Opinion

State Dep’t report on talks with Israel says 0 about settlements and claims Iran seeks to develop nuclear weapons

Shameless. Israel has moved to legalize Jewish colonization of “Judea and Samaria.” The US State Department has nothing to say about it, From the State Department this morning: “U.S.-Israel Strategic Dialogue”

Today, Israel and the United States convened their semi-annual Strategic Dialogue at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem. The Strategic Dialogue, the highest level regularly scheduled diplomatic meetings between the two countries, highlights the strong alliance and deep ties that bind Israel and the United States. Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon and Deputy Secretary of State William Burns headed the respective delegations. 

The two sides engaged in a productive, wide ranging discussion of issues of mutual concern. Special attention was paid to the ongoing changes in the region, which present both challenges and opportunities for progress. 

Iran’s continued quest to develop nuclear weapons, which the United States and Israel are both determined to prevent, the destabilizing role which it plays in the region and its promotion of international terrorism were addressed by the parties. 

The two sides agreed that the ongoing bloodshed inflicted on the Syrian population by the Asad regime, assisted by Iran and Hezbollah, is a source of major humanitarian concern and the continued violence of the Syrian regime against its citizens could also lead to severe consequences for the entire region.

Updated: Adds Phyllis Bennis:

“Fascinating – as usual, directly contradicts the official National Intelligence Estimate that says Iran is NOT building a nuclear weapon (and of course doesn’t even know whether Iran has even decided to build a nuclear weapon). The official position would be that Iran is seeking potential nuclear capacity.

“I won’t say a word about the misspelling of Assad and the new claim that somehow Hezbollah is helping Assad, rather than the other way around.”

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Remember Sheldon Adelson?

http://www.njdc.org/blog/post/adelson071112

The neocons show once more that their power stretches far beyond the Republicans. Even ‘liberals’ like Dersh rode out to protect Adelson. And the neocons won, again.

Also, an unrelated note. I watched a clip of MSNBC the other night. I think it was on Al Sharpton’s show. He was talking about Romney’s megadonors at Romney’s recent Hampton’s fundraiser(where he held two). First there was a picture of Ron Perelman. But I noticed that Sharpton stumbled on this, probably because of the way his surname sounds, instead he didn’t even name him at all.

His face was minimized to the far bottom right of the screen and Sharpton just briefly referred to him as ‘a billionare’. Sharpton never mentioned what the agenda was at Perelman’s fundraiser, what Perelman’s interests were, what he has funded etc. All that was completely ignored and soon he was in a rush to move on.

But then the show migrated to the other fundraiser, held by the Koch brothers.

All of the sudden, the names were bring bandied about front and center with huge pictures of both of the brothers. Sharpton went into considerable detail of their financial interests and motivations.

The segment made me chuckle. I can understand as well as empthasize with the reasons for censorship in this area… but there’s something infantile here.

The Iranians do not need to close the Strait of Hormus,after some US generals arrogantly warned “don’t even think about it” I was reminded about what professor Mirandi of Tehran University said recently, in the event of war all export terminals in the gulf would be destroyed, there would be no shipping to stop, the Ras Tanura terminal in Sauadi Arabia for instance, just across the Strait and dangerously exposed could be wiped out with only a couple of missiles. ” An assault on Ras Tanura would be vastly more serious as much as 80% of the near 9 million barrels of oil a day pumped out by the Saudis is believed to end up being piped from fields such as Ghawar to Ras Tanura in the Gulf to be loaded onto supertankers bound for the West[Terry McAlister Guardian 3rd June 2004] see here:- http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/jun/03/saudiarabia.oil . In my opinion all GCC countries and other satraps loyal to their master, would have their facilities destroyed and as was said at another time, “The Arabs have the oil, but we have the matches [ Sharon]how prophetically true. Are those US politicians willing to wreck the economies of the West or will they take a chance like their prediction of the Iraq war costs 43 billion tops, sorry you clowns 6 trillion dollars out

Of course Abbas still gets his marching orders from his paymaster, the US — no matter what the Palestinians he claims to represent want:

Published on Thursday, July 12, 2012 by Common Dreams
Are US, France Pressuring Palestinian Authority to Quit Arafat Probe?
Palestinian officials ‘flip-flop’ over investigation
– Common Dreams staff

A Palestinian investigation into the mysterious death of former leader Yasser Arafat may be facing serious opposition from the US and France behind closed doors, a Palestinian official warned. Media outlets are now reporting on an apparent ‘flip-flop’ in Palestinian efforts to exhume Arafat’s remains for autopsy.

Yasser Arafat (Photo: Pedro Ugarte/AFP/Getty Images) A Palestinian official, who remained anonymous, told Chinese news agency Xinhua that the US and others have pressured Palestinian leadership to put an end to the inquiry because it would compromise the Middle East peace process.

Arafat died in 2004 from an illness that has yet to be explained. Palestinian suspicions have long held that Israel poisoned Arafat. Israel has denied all such charges.

Earlier this week, Palestinian officials announced that Arafat’s bones would be exhumed. The decision followed a report by Switzerland’s Institute of Radiation Physics that found unexplained and abnormally high levels of polonium-210, a highly radioactive substance, on Arafat’s clothes, toothbrush, kaffiyeh, and other personal belongings.

But on Thursday officials with the Palestinian Authority looking into Arafat’s death suddenly reversed course. Palestinian Justice Minister Ali Mohanna told a news conference Thursday that a further review of the Swiss lab report will be conducted before a final decision to exhume Arafat’s bones is made. No explanation for the U-turn was offered.

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/07/12-1

The best debunker on Iranian nuclear arms that i am aware off, Gareth Porter

http://scotthortonshow.com/2012/07/09/gareth-porter-2/

Is this accurate Phyllis? Or am I just reading in an ass backwards way “”Fascinating – as usual, directly contradicts the official NIE that says US is NOT building a nuclear weapon…

That says Iran is not building a nuclear weapon. The U.S. all ready has nuclear weapons. Know you know this. But is that above statement the way you want it?