Gaza War

Shawl expresses concern over civilian killings in ihk

by MRN
January 1, 2013July 25, 2013

(source: Kashmir Media Service)

The Executive Director of Kashmir Centre London, Professor Nazir Ahmad Shawl has condemned the continued Indian state terrorism in occupied Kashmir.

Professor Shawl in a statement issued in London saluted the steadfastness and unwavering commitment of the Kashmiri people for continuing their liberation struggle. He expressed grave concern over the killing of civilians in indiscriminate firing of Indian police at Palhalan in Pattan.

The Executive Director asked the Indian government and its authorities in occupied Kashmir to release all the illegally detained Hurriyet leaders and activists including Shabbir Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai and Aasiya Andrabi. He appealed to the international human organisations to raise their voice for bringing an end to India’s iron-fisted policy in the occupied territory.

Professor Shawl urged the pro-freedom leadership to forge greater unity among its ranks to defeat the nefarious designs of New Delhi to suppress the liberation movement. “The international media has taken a serious notice of the ongoing struggle which augurs well for the ultimate success. At this critical juncture cohesion and single-mindedness are very important,” he added.

Bin laden lots to think about

by MRN
January 1, 2013July 25, 2013

By Naom Chomsky

(source: Voice of the Cape Online)

We might ask ourselves how we would be reacting if Iraqi commandos landed at George W. Bush’s compound, assassinated him, and dumped his body in the Atlantic.　It’s increasingly clear that the operation was a planned assassination, multiply violating elementary norms of international law. There appears to have been no attempt to apprehend the unarmed victim, as presumably could have been done by 80 commandos facing virtually no opposition-except, they claim, from his wife, who lunged towards them.

In societies that profess some respect for law, suspects are apprehended and brought to fair trial. I stress “suspects.” In April 2002, the head of the FBI, Robert Mueller, informed the press that after the most intensive investigation in history, the FBI could say no more than that it “believed” that the plot was hatched in Afghanistan, though implemented in the UAE and Germany.

What they only believed in April 2002, they obviously didn’t know 8 months earlier, when Washington dismissed tentative offers by the Taliban (how serious, we do not know, because they were instantly dismissed) to extradite bin Laden if they were presented with evidence-which, as we soon learned, Washington didn’t have.

Thus Obama was simply lying when he said, in his White House statement, that “we quickly learned that the 9/11 attacks were carried out by al Qaeda.” Nothing serious has been provided since. There is much talk of bin Laden’s “confession,” but that is rather like my confession that I won the Boston Marathon. He boasted of what he regarded as a great achievement.

Oic hezbollah slam Isarael over building on muslim cemetery

by MRN
January 1, 2013July 25, 2013

Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and Hezbollah slamed Israel over building on Muslim cemetery in Al Quds.

The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, expressed his strong condemnation of the decision made by an Israeli court to allow bulldozing Maman Allah cemetery in the City of Al Quds, as the graveyard is an Islamic Waqf that includes Islamic endowed buildings and the remains of tens of thousands of Muslims, notably the Prophet’s Companions, Muslim martyrs and scholars.

The Israeli High Court on Wednesday rejected appeals by two Muslim organisations which complained that the museum would be built over part of an ancient Muslim cemetery.

The Secretary General considered that the desecration of graves and the remains of dead Muslims is a gross violation of the sanctity of the dead, just as it is a blatant infringement of Muslim endowments built on the same site.

Ihsanoglu noted that since Israel engaged in the desecration of the graveyard and the exhumation of Muslim graves, the OIC has issued a warning about the gravity of the Israeli attacks on Muslim graves. He also initiated contacts with the UN Secretary General and the Director General of UNESCO and a number of officials in the world to stop this flagrant aggression.

Ihsanoglu called upon the international community to intervene in order to hold Israel from carrying through its criminal act and put an immediate end to the desecration of Muslim cemeteries and aggression against Muslim property and sacred sites.

Also, Lebanese Hezbollah on Sunday slammed Israel for allowing the construction of a "Museum" on the site of a Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem.

A statement said, Hezbollah issues "its strongest condemnation for the desecration of a historic Islamic cemetery in occupied Jerusalem permitted by the (Israeli) enemy by allowing an American company to build a museum on the site."

Hezbollah called for Arab, Muslim and international action to put an end to these racist and inhumane practices.

"They cannot transform the original identity of the sacred city from its original Palestinian identity," the statement added.

Agencies

Israels onslaught on Gaza criminal

by MRN
January 1, 2013July 25, 2013

Israel’s Onslaught on Gaza: Criminal, for Sure; But Also Stupid

By ALEXANDER COCKBURN

In contrast to the grim forecasts of many fine contributors to this site over the past days, your CounterPunch editors have been inclined to take the view that Israel’s onslaught on Gaza, appalling though the carnage has been, is not only a crime but a blunder, like the attack on Lebanon in 2006, which demonstrated Israel’s military weakness, and the corruption of its armed forces after long years of bravely tormenting unarmed Palestinian peasants at check points, sawing down their olive groves and crushing their homes with bulldozers and high explosive.

The left has a tendency to demonize its enemies in terms of proficiency in administering their dastardly onslaughts. Through this optic, the claims of the arms manufacturers are always taken at face value, whether about the effectiveness of bunker busters, or devices to detect Hamas’ Qassams. In our latest newsletter we print a long interview with Hamas’ leader in Damascus, Khaled Meshal, conducted by CounterPuncher Alya Rea, myself and others, including former US Senator James Abourezk. Meshal made a case for Israel’s decline in military effectiveness: