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AMERICANS GET ANOTHER WARNING

July 19, 2001

MID-EAST REALITIES © - www.MiddleEast.Org - Washington - 7/19: With the unprecedented "Red Zone" in Genoa; with key Washington buildings surrounded by concrete and high-tech survelliance; and with Americans warned again by their government to "beware" following on last month's Threatcon Delta alert; the "terrorists" have already accomplished a small part of their goal. A climate of apprehension and fear has been created; not to mention a whole mini-generation of Muslims named Osama.

No matter how hard the Americans try to distance themselves from what is happening in the Middle East, and most of all from what is now on the horizon in that region, they only succeed to an extent. Most of the corporate media goes along with the charade on the whole; and the general public is indeed pretty gullible. Plus of course there's CNN, with Larry King and Wolf Blitzer both honorable members of the Israeli/Jewish lobby pressed into double-service at times of greatest need. But even so, more and more the resources of the U.S. are being devoted to issues of "security" and "terrorism", and more and more people around the world, especially in Europe and Asia, are aware of American hypocrisy and double-dealing. Increasingly the words of American officials ring hollow at best, more often than not these days deceitful and disengenuous.

There are also the telltale signs of growing nervousness that lie behind such developments as George Bush I calling Abdullah of Arabia in Riyadh. For beyond the"little security" issues involving trying to prevent attacks against American persons, ships, and buildings there are the far more important "big security" issues involving keeping the Arab "client regimes" in power and preventing major American financial and strategic interests from being undermined.

No doubt it was the big security concerns that brought about the very unusual situation recently in which daddy George had to show little George how things are done. The small fact that little George is now the titular President of the United States and apparently sat quietly by listening in while Big George had a little talk with Crown Prince Abdullah is rather telling in itself. It was just a few months ago now that the same Abdullah, essentially acting King of Arabia these days, decided it wasn't a good time to go visiting in America; and that no doubt contributed to the anxieties spreading among American foreign policy types in Washington. Meanwhile, there clearly is growing nervousness in the region among the various Arab client regimes as well as within the post-revolutionary government in Iran. What really lies behind Mubarak's substantial military purge is unclear, but it comes at a very sensitive time and one wonders if the main purpose was to prevent any challenge to Mubarak's rule when after all his bluster he actually does nothing serious about the Israelis. As for the Iranians, they know very well the Israelis have their eye on them, indeed belligerent threats have come in public from the Israelis on a regular basis for some time now.

The tinderbox now awaits the match. It was once called the "Oslo Peace Process"; but it has metasticized into a looming "Oslo War". And it appears the Americans are not as confident as usual that they can successfully put out all the impending fires and save all of their own interests -- primarily oil, money, and Israel.

AMERICANS WARNED ON TERROR THREAT

By ELI J. LAKE

WASHINGTON, July 18 (UPI) -- The State Department has received "strong indications" that terrorists may be planning attacks against U.S. interests in the Arabian peninsula, according to a public announcement released Wednesday.

The announcement urges U.S. citizens to "remain vigilant with regard to their personal security and to exercise caution."

The new information follows a June 22 "worldwide caution" to U.S. citizens relaying information that agents associated with Osama bin Laden, the man the U.S. alleges masterminded the 1998 bombing of the U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, may be targeting U.S. interests.

Since May, the State Department issued four separate regional or country-specific warning for American citizens on information regarding potential terrorist attacks. The last two worldwide cautions followed decisions from U.S. courts to indict suspects in the 1996 Khobar Tower bombings in Saudi Arabia and associates of bin Laden for the 1998 embassy bombings.

The latest warning for all seven countries in the Arabian Peninsula follow recent troop movements in Israel toward the Palestinian territories on Tuesday, but the official announcement makes no reference to this event.

A recent warning for Morocco issued on July 9 prompted NASA to remove technicians from a base in the south of the country.

"There has been a drum beat of various reports of threats," one State Department official told United Press International. "I don't want to hype it up, there has been a period over the last couple of months where [these reports] have spiked up."

The State Department in conjunction with U.S. intelligence agencies reviews information constantly on threats to U.S. citizens. In order for such threats to be announced publicly by the State Department, the information must be "specific," "credible," and "non-counterable," a senior State Department official said.

Because of earlier cautions, all 10 U.S. posts on the Arabian Peninsula were at a heightened state of alert. One State Department official said this means the posts are "being warier, more cautious and watching their security posture."

This official said, however, there have been no plans at this point to close specific embassies or consulates in the region. Thursday is the beginning of the weekend in most Arab countries and many posts will be closed already.

In another development in the region Wednesday, a bomb exploded in a housing compound near the U.S. embassy in Sanaa, Yemen. There were no casualties.

State Department deputy spokesman Phil Reeker said the State Department had been in touch with the U.S. embassy in Yemen.

"We understand that there were no casualties, and the device does not appear to have been directed at the embassy or at U.S. personnel," he said.

Yemeni authorities have arrested 12 people associated with the bombings, according to reports from the region. Yemen was also the site of the attack on the USS Cole last October that killed 17 sailors.

MUBARAK CONDUCTS PURGE OF MILITARY, SECURITY BRASS

CAIRO, WorldTribune, 19 July - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has ordered a reshuffle of leading military and security commanders amid rising unrest in the country.

Egyptian sources said the reshuffle came as a surprise and appears to mark a purge of the army and security forces.

The dismissals included the commander of Egypt's air defense forces and the head of Egypt's northern military command. A general and senior member of Egypt's military intelligence was also sacked.

Western diplomatic sources in Cairo said the failure to announce those replacing the departing officers appears to point to the president's urgency in shaking up both the military and political leadership.

The following officers were ordered to resign: Gen. Mohammed Shahat, commander of air defense; Gen. Desouki Banna, head of northern command; Gen., Samir Yusef, a senior officer in military intelligence; Deputy Interior Minister Gen. Ahmed Said Sawan and Deputy Defense Minister Ahmed Abdul Rahman.

Several governates in Egypt have been rocked by unrest over the last week amid government plans to cut civil service jobs and limit university graduates from applying for new posts. The worst of the rioting was reported in the Sharqiya governate north of Cairo.

Mubarak has blamed Israel for the current escalation in the war with the Palestinians. The president said the Arabs cannot deal with the Israeli government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Mubarak said Sharon knows only the language of killing. He said one member of Israel's Cabinet threatened to attack Egypt.

"One of them threatened to reoccupy Sinai and strike the High Dam," the president said.

The reference was to Israeli National Infrastructure Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who said Israel was prepared to respond to an Egyptian attack by destroying the Aswan Dam.

State-owned Egyptian dailies reported on Wednesday that several of the high-ranking officers and officials were given civilian posts. Abdul Rahman was appointed a governor in the southwestern desert; Banna was named governor of the Aswan region. Shahat, regarded as the number three officer in the Egyptian military, was given a senior post in the southern city of Luxor.

In all, the president named the officers to head eight of Egypt's 26 governates. Mubarak did not relay the names of the replacements for the dismissed officers.

Western diplomatic sources said Mubarak has avoided launching any domestic initiatives during the summer and questioned whether the latest shakeup would lead to a new government in Cairo.

The most far-reaching move by Mubarak, the sources said, was the dismissal of Shahat, the air defense commander. Shahat received a major portion of the military budget and his job focused on preventing an Israeli air attack on Egypt.

"We are talking about some very senior people and some of them were not known as 'yes-men,'" a diplomatic source said. "It could be that they will be replaced by far more pliable officers."

The newspaper did not name their replacements in the armed forces. But Egyptian sources said Mubarak has long wanted a shakeup in the military and security forces.

The sources said Mubarak has increased his supervision over the military and security forces amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. This has included frequent visits to military bases and graduation ceremonies.

On Wednesday, Mubarak attended the graduation ceremony of cadets from the Military Technical Academy. The president was joined by Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi.

On Thursday, the G-8 group of industrialized nations meeting in Rome called on Israel and the Palestinians to allow international observers to help implement a ceasefire in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Later, aides to Sharon said the prime minister rejected the G-8 call.

IRAN COMMANDER: WEST BEHIND PLOT AGAINST MULLAHS

NICOSIA, WorldTribune, 19 July - Iran's military commander is warning of a coup backed by Israel and the United States.

Gen. Rahim Safavi, commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, said Iranians educated in the West are working to destroy the Islamic regime. The general said the goal of the dissidents is to separate religion from state, Middle East Newsline.

Iran has often warned of foreign plots against the Islamic republic. But Safavi told the Basij state-backed militia that current plans for a coup differ from previous plots because they are meant to destroy the regime from within.

The Washington, D.C.-based Azadeghan Foundation, headed by former Iranian diplomat Dr. Assad Homayoun, recently published an advertisement in U.S. newspapers with the headline: "Iran's People Have Been Struggling for Democratic Change, But Khatami and the Mullahs Represent the Continuity of Clerical Tyranny."

"The Western media has called the group of Iranian officials around President Mohammad Khatami ''reformers,' and those around Supreme Leader Khamenei 'hardliners,' but they all share the common belief that Iran should remain a rigid ideological state built around a 'revolutionary Islam,' Homayound told World Tribune.com. "They are opposed to the West and bent on the destruction of Israel," he said.

Homayoun said most Iranians prefers to keep religion out of politics and favor genuine democratic reform.

Safavi charged that "in this plot, the enemy is trying to topple the system through using the idea of separation of state and religion as a weapon. A group who have studied in foreign countries and are a bit familiar with Western ideas are trying to speak the minds of Westerners. They have forgotten the Koran and are promoting the Western philosophy."

Safavi said the plot to overthrow the Islamic clergy is being conducted by those who are encouraging a resumption of ties between Iran and the United States. He called on the Basij and devout young Muslims to fight this trend.

The call by the Revolutionary Guard chief was the most specific by a member of the ruling circle to oppose the effort by Iranian President Mohammed Khatami to restore diplomatic relations with Israel.


July 2001


Magazine






DISASTEROUS ARAB-AMERICAN AFFAIRS IN WASHINGTON-PART 1
(July 31, 2001)
The Arabs are so weak in the Middle East and in the world for reasons that go deep into history and culture. This isn't a genetic matter, it's the way they are politically and socially organized in "modern times" that creates an absurd situation whereby a small resourceless country like Israel can dominate some 23 Arab countries with a population nearly as large as the United States.

IMPRISONED, TRAPPED, AND UNPREPARED BY ARAFAT
(July 31, 2001)
Arafat has once again trapped and imprisoned his own people -- keep reading. Wherever he has set up his headquarters corruption, repression, nepotism, and scandal have followed. And always these realities of what we have termed the "Arafat regime" are exploited to further fracture and weaken the Palestinian people -- a people whose basic claim to independence, "return", and reparations should at this point be unassailable.

DECEPTIVE AND OUT OF FOCUS REPORTS
(July 30, 2001)
About that report published "in full" in the Saudi Royal Family London newspaper Al-Hayat over the weekend and then, it now appears erroneously, picked up by Israel's top newspaper Ha'aretz. We already mentioned that the whole thing seemed suspicious. And sure enough with the Monday dawn of a new week and a little fast checking it seems the author, long-time military analysis and close CIA confidant at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Anthony Cordesman, says he didn't write it and the whole thing looks like a set-up.

AMERICAN STUDY: ISRAEL WOULD BE UNABLE TO REPEL ALL-OUT ARAB ATTACK
(July 30, 2001)
The report in Saturday's Ha'aretz is not up to their usual standards as names are misspelled and context missing -- it appears to be a journalistic quickie. But even so, and though the Israelis aren't going to admit it, they are becoming more nervous and insecure about their future. And among other reasons that's why they choose the heretofore unelectable Ariel Sharon as their Prime Minister.

CREEPING TEMPLE AND CREEPING EMBASSY
(July 29, 2001)
In 1967, as the Israeli army took control of all of Jerusalem, the Israeli Flag flew on what the Jews call "the Temple Mount" for the first time since Christ and Mohamed walked the area. Sensing what this could lead to General Moshe Dayan quickly ordered the flag lowered, turned the area that the Muslims call "the Noble Sanctuary", al Haram al Sharif, back over to the Islamic authorities, and though Israel claims sovereignty it's flag has never flown again over the area of the Temple Mount

THE BLEAK FUTURE TODAY IN THE HOLY CITY OF JERUSALEM
(July 29, 2001)
It was "radical" groups that emplanted themselves in the city of Hebron a long time ago, back in fact when the Labor party was still supreme in Israeli affairs. And just look today at that city where the common forefather of both the Jews and the Arabs is buried.

POTENTIAL EXPLOSION IN JERUSALEM SUNDAY
(July 28, 2001)
Arab leaders have warned that a messianic Jewish organisation's plan to make the first move towards rebuilding the Biblical Temple in Jerusalem is a "dangerous step" that could lead to uncontrollable consequences.

JEWS PREPARE FOR JERUSALEM THIRD TEMPLE- AND SO FINALLY DO THE ARABS
(July 28, 2001)
After today's previous MER article was published -- "God War Emerging In Holy Land" -- this Agence France-Presse article has just come over the wires. Characteristically the representatives of the Hashemite Kingdom -- the regime that has been most complicitous in secretly collaborating with the Israelis for decades to control the Palestinians sandwiched between them -- are publicly posturing in one way while actually acting in another.

RELIGIOUS WAR EMERGING IN THE HOLY LAND
(July 28, 2001)
In the years since the turn of the millenium the Arab-Israeli conflict is being transformed into an even more dangerous and potentially cataclysmic Muslim-Jewish war. Ariel Sharon's "visit" to the Temple Mount last year, accompanied by a huge military force, helped sparked Intifada II -- make no mistake about that.

WAR CRIMES TRIALS FOR SHARON ET. AL.?
(July 27, 2001)
In the end the Israelis are likely to find a way to deal with this new situation. They have great resources at their disposal when it comes to the media, intelligence information, lobbying capabilities, help from key governments in the US, UK, and Germany. They have a long history of twisting things to their advantage one way or another. And those opposed to them have a long reputation for much the opposite in fact.

TWISTING ARAFAT UNTIL HE IS DEAD OR GONE
(July 27, 2001)
The Israelis probably prefer Arafat dead at this point; but not at their own hand, at least not directly. Indeed, many of those who used the "Oslo Peace Process" to end Intifada I probably thought Arafat would have either been assassinated or died by now, leaving behind a "peace process" legacy as did Anwar Sadat when he was gunned down by his own soldiers just a few years after reluctantly signing on-the-dotted-line at Camp David 1.

"WARNING! ELECTRIC FENCE" - "WARNING! ISRAELI ARMY"
(July 26, 2001)
NEWSFLASH Thursday Evening 9pm ET: An Israeli teenager has been killed in a shooting attack in the West Bank and three bombs have gone off in the West Bank near Israeli vehicles. The attacks came hours after Palestinians buried a militant killed in an Israeli missile attack. Israeli tanks also shelled Palestinian police posts in a village north of Ramallah and a checkpoint run by Force 17, an elite unit of the police, south of the town, not far from the site of the shooting, said Palestinian security sources.

DEATH, REPRESSION, AND DESTRUCTION EVERYWHERE. SHARON'S POLICY TO PROVOKE VIOLENCE IS WORKING
(July 26, 2001)
Everywhere the settlements continue to expand even as the Israelis constantly twist their words as well as the facts. The Israelis know very well what they are doing and what they want -- they are taking the land and the resources from the indigenous people and then isolating the people in what amount to ghettos and concentration camps calling them "autonomous" areas.

ISRAELI RIGHT STRIKES WHILE ISRAELI LEFT WRITES
(July 25, 2001)
The Israeli army is partially mobilized and positioned for a quick and multi-directional assault on the forces of Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority, ironically armed by the Israelis themselves in years past. Draft mobilization offices have been opened by the Israelis in key U.S. and European cities. The Israelis propaganda machine has been beefed up and already beginning to operate on all cylinders.

PALESTINIAN CIVIL WAR DRAWS CLOSER
(July 25, 2001)
"Israel says Arafat is not doing enough to bolster a US-brokered truce, demanding he arrest activists and stop attacks against armed Jewish settlers and soldiers in occupied areas of the West Bank and Gaza. But Arafat has said he is not in control of security in occupied areas. Palestinians blame Israel for the on-going violence"

WHAT'S UP FOR ARAFAT?
(July 25, 2001)
Ariel Sharon has always been scamming everyone. His long career in the military is full of deception and treachery in public while committing blood-curdling massacres in private. In the most notorious case of all, the Sabra and Shatilla refugee camps of 1982 ...

OFFICIAL PLO VERSION OF CAMP DAVID
(July 25, 2001)
The latest dueling, in advance of the "big bang" which Arafat himself now says is definitely coming -- and whose real purpose by the Israeli right-wing is to end the "Oslo Peace Process" once and for all -- is a battle for public opinion conducted through a convoluted debate over who offered what to whom and who is responsible for the failing of the "peace process".

REGIONAL WAR POSSIBILITIES
(July 24, 2001)
The following two articles are from publications associated with Janes Intelligence Weekly in the U.K. But what's looked at here are the short-term implications and the correct assessment that the very weak and in most cases U.S.-controlled Arab "client regimes" in the region will find one way or another to avoid any military clashes with the vastly superior Israelis.

PALESTINIAN CIVIL WAR LOOMS
(July 24, 2001)
Those who have read MER for some time know that we have long indicated that one of the Israeli goals was to foment a Palestinian civil war. Some of the Israelis, dubbed the "peace camp", preferred to twist Arafat into totally succumbing and signing some kind of "end of conflict" agreement along with creation of a rump and everywhere-controlled Palestinian State.

NEW BATTLE FOR HISTORY
(July 24, 2001)
The latest dueling, in advance of the "big bang" -- whose real purpose by the Israeli right-wing is to end the "Oslo Peace Process" once and for all -- is a battle for public opinion conducted through a convoluted debate over who offered what to whom and who is responsible for the failing of the "peace process".

ARMIES AND POLITICIANS POSITIONING THEMSELVES FOR "BIG BANG" AND THEREAFTER
(July 23, 2001)
Ehud Barak is in the U.S. explaining why his former "peace partner" Arafat is really a big thug who can't possibly be believed or trusted, and how he Barak proved it, kind of sacrificing himself he continually implies.

THE BIG LIES
(July 21, 2001)
Goebbels himself could not have done a better job. For those who don't recognize the name, check back in the not too distant history books under the heading Nazi Information Ministry.

ISRAEL SET TO ATTACK ACCORDING TO CIA
(July 20, 2001)
At first we had the adjective "cowardly" as a preface to "Arabs" in the headline. Let's be clear what we mean here. We're not talking about the Arab peoples, nor about those who do the brave struggling...and the real suffering...and the bleeding and the dying.

WAR DRUMS IN THE HOLY LAND
(July 20, 2001)
No way to know for sure, but if we had to predict at this moment the "Big Bang" (see previous "War Drums" articles for context) will be heard not this week but next after the Maccabiah games have ended and the G8 leaders survive Genoa.

AMERICANS GET ANOTHER WARNING
(July 19, 2001)
With the unprecedented "Red Zone" in Genoa; with key Washington buildings surrounded by concrete and high-tech survelliance; and with Americans warned again by their government to "beware" following on last month's Threatcon Delta alert; the "terrorists" have already accomplished a small part of their goal.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL AND ARAB LEAGUE OFFER LITTLE BUT WORDS AND A FEW BUCKS
(July 19, 2001)
It's that little old problem rearing it's ugly head again -- calls that come much too late and even then call for much too little. Worse yet the calls come in very self-serving ways from persons and institutions whose past records make them not very credible, and certainly not very potent.

FINALLY BURYING OSLO
(July 18, 2001)
The "Oslo Peace Process" -- which would have been more aptly named the "Rabin" or the "Clinton" -- has been brain-dead for some time now; kept alive only by extraordinary life-support efforts by its parent surrogates.

INDIA-PAKISTAN SUMMIT COLLAPSES, INDIA IMMEDIATELY ANNOUNCES MAJOR MILITARY ESCALATION WITH ISRAEL
(July 18, 2001)
With both Turkey and India the Israelis are developing formidable military, financial, and intelligence alliances surrounding the Arab and Muslim worlds. These relationships tremendously strengthen the Jewish State financially, militarily, and strategically at a very critical time.

TINDERBOX AWAITS MATCH
(July 17, 2001)
"This could result in a bloodbath and thereby set the entire region aflame. It's not out of the question that demonstrations could topple unpopular regimes in Jordan, Egypt or Saudi Arabia... The tinderbox is awaiting a match."

ARAFAT FADING
(July 17, 2001)
It's beginning to appear that it's just a matter of time now for Arafat to finally be gone. As far as the Israelis and Americans are concerned, it no longer really matters like it use to.

ISRAEL PUSHES PALESTINIANS TOWARD CIVIL WAR
(July 17, 2001)
"No power in the world can stop the resistance operations that come as a reaction to the Israeli aggression ... we have nothing more to lose."

ISRAELIS PUSHING HARD TO PROVOKE MORE PALESTINIAN ATTACKS
(July 16, 2001)
A few years ago when the Americans essentially forced Yasser Arafat to sign one of those deals, this one about Hebron, that was supposed to push the "peace process" forward, it was foreseeable that sooner rather than later Hebron would once again erupt.

MUBARAK REGIME EARNS ITS PAY ONCE AGAIN
(July 15, 2001)
Today the Egyptians hosted Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat in Cairo. It's a replay of this kind of thing they've been doing for quite some years now. The Egyptians are at it again, fronting for the Americans as they have ever since the original Camp David extravaganza in 1978.

WAR DRUMS FROM ISRAEL
(July 15, 2001)
Longtime top adviser to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Osama el-Baz, has issued a not-so-veiled warning to the Israelis not to attack Syria. The head of Egyptian military intelligence rushed to Israel a few days ago supposedly to warn the Israelis not to dethrone Yasser Arafat.

RACE TO NUCLEAR WAR
(July 14, 2001)
While the Israelis and the Arabs confront each other in a conflict that may now last for a very long time and even lead to a Middle East holocaust in the future; and while the other "peace process" in Northern Ireland also collapses due to its similar duplicitous nature; it is in the subcontinent that the race toward a possible nuclear conflagration is furthest advanced at this moment in history.

MORE U.S. DUPLICLITY - COLIN POWELL NOW IN CHARGE
(July 13, 2001)
It was another top General turned State Department Secretary who gave Ariel Sharon the behind-the-scenes "green light" back in 1982 - General Alexander Haig.

PREPARING FOR THE WAR OF HIS CHOOSING
(July 13, 2001)
What we feared has come true: Two ethno-national groups, living in each other's backyards, are going through a proces of regression to superstitious tribalism. The sounds of the drums are heard throughout the land calling both tribes to gather around the campfire, dress in the colors of war and head out to battle to eliminate the very last member of the other side.

INVASION WATCH?
(July 13, 2001)
What are we to call this situation? "War Watch"...no, the sides are far too uneven, it's not really going to be a war...not unless one or more of the Arab regimes should find itself cornered or facing revolution.

WEST WING PARTIALLY EVACUATED
(July 12, 2001)
A few barks from the sniffers dogs and even after all the security checks required to get into the White House grounds the Secret Service pulled the alarm and quickly began the evacuation procedure.

ISRAELIS GENERALS' PLAN TO "SMASH" PALESTINIANS
(July 12, 2001)
Israeli generals have updated plans for an all-out assault to smash the Palestinian authority, force out leader Yasser Arafat and kill or detain its army, according to a report published Thursday in London.

JANES "FOREIGN REPORTS" DETAILS ISRAELI INVASION PLAN
(July 12, 2001)
The report that a force of some 30,000 Israeli troops is preparing to take on Arafat's "Authority" and bring it to an end was just published in one of the most reputable international publications, one published by the Janes Intelligence network in the U.K. and available only to members who pay a sizeable yearly subscription fee.

ISRAELIS PREPARE WAY TO TAKE OUT ARAFAT REGIME AND TO TAKE ON IRAN'S NEW WEAPON SYSTEMS
(July 11, 2001)
Whatever the truth of Israel's latest allegations against both the Arafat Authority and Iran, there should be little doubt what the Israelis are really up to at this point, with Shimon Peres leading the charge.

BULLDOZERS PREPARING THE WAY FOR THE "BIG BANG"
(July 11, 2001)
It's all part of the same game. The Israelis think they have the Palestinians trapped. They publicly debate how to put them in their place with bulldozers, expulsions, invasion, awaiting the "big bang".

ISRAELIS UNDER SIEGE WITH ARAFAT FACING HIS OWN
(July 10, 2001)
Nearly half of the Israeli Jewish population got a stern warning yesterday - don't drink the water. Today Israel's lifeline, it's international airport between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, is under virtual siege with huge traffic jams as all vehicles undergo the kind of rigorous fender-to-fender inspection previously reserved for just "Arab" cars with special blue plates.

ALGERIA READY TO EXPLODE
(July 10, 2001)
While the legacy of British colonialism still lingers in Palestine and Kashmir, still threatening cataclysmic conflict in both regions, in Algeria it is the legacy of French colonialism, which also of course still has loud echoes in Lebanon and Syria.

WAR IS IN THE AIR - Part 2
(July 10, 2001)
The Egyptians are arming with missiles to deter Israeli strikes against Egyptian cities or strategic targets such as the Aswan dam. These may be conceived as deterrent weapons; but they also could be used in other situations.

WAR IS IN THE AIR - Part 1
(July 9, 2001)
"The stage, therefore, has been set for the outbreak of the next wear: wall-to-wall political approval for a military solution to the current crisis, the appropriate international preparations during the period of restraint."

EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE "RIGHT OF RETURN" BUT WERE TOO AFRAID TO ASK
(July 7, 2001)
"Who will compensate me and my family for all the suffering we went through? Financial compensation cannot replace the right of return....The main thing is to go back to where I belong."

THE STAGE IS NOW SET
(July 7, 2001)
This is the way such things are done these days. Lots of testing of the waters. Lots of preparing the way. Lots of trial balloons. If (probably no longer when) the Israelis "remove" Arafat one way or another -- just as it was they who put him where he is in the first place -- it will no longer come as such a great shock.

FENCING THE PALESTINIANS IN - "UNILATERAL SEPARATION"
(July 6, 2001)
Having to a considerable extent succeeding in colonizing the "occupied territories", especially the most important areas around Jerusalem and the most cultivatable areas along with the crucial water resources, the Israelis are now ready for more fences and barricades.

STOPPING SHARON - PROBABLY TOO LATE
(July 6, 2001)
He's not likely to be stopped now. He's prepared most of his life for this moment in history. And as Israeli Prime Minister for just the past few months he's already visited the American President twice, Downing Street, and now both Germany and France, applauded in public more for his "restraint" as the "new Sharon" rather than for his war criminal past and the neo-apartheid oppression machine he now bears full responsibility for.

ISRAEL SHAHAK DIES AS CALAMITY HE FORESAW APPROACHES
(July 5, 2001)
Just what "cease-fire" is Sarid talking about? And if he really wants a serious outside force, why is he not appealing to the U.N. under Chapter 7 and why are not the Arabs included?

ISRAELIS TO NOW KILL MORE PALESTINIAN ACTIVISTS
(July 4, 2001)
Ariel Sharon and his government are preparing the way to kill more Palestinian street and faction leaders using various forms of high-tech assassination. They are also preparing world public opinion not only for bringing the Arafat "Authority" to an end but for killing and expelling as many Palestinians as circumstances will allow.

THE REAL ARAFAT
(July 3, 2001)
Of course Sharon's comment yesterday is ridiculous. Problem is the strategy behind it is not. "You must comply, resistance is futile" is indeed the loud message from Sharon to Arafat; and Sharon does intend to prove his words in the weeks and months ahead, make no mistake about that.

THE REAL SHARON, MASKED AND PREPARING FOR ANOTHER "GREEN LIGHT"
(July 2, 2001)
Ariel Sharon has Yasser Arafat cornered now -- right where he wants him. Sharon has in essence forced Arafat to publicly call off the Intifada -- or else Sharon made it rather clear, most of all to his American allies, that he would call off Arafat's regime whatever the consequences.

5 PALESTINIANS KILLED SUNDAY
(July 1, 2001)
Five Palestinian militants have been killed by Israeli forces, three in a pinpoint helicopter attack and two in a clash with soldiers. The helicopter fired missiles at a car in which the three men were travelling near Qabatiye in the northern West Bank, Palestinian security officials said.

SYRIA STRUCK FOR SECOND TIME SINCE SHARON BECAME PM
(July 1, 2001)
The Arabs have an amazing tolerance for being struck. Partly it is because of their weakness of course; coupled with their long history of subjugation and occupation. But those who know Arab society also are aware that after taking it and taking it there sometimes comes a moment of powerful emotional uproar screaming for revenge.

SHARON PLAYS THE PALESTINIANS OFF AGAINST EACH OTHER
(July 1, 2001)
While Ariel Sharon uses the greatest pressure of all so far in order to bow the Arafat regime into submission -- the possibility of crushing Arafat's "Authority" through brut military force -- at the same time he holds out the carrot.




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