IRAQI RESISTANCE
MSNBC: 3 American soldiers, 4 Iraqis killed
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Oct. 24 — Two U.S. soldiers were killed and four others were wounded Friday in a mortar attack on their base north of Baghdad, while another American died in a shootout in the northern city of Mosul, the U.S. military said. Separately, two children were killed and three adults were wounded in a grenade attack on a police station in the northern city of Mosul, police said. At least two other Iraqis were killed and seven more were wounded when rockets fell on a Baghdad neighborhood overnight
Friday, October 24, 2003
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES: APARTHEID WALL
Reuters: Israel Has Plans For Extending Security Fence
JERUSALEM (Reuters) -- Israel has prepared a plan to extend a security barrier into the eastern part of the West Bank which, if completed, would completely encircle Palestinians, a senior security source said on Friday.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, when asked about the plan in a television interview, confirmed its existence but gave no details about exactly when or where it would be built.
"At the moment, we are planning the route and when it will be ready, it will be brought before the government (for approval)," Sharon said in response to a question about where the eastern portion of the fence will be located.
Israel has already built a 90-mile barrier, which is expected to extend 180 miles by the end of the year, in what it says an attempt to keep Palestinian suicide bombers away. Palestinians say the fence, built inside the West Bank, is a land grab keeping them from their property.
Reuters: Israel Has Plans For Extending Security Fence
JERUSALEM (Reuters) -- Israel has prepared a plan to extend a security barrier into the eastern part of the West Bank which, if completed, would completely encircle Palestinians, a senior security source said on Friday.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, when asked about the plan in a television interview, confirmed its existence but gave no details about exactly when or where it would be built.
"At the moment, we are planning the route and when it will be ready, it will be brought before the government (for approval)," Sharon said in response to a question about where the eastern portion of the fence will be located.
Israel has already built a 90-mile barrier, which is expected to extend 180 miles by the end of the year, in what it says an attempt to keep Palestinian suicide bombers away. Palestinians say the fence, built inside the West Bank, is a land grab keeping them from their property.
E-VOTING
Indymedia: Indymedia fights Diebold's legal attempt to silence discussions about e-voting
Documents are publicly available that detail vulnerabilities in electronic voting machines manufactured by the Diebold Corporation. Diebold has been sending cease and desist letters to internet service providers (ISPs) that host the documents or links to them. Numerous Indymedia servers have been targeted by Diebold in its campaign to suppress this critical information.
Indymedia will defend its right to post internal memos and documents detailing vulnerabilities in electronic voting machines manufactured by the Diebold Corporation. The documents were made publicly available, and subsequently reported by writer Bev Harris on her websites blackboxvoting.com and blackboxvoting.org.
The vast information contained in these documents is still being investigated by top computer scientists and researchers, but a set of widely circulated internal memos detail Diebold's flippant disregard of test runs, accuracy audits, and security for its voting machines. System tests (much like a dress rehearsal) are often required by local election laws--Diebold memos mention how they simply changed the name "memory test" to "***System Test Passed***" as if the machine performed a self audit. The memos also say how Diebold installed new versions of the voting software that were left untested.
Their election results are not secure, as evidenced by this comment in one email regarding the "contents" (i.e. the votes) of the e-voting machines: "Now, where the perception comes in is that its right now very *easy* to change the contents. Double click the .mdb file." Diebold's Republican executives have touted e-voting as a solution to the punchcard voting systems that scandalized Florida in 2000. In fact, this evidence of security and reliability flaws raises serious questions about this "solution" to election woes in the US.
Indymedia: Indymedia fights Diebold's legal attempt to silence discussions about e-voting
Documents are publicly available that detail vulnerabilities in electronic voting machines manufactured by the Diebold Corporation. Diebold has been sending cease and desist letters to internet service providers (ISPs) that host the documents or links to them. Numerous Indymedia servers have been targeted by Diebold in its campaign to suppress this critical information.
Indymedia will defend its right to post internal memos and documents detailing vulnerabilities in electronic voting machines manufactured by the Diebold Corporation. The documents were made publicly available, and subsequently reported by writer Bev Harris on her websites blackboxvoting.com and blackboxvoting.org.
The vast information contained in these documents is still being investigated by top computer scientists and researchers, but a set of widely circulated internal memos detail Diebold's flippant disregard of test runs, accuracy audits, and security for its voting machines. System tests (much like a dress rehearsal) are often required by local election laws--Diebold memos mention how they simply changed the name "memory test" to "***System Test Passed***" as if the machine performed a self audit. The memos also say how Diebold installed new versions of the voting software that were left untested.
Their election results are not secure, as evidenced by this comment in one email regarding the "contents" (i.e. the votes) of the e-voting machines: "Now, where the perception comes in is that its right now very *easy* to change the contents. Double click the .mdb file." Diebold's Republican executives have touted e-voting as a solution to the punchcard voting systems that scandalized Florida in 2000. In fact, this evidence of security and reliability flaws raises serious questions about this "solution" to election woes in the US.
IRAQI RESISTANCE
ITAR: 11 US Troops Wounded In Iraq Wednesday
BEIRUT, October 23 (Itar-Tass) - Eleven U.S. soldiers were wounded in various parts of Iraq during the past 24 hours as a result of armed actions of resistance fighters against the coalition troops, Al-Jazeera TV station of Qatar reports.
The attackers threw several grenades at a military police patrol in El-Habbani, 75 kilometres away from Baghdad. Three U.S. soldiers were wounded. An armoured jeep struck a mine on a highway connecting El-Amiriya and El-Falluja. According to witnesses, four U.S. soldiers were gravely wounded and taken to hospital. A patrol car struck a mine in Kirkuk. Two soldiers were wounded.
ITAR: 11 US Troops Wounded In Iraq Wednesday
BEIRUT, October 23 (Itar-Tass) - Eleven U.S. soldiers were wounded in various parts of Iraq during the past 24 hours as a result of armed actions of resistance fighters against the coalition troops, Al-Jazeera TV station of Qatar reports.
The attackers threw several grenades at a military police patrol in El-Habbani, 75 kilometres away from Baghdad. Three U.S. soldiers were wounded. An armoured jeep struck a mine on a highway connecting El-Amiriya and El-Falluja. According to witnesses, four U.S. soldiers were gravely wounded and taken to hospital. A patrol car struck a mine in Kirkuk. Two soldiers were wounded.
USA/ISRAEL USS LIBERTY
Toronto Star: Lyndon Johnson ordered cover-up: Former navy lawyer
WASHINGTON — A former navy lawyer who helped lead the military investigation of the 1967 Israeli attack on the USS Liberty that killed 34 American servicemen says former president Lyndon Johnson and his defence secretary, Robert McNamara, ordered that the inquiry conclude the incident was an accident.
In a signed affidavit released at a Capitol Hill news conference, retired captain Ward Boston said Johnson and McNamara told those heading the navy's inquiry to "conclude that the attack was a case of 'mistaken identity' despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary."
Boston was senior legal counsel to the navy's original 1967 review of the attack. He said in the sworn statement that he stayed silent for years because he's a military man, and "when orders come, I follow them."
UPI: New charges vs. Israel in '67 ship attack
WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- A private commission investigating the
1967 attack on the U.S. spy ship USS Liberty on Wednesday released the sworn
testimony of one naval investigator that the Israelis knew the ship was
American and intended to "murder its entire crew." Israeli aircraft
and torpedo boats attacked the USS Liberty on June 8, 1967, killing 34 U.S.
sailors and injuring 172 others in one of the deadliest attacks
suffered by a U.S. ship that remained afloat.
The Israeli government claimed it was a case of "mistaken identity" and
that their pilots were gunning for a 1937-era Egyptian freighter, but
this claim set off a 36-year controversy between the two countries. Both
U.S. and Israel groups have investigated the attack over the years, but the
issue has never been settled. Coming now, the evidence becomes part of
a controversy over Israelis influence in Washington and whether it has
tilted the Bush administration toward Jerusalem.
Toronto Star: Lyndon Johnson ordered cover-up: Former navy lawyer
WASHINGTON — A former navy lawyer who helped lead the military investigation of the 1967 Israeli attack on the USS Liberty that killed 34 American servicemen says former president Lyndon Johnson and his defence secretary, Robert McNamara, ordered that the inquiry conclude the incident was an accident.
In a signed affidavit released at a Capitol Hill news conference, retired captain Ward Boston said Johnson and McNamara told those heading the navy's inquiry to "conclude that the attack was a case of 'mistaken identity' despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary."
Boston was senior legal counsel to the navy's original 1967 review of the attack. He said in the sworn statement that he stayed silent for years because he's a military man, and "when orders come, I follow them."
UPI: New charges vs. Israel in '67 ship attack
WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- A private commission investigating the
1967 attack on the U.S. spy ship USS Liberty on Wednesday released the sworn
testimony of one naval investigator that the Israelis knew the ship was
American and intended to "murder its entire crew." Israeli aircraft
and torpedo boats attacked the USS Liberty on June 8, 1967, killing 34 U.S.
sailors and injuring 172 others in one of the deadliest attacks
suffered by a U.S. ship that remained afloat.
The Israeli government claimed it was a case of "mistaken identity" and
that their pilots were gunning for a 1937-era Egyptian freighter, but
this claim set off a 36-year controversy between the two countries. Both
U.S. and Israel groups have investigated the attack over the years, but the
issue has never been settled. Coming now, the evidence becomes part of
a controversy over Israelis influence in Washington and whether it has
tilted the Bush administration toward Jerusalem.
MEDIA WATCH
Codoh: Why we few criticize Israel by Joseph Sobran
WASHINGTON - People sometimes ask me why I'm so critical of Israel, as
if I should be devoting more of my attention to Sri Lanka, or perhaps Zaire.
But the question is always a little nervous, as it wouldn't be if I were
writing equally often about Sri Lanka or Zaire.
I could understand this curiosity if some other small, remote country
were one of the world's four or five military powers; if it received a
quarter of our foreign aid; if it were constantly on our front pages; and if
its sympathizers regularly occupied much of the op-ed space of The New York
Times and other major newspapers. But there is only one country of whom
these things are true, and that is Israel.
Nobody thinks it's odd that there should be 20 columnists who are
apologists for Israel; but apparently it is unfathomable that there
should be one or two who are critical of Israel.
Codoh: Why we few criticize Israel by Joseph Sobran
WASHINGTON - People sometimes ask me why I'm so critical of Israel, as
if I should be devoting more of my attention to Sri Lanka, or perhaps Zaire.
But the question is always a little nervous, as it wouldn't be if I were
writing equally often about Sri Lanka or Zaire.
I could understand this curiosity if some other small, remote country
were one of the world's four or five military powers; if it received a
quarter of our foreign aid; if it were constantly on our front pages; and if
its sympathizers regularly occupied much of the op-ed space of The New York
Times and other major newspapers. But there is only one country of whom
these things are true, and that is Israel.
Nobody thinks it's odd that there should be 20 columnists who are
apologists for Israel; but apparently it is unfathomable that there
should be one or two who are critical of Israel.
IRAQ
Sojourners: The Burden of Truth
Two former CIA analysts talk about the lies behind the Iraq war and the heavy weight of conscience.
"It's the first time that I've seen such a long-term, orchestrated plan of deception by
which one branch of our government deliberately misled the other on a
matter of war and peace. Here was a very calculated plan, proceeding
from a 'Mein Kampf' type of document... The first objective was to deceive
Congress into approving the plans. They succeeded masterfully. They had
their war, and they thought that in the wake of the war, with Iraqis
opening their arms to us, no one would really care whether there were,
in fact, weapons of mass destruction. They were absolutely wrong on that.
People do care, as one by one our servicemen and women are killed in a
war fought on false pretences."
Sojourners: The Burden of Truth
Two former CIA analysts talk about the lies behind the Iraq war and the heavy weight of conscience.
"It's the first time that I've seen such a long-term, orchestrated plan of deception by
which one branch of our government deliberately misled the other on a
matter of war and peace. Here was a very calculated plan, proceeding
from a 'Mein Kampf' type of document... The first objective was to deceive
Congress into approving the plans. They succeeded masterfully. They had
their war, and they thought that in the wake of the war, with Iraqis
opening their arms to us, no one would really care whether there were,
in fact, weapons of mass destruction. They were absolutely wrong on that.
People do care, as one by one our servicemen and women are killed in a
war fought on false pretences."
MEDIA WATCH
WMERA: Reversing Reality: Newspaper Coverage of Israel and Palestine
Recently, the Bay Area-based organization If Americans Knew conducted statistical studies of two local newspapers, the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Jose Mercury News. The results showed a consistently inaccurate and highly distorted picture of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the news coverage of both papers. In every category examined, Israeli deaths were covered at far higher rates—2 to 25 times greater—than Palestinian ones.
The San Francisco Chronicle gave readers a false sense of parity between Israelis and Palestinians by reporting nearly equal numbers of deaths on both sides, despite the fact that Palestinians are being killed at a rate three to four times greater than Israelis.
The San Jose Mercury News, analysis revealed, actually inverted the death rates in its front-page headlines.
The fact that the media have been criticized by partisans on both sides of the issue has made it difficult for the largely non-aligned American public to evaluate the quality of the reporting they receive on this issue. For this reason, If Americans Knew has begun issuing report cards on media coverage of this critically important conflict. The studies, which examine six-month time periods, are based on quantitative criteria, in order to refute any charges of subjective interpretation.
WMERA: Reversing Reality: Newspaper Coverage of Israel and Palestine
Recently, the Bay Area-based organization If Americans Knew conducted statistical studies of two local newspapers, the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Jose Mercury News. The results showed a consistently inaccurate and highly distorted picture of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the news coverage of both papers. In every category examined, Israeli deaths were covered at far higher rates—2 to 25 times greater—than Palestinian ones.
The San Francisco Chronicle gave readers a false sense of parity between Israelis and Palestinians by reporting nearly equal numbers of deaths on both sides, despite the fact that Palestinians are being killed at a rate three to four times greater than Israelis.
The San Jose Mercury News, analysis revealed, actually inverted the death rates in its front-page headlines.
The fact that the media have been criticized by partisans on both sides of the issue has made it difficult for the largely non-aligned American public to evaluate the quality of the reporting they receive on this issue. For this reason, If Americans Knew has begun issuing report cards on media coverage of this critically important conflict. The studies, which examine six-month time periods, are based on quantitative criteria, in order to refute any charges of subjective interpretation.
OCCUPPIED TERRITORIES
Reuters: Israel Plans 323 New Homes at W.Bank Settlements
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel announced Thursday it will go ahead with plans for construction of hundreds of new homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank , the second time in a month it has defied a U.S.-backed peace plan on this issue.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat condemned the project as well as Israel's decision Wednesday to press on with construction of a barrier in the West Bank despite a United Nations resolution demanding it be torn down.
Reuters: Israel Plans 323 New Homes at W.Bank Settlements
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel announced Thursday it will go ahead with plans for construction of hundreds of new homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank , the second time in a month it has defied a U.S.-backed peace plan on this issue.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat condemned the project as well as Israel's decision Wednesday to press on with construction of a barrier in the West Bank despite a United Nations resolution demanding it be torn down.
Thursday, October 23, 2003
USA
Asia Times: Cheney's grip tight on foreign policy reins
WASHINGTON - The image was not an edifying one: the president of the United States a horse, his vice president, the rider.
But that is the picture Senator Joseph Biden, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, used to describe the power relationship between US President George W Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney in a recent interview with the National Journal.
Secretary of State Colin Powell, according to Biden's account, sometimes talks Bush into pursuing a more conciliatory foreign policy line, as he has done with North Korea or the United Nations from time to time.
"Like with a horse, Powell is always able to lead Bush to the water. But just as he is about to put his head down, Cheney up in the saddle says, 'Un-uh', and yanks up the reins before Bush can drink the water. That's my image of how it goes," Biden said
Asia Times: Cheney's grip tight on foreign policy reins
WASHINGTON - The image was not an edifying one: the president of the United States a horse, his vice president, the rider.
But that is the picture Senator Joseph Biden, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, used to describe the power relationship between US President George W Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney in a recent interview with the National Journal.
Secretary of State Colin Powell, according to Biden's account, sometimes talks Bush into pursuing a more conciliatory foreign policy line, as he has done with North Korea or the United Nations from time to time.
"Like with a horse, Powell is always able to lead Bush to the water. But just as he is about to put his head down, Cheney up in the saddle says, 'Un-uh', and yanks up the reins before Bush can drink the water. That's my image of how it goes," Biden said
USA
Washington Post: Curtains Ordered for Media Coverage of Returning Coffins
Since the end of the Vietnam War, presidents have worried that their military actions would lose support once the public glimpsed the remains of U.S. soldiers arriving at air bases in flag-draped caskets.
To this problem, the Bush administration has found a simple solution: It has ended the public dissemination of such images by banning news coverage and photography of dead soldiers' homecomings on all military bases.
Washington Post: Curtains Ordered for Media Coverage of Returning Coffins
Since the end of the Vietnam War, presidents have worried that their military actions would lose support once the public glimpsed the remains of U.S. soldiers arriving at air bases in flag-draped caskets.
To this problem, the Bush administration has found a simple solution: It has ended the public dissemination of such images by banning news coverage and photography of dead soldiers' homecomings on all military bases.
IRAQ
BBC: Halliburton in Iraq fuel costs row
Halliburton, the oil services and construction group, has been accused by US lawmakers of charging "inflated prices" when they sell petrol to US troops in Iraq.
Halliburton charges the US government more than $1.59 (£0.95) for a gallon of petrol used by the US Army Corp of Engineers in Iraq, according to US Representatives Henry Waxman and John Dingell.
The price charged is much higher than that paid by Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organisation when it imports petrol from Turkey or other neighbouring countries at 98 cents or less for a gallon.
BBC: Halliburton in Iraq fuel costs row
Halliburton, the oil services and construction group, has been accused by US lawmakers of charging "inflated prices" when they sell petrol to US troops in Iraq.
Halliburton charges the US government more than $1.59 (£0.95) for a gallon of petrol used by the US Army Corp of Engineers in Iraq, according to US Representatives Henry Waxman and John Dingell.
The price charged is much higher than that paid by Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organisation when it imports petrol from Turkey or other neighbouring countries at 98 cents or less for a gallon.
IRAQ
USA Today: After grim Rumsfeld memo, White House supports him
WASHINGTON — The United States has no yardstick for measuring progress in the war on terrorism, has not "yet made truly bold moves" in fighting al-Qaeda and other terror groups, and is in for a "long, hard slog" in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a memo that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld sent to top-ranking Defense officials last week.
USA Today: After grim Rumsfeld memo, White House supports him
WASHINGTON — The United States has no yardstick for measuring progress in the war on terrorism, has not "yet made truly bold moves" in fighting al-Qaeda and other terror groups, and is in for a "long, hard slog" in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a memo that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld sent to top-ranking Defense officials last week.
Wednesday, October 22, 2003
IRAQI RESISTANCE
Aljazeera: Iraqi Resistance Looks Set To Intensify
Spin doctors are well aware it is easier to sell a simple lie than tell a complex, often uncomfortable, truth.
That is why the United States dismisses armed resistance to its occupation of Iraq as "terrorism - pure and simple".
Since the start of the US-led occupation of Iraq in April Washington has been at pains to characterise attacks against its forces as the work of Saddam loyalists.
As recently as June, Paul Bremer, Iraq's occupation administrator, told a Congressional subcommittee the resistance was coming from remnants of the Baath party and the Republican Guard.
But since then he has changed his tune, and this week he sounded his first note of alarm over the presence of Islamist groups.
Bremer admission
"Starting in July, we saw them begin to regroup and come back in. There's no question we have scores of Ansar al-Islam and al-Qaida terrorists here. And we have problems, particularly at the Syrian border of people still coming into the country," he said.
Iraqi analysts like Salman al-Jumaili, doctor of political science at Baghdad University, agree.
Al-Jumali has studied the backgrounds of resistance fighters killed in combat.
"You will find that the vast majority of them are Islamists - I mean Sunni and Shia Muslims - who are fighting for the sole purpose of pushing America out of Iraq," he told Aljazeera net.
Aljazeera: Iraqi Resistance Looks Set To Intensify
Spin doctors are well aware it is easier to sell a simple lie than tell a complex, often uncomfortable, truth.
That is why the United States dismisses armed resistance to its occupation of Iraq as "terrorism - pure and simple".
Since the start of the US-led occupation of Iraq in April Washington has been at pains to characterise attacks against its forces as the work of Saddam loyalists.
As recently as June, Paul Bremer, Iraq's occupation administrator, told a Congressional subcommittee the resistance was coming from remnants of the Baath party and the Republican Guard.
But since then he has changed his tune, and this week he sounded his first note of alarm over the presence of Islamist groups.
Bremer admission
"Starting in July, we saw them begin to regroup and come back in. There's no question we have scores of Ansar al-Islam and al-Qaida terrorists here. And we have problems, particularly at the Syrian border of people still coming into the country," he said.
Iraqi analysts like Salman al-Jumaili, doctor of political science at Baghdad University, agree.
Al-Jumali has studied the backgrounds of resistance fighters killed in combat.
"You will find that the vast majority of them are Islamists - I mean Sunni and Shia Muslims - who are fighting for the sole purpose of pushing America out of Iraq," he told Aljazeera net.
ISRAEL
Scotsman: Israel Rejects Demand to Take Down Wall
Israel’s vice minister today rejected an overwhelming call by the United Nations to dismantle a massive barrier being built along the line with the West Bank and inside parts of the territory.
The fence will continue to be built,” said Ehud Olmert, dismissing the UN General Assembly as hostile to the Jewish state.
Israel says the wall is necessary to keep suicide bombers out of the country. The Palestinians say Israel is using the barrier as a pretext to take Palestinian land.
In Jerusalem, Israel’s police minister visited the main holy site in the city. It was the first high-level tour of the compound since Israeli-Palestinian fighting erupted there three years ago.
The visit ended without incident, although Palestinians criticised it as a provocation.
Violence continued to flare in the West Bank and Gaza today. Israeli troops shot and killed three Palestinian militants in a series of raids and clashes. Two Jewish settlers and two Palestinians were also wounded in the violence
Olmert, speaking to Israel Radio, dismissed the resolution as an example of the world’s hostility toward Israel. "Boese Boese Welt"
Asked if Israel would stop building the barrier, Olmert laughed and told the radio presenter, “You have a sense of humour.”
Scotsman: Israel Rejects Demand to Take Down Wall
Israel’s vice minister today rejected an overwhelming call by the United Nations to dismantle a massive barrier being built along the line with the West Bank and inside parts of the territory.
The fence will continue to be built,” said Ehud Olmert, dismissing the UN General Assembly as hostile to the Jewish state.
Israel says the wall is necessary to keep suicide bombers out of the country. The Palestinians say Israel is using the barrier as a pretext to take Palestinian land.
In Jerusalem, Israel’s police minister visited the main holy site in the city. It was the first high-level tour of the compound since Israeli-Palestinian fighting erupted there three years ago.
The visit ended without incident, although Palestinians criticised it as a provocation.
Violence continued to flare in the West Bank and Gaza today. Israeli troops shot and killed three Palestinian militants in a series of raids and clashes. Two Jewish settlers and two Palestinians were also wounded in the violence
Olmert, speaking to Israel Radio, dismissed the resolution as an example of the world’s hostility toward Israel. "Boese Boese Welt"
Asked if Israel would stop building the barrier, Olmert laughed and told the radio presenter, “You have a sense of humour.”
ISRAEL
Guardian: Key UN resolutions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
On the day Israel announced it would defy the UN over its security fence, Simon Jeffery reviews the world body's key resolutions on the Middle East
Both the United Nations general assembly and its 15-member security council, the body with the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, have passed resolutions relating to the division of the former British mandate of Palestine and the subsequent Arab-Israeli conflict since the 1947. The security council has alone passed over 200.
Unlike that body, the general assembly does not have the power to make its resolutions legally binding under the UN charter. However, it is an important indicator of international opinion and today called on Israel to dismantle its West Bank "security fence". Its other notable resolutions include the following:
181
The 1947 resolution that endorsed the partition plan for Palestine.
3379
Passed in 1975, resolution 3379 stated that Zionism to be a form of racism and racial discrimination. This has remained a controversial topic, and its resurgence at the UN 2001 anti-racism summit in South Africa saw both Israel and the US walk out.
The security council's resolutions deal with the day-to-day and year-to-year episodes in the conflict. Though not explicitly legally-binding as those issued under chapter seven of the charter (which include the 1950 and 1991 resolutions ahead of the Korean and Gulf wars), they have consistently called for actions to bring peace forward. They include:
Guardian: Key UN resolutions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
On the day Israel announced it would defy the UN over its security fence, Simon Jeffery reviews the world body's key resolutions on the Middle East
Both the United Nations general assembly and its 15-member security council, the body with the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, have passed resolutions relating to the division of the former British mandate of Palestine and the subsequent Arab-Israeli conflict since the 1947. The security council has alone passed over 200.
Unlike that body, the general assembly does not have the power to make its resolutions legally binding under the UN charter. However, it is an important indicator of international opinion and today called on Israel to dismantle its West Bank "security fence". Its other notable resolutions include the following:
181
The 1947 resolution that endorsed the partition plan for Palestine.
3379
Passed in 1975, resolution 3379 stated that Zionism to be a form of racism and racial discrimination. This has remained a controversial topic, and its resurgence at the UN 2001 anti-racism summit in South Africa saw both Israel and the US walk out.
The security council's resolutions deal with the day-to-day and year-to-year episodes in the conflict. Though not explicitly legally-binding as those issued under chapter seven of the charter (which include the 1950 and 1991 resolutions ahead of the Korean and Gulf wars), they have consistently called for actions to bring peace forward. They include:
SITE OF THE DAY
Bist Du Toy und kannst nicht selber zeichnen? Check den Grafitti Creator 2 und sei King.
Bist Du Toy und kannst nicht selber zeichnen? Check den Grafitti Creator 2 und sei King.
STREETART
BBC: Graffiti star sneaks work into Tate
A painting smuggled into Tate Britain by graffiti artist Banksy went unnoticed until it crashed to the floor hours later.
Banksy, best known for creating the sleeve of Blur's current album, glued the painting to the wall on Wednesday after visiting the gallery in disguise.
The picture consisted of a rural scene with an image of police tape stencilled on to it.
It has now been placed in the London gallery's lost property section.
The painting was accompanied by a card which read "Banksy 1975. Crimewatch UK Has Ruined The Countryside For All Of Us. 2003. Oil On Canvas".
cool
BBC: Graffiti star sneaks work into Tate
A painting smuggled into Tate Britain by graffiti artist Banksy went unnoticed until it crashed to the floor hours later.
Banksy, best known for creating the sleeve of Blur's current album, glued the painting to the wall on Wednesday after visiting the gallery in disguise.
The picture consisted of a rural scene with an image of police tape stencilled on to it.
It has now been placed in the London gallery's lost property section.
The painting was accompanied by a card which read "Banksy 1975. Crimewatch UK Has Ruined The Countryside For All Of Us. 2003. Oil On Canvas".
cool
Tuesday, October 21, 2003
LADY DI CONSPIRACY
Propagandamatrix: Princess Diana Predicted Her Own Assassination
British newspapers today broke the astounding story of how Princess Diana wrote that she would be killed in an incident made to look like a car accident ten months before her death.
The princess predicted: “This particular phase in my life is the most dangerous.” She said "XXXXXXXXXXX is planning ‘an accident’ in my car, brake failure and serious head injury in order to make the path clear for Charles to marry”.
The blanked out 'xxxxxxx' is very likely to be MI5/MI6, who also recently did the dirty work of finishing off David Kelly.
Propagandamatrix: Princess Diana Predicted Her Own Assassination
British newspapers today broke the astounding story of how Princess Diana wrote that she would be killed in an incident made to look like a car accident ten months before her death.
The princess predicted: “This particular phase in my life is the most dangerous.” She said "XXXXXXXXXXX is planning ‘an accident’ in my car, brake failure and serious head injury in order to make the path clear for Charles to marry”.
The blanked out 'xxxxxxx' is very likely to be MI5/MI6, who also recently did the dirty work of finishing off David Kelly.
911
News24: FBI: Moussaoui not involved
Washington - The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has concluded that
Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person charged in America in connection
with the September 11 attacks, was not involved in the strikes, Time
magazine reported on Sunday.
The news weekly, in its edition appearing on Monday, quotes
unidentified sources as saying the FBI has long believed that the Moroccan-born
Frenchman "played no part in the 9/11 scheme and was only a minor
player in al-Qaeda."
Moussaoui was detained by US authorities on an immigration violation
less than a month before the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade
Centre and the Pentagon.
News24: FBI: Moussaoui not involved
Washington - The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has concluded that
Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person charged in America in connection
with the September 11 attacks, was not involved in the strikes, Time
magazine reported on Sunday.
The news weekly, in its edition appearing on Monday, quotes
unidentified sources as saying the FBI has long believed that the Moroccan-born
Frenchman "played no part in the 9/11 scheme and was only a minor
player in al-Qaeda."
Moussaoui was detained by US authorities on an immigration violation
less than a month before the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade
Centre and the Pentagon.
IRAQ
Telegraph: US army chiefs plan 'strategic exit' from Iraq
United States commanders in Iraq have drawn up detailed proposals for a
rapid reduction of troop numbers over the next 18 months in the first
indication of formal planning for an exit strategy. The plans, which
have been put to Donald Rumsfeld, the defence secretary, but not yet
approved by him, suggest reducing the American forces from 130,000 to about 100,000
by next summer.
Commanders told the Washington Post the aim was to show they could
reduce the force without compromising Iraq's stability, leaving fewer then
50,000 US troops by mid-2005. The timetable would be attractive to the White
House in the countdown to next year's election, but it may yet prove
unrealistic given the instability in post-Saddam Iraq.
Telegraph: US army chiefs plan 'strategic exit' from Iraq
United States commanders in Iraq have drawn up detailed proposals for a
rapid reduction of troop numbers over the next 18 months in the first
indication of formal planning for an exit strategy. The plans, which
have been put to Donald Rumsfeld, the defence secretary, but not yet
approved by him, suggest reducing the American forces from 130,000 to about 100,000
by next summer.
Commanders told the Washington Post the aim was to show they could
reduce the force without compromising Iraq's stability, leaving fewer then
50,000 US troops by mid-2005. The timetable would be attractive to the White
House in the countdown to next year's election, but it may yet prove
unrealistic given the instability in post-Saddam Iraq.
ARABIA
Guardian: The return of Arabophobia
Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden are only the latest in a long line of Arab bogeymen
First, they tried to dismiss Iraqi resistance as the work of "Saddam loyalists". Then they sought to blame "outside forces". Now, as it becomes clear that Iraqis of all sects oppose the occupation, a third explanation has arisen. Terrorism, anarchy and criminality are prevalent in Iraq because ... er ... terrorism, anarchy and criminality are what Iraqis do.
Arabophobia has been part of western culture since the Crusades, with Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden only the latest in a long line of Arab bogeymen. For centuries the Arab has played the role of villain, seducer of our women, hustler and thief - the barbarian lurking at the gates of civilisation.
"CHECK IT"
Guardian: The return of Arabophobia
Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden are only the latest in a long line of Arab bogeymen
First, they tried to dismiss Iraqi resistance as the work of "Saddam loyalists". Then they sought to blame "outside forces". Now, as it becomes clear that Iraqis of all sects oppose the occupation, a third explanation has arisen. Terrorism, anarchy and criminality are prevalent in Iraq because ... er ... terrorism, anarchy and criminality are what Iraqis do.
Arabophobia has been part of western culture since the Crusades, with Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden only the latest in a long line of Arab bogeymen. For centuries the Arab has played the role of villain, seducer of our women, hustler and thief - the barbarian lurking at the gates of civilisation.
"CHECK IT"
AFGHANISTAN
Aljazeera: The picture which shames US army
A secretly taken picture of an American soldier frisking an Afghan child has shocked human rights campaigners across the world.
Aljazeera: The picture which shames US army
A secretly taken picture of an American soldier frisking an Afghan child has shocked human rights campaigners across the world.
RUSSIA
Observer: Torture now routine for Putin's police
Once the policeman's gas mask was sealed tight around his face, Denis, 18, lasted 90 seconds before passing out. After a heavy beating by police fists and batons, Denis had still not confessed to stealing a car radio from a garage near his home. So two officers handcuffed his hands behind his back and clamped the 'elephant mask', as it is called, to his bruised head. They shut its valves and then waited.
'I thought it was all over, that I was going to die,' said Denis, a hardy car mechanic whose experience of police torture has left him unable to walk the streets without a gang of friends by his side.
Observer: Torture now routine for Putin's police
Once the policeman's gas mask was sealed tight around his face, Denis, 18, lasted 90 seconds before passing out. After a heavy beating by police fists and batons, Denis had still not confessed to stealing a car radio from a garage near his home. So two officers handcuffed his hands behind his back and clamped the 'elephant mask', as it is called, to his bruised head. They shut its valves and then waited.
'I thought it was all over, that I was going to die,' said Denis, a hardy car mechanic whose experience of police torture has left him unable to walk the streets without a gang of friends by his side.
IRAQ
Reuters: Bremer Fought to Weaken Iraqi Oil Watchdog-Sources
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - During three months of tough negotiations,
Iraq's U.S. administrator fought hard to trim the powers of an
independent watchdog being set up to monitor how he spends Iraq's oil money,
international agency officials said on Friday.
At one point, administrator Paul Bremer suspended the talks for six
weeks to show his displeasure with efforts by the agencies -- including the
United Nations and World Bank -- to ensure the independence of the new
watchdog agency, to be known as the International Advisory and
Monitoring Board, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Reuters: Bremer Fought to Weaken Iraqi Oil Watchdog-Sources
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - During three months of tough negotiations,
Iraq's U.S. administrator fought hard to trim the powers of an
independent watchdog being set up to monitor how he spends Iraq's oil money,
international agency officials said on Friday.
At one point, administrator Paul Bremer suspended the talks for six
weeks to show his displeasure with efforts by the agencies -- including the
United Nations and World Bank -- to ensure the independence of the new
watchdog agency, to be known as the International Advisory and
Monitoring Board, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"The point of public relations slogans like "Support our troops" is
that they don't mean anything... That's the whole point of good propaganda.
You want to create a slogan that nobody's going to be against, and
everybody's going to be for. Nobody knows what it means, because it doesn't mean
anything. Its crucial value is that it diverts your attention from a
question that does mean something: Do you support our policy? That's
the one you're not allowed to talk about." -- Noam Chomsky
"The point of public relations slogans like "Support our troops" is
that they don't mean anything... That's the whole point of good propaganda.
You want to create a slogan that nobody's going to be against, and
everybody's going to be for. Nobody knows what it means, because it doesn't mean
anything. Its crucial value is that it diverts your attention from a
question that does mean something: Do you support our policy? That's
the one you're not allowed to talk about." -- Noam Chomsky
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