Why does Israel continue to dismiss Obama's Mideast peace efforts?

Dr. Gabi Sheffer

The writer makes his case, not by pointing to observable proof, but by eliminating any other reasons which would explain why Obama is treated like a leper.

Most Israelis, including the heads of the defense establishment and politicians led by the prime minister and the foreign minister, categorically state that U.S. President Barack Obama will never solve the Israeli-Arab conflict. This lack of confidence in and sympathy for Obama have accompanied him, unjustifiably, since the day he began campaigning for the presidency - and has only intensified following his election. The disrespect toward him and his administration is unwarranted; there is no doubt that it is connected to Obama's ethnic background.

In view of the economic crisis that hit the United States and, in its wake, the rest of the world, the accepted wisdom is that the ability of the United States and its president to influence what happens beyond their borders has been diminished. However, that is not where things actually stand. As no other existing power holds such extensive strength and influence, Obama's ability to act in the world in general and the Middle East in particular has not been eliminated. Russia, China and the European Union have not surpassed the United States in terms of their capability.

The writer is a professor of political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

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Note: Headline links to source.

One of the faces of Faux News

Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal

This isn't intended to scare you at all even though it most likely should bother you. Ya gotta love internationalism.

You most likely have little power over what Americans are told by the news. If there are problems in the Mid-East and Saudi Arabia is in the middle, you may never know. That is assuming you only watch Faux News.

Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who is "about to become News Corp's fourth largest shareholder" according to DC Bureau. (h/t to Reconstitution 2.0). With the addition of a Wahhabi point of view, Fox News becomes at last truly fair and balanced. Don't touch that dial.

When you are in there at 25% you exercise enormous control over what people are told or not told. You certainly are less likely to get the same 'fair and balanced' news you love so much. Hahaha. Fair and... nevermind.

...
Note: Headline links to source.

Where's the Love?

File under ya think?

Shibley Telhami and Zogby International have some not-so-surprising new poll numbers [link in original] out of the Middle East on views of the US, threat perceptions, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and most interesting to me, Iran's nuclear program. The 2008 Annual Arab Public Opinion Poll finds that:

* 81% of people surveyed in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE feel that "most of the Iraqi people" are "worse off" than before the war

* 81% of people surveyed in Lebanon chose "Iraq will remain unstable and spread instability in the region" as their "biggest concern about the consequences of the war in Iraq"

* 36% surveyed did not "believe the reports of a significant reduction in violence" in Iraq

* 64% surveyed had a "very unfavorable" attitude toward the US, up from 57% two years ago

* 65% surveyed "don't believe that democracy is a real American objective"

* 24% surveyed would prefer France to be the sole superpower, leading Germany, China, the US, Russia, Britain, Pakistan

* When asked to name two countries respondents thought posed the biggest threat, Israel garnered 95% while the US competed for a close second at 88%

There's a huge gap between what Americans are being told and what the people with a stake in the Mid-East know.

Note: Headline links to source.

US accuses Iran and Syria of trying to destabilize Iraq (AP)

And the administration is pissed off because of the competition.

The United States is accusing Iran and Syria of trying to destabilize Iraq.

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad told the U.N. Security Council on Monday that Iranian-backed groups have launched numerous attacks on Iraqi civilians and multinational forces this year.

If any of this sounds at all familiar, just think pre-attack on Iraq.

The headline links to the source.

Winter Soldiers to Testify Against War

"Guernica" - Picasso's anti-war abstract (1937)
I can sit here all day and sometimes do pontificating about the evils of war. After all, I have opinions, a certain amount of historical knowledge (from reading and experience) and its my fucking blog.

But I've never been in combat. I readily admit that even though I could lie about it.

These people have. And Raw Story gives you a pretty good idea of what's to come out of this Winter Soldier conference which is BTW a fantastic name for it.

Thirty-seven years ago, in the midst of a bitter-cold Michigan winter, 109 Vietnam veterans gathered at a Howard Johnson Motel auditorium in Detroit to tell their stories. For three days, they told of ransacking undefended villages, attacking civilians, mutilating bodies, torturing Viet Cong suspects, burning houses, destroying Vietnamese property and livestock and killing innocent children. At the conference, entitled Winter Soldier, the veterans accepted responsibility and mourned for their actions. But, taken collectively, their words incriminated a much larger culprit: the war itself.

This year, from March 13 to 16, about 300 veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will follow in the footsteps of their predecessors, gathering for a second Winter Soldier conference, in Silver Spring, Maryland. Organized by Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) it will make up the largest gathering ever of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

Their mission? To tell the story of the war in the terms of those who have actually lived it.

"This is a moment when veterans won't let anyone else speak for us," said Aaron Hughes, an Iraq veteran who initiated the new Winter Soldier effort. "We hear from the pundits, we hear from the politicians, we hear from the generals, but we don't hear from the soldiers who've walked the streets, who've been there and know what it's about. We're the ones who can bring out the cruelties and dehumanization in US foreign policy."

The event, which will accommodate about 700 veteran advocates, social workers, support staff and members of the media in addition to veterans, will combine soldier testimonies and expert panels. The panels are intended to provide a factual context for the personal stories, according to Perry O'Brien, one of Winter Soldier's organizers. Panels and testimony will be grouped into 12 categories, including killing and wounding noncombatants, mishandling of dead, torture and abuse, sexual assault, discrimination in the military, destruction of civilian property, veterans' benefits issues and GI resistance.

Some testimonies will address acts of large-scale violence and human rights violations, while others will zero in on incidents that are often overlooked, such as racism toward Iraqis, sexual harassment of civilians and the military's waste and destruction of environmental resources.

O'Brien hopes that, through the medium of veterans' firsthand accounts, the public will gain new insight into the concrete abuses perpetuated by what may seem to be abstract foreign policy decisions.

"More than just telling stories, our goal is to show what's going on in both countries that is a result of US military policies," O'Brien said. "When we say, 'this is what we saw, this is what we were ordered to do,' patterns emerge. The patterns show that what the US is doing in Iraq is immoral and in many cases illegal." [emphasis mine]

What stood out among many things in the article were the emphasized words. That's exactly what all this is about. Millions of Americans and billions around the world will never be in the Mid-East. What is happening there is abstract.

But this abstract is producing real casualties that aren't abstract at all.

Via Raw Story.

Bin Laden son wants to be peace activist

Is this a ruse? Is Omar sincere and really wants a peaceful approach? Is he influenced by his wife who is twice his age? Don't ask me.

One thing is clear, a new generation will be required to end the bloodshed. Osama bin Laden will never stop on his own. His approach is to violently try to drive the infidels out of the Mid-East and he knows no other path.

Omar Osama bin Laden bears a striking resemblance to his notorious father — except for the dreadlocks that dangle halfway down his back. Then there's the black leather biker jacket. The 26-year-old does not renounce his father, al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, but in an interview with The Associated Press, he said there is better way to defend Islam than militancy: Omar wants to be an "ambassador for peace" between Muslims and the West.

Omar — one of bin Laden's 19 children — raised a tabloid storm last year when he married a 52-year-old British woman, Jane Felix-Browne, who took the name Zaina Alsabah. Now the couple say they want to be advocates, planning a 3,000-mile horse race across North Africa to draw attention to the cause of peace.

"It's about changing the ideas of the Western mind. A lot of people think Arabs — especially the bin Ladens, especially the sons of Osama — are all terrorists. This is not the truth," Omar told the AP last week at a cafe in a Cairo shopping mall.

Of course, many may have a hard time getting their mind around the idea of "bin Laden: peacenik."

"Omar thinks he can be a negotiator," said Alsabah, who is trying to bring her husband to Britain. "He's one of the only people who can do this in the world."

Omar lived with the al-Qaida leader in Sudan, then moved with him to Afghanistan in 1996.

There, Omar says he trained at an al-Qaida camp but in 2000 he decided there must be another way and he left his father, returning to his homeland of Saudi Arabia.

"I don't want to be in that situation to just fight. I like to find another way and this other way may be like we do now, talking," he said in English.

Hey, is that 7 Up they're drinking? How fucking decadent is that? Just asking.

Via Yahoo! News.

Bush sees signed Mideast treaty before leaving office

I'm really stupid at times, but bear with me.

Both Israel and Palestine are not sure a peace treaty is possible, but fucking Dim Son is? What am I missing here? X and Y don't see peace, but W does? I've been out of school a while now, but the math doesn't calculate.

What in the hell is Bush drinking?

US President George W. Bush said on Thursday he believed a Middle East peace treaty would be signed by the time he leaves office in a year, despite scepticism [sic] among Israelis and Palestinians.

Peace between whom? Just asking.

Via AFP.

Humoring Condi

When it comes to the Annapolis Mid-East peace talks, there's nothing surprising here, but Froomkin bothers to bring it up.

Unless Palestine is willing to completely capitulate to Israel, Bush isn't interested.

Remember this, Bush is always about smoke and mirrors. He says one thing and does another. He stages phony photo ops. He claims "Mission Accomplished". He's a fucking Charlatan and this conference makes him look reasonable and responsible. He is, of course, neither.

President Bush's indolent approach to tomorrow's Middle East peace conference in Annapolis suggests that he's just going through the motions to make his beloved secretary of state happy.

Via WaPo.

Damascene Diversion

Christopher has a fine post...again, which is a must read. It pretty much wraps the whole Annapolis talks thing into one neat package.

Please try to ignore the lack of proofreading and editing, something you might expect from me. Am not sure why Christopher's story is so sloppy.

There's a Middle Eastern proverb making the rounds these days: You can't make war without Egypt and you can't have peace without Syria. And if Syria's sitting down at the table, as it's indicated it will do at next week, it's a safe bet that the fate of two key parts of the region -- the Golan and Lebanon -- are up for discussion.

In two of the most intractable problems of the region -- Lebanon and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- the Syrian regime has been the immovable obstacle. Because outside the U.S., the Middle East isn't just defined by the Israeli-Arab conflict. It's a Gordian Knot of conflicts involving Israelis and Palestinians, Israel and Arabs, Arab Shi'ites and Arab Sunnis, Arabs and Iranians and the West and Iran. They're all intertwined, but the common thread in this tangled skein is Syria and the regime of its President Bashar al-Assad.

There's a lot riding on the Annapolis talks. I think everyone has their fingers crossed on this including their trigger fingers.

I hate predictions because in hindsight they can really look lame, but my guess is they need some success in these talks or all hell is gonna break loose in the Mid-East.

Via Spot-On by way of Back to Iraq 3.0. Note: Same post at both links.

Yesterday's actions were a warning shot, all right -- but it wasn't aimed at Iran

Ya know, there are many great analysts and writers in the world of blogging. Lucky for you, I find many and pass along what I see.

By imposing sanctions on Iran for its fomenting of violence in the Middle East, for its engagement in weapons proliferation, and for its attraction to nuclear technology for use as international muscle, the Bush administration yesterday hit the granddaddy of all hypocritical trifectas.

There was a time when the U.S. had some moral standing to preach and condemn. No longer. The world, quite simply, now sees us as the global bully and bad guy -- and when it's a 100-plus nations against one, there must be some merit to the world's perception. We're the 21st-century version of the Viking pillager, the British imperial lion, the Soviet cancer.

When it comes to fomenting violence, proliferating weapons of mass destruction and caressing, say, bunker bunkers with that little extra kick, the U.S. has no equal.

Nor will it tolerate one, no matter how far down the road any such equality or competition may lie.

Hence the Bush administration was in full dress rehearsal yesterday for yet another Middle East extravaganza of incalculably moronic proportions.

With the Commander Guy safely tucked away in the smoldering West, the seemingly less threatening Condi & Co. were left in charge of re-introducing all the preliminary hogwash of another war in the smoldering Middle East.

Gosh we're a peace-loving people, but our patience is forever tried by these little upstarts with disobedience and pushback in mind. So here we come, with mere rumblings at first, but then the sanctions, the unilateralism, the demand for Congressional resolutions, the drumbeats of propaganda, the nuclear references, the demonization of a singular human face, the preposterous urgencies.

OK, I agree with this post, but that isn't why I single it out. Its logical and extremely well written. Capiece?

Oh yeah, Russia's warning they might start producing short and medium range missiles probably was a warning shot to many Mid-East countries as well as the US.

Via P M Carpenter.

Insanity Compounded by Insanity: Bush Offers to Bomb Iraqi Kurds

Bush can't find enough people to bomb. He keeps coming up with new targets.

I suppose its just a matter of time until the entire Mid-East is nothing but glass.

A few things to consider when reading this story. First, PKK guerrillas are believed to be holed up in highly-protected mountain redoubts and it's doubtful that airstrikes would have much of a long-term effect on their operational capabilities. Second, while the Iraqi Kurdish leadership has been taking a cautious approach to the escalating conflict, "Kurdistan" president Massoud Barzani has twice promised that the powerful Peshmerga militia -- estimated at more than 100,000 strong and arguably the most effective ground forces in Iraq -- would join PKK fighters in the case of a Turkish ground incursion. The Iraqi Kurdish leadership would be hard-pressed to make that move, but might not have a choice given their own domestic political calculus. Lastly, PKK fighters' cross-border attacks are seasonal; they slow during the winter when the mountainous border area where they operate becomes too difficult to negotiate. During the "off-season," they mover deeper into Iraqi Kurdistan, where the job of finding clean targets for airstrikes and/ or shelling becomes much more difficult. That means that if the U.S. did strike PKK camps, most of the fighters would likely to dissolve into the population and be ready to return next spring.

Via AlterNet.

Why? Six years on from the invasion of Afghanistan

Sometimes it takes the stupids many years to wise up. Fortunately it does happen, usually.

Six years after a war was launched to overthrow the Taliban, British solders are still being killed in bloody skirmishing in a conflict in which no final victory is possible. Tomorrow is the sixth anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan by the US, Britain and allies, an operation codenamed Enduring Freedom. But six years on, Britain is once again, as in Iraq, the most junior of partners, spending the lives of its soldiers with little real influence over the war.

How many dead does it take? How many fucking dead?

I'm so sorry. I've been remiss in not acknowledging the sacrifices the "coalition of the willing" has made and that's not acceptable. American lives are valuable as are Iraqi lives, but so too are the British lives and all the other lives lost in a hopeless morass of bloodshed which will never solve anything.

Grow some balls, Democrats, and get us the fuck out of the Mid-East.

Via The Independent.

Syria to be invited to Mideast peace conference: US

There's really not much to add except its about time.

The United States plans to invite Syria to an international peace conference between the Israelis and Palestinians later this year, a senior State Department official said Sunday.

The United States would also invite neighboring states, major powers and the members of the Arab league follow-up committee and other key international players, said the senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"I think you will find it newsworthy that the members ... of the Arab League follow-up committee would be invited to such a meeting," the official said.

The committee includes Jordan, Egypt -- the only two Arab states to have signed a peace treaty with Israel -- as well as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Syria.

The committee is charged with convincing Israel to accept a Saudi peace initiative relaunched in March by the Arab League during a summit in Riyadh.

Via AFP.

Slow suicide

I, dude, totally, like stole the picture from, like Jonco, I have no, like shame or whatever.

This is what Americans are experiencing right now in the Mid-East. But Bush wants to help you by adding fertilizer to the tree.

I will admit it's unfortunate the artist chose the model s/he did for the photo, but I wasn't consulted.

Israel Scrambled Jets Toward Syria

As you'll see in a bit, this's not the story from earlier in the month.

The tension in the Mid-East is getting appalling. If Israelis, Palestinians, Syrians, Iranians, Iraqis, Afghans, Pakistanis, Lebanese aren't under tremendous stress, I'm sure all neighbors to these countries are.

Someone needs to pull the fuses on these explosives before someone actually lights them.

Israel dispatched several fighter jets toward its border with Syria after a Syrian aircraft disappeared from Israeli air force radar screens, Israeli military officials said Sunday, reflecting the state of heightened tensions between the two sides over a reported Israeli air strike in Syria earlier this month.

The Israeli jets, which did not enter Syrian airspace, returned to their bases minutes later when it became clear the Syrian airplane had crashed. The incident took place on Saturday, which was Yom Kippur, the holiest Jewish holiday, when Israel's air force does not send any fighter craft into the air unless absolutely necessary.

Via AP.

The attack of Iran

Feel content you live thousands of miles away. Sorry about all you other counties nearby or affiliated with Iran. Shit happens. K?

Bush doesn't care about any of you. He is an imperialist warmonger who is out for supreme power. Other people come to mind who may be his idols.

If fucking up the Mid-East brings world peace, I'm all for it, but I think world destruction is much more likely.

Have a nice day! (picture smiley face here or just scroll up).

Israel Told U.S. to Attack Iran, Not Iraq After 9/11

This should come as no surprise to anyone.

Israeli officials warned the George W. Bush administration that an invasion of Iraq would be destabilising to the region and urged the United States to instead target Iran as the primary enemy, according to former administration official Lawrence Wilkerson.

Wilkerson, then a member of the State Department's Policy Planning Staff and later chief of staff for Secretary of State Colin Powell, recalled in an interview with IPS that the Israelis reacted immediately to indications that the Bush administration was thinking of war against Iraq. After the Israeli government picked up the first signs of that intention, Wilkerson says, "The Israelis were telling us Iraq is not the enemy -- Iran is the enemy."

Wilkerson describes the Israeli message to the Bush administration in early 2002 as being, "If you are going to destabilise the balance of power, do it against the main enemy."

Don't ya just love it? The Israelis had no problem with creating turmoil and bloodshed in the Mid-East as long it was where they wanted it done. Such compassion.

Via Mathaba.

Thanks for nothing

Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif smiles during
an interview with Reuters in London, August 23, 2007.
(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

The headlines a couple days ago read like this:

Pakistani supreme court approves exiled former PM's return

So far, so good. No wonder he's all smiles. He will be allowed to return home.

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Thursday [August 23, 2007] said in a verdict that the exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif could return to the country and to take part in the forthcoming parliamentary elections.

Via Xinua.

Ah, but the other shoe hadn't dropped yet. Today the headline is:

Pakistani court to issue arrest warrants against exiled former PM after his return

Via Xinua.

Pakistan's accountability court on Saturday ordered that arrest warrants against exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family members should be issued after their return, a local TV channel Geo reported.

Khalid Mehmood, the judge of the Accountability Court-IV in Rawalpindi, a city near the capital Islamabad, declined to summon or issue immediate arrest warrants against Sharif and adjourned the hearing of three corruption references against Sharif and some of his family members till Sept. 7. [slight format change - ed]

Isn't the Mid-East just barrels of fun sometimes?

The Emerging Middle East Security Paradigm

This is a must read IMHO.

One can't discount the importance of Iran and this article makes the case.

Iran is a crucial player not only in the Middle East, but more broadly in west Asia and the international arena. It can be a critical factor in shaping the future of Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, and the Arab-Israeli conflict. In order to solidify recent strategic gains, Iran needs to reach some accommodation with major Western powers. Likewise, the United States and Europe need to constructively engage Iran in an effort to foster greater political stability and contain the violence inherent in the Middle East and west Asia.

(read more)

'US pushing Israel to wage war against Syria with aid'

Take this story with a grain of salt because in comes from, shall we say, a slightly biased source. But if true, this is hardly something needed in the Mid-East.

Washington is preventing Israel from making peace with Syria and instead is forcing it to wage war, the Arab country's government-owned daily Tishrin read on Monday.

The paper said that recent moves made by the US including supplying Israel with weapons and agreeing to a 30 billion dollar aid-package are methods the country was implementing to push the Jewish state to wage war on Damascus.

That all said, I'm inclined to believe its true. The neocons want the Mid-East in turmoil and, if the US can't invade Syria, Israel is the perfect proxy.

(read more)