By Neta Golan and Mohammed Khatib Next month the US plans to host a regional meeting to discuss peace in the Middle East, or at least peace between Israel and the Palestinians. The maneuvering, deal making and negotiating about what will be on the table has been going on for some time. But the details of the agreement being discussed have been a well-guarded secret but for the steady flow
(PRESS TV) — Israeli War Minister Ehud Barak and his US counterpart Robert Gates have discussed Iran’s nuclear standoff with the West in the Pentagon. The talks, which took place on Tuesday, were mainly focused on the Iranian nuclear issue. Barak’s office confirmed that the minister had spoken with Gates about the necessity of a multilayered missile defense system for Israel. The two were joined by senior officials for the
Israel, Hezbollah conduct first swap since 2006 war; report: Israel received info on Ron Arad Israel and Hezbollah carried out their first swap since the Second Lebanon War on Monday, a move Israel said was part of a larger negotiation process on the release of two of its soldiers abducted by the guerilla group in July 2006. The deal saw the release by Israel of a Hezbollah guerilla suffering a
BEIRUT — Hezbollah and Israeli occupation regime concluded a swap of three bodies and a war prisoner, Alalam TV correspondent in Beirut said Monday. The correspondent reported that Israel turned over to Hezbollah its fighter Hassan Naim Aqil who was captured during the 2006 confrontation. The Zionist regime also turned over to Hizbullah the bodies of two fighters were martyred in the 34-day war. They were identified as Ali Wazwaz
Dalia Karpel (shortened translation of article in Haaretz `Hamedovevet`) `We – Israeli Soldiers – were put there to punish the Palestinians`, says Ilan Vilenda, an Israeli soldier who served in Rafah during the first Intifada. Ilan is the only soldier of 21 who agreed to have his name published, after he was interviewed by psychologist Nofer Ishai-Karen. The soldiers spoke freely to Nofer, who served with them in the same
by General Fabio Mini Anyone who thought that the green light for the Israeli-American attack against Iran would come from the American Congress, was wrong. Equally wrong were those who thought that a president like Bush, so frustrated by the Iraqi chaos, the Afghan deadlock and the industrial lobbies’ pressures, would wind up making the decision on his own. The attack against Iran will take place thanks to the newly-appointed
DEBKAfile reports (caveat emptor!): DEBKAfile’s military sources report the package, discussed by US Pentagon and Israel defense ministry officials, aims at replenishing the seriously depleted Israel Air Force stocks of missiles, bombs and fuel to their level prior to the 2006 Lebanon war, ready for any potential war contingency. Some of these items will be delivered shortly; others over a five-year period. They include thousands of missiles, tens of thousands
by Gabriel Sheffer Jewish state controlled by four informal networks, not by government In light of the battle between Olmert, Netanyahu and Barak for the next premiership, the public debate focuses on the question on who of these three politicians is the “strong leader” many Israelis yearn for. At the same time, the failures of all Israeli leaders throughout history and their inability to implement their policies are attributed to
by Uri Avnery THERE ARE books that change people’s consciousness and change history. Some tell a story, like Harriet Beech Stowe’s 1851 “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, which gave a huge impetus to the campaign for the abolition of slavery. Others take the form of a political treatise, like Theodor Herzl’s “Der Judenstaat”, which gave birth to the Zionist movement. Or they can be scientific in nature, like Charles Darwin’s “The Origin
by Amira HassDemocracy is more than going to the polls “The protest wave has calmed down,” some Israeli journalists said Friday of the Burmese military junta’s success in driving thousands of demonstrators off the streets, using excessive violence. Despite the natural sympathy for the uprisers, several editors chose the word “calm,” which embodies the rulers’ point of view: The norm is “calm,” even if it means constant government violence. The
The Jerusalem Post reports that Iran threatened Monday to attack some 170 American targets in the Middle East and around the world if it is attacked by Israel or the US, Israel Radio reported. A high-ranking officer from the country’s Revolutionary Guards told the force’s official journal, The Guards, that Teheran succeeded, after extended and comprehensive work, to identify hundreds of strategic American targets in the Middle East and around
by Chris Weigant There’s a raging debate within the Bush administration, the punditocracy, and the blogosphere about whether or not it is time to bomb Iran. While this conversation scares small children (and other sane people), most of the focus has been on (1) whether President… oh, excuse me… Vice President Cheney truly is moonbat-crazy enough to do so, and (2) whether anyone else in America (including the military) would
by M. J. Rosenberg Critics of “The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy” by John J. Mearsheimer and Steven M. Walt cannot be surprised that the attacks on the book prior to publication have already helped propel it to #10 on Amazon’s best-seller list. Not only that, the names “Walt-Mearsheimer” have become almost People magazine famous, odd for two mild-mannered political scientists from the University of Chicago and Harvard. It
By Uri Avnery “ICH” — — A respected American paper posted a scoop this week: Vice-President Dick Cheney, the King of Hawks, has thought up a Machiavellian scheme for an attack on Iran. Its main point: Israel will start by bombing an Iranian nuclear installation, Iran will respond by launching missiles at Israel, and this will serve as a pretext for an American attack on Iran. Far-fetched? Not really. It
By KATHLEEN and BILL CHRISTISON Two recent offhand comments, both widely publicized, have seriously undermined whatever progress might have been made in exposing the fact that the Iraq war was initiated at least in large part to guarantee Israel’s safety and regional dominance in the Middle East. In late August, Lawrence Wilkerson, who served as Colin Powell’s chief of staff when he was secretary of state, told Gareth Porter of
The blog The Internet Activist has published a very comprehensive report on the US/Israeli efforts to isolate Iran. ——- So how have the US/Israeli efforts to isolate Iran fared around the world? “I think it’s very important for the world to unite with one common voice, to say to the Iranians that, ‘if you choose to continue forward, you’ll be isolated,’ … Let’s work in concert to convince the government
Dear friends, Take a look at the email I just received: ******* Dear , With the Walt/Mearsheimer book, “The Israel Lobby”, attaining national bestseller status, and the simultaneous release of THE DEADLIEST LIES: The Israel Lobby and the Myth of Jewish Control, the national debate has begun. We have seen your review/mention of THE ISRAEL LOBBY, and we are writing to urge you to consider covering Foxman’s book as well.
by Jonathan Cook Israel’s air strike on northern Syria earlier this month should be understood in the context of events unfolding since its assault last summer on neighboring Lebanon. From the leaks so far, it seems that more than half a dozen Israeli warplanes violated Syrian airspace to drop munitions on a site close to the border with Turkey. We also know from the US media that the raid occurred
In his speech at Columbia University, the Iranian President used the podium to single out Israel and Zionism By Shmuel Rosner Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to Columbia University in New York on Monday resulted in one clear loser: Israel. In his speech, Ahmadinejad took aim at Israel. If he managed to convince one person of his views on Israel and Zionism, then he has already gained. If he managed
Al-Manar TV reports: An Israeli occupation minister said on Tuesday the Jewish state should exchange detained Palestinian Intifada leader Marwan Barghuti for an Israeli soldier captured by Gaza resistance fighters more than a year ago. “Marwan Barghuti has a good chance of becoming the next Palestinian leader,” Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, infrastructure minister and member of Israeli powerful security cabinet, told army radio. “His release could allow the political negotiations to advance
