The reality is that over the last eight years the belief that America is out to get Muslims and Arabs has spread so far that it is now common throughout most levels of society from Morocco to Indonesia.

Rageh Omaar on Obama and some of the challenges he will face. Notice from the rest of the article that Rageh does not believe America is out to get Muslims and Arabs. Really? This is like saying that Richard the Lion Heart and his England were not out to get Muslims and Arabs when they beseiged Acre...which is probably what Rageh will say in the documentary about the Crusades that he is in Syria to make. Nothing surprises me from "ethnic" reporters who work for Western news agencies and imbibe their "standards" of impartial reporting.

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طيّب بس سؤال لو سمحتو

كما هو معلوم, فوسائل الأعلام اسعودية, أو الممولة من قبل السعودية, تعشق الفضائح أو ما يمكن أن يكون له رائحة الفضيحة. السؤال يا جريدة الشرق الأوسط, ليس عن فضيحة اغتصاب و حسب, و انما عن وجود رئيس مكتب للاستخبارات الأمريكية في بلد عربي, "عينك بنت عينك" و قد كان مركزه في القاهرة من قبل

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صلاة المنافقين

ملك الأردن يقيم مع شعبه صلاة الأستسقاء, الله يسقيه على قدر نيته. اتفوه!ملاحظة هامة! كما هو معلوم عند الخبراء الأجانب, فالضرب بالنعال و الأحذية أو البصق على العدو يعتبر من أكبر الاهانات لكرامة الانسان العربي, على عكس ما هو في المجتمعات الغربية. اذاً فسجن غوانتانامو هو منتزه للمسلمين و نحن فقط لم نفهم من شدة تخلفنا.... و أنا الآن أكرم ملك الأردن على الطريقة الغربية, فأمه من الغرب و هو قد تعلم في كليات بريطانية العظمى العلوم و الفنون العسكرية

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فمنا الكثيرون ممن تقلد بأصناف اليسار و اليمين الغربي, و نسينا ان الله قد جعلنا قوماً وسطا

من المدهش ما نراه في هذه الأيام, من مفارقة ما بين الموقف الرسمي للحكومات العربية الساجدة امام هيمنة الغرب و اسرائيل, و بين موقف الشعوب العربية و الاسلامية ضد الاستعمار الجديد الذي نراه يتبلور امام أعيننا يوماً بعد يوم. من المحيط الى الخليج, الحكام العرب قد أثبتو, و كأن الاثبات كان لازم مع هؤلاء, انهم لا يصلحو لأي نوع من الحكم الا حكم الأعدام. نرى أن قضية فلسطين أصبح من أشد مناصريها بلاد غير عربية كفنزويلا و تركية و الباكستان. حين قام رئيس وزراء تركية السيد رجب أردوغان احتجاجاً على تصريحات الرئيس الأسرائيلي, بقي عمر موسى على المنصة كالأبله لأن أحد لم يأذن له بالاستنكار. و حتى ان ظننا للحظة أن أردوغان أصبح البطل الجديد للعرب, نجد كيف أصلح العلاقات مع اسرائيل بسرعة فائقة, فاذا به يصرح انه لم يغضب مما قاله بيريز بل لأنه لم يسمح له التحدث لنفس المدّة و هذا ما أثار غضبه و فورته! هكذا نحن العرب, كالغريق نلتقت القش بآخر أنفاسنا بانتظار البطل المغوار الذي يرد لنا اعتبارنا و كرامتنا المهدورة لأكثر من خمسمائة عام. هل هذا كل ما نستطيع أن نتوقعه؟ هل هذا ما وصل به قومنا من انحطاط و يأس؟ الجواب ببساطة - لا

نحن قوم أعزنا الله بالاسلام, فان ابتغينا العزة بغيره أذلنا الله - هكذا قال عمر بن الخطاب, و كم نحن بحاجة للعزة في أيامنا هذه و لهمجية عربية غاضبة لا يمكن للعقلانية الغربية المادية من تلويثها و ترويضها. الانسان العربي ممنوع عليه ان يكون مثقف عربي, فيجب أن يكون مثقف بالتراث الغربي و العلماني العالمي, اما كمناصر للحكام, و يكون دمية امام أسيادهم الامريكان, أو يكون مفكر "مضطهد" و دمية مفيدة للاستعمار. اما من كانت لحيته طويلة أو كان يتكلم في الفصحة - انسى. فهو في السجن أو مقبور في قبر جماعي في الصحراء, أو مغترب عن بلاده و مرمي في بلاد الله الواسعة. فهو يصبح فوراً "وهابي" أو "متطرف" أو "متخلف" حين يأمر بالمعروف و ينهى عن المنكر. حتى هذه الجملة أصبحت قذرة و هنا الشكر لسلاطين المملكة السعودية (الحجاز) في تطبيقهم لفكر شاذ و متعصب, فظ و غليظ القلب, ينفر الناس منه بدل من أن يدعو الناس اليه. نحن في زمن الفتن و الكذب, الغلط فيه واسعاً و له زينة جميلة, و الصحيح أصبح مكروه و بمنظر قبيح. من يقرأ ما أكتب سيظن أني أصبحت متطرفاً, و الصحيح أبعد من ذلك بكثير. الحقيقة هو اني وجدت انه ثمة ظاهرة او ربما شخص, يريد ان ينسيني تراثي و تاريخي. يريد ان ينسيني حتى لغتي, فهكذا لا يكون لي وسيلة الى ابن خلدون, و قيس و ليلة, و المتنبي, و ابن عربي أو الكندي, و أهم من ذلك لن يعود لي صلة بالقرآن الكريم, ذلك الكتاب الذي دائماً يصور لنا بأنه صعب و غريب, و من المستحيل فهمه. حتى صرنا لا نمسه لكثرة قداسته, و لا نعلم مضمونه لخوفنا منه, حتى نسينا الوضوء و الصلاة, و الجهاد و المحبة. بدلاً منه, أصبح لنا ال "ستالايت" و روتانا. أصبحنا ننظر لمن نحن من خلال شاشة, هذه الشاشة تعلمنا تاريخنا و مبادئنا, تعلم أطفالنا, فنحن لم نعد نجيد السباحة و ركوب الخيل. هناك من لم يريد مني ان اقرأ, و هذه أول كلمة أتى بها جبريل عليه السلام الى المصطفى عليه الصلاة و السلام. الملك الجديد, ملك الشاشة, يقول لنا دوماً لا تقرأ! و كلما قلنا له اننا قارئون ألح و أصر, لا تقرأ! حتى بقينا كالجاهلين, ثقافتنا ثقافة المسلسلات و الأفلام على أقراص ال دي في دي. من كان منا يريد القراءة الآن, فله الفكر الغربي بكل افلاسه, فمنا الكثيرون ممن تقلد بأصناف اليسار و اليمين الغربي, و نسينا ان الله قد جعلنا قوماً وسطا. يا عرب, يا مسلمين, أفيقو, و أقرأو

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More on the rise of "cool" Arabia...a concerted PR campaign being run from somewhere in between Washington DC and Riyadh...allegedly....by me....the allegation that is....

When the cool Arabia phase cools down again, we can start with cool Syria and Lina Sinjab from the BBC can pitch a few more stories about Syria's intellectual elite.

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Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey has more dignity and outrage for the murder of Arabs and Muslims than the spineless jellyfish we call Arab leaders..

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"The only Israeli that wanted to be pushed into the sea was saved by a Palestinian. How sad!"

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Poverty in Philosophy - another look at Sari Nusseibeh

I've just finished reading two lectures made by Sari Nusseibeh at Harvard University last November. They are labelled "Philosophical Reflections on the Israeli-Palestinian War". I don't think I've ever had any respect for Sari or his thoughts, not since first discovering his writings a few years ago. Here we have a man from one of the oldest Arab families of Jerusalem, supposedly highly educated, yet who can be easily overtaken in terms of 'enlightenment' by the humblest fruit or vegetable seller in downtown Cairo or Basra. I have no time to write a detailed criticism of what he is saying in these two lectures, but to summarise he breaks down the "Israeli/Palestinian" conflict into something which can be broken out of if people are courageous enough to break out of some rigid identity that is imposed internally and externally, and come up with clever solutions to this "problem". He takes us through many hoops, citing both Hannah Arendt and Isaiah Berlin, through conceptions of freedom, what it means to be an "actor" and the relationship of intellect, will and action. The aim for any of Sari's "actors" is to be a fox, cunning enough to grasp reality and then to desire, pursue and put in place, alternative futures which are far from inevitable. All he is really saying is, if we were all just somebody else then everything will be fine and we can end conflict, end war. Thank you, but I thought that with a Phd from Harvard you could come up with something a little bit better than this vapish argument.

One thing which is prominent throughout Sari's article is the distinct lack of any context in any shape or form to his arguments, something he himself sometimes criticises people of in those very same lectures. Throughout the article he assumes the mantle of an impartial commentator to events, actors and the world around him, amazingly, he manages to internalise the naive and childlike idiocy of Americans and Europeans who bring their International Relations and Diplomacy 101 workshops and theories over to Africa and Asia to teach people how to live. His example of the Russian invasion against Georgia is only coherent for somebody who relies on CNN or perhaps the BBC for all their analysis of what is happening.

With regards to the problems of the Middle East, not once does he consider that perhaps colonialism, the mandates and the occupation of Palestine by marauding, racist and murdering Europeans could perhaps be a source of grievance. Apparently he believes he surprises people by claiming that the Israel/Palestine conflict could be ended if Mahmoud Abbas and Ehud Olmert locked themselves alone in a room. He neglects to consider that it is not Mahmoud Abbas who speaks for the Palestinian cause - a man most Palestinians would prefer to see hanging from the gallows. The person in that room should be the Palestinian farmer who has seen his land taken over and his trees uprooted by a Jewish settler from Brooklyn, New York. Or perhaps the woman who has had five of her ten children murdered by Israeli soldiers whose parents or grandparents came from Eastern or Western Europe. Only one man will leave the room in that scenario and this is the fact that Sari ignores by manipulating his argument to the conclusion that he wants rather than the one it should be. In the plush offices and lecture rooms of Harvard, a pillar of the American intellectual and political establishment, Sari conveniently forgets the truth staring Palestinians in the face every day since 1948 - they are facing a war of extermination.

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From one of the worldwide protests in support of Gaza:

"To their royal highnesses, tfoo!"

Whilst throwing shoes at someone is particularly offensive in the Arab world, Western intellectuals and experts have yet to realise just how offensive spitting on someone can be as well. I think somebody should write a book about this bizarre cultural phenomenon...

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The audacity of audacity

When I read articles like this I want to throw myself from the nearest window; the clueless Hind Kabawat has an article posted on the awful Syria Comment blog:

Has Israel a right to exist? Only the most extreme and intractable elements in the Arab world now say, “No.” As almost all informed Israelis know, most of the Arab world has long ago accepted the reality of a Jewish state in the Middle East.

When people like this take the liberty of speaking for "most" or "many" in the Arab world, when they undermine the resistance, when they sell Palestine in the name of fake compassion, acclaim and fame, then they are rightly called cowards and traitors. We need shoes...lots of shoes.

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"Palestinian boy Mohammed Kutkut, 14, right, covers his face as he sits next to the name sign of his killed friend Ahed Qaddas in the Fakhoura boys school in Jebaliya, northern Gaza strip, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2009. Three friends of his class where killed when the Israeli army shelled Jebaliya in the past weeks. Tens of thousands of children have flocked back to schools throughout the Gaza Strip, days after Israel ended its fierce military operation against the territory's rulers."(AP Photo)

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The Empire strikes back

The new emperor spoke today, about the challenges of the empire and which men and women he will appoint to deal with the more troublesome parts on its frontiers. John Mitchell gave a boring and irrelevant talk about how committed he was to finding a solution between the Palestinians and the Israelis. I caught his speech from the point where he was saying something about 800 years and how somebody had come over to him and ask him whether he had said 800 years, twice. After replying twice that same person said, "Pah, such a recent argument." I rolled my eyes at such stupid shows, not from Mitchell, but from the quite clearly Zionist charmer who had spoke to him. The Zionists love to orientalise themselves and make themselves to be part of the land. At any point in a conversation with somebody they are trying to impress they will love making some anecdote about how tough and prickly they are from the outside, but sweet on the inside, on how they deal with the harshness of deserts and so on ad nauseum. Forget the fact that they are originally Eastern Europeans or Ashkenazi Jews who are more at home in Europe and North America than in the Middle East. Anyhow, I digress. Obama's speech had nothing but praise for Mubarak's Egypt, he made the usual Israeli pledge of allegiance and reassurance, and he made a number of allusions to the troublemakers in the region, Iran and Syria. For Syria, it was the promise of a potential peace deal, for Iran, a warning against supporting "terror" groups, that is Hamas and Hezbullah, as well as the many armed groups in Iraq. There will be more of the same support for "moderates" in the region, a strong endorsement of Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority, and a reiteration of his "commitment" to a "two-state solution". No American president's speech would be complete without an 'acknowledgement' of the suffering on "both" sides of this conflict, Palestinian and Israeli. Duly noted Mr. President. [middle finger here]

Oh and of course he promised not to torture people anymore, ordering the closure of Guantanamo and saying something about the people of the United States possessing values of some sort. I haven't a clue what these are, but I'm sure it would be a good idea if they did. There was actually little mention of Iraq, in the part of the broadcast that I managed to catch, and this was a little bit surprising.

It was very interesting that there is now one vizier, Richard Holbrooke assigned for both Pakistan and Afghanistan. This shows how bad the situation is now and how clear it is that Pakistan is now sinking into the battle between America and whoever it is fighting there. I couldn't help but wonder how soon it would be before there was a full scale American ground assault in the North Western provinces of that country. This might not be Obama's style, I think massive aid to strengthen the government of Pakistan will probably be more likely, but who knows. The first one hundred days of a US presidency are usually the key ones which define what comes later so let us see. I noted with some interest how Holbrooke considered John Negroponte as his friend. Also he felt it very important to reassure listeners that he took Pakistan very seriously, respecting its culture and history and so on. There will be interesting developments there soon I expect.

Doesn't everybody think it very interesting that the United States, said to be the world's greatest superpower, is unable to subdue the people of an area from the Mediterranean to central Asia? A new era of American power is indeed emerging, the empire is gathering its strength for a renewed strike, with flowers and guns this time. When this does reach a good momentum, we will see many people who secretly idolise the United States in the Arab world start singing its praises again. There will be a resurgence of "moderation" again, up until now a dirty word thanks to the honest and frank brutality of the Bush administration. I have surprised many people in the past by saying I preferred John McCain or even George Bush as presidents. People saw the ugly face of America for what it was. Well, the mask is now on and the same fools who always wanted to believe will again believe, and those who always rejected the lies will continue to be steadfast. It will be good now that the lines have become clearer.

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The 'evolution' of Arab weaponry...

I liked this so much, so I pinched it from Angry Arab, who pinched it from somebody else...

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The stupidity of CNN, "Black Iraqis make Obama a model to follow."

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Gaza - an analysis

Analysis always involves a deeper investigation into the causes and effects of a particular event. In the murky world of politics, no analysis can be complete in a sense which could satisfy us since in many cases much of what takes place is beyond the scrutiny of academics, intellectuals or even the law. So how are we to make any kind of sense of the events and actors that we see before us? How are we to make sense of Gaza? 

The answer lies in painting a picture which is roughly accurate and that provides us an outline that we can work with, later generations can fill out the details as they follow. As Aristotle said, an arrow flies much closer to its mark once we know where the target is.

Israel cannot call this a victory. I will say this again for effect, Israeli cannot call this a victory. To accept this as a victory is an act of delusion on a scale much larger than they can afford. Is this the army which crushed the armed forces of Syria, Jordan and Egypt in six days? That considers itself on a par with Western nations? The answer is no, Israel today is like the Michael Jackson of the Middle East, hated and bankrupt. What I mean by this is that whilst sales for Mr Jackson's last few albums would have been wonderful for any other singer they are in fact catastrophic failures. 

The performance of Hamas on the other hand was admirable. Hamas presented a dogged and brave defence of Gaza throughout the onslaught, countering Israeli incursions step by step and maintaining its missile fire into Israel. Considering the two year siege of Gaza and their extremely limited resources, the fact that they can even exist at such close proximity to the Israeli occupied heartland is a sign of how low Israel has sunk. The massive toll of dead and wounded (expected to be around 2000 and with 6000 wounded, mostly civilian) has only galvanized the Palestinian people and has strengthened Arab public opinion from the ocean to the gulf.

I have just finished reading the Syrian President Bashar al Assad's speech, and this is by far his strongest and most forceful speech yet. This is not the type of speech we are accustomed to hear from our Arab rulers. It highlighted Syria's position with regards to the now dead peace process, its position with regards to the resistance, and its position with regards to other Arab rulers. Israel, Assad warned, must now be prepared to reap what it has sowed. We are left guessing what that means on the ground, but it is clearly an angry speech and with dark undertones. We Arabs are a peaceful people, we have gone as far as we could with the peace process, we have beared the brunt of Israeli arrogance and brutality, but this will not stop. Calling Israel a thief, he declared that what is taken by force can only be returned with force, and with an eye for a longer struggle, he mentioned a future, coming Arab world, with a stronger resolve, greater anger, and a stronger' immune system', an allusion to the view of Israel as a foreign, alien and colonial body. A cancer which must be excised. For Syria, the official position is that the gloves are now off.

Another thing which became clear is the outright collaboration that the regimes in Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the West Bank are in with Israel and the United States. This is unashamedly their official position, in spite of being massively opposed on the popular level. In the Middle East, none of the governments enjoy legitimacy, but some governments are more illegitimate than others and the Palestinian struggle has always been the red line or litmus test. For far too long, pundits and pseudo intellectuals have argued for the Arab world to stop blaming itself for its shortcomings, that the Arab governments use the Palestinian issue as a safety valve to distract public opinion. The truth is in fact completely the opposite. The Palestinian struggle is deeply identified with by the masses. Foreign aid, support and collusion maintain deeply unpopular dictators and the presence of Israel in the region, as well as the occupation of Iraq by the West, are at the core of this festering sore. 

There is no "winner or loser" in Gaza today, there is no "peace process", there is only a long drawn struggle in which the people of the Arab world, and in fact the wider Islamic world, are fighting against the West to regain their place in the world, "in spite of the West's leaders' noses" as the popular Arab saying goes. The fact that Arab and Muslim blood is so cheap to the people of the so-called civilised world means that our struggle will be all the more bitter and dangerous. Israel is like a pebble on a beach at low tide.

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Unusual article on the CNN website where the writer is surprised with the defiance of the Gazans.

"I'm surprised at how buoyant people are given the circumstances. Talking to them, I find morale high and an overall sense of defiance.

At one point I saw a young boy on a donkey cart, unaware I was observing him. As an Israeli jet passed overhead, he shook a fist at the sky."

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أحياء عند ربهم يرزقون

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قلتها من قبل و سأقولها الآن, فلا نامت أعين الجبناء

ها أنا جالَسٌ هنا, في مكتب دافئ و أنا استمع للموسيقى مع زميل لي. الجرائد لم تعد تهتم بما يحدث في غزة و أخبارها صارت بعيدة عن الأذهان العامة. أنا فرح لأن الويك أند قد أتى و سوف أذهب لمنزل دافئ و أتعشى, أو ربما اذهب للعشاء مع زميل لي. في هذا الوقت, يوجد رجل في غزة اسمه م د و قد خسر في القصف الاسرائيلي منزله و مقهاه الجميل و الناجح. م د لم يعد لديه شيء, لا مال, و لا دار, و لا رزق. يا ترى ماذا يفعل الآن, و أنا ذاهب للعشاء بعد قليل؟ كم استحي من نفسي, و كم أخشى من شهادة يداي و أرجلي عليّ في يوم حر لا ظل الا لمن اتى و كتابه في يمينه... يوم أتمنى لو كنت في مكان م د و أنا حي. كم اتمنى ان اموت رجلاً و أقف في وجه الظلم و لو للحظة قبل أن تقبض روحي...كي أرفع رأسي في ذلك اليوم أمام من يستحق ان نسعى لرضاه

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The inaugaration of Obama is very soon, so the Israeli attack on Gaza should be over shortly. In England, this is all already old news. On the day that the UN headquarters and warehouses got bombed in Gaza, the top news in the UK was about a plane that crashed into the sea near New York city in the United States.

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Before the Gaza invasion began someone had asked me why I was becoming so angry. I assure you all that I intend to get angrier and angrier. I don't need to see Palestinians getting mutilated on my TV screen to get worked up.

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Video clips are emerging from Gaza showing Hamas operations against the Israeli occupation forces, just as Hezbullah used to do during the 2006 war. The first showed a sniper eliminating one of the Israeli soldiers, his colleagues only notice a few moments later and they appear visibly shaken. In another clip, Hamas assault a residential apartment which has been taken over by Israeli forces. The clip shows what appears to be a direct hit by an RPG on one of the soldiers on a balcony, then gunfire and more explosions as the Hamas fighters enter the residence and again, eliminate the remaining Israeli targets. In another clip, a journalist with Russia today spends a night with the resistance as they prepare to go on operation against the Israeli forces. They appear disciplined, well supplied and focused and this is clearly not the first or the last of many missions they have carried out. You will not see this in Western news media, Arabs fighting against an invading modern Western army and inflicting grave damage. This is day 20, and the Israelis are still unable to overrun Gaza.

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سرايا رأيات العز

For the Palestinian resistance...

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The battles taking place in Gaza are not being covered due to an intense Zionist news and media blackout but I assure you - Israeli casualties are much higher than we are being told. Hamas is holding up remarkably well and the new style of warfare, of which the martyr Imad al Mughniyeh was a pioneer, should now be a template for any group resisting Western imperialism and modern armies. We are in day 19, that's right, 19, of a massive onslaught held by the army that was once "undefeatable" and they are being held off by Arabs. The Gazan people are under seige, under constant bombardment, under constant rains of death and destruction, yet they remain defiant. I can almost see the day when every single Zionist settlement and city will be overrun.

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A fatwa has been made announcing that any Arab soldiers of the Israeli army who are killed are not to be prayed upon, nor to be buried in Muslim cemetaries. I'm surprised a Fatwa was even needed. This should also have included Arabs and Muslims in the British and American armies, of whom there are many unfortunately.

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There is something new and intriguing taking place in Turkey. For the first time in a pro-Palestinian demonstration, I saw Turkish flags on Saturday, in Turkey itself there is increased interest in what is happening in the region and a renewed look East rather than to Europe. Is Turkey finally burying Ataturk?

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This is Mubarak's Egypt...

(taken by Serene, published with permission)

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هلا يا صقر القسام

The earlier clip had a very catchy song, I first heard a version of this during the 2006 war but this version is for Hamas, the Palestinian resistance group fighting - amongst others - against Zionism.

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قنص صهيوني -alrepat com

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"Mubarak" by Ahmad Fouad Negm

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Mughniyeh's "new school of fighting"

The excellent Amal Saad Ghorayeb writing for the Electronic Intifada:

Hamas' fighting style also seems to bear the hallmarks of the military tactics Hizballah used during the July War such as its use of underground bunkers and tunnel networks, as well as adopting similar rocket tactics, all of which suggest Hizballah's extensive training of Hamas' military forces. Nasrallah came close to admitting as much when he claimed on 31 December that "the resistance in Gaza benefitted more from these lessons [from the July War] than the Israelis." More than simply receiving military training, Hamas's military strategy appears to conform to the "new school of fighting" founded by Hizballah's assassinated military leader, Imad Mughniyeh (himself rumored to have personally trained and equipped several Palestinian groups over the years), which combines conventional and non-conventional, guerilla warfare that functions not only to liberate occupied territory, but to defend it from aggression.

This article is actually extremely good, if read carefully. On a side note which made me more impressed, I had checked the Wa3ad website prior to reading it and had noted how the banner now had a picture of Imad Mughniyeh on it, and an article by Ibrahim al Amin on the legacy of Mughniyeh and the result we find in Hamas' much improved performance against the Israeli invasion. I have said before and I will say again, when Hezbullah make a promise, they will keep it. They have promised a retaliation for Mughniyeh's death and that still hasn't happened yet. There is much much more coming. It was also interesting to see Ghorayeb's comment that Hezbullah have been much more scathing of an Arab regime than ever before, it looks like the gloves are off and the battle lines have been drawn. Those who are against Gaza are enemies. 

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With friends like these, who needs enemies?: "One anti-war protest in Tel Aviv is worth hundreds from Jakarta to Buenos Aires. Remember this equation when you write your next post."

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Accusations that the British media is anti-Israeli are absolutely hilarious. The BBC or Sky would then be happy because they think being criticized by both "sides" means they are being impartial and they can carry on as before, which is exactly what Zionists would love them to do. For the BBC, I suspect this is a genuine sentiment but for Sky, it is an excuse, since they are deliberately pro-Zionist in their coverage and questioning of events.

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A day of anger and protest

You will not see this in Western media. The entire Arab and Muslim world is in uproar today.

Qatar

After the Friday prayers, crowds set off from one of mosques in the capital towards the main stadium to hear a series of speeches. At the head of the demonstration was the Egyptian Sheikh Yusuf al Qaradawi

Jordan

Tens of thousands of people gathered to call for support to Gaza with money, with many placards calling for Jihad.

Lebanon

Lebanese cities and the capital there were activities throughout the Palestinian camps condemning the invasion, some activists held a vigil in front of the United Nations building there.

Bahrain

Tens of thousands of people set off from the Draz area west of the capital, along with Shia and Sunni men of religion as well as Christian religious leaders. 

Syria

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians gathered in Damascus, Aleppo, Homs and other cities to demonstrate for Gaza, with many donation campaigns taking part.

Iraq

Tends of thousands of Iraqi's took to the streets throughout the country in support of Gaza and condemning the Israeli aggression

Turkey

Tens of thousands of people throughout the country continued their protests against the Israeli aggression.

Ramallah

Many protests throughout the cities of the West Bank in an angry day of protest, there were many calls by protests to carry arms in order to face the Israeli invasion.

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Hezbullah's website, Promise, is back online. It had been taken down earlier today with only a message saying we will be back soon.

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The ancestors of the Palestinian people defied an empire in Masada, they do the same today in Gaza...

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The Israeli's are blowing their own trumpet: Excellent intel on Gaza shows Israel learned from its errors in Lebanon

For the patient, the truth lies in the last paragraph:

However, it is dangerous and premature to boast of intelligence achievements. The longer the war, the lower the chance of continued intelligence successes. And at this stage of the fighting, it is not yet clear how close Israel is to rendering a significant blow to Hamas' strategic capabilities. During the past week, Hamas has fired between 30 and 40 rockets every day. This testifies that the organization is succeeding in maintaining its steady launching capability. The fact that its leadership has ducked underground and it fighters are in no hurry to engage in hand-to-hand fighting with the IDF does not necessarily mean they are in "a state of shock" from the fierceness of the IDF response, as Military Intelligence head Amos Yadlin assessed at a cabinet meeting this week. It is possible that, in fact, this was a well-calculated decision by the guerrilla organization to preserve its leadership and its military capabilities for the crucial confrontation - or for "the day after." 

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From Haaretz:

"It is safe to assume that Palestinian operatives, working in coordination with Hezbollah and sponsored by Iran, are responsible for the rocket attacks in Nahariya and elsewhere in the north. The rocket fire also places Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah among the list of top Arab militant leaders. He doesn't just talk, he acts."

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The giant speaks...

Not even a fly can come into South Lebanon without Hezbullah's approval. The missiles fired this morning are a warning. Initially I thought Hezbullah were not interested in escalating the situation since it would have been almost certain that Israel had prepared plans for a massive assault and only needed a pretext. The pretext is there, let us see what Hezbullah announce and what Israel decide to do.

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The media blackout continues...You see, Gaza is so small and there are so many Israeli troops there, that most of their casualties so far have been from 'friendly' fire. That is why 10 days on there is still fierce fighting taking place, maybe the Israelis are fighting each other in the dark?

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Fast in solidarity with Gaza, if you can...in Syria students have announced they are going on a hunger strike.

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ماضاقت البلاد باهلها ولكن احلام الرجال تضيق

It is not the land which has diminished for its people, but the dreams of men

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Mauritania has recalled its ambassador from Israel amidst calls to cut all diplomatic ties with the Zionist state, meanwhile the Kurds of northern Iraq held rallies and protests in support of the Palestinian people and Gaza, condemning Israel.

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Haaretz: In contrast to the open policy that prevailed during the Second Lebanon War, the Defense Ministry decided to close the Strip entirely to the press. 

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أكبر سفارة أمريكية في العالم افتتحت اليوم في بغداد

يا عرب!!!! أكبر سفارة أمريكية في العالم افتتحت اليوم في بغداد و شعب فلسطين و العراق يقتل و تنتهك حرماته أمام أعيننا, أين العرب؟ أين السلاح و المقاومة؟ بلادنا يستحلها الغرب من أمامنا و نحن نركض وراء الرقص و الفرفشة.عار يا عرب عار

حسبي الله و نعم الوكيل

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The Arab world speaks...Western Media look away

You will not find this in the Western news, Cairo is now an armed camp as the army struggle to contain protests which had been called for by the Muslim Brotherhood in support of the people of Gaza. There are protests with people in the thousands in Alexandria and numerous parts of the country calling for a complete cutting of diplomatic ties with Israel, the support of the Gazan's and of Hamas, and the boycotting of all American and European products.

In Jordan, thousands of students have taken to the streets to protest their governments relationship with the Israeli state. Calling for opening the borders and announcing a Jihad against Israel. They also called for cutting diplomatic ties and for abandoning the peace treaty.

In Lebanon a huge demonstration took place in Beirut in front of the headquarters of the United Nations there. The security services also blocked another protest from making its way to the American Embassy in Beirut, using water hoses and tear gas to break them up.

In Rabat, Morroco, approximately 2 million people took part in a protest in solidarity with Gaza and condemning Israel.

In Yemen, protests across the country are in support of the Palestinian people, condemning official Arab submission to Israel and the United States. 

In Libya, protestors condemned the criminality of the Arab regimes which are working in collusion with the United States and Israel against the Palestinian people.

In Mauritania, protestors have called for a complete cut of all diplomatic ties with the Israeli state.

Protests have been taking place all over the Gulf states, even in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, calling for an end to the killing in Gaza.

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طارق الحميد, من جريدة الشرق الأوسط السعودية (عميلة لأمريكا) يلوم حزب الله و حماس لأن أسرائيل تقتل الفلسطينيين!؟

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عبد البار عطوان, محرر جريدة القدس العربي, يتسائل عن خيارات اسرائيل بعد أن توغلت في أرض غزة في هجوم بري

أيضاً من جريدة القدس العربي: اسرائيل تتوقع هجمات ينفذها حزب الله. انقر هنا للرابط

كشفت تقارير صحافية الاثنين أن رئيس شعبة الاستخبارات العسكرية الإسرائيلية اللواء عاموس يدلين لم يستبعد أن ينفذ حزب الله هجمات ضد إسرائيل على خلفية العملية العسكرية الإسرائيلية في قطاع غزة.

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يا سلام على السلام

ينتقدني الكثيرون لأني لا أتكلم عن سورية في مدونتي, مع أني فخور بسياسة البلاد الخارجية كثيراً و لكن الحقيقة هي أني أخاف مما قد يؤدي كلامي من مضايقات لي أو لأهلي في المستقبل, و الأحتياط واجب كما يقول المثل. و لكن أستعجب من شئ و هو أني, لا شعورياً, أدعو و أنتظر حزب الله اللبناني لينجد أخواننا في غزة و لم يخطر على بالي ابداً أن يأتي شيء من سورية. مع هذا أنا أعلم أن سورية لها دور فعال في مساندة المقاومتين اللبنانية و الفلسطينية لكن أليس من العار أن يكون الناس في سورية, قبل أيام من بدء القصف و في أثناء الحصار الأجرامي على غزة, بالتفكير أين ستكون هناك سفارة اسرائيلية في دمشق؟ أو أن يفرحو بجولان سيعود ’لنا’ و أضع علامة استفهام كبيرة هنا حول كلمة لنا في كلى من المعنى و على من تنطبق, فليس من الواضح ما شكل سيادة سورية على الجولان حين يعيده العدو الصهيوني - أو بالمعنى الأضق, جارتنا اسرائيل, فهكذا سيكون وضعها لو حصل توقيع للسلام بيننا و بينهم. هل هذا ما نريده حقاً و العرب يقتلون و يذبحون بين عملة الأحتلال,و بين سلاح الاستعمار الأسرائيلي-الغربي. و الأمّر من ذلك كله هو أن العقود الماضية قد علمتنا نحن- أي الشعوب العربية - بأن السلاح العربي يستورد و مخصص بالتحديد لنا و ليس لرد أي عدوان من الخارج. و الله عيب 

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فلا نامت أعين الجبناء

منذ فترة قصيرة, كتبت تدوينة أنتقد و بشدة موقف الكثير من المدونون السوريون حول ما سمّي أسبوع التدوين للجولان. مجزرة غزة أصبحت الآن الخبر الأول و الأهم, و الحمدلله, في أعين الكثير من المدونين, و لكن هل كان من الضروري لنا أن ننتظر مجزرة كي نقوم و نصرخ برفضنا لما كان يحصل في غزة؟ أين كنا لمدة عامين و كلاب الاحتلال يساعدون في خنق الشعب الفلسطيني المجاهد و هو يستبسل ضد آلة الحرب الأسرائيلية؟ الآن أوجه نداء لجميع أهل الضمير و النخوة في عالم التدوين العربي أن لا ننسى و لا نتسامح أو نتهاون في هذه القضية في المستقبل و أن نوحد صفوفنا في هذا الجهاد الاكتروني. فهل من أذن صاغية؟

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Reclaiming Samson and Abraham...

Question: What would you do if rockets were raining down on your country every day for years?

My response: I would bulldoze Gaza to the sea.

....silence. The person I was talking to wasn't expecting this answer from me, but the truth is that for Israel to rest truly on its stolen land, it must annihilate every last Palestinian who continues to claim that this is his country. There are no two ways about it and the fact that Israel is the region's only nuclear power confirms that they are there to fight to the bitter end. When the Israeli's withdrew from Sinai after Sadat's shameful capitulation they bulldozed and detonated all the equipment from refineries and the canal facilities that they could not take back. Water supplies to Sinai were cut by bulldozing earth across a five mile stretch. In Qunaytra, the Israeli's bulldozed and demolished as many buildings as they had time to before withdrawing whilst in Gaza, their unilateral withdrawal was also preceded by them tearing down anything which could be of use to the Palestinians. This is a nation which knows it is hated, and which hates back with unbridled fury. The fact that the Arab nation hasn't been able to repel them is because they have never really been used to this kind of ferocity in warfare before. Like bringing your fists to a knife fight, till recently most conflicts with Israel have been responded to with their "Iron Wall" policy, first coined by Ze'ev Jabotinsky the founder of the Irgun. Israel has never hesitated to use overwhelming and murderous brute force against its foes and is under no illusion that it would use nuclear weapons if the Zionist state is threatened. There is a crucial difference which is appearing now however, and this is that as ferocious as the Zionists are, they are not prepared to die, to spill Jewish blood, which they consider to be completely sacred. Fighting against Hezbullah, against Hamas, they are facing a foe who wants to die and who is prepared to be annihilated, but not to surrender. Connecting these is Iran, which is aiming for a nuclear weapon. It is this which is keeping people in Israel's paranoid security establishment awake at night, and rightfuly so. It is one thing threatening others with annihilation when you have the biggest stick, but do they have what it takes when push comes to shove? Can they stomach the Samson option?

There is an old story of the prophet Abraham speaking to some angels who were on their way to destroy the people of Lot for their wickedness. They told Abraham to look at the stars in the sky, that his descendants will be as numerous as these one day. He did not take them seriously, as his wife Sarah was old and he had not yet taken the slave girl Hagar as a wife. I think of the story which says that his descendants will have the lands between the Nile and the Euphrates till judgement day, and I think of all the Muslim's who venerate Abraham as a father figure with his name - Friend of God - خليل الله. Like the Philistines, the Zionists too came from across the sea and laid waste to the land. Could Delilah have been a member of the IDF or the Mossad? There to seduce and weaken Samson? Perhaps the Zionists should revisit these old stories, and see who the descendants of Samson and Abraham really are.

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Some tidbits

The Guardian reports, "Israeli troops enter Gaza". They are not the first to use this phrase, though it is interesting to contrast this with how they described Russia's "entry" into Georgia last year.

Also, the Israeli propaganda machine is in full swing, here is a story on the rabidly Zionist Jerusalem Post,"A Golani soldier managed to single-handedly foil an attempt to kidnap him during nocturnal operations in the Gaza Strip overnight Sunday, Israel Radio reported."

Whilst there are rumours that news of Israeli casualties is being withheld, another lesson learnt from the Israeli defeat in 2006. If you want to see news directly from Hamas, their website is here.

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News updates

The Vichy-like Palestinian Authority has banned any pro-Hamas demonstrations in the West Bank.

Also, the Israeli's appear to have learnt one lesson from their 2006 defeat, underpromise and overdeliver to their people, "The aim isn't to topple Hamas".

(Thanks Serene for both links)

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Just like the 2006 war against Lebanon, the Gaza invasion has been planned well in advance and Hamas ending the ceasefire was just the excuse. It is interesting to see how well the Israelis have learned from their 2006 defeat, so far they are applying the same methods they used against Lebanon, ie. inflicting massive damage to infrastucture and killing large amounts of civilians to attempt to draw a wedge between the resistance and the people. They've just started their ground offensive, but unlike in Lebanon, where almost instantly the resistance inflicted heavy casualties, Hamas seems keen on drawing them further into Gaza. They are keeping their cards very close to their chest...Hezbullah are also silent...

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Hypocrisy

I am watching the news here in the United Kingdom and you would not even realise that the entire Arab and Muslim world is boiling. There are demonstrations taking place across Europe, across the Arab world and across the Islamic world. Instead the news anchors pose questions to the Palestinian commentators as to whether they would feel anything for the Israelis living under the threat of Hamas rockets. They forget to mention that those Israeli's are living in the villages, towns and fields that those same Gazan's once lived in. Who are you kidding? Also, Mark Regev, the Australian Zionist spokesperson, is the epitomy of colonialist arrogance.

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The age of defeats is over...

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Marcel Khalifeh -Kaffanaho

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الصهيونية البرياطانية

عضو في البرمان البريطاني و "صديق لاسرائيل" يكتب عن معارضته لما يحصل في غزة في جريدة الغارديان البريطانية:

Nonetheless, sometimes friends need to tell you when you've gone too far. This is one of those times. Israeli policy towards Gaza is wrong in principle, erratic in practice and now damaging to longer-term peace prospects.

"في بعض الأحيان, يجب على الأصدقاء أن يخبروك حين تتمادى في أعمالك و نحن في الآن في ذلك الحين. سياسة أسرائيل لغزة خاطئة مبدئياً, غير صحيحة في التطبيق و مضرة لعملية السلام في المدى البعيد"

طبعاً هو يكتب و باله مشغول على اسرائيل و ليس للفلسطينيين

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كما كان متوقع, أخبار غزة أصبحت تزول عن الصفحات الأولى من الجرائد البريطانية. بالمناسبة, من يقرأ جريدة ال "تايمز" يظن أن أسرائيل هي من يتعرض للقصف و الدمار و ليس أهل غزة.

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هم أقوياء, لأنا نحن سمحنا لهم ذلك, ليس الا

من الواضح الآن لكل من ينظر الى مجزرة غزة أن سلاح و عسكر بلادنا موجهة للداخل و ليس للخارج. تحت ظل "البراغماتية" نجد عروش الخنوع و الاستسلام و التواطأ العلني مع أعداء العرب و المسلمين. منذ زمن و الايديولوجيات الفارغة و الخطابات و الهتافات تخدرنا مما هو واضح للعين المجردة. العرب و المسلمون معرضون اليوم لحملة عسكرية, اعلامية و فكرية واسعة النطاق تحاول تمكين و تحصين الاستعمار, ليس فقط على الأرض و انما في قلوبنا. لا يستطيع أحد منا أن يقول "لا علاقة بي في السياسة, أو أنا لا أفهم فيها" فقد قرر من جعلو انفسهم السنتنا أن يستسلمو و يلعقو حذاء امريكا و الغرب بها. لا مكان اليوم للتعايش مع صهيون و لا مكان لعملية سلام تجارية و وهمية. السلام يعني الاستسلام. ان كنا حقاً , أي نحن العرب, في حال يرثى له فلماذا كل هذا الاهتمام و الجهد لقهرنا؟ لتدمير ديننا و حياتنا و قلوبنا؟ لماذا كل هذا الجهد في انظمة المخابرات لمسح كل من يتكلم؟ لماذا كل السفارات الأمريكية في العالم, و في بلاد العرب على الأخص تختبأ من وراء أسوار و حراسة مجنونة؟ لماذا تحتاج اسرائيل للاسلحة النووية لتضمن وجودها اذا كان العرب ضعاف؟ الجواب واضح, نحن لسنا ضعاف, و قوة هؤلاء الهمج تأتي لأنا نحن سمحنا لهم بذلك و ليس لضعف فينا و في عقيدتنا أو اسلوب حياتنا. نحن فقط نحتاج أن "نكون" كي يعض عدونا أنامله غيظاً, هذا ما يجب أن نتعلمه من أبطال غزة, نحن من نتفرج من بعيد و قلوبنا معهم

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عن غزة و الغرب

ذهبت الى مظاهرة في اليوم قبل الأمس تضامناً مع أخواني و أخواتي في غزة فوجدت الجو متوتر بعض الشيء بين الشرطة و المتظاهرين. لم أرى السفارة الاسرائيلية و لا حتى علمهم القبيح, فمبنى سفارتهم التي كانت مركز غضب المظاهرة لا يظهر على الشارع العام و كان أمامنا صفوف و صفوف من الشرطة. بين الصحفيين و المصورين كان هناك ايضا مصورون الشرطة و كاميراتهم التي لا تهدأ في المظاهرات و لا تكل من تسجيل رؤوس المظاهرة و من صوتهم يعلى أكثر من "المسموح" فيها. قوات الأمن حاولت تحريض أحد الشباب في المظاهرة و كان هناك شرطي وقح قد بدأ يتلاسن مع شاب صغير امامي. في لحظة حام حولهم أكثر من ستة ضباط, و هم ينتظرون طيش شاب لم يتجاوز العشرين, للنيل منه و سحبه من المظاهرة. الشرطي كان يهدد و يبتسم, فالقوة كانت معه. و لكن لم ينجح في استفزاز أحد. كم شعرت في تلك اللحظة بيأس و كره و أنا مربوط في عاصمة الرأسمال, في بلاد يأجوج و مأجوج, اللمملكة التي تتواطأ مع من يقصفون غزة, بل و مع من يقتل العرب كل يوم, جسدياً أو معنوياً, حاكماً كان أو أجنبي من أعداء أمتنا الكثر.

أقول دائماً أنه هنا في الغرب الكبت و الطغيان أقوى و أشد مما يوجد في بلاد العرب لسبب أنهم أحسن طقنياً و أذكى من أنظمة الأمن عندنا, بما فيها المخابراتية. ربما ليسو بحاجة لهمجية أنظمتنا, و لكن القدرة و الارادة موجودة و الأدوات أفضل و أدق للنيل من غايتهم فلا حاجة للضرب الا للحالات المستعصية و فقط عندما يمكن اخباء القصة و فبركتها من غير ضجة و الفات انظار. اتضح لي اليوم أنه لا يمكن الحصول على أي تغيير الا اذا كان من موقف قوة, فالغلبان لا يوجد من ينصره الا نفسه. فعلاً القوة لا تأتي الا من فوهة البندقية

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