(source: Times.com)

TIME: Thank you very much, Mr. President for meeting with us. Before we start with the major issues, I wanted to ask you a personal question. I spent Election Day in your old neighborhood of Nasiabad and I was struck, as I always am, by the numbers of widows and orphans of the Iran – Iraq War. Most Americans don’t understand the impact of that war, a million casualties on your country. I wanted to ask you about your own experiences during that war. Did you see combat? Did friends of yours die? What impact did have on your worldview, on the way that you have conducted yourself since?

Ahmadinejad: I thank you for your question. If I may, I would like to improve on some of the questions you have raised. I did not live in Nasiabad; it was not my old neighborhood. Nasiabad is a locality in the south of Tehran and I lived in the eastern side of Tehran. A second point is with respect to the number of people who were martyred on Iranian side as a result of the war. The total number of people who lost their lives or were martyred as a result of the war that Saddam Hussein launched against our nation were about 160,000 and there are 70 million people in Iran, it is a very big nation. We have the exact figures and records of the number of women who have lost their spouses in the war, but nonetheless every life that was lost and every life matters. From our viewpoint, if one person is killed innocently it is the equivalent of the loss of life of all humanity.

Crime against the individual is the equivalent of crime against humanity. The Iranian nation has been witness to numerous36throughout history, various ones. In other words, the Iranian nation has lived with different36unfolding at different time junctures. But, I cannot claim that the imposed war by Saddam Hussein on Iran has left a specific impact on the psyche of the Iranian nation necessarily. Nonetheless it was endorsement of the historical witnessing by our nation of the various36that have befell it, and as a result throughout history, the Iranian nation has learned very well that it must stand on its own feet and the imposed war, if anything, proved that their perception is quite correct. That is precisely why Iranian nation seeks its own scientific development, its own economic development, its own innovations, and its own initiates.

Read More »Ahmadinejad speaks to cnn times

By Goncalo de Almeida Ribeiro, Vishaal Kishore and Nimer Sultany

(source:The Electronic Intifada)

The recent release of a report by the United Nations fact-finding mission chaired by jurist Richard Goldstone concerning the Israeli onslaught on Gaza in late December 2008 through January 2009 sheds important light on human rights violations in Israel/Palestine. One would hope that upon reading this report (or indeed any other from the long list of reports concerning the Occupied Palestinian Territories released by various human rights organizations) readers will be outraged by the ongoing atrocities committed in the region.

Despite expressly claiming to take into account the historical background to the Gaza events, the report, by its very nature, singles out a particular set of facts, and a limited period of time as the primary locus for investigation. In part this is justified. The conflict in Gaza involved levels of violence that are more or less exceptional. Yet, we fear that such a high-profile report, crafted specifically to address what is perceived to be an extreme or peculiar period of time in the lives of Palestinians under occupation, might have significant negative consequences. Particularly, we maintain that such a report, by focusing on one "drastic" period in the Israeli occupation, might in fact have the effect of overshadowing or downplaying the harsh and ongoing reality of the last 43 years of Israeli occupation.

Read More »The risks of de contextualizing Gaza war crimes

By Prof. Stephen M. Walt

(source: The Washington Post)

Like so many of his predecessors, President Obama is quickly discovering that persuading Israel to change course is nearly impossible.

Obama came to office determined to achieve a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians. His opening move was to insist that Israel stop building settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem — a tough line aimed at bolstering Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and persuading key Arab states to make conciliatory gestures toward Israel. These steps would pave the way for the creation of a viable Palestinian state and the normalization of Israel’s relations with its Arab neighbors, and also help rebuild America’s image in the Arab and Muslim world.

Unfortunately, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has no interest in a two-state solution, much less ending settlement expansion. He and his government want a "greater Israel," which means maintaining effective control of the West Bank and Gaza. His response to Obama’s initiative has ranged from foot-dragging to outright defiance, with little pushback from Washington.

Read More »Settling for failure in the middle east

 

By Jeff Gates

(source: Palestine Chronicle)

‘The undersigned therefore take this means of publicly presenting a few salient facts concerning Begin and his party; and of urging all concerned not to support this latest manifestation of fascism.’ — Albert Einstein, signatory to Letters to the Editor, New York Times, December 4, 1948.

Online reports of a study by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency cast doubt over the survival of Israel beyond the next two decades. Regardless of the validity of the report, with what is now known about the costs in blood and treasure that the U.S.-Israeli relationship has imposed on the U.S., its key ally, Israel could fall within five years.

For more than six decades, American support for Israel has relied on the ability of pro-Israelis to dominate U.S. media, enabling Tel Aviv to put a positive spin on even its most extreme behavior, including its recent massacre in Gaza. With access to online news coverage, that Zionist bias is becoming apparent and the real facts transparent.

Read More »Will Isarael fall in five years?