Scotland Yard was investigating Breivik’s claims that he began his deadly “crusade” after being recruited to a secret society in London, and that he was guided by an English “mentor”. David Cameron, who was being kept updated on developments, said Breivik’s claims were being taken “extremely seriously”.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/norway/8661139/Norway-killer-Anders-Behring-Breivik-had-extensive-links-to-English-Defence-League.html
Norway mass killer took drugs to make him 'strong and efficient'
Anders Breivik's lawyer said it was “too early” to say if his client was mad, but added: “The whole case has indicated that he is insane.”
Norway massacre: details of victims emerge
LIVE: Police begin to formally identify the 76 victims of Anders Behring Breivik's gun and bomb attacks.
*** Japan Times E-mail News Service ***
__________ Tuesday, July 26, 2011 ________________ TODAY'S TOP STORIES ========================= [NATIONAL NEWS] \2 trillion reconstruction bill clears Diet The Diet enacts a \2 trillion second extra budget for fiscal 2011 to finance disaster relief and reconstruction since March 11, one of the three conditions laid down by Prime Minister Naoto Kan for his exit. [MORE] -> http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110726a1.html --- [NATIONAL NEWS] China's train accident unthinkable here: expert expert: A Japanese expert who analyzed video footage of Saturday's fatal bullet train accident in China says it was an accident hard to imagine happening here, even though one of the trains involved appears to be one modeled on a domestic shinkansen. [MORE] -> http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110726a2.html --- [NATIONAL NEWS] World Cup-winning women's soccer team may get top honor The government is considering giving the People's Honor Award to the national women's soccer team, which won the Women's World Cup last week, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano says. [MORE] -> http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110726a3.html [More news] http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news.html OTHER NEWS ========================= [NATIONAL NEWS] IAEA chief's tour of stricken plant sobering; help offered http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110726a4.html [NATIONAL NEWS] Kan hopes to apologize to Saga, Genkai leaders http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110726a5.html [NATIONAL NEWS] DPJ's Nakai prods North envoy to get abduction probe restarted http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110726a6.html [NATIONAL NEWS] 'Big eater' Sone gets married to program director http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110726a7.html [NATIONAL NEWS] Governor protests U.S. drills plan http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110726a8.html [NATIONAL NEWS] New K-pop craze in Shinokubo draws in young http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110726f1.html [NATIONAL NEWS] Radiation tester in hot demand via beef scare http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110726f2.html [NATIONAL NEWS] TV: Analog out, digital in, with rivals Net, satellite, cable ALEX MARTIN http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110726i1.html BUSINESS ========================= [BUSINESS NEWS] Strong yen has BOJ's Shirakawa cautious http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nb20110726a1.html [BUSINESS NEWS] Cirque Du Soleil to end at Disney http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nb20110726a2.html [BUSINESS NEWS] Honda's third Vietnam bike plant http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nb20110726a3.html [BUSINESS NEWS] Top analyst named BNP research cohead http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nb20110726n1.html [BUSINESS NEWS] More Aussie beef in pipeline amid cesium fears http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nb20110726n2.html [BUSINESS NEWS] Energy woes boost Asian sweet crude demand http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nb20110726n3.html [Text ad in Japanese] ===================================================================== ■■■ The Japan Times GRAMMAR BOOSTER ■■■ ■できるまでやる！を実現。e-learningで英文法を完全マスター ■ http://www.japantimes.co.jp/study/ お支払はクレジットカード。税抜7,480円 利用期間：6ヶ月※詳しくはWEB！ ===================================================================== OPINION ========================= [JT EDITORIAL] Ensure food safety http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/ed20110726a1.html [JT EDITORIAL] Preventing child abuse http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/ed20110726a2.html [OPINION] EU breaks the lock on hungry North Koreans GLYN FORD http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/eo20110726a1.html [OPINION] Push FTA of South Korea, Japan, China toward TPP SHINJI FUKUKAWA http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/eo20110726sf.html [More Op-Ed stories] http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion.html FEATURES ========================= [LIFE IN JAPAN] The more things change ... the more they stay the same NEIL GARSCADDEN http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/fl20110726a1.html [LIFE IN JAPAN] Tokyo summer festivals offer taste of faraway lands without the travel MAMI MARUKO http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/fl20110726a2.html [LIFE IN JAPAN] Where there's the will for a will, there's a way ASHLEY THOMPSON http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/fl20110726at.html [LIFE IN JAPAN] Chair of the Japanese Association for Suicide Prevention Yukio Saito JUDIT KAWAGUCHI http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/fl20110726jk.html [LIFE IN JAPAN] Nagoya: What's the best reason to visit Nagoya? STEPHEN CARR http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/fl20110726vf.html [LIFE IN JAPAN] Living and loving The Alien from Nagoya NEIL GARSCADDEN http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/fl20110726zg.html [LIFE & STYLE] Fun and function for office and home JEAN SNOW http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/fs20110726a2.html [For features] http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life.html http://www.japantimes.co.jp/entertainment.html ===================================================================== You can now access The Japan Times' daily news and features via RSS feeds as well. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/info/rss_feeds.html ===================================================================== SPORTS ========================= [BASEBALL] Alomar leads new class into Baseball Hall of Fame http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/sb20110726a1.html [BASEBALL] Mariners fall to Red Sox, set new record for defeats http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/sb20110726a2.html [BASEBALL] Nakajima leads Lions to victory http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/sb20110726j1.html [GOLF] Miyazato cards first win of year at Evian http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/sg20110726a1.html [SPORTS] Evans ends long wait for Tour de France title http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/sp20110726a1.html [SPORTS] Hamilton wins German Grand Prix http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/sp20110726a2.html [SPORTS] Japan's new wave challenged NPB's best in All-Star Series JASON COSKREY http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/sp20110726jc.html [SPORTS] Kitajima misses out HIROKI NODA http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/sp20110726s1.html [SUMO] Harumafuji sets sights on promotion http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/ss20110726a1.html [INTERNATIONAL SOCCER] Forlan double helps Uruguay win Copa http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/sw20110726a1.html [More Sports Stories] http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports.html http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/sumo.html
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
9/11: Who Really Benefited?
Fact and Not Fiction...
By Captain America
URL of this article: www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=25762
Global Research, July 24, 2011
Global Research Editor's Note
We bring to the attention of our readers this
provocative review of the strategic and corporate interests behind 9/11
including Wall Street, the Texas oil companies and the defense
contractors.
The statements in this article are corroborated by
numerous studies, books, news articles and research reports published
since September 2001.
In the course of almost ten years, Global Research
has conducted a detailed review and analysis of the 9/11 attacks,
focussing on their broad implications as well as their historical
significance. See our 9/11 and the War on Terrorism Dossier
Michel Chossudovsky, July 24, 2011
Forget so-called conspiracy theories. Instead look
at reality. Dare ask yourself who actually seems to have benefited from
the 9-11 calamity. In light of the debt ceiling debates and the
continuous corrupt politics as usual of Washington D.C., it is time for
the American people, and individual states of this federation, to look
at a troubling set of facts. It seems there were “several” beneficiaries
of 9-11 that don’t exactly fit the story line we were constantly fed by
the propaganda machine and mainstream media as to how to connect the
dots (which we were rhetorically asked to do).
Here is a list of peoples that benefited. Most of
this list is factual. Some are more opinion but with strong support in
reality-based argument:
1) The New York Port Authority was having difficulty
renting out space in the Twin Towers. More importantly there was a huge
asbestos liability. Surprisingly these Towers were sold to a new owner
Larry Silverstein just three months prior—who managed to get an
insurance contract for a big payout if any of the Tower buildings got
hit by an airplane. This is a fact.
2) Our first international move was to bomb
Afghanistan under the assumption that people there were involved. So the
heroin industry of Afghanistan came back to life in a big way—that is
international and local drug cartels rediscovered a gold mine of money
supply. Bin Laden and the Taliban, because of their religious
fanaticism, pretty much closed down the trade to a trickle. But after
the bombing shake-up, people connected with the heroin trade in Central
Asia reaped billion dollars rewards—including money-laundering groups of
financiers—such as banksters, etc. (And this is pretty much all the
U.S. military/ intelligence has really accomplished—despite all the
rhetoric and high-sounding goals about exporting democracy.) This is
fact and not fiction.
3) Investors of profitable corporations connected to
the military industrial complex made a killing (pun intended). Obviously
war has been profitable for some industries for eons as we are told by
most war historians profits are an inevitable consequence of war for
merchants of death yet they say profit is “not” the driving force behind
war. Think again. For our American culture, since at least the Vietnam
War, it seems to have become the driving force. (What else does America
still manufacture?) Prior to 9/11 there was little in the way of war
material inventories being depleted. But soon after 9/11 this all
changed. In fact some corporate stocks immediately went up in value—as
did some military contracts. Note as well that after the cold war both
the Pentagon and the Intelligence apparatus should have cut their
budgets in half. (But then no one would have been promoted and the
Pentagon would have lost some of its clout.) That did not happen. Rather
the budgets doubled in size. How is that for financial austerity? This
is fact and not fiction.
4) Some powerful industry leaders and think tank
politicos believed it was necessary for certain “companies” to “control”
various strategic resources such as oil and gas. And not surprisingly
the very countries in which we declared a war against terrorists are
surprisingly the same countries that contain such resources—especially
in the Middle East.
Gas and oil reserves are coveted by every industrial
civilization and every military as a necessity. For example, there was a
plan to build an oil pipeline through Afghanistan and Pakistan to ship
out from the Indian ocean—requiring stable societies that don’t sabotage
pipelines. Nevertheless despite things not going as planned oil
companies for whatever reason reaped huge profits. Fact and not fiction.
5) Advocates, such as Paul Bremer, for extreme
laissez faire economic policies, attempted to rewrite an Iraqi
constitution to promote a free market system of neo-liberal economic
principles to make it especially easy for foreign nations to own Iraq’s
resources. And if you do your research you will come to learn that the
U.S. did not have any gripes with Saddam Hussein until he kicked oil
companies out of Iraq because they wanted to take the lion’s share of
the profits. He nationalized oil. This is fact and not fiction.
6) Israel benefited by having one of their
neighboring enemies, namely Saddam Hussein and his standing army,
weakened and preoccupied. It is not a coincidence that advocates and
newspaper pundits most defensive about our invasion happen to be strong
advocates of Israel’s right-wing will. Evidence clearly shows that some
Israeli supporters were part of the culture of deception to take us to
war with Iraq—as they are now working to take us to war with Iran with a
similar pattern of phony intelligence. Equally it is a fact that
whatever Middle East group harbors hostility toward Israel is now
considered terrorist in nature to Americans. It is a fact that the
Israeli lobby pushed hard for war with Iraq.
7) Right-wing politicos, especially Christian and
Judaic, who like to promote prejudice against anything Muslim and Arab
benefited. Since 9-11 there has been a constant propaganda war against
Muslims throughout Western countries. (This is not to argue that
Americans should not be wary of foreign motives.) But the fact is that
those who do not wish Muslims to have influence in this culture have
clearly wages a major propaganda campaign for Westerners to fear and
distrust a huge segment of the world’s population—as a “cultural clash”
or clash of civilizations like the medieval era of The Crusades. This is
to say that Israel’s enemies have become our enemies as “neocon”
propaganda campaign harps on “Islamo-fascism,” “Islamo-extremism,” and
“Islamo-fanaticism”. Meanwhile this event is used to further persuade
Americans Israel is America’s “natural” ally and partner against the
forces of evil. (Yet rightwing Israelis too are not willing to separate
Church and State and so they discriminate against those not Jewish.
Therefore they too do not share our democratic values of equality for
“all” people—like many of the theocratic countries in the Middle East.)
This is opinion but it still reflects reality.
8) Politically motivated people with the desire to
use “fear,” namely terrorism, as an excuse to curtail and destroy civil
liberties and freedoms normally honored in democratic countries. We have
become more a fascist state with Homeland Security surveillance. This
curtailment is similar to those who continue to try to censor free
speech—and make it more difficult to have the right to “associate” via
technologies such as the Internet. Such mentality has allowed spying on
citizens by “privatized” corporations not accountable to the tax paying
public who pay organizations to secretly spy and keep records on its own
citizenry. Obama and his team have done nothing to make real,
substantive changes, and in fact have reinforced this tyranny. The
curtailment of our freedoms is fact and not fiction.
9) Some international political operatives willing to
take American bribe money in exchange to playing and saying our tune
have benefited, such as some political factions in the Middle East who
equally play they game with our tax dollars—including journalists who
will write and say whatever Uncle Sam wants as long as there is a brick
of one hundred dollar bills as “disappeared” just like military
contracts that did not get performed—but were still played. This could
also include those creating phony websites to spew messages or take
credit for events done by others.
10) People with a desire to destroy the political
strength and good will of the American people and government. Our
country is no longer looked upon as a “positive” force for democracy.
Further our economy has been severely damaged by corrupt forces willing
to sacrifice real national security to greedy and self-interested ends.
We are seen as the rogue state by too many. It doesn’t seem to bother
some profiting that America goes broke invading foreign
countries—irrespective of what the rest of the world thinks—and what
could be a long term disaster—if not a World War 3. (It almost seems
like a deliberate foil to destroy military preparedness and to weaken
our security.) Furthermore, those who believe in a two class system
benefited because the wealth investor class, including most of the
Congress and Senate, are “not” sending their kids to die—rather they
rely on a volunteer military of lower and middle class kids that can’t
find jobs or have few prospects to go to school.
11) Along with this financial bust is a drive to
destroy liberal notions of any kind of welfare for the less
fortunate—save welfare for corrupt corporations. While it is true that
there is no free lunch (unless you live in the beltway) there is also
way too much scorn for people who are not super-rich as deserving some
kind of humanity.
Perhaps Obama should let the country default. Perhaps
individual states “should” give serious consideration to secede from
the Union. It has become one massive failure anyway. This litany is as
contentious as the list of grievances in the Declaration of Independence
written over two hundred years ago. And there is good reason to modify
our current banking system and the Federal Reserve.
The U.S. Congress, like most pseudo-liberal chicken
lefties, who have not had the guts to look seriously at what likely
happened on 9/11, or why, have succumbed to the cowardliness of voting
to not close the U.S. gulag. They are more afraid of their own lost of
stature than they are of honoring the rights of law and justice.
Meanwhile the legal system—id est lawyers—have been far too compliant.
This is to say that the U.S. is being strangulated by
corporate America and its finance sector. This is a form of slavery to
be manipulated into doing things under false assumptions. Why the ultra
rich became even more so, they “own” Congress with their bribery of
lobby money and especially the Republican party—despite all the Tea
Party advocates.
You may not like these realities. Few do. So go ahead
and continue to shun all “theories” about 9-11 as mere skewed
imagination. Because while it is true that 99.99% of the Government is
innocent that doesn’t mean a relatively small, but high-ranking cabal,
could not have been involved—especially given all the security
transgressed and air force stand down that ensued.
Still it is easy to point fingers at identifiable
groups of people as over-generalizations. Nevertheless many people
looked the other way to not notice the dots the machine was drawing was
itself tainted—which had its own wisdom of reticence. But where are we
to go as a culture if we continue to play blind?
You can believe in fantasy as most people
choose—because in the short term it feels easier. But it may turn out to
be worse in the longer term with both parties being irremediably
corrupt. More importantly to the sell out of our human rights to
corporations with laws like Citizens United vs. the Federal Elections
Commission.
Good Luck to all people who think they know something
because they have been conditioned to believe what they currently do.
Yet ask yourself how many Muslims actually benefited? Then ask that
irrespective of who did it, does it not seem that our culture has some
issues to contend with and some bureaucracy to address besides the
liberal agenda? If lawyers don’t start making more noise we could have
some serious problems.
This is FREE intelligence for distribution. Forward this to your colleagues.
Germany's Choice: Part 2
Seventeen months ago, STRATFOR described how the future of Europe was
bound to the decision-making processes in Germany. Throughout the
post-World War II era, other European countries treated Germany as a
feeding trough, bleeding the country for resources (primarily financial)
in order to smooth over the rougher portions of their systems.
Considering the carnage wrought in World War II, most Europeans — and
even many Germans — considered this perfectly reasonable right up to the
current decade. Germany dutifully followed the orders of the others,
most notably the French, and wrote check after check to underwrite
European solidarity.
However, with the end of the Cold War and German reunification, the
Germans began to stand up for themselves once again. Europe’s
contemporary financial crisis can be as complicated as one wants to make
it, but strip away all the talk of bonds, defaults and credit-default
swaps and the core of the matter consists of three points. Read more »
Dispatch: Europe's Far-Right Parties and the Norway Attacks
Analyst Marko Papic discusses the causal link between the electoral
success of far-right political parties in Europe and the attacks that
took place in Norway. Watch the Video »
July 26, 2011
Tomgram: Mike Davis, The Coming Economic Disaster
[Note for TomDispatch Readers: A
heartfelt thanks to all of you who, in these dog days of summer,
contributed $100 or more for a personalized, signed copy of Christian
Parenti’s cutting-edge new book,
Tropic of Chaos: Climate Change and the New Geography of Violence. For those who meant to do so but didn’t, the offer stands only till Wednesday ends. So hustle to the TD donation page by
clicking here! For those of you following the Norwegian nightmare, check out Max Blumenthal’s old TD piece, “
The Great Islamophobic Crusade,” on the American movement from which Anders Behring Breivik drew
such inspiration or check out his more recent post at
MaxBlumenthal.com. Tom]
When it comes to the Murdoch scandal, where everyone’s having such a rollicking good time, it hasn't been particularly hard for reporters, pundits, and commentators to connect a few dots, even across an ocean. Yes, you can find actual experts claiming in print and online that what’s happening to Murdoch & Co. in England might affect the American part of his imperial media conglomerate, and that it’s even possible the whole structure of his world could be on a collision course with itself and hell.
When it comes to something larger and far less enjoyable though, like the global economy, you would be hard-pressed to find a similar connecting of the dots. China’s economy soars on one side of the planet (though with a multitude of half-hidden problems), while that country continues to outpace all others when it comes to holding U.S. debt. On the other side of the same planet, from Greece and Ireland to Spain and Italy, Europe shudders and fears run wild. Meanwhile, back in the U.S., the president and Congress have headed the economy merrily for the nearest cliff, while money is lacking even to keep court systems running in some parts of the country.
On all of this there is much reporting, much opining, many fears expressed, numerous teeth gnashed. Yet even when such pieces sit near each other on the same page or follow each other on the TV news, they are, with rare exceptions, treated as if they were remarkably separate problems, remarkably separate crises. And those long-distant days of the 1990s, when it was said everywhere that “globalization” was weaving our world into a single, vast economic mechanism, are now mere memory pieces.
And yet, what goes up...
Don’t even say it! Call it blindness, denial, what you will, but economically speaking, dots everywhere are almost religiously not connected, and so the thought that the global system itself might fail (as systems sometimes do) never quite manages to arise. Thank heavens, then, for Mike Davis, TomDispatch regular and author of Planet of Slums (and other books too numerous to mention), a man who has never seen a set of dots he didn’t care to connect. So take a break from denial for the following... (To catch Timothy MacBain’s latest TomCast audio interview in which Davis discusses a possible Chinese real estate crash and other perils of the global economic system, click here, or download it to your iPod here.) Tom
When it comes to the Murdoch scandal, where everyone’s having such a rollicking good time, it hasn't been particularly hard for reporters, pundits, and commentators to connect a few dots, even across an ocean. Yes, you can find actual experts claiming in print and online that what’s happening to Murdoch & Co. in England might affect the American part of his imperial media conglomerate, and that it’s even possible the whole structure of his world could be on a collision course with itself and hell.
When it comes to something larger and far less enjoyable though, like the global economy, you would be hard-pressed to find a similar connecting of the dots. China’s economy soars on one side of the planet (though with a multitude of half-hidden problems), while that country continues to outpace all others when it comes to holding U.S. debt. On the other side of the same planet, from Greece and Ireland to Spain and Italy, Europe shudders and fears run wild. Meanwhile, back in the U.S., the president and Congress have headed the economy merrily for the nearest cliff, while money is lacking even to keep court systems running in some parts of the country.
On all of this there is much reporting, much opining, many fears expressed, numerous teeth gnashed. Yet even when such pieces sit near each other on the same page or follow each other on the TV news, they are, with rare exceptions, treated as if they were remarkably separate problems, remarkably separate crises. And those long-distant days of the 1990s, when it was said everywhere that “globalization” was weaving our world into a single, vast economic mechanism, are now mere memory pieces.
And yet, what goes up...
Don’t even say it! Call it blindness, denial, what you will, but economically speaking, dots everywhere are almost religiously not connected, and so the thought that the global system itself might fail (as systems sometimes do) never quite manages to arise. Thank heavens, then, for Mike Davis, TomDispatch regular and author of Planet of Slums (and other books too numerous to mention), a man who has never seen a set of dots he didn’t care to connect. So take a break from denial for the following... (To catch Timothy MacBain’s latest TomCast audio interview in which Davis discusses a possible Chinese real estate crash and other perils of the global economic system, click here, or download it to your iPod here.) Tom
Crash Club
What Happens When Three Sputtering Economies Collide?
By Mike Davis
When my old gang and I were 14 or 15 years old, many centuries ago, we yearned for immortality in the fiery wreck of a bitchin' '40 Ford or '57 Chevy. Our J.K. Rowling was Henry Felsen, the ex-Marine who wrote the bestselling masterpieces Hot Rod (1950), Street Rod (1953), and Crash Club (1958).
Officially, his books -- highly praised by the National Safety Council -- were deterrents, meant to scare my generation straight with huge dollops of teenage gore. In fact, he was our asphalt Homer, exalting doomed teenage heroes and inviting us to emulate their legend.
One of his books ends with an apocalyptic collision at a crossroads that more or less wipes out the entire graduating class of a small Iowa town. We loved this passage so much that we used to read it aloud to each other.
It's hard not to think of the great Felsen, who died in 1995, while browsing the business pages these days. There, after all, are the Tea Party Republicans, accelerator punched to the floor, grinning like demons as they approach Deadman’s Curve. (John Boehner and David Brooks, in the back seat, are of course screaming in fear.)
Click here to read more of this dispatch.
Prepared for the
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations
by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs View this page at www.dailyalert.org
Subscribe
| Via Smartphone |
July 26, 2011
In-Depth Issues:
Laying Waste to Syria's Third-Largest City (Economist-UK)
At least 33 residents of Homs have been killed by security forces and government thugs in recent days. Several were shot at funerals. Residents have also reported indiscriminate shooting from unmarked, speeding cars.
Gangs are a useful tool for the regime. They allow Syrian officials to deny responsibility for some of the worst killings. Perhaps most important, the gangs raise the specter of sectarian war.
Yet fears of a sectarian meltdown are overblown. Anti-regime protests do not spring from religious differences. Indeed, it has been striking how ecumenical the uprising in Syria has so far been.
Sunnis have called on Christians, Alawites and other minorities to join them on the streets.
Syria to Allow Political Parties (VOA News)
The Syrian government has approved a new law allowing the formation of political parties, reversing a ban on opposition groups since the Ba'ath Party took power in 1963.
See also Syria Wins the Hypocrisy Award - Elliott Abrams (Council on Foreign Relations)
Even by its own unrivaled standard of hypocrisy, the Assad regime's "reform" permitting the formation of new political parties is prize-winning.
This "reform" is yet another effort by the Assad regime to portray itself as open to genuine change, even as its forces kill unarmed demonstrators in Syria's streets.
No Syrian will be fooled by this move, and few foreigners will be either.
See also Draft Reform Law in Syria Fails to Mollify Protesters - Nada Bakri (New York Times)
Peruvian General Warns of Growing Iranian Presence in South America - Yaakov Katz (Jerusalem Post)
The world needs to act to counter the growing presence of Iranian-supported terrorist organizations throughout South America, former chief of staff of the Peruvian Armed Forces, Gen. Francisco Contreras, told the Jerusalem Post on Sunday.
"It appears that Iranian organizations provide support to other terrorist organizations, and that there is cooperation between them."
"There is something strange in the relationship [Venezuelan President] Chavez has forged with Iran, as is the presence of the Iranian defense minister in Bolivia on a recent visit," he said.
Hamas Executes Two Gazans as Spies for Israel - Nidal al-Mughrabi and Dan Williams (Reuters)
Gaza's Hamas government Tuesday executed a Palestinian father and son convicted of spying for Israel.
Human rights groups have criticized Hamas executions, which require the approval of President Abbas, who has withheld such approval.
Three Gazans were put to death by Hamas authorities this year and five in 2010.
Daily Alert Blog
Search
Key Links
Media Contacts
Back Issues
Fair Use/Privacy
News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
- Ahmadinejad Wants to Develop Nuclear Arms Openly, Khamenei Disagrees
Iranian President Ahmadinejad wants to shed the nation's secrecy and forge ahead openly with developing nuclear weapons but is opposed by the clerical leadership, which is worried about international reaction to such a move, says an intelligence assessment from a nation with traditionally reliable intelligence that was shared with the Associated Press. Ahmadinejad is pushing "to shake free of the restraints Iran has imposed upon itself, and openly push forward to create a nuclear bomb," says the assessment. But Khamenei, whose word is final on nuclear and other issues, "wants to progress using secret channels, due to concern about a severe response from the West."
The intelligence assessment further notes, "Khamenei has decided to transfer engagement with the most sensitive parts of the nuclear program, including activity that can be used for nuclear weapons, from...the group of scientists at the Defense Ministry, who are identified with Ahmadinejad, to a special body in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp. This, due to the increasing lack of trust the Leader [Khamenei] has in people in sensitive positions, who are identified with the President [Ahmadinejad]." (AP-Washington Post) - Weapons Retrieved in Iraq Point to Iran - Tim Arango
Arrayed on a table at a U.S. base in Iraq are the killing tools from attacks on American soldiers over the last several months - munitions smuggled in from Iran, according to the soldiers whose job it is to conduct the forensic analysis of evidence collected from the battlefield. One item is a firing system for a 240-millimeter rocket used in a recent attack that killed American soldiers. Forensic analysis led to a member of Kata'ib Hizbullah, which is linked to the Iranian government.
The work here, conducted by a combined joint task force, provides the evidence to buttress the recent claims of top Americans officials, including Leon Panetta, the secretary of defense, that Iran is behind the recent deadly attacks on American troops. In June, 14 American soldiers were killed by enemy attacks, the most in three years. Three Iranian-backed Shiite groups are responsible for 12 of these deaths, say American officials. (New York Times) - U.S. Calls Syria Military "Barbaric"
The State Department on Monday highlighted the death of 12-year-old boy Talhat Dalat, who was shot by Syrian police at close range during an anti-regime rally. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said: "The behavior of Syria's security forces, including other such barbaric shootings, widescale arrests of young men and boys, brutal torture, and other abuses of basic human rights, is reprehensible." "President Assad must understand that he is not indispensable, and we believe he is the cause of Syria's instability, not the key to its stability." (AFP) - Egypt's Generals, Protesters Moving to Open Clash - Hamza Hendawi and Sarah El Deeb
Egypt's ruling military and protesters seeking faster change are moving into collision, as the generals cozy up to the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood. Maj. Gen. Mohammed al-Assar, a member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, praised the Brotherhood on Monday in a speech in Washington at the U.S. Institute of Peace, saying they were playing a constructive role. "Day by day, the Brotherhood are changing and are getting on a more moderate track," he said.
The generals have launched an intensified media campaign depicting the protesters as a troublemaking minority and agents paid by foreign governments. They have also encouraged street protests by pro-military groups. (AP-MSNBC)
- Turkey's Erdogan Threatens to Further Downgrade Diplomatic Ties with Israel - Herb Keinon
Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan threatened to unleash "Plan B," a further deterioration of ties with Israel, if Jerusalem does not meet his terms to settle the Mavi Marmara issue. In response, a Jerusalem official said Monday, "The problem is that many people here don't think that this is Plan B, but rather Plan A, and that Erdogan's long-term strategic plan has been to reduce to a minimum the ties with Israel." According to this official, there is a great deal of skepticism in Jerusalem that Israel could do anything to satisfy Erdogan.
Last week the Turkish press reported that Erdogan would visit Gaza if an apology was not forthcoming from Israel, a threat dismissed as hollow in Jerusalem by officials who said Erdogan could enter Gaza via Egypt, but that a photo opportunity there with the Hamas leadership would probably undermine the Palestinian Authority more than it would bother Israel. (Jerusalem Post) - Israel, U.S. to Hold Massive Missile Defense Drill - Yaakov Katz
Israel and the U.S. will hold a large-scale missile defense exercise in early 2012 aimed at improving operational coordination between both countries' defense systems. Called "Juniper Cobra," the exercise will include Israel's Arrow 2 and Iron Dome as well as America's THAAD and Aegis ballistic missile defense system. The purpose of the exercise is to enable interoperability between Israeli and American missile defense systems in case the U.S. government decided to deploy these American systems in Israel in the event of a conflict with Iran, like it did ahead of the Gulf War in Iraq in 1991.
"Juniper Cobra shows us how to defend not only with Israeli assets but also with American assets," Arieh Herzog, head of the Israel Defense Ministry's Homa Missile Defense Agency, told the 2nd Annual Israel Multinational Missile Defense Conference on Monday. (Jerusalem Post)
- Negotiations, Not Unilateral Declarations - Michael Curtis
The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians can be resolved only by negotiations between the parties, not through unilateral declarations by one side. A unilateral declaration of a state would constitute a breach by the Palestinians of their past agreements and legal obligations. It would be an act of bad faith. The basis for resolution of the conflict became UN Security Council Resolution 242 of November 22, 1967, which called for secure and recognized boundaries to be determined by negotiation, not by force or by unilateral action of any of the parties, nor were they to be imposed. The writer is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Rutgers University. (American Thinker) - The Flotilla Folk: Blinded by Hatred of Israel - Roz Rothstein and Roberta Seid
Almost 1,500 people from around the world planned to fly to Greece, board ships and sail to Gaza in July. The Flotilla Folk say they are just ordinary folk committed to human rights. But they think it is okay to ignore terrorism against Israelis, to overlook the 8,000 rockets Hamas has fired from Gaza into Israeli communities over the past five years, turning everyday life into a lethal game of Russian roulette. They think it is okay to ignore the fact that Hamas is an Iranian proxy, and that Hamas' founding document calls for the murder of Jews, the "obliteration" of Israel and its replacement with a fundamentalist theocracy that opposes all the freedoms and social justice values for which the Flotilla Folk claim to stand. Roz Rothstein is the co-founder and CEO of StandWithUs, and Roberta Seid is the director of education and research. (Jerusalem Post) - Hizbullah on Edge in Face of Syria Revolt - Rana Moussaoui
"Hizbullah's margin of maneuver is currently very limited because the strategic Iran-Syria-Hizbullah axis is threatened by the [Syrian] revolt and this forces the group to act prudently," said Paris-based Middle East expert Agnes Levallois. Hizbullah has adopted the Syrian regime's official line in blaming the unrest on armed extremist gangs and outside agitators. This has prompted anger among protesters in Syria who have torn down and burned pictures of Hizbullah leader Hasan Nasrallah, according to images posted on YouTube. Nasrallah has also been criticized for acting like a "Syrian television presenter," prompting his party to adopt a more low-key approach.
The Arabic-language daily An-Nahar, which is close to Lebanon's opposition, wrote in a weekend editorial: "Tomorrow, when the Syrian regime falls, and it will fall, what will Hizbullah, which supported those who assassinated women, children and the elderly, say?" (AFP-Daily Star-Lebanon)
- Both Israel and Lebanon have trillions of cubic feet of underwater natural gas and can benefit tremendously from these resources. All they need is the goodwill to negotiate a sea-border demarcation agreement.
- This usually occurs through bilateral negotiations or mutually agreed arbitration - not through UN border-dispute mechanisms, as Lebanon is now demanding. It's only now that Israel has identified substantial natural gas fields that Hizbullah, the Iranian and Syrian regimes' long arm in Lebanon, has decided to make an issue of the maritime borders.
- Hizbullah
is now threatening to attack any Israeli gas projects - even those in
undisputed waters. Hizbullah is armed with Chinese-designed,
Iranian-made C-802 anti-ship missiles that could be devastating against
future Israeli off-shore gas platforms and tankers. Hizbullah also has
sea-born commando units.
The writer is senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation.
- 1.
- Libya Accuses NATO Of Bombing Hospital, Killing Seven People From: Rick Rozoff
- 2.
- U.S. Central Command Gets Spy Satellite For Greater Mideast War Zone From: Rick Rozoff
- 3.
- Georgia: U.S. Marines Leads Counterinsurgency Training From: Rick Rozoff
- 4.
- NATO Blackmails Turkey Over Chinese, Russian Air Defense Systems From: Rick Rozoff
- 5.
- Afghanistan: Major NATO Air Base Attacked From: Rick Rozoff
- 6.
- British Attack Helicopter Injures Five Afghan Children From: Rick Rozoff
- 7.
- Crisis in Kosovo: Serbia notifies UN, EU and NATO From: ANTIC.org-SNN
- 8.
- NATO-ASEAN Partnership Against China? From: Rick Rozoff
- 9.
- 130 Days Of Bombing: 16,555 NATO Air Missions, 6,239 Strike Sorties From: Rick Rozoff
- 10.
- NATO Attacks Afghan School, Kills Children From: Rick Rozoff
- 11.
- NATO Bombs Libyan Hospital, Food Depot From: Rick Rozoff
- 12.
- Tanzania: NATO Partner Denmark Joins U.S. Africa Partnership Station From: Rick Rozoff
- 13.
- Gambia: 41-Nation AFRICOM Exercise Ends With U.S. National Anthem From: Rick Rozoff
| MP3 Radio | Website News Briefs: | |||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
 |
 |
1. Tel Aviv Will Be Bombed in Next Gaza War, Says Minister
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Metropolitan Tel Aviv, Israel’s finance and commercial center, will be bombed by missiles n the next Gaza war, warns Home Front Minister Matan Vilnai.
"In the next conflict with Gaza, even if it at a much lower intensity than a war, missiles will fall on Gush Dan -- for all purposes, inside Tel Aviv," Vilnai said at an international defense conference in metropolitan Tel Aviv.
Intelligence officials have warned for more than two years that the Hamas terrorist regime in Gaza has smuggled missiles that can reach far beyond southern Israel, which was targeted nearly three years ago, before and during the counterterrorist Operation Cast Lead campaign.
Hamas and other terrorist groups have at least 10,000 missiles and rockets, according to military intelligence estimates. Advanced weapons are smuggled, in whole or in parts for assembly, enter Gaza from Iran, often via Sudan.
Vilnai said that Israel is improving its defense capabilities against missiles, and referred to bomb shelters and missile interceptors as well as retaliatory measures.
Citing Israel’s tiny area, he said, "There is no country in the world that is threatened like the State of Israel," he said. "The only country that approximates it is South Korea."
Since the end of Operation Cast Lead, southern Israel has been attacked by nearly 300 missiles and rockets. Israel has carried out tit-for-tat retaliatory tactics, striking rocket manufacturing plants and terrorist tunnels. The Defense Ministry, headed by Ehud Barak, has not explained why orders have not been give to the IDF to conduct pre-emptive strikes before missiles cam bombard Israeli civilians.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Metropolitan Tel Aviv, Israel’s finance and commercial center, will be bombed by missiles n the next Gaza war, warns Home Front Minister Matan Vilnai.
"In the next conflict with Gaza, even if it at a much lower intensity than a war, missiles will fall on Gush Dan -- for all purposes, inside Tel Aviv," Vilnai said at an international defense conference in metropolitan Tel Aviv.
Intelligence officials have warned for more than two years that the Hamas terrorist regime in Gaza has smuggled missiles that can reach far beyond southern Israel, which was targeted nearly three years ago, before and during the counterterrorist Operation Cast Lead campaign.
Hamas and other terrorist groups have at least 10,000 missiles and rockets, according to military intelligence estimates. Advanced weapons are smuggled, in whole or in parts for assembly, enter Gaza from Iran, often via Sudan.
Vilnai said that Israel is improving its defense capabilities against missiles, and referred to bomb shelters and missile interceptors as well as retaliatory measures.
Citing Israel’s tiny area, he said, "There is no country in the world that is threatened like the State of Israel," he said. "The only country that approximates it is South Korea."
Since the end of Operation Cast Lead, southern Israel has been attacked by nearly 300 missiles and rockets. Israel has carried out tit-for-tat retaliatory tactics, striking rocket manufacturing plants and terrorist tunnels. The Defense Ministry, headed by Ehud Barak, has not explained why orders have not been give to the IDF to conduct pre-emptive strikes before missiles cam bombard Israeli civilians.
Comment on this story
2. Hamas Executes Two Arabs for ‘Collaborating’ with Israel
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Hamas again resorted to executions by hanging to punish two Gaza Arabs for allegedly collaborating with Israel. The executions are legal under Palestinian Authority law.
The Hamas Interior Ministry announced the executions after appeals were rejected for convictions handed down in 2004. Human rights activists have not commented on the executions.
Earlier this year, a Hamas firing squad executed one man convicted for helping Israel, and three others are on death row.
The IDF routinely relies on collaborators for information on the location of terrorists, smuggling tunnels and weapon storerooms.
The Palestinian Authority law allows a death sentence for the offenses of collaborating with Israel, murder and drug trafficking, but execution orders must be signed by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, whom de facto Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh does not recognize.
Abbas also has previously approved executions, mainly for the crime of selling property to Jews, an offense punishable by death from the time of the Jordanian occupation of most of Judea and Samaria. .
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Hamas again resorted to executions by hanging to punish two Gaza Arabs for allegedly collaborating with Israel. The executions are legal under Palestinian Authority law.
The Hamas Interior Ministry announced the executions after appeals were rejected for convictions handed down in 2004. Human rights activists have not commented on the executions.
Earlier this year, a Hamas firing squad executed one man convicted for helping Israel, and three others are on death row.
The IDF routinely relies on collaborators for information on the location of terrorists, smuggling tunnels and weapon storerooms.
The Palestinian Authority law allows a death sentence for the offenses of collaborating with Israel, murder and drug trafficking, but execution orders must be signed by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, whom de facto Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh does not recognize.
Abbas also has previously approved executions, mainly for the crime of selling property to Jews, an offense punishable by death from the time of the Jordanian occupation of most of Judea and Samaria. .
Comment on this story
3. Rabbi Lior's Arrest Was 'Unlawful,' Says His Driver
by Elad Benari
Police officers who arrested Rabbi Dov Lior last month did so while abusing their power and violating his rights, his driver said on Monday.
The driver, Oren Fitoussi, was responding on Arutz Sheva’s Hebrew website to a media report several days ago about a meeting between a group of rabbis, including Rabbi Chaim Druckman of the Or Etzion Yeshiva, and police commissioner Major General Yohanan Danino. According to that report, Danino claimed during the conversation with the rabbis that Rabbi Lior's arrest was carried out while maintaining his dignity and observing the law.
Fitoussi, however, tells a different story. He told Arutz Sheva that two policemen had been waiting for Rabbi Lior’s vehicle as it was driving down on the Gush Etzion tunnel road. When one of them noticed that Rabbi Lior was in the vehicle, recalled Fitoussi, he called another officer who arrived on the scene.
“The officer opened the door and asked me if this is my vehicle,” said Fitoussi. “I told him it is, and he asked if I was sure. I said yes, and then he said that the police were searching for me for a long time over a hit and run and that they finally ‘got their hands’ on me.”
The officers’ claims surprised Fitoussi who has no past criminal record of any kind. He tried to argue that the police made a mistake but they only responded by demanding that he show them his driver’s license immediately.
Fitoussi added that while he was embarrassed by the fact that the entire incident occurred in the presence of Rabbi Lior, he presented his license while again suggesting to the police that they made a mistake. They would not hear of it, he said.
“I parked the car and went out to give them my license, and while I did so an undercover policeman in civilian clothes entered the car,” said Fitoussi. “I heard the door close. I turned around and saw the car driving off.”
He added that he began calling out towards the car, but to no avail. The policemen then took his own gun, put him in their vehicle and detained him as well.
Fitoussi said that he cannot understand how such an arrest takes place without a warrant and without cause. He said that when he read in the paper the words of the commissioner describing the detention as lawful, “I was shocked. Either the commissioner does not know what is going on with his officers, or a more serious situation is going on, about which I do not want to think.”
Rabbi Lior had been detained over the “haskama”, rabbinical approbation, he gave to the book Torat Hamelech. A “haskama” is found at the beginning of many Judaic works and signifies that the rabbi who read it testifies to the Halakhic coherence and accuracy of the writing. Authors attempt to get “haskamot” from famous rabbis for that reason.
While an arrest warrant had been issued for him, Rabbi Lior explained he believed he was not obligated to appear before the police despite the normative practice that one follow the law of the land because it was Torah itself being put on trial.
The police declined to respond to Arutz Sheva’s inquiry on the matter of Rabbi Lior’s arrest.
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
Police officers who arrested Rabbi Dov Lior last month did so while abusing their power and violating his rights, his driver said on Monday.
The driver, Oren Fitoussi, was responding on Arutz Sheva’s Hebrew website to a media report several days ago about a meeting between a group of rabbis, including Rabbi Chaim Druckman of the Or Etzion Yeshiva, and police commissioner Major General Yohanan Danino. According to that report, Danino claimed during the conversation with the rabbis that Rabbi Lior's arrest was carried out while maintaining his dignity and observing the law.
Fitoussi, however, tells a different story. He told Arutz Sheva that two policemen had been waiting for Rabbi Lior’s vehicle as it was driving down on the Gush Etzion tunnel road. When one of them noticed that Rabbi Lior was in the vehicle, recalled Fitoussi, he called another officer who arrived on the scene.
“The officer opened the door and asked me if this is my vehicle,” said Fitoussi. “I told him it is, and he asked if I was sure. I said yes, and then he said that the police were searching for me for a long time over a hit and run and that they finally ‘got their hands’ on me.”
The officers’ claims surprised Fitoussi who has no past criminal record of any kind. He tried to argue that the police made a mistake but they only responded by demanding that he show them his driver’s license immediately.
Fitoussi added that while he was embarrassed by the fact that the entire incident occurred in the presence of Rabbi Lior, he presented his license while again suggesting to the police that they made a mistake. They would not hear of it, he said.
“I parked the car and went out to give them my license, and while I did so an undercover policeman in civilian clothes entered the car,” said Fitoussi. “I heard the door close. I turned around and saw the car driving off.”
He added that he began calling out towards the car, but to no avail. The policemen then took his own gun, put him in their vehicle and detained him as well.
Fitoussi said that he cannot understand how such an arrest takes place without a warrant and without cause. He said that when he read in the paper the words of the commissioner describing the detention as lawful, “I was shocked. Either the commissioner does not know what is going on with his officers, or a more serious situation is going on, about which I do not want to think.”
Rabbi Lior had been detained over the “haskama”, rabbinical approbation, he gave to the book Torat Hamelech. A “haskama” is found at the beginning of many Judaic works and signifies that the rabbi who read it testifies to the Halakhic coherence and accuracy of the writing. Authors attempt to get “haskamot” from famous rabbis for that reason.
While an arrest warrant had been issued for him, Rabbi Lior explained he believed he was not obligated to appear before the police despite the normative practice that one follow the law of the land because it was Torah itself being put on trial.
The police declined to respond to Arutz Sheva’s inquiry on the matter of Rabbi Lior’s arrest.
Comment on this story
4. Rick Perry Will Give the Republicans A Heavy Hitter for 2012
by Amiel Ungar
After months of tantalizing hints, Texas Governor, Rick Perry is going to toss his hat into the ring next month. This will provide a sense of relief to Republican voters because a Perry candidacy provides them with a candidate who must be taken seriously (the last two Republican presidents were Texan) and can arouse a degree of enthusiasm.
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney could make a claim for administrative competence, but failed to excite the Republican base. His support of a healthcare solution,during his term as Massachusetts governor, that seemed to resemble Barack Obama's program was a liability.
While former governors – Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton have won their party's nomination, they had left office relatively recently. Mitt Romney has not held executive office for 6 years. Even if he has an excellent record, it is more for the history books and less in the voters consciousness. Rick Perry is the nation's longest serving governor and he is still in office.
Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann did cause a stir amongst the Republican base, but she too carries a major liability: The Republicans have harped on President Obama's lack of administrative experience prior to his election. They claim that Obama was unprepared for high office. Michele Bachmann may have run her own business but this does not compare with running a mammoth state like Texas.
If Perry gets the nomination, the Democrats most will most assuredly find weak points in his stewardship, but Perry can take pride in the fact that Texas has generated the most jobs since 2009 – a major selling point in a country flirting with double digit unemployment.
The Texas Governor has enough of a record to rally social and economic conservatives. He is pro-life and he signed a law in Texas enshrining traditional marriage. Economically he cut state spending.
While conservatives can feel confident with him, he does not scare off moderates. His response to the New York State law that allowed for same-sex "marriage" displayed his political deftness. On the one hand, Perry is on record as supporting traditional marriage. He however called the New York law that state's prerogative. In other words he defended the New York legislature's passage of the law on the conservative grounds of state's rights and as representing the will of local voters rather than judge-imposed law.
Perry has begun making forays into New Hampshire where he declares his enthusiasm for the "Granite State's" brand of retail politics where voters are convinced one by one. Texas politics is wholesale politics due to the size of the state and to succeed you must know how to raise funds. Perry is a proven success both in state politics as well as in the post of Chairman of the Republican Governors Conference.
While the record of the Obama administration is debatable, there is one thing that nobody questions: Barack Obama, unopposed for the Democratic nomination, will have a substantial political war chest at his disposal.
The Republican candidate may not equal it but he has to come close. Perry with his Texas base and fundraising ability can make this into a fight as well.
Comment on this story
by Amiel Ungar
After months of tantalizing hints, Texas Governor, Rick Perry is going to toss his hat into the ring next month. This will provide a sense of relief to Republican voters because a Perry candidacy provides them with a candidate who must be taken seriously (the last two Republican presidents were Texan) and can arouse a degree of enthusiasm.
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney could make a claim for administrative competence, but failed to excite the Republican base. His support of a healthcare solution,during his term as Massachusetts governor, that seemed to resemble Barack Obama's program was a liability.
While former governors – Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton have won their party's nomination, they had left office relatively recently. Mitt Romney has not held executive office for 6 years. Even if he has an excellent record, it is more for the history books and less in the voters consciousness. Rick Perry is the nation's longest serving governor and he is still in office.
Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann did cause a stir amongst the Republican base, but she too carries a major liability: The Republicans have harped on President Obama's lack of administrative experience prior to his election. They claim that Obama was unprepared for high office. Michele Bachmann may have run her own business but this does not compare with running a mammoth state like Texas.
If Perry gets the nomination, the Democrats most will most assuredly find weak points in his stewardship, but Perry can take pride in the fact that Texas has generated the most jobs since 2009 – a major selling point in a country flirting with double digit unemployment.
The Texas Governor has enough of a record to rally social and economic conservatives. He is pro-life and he signed a law in Texas enshrining traditional marriage. Economically he cut state spending.
While conservatives can feel confident with him, he does not scare off moderates. His response to the New York State law that allowed for same-sex "marriage" displayed his political deftness. On the one hand, Perry is on record as supporting traditional marriage. He however called the New York law that state's prerogative. In other words he defended the New York legislature's passage of the law on the conservative grounds of state's rights and as representing the will of local voters rather than judge-imposed law.
Perry has begun making forays into New Hampshire where he declares his enthusiasm for the "Granite State's" brand of retail politics where voters are convinced one by one. Texas politics is wholesale politics due to the size of the state and to succeed you must know how to raise funds. Perry is a proven success both in state politics as well as in the post of Chairman of the Republican Governors Conference.
While the record of the Obama administration is debatable, there is one thing that nobody questions: Barack Obama, unopposed for the Democratic nomination, will have a substantial political war chest at his disposal.
The Republican candidate may not equal it but he has to come close. Perry with his Texas base and fundraising ability can make this into a fight as well.
Comment on this story
5. Peres: No Reneging on Oslo
by Gil Ronen
President Shimon Peres said Tuesday that there is no basis for speculation that Israel might renege on the Oslo accords if the Palestinian Authority declares statehood unilaterally in September.
A leftist news outlet reported earlier this week that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s National Security Adviser Yaakov Amidror is looking into the possibility that Israel would declare the Oslo Accords null and void.
“We are closer than ever to reaching a peace treaty with the Palestinians,” Peres insisted. “The threatening month of September can be turned into a ‘September of hope.’ In the short time that remains we can try to reach understandings. The Israeli nation desires peace and there is no one who doesn’t think a peace treaty can be reached.”
Peres spoke at a news conference for the Arab press, in honor of the Muslim month of Ramadan.
Regarding Syria, Peres said: “President Assad needs to go home, he has killed 2,000 innocent people.” He added that “it is not easy to demonstrate when you are being shot at. I am moved by the fact that they continue the struggle.”
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
President Shimon Peres said Tuesday that there is no basis for speculation that Israel might renege on the Oslo accords if the Palestinian Authority declares statehood unilaterally in September.
A leftist news outlet reported earlier this week that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s National Security Adviser Yaakov Amidror is looking into the possibility that Israel would declare the Oslo Accords null and void.
“We are closer than ever to reaching a peace treaty with the Palestinians,” Peres insisted. “The threatening month of September can be turned into a ‘September of hope.’ In the short time that remains we can try to reach understandings. The Israeli nation desires peace and there is no one who doesn’t think a peace treaty can be reached.”
Peres spoke at a news conference for the Arab press, in honor of the Muslim month of Ramadan.
Regarding Syria, Peres said: “President Assad needs to go home, he has killed 2,000 innocent people.” He added that “it is not easy to demonstrate when you are being shot at. I am moved by the fact that they continue the struggle.”
Comment on this story
6. ‘Housing Crisis' Marks Beginning of Election Campaign
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The “housing crisis” is an attempt to bring on early elections as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu provides solutions and the Israeli media encourage a campaign blaming him.
The cost of homes in Israel has risen continually for decades, and bureaucratic agencies have maintained a shortage of land and housing that favors builders. Netanyahu is on record for trying to change the extant centralist system of government land ownership. Prices have risen more sharply in the last year or two, in part due to the building freeze, absentee overseas ownership and a plethora of high cost housing for the latter.
However, the issue of housing, which mainstream media have declared has suddenly become a “crisis,” has succeeded in igniting a large scale movement after having begun in Tel Aviv as a left-wing funded protest, with the involvement of the New Israel Fund. A correspondent for the Washngton Post suggested that the protest movement may be Israel's version of an Arab Spring uprising, as there is no need to protest Israel's strong economy and even stronger democracy.
Globes, Yediot Acharonot and Voice of Israel government radio have been instrumental in providing a running commentary that has promoted what they have constantly termed to be a 'crisis' following failures to whip up enthusiasm for anti-Netanyahu rallies around the issues of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit and the cost of cottage cheese.
Elections are scheduled for 2013 but can take place sooner if the coalition government falls.
Prime Minister Netanyahu is clearly worried. A poll published by the left-wing Haaretz newspaper, which is strongly against the Netanyahu government, revealed that his “approval” rating has dropped to 32 percent, in contrast to 51 percent after he spoke to the United States Congress in May.
The same poll showed that an overwhelming 85 percent back the housing protest movement, which originally had less sympathy as it seemed like a trendy group's unrealistic demand for affordable housing in the commercial center of the country, Tel Aviv. The organizers soon saw to its spread to other areas.
Prime Minister Netanyahu scrapped a planned trip to Poland Tuesday to deal with the political crisis, with Kadima leader Tzipi Livni and coalition partner but arch-political enemy Defense Minister Ehud Barak waiting in the wings.
Voice of Israel’s Yaron Dekel jumped on the Prime Minister for not delivering his speech on answers to the housing problem at the scheduled 11 A.M. time. “What? Again?” Dekel asked incredulously, adding superfluously that tardiness is a habit of the office of the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said he will issue immediate measures to open the housing market and change the bureaucratic and marketing system for more and cheaper residential units. He accused the government land agency of holding on to land, a situation he suggested must be changed through deep-seated reform.
The Prime Minister said prices will be cut so that housing will be more affordable to students, young couples and recently-discharged soldiers. He also said bus and train fares will be cut so that travel will be more affordable to and from housing areas outside of major urban areas.
Regional Authority heads and small town mayors have said that housing in development towns and Yesha could solve the problem, but transportation would have to be drastically improved.
He also noted the Olmert administration’s decision to restrict marketing of housing, contributing to a growing shortage and rising prices. “There aren’t enough residential units because it takes so many years for the bureaucratic process to approve projects,” a process he said is the worst in the world.”
Construction has increased since he took office, Prime Minister Netanyahu said at the highly-attended press conference this morning.
Prime Minister Netanyahu added that he saw the housing crisis coming two years ago but it has taken that long to convince others to agree to implement changes. For example, six different committees must approve building projects, causing a traffic jam for pending projects.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The “housing crisis” is an attempt to bring on early elections as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu provides solutions and the Israeli media encourage a campaign blaming him.
The cost of homes in Israel has risen continually for decades, and bureaucratic agencies have maintained a shortage of land and housing that favors builders. Netanyahu is on record for trying to change the extant centralist system of government land ownership. Prices have risen more sharply in the last year or two, in part due to the building freeze, absentee overseas ownership and a plethora of high cost housing for the latter.
However, the issue of housing, which mainstream media have declared has suddenly become a “crisis,” has succeeded in igniting a large scale movement after having begun in Tel Aviv as a left-wing funded protest, with the involvement of the New Israel Fund. A correspondent for the Washngton Post suggested that the protest movement may be Israel's version of an Arab Spring uprising, as there is no need to protest Israel's strong economy and even stronger democracy.
Globes, Yediot Acharonot and Voice of Israel government radio have been instrumental in providing a running commentary that has promoted what they have constantly termed to be a 'crisis' following failures to whip up enthusiasm for anti-Netanyahu rallies around the issues of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit and the cost of cottage cheese.
Elections are scheduled for 2013 but can take place sooner if the coalition government falls.
Prime Minister Netanyahu is clearly worried. A poll published by the left-wing Haaretz newspaper, which is strongly against the Netanyahu government, revealed that his “approval” rating has dropped to 32 percent, in contrast to 51 percent after he spoke to the United States Congress in May.
The same poll showed that an overwhelming 85 percent back the housing protest movement, which originally had less sympathy as it seemed like a trendy group's unrealistic demand for affordable housing in the commercial center of the country, Tel Aviv. The organizers soon saw to its spread to other areas.
Prime Minister Netanyahu scrapped a planned trip to Poland Tuesday to deal with the political crisis, with Kadima leader Tzipi Livni and coalition partner but arch-political enemy Defense Minister Ehud Barak waiting in the wings.
Voice of Israel’s Yaron Dekel jumped on the Prime Minister for not delivering his speech on answers to the housing problem at the scheduled 11 A.M. time. “What? Again?” Dekel asked incredulously, adding superfluously that tardiness is a habit of the office of the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said he will issue immediate measures to open the housing market and change the bureaucratic and marketing system for more and cheaper residential units. He accused the government land agency of holding on to land, a situation he suggested must be changed through deep-seated reform.
The Prime Minister said prices will be cut so that housing will be more affordable to students, young couples and recently-discharged soldiers. He also said bus and train fares will be cut so that travel will be more affordable to and from housing areas outside of major urban areas.
Regional Authority heads and small town mayors have said that housing in development towns and Yesha could solve the problem, but transportation would have to be drastically improved.
He also noted the Olmert administration’s decision to restrict marketing of housing, contributing to a growing shortage and rising prices. “There aren’t enough residential units because it takes so many years for the bureaucratic process to approve projects,” a process he said is the worst in the world.”
Construction has increased since he took office, Prime Minister Netanyahu said at the highly-attended press conference this morning.
Prime Minister Netanyahu added that he saw the housing crisis coming two years ago but it has taken that long to convince others to agree to implement changes. For example, six different committees must approve building projects, causing a traffic jam for pending projects.
Comment on this story
7. Photo Essay: Arab Arson, IDF Helplessness
by Gil Ronen
A volunteer photographer from Tatzpit, an organization that documents Arab violence in Judea and Samaria, took pictures of the Arab arson attack near Neveh Tzuf Monday.
The Arabs can be seen as small figures on the crest of the mountain in at least one of the photos, taken just before the fire began to spread.
Local Jews expressed extreme anger at the helplessness exhibited by the IDF, which did not take any kind of effective action against the arsonists and is not known to have made any arrests.
Local Arabs have been attacking Jewish property and taunting the IDF at Neveh Tzuf for over a year, taking advantage of the IDF's unwillingness to use overwhelming force against them.
[album:3484]
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
A volunteer photographer from Tatzpit, an organization that documents Arab violence in Judea and Samaria, took pictures of the Arab arson attack near Neveh Tzuf Monday.
The Arabs can be seen as small figures on the crest of the mountain in at least one of the photos, taken just before the fire began to spread.
Local Jews expressed extreme anger at the helplessness exhibited by the IDF, which did not take any kind of effective action against the arsonists and is not known to have made any arrests.
Local Arabs have been attacking Jewish property and taunting the IDF at Neveh Tzuf for over a year, taking advantage of the IDF's unwillingness to use overwhelming force against them.
[album:3484]
Comment on this story
8. Landau: Turkey is the One Who Needs to Apologize
by Elad Benari
National Infrastructures Minister Uzi Landau on Monday rejected outright the Turkish demand that Israel apologize for killing nine Turkish citizens in the 2010 incident on the Mavi Marmara.
In an interview with Arutz Sheva’s Hebrew-language news service, Landau said an Israeli apology would only harm its status and prestige in the world.
“If anyone should apologize, it’s Turkey for standing behind the provocative flotilla,” he said. “It’s Turkey that needs to explain its connections with Hamas and other extremist Muslim groups. It’s Turkey that needs to explain its policy, not only to us but to the entire world.
“Enough with these Israeli apologies,” added Landau. “If we apologize we will be presented as the ones responsible for what happened and we will be humiliated.”
Landau rejected the arguments that an Israeli apology will prevent Turkey from demanding that the naval commandos who boarded the Marmara be put on trial. He said he is convinced that even if Turkey does not stand behind these demands for prosecution of the commandos, it will do so through a third party. He added that the relations between Turkey and Israel have always depended on the Turks’ interests, noting that when the Turkish government sought to prove its ability to lead the Muslim world, it did so at Israel’s expense.
Referring to the position of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu over the apology, Minister Landau admitted that he does not know where Netanyahu stands.
“It is difficult to assess,” he said, adding that if Netanyahu ultimately agrees to apologize to Turkey, many ministers would find it hard to accept. “Whoever does not keep his honor, no one will keep his honor for him,” said Landau.
Landau’s comments came as Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was reportedly considering downgrading diplomatic relations with Israel.
The Turkish Hurriyet newspaper reported Monday that Erdogan’s “Plan B” is to downgrade the level of Turkey’s diplomatic staff in Israel if Israel continues to refuse to apologize for the Mavi Marmara incident.
Meanwhile, the United Nations officially confirmed on Monday that the release of the Palmer Report on the Mavi Marmara incident would be postponed until late August.
UN spokesman Martin Nesirky, who confirmed the delay, gave no specific date for when the report would be released.
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
National Infrastructures Minister Uzi Landau on Monday rejected outright the Turkish demand that Israel apologize for killing nine Turkish citizens in the 2010 incident on the Mavi Marmara.
In an interview with Arutz Sheva’s Hebrew-language news service, Landau said an Israeli apology would only harm its status and prestige in the world.
“If anyone should apologize, it’s Turkey for standing behind the provocative flotilla,” he said. “It’s Turkey that needs to explain its connections with Hamas and other extremist Muslim groups. It’s Turkey that needs to explain its policy, not only to us but to the entire world.
“Enough with these Israeli apologies,” added Landau. “If we apologize we will be presented as the ones responsible for what happened and we will be humiliated.”
Landau rejected the arguments that an Israeli apology will prevent Turkey from demanding that the naval commandos who boarded the Marmara be put on trial. He said he is convinced that even if Turkey does not stand behind these demands for prosecution of the commandos, it will do so through a third party. He added that the relations between Turkey and Israel have always depended on the Turks’ interests, noting that when the Turkish government sought to prove its ability to lead the Muslim world, it did so at Israel’s expense.
Referring to the position of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu over the apology, Minister Landau admitted that he does not know where Netanyahu stands.
“It is difficult to assess,” he said, adding that if Netanyahu ultimately agrees to apologize to Turkey, many ministers would find it hard to accept. “Whoever does not keep his honor, no one will keep his honor for him,” said Landau.
Landau’s comments came as Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was reportedly considering downgrading diplomatic relations with Israel.
The Turkish Hurriyet newspaper reported Monday that Erdogan’s “Plan B” is to downgrade the level of Turkey’s diplomatic staff in Israel if Israel continues to refuse to apologize for the Mavi Marmara incident.
Meanwhile, the United Nations officially confirmed on Monday that the release of the Palmer Report on the Mavi Marmara incident would be postponed until late August.
UN spokesman Martin Nesirky, who confirmed the delay, gave no specific date for when the report would be released.
Comment on this story
More Website News:
 |
State Sues Bedouin for Cost of Eviction  |
|
Erdogan Tries to Extort Israel, Again |
|
Arabs Torch Memorial Near Neveh Tzuf  |
|
Maccabeats A Cappella Group to Perform in Jerusalem |
|
Qadaffi Can Stay in Libya at the Pleasure of the "Libyan People" |
