http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com :: News from Middle East :: E :: en-us 30-jul-2010 02:47 ECT 30-jul-2010 02:47 ECT http://rss.newsfrommiddleeast.com Weblog Editor 2.0 info@newsfrommiddleeast.com info@newsfrommiddleeast.com http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68407 July 29, 2010 - Yesterday, I reported here on a Haaretz story about the notorious "Captain George," an IDF military intelligence interrogator accused in 2004 of sodomizing a Lebanese kidnap victim in order to secure information about the location of IDF officer, Ron Arad. Among the things I wrote was my complaint that Haaretz was protecting the real identity of George even though he no longer served in military intelligence. With the help of a diligent Israeli researcher, I can now expose George's real identity. He is Doron Zahavi, currently the Arab affairs liaison for the Jerusalem police. His job, as I noted yesterday, is to direct community relations and liaison efforts between the police and Jerusalem's Arab residents... 30-jul-2010 02:47 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68407 http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68406 July 29, 2010 - The use of depleted uranium munition by U.S.-led forces during the war in Iraq is possibly causing cancer and genetic diseases among the local population. Such are the findings of a recent study by a group of researchers. To find out more, RT speaks to the authors of the report, Professor Christopher Busby - scientific secretary of the European Committee on Radiation Risks, and Malak Hamdan - a British-Iraqi scientist... 30-jul-2010 02:29 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68406 http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68405 July 29, 2010 - Reports have emerged that the UK used depleted uranium weapons during the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. A UK defense official has reportedly admitted using highly controversial ammunition. "UK forces used about 1.9 metric tons of depleted uranium ammunition in the Iraq war in 2003," UK Defense Secretary Liam Fox said in a written reply to the House of Commons Thursday... 30-jul-2010 02:21 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68405 http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68402 July 29, 2010 - One by one, soldiers just arriving in Baghdad were taken into a room and questioned by their commanding officers. "All questions led up to the big question," explains former Army Spc. Josh Stieber. "If someone were to pull out a weapon in a marketplace full of unarmed civilians, would you open fire on that person, even if you knew you would hurt a lot of innocent people in the process?" It was a trick question. "Not only did you have to say yes, but you had to say yes without hesitating," explains Stieber... 30-jul-2010 02:16 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68402 http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68401 July 29, 2010 - Reports have emerged that the UK used depleted uranium weapons during the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. A UK defense official has reportedly admitted using highly controversial ammunition. "UK forces used about 1.9 metric tons of depleted uranium ammunition in the Iraq war in 2003," UK Defense Secretary Liam Fox said in a written reply to the House of Commons Thursday... 30-jul-2010 02:21 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68401 http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68400 July 29, 2010 - On June 2, the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) approved formation of an international committee (like the Goldstone Commission) to probe the Flotilla attack, saying it will include lawyers and international law and human rights experts, its findings to be presented in September (during the Council's three week session in Geneva) after visiting Gaza and contacting Israel, Turkey, Greece, and the Freedom Flotilla coalition... In emergency session, the HCR criticized Israel's "outrageous attack on aid ships attempting to breach a blockade on the Gaza Strip," calling it "piracy, (an) act of aggression, (a) brutal massacre, (an) act of terrorism, (a) war crime, (a) crime against humanity -unprovoked....unwarranted....atrocious, (and) brutal," calling activists "peaceful...innocent...noble...unarmed, (and) defenseless"... 30-jul-2010 01:37 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68400 http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68399 July 29, 2010 - There are speculations that the ousted Gen Mc Chrystal's successor, Gen Perraeus, who has been chosen by the mutual consent of the White house and Pentagon, would hit the mark in six month's time, that is, break the Mujahideen resistance across the country and enable the Kabul puppet administration to stand up for itself accelerating part of the troops' withdrawal process from the country in a way that it may not affect the remaining troops on the ground in Afghanistan. Gen Petraeus, in his first statement after a month his arrival in Afghanistan, pointed out to his commanders on the ground that his presence in Afghanistan was to ensure the final showdown and decisive operation, but for that, they were left no chances in Afghanistan to achieve their goal... 30-jul-2010 01:30 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68399 http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68398 July 29, 2010 - As the war in Afghanistan enters its final chapter, Sean Smith's brutal, uncompromising film from the Helmand frontline shows the horrific chaos of a stalemate that is taking its toll in blood... 30-jul-2010 00:44 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68398 http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68397 July 29, 2010 - It was a night in early November during the infancy of the Cold War when the anti-communist dissidents were hustled through a garden and across a gully to a vehicle on a dark, deserted road in Budapest. They hid in four large crates for their perilous journey. Four roadblocks stood between them and freedom. What Zoltan Pfeiffer, a top political figure opposed to Soviet occupation, his wife and 5-year-old daughter did not know as they were whisked out of Hungary in 1947 was that their driver, James McCargar, was a covert agent for one of America's most secretive espionage agencies, known simply as the Pond... 30-jul-2010 00:15 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68397 http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68396 July 29, 2010 - The following open letter to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, whose elected mandate expired in July 2009 and who has remained in power under controversial emergency laws, was issued on 22 July 2010: We are Palestinians of diverse perspectives and affiliations -- scholars, intellectuals, artists, activists, trade unionists, human rights advocates and civil society leaders, inside historic Palestine and in exile -- who are united in our commitment to the fulfillment of the fundamental rights of all Palestinians, particularly our inalienable right to self-determination. This universally sanctioned right encompasses, at a minimum, freedom from occupation and colonization in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem; full equality for Palestinian citizens of Israel; and the right of return for Palestinian refugees and their descendants... 30-jul-2010 00:06 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68396 http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68395 July 29, 2010 - Israeli settlers took over a Palestinian home in the Muslim quarter of Jerusalem's Old City today, evicting about 45 members of an extended family which has occupied the building for more than 70 years. The settlers claimed to have documentation to prove they had purchased the building from the owners. The Palestinian tenants, who have been fighting attempts to evict them for many years, were challenging the takeover in court. A police spokesman said the Israelis had entered the home "based on documents claiming that they owned the property"... 29-jul-2010 23:46 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68395 http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68394 July 29, 2010 - According to a report released on July 27 by the Committee to Protect Journalists, the killing of journalists with impunity that began with the coup that overthrew President Manuel Zelaya last year continues to this day. The June 28 coup, carried out with the full support and foreknowledge of the Obama administration, set off a wave of popular protests. Subsequent to the military's ouster of Zelaya, Washington brokered a deal that prevented his return and sought to legitimize the November elections that gave the coup a facade of democracy and installed Porfirio Lobo as president... 29-jul-2010 22:46 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68394 http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68393 July 29, 2010 - In the last few days, there have been several developments regarding the U.S. war of terror in Afghanistan. On Sunday, WikiLeaks released the Afghan War Diary which details some of the many crimes of the U.S. imperialists there in over 91,000 military reports. And on Monday, Afghan officials reported that 52 people were massacred in Rigi, Afghanistan in a Friday rocket attack launched against a house where women and children had taken shelter from fighting between NATO troops and Afghan insurgents. And then on Tuesday evening Congress took stern action to stop this imperialist war. NOT! Instead Congress once again voted to fund the war in Afghanistan... 29-jul-2010 22:43 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68393 http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68392 July 29, 2010 - ...Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (22 - 28 July 2010): Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed a Palestinian worker and wounded three international human rights defenders, including one from Israel, and a Palestinian photojournalist in the West Bank. They also seriously wounded a Palestinian civilian in the Gaza Strip. In the West Bank, on 22 July 2010, IOF killed a Palestinian worker from Qalqilya, near "Burkan" settlement, west of Salfit. Israeli military sources claimed that "a military unit observed two Palestinians, one of whom was armed, when they attempted to cross the settlement's fence. When the two Palestinians did not obey orders to stop, the soldiers fired at them, killing the unarmed one and wounding the armed one, who was able to escape." Investigations conducted by PCHR refute this claim and confirm that none of the targeted persons were armed and that the two men were looking for jobs... 29-jul-2010 22:32 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68392 http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68390 July 28, 2010 - Businesses in the West Bank, the Palestinian territory, have long suffered from many costly trade restrictions imposed by Israel under the country's occupation. Taybeh, the only brewery of beer in the West Bank, and Pharmacare, a pharmaceutical company there that supplies medicine across Europe, are two companies with many grievances about Israel's restrictions. They say that high taxes and duties and long inspections of goods significantly hinder their ambitions to export and expand.... 29-jul-2010 19:58 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68390 http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68389 July 28, 2010 - Dear PFC Manning: The New York Times just reported on 92,000 classified military field reports from Afghanistan that graphically underscore what a demoralizing mess that war is. The leaked material has stirred new opposition in Congress to funding the war, and WikiLeaks is now seen by many as a much needed instrument to crack open the grip that secrecy has on the truth in America. On the other side, there are powerful enemies. General James Mattis told a Senate confirmation hearing for his new job as Commander of Central Command that the leak was "an appalling act." But then he assured the senators the leak revealed "nothing new." The point is such leaks are finally fueling robust debate over the war in Afghanistan. And the leak you are alleged to have made that resulted in WikiLeak's web video "Collateral Murder" was the beginning of it all... 29-jul-2010 19:54 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68389 http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68388 July 28, 2010 - ... Why Does Military Resistance Newsletter Need Your Suport? Doing everything possible to encourage military resistance to Imperial war has never been more important! You know we don't hit on you more than twice a year [last Raffle was 11.09], but Imperial war doesn't happen only twice a year: the killing never stops. Working people have fronted the money that keeps Military Resistance coming out... 29-jul-2010 19:46 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68388 http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68387 Wednesday, July 28, 2010. Chaos and violence continue, the political stalemate continues, the VA can't account for millions, Congress wants to know why that is, and more [...] Hans Blix is one of the main reason the illegal war started. That shined through in his testimony. He hedged every statement. No government official would have taken him seriously. (Except for his constant repeating that he believed Iraq had WMD. He repeated that to everyone. And this is our hero? This is who the peace movement wants to support?)... 29-jul-2010 19:40 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68387 http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68386 July 28, 2010 - In January, 2009, an 18-year-old man presented to the emergency department after suffering an attack with an incendiary shell. He had many painful patches of full-thickness burns, which were surrounded by sloughed tissue. His wounds covered 30% of his body surface area, and were distributed on both upper and lower limbs, and his right shoulder. There were no signs of inhalation burns. After a clinical diagnosis of white phosphorus burns was made, the airway was secured, resuscitation fluid was initiated, and wounds were irrigated with diluted sodium bicarbonate solution before wet dressing. One day after admission to the burns unit, white smoke was noticed emanating from the wounds, which now contained extensive necrotic tissue and had extended into the underlying tissue... 29-jul-2010 19:36 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68386 http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68385 July 28, 2010 - For well over five years, there has been a steady stream of articles in the liberal and radical press-both online and in print-for a "one state" solution in the Middle East. In contrast to the revolutionary socialist call for a democratic and secular Palestine, this one-state solution grants either implicitly or explicitly the Jewish character of the state and the participation of Palestinians in the occupied territories as citizens with the same rights as those now living in Israel proper. More recently, these advocates of what amounts to a Greater Israel have been encouraged by support for a single state solution by rightist politicians, seeing this as analogous to De Klerk coming around to the idea of ending apartheid. Do these ideas have any merit? I don't think so... 29-jul-2010 19:18 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68385 http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68384 July 28, 2010 - The leak of more than 90,000 US military files by whistle-blower website, WikiLeaks is one of the biggest in US military history. The London press conference by Julian Assange was also a rare public appearance for the WikiLeaks founder who has been dubbed "one of the most dangerous men in the world" by critics. To supporters he is a hero, the godfather of whistleblowers. But what of Assange and his organisation? The US authorities have made it plain they would like to talk to him about the leaks. But as Australian reporter Andrew Fowler explains so far he has proved elusive... 29-jul-2010 12:53 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68384 http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68383 July 28, 2010 - For the past two days, in the halls of Birzeit University, against the backdrop of the hills of Ramallah, students from around the world have convened to discuss strategies to hold Israel accountable. On this campus, which was the site of many of the early moments of the first intifada, the conference, run by Right to Education is giving hope that a new uprising, a non-violent, energetic, tenacious campaign, is gaining momentum. In 2004, the International Court of Justice declared the building of the separation wall between Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) illegal. Construction, however, continued unabated. A year later, members of Palestinian civil society put out a call for Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS), to hold Israel accountable until it complies with international law. The movement has been endorsed by over 170 Palestinian parties, organizations, and trade unions, and is essentially a call from the civil society of Palestine to the civil society of the world to join in solidarity, to stand up in our capacity as citizens and consumers, as individuals and communities, against the violations of the rights of Palestinians... 29-jul-2010 12:37 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68383 http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68382 July 28, 2010 - The Atlantists are on the ascendant these days in Moscow. Russian President Dmitri Medvedev's hamburger lunch with United States President Barack Obama during his visit to Silicon Valley last month apparently left a pleasant taste in his mouth. Now relations with NATO are on the mend, as Russia plans to send 27 Mi-17 helicopters to Afghanistan, NATO Military Committee Chairman, Giampaolo di Paola, said after a meeting with Chief of Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Nikolai Makarov, last Friday. Rosoboronexport has even offered to throw in the first three helicopters for free.... 29-jul-2010 05:59 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68382 http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68381 July 28, 2010 - Commandos of the Iraqi Interior Ministry raided on Tuesday evening the compound of Palestinians' Association in the Iraqi occupied capital of Baghdad. According to the Association of Palestinians in Iraq in a press statement they issued, Iraqi forces intruded and arrested one of the Palestinians and called for a group of refugees to surrender to it. The Iraqi commandos used live bullets while raiding his apartment, sparking panic and fear among Palestinian refugees, especially children and women, according to the statement... 29-jul-2010 05:50 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68381 http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68380 July 28, 2010 - "We successfully rebuilt all the structures and tents destroyed, noted Dr. Awad Abu Freih, spokesperson of the el Araqib village and member of the el Araqib Popular Committee and the Arab Education Forum in the Negev. In a conversation with the AIC, Dr. Abu Freih stated that the residents of el Araqib "plan on building more than what was destroyed, in an attempt to prevent future demolitions." Over 300 Bedouins, mainly children, were forcefully removed from their village Tuesday morning (27 July) as they watched the Israeli police destroy their homes and property. The raid began at about 4:30 in the morning and residents woke up surrounded by a huge force of 1,500 police with guns, stun grenades, helmets and shields, including hundreds of Special Riot Police as well as mounted police, helicopters and bulldozers... 29-jul-2010 05:34 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68380 http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68379 July 28, 2010 - For years, the government has denied that depleted uranium (DU), a radioactive toxic waste left over from nuclear fission and added to munitions used in the Persian Gulf and Iraq wars, poisoned Iraqi civilians and veterans. But a little-known 1993 Defense Department document written by then-Brigadier Gen. Eric Shinseki, now the secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), shows that the Pentagon was concerned about DU contamination and the agency had ordered medical testing on all personnel that were exposed to the toxic substance..... 29-jul-2010 05:24 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68379 http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68378 July 28, 2010 - The New York Times continues to downplay the human rights abuses, amounting in some instances to war crimes, documented in classified reports that were released to them by Wikileaks. In contrast to the Guardian and Der Spiegel, the NYT's failed to highlight the many accounts of atrocities committed by U.S. and coalition troops in the paper's recent coverage. The Guardian's article on the Wikileaks' document release begins: A huge cache of secret U.S. military files today provides a devastating portrait of the failing war in Afghanistan, revealing how coalition forces have killed hundreds of civilians in unreported incidents... 29-jul-2010 04:23 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68378 http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68377 July 28, 2010 - Britain's political elite are attempting to play down the so-called Afghan War Diary-the 92,000 documents published by WikiLeaks, details of which are being serialised in the Guardian newspaper. For nine years Britain's ruling circles have presented the intervention in Afghanistan as a fight for the "hearts and minds" of the Afghan people. In the face of widespread public opposition to the occupation, both the Labour government and now the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition have insisted that it is morally and politically justifiable. The documents published by WikiLeaks-consisting of battlefield reports written by US army personnel-expose such claims as lies. They lift the lid on just some of the terror and violence routinely meted out against the Afghan people... 29-jul-2010 03:55 ECT http://www.newsfrommiddleeast.com?new=68377