Zionism – Breaking News

If the Obama administration truly seeks a break through on the Isarael Palestine conflict

January 1, 2013July 25, 2013

FRAMING, PRINCIPLES AND ELEMENTS: IF THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TRULY SEEKS A BREAK-THROUGH ON THE ISRAEL-PALESTINE CONFLICT

Jeff Halper

December 10, 2008

Writing recently in The Washington Post ("Middle East Priorities," Nov. 21), Brent Scowcroft and Zbigniew Brzezinski, two former US National Security Advisors, a Republican and a Democrat, declared: "We believe that the Arab-Israeli peace process is one issue that requires priority attention [from the incoming Obama Administration]."

Their assessment is correct, of course. Addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an urgent priority. It is a conflict with global ramifications in a part of the world crucial to Western, and especially American, political and economic interests. The Israeli Occupation fuels anger and alienation among Muslims – as well as among peoples beyond the Muslim world, including in Europe – towards the US and its European allies. And the Palestinians are the gatekeepers that cannot be by-passed. No matter what peace plan is devised or how much pressure is exerted on the Palestinian leadership to accept it, until the Palestinian people everywhere, including the refugee camps, say that the conflict is in fact over, it’s not over. This is their ultimate clout. Only when a just solution is reached that genuinely addresses their grievances and needs will they signal to the rest of the Arab and Muslim worlds that the time has come to normalize relations with Israel and its American and Western patrons. This reality is obliquely acknowledged by Scowcroft and Brzezinski when they write: "Not everyone in the Middle East views the Palestinian issue as the greatest regional challenge, but the deep sense of injustice it stimulates is genuine and pervasive."

Egypt too powerless and corrupt to act

January 1, 2013July 25, 2013

Robert Fisk: The Rotten State of Egypt is Too Powerless and Corrupt to Act

There was a day when we worried about the "Arab masses" – the millions of "ordinary" Arabs on the streets of Cairo, Kuwait, Amman, Beirut – and their reaction to the constant bloodbaths in the Middle East. Could Anwar Sadat restrain the anger of his people?

And now – after three decades of Hosni Mubarak – can Mubarak (or "La Vache Qui Rit", as he is still called in Cairo) restrain the anger of his people? The answer, of course, is that Egyptians and Kuwaitis and Jordanians will be allowed to shout in the streets of their capitals – but then they will be shut down, with the help of the tens of thousands of secret policemen and government militiamen who serve the princes and kings and elderly rulers of the Arab world.

Battle over future of public broadcaster

January 1, 2013July 25, 2013

SOUTH AFRICA: Battle Over Future of Public Broadcaster

Stephanie Nieuwoudt

CAPE TOWN, Feb 3 (IPS) – A powerful coalition of civic organisations is calling for a complete overhaul of the legal framework of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) to force it to fulfil its public broadcasting mandate.

At a meeting on Jan. 29, the Save our SABC Coalition said they would step up their focus on the SABC Amendment Bill that is awaiting the signature of President Kgalema Motlanthe. However, the coalition is also lobbying for a separate, new SABC Act which addresses programming content and issues like board appointments, transparency and funding models.

Response from mercedes benz south Africa to media review network

January 1, 2013July 25, 2013

Response From Mercedes-Benz South Africa to Media Review Network

We have been made aware, that during the course of last week individual staff members from our company sent out emails with content of which members of the Islamic community may take offence.

The respective employees acted in a private initiative and illegally abused our company email for this purpose. Mercedes-Benz South Africa has a zero tolerance policy in this regard and we instantly initiated disciplinary action.

On behalf of Mercedes-Benz South Africa as well as on behalf of Daimler AG in Germany I would like to reiterate our pride in our long successful history and tradition as global multi-cultural and multi-national organisations. In fact, our diversity has always been an integral and elementary contributor to our success.

I would like to express my deep and sincere regret for this incident and promise that we will do everything possible to ensure, that something like this does not happen again.

Dr Hansgeorg Niefer
President & CEO
Mercedes-Benz South Africa (Pty) Ltd.