Obama: US Veto is green light to militant Israeli Settler and JDL thugs

The recent US Veto has effectively given the Settler Thugs the green light to attack Palestinians and recognised Palestinian lands.

This is the real effect of the badly considered US decision to use their veto and go against the other 14 members. The settler communities are growing stronger due to the donations from American (so called) Christians, who not only provide monies to the settler leaders but also actively take part in assisting settlers in working land that has been stolen from the Palestinian people. The monies donated to the settlers, also provides them with the ability to buy arms that are used directly against the Palestinian people, and in a lot of cases in full view of the Israeli Military (IDF).
The so called Illegal outposts held by extremist settlers are overlooked by the Israeli government and the Police / Military even though they are illegal under the Geneva convention and considered illegal under Israeli law. There have been many recorded cases of settlers from these outposts attacking Palestinians whilst being accompanied by members of the IDF.

The JDL (Jewish Defence League) which has an International reputation for terrorism and racism, is very strong in areas surrounding Hebron, where Palestinians on a daily basis are faced with racist abuse and direct attacks by the settlers. The threats range from calling for the rape of Muslim women to direct calls for all Arabs to be sent to the gas chambers. Whilst the assaults range from women being kicked by Settlers and Palestinian adults and children are regularly stoned and verbally abused on their way from school, or to and from their work place.

We mentioned here in this blog back in December 2010, that we had received information that the Israeli government was to launch a “Charm Offensive” via media and newspaper correspondents, those with notoriety in the areas of Film making, Politics and so called right wing groups around (Racists) Europe and the US. Within the past 24 hours the news has broke that Israel intends to invest approximately $1.6 million in bettering their image.

This is as a direct result of Israel being snubbed by European leaders and some leaders in the South Americas. Israel is becoming more and more isolated from the greater world, as there is a sudden awakening to the ongoing violations of Human Rights and indeed continuous violations of the Geneva Convention. Increasingly Israel is seen as the aggressor in the Israel /Palestine situation and thus their image is bearing the brunt of the backlash.

Recent allegiance to Israel by such groups as the EDL and other right wing and Neo-Nazi groups is harming the once respectable image that Israel tried so hard to present to the world. Add to this the fact that the radical Rabbis calling for such actions as driving the Palestinians into the sea are increasingly been seen as on par with the Islamist Radicals. Not anymore just a voice box for the JDL and other militant Israeli groups, but now being considered as a threat to the greater world.

The monies earmarked by the Israeli government to improve the image of the country and its military, would be better spent on improving the situation of the Palestinian people imprisoned in the Gaza open air prison and other areas such as the West Bank, as IS Israel’s DUTY under the Geneva Convention.

It could be spent on restoring business destroyed by Israel during the war on Gaza, or for the restoration of homes and schools bombed mindlessly.

Instead the monies will be spent to improve relationships (Bribes) and in an attempt to buy off media and those against the current situation in Palestine.

Whilst at the same time the Israeli military (IDF) will continue to perform assassinations and incursions into the Gaza strip along with the destruction of Farm lands and Olive Trees, in a direct attempt to get a reaction from Hamas and other factions within Gaza.

Then the Israeli State can show rocket fire from Gaza as an excuse to again attack the strip and thus give the appearance to the greater world of being the victims of Palestinian aggression.



PHOTOS:
Hate Graffiti : photos 1 to 5 courtesy of Creative Commons

EDL photo: Unkown, Possibly AP









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Chainsaws wielding Settlers destroyed 270 olive trees

Settlers from the Yush Adam settlement have destroyed around 270 olive trees with the intention of expanding the nearby ILLEGAL settlement outpost.

100 trees belonging to Abdul-Razzaq Dawabsha, another 100 belonging to Muhammad and Shahada Dawabsha and 70 belonging to Sabir Dawabsha, were destroyed.
As most are aware the settlers regularly destroy Palestinian Olive trees, either in an attempt to expand illegal outposts (even illegal under Israeli law) or in attacks against the local Palestinian residents. The attacks usually are in the form of either cutting or direct burning.




Picture:
Courtesy of Occupied Palestine.



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West Bank protests against US Veto

Protesters gathered in the West Bank to protest against the President Obama ORDERED veto against the P.A. attempt to have ILLEGAL Israeli settlements condemned.
The other 14 member states of the Security Council ALL agreed to vote in favour of the resolution , however President Obama ordered his UN ambassador to veto the measure, despite the FACT that he himself described the settlements as being an “Obstacle to Peace”.

Mrs Clinton has also added her dog to this fight by stating that should the Palestinian Authority pursue the matter further, the US would consider the withdrawal of US aid to Palestine.
The sum Clinton was referring to is $200 million dollars a year, whilst at the same time the US provides Israel with the princely sum of $6 BILLION dollars of US tax payer’s monies in direct and indirect aid.

There have been protests across Palestine and in Tel-Aviv Israel. In Tel-Aviv protesters were carrying signs stating US, EU It’s time to BDS and another saying Stop the US supported occupation of Palestine.







However the Israeli leadership has long believed (maybe rightly) that Israel is beyond the laws of the UN. Ariel Sharon made that clear with the following statement:

Israel may have the right to put others on trial, but certainly no one has the right to put the Jewish people and the State of Israel on trial…… Ariel Sharon (2001).





Photos:

Mrs Clinton courtesy of AP
Tel-Aviv Protest courtesy of +972 News Magazine



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The Middle East in turmoil and the US reaction

Unrest in the Middle East appears to continue to spread, following the success of the revolution in Egypt and previously Tunisia. What is absolutely apparent is the fact that lives have been lost in Egypt and Tunisia and are currently being lost in Bahrain, Yemen and Libya.

Corruption and cruelty is the mainstay of all these dictatorships, along with little or NO regard for the lives of Women, Children/Babies or the Elderly.
One might (I say MIGHT) be able to accept loss of life in conflict between Pro-government and Pro-democracy protesters. If indeed the so called pro-government protesters were not either released prisoners, promised a pardon by the state in return for their loyalty/ barbarianism against civilians or as was obvious in Egypt, persons paid by the state to go out to hurt/kill civilians on the promise of high financial reward and further reward from the state after the protesters have been defeated.



BAHRAIN:


Currently in Bahrain the monarch and self proclaimed King: Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa has given the direct order to the Military to put an end to the Pro-democracy protests immediately.

Bahrain was from 1783 to 1971 within the control of the monarchy under the title of Hakim (Ruler or Governor), then in 1971 the rulers decided to change the title of the head of the country to that of Emir (Sheikh of highest rank or Title of Nobility) then in 2002 the rulers of Bahrain the Khalifa dynasty under Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa decided to declare Bahrain a Kingdom.

The capital city Manama has seen terrible violence over the past 24 hours, during the night last night Wednesday, the Police under direct orders attacked sleeping protesters with rubber bullets, tear gas and batons.

Thus far it appears that at least 6 people were killed and around 60 badly injured, with children among the casualties. The security forces were seen firing from a bridge above Pearl Roundabout.
Amongst the injured were Medics, Doctors and Nurses, one Doctor in hospital with severe injuries told ALJAZEERA that he was beaten whilst trying to give medical assistance to those injured by the security forces, when asked if he made the Police aware that he was a doctor, he replied: Yes I did and I was in uniform, they took me outside beat me with batons and then tied me up and beat me with a rifle butt.


In the main hospital in Manama where several of the dead were taken there was a young man on a trolley with part of his skull literally caved in, the accusation was that he had his head repeatedly beaten by police rifles. One female doctor could be seen clearly traumatised and crying with both fear and rage, she asked is this the government alleged use of proportionate force.

Amidst all this killing and repeated security force attacks against unarmed civilians and medics trying to do their job in treating the injured.
It has emerged that the scheduled Grand Prix (GP2)Bahrain GP has been cancelled due to the ongoing conflict and concerns about security. However, the Bahrain government has assured the GP association of Formula 1, that the first event of the Formula 1 season, the Bahrain GP WILL go ahead as planned on the 23rd of March.
The F1 President Bernie Ecclestone has admitted his concerns and also admitted that the cars and equipment for the upcoming event are already in Bahrain.

The current Foreign Minister of Bahrain has denied any undue use of force against the protesters at Pearl roundabout, stating that his government forces and the Police used only minimal force to remove the protesters. The latest reports are that there is up to 40 armoured vehicles plus personnel at or around Pearl roundabout.




YEMEN:



In Yemen there have been very similar scenes to those reported in Bahrain. Yemen is now into its 9th day of protests (Friday).
The President Ali Abdullah Saleh has accused the pro-democracy protesters of being ONLY Anarchists with the intention of causing mayhem, destruction and mindless violence.

However, the scenes on the ground greatly differ from the President’s description, in the capital city of Sanaa; peaceful pro-democracy protesters were met by so called pro-government protesters / Thugs who were armed with sticks, knives and some firearms.
Along with the government forces/Police an estimated hundreds of pro-government loyalists attacked the protesters with knives, sticks and other weapons, Police claim to have made over 50 arrests.
Thus far it is alleged that at least 2 people have been killed and up to 40 have been injured, 12 amongst the injured considered being very serious.
President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has been in power since 1990, recently gave concessions to the people, such as declaring that he would not stand again as a candidate for election as President and neither would his Son.
However it is widely recognised that the previous election was rigged in favour of the President and therefore any concession on further elections would not be considered a serious gesture.

During the day the security forces have blocked of all roads to the Presidential Palace using vehicles, personnel and razor wire to prevent pro-democracy demonstrators from gaining access to the palace or protesting outside.

Fresh protests have been called for today Friday the 18th of February in what is being called: the Friday of Fury.
In another development, religious leaders have in unison called for the formation of a national unity government with the inclusion of religious leaders and opposition politicians, and a further demand for free and fair elections within six months.

During the latest protests an ALJAZEERA reporter/ Cameraman was attacked, hurt and his camera equipment taken from him by so called government loyalists during their attacks on Pro-Democracy demonstrators.





LIBYA:



Gaddafi has ruled Libya with an Iron fist for almost 42 years with very little signs of demonstration or anger from the people as a result of the possible severity of punishment.

Latest reports have suggested that the number of dead since Wednesday has risen to 16 thus far, In Benghazi there were reports of between 5 and 6 dead as a direct result of Police shootings.
Protesters in Benghazi claimed that the people shot with live rounds by Police, where NOT given any warning prior to the shootings.

TV has only showed footage of Pro-Gaddafi protesters in the streets, estimated to be between 3,000 and 5,000 strong with huge photos of the Libyan leader, calling on the leader to continue leading the country for the betterment of the people.

However there were no photos or footage of the Pro-Democracy demonstrators at all.
The same tactics used by Mubarak in the latter days of the Egyptian revolution, are being equally used in Libya. The government will not allow footage of the pro-democracy demonstrations to be shown on state TV thus creating the illusion to the outside world and Libyans in rural areas that the only protests are pro-government.

There have been calls for a large turnout for a further day of protests today in what is being called the day of Rage, (Friday) after prayers.
Reports from the demonstration activists claim that the pro-democracy protesters are made up of young adults between15 and 30 years old, Male and Female, along with Men and Women of all ages from 35 to 50 years, older men and women aged up to, in one case 79 years young.

Ironically, should the pro-democracy movement succeed in removing Gaddafi and his government from power; they will have achieved what even the great American military could not.
During the 1980’s, under the instruction of the US President, a bombing campaign was launched on the presidential palace to rid Libya of Gaddafi, which narrowly missed the Libyan leader, however two of his Sons were injured and one Daughter was killed.




United States Reaction:


In a similar way to the overthrow of Egypt’s Mubarak, the US is strangely guarded in their reaction to the reports coming from Bahrain, Yemen and Libya.

On the subject of Bahrain:

Hillary Clinton has reaffirmed the friendship that exists between the United States and the Bahrain Monarchy / Government, calling Bahrain a “Friend and ally” with a very friendly footnote, suggesting that all peoples have a right to expect democracy.
It must not be forgotten that the US sends approximately 19 million of aid to Bahrain and of course Bahrain is strategically important to the US in the Middle East as they have a number of military bases there.

On answering a question from a reporter as to why the US is immediately ready to make comments on Iran but not on Bahrain, Libya and Yemen, Tunisia or more recently Egypt.
President Obama denied that this was the case and said he and his office commented on Iran because of the brutal way the state security forces treat their citizens, pointing out that the Iranian government had killed several protesters...

Very little else has been added in official comment about Bahrain, Libya or Yemen by either President Obama or Hillary Clinton.

It appears the US intends to play the waiting game again like they did with Egypt.






Photos:
1. Bahrain King - Asia News
2. Pearl Roundabout - C4
3. Pearl Roundabout - AFP
4. Yemen President - The Guardian
5. Yemen Protest - World Bulletin
6. Gaddafi - ALJAZEERA
7. Libya Protest - Al Arabiya News





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The removal of a Dictator and ongoing celebrations

I woke yesterday morning to a very cold frosty, yet sunny day, my very first thought was did it really happen? Partly awake and partly asleep, my brain couldn’t actually work out if the news that Mubarak had stepped down was real or some kind of hopeful dream.

Immediately, I turned on my TV for confirmation, partly fearing that it was only a dream after all.
It seemed an eternity before my ageing TV set warmed up, then a fuzzy pictured started to form, reaching for the remote control unit, I actually felt myself tremble. Finally, I searched for ALJAZEERA and there it was confirmation that it was not just a dream.

The presenter proclaimed, “Celebrations went on throughout the night in Tahrir square, on hearing of the resignation of FORMER President Mubarak”.

I think I sat for about three or four minutes stunned, then I could feel my eyes welling up, embarrassed I covertly wiped the tears from my eyes, hoping that they had not been seen by friends staying with me at my home. I went off to have a shower and my morning cup of fresh coffee, after exiting the bathroom and heading for the kitchen, I heard a commotion of sorts from my living room.
I flipped the switch on my coffee maker and proceeded to the living room, where three male and two female friends were hugging each other and celebrating, as I panned across the room I couldn’t actually find one person, Male or Female without tears on their cheeks or surrounding their eyes.

We live far from Egypt and none of us are Egyptian, however we have spent almost every free moment of every day either watching Aljazeera or Tweeting about Egypt, eagerly waiting for news of friends and contacts made via Twitter and Face book.

I do not wish to offend anybody either in Egypt or from Egypt, but in the past eighteen days both my friends and I have become Egyptians. We have laughed, cried, smiled and celebrated along with our Brothers and Sisters in Egypt. Most of all we feel very proud of what the people of Egypt have achieved.

News has broken that Mr Obama has sent his respects to the Pro-democracy demonstrators in Tahrir Square,

along with congratulations from the UN, EU and leaders of individual countries around the world. Finally the powers that be have decided to take a side in this revolution to free Egypt, albeit after the fact.

There are already rumours that the US is sending its top Army Official to reassure the leaders of government in Israel that things are going to stay the same between the Israeli State and Egypt.







Photos:
Mubarak: Courtesy of ALJAZEERA
Celebrations: Courtesy of ALJAZEERA
President Obama: Conservative Watch News.



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