week. This story from Reuters has just moved on the international wires this morning at 9am EST:
Poor Poor People of Palestine (November 9, 2004)
This is hardly the first time MER has commented harshly and candidly about Nabil Shaa'th, or Abu Mazen, or Abu Ala. We have in fact done so for years now as upcoming FlashBack articles will serve to remind. As for Suha Tawil, Arafat's "wife", she has proven time and again what a self-serving extortionist and political witch she has truly been -- taking after her mother Ramonda who managed to steal and embezzle more limited millions from the PLO in her own days before introducing her dumpy daughter to Yasser and moving from Palestine to her luxury-life in exile.
MiddleEast.Org on ARAFAT LIFE and DEATH (November 8, 2004)
PLEASE FORWARD TO FRIENDS AND CONCERNED PERSONS.
AVAILABLE TODAY AT MIDDLEEAST.ORG THIS EXCLUSIVE
INTERVIEW and EDITORIAL ABOUT THE DEATH OF YASSER ARAFAT.
Arafat is Dead - Frantic struggles underway (November 7, 2004)
Yasser Arafat is Dead; likely assassinated by blood poisoning by the Israelis. Frantic struggles and manuevers are underway for power, money, and the symbolism of how and where Arafat will be buried. Arafat's long-time cronies neither of whom has any real popular support but who are trying to take total control of the PLO and the PA with Israeli and U.S. assistance -- Abu Mazen and Abu Ala -- are on the way to Paris.
ARAFAT - How and Where to Bury Him (November 7, 2004)
Far better symbolism than burial under the dictate of Israeli military occupation and today's apartheid conditions is 'temporary' burial of Yasser Arafat in the city where the headquarters of the Arab League is located, indeed in a special crypt on the grounds of the Arab League in downtown Cairo.
Arafat's Murder and Legacy (November 7, 2004)
It's the worst possible end for Yasser Arafat, and more importantly for his life-long quest for justice, dignity, and a free independent Palestinian State.
In the end it appears Yasser Arafat has been killed by fatal poisoning in a kind of stealth assassination by his arch nemesis Ariel Sharon, with help from those inside his own circles.
Arafat passes from history not as the father of a Palestinian State but with his people more fractured and dispossessed and in greater bondage, imprisonment, and impoverishment than ever in their history.
ARAFAT - Stealth Assassination! (November 6, 2004)
Arafat was assassinated by blood poisoning by the Israelis working with some insiders is the conclusion of Professor Hisham Ahmed...
Professor Ahmed lives in Ramallah near the headquarters where Arafat was under house imprisonment for nearly three years. He teaches Political Science at Bir Zeit University and has his Ph.D. from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He has taught at a number of American Universities and been a Fulbright Scholar. Dr. Ahmed was born in Deheishe Refugee Camp near Bethlehem and he is an astute observer of Palestinian affairs and indeed of international affairs.
MER Experts on Arafat's Death (or assassination), Burial Plans, and Legacy (November 5, 2004)
Please pass this information on to persons in the media. Bruzonsky, Hamzeh, and others associated with MER including Palestinians living in occupied Palestine will be available throughout the weekend for radio and TV interviews. The link to this email is: http://www.middleeast.org/articles/2004/11/1174.htm
MER can now be reached at all times, 24-hours daily, at MER@MiddleEast.Org and (202) 362-5266.
Persons in the media can reach MER at all times on a special media number -- 202 Number1 (202 686-2371) and Press@MiddleEast.Org
Arafat's Burial, Monies, Powers, and Legacy (November 5, 2004)
"Both Gaza Ghetto and Occupied Ramallah are awful choices for Arafat's burial, especially in view of the worse than Apartheid realities that have taken hold during the years Arafat played, and lost so badly, the 'peace process' game with the Israelis and the Americans."
About MiddleEast.org (November 4, 2004)
Please read carefully and please help make MiddleEast.Org possible.
Arafat Dominates In Death as in Life (November 4, 2004)
Arafat is now likely to be buried not in a free Palestine, not in Jerusalem, not really as the kind of historic figure he so desperately sought to be. Rather he will be likely buried in Occupied Palestine, in the city of Ramallah, behind the new Apartheid Wall, with arch nemesis Ariel Sharon deciding on the place and giving his 'permission'. How sad...how tragic... And the future now on the horizon appears still more gloomy and more bloody than the past now about to be symbolically buried with the body of the single man who has dominated Palestinian history ever since the founding of the Palestine Liberation Organization in the 1960s.
America, Arafat, and the 'New World Order' (November 4, 2004)
NBC's Chris Matthews: "I believe we live in a country that is really culturally divided now... maybe the way Pakistan and India are."
Democratic Disaster (November 3, 2004)
Even as Americans voted and the world watched considerably now in shock, one of the world's most famous scientists, Stephen Hawking, was declaring the U.S. invasion of Iraq a 'war crime' at a protest in London. Now the aftermath of that history-making invasion, of the new Crusade led by the United States and based on major historic deceptions and manipulations, will return to center stage.
Moral Cowards ALL (November 2, 2004)
Scott Ritter's "The War on Iraq has made Moral Cowards of us all" article should have appeared in the U.S., rather than in The Guardian in the U.K. The article about more mega-billions for the Iraq war did appear in the U.S., on the front-page of The Washington Post last Monday.
Osama Votes Bush Says Fisk (November 2, 2004)
Robert Fisk is the chief Middle East correspondent for the London Independent and one of the most knowledgeable, insightful, and courageous western journalists about the Middle East. He was exclusively interviewed in 1996 by MERTV for a series of four half-hour programs which we will soon Internet broadcast. He was interviewed yesterday on the 'Democracy Now' program about the recent speech by Osama Bin Laden to the 'people of America', about Yasser Arafat, and about the war in Iraq.
Osama Bin Laden's 'October Surprise' (November 1, 2004)
Osama Bin Laden: "I am amazed at you. Even though we are in the fourth year after the events of September 11th, Bush is still engaged in
distortion, deception and hiding from you the real causes. And thus, the reasons are still there for a repeat of what occurred. So I shall talk to you about the story behind those events and shall
tell you truthfully about the moments in which the decision was taken, for you to consider."
Iran Next - Part 2 (November 1, 2004)
Tomrrow the American election itself will become history. The likelihood is the Bush/Cheney/neocon regime will remain in power; hard as that still is for so many to imagine and understand. But should the Democrats win the White House Middle East policies will be largely in the hands of the neoliberals and the super money-men like Israeli-Sharon-connected Haim Saban who have far more in common with the neocons than has yet been realized by many who will vote for them. Whatever happens tomorrow the build-up to attacking and if at all possible 'regime changing' Iran is well underway and the showdown increasingly imminent.
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