Obama Will Officially Start WWIII Over Political Scandals

I expect the invasion of Syria to occur this weekend seeing as Israel and Turkey have moved military closer to the border, and Obama needs a "distraction" to get the AmeriKan media off the scandals.

UPDATE: False Flag Imminent to be Blamed on Iran?

It's been a pleasure to serve you all these years, folks. Sorry it didn't work out better.

UPDATED: Syria, Israel Exchange Fire Over Border Near Golan Heights

Counting Up the War Crimes

"Israeli War Crimes: From the U.S. Liberty to the Humanitarian Flotilla

by James Petras

It is unthinkable that Israel’s premeditated deadly assault on the humanitarian flotilla could have gone ahead without a nod from Washington. James Petras lambastes Barack Obama and the U.S. Government for their refusal to condemn Israel and their outrageous political cover-up of a deliberate criminal act. In the face of such State complicity, the only way to put pressure on Israel is for civil society to sustain the world-wide boycott, disinvestment and sanctions campaign (BDS) against all Israeli products, cultural activities and professional exchanges.

Introduction: Israel Crimes on the High Seas

On June 8, 1967, two squadrons of Israeli warplanes bombed, napalmed and machine-gunned the US intelligence-gathering ship, USS Liberty, in international waters, killing 34 US sailors and wounding another 172. The assault took place on a sunny afternoon, with the US flag and identifying markers clearly visible. The Israelis targeted the antennae to prevent the crew from broadcasting for help and shot up the lifeboats to ensure no survivors. There were, however, survivors who rigged up an antenna and radioed their distress, a call for help that reached Washington D.C. In an unprecedented act of betrayal, President Johnson, in close liaison with powerful American Jewish Zionist political backers, covered up the mass murder on the high seas by issuing orders first to recall Mediterranean-based warplanes from rushing to assist their besieged comrades, then threatening to court-martial the survivors who might expose the deliberate nature of the Israeli assault and finally by repeating the Israeli line that the attack was a matter of mistaken identity, a lie which numerous military leaders later rejected.

Almost to the day, 43 years later, on May 31, 2010, Israeli warships, helicopter gun ships and commandos assaulted a convoy of humanitarian ships carrying ten thousand tons of aid to Gaza in international waters. Prior to the aid mission Turkish authorities had examined the passengers and the ship to ensure no weapons were on board. The Israelis never the less came on board shooting and clubbing the unarmed passengers, killing up to19 and wounding dozens. Despite subsequent Israeli and Zionist claims to the contrary no weapons were found, apart from sticks used by some of the victims attempting to fend off the murderous premeditated assault planned, directed and defended by top Israeli leaders and the entire leadership of the major Zionist organizations in the US and elsewhere. The invading Israeli storm troopers systematically destroyed all cameras, videos and tape recorders that had documented their savage assault, in order to subsequently spread their brazen lies about their being subject to armed resistance.

The World Response

Within hours of Israel’s bloody act of piracy, nations, political leaders, human rights organizations and the vast majority of the international community condemned the Israeli state for its violation of international law. Turkey, Spain, Greece, Denmark and Austria summoned their Israeli Ambassadors to protest the deadly assault. The Financial Times, (June 1, 2010) referred to the Israeli assault as a “brazen act of piracy … hurtling into lawlessness” rooted in its “illegal blockage of Gaza”. Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Erdogan called the Israeli assault an act of “state terrorism” which would have “serious consequences”. Israel’s attacks on ships flying Turkish, Greek and Irish flags on the high seas were described by legal experts as an “act of war”. The UN Security Council, NATO and the Secretary General of the UN demanded Israel cease its aggression, while tens of thousands of demonstrators marched denouncing Israel’s blatant act of state murder and wounding of pacifists, humanitarians and protestors from 60 countries. UN experts demanded that Israeli leaders “must be held criminally responsible”. Only the Obama regime refused to condemn the Israeli act of state terror, merely expressing “concern and regret”. The Israeli state defended its murderous assault, promised more in the future and insisted on maintaining its blockade of Gaza, even after the US suggested it might be loosened.

The Israeli Defense of Piracy and State Terror

As news of the Israeli massacre slipped out and the international community reacted with horror and anger, the Israeli government “sought to flood the airwaves with their versions of events … more importantly, the authorities ensured that their narrative gained early dominance by largely silencing the hundreds of activists who were on board during the attack” (Financial Times, June 2, 2010, p2.). The Jewish state held all the prisoners alive, wounded and dead incommunicado, seized their mobile phones and prohibited any interviews, barring all journalists. Like most terrorist states, the Jewish state wanted to monopolize the propaganda media. The Israeli propaganda machine via its state sponsored journalists and news media employed several ploys typical of totalitarian regimes.

1. Israeli storm troopers invading the ship were turned into victims and the humanitarian pacifists were turned into aggressors. “Israeli Soldiers Met by Well-Planned Lynch Mob” (Jerusalem Post, March 31, 2010); “Israeli Soldiers Attacked” (IDF, March 31, 2010).

2. Israel’s act of piracy in international waters was declared legal by a Professor Sabel of the Hebrew University.

3. The humanitarian organizers were accused of having ties to terrorists according to Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon, though no evidence was presented (Ha’aretz, May 30, 2010). The organizers including the Turkish human rights group accused by Ayalon were cleared by the Turkish intelligence agency, the military and the Erdogan government, a member of NATO and for many years (in the past) a collaborator with the Israeli Mossad. The other 600 plus human rights volunteers, included pacifists, parliamentarians, former diplomats, as well as current members of the Israeli parliament.

4. While dozens of human rights people were shot, killed and maimed, Israeli propagandists doctored video releases portraying one of the Israeli assailants on the deck, cutting out the preceding sequence of attack (Financial Times, June 2, 2010, p. 2).

5. The Israeli sea and airborne assailants were described as the victims of a “Brutal Ambush at Sea” (Ynet News, June 1, 2010).

6. The terrorized human rights workers were accused of being a “lynch mob”, attacking the Jewish commandos who were firing automatic rifles wildly across the deck and at cornered victims. The few courageous individuals who fought back to stop the murderous attack were slandered by the Zion-prop, which itself is as monstrous as the crimes they perpetrated.

Once the Israeli propaganda machine started spewing out its gutter lies, the entire leadership of the Zionist Fifth column swung into action … first and foremost in the United States.

The US Zionist Power Configuration: In Defense of the Massacre

Just as the entire leadership of the 51 principle American Jewish organizations defended every Israeli war crime in the past, from the bombing of the US Liberty, to the Occupation of the West Bank and the blockade of Gaza so too did these most honorable apologists repeat verbatim the lies of the Israeli state regarding the assault of the humanitarian flotilla.

The Daily Alert (May 31 – June 2, 2010), the official public propaganda organ of the Presidents of the Major American Jewish Organizations, published every scurrilous Israeli state lie, about the Israeli commandos being ‘lynched’, ‘attacked’ and the human rights victims being responsible for the death of their comrades … at the hands of Israeli commandos. Not a single deviation, not a single word of criticism. Not even a single mention of even the superficial Israeli critics who faulted the execution, the use of deadly weapons, the assault in international waters, and the public relations fiasco.

The vast majority of Israeli Jews and organized Zionists in the US supported the bloody massacre and were opposed by a small minority who has no access to the mass media. Zionist control over the mass media was once again demonstrated by the reporting through “Israel’s eyes” (FAIR, June 1, 2010). Essentially the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, CBS, NBC presented the Israeli commandos attacking the humanitarian boat as being … “assaulted and beaten” (Washington Post, June 1, 2010). The New York Times gave credence to the Israeli claim that its act of piracy on the high seas was legal (NY Times, June 1, 2010). For the US mass media the problem is not Israeli state terror, but how to manipulate and disarm the outrage of the international community. To that end the entire Zionist Power configuration has a reliable ally in the Zionized Obama White House and US Congress.

The Obama Response to Israeli State Terror

There is only one basic reason why Israel repeatedly commits crimes against humanity, including the latest assault on the humanitarian flotilla: because it knows that the Zionist Power Configuration, embedded in the US power structure, will ensure government support, in this case the Obama White House.

In the face of the world-wide condemnation of Israel’s crime on the high seas, and calls from the international community for legal action, the Obama regime absolutely refused to criticize Israel. A White House spokesman said “The United States deeply regrets the loss of life and injuries sustained and is currently working to understand the circumstances surrounding the tragedy” (AFP May 31, 2010). An act of state terrorism does not evoke “regrets” – it normally provokes condemnation and punishment. The power which caused “loss of life and injuries” has a name – Israel; the persons who suffered death and injuries during the Israeli assault – have a name – humanitarian volunteers. It was not simply a “loss of life” but a well planned premeditated murder which is openly defended by Prime Minister Netanyahu and his entire Cabinet. The “circumstances” of the murders are clear: Israel assaulted an unarmed ship in international waters, opening fire as they boarded the ship. The Obama regime’s obscene political cover-up of a deliberate criminal act in violation of international law is evident in his description of a serial homicide as a ‘tragedy’. Premeditated state terror has no resemblance to a tragic noble ruler forced by circumstances into a criminal act against their closest allies.

Washington, pressed to participate at a UN Security Council meeting, spent 10 hours eliminating all references to Israel’s illegal criminal act, ending in a resolution which merely calls for an “impartial” investigation, with Washington pushing for an Israeli investigatory committee. To the world at large, including the Turkish government, the Obama regime and the US government, by refusing to condemn Israel, are “accomplices to a mass murder”.

To understand why the Obama regime brought shame and infamy to itself in the eyes of the world, one need look at the Zionist composition of the Obama White House and, equally important, the direct power and access that the principle Jewish-Zionist organizations have over the US political system. In the week preceding Israel’s announced assault on the humanitarian flotilla, (pro-Israel) Jewish leaders met with over a third of US senators to pressure them to pass harsher sanctions on Iran by June. Among the key operatives attending were the Jewish Federation of North America, AIPAC and the rest of the Israeli Fifth Column (Jewish Telegraph Agency, May 26, 2010). The following day a squadron of leaders from the Jewish Federations flew into Washington to meet with top Obama administration officials, to ensure that the White House and Congress did not in any way or form publicly express any criticism of Israel’s settlement policy. No doubt the Zionist apologists for Israeli war crimes extended their agenda to include no public criticism of the Israeli assault on the flotilla. Rahm Emmanuel, top US Presidential aide, was in Tel Aviv as a guest of top officials of the Israel Defense Force a few days before the IDF launched the assault, no doubt having filled Rahm in on the details. The Israeli-American aide to Obama no doubt assured the war criminals of Washington’s unconditional political and military support for Israel’s acts of aggression.

From within the Obama Administration and without, the aggressive pressure from the 51 principle organizations of the American Zionists have guaranteed Israeli war criminals immunity from any War Crimes Tribunal, or even serious political condemnation by the UN Security Council. The Zionized White House’s tactic is to deflect attention from immediate consequential condemnation let alone sanctions, hoping that over time, aided by the blanket mass media apology in the US, the mass indignation and protest overseas will gradually wither away. Obama and his Zionist cohort are already in a belly crawl mode with Israel. Part of Rahm’s mission to Israel was to hand Netanyahu an invitation to the White House, during the week of the slaughter at sea. The only reason Netanyahu did not come to Washington was because he rushed back to Israel to buttress the Foreign Office’s defense of the slaughter in the face of world-wide outrage. But in a phone conversation, Obama promised Netanyahu a prompt new invitation – assuring the Jewish statesman that violating international laws and bloodying dozens of humanitarian activists is of no consequence, especially since it insures continued financial support by Obama’s Zionist backers.

Like Lyndon Johnson with the cover-up of the USS Liberty, Obama’s apology of Israel’s war crimes, is the price for ensuring the backing of billionaire Zionist financiers and media moguls, the tens of thousands of pro-Israel Jews and the 51 President of the Major American Jewish Organizations.

In the face of Washington’s complicity with Israeli war crimes, the only road is to intensify the world-wide boycott, disinvestment and sanctions campaign against all Israeli products, cultural activities and professional exchanges.

Hopefully, the Islamic led mass protests will find echo in the wider anti-Zionist Christian and Jewish communities – especially, when Israeli apologists for state terror make public appearances. Even more important each and every Israeli involved in the mass assault should be subject to criminal prosecution wherever they visit. Only by making the Israelis understand that they will pay a high price for their serial homicides and violations of international law will reason possibly enter their political narrative. Only by moving beyond symbolic protests, like recalling diplomats, and taking substantive actions, like breaking relations, will the international community isolate the perpetrator of state terrorism.

All Americans should send loud and clear to President Obama –NEVER AGAIN. Otherwise, with the Zionist Power Configuration active 7/24, the Obama regime, true to the Zionist agenda, will once again focus attention on attacking Iran. Israel’s action today with US complicity is a prelude of the kind of deadly force it has in store for sabotaging the recent Turkey-Brazil-Iran diplomatic agreement.

This is dedicated to the brave Turkish martyrs on the Mavi Marmara, May 31, 2010, and to the 34 murdered American sailors on the USS Liberty, June 8, 1967 – all victims of an unrepentant criminal state – Israel.

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Here's Egg in Your Eye!

"HEY ISRAEL~HERE'S EGG IN YOUR FACE

Israel seems to have a hard time getting the message. This is yet another trait of Zionists, the inability to notice that people actually hate them. Ehud Olmert's recent hasbara trip has continually met with much the same reaction. Chicago, Arkansas, Kentucky, San Francisco all welcomed the War Criminal with huge protests. However, Turkey wins the prize for originality,when Ambassador Gabby Levy arrived at the university to speak, he was, wait for it.... pelted with eggs by students;o) Yea Turkey, you have my vote in next years Euro vision for that one!!

Read the rest HERE

A Blog a Day....

.... is what Rocker will say -- because that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to choose one blog for you to look at each day.

Today's choice: Wake the Flock Up

Other notable entries.

Bilal Achmed Ghanan, 19, was shot and abducted by Israeli soldiers. The body was returned with stitches running from the abdomen to the chin. Photo: Donald Boström. The full Aftonbladet Kultur report, in English: www.tlaxcala.es/pp.asp?reference=8390&lg=en

Source: Murdering Palestinians for their organs: "All facts on the ground prove Swedish report correct

"I came across this video while checking out my peepz Facebook profiles, and they shared this amazing new song for Palestine in English. Visit (www.maherzain.com) for more information about this singer.

Awakening Records is pleased to announce the release of the world’s first animated peace music video on Palestine. Palestine will be Free’ is performed by Awakening’s latest music sensation – Maher Zain.

This is the first time an animated peace music video has been produced on Palestine: “We are recognised as pioneers and constantly pushing the bounds of creativity and innovation. This animated music video for our new star artist Maher Zain is just another step in that direction and certainly not the last”, said Bara Kherigi, Director of Awakening Records. Destined to be an international success, the video features the story of a young brave Palestinian girl who never loses hope for a better future despite the harsh realities surrounding her.

Full Story Click Here...

Source: Music & Animation Video: Palestine Will be Free

"This article is not intended to give into conspiracy theories that can be used as cannon fodder by Zionists, citing it as anti-semitic, it is merly a to get people talking and to ponder who is really running mainstream media and what is the driving force behind them..... is it their job to inform us or are they just a mouth piece for Government and Corporate Whores?

See: Stunning Jewish Success Dominates American Media

More: Window Into Palestine

"Sibel Edmonds—Nothing has changed. As far as the Congress is concerned, the Democrats have been the majority since November 2006 and I have had zero interest from Congress on having hearings—any hearings—on this issue, whether it’s the states secrets privilege portion of it or the involved corruption cases. The current majority has been at least as bad as the previous one. At least the Republicans were gutsy enough to come and say, We’re not going to touch this. But the new majority is not saying anything!

The Obama Administration is pretty new. For what I see, they are continuing the previous administration’s state secrets privilege policies. As far as the whistleblower protection and related legislations are concerned, the new White House has already made it clear that they do not want to provide any protection for national security whistleblowers—these are the whistleblowers from the FBI, CIA, and all the other intelligence and law enforcement agencies and, of course, the Defense Department.

As far as the mainstream media is concerned, at least from what I have seen, the situation has actually gotten worse. To me that seems to be the major reason behind the Congress’ and the White House’s inaction and lack of desire to pursue accountability. As long as the pressure from the mainstream media is not there, of course they aren’t going to act. They are driven by that pressure, and the mainstream media in the U.S. today does not fulfill its role and responsibility by providing that pressure.

Of the three—Congress, the executive branch, and the media—I would say the biggest culprit here is the mainstream media.

K.M.—The most recent example of the deafening silence of the mainstream media was your deposition during the Schmidt vs. Krikorian case on Aug. 8. There, you spoke, under oath, about how the Turkish government and a network of lobby groups and high-ranking U.S. officials and Congressmen have engaged in treason and blackmail. A big story by any standards, it was only covered by Armenian newspapers and a few blogs. How do you explain this silence?

S.E.—I know field reporters who are so excited and want to chase the story. But when they went to their papers—and I’m talking about mainstream media and very good investigative journalists—their editors are refusing to touch it. When you watch the video or read the transcript, you will see how explosive the deposition was. And remember, I was speaking under oath. If by any standard, if I were to lie or be untruthful in any way, I would go to jail. I am answering these questions under oath, and yet, the mainstream media is refusing to touch it. And this is very similar to what we saw with the AIPAC/Larry Franklin case.

I have emphasized the fact that the American Turkish Council [ATC], the Turkish lobby, and these Turkish networks, they work together, in partnership with AIPAC [American Israel Public Affairs Committee] and JINSA [Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs]. So not only is there pressure on media outlets from the Turkish lobby and the corrupt U.S. persons involved, but they also have this pressure placed on the media via their partners from the Israel lobby—and the latter’s influence on the mainstream media in the U.S. is undeniable.

The irony is that my deposition has made it to the front page of Turkish newspapers—and Turkey doesn’t even pride itself with freedom of the media—yet the mainstream media has not written a single word about it...."

Source: Exclusive Interview with FBI Whistleblower Sibel Edmonds

"Government health officials are mobilizing to launch a massive swine flu vaccination campaign this fall that is unprecedented in its scope....

"This is potentially the largest mass-vaccination program in human history," said Howard Markel, a professor of medical history at the University of Michigan who is advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as it spearheads the effort....

"There's little doubt we're going to vaccinate people," said Anthony S. Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who is leading the government's testing of the vaccine. "Who and when and exactly how -- we have to figure out."

"This is an overreaction," said Barbara Loe Fisher of the National Vaccine Information Center, which opposes many vaccine policies. "There is no national security threat here. Why are we operating like this? This is not polio. This is not smallpox."

"I'm very concerned about the dangers of vaccines," said Janice Smith, 58, of Misawaka, Ind., who attended a public hearing Aug. 15, one of a series of meetings the CDC has sponsored to gauge public sentiment about the vaccine.

Fears and misinformation about the vaccine are circulating, including inaccurate claims that it will be mandatory. Authorities are adamant that vaccination will be voluntary...."

Source: Health Officials Mobilizing to Launch Massive Swine Flu Vaccination Campaign

"A MOSSAD 'gift' to America

Anyone can run a sensational sounding story if you don't name names or provide links to back up your wild ass claims, like this piece of disinfo from World Net Daily.

WND is the same quack outfit that was behind Israeli agent Orly Taitz uproar about having a Obama Kenyan birth certificate. Now they're pushing lies from a dead man--Bin Laden--that he will soon have a 'nuke.'

If anything goes BOOM here in the States, it will be another Israeli designed 'false-flag' to get Americans fighting mad to attack Iran and nuke Pakistan...."

Source: MOSSAD plans to detonate a nuke in the USA

"Guest of the Week

Source: Ben Heine Art

"Sometimes the message is great, no matter what you think of the messenger.

Larry Flynt - yes, that Larry Flynt - wrote today on Huffington Post:

The American government -- which we once called our government -- has been taken over by Wall Street, the mega-corporations and the super-rich ... Both Democrats and Republicans dance to the tune of their corporate masters. In America, corporations do not control the government. In America, corporations are the government.

This was never more obvious than with the Wall Street bailout, whereby the very corporations that caused the collapse of our economy were rewarded with taxpayer dollars. So arrogant, so smug were they that, without a moment's hesitation, they took our money -- yours and mine -- to pay their executives multimillion-dollar bonuses, something they continue doing to this very day. They have no shame. They don't care what you and I think about them. Henry Kissinger refers to us as "useless eaters"....

Source: “The Real War Is Not Between the Left and the Right...

"Connect the dots ~ Cheney did indeed have his CIA assassination group but it was outsourced, much like torture was outsourced to foreign countries, to Blackwater mercenaries and Pat Tillman was most likely a target during the 2004 election year for he was about to support John Kerry:

In my column on April 1, 2009 DID CHENEY ASSASSINATION RING TARGET PAT TILLMAN ? I wrote of the Seymour Hersh's revelation of an executive assassination ring that reported directly to Dick Cheney and now confirmed by former Cheney aide John Hannah. I also wrote that it's time to re-open the investigation of Pat Tillman's questionable death by friendly fire which was stonewalled by both the Bush administration and the Pentagon generals....

Connect the dots ~ a paranoid Dick Cheney, who is already outsourcing torture, enlists the CIA to hire Blackwater to assassinate specific targets. In early 2004 Cheney hears that Tillman is about to go public with his Iraq war misgivings and his support for John Kerry. Can't you picture Cheney confiding to Blackwater mafia boss Erick Prince " We have a problem with Tillman and it's an election year " and Prince replying " Worry no more, Chief ~ we'll handle it "

Source: CONNECT THE DOTS - CHENEY - CIA - BLACKWATER & PAT TILLMAN

"[Mr. McGovern is another "former" CIA spook (Like bin Laden's press agent Michael Scheuer)writing for Antiwar.com, whose only purpose appears to be defending truth and the Constitution against an out-of-control government. This is pure disinformation, intended to mislead us, the enraged masses, into going after the agency's crimes individually (Blackwater, torture, drone murders, etc.), when what is needed is a complete house cleaning of the entire repellent mess that resides at Langley, Virginia. The CIA is a criminal institution that hires other criminals throughout the world to start wars, commit mass-murder, kidnap, torture, run drugs, et. al., in a worldwide and national psyop. The CIA is at war with all humanity and humankind's only option is the complete and utter eradication of that cancer on the Constitutional Republic of the United States of America.]

Source: CIA Mouthpiece Hides Agency’s Nazi Roots Behind Recent Facist Policies

Pakistan’s Northern Iraq

"Pakistan’s Northern Iraq

Like Turkey, Pakistan too has a northern Iraq. It’s called Karzai’s Afghanistan. Islamabad needs to adopt a zero-tolerance policy toward the Karzai regime. Pakistani fighter jets should cross the border and bomb the terror training camps that send terrorists to Pakistan, including suspected Indian intelligence outposts. If the U.S. military and Karzai’s intelligence service can’t do anything about a third country like India using Afghanistan to export terror, then Pakistan should. It may sound farfetched considering that the elected Pakistani government has just conferred the highest civilian award to a fourth American citizen in less than a year. But it can be done. Here’s how.

By AHMED QURAISHI

Tuesday, 7 July 2009.

WWW.AHMEDQURAISHI.COM

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—If Pakistan were Turkey, Pakistani military commanders would have been publicly warning by now to send fighter jets into Afghanistan to pound the secret supply routes that are being used to fan terrorism and separatism in northwest and southwest Pakistan. The Afghan support bases for terrorism in Balochistan and NWFP are well known by now to Pakistani spy agencies and we’d be justified to act. The purpose wouldn’t be to start a war but force an end to the export of terrorism into Pakistan, especially the Indian intelligence and terror-training outposts on Afghan soil. This is how Turkey dealt with the situation when northern Iraq turned into a haven for anti-Turkey insurgents right under the watch – and possible encouragement – of the United States military.

This scenario might appear farfetched at the moment considering that last week another US citizen has become the recipient of our highest civil award, The Crescent Of The Great Leader [Hilal-e-Quaid-e-Azam]. That is the third [or the fourth?] American to do so in less than a year. Islamabad’s power corridors are sniggering with the quip that US citizenship has become the newest prerequisite for the prestigious award.

But banter aside, the situation on the Pak-Afghan border stands on the precipice of anarchy. Just when the Pakistan Army was preparing to corner master terrorist Baitullah Mehsud in South Waziristan, the CIA ordered a drone attack in North Waziristan targeting the pro-Pakistan tribal commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur. He was at peace with the Pakistani Army for more than a year. The CIA action has opened a new warfront for the Pakistani army that would make nabbing Baitullah more difficult.

If the – deliberate? – American blunders continue, we will end up with a fully fledged civil war in our entire northwest. Washington has already messed up Afghanistan and until a few months ago was itching to put boots on the ground in Pakistan. A full-fledged civil war would give the Americans that chance. The Kabul ruling elite and their Indian ally want nothing more than to see such a situation. It is not in Pakistan’s interest to fight the Pashtun, let alone our own Pakistani Pashtun.

We need to eliminate the terrorists who call themselves Pakistani Taliban. But in order to do so we need to shift the focus back to Afghanistan. US top diplomat William Burns has already asked the Indians to scale down or close some of their ‘consulates’ that act as terrorist planning and training outposts inside Afghanistan. Indian officials have avoided discussing this demand in public, thanks in large part to the evidence reportedly exchanged through the Pakistani-American military channels.

Now Pakistan needs to build on this through a series of fresh policy initiatives on Afghanistan. Let’s test America’s sincerity by making it clear that a US victory in Afghanistan shouldn’t come at the expense of Pakistan’s legitimate security interests. Let’s achieve our goals together instead of handing Afghanistan over to anti-Pakistan forces. It’s either this or we stop NATO supplies.

We should also declare that, unlike al Qaeda, the elimination of the Afghan Taliban or any other local Afghan faction is not a strategic objective of Pakistan. We are not occupying Afghanistan, America is. And it needs to take responsibility for its own mess. Mullah Omar can in fact help Pakistan neutralize the criminals inside Pakistan who are butchering Pakistanis in the name of fighting America. This will also help us identify and neutralize the fake Taliban who are fighting the Pakistani state for foreign-pumped money.

The American position that the resistance they face in Afghanistan comes from our tribal areas should be countered. A fresh report by a US think tank shows the Afghan resistance entrenching itself in the north. So it’s not just the Pakistani tribal belt. The main issue is the pacification of the Pashtun and other areas inside Afghanistan. Do this and the problem can be resolved inside that country.

We need to start seeing US-occupied Afghanistan as Turkey’s northern Iraq. It’s either this or we end up making America’s war against the Pashtuns our own.

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Ceasefires, Israeli-Style

"Ceasefires, Israeli-Style - by Stephen Lendman



Photo courtesy of: People's Voice

Waging war while talking peace is customary Israeli practice. On January 19, Haaretz headlined: "Israel declares unilateral cease-fire. The security cabinet last night authorized a unilateral cease-fire (to take effect) at 2AM (Sunday morning), ending three weeks of intense fighting."

Declaration notwithstanding, nothing changed. Gaza remains occupied, under siege, and totally isolated. Borders are still closed. On January 28, The New York Times said "truckloads of humanitarian aid" are stuck in Egypt because of Israeli and Cairo restrictions. Little can get in, and attacks merely downshifted to a lower gear.

Shortly after Sunday's announcement, an Israeli aircraft killed a Gaza City resident. IDF troops opened fire in Wadi al-Salqa village, southeast of Deir al-Balah. Homes in al-Qarara village were attacked. Helicopter gunships struck areas west of Khan Yunis, and F-16s bombed near the Science and Technology College in the same area. Israeli naval vessels shelled coastal areas and turned back ships with humanitarian aid. Agricultural land was raised. Arrests were made. Gaza continues to be terrorized.

For the week ending January 28th, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) reported continued Gaza and West Bank incursions and attacks:

-- the IDF shot and killed a Gaza farmer on his land;

-- 17 Gaza and West Bank Palestinians, including four children and two journalists, were wounded;

-- 32 West Bank incursions were conducted;

-- 64 West Bank civilians, including 15 children, were arrested;

-- a private West Bank home near Bethlehem was seized as a military site;

-- Gaza remains under siege and total isolation; conditions overall keep deteriorating;

-- two Jerusalem homes were demolished; 53 civilians were left homeless; and Israel continues Judaizing Jerusalem through repeated land seizures.

The same pattern repeats daily, and reports indicate more American and EU complicity. The US Navy patrols the Red Sea to prevent weapons "smuggling," and Army Corps of Engineers are on the Egyptian - Gaza border to locate tunnels and destroy them. EU nations will monitor Rafah and perhaps other Gaza - Egypt border crossings, and France, Britain and other European countries offered naval vessel patrol help in the Red Sea.

On a January 26 Gaza visit, EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel, refused to meet with Hamas. He called it "a terrorist movement" responsible for three weeks of Gaza fighting, the enormous devastation, and for using civilians as "human shields." In response, Hamas official, Mushir al-Masr, expressed shock "to see a European official giving cover to massacres and terrorism committed by the Zionist enemy against the Palestinian people. Palestinian resistance is as legitimate as the resistance of European countries that fought against foreign occupiers." International law affirms this.

On January 27, Haaretz reported that the fragile ceasefire was near collapse after an IDF soldier was killed. An air strike followed, and Israeli tanks again were on the move. "Heavy gunfire was audible along the border in central Gaza and Israeli helicopters hovered in the air, firing bursts from their machine guns, Palestinian witnesses said."

On January 29, Maan News reported that nine Gazans, mostly children, were wounded by an F-16 missile in Khan Younis following overnight strikes at the As-Salam district of Rafah. In addition, IDF tanks "invaded Gaza near Deir Al-Balah, bulldozing agricultural land," then withdrew in early morning. On the same day, 14 West Bank arrests were made, civilians seized from their homes in Bethlehem, Hebron and Bet Suweif village. A day earlier, the IDF invaded Zboba village, near Jenin, conducted house-to-house searches, enforced a curfew, forced families from their homes, ransacked their belongings, and arrested eight more men.

Incursions like these occur daily. Palestinian Prisoner Society president Qaddura Fares said 300 Gazans were arrested during three weeks of fighting and more when it ended. Israel conceals their names and where they're held. Some are wounded and untreated. All are denied access to lawyers and ICRC representatives.

On January 30, Haaretz reported that "Israel plans more 'pinpoint' strikes against Hamas (and other resistance) in Gaza....to let Hamas know that strikes against Israel would not go unanswered, one source said."

In her first news conference as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton blamed Hamas, said Israel has a "right to self-defense, (and that) rocket attacks....cannot go unanswered." Hardly surprising from any US official, Republican or Democrat, although Clinton's belligerence is high on the Richter scale.

At a Cairo news conference, US Middle East envoy George Mitchell said America "is committed to vigorously pursuing lasting peace and stability in the region." He met with Egypt's Mubarak, then headed for Tel Aviv meetings with Ehud Olmert, Tzipi Livni, Ehud Barak, Shimon Peres, IDF's chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi, and Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu to say America is committed to:

-- Israel's security;

-- the "road map" assuring no possibility of peace;

-- no policy change to allow Palestinians their right of return;

-- Israel's illegal settlement expansions;

-- stopping Hamas weapons "smuggling" to deny their right of self-defense;

-- dealing only with Mahmoud Abbas so "the Palestinian Authority (PA) will get a foot in the door in Gaza;" and

-- in spite of being Palestine's legitimate government and proposing a one and a half year truce (conditional on ending Gaza's siege and reopening all border crossings), Mitchell won't meet with Hamas to "pursue lasting peace and stability in the region;" he rebuffed Hamas' overture; affirmed the Bush administration's one-sided diplomacy; said nothing about continued Israeli attacks, arrests, and settlement expansions, paid lip service only to Gaza's humanitarian crisis, insisted that the PA be in charge of Gaza's borders, reiterated that Hamas is a "terrorist group," then headed for Ramallah to meet with Mahmoud Abbas and his coup d'etat government.

Addressing a (New York-based) World Jewish Congress in Jerusalem on January 28, foreign minister Livni affirmed Israel's "right to act to defend ourselves against those activities in Gaza, including weapons 'smuggling' and build-up of military capabilities. Israel is going to act according to a new equation. We are not going to show restraint anymore. (Anymore?) We need to change the rules of the game until they (Hamas) learn that the rules have changed and the equation has changed."

Haaretz said Olmert told Mitchell that Gaza's borders won't reopen until Hamas releases IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. Unmentioned are thousands of imprisoned Palestinians, many held without charge, hundreds with no access to family or outside contact, most tortured, and all denied due process.

On January 28, Hamas rejected Olmert's terms. The Israeli English language Ynetnews.com quoted a member of its Cairo delegation, Salah al-Bardawil, saying: the ball is in Israel's court. "The demands are known (and so is the price). It is no secret that there are 11,000 Palestinian prisoners sitting in Israeli prisons. No tie shall be made between the truce and Shalit. If Israel wants him released, it must pay the rightful and asked price."

Bardawil rejects a Gaza "security zone" giving Israelis "an excuse to kill anyone who comes close to it, even if they are farmers and innocent civilians, claiming that they are members of the resistance organizations." For Israel, all civilians are legitimate targets, even women, children, the elderly, and infirm. Daily, they suffer grievously throughout Occupied Palestine.

Nonetheless on February 1, Al-Arabiya TV reported that Hamas accepted Egypt's one-year truce proposal beginning February 6. The delay will give its delegation time to make it official in Cairo. Details so far are sketchy but apparently involve PA monitoring/controlling border crossings and Hamas and PA authorities coordinating their activities. Earlier Hamas accepted a one and a half year truce conditional on re-opening borders so humanitarian and other essential aid can enter freely.

Gaza Professor Said Abdelwahed's Email

Three weeks of fighting have taken a terrible toll, yet appalling suffering continues. Consider the children. "Bereaved and traumatized, (they) need psychotherapists and special care! Who will take care of them? Local psychotherapy organizations can't do it and for more than one reason." Yet the need is overwhelming.

"Children have bad memories (from) ugly nights, nightmares and bad dreams. (It's been) an ongoing show of miseries, untold stories, stress and depression! The day before yesterday," fear of renewed Israeli attacks surfaced. Buildings and Gaza City schools "were evacuated immediately! Pupils ran out of schools knowing not where to go. F-16s flew overhead. They broke the sound barrier and scared everyone."

"The world community talks about arms smuggling to Gaza! What kind of arms" are they talking about? The fighting proved that "Palestinians have no weapons that can annoy Israeli aircraft, helicopters or tanks. The whole geography and psychology of Gaza have changed. It's like an earthquake. Homes have been distroyed. Whole neighborhoods. Thousands are now displaced."

"The fact is that words fall short of describing how things look now. It's more horrible than the Holocaust." Referring to dead children, Abdelwahed said: "I did not know before that 450 children and infants were Hamas affiliates or supporters....take care."

World Affirmation of Continued Israeli Attacks

Palestinians remain isolated and abandoned. Disturbing truths are hidden from sight. The dominant media are complicit. BBC management won't air an emergency fundraiser claiming doing so would show bias. A spokesman said: "The decision was made because of question marks about the delivery of aid in a volatile situation and also to avoid any risk of compromising public confidence in the BBC's impartiality in the context of (a) news story."

On January 29, Maan News reported that "Palestinian academics and media personnel as well as international activists, demanded the BBC leave Gaza over its refusal to air an appeal for aid." Academics organized a sit-in near BBC's Gaza office and denounced it for its action. Gaza Professor As'ad Abu Sharkh said: "The BBC has become a partner to Israel in its war on Gaza." Others were equally vocal.

Throughout its history, BBC has been a reliable imperial tool. Its reputation remains unblemished. Veteran UK politician, Tony Benn, called its decision a "public betrayal....incomprehensible and it follows the bias in BBC reporting of this crisis." In America, it's much worse. Victims are vilified, aggressors praised, and no uncomfortable truths are aired or printed. Regardless of its crimes, Israel is untouchable.

EU Failure to Protect Human Rights in Occupied Palestine

On January 28, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) accused EU nations of failing to protect Palestinians' human rights and demanded that remedial steps be taken. PCHR expressed dismay "by recent statements made by, and actions taken by, EU states regarding human rights violations" in Gaza and the West Bank.

In spite of weeks of slaughter, destruction and trauma, "EU member states abstained from a (January 12) United Nations Human Rights Council resolution condemning the (IDF's) military offensive. A week later, Czech foreign minister and (EU Council) president-in-office, Karl Schwarzenberg, (said the EU) 'should not act as a judge' (against IDF humanitarian law violations)." In solidarity with Israel, he said: "I have never seen a war where humanitarian law was completely respected."

Louis Michel, quoted above, went even further by claiming Hamas bore "overwhelming responsibility" for Israel's offensive. These actions "highlight that the 27 EU member states are blatantly failing in their obligations as High Contracting Parties to the (1949) Fourth Geneva Convention to protect the lives of Palestinians in Gaza. The shameful silence of the entire international community....illustrates its utter failure to hold Israel accountable for its masse violations of human rights (throughout Occupied Palestine) and especially in Gaza." International law demands accountability. Gazans remain imprisoned, and the West Bank is under military occupation.

Letting Israel slaughter, destroy, imprison, terror bomb, use illegal weapons, and willfully target civilians grants it license to keep doing it with impunity. PCHR wants accountability and for the EU not to "upgrade its political and economic relationship (through) the EU-Israel Association Agreement (on trade, political, and regional cooperation). (It's) conditional on Israel's respect for human rights." Tel Aviv blatantly disdains them. This no longer can be tolerated. Palestinians deserve justice. "EU member states must finally make a stand for the respect of law and protection of civilian lives."

Obama's Middle East Policy "A Mirror Image of Bush"

It's from Palestine Chronicle Editor-in-Chief Ramzy Baroud in his article titled: "For Palestinians, Obama's Message is Crystal Clear." Despite promising change, "how different will Obama truly be when his administration is done carrying out a few symbolic gestures to appease the ever-eager public" at a time when great economic distress takes precedence? Despite promising "a new era," continuity remains US - Israeli policy, and note Obama's statements.

His first January 22 public one affirmed one-sided Israeli support in saying: "Let me be clear - America is committed to Israel's security. And we will always support Israel's right to defend itself against legitimate threats....Hamas must meet clear conditions: recognize Israel's right to exist; renounce violence; and abide by past agreements." It must also abandon its right to resist, to self-defense, to self-determination, to a sovereign Palestinian state inside pre-1967 borders, to be free from military occupation, from repeated Israeli incursions, and to remain Occupied Palestine's legitimately elected government.

"Obama's unparalleled clarity" is unequivocal. Israeli rights matter. Palestinian ones don't. "For Gazans, and most Palestinians, things cannot be any clearer." Obama promises continuity, not change. Palestinians are on their own. Their struggle for liberation continues.

Hopeful Justice in Spain

On January 29, AP reported that Spanish judge Fernando Andreu "began an investigation into seven current or former Israeli officials over a 2002 bombing in Gaza that killed a Hamas militant and 14 other people, including nine children." Andreu sees a possible crime against humanity in targeting Salah Shehadeh in which an F-16 dropped a one-ton bomb in Gaza City. He's proceeding "under (the universal jurisdiction) doctrine that allows (Spanish) prosecution of (such crimes and ones alleged to be terrorism or genocide), even if they are....committed in another country."

In June 2008, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) sued Israeli officials in the National Court of Spain naming then Israeli Air Force commander Dan Halutz, defense minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, senior air force commander Doron Almog, national security chief Giora Eiland, defense ministry official Michael Herzog, IDF chief of staff Moshe Ya'alon, and General Security Service head Avi Dichter.

Andreu called the bombing "clearly disproportionate and excessive" and said he agreed to investigate the charges because Israel stonewalled his request for information. He added if he determines that innocent civilians were targeted, he might bring "even more serious" charges. The Spanish National Court said that genocide may be charged if intent to exterminate Palestinians can be proved.

Former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's comment was expected: "It's absurd; Israel is fighting against war criminals and they are charging us with crimes." The charges make "a mockery out of international law." One of the accused, Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, called the charges "ludicrous and outrageous (and that) terrorist organizations are using the courts to prosecute a state that works against terror." Ehud Barak said they're "halluncinatory."

With Washington and western endorsement, blaming victims is customary Israeli practice. It expects a wave of criminal lawsuits and international pressure to investigate IDF war crimes in the aftermath of its terror bombing Gaza.

Amnesty International (AI) Ammunition

On January 17, AI got access to Gaza and "found first hand evidence of war crimes, serious violations of international law, and possible crimes against humanity." More investigation continues, but already "the stories are harrowing," including Israel's "use of white phosphorous." AI calls for "a full-fledged independent investigation" to uncover all crimes in the conflict.

Calls for an Academic and Cultural Boycott

On January 29, Haaretz reported that "In the wake of Operation Cast Lead, a group of American university professors has for the first time launched a national campaign calling for academic and cultural boycott of Israel." Its mission statement says:

"In light of Israel's persistent violations of international law, and Given that, since 1948, hundreds of UN resolutions have condemned Israel's colonial and discriminatory policies as illegal and called for immediate, adequate and effective remedies, and Given that all forms of international intervention and peacemaking have until now failed to convince or force Israel to comply with humanitarian law, to respect fundamental human rights and to end its occupation and oppression of the people of Palestine, and In view of the fact that people of conscience in the international community have historically shouldered the moral responsibility to fight injustice," and joined together in boycott, divestment and sanctions campaigns....

"We representatives of Palestinian civil society, call upon international civil society organizations and people of conscience (everywhere) to impose broad boycotts and implement initiatives against Israel similar to those (against) South Africa." We ask for support "for the sake of justice and genuine peace." Demands listed are:

-- ending Israel's illegal occupation, colonization, and Separation Wall;

-- recognizing full equality for Arab Israelis; and

-- "respecting, protecting, and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties" as UN Resolution 194 mandates.

A Rare Davos Economic Forum Confrontation

Annually in Davos, Switzerland at the World Economic Forum, the world's corporate Mafia dons meet to discuss prospects for greater global exploitation.

On January 29 to a packed audience and on television, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan faced off with Israeli president Shimon Peres in debate, then stormed off the stage in disgust when the moderator cut him short and ended discussion. After Peres defended attacking Gaza in a lengthy monologue, Erdogan accused him of "killing people. I find it very sad that people applaud what you said. There have been many people killed. And I think that it is very wrong and it is not humanitarian."

Washington Post moderator David Ignatius cut him off. Erdogan said "Please let me finish." Ignatius responded: "We just don't have time. We really do need to get people to dinner." Erdogan again: "Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. I don't think I will come back to Davos after this." The audience appeared stunned. Erdogan brushed past reporters but not before his wife said: "All Peres said was a lie. It was unacceptable."

Erdogan, of course, played to a home audience, and it paid off. Back in Istanbul, he got a rapturous welcome. He later spoke with Peres by phone and agreed not to let the incident affect Turkish-Israeli relations.

Israeli - Turkey confrontation began when Gaza was attacked. It continued in Cairo when Israeli defense ministry political security bureau head, Amos Gilad, refused to meet with Ahmet Davutoglu, Erdogan's senior foreign policy advisor. Davutoglu was Turkey's conduit between Hamas and the West. Israel and Egypt stonewalled him. Israel and Turkey have strategic ties. It remains for high-level fence-mending to repair them.

Israeli Professor Avi Shlaim in the London Guardian

On January 7, he headlined: "How Israel brought Gaza to the brink of humanitarian catastrophe." Shlaim once served in the IDF, never questioned Israel's legitimacy inside the Green Line, and now teaches international relations at Oxford. He examined the conflict in context and said "Establishing the state of Israel in May 1948 involved a monumental injustice to the Palestinians." At the time, British Middle East Cairo office head, John Troutbeck, wrote foreign secretary Ernest Bevin that Americans were responsible for creating a gangster state headed by "an utterly unscrupulous set of leaders."

Given Israel's history of violence and latest Gaza aggression, Troutbeck's comment was prescient, but he omitted his own country's complicity that's still solid to this day.

Shlaim condemns what he calls "Greater Israel('s) permanent political, economic and military control (over Palestine)....the result has been one of the most prolonged and brutal military occupations in modern times." In Biblical language, "Israel turned the people of Gaza (and the West Bank) into the hewers of wood and the drawers of water, into a (reserve) source of cheap labour and a captive market for Israeli goods." Palestine "is a classic case of colonial exploitation in the post-colonial era. Jewish settlements....are immoral, illegal, and an insurmountable obstacle to peace."

"Israel likes to portray itself as an island of democracy in a sea of authoritarianism. Yet Israel has never in its entire history done anything to promote democracy (for its Arab citizens and population in the Territories)."

Palestine under Hamas is "the only genuine democracy in the Arab world," except for perhaps Lebanon. Yet "America and the EU shamelessly joined Israel in ostracising and demonising (its) government...." The situation is "surreal....with a significant part of the international community imposing economic sanctions not against the occupier but against the occupied, not against the oppressor but against the oppressed."

Palestinians are vilified for their own misfortunes. Israel, America, and the West call them "terrorists," Hamas "just a bunch of religious fanatics (besides), and Islam incompatible with democracy" when, in fact, they're normal people with ordinary dreams and have as much right to them as anyone.

Israel claims self-righteous victimhood while unleashing overpowering brute force. In Hebrew it's called "bokhim ve-yorim, crying and shooting....The brutality of (its) soldiers is fully matched by the mendacity of its spokesmen....(its) propaganda is a pack of lies." A chasm separates rhetoric from reality. Indiscriminate terror bombing is how it tries to spare civilians. Its philosophy is "an eye for an eyelash."

Militarism can't bring security. Only reconciliation and diplomacy works, but Israel stays hard line. Shlaim concludes that his country is "a rogue state with an utterly unscrupulous set of leaders." They disdain international law, use terror weapons, slaughter civilians, and hold Islam in contempt.

"Israel's real aim is not peaceful coexistence....but military domination." It compounds past mistakes "with new and more disastrous ones." It pursues a classic definition of insanity: repeating the same mistakes, expecting different results, and using newspeak propaganda for justification. Poor Israel. Its credibility is gradually eroding. Growing millions hold it in contempt. Its choice ahead is simple. Reform or perish, yet Israel persists in staying hard line.

Stephen Lendman is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization....

--MORE--"

Mossad Uses Ergenekon Against Erdogan

It certainly would explain many things lately....

This is how they treat their friends, huh?

"Saturday, January 31, 2009

Spy stuff: Did Mossad try to topple a NATO ally?

You're about to read a very, very strange story. We begin by taking note of a national insult -- the sort of insult which, in the 19th century, might have led to war.

A debate about the Gaza attack was held at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Israeli President Simon Peres attended, as did Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The panel was moderated by David Ignatius of the Washington Post.

Peres spoke for nearly half an hour -- well beyond his allotted time -- while Erdogan patiently took notes. When Erdogan's turn finally came, he accused Peres of speaking loud and long to cover up his guilt. Ignatius (who happens to be both Jewish and Armenian) quickly cut him off, outraging many onlookers. Erdogan stormed out.

The Turkish PM stressed later that he had left the debate not because of his disagreements with Mr Peres but because he had been given much less time to speak than the Israeli leader.

Erdogan returned home to a hero's welcome.

Turkey has long been one of Israel's few allies. (For some interesting backstory on the Israeli-Turkish alliance, see this piece by Victor Ostrovsky.) After the Davos confrontation, that partnership may be at an end -- and the ramifications are disturbing.

The debate debacle appears to have been designed to sour Turkey's relations with Israel (and the U.S.). If so, we should pay closer attention to David Ignatius. Other Post reporters have been known to practice a trade other than journalism. (Cough cough Chris Wren cough cough.)

I believe that this international dust-up concerns something more than a high-level debate beset by a biased moderator.

Although few Americans have noted the story, Mossad recently tried to mount a coup against Turkey. At least, so says the Turkish press.

That's no small matter. Turkey, for all of its many faults, is a key NATO ally and an important partner in the war on terror (to the extent that there remains a real war on terror).

Israel's national intelligence agency Mossad has been behind a failed coup in Turkey, the Turkish daily newspaper Milliyet reports.

A secret investigation into detained Ergenekon group members and other studies outside Turkey indicate that Mossad orchestrated the coup plot against the Turkish government, the report says.

The Ergenekon group is a Turkish neo-nationalist organization with alleged links to the military, members of which have been arrested on charges of plotting to foment unrest in the country.

Investigators uncovered evidence that show a Jewish rabbi named Tuncay Guney, who worked for Mossad and fled to Canada in 2004, was a key figure behind attempts to overthrow the Turkish government.

A document uncovered this week by the /Sabah/ daily shows how Guney purposefully infiltrated Ergenekon and another organization known as JITEM, an illegal intelligence unit in the gendarmerie suspected of hundreds of murders and kidnappings.

The rabbi was taken out of Turkey and sent to the US for protection after his identity was exposed in an investigation by Turkish police, according to Sabah.

Guney is also reported to have links with Israeli espionage activities in Egypt. According to Egyptian security forces, at least one of three suspects currently being pursued by the Egyptian government for spying was in contact with Tuncay Guney.

The Turkish news article summarized above was preceded by this report written by -- egads! -- Wayne Madsen. I've had serious problems with Madsen's reportage in the past. He's right about half the time, and I usually can't tell which half is which, since he relies on unnamed sources. In this case, I suspect that he may be onto something, but I'm not sure. Caveat lector.

Guney appears to be a lint-trap for occult speculation.

A Turkish citizen with "business" links to Russia and Egypt, he is listed as the chief rabbi for this synagogue in Toronto. But he may not even be Jewish. His mother teaches the Koran. Other sources say that he converted to Christianity in 2004. He now likes to blather on about being an Egyptian "Sabbatian" Jew. Believe that if you will.

Some speculate that he is actually CIA -- an allegation which, if proven true, might mean that this very post has been mis-headlined.

Wikipedia's summary of Guney's life is downright wild, especially when it discusses the man's stay in New York (where he was obviously up to spy stuff) and his dealings with evangelicals. (The CIA has often used evangelical missions for cover.)

Actually, Guney's synagogue in Canada appears to be an intelligence front.

The Toronto Board of Rabbis has no record of a rabbi by his name.

The communications director of the United Jewish Appeal in Toronto, Howard English, did not recognize him or his synagogue. The education director of the Toronto branch of Jews for Judaism, rabbi Michael Skobac, did not recognize him, and could not reach them by e-mail.

The pseudo-synagogue's website lists him as Daniel T. Guney. The Turks and the Egyptians say that he has used the alias Daniel Levi.

By the way: The very complete Guney entry offered by Wikipedia looks to me like a dossier compiled by an intelligence professional, using open-source materials. This isn't the only Wikipedia entry to convey that impression.

For more clues, see this article on Guney in The Star.

Guney is connected with a secretive, ultra-reactionary "cabal" in Turkey called Ergenekon, which has long stood accused of perpetrating terrorism. It's the Turkish version of Italy's P2.

Ergenekon takes a fervently anti-Western, pro-Fascist line. The group is willing to kill in order to separate Turkey from the U.S., Israel and the rest of Europe.

Ergenekon network mainly aims to break Turkey's ties with the NATO and the West in general. Most of the Ergenekon members are anti-Semitic and ultra-Turkist. They claim that the MOSSAD and Israel in general has played a dirty role in Turkish politics. Almost all of them are anti-Semitic. Some of the Ergenekon intellectuals wrote anti-Semitic books and started anti-Semitic campaigns in order to spread their anit-Israeli opinion among the people. They claim the US, the EU and Israel have made efforts to divide the country.

In an earlier post, I noted that

The intellectual head of the movement, Ümit Sayin, is a Hitler admirer

If Guney is a rabbi, why is a rabbi aiding such a group? If Guney is Mossad, why is a Mossad agent aiding such a group? If Guney is CIA, why is a CIA agent aiding such a group?

This report holds that Guney had infiltrated the group on behalf of MIT (Turkey's CIA). But it also says that Guney was more of an informant than a spy for the Turks. And the more recent reports hold that Guney manipulated Ergenekon against the current Turkish government -- a move which might well have brought the hard-right faction to power.

I'm trying to figure out the man's motive.

Did Guney aid Ergenekon, or was his task infiltration and exposure? Milliyet, the Turkish journal, says that Guney manipulated the terror group. If the Milliyet report is correct, why would a Mossad agent (if Guney really is such) want to help a pro-Hitler, anti-Israel group achieve power in Turkey?

And why (to bring matters full circle) did the President of Israel go out of his way to alienate the leader of the one nation in the Islamic world that had befriended Israel? Was that epic slight linked to the claimed Mossad coup attempt?

I honestly cannot fathom what the goal is here!

--MORE--"

I can: World War III to Begin in One Month

Spokesman For the World

Related: Turkey's P.M. Talks Tough

"PTT pride: Erdogan at World Economic Forum cites our editor Gilad Atzmon

by Mary Rizzo • Jan 30th, 2009

The World Economic Forum at Davos had an incredible moment of truth… After Shimon Peres was allowed to justify the wanton killing that the Jewish State engaged in over the territory they have strangled with their inhumane blockade, (and received applause for it by the men and women waiting for their champaign glasses to be filled after the dinner that of course was more important to them than hearing the words of the Prime Minister of the largest European State with a Muslim majority and one of the most strategic areas on the face of the earth), Tayyip Erdogan begins to respond to the barrage of filth poured out by Peres.

At the moment, our Turkish translators in www.tlaxcala.es are getting a verbatim translation of the intervention, which we will post up here as soon as it is available, but in the meantime,

Here is a translation found here: http://video.aol.com/video-detail/turkish-prime-minister-erdogan-leaves-the-debate-in-davos-translation/3833761515/?icid=VIDURVNWS06

Moderator: There was a heated debate here. This is a discussion that can

last for hours. We are already out of time.
Erdogan: One minute.
Moderator: Mr. President, well, you know
Erdodan: One minute, one minute! No! One minute.
Moderator: Ok, but I want you not to speak more than one minute.
Erdogan: Mr. Peres, you are older than me. Your voice is very loud. I know that you are speaking aloud because of the requirement of a sense of guilt. My voice will not be that loud. About murdering, you know killing very well. I am well aware how you murdered children on beaches. Two former prime ministers of your country had important sayings to me. You have former prime ministers who say When I entered Palestine over armed combat cars, I consider myself more and more pleased. I can give their names, maybe some of you wonder. Besides, I condemn those of you who applaud this persecution. Because applauding these killers who murdered those children, who massacred those people is, I believe, also another crime committed against humanity. Look, we cannot disregard a reality here. Here, I jotted down a lot of notes, but I dont have time to answer all of them. But, I will say you only two things:
Moderator: Excuse me Prime Minister, we can't start the debate again.
Erdogan: Excuse me. First, excuse me, do NOT interrupt me! First, The Old Testament says in the 6th commandment: You shall not kill! But there is murder here. Second, this is also very interesting. Gilad Atzmon, a Jew himself, says: Israeli barbarity is far beyond even ordinary cruelty. Besides, Avi Shlaim, Professor of Oxford who performed his military duty in Israeli army, says in the Guardian the following:
Moderator: Prime Minister, Prime Minister. I wanna ask to our host.
Erdogan: Israel became a gangster state. (to the moderator) I thank you, too. For me, Davos is done for me from now on. I will not come again. You all know this in this way. You are not letting us speak. (Showing Peres) He spoke for 25 minutes, but you let e speak 12 minutes. No way!

********************

Well, we at PTT think several things must be said:
1) More leaders should have the courage to speak out about the atrocities and to isolate Israel from sitting on a stage and endorsing their violence, which has no justification. That Erdogan did this, (and used also as his source writing by one of our editors, Gilad Atzmon), can only encourage us in our belief that sooner or later even people responsible for the guiding of a country numbering almost 63 million people, will stand up to Israel and say enough is enough. We are waiting for other Leaders to follow, the ice has been broken.

2) To state the obvious is no longer verboten. Things have to be called with their names, a State that is a menace to humanity and violent beyond all decency MUST be denounced in the loudest terms possible. We can't walk on eggshells anymore. For a leader to express the thoughts of his people (finally) rather than to kowtow to some impossible situation of sitting on the fence (and Turkey in many ways is a nation that has a lot to answer for in past and recent atrocities, as well as its position of support for the invasion of Iraq) moves a step in the right direction. It is NOT in the interests of Turkey to acquiesce all horrors and violence just to stay in the club. It is sometimes BEST to walk off when you realise the platform is there to present a justification for what cannot be justified. We believe that this brave action, widely appreciated by millions, is the first of a series. Of the entire Davos Forum, this was the moment cited in the news.. It is food for thought.

3) NO normalisation with Israel until they accept the rules of International Law. Thank you PM Erdogan, for listening to us, for using our words, and for using that international platform for expressing the views that we know millions of humanitarian people hold. You are enabling all of us.
Palestine Think Tank

Erdogan gets hero's welcome upon his return to Turkey

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE50T20E20090130?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0

(excerpt)

By Paul de Bendern

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan received a hero's welcome on his return to Istanbul on Friday after accusing Israel of "knowing very well how to kill" during a heated debate at the World Economic Forum.

Erdogan stormed out of a debate on Israel's Gaza offensive on Thursday, and vowed he might never return to the annual gathering of the rich and powerful in Davos.

President Shimon Peres had launched a fiery defense of his country's offensive in Gaza over the past month, and with a raised voice and pointed finger, questioned what Erdogan would do if rockets were fired at Istanbul every night.

"When it comes to killing, you know very well how to kill," Erdogan, visibly angry, responded as he sat next to Peres at the debate, which also included United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and Arab League chief Amr Moussa.

Turkey, a predominantly Muslim but secular country that historically has had good ties with Israel and the Arab world, played a role in helping broker an end to the Gaza offensive this month, particularly by lobbying the Islamist Hamas group to declare a ceasefire.

Thousands of people gathered at Istanbul's Ataturk airport to greet Erdogan when he returned, waving Turkish and Palestinian flags and chanting "Turkey is proud of you."

"Our people would have expected the same reaction from any Turkish prime minister," he told a news conference at Ataturk airport on Friday morning after speaking to the crowd.

"This was a matter of the esteem and prestige of my country. Hence, my reaction had to be clear. I could not have allowed anyone to poison the prestige and in particular the honor of my country," he said.

"Our reproaches are not against the Israeli people or Jews. Our reproach is totally against the Israeli administration," Erdogan said.

--MORE--"

U.S. Controls Nuclear Black Market

Thank God someone is reading the New York Times because I rarely ever do anymore.

"NY Times confirms US involvement in Nuclear Black Market

In last Monday's New York Times, David Sanger and William Broad wrote a front-page article about the CIA's involvement in the nuclear black market.

The article demonstrates (again) that the New York Times, Sanger & Broad in particular, has simply become a mouthpiece for the government (see my previous articles 1, 2, 3) but they did let one fact slip through to the readership. I can only presume that the slip was accidental, because they don't appear to have understood the ramifications of what they reported:
The US Government is covering up the fact that US citizens and entities are involved in the nuclear black market.

Background

Three members of the Tinner family in Switzerland were key suppliers to AQ Khan's nuclear black market ring. They were arrested in 2004 and have been awaiting trial but the US government has been trying to sabotage the Swiss trial because "compromising and embarrassing information about the CIA's activities with the Khan network" would be exposed if the trial were to proceed.

High-Level Visit

The New York Times reported that in July 2007, the Swiss Justice Minister came to the US to discuss the case with high-level US officials, apparently to find a mutually-acceptable arrangement regarding how to deal with the Tinner case.

According to an anonymous former Bush administration official:

"The State Department wanted the bomb plans destroyed as a way to stem nuclear proliferation, while the C.I.A. wanted to protect its methods for combating illicit nuclear trade."

Whether those two things are true or not I don't know - but the NY Times also notes, without elaboration, that the Swiss Justice Minister met with former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and FBI Director Robert Mueller (and Mike McConnell, the director of national intelligence).

Domestic US Involvement

The US Dept of Justice and FBI have exclusively domestic jurisdiction. Why would the Swiss Justice Minister meet with Mueller and Gonzales regarding the planned destruction of evidence in a Swiss case involving the nuclear black market? The only logical explanation is that the case also involves US persons and US entities who have yet to be named and indicted. I presume that Gonzales and Mueller desperately argued that the Swiss needed to derail the Tinners' trial by destroying all the evidence because the FBI had an 'ongoing investigation' which would otherwise be exposed. What else could they have argued? Of course, there is no 'ongoing investigation, and there will not be any forthcoming indictments.

The AQ Khan network was officially exposed in 2003. Now we have proof that the Bush administration is well aware of the involvement of US persons and entities, and is apparently refusing to bring indictments against these people.

Sibel Edmonds Case

We know from the case of former FBI translator Sibel Edmonds that the FBI has long been aware of nuclear black market activities within the US and has failed to do anything about it, going to such extraordinary lengths to gag Sibel using the State Secrets Privilege, and to illegally gag congress involving Sibel's case.

We know that high-level US officials were directly involved in these activities. We know that the Pentagon and State Department actively shut down the investigations that Sibel was involved with, and they also actively facilitated the gagging of Sibel.

We even know at least 3 of the US persons/groups that were actively involved in the nuclear black market:

Marc Grossman

Former #3 at the State Dept, Marc Grossman, was heard on FBI wiretaps facilitating the theft of nuclear secrets "from every nuclear agency in the United States." Other participants in the ring include officials from Pakistan, Turkey and Israel who were operating out of their respective embassies. Once the ring stole these secrets they were sold to the highest bidders on the nuclear black market.

Could it be that the US government was desperate to sabotage the Swiss case because they were afraid that Grossman's role in criminal activity would finally be exposed?

American Turkish Council (ATC)

The ATC is a powerful Military-Industrial-Complex lobby, home to some of the most pwerful people and companies in the US. It is also the "nexus" of nuclear black market activity in the US.

We also know that the CIA, via Valerie Plame's cover company Brewster Jennings, was investigating the ATC for its role in illegal nuclear proliferation.

Sibel Edmonds heard wiretaps of phone traffic between the Turkish embassy and the American Turkish Council involving dealings in the nuclear black market.

Could it be that the US government was desperate to sabotage the Swiss case because they were afraid that the ATC's role in criminal activity would finally be exposed?

Zeki Bilmen & Giza Technologies

Turkish businessman and US citizen, Zeki Bilmen, illegally supplied nuclear hardware to Pakistan's military program via Asher Karni, an Isaeli businessman in South Africa. Karni was indicted, but Bilmen was never charged, and his company, New Jersey-based Giza Technologies, continues operating to this day, with shipments to and from from proliferation hotspots "like Dubai, Spain, South Africa, Turkey."

Bilmen was also heard organizing the transfer of nuclear technology on wiretaps translated by Sibel, meaning that his FBI file is at least seven years old.

Could it be that the US government was desperate to sabotage the Swiss case because they were afraid that Zeki Bilmen's role in criminal activity would finally be exposed?

Summary

Former CIA official Phil Giraldi:

"Nothing deserves more attention than the possibility of ongoing national-security failures and the proliferation of nuclear weapons with the connivance of corrupt senior government officials."

The involvement of domestic US agencies in the decision to destroy evidence in the Tinner case in Switzerland proves that there is a domestic US component to the nuclear black market. Five years after the public exposure of the AQ Khan network, the US government still refuses to bring indictments against a number of criminal US participants.

Why not?

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