And more news from Today in Palestine:
Land, property, resources theft and destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Settlers
Files show Palestinians unyielding on settlements
RAMALLAH (AFP) 30 Jan — Palestinian delegates to 2010 peace talks rejected out of hand Israel’s demand to hold on to swathes of West Bank settlements, documents given to Agence France-Presse on Saturday show.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=355401
Israeli Arabs: We won’t be guinea pigs
Hundreds of representatives of the Arab sector gathered in the northern city of Baqa al-Gharbiyye on Saturday afternoon and clarified that they would not agree to be transferred to the Palestinian territories … “In principle, we are against the idea of moving us to the territories, because we were born here and will die here,” said Sabih Abu Mukh, head of Baqa al-Gharbiyye’s popular committee. “The whole idea is unacceptable
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4020908,00.html
Protest in Jaffa against settlement project in city
More than 1,000 Jaffa residents protested on Saturday, against a Jewish settlement project currently being built in the heart of the historic Palestinian city. Muslim and Christians Palestinians and progressive Israeli activists carried flags and banners as they marched from the Peres Center for Peace to Jaffa’s Ajami neighborhood, where a 20-unit housing project for religious Jews only is being constructed.
http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/topics/israeli-society/3231-protests-in-jaffa-against-settlement-project-in-city-
Egyptian flags at Jaffa rally
About 1,000 Jaffa residents hit the streets Saturday to protest the “phenomenon of Jewish settlement” in the mixed city located just south of Tel Aviv. Muslim and Christian residents, as well as Jewish left-wing activists, are charging that religious settlers who moved to Jaffa are abusing Arabs in town and stirring provocations.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4020787,00.html
Violence
Palestinian worker shot along Gaza border
GAZA, (PIC)– A Palestinian man was shot Sunday morning by Israeli soldiers while collecting gravel in northern Gaza. The 20-year-old man was shot in the left foot while working in Beit Lahia, said Adham Abu Salmiyya, spokesman for the ambulance and emergency committee. The incident puts the injury count of gravel workers since March of last year at 115, Abu Salmiyya said. Two deaths have also been reported.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/en/default.aspx?xyz=
2 more suspects arrested over killing of Palestinian
Police are continuing their investigation into the killing of a 19-year-old Palestinian during a settlers’ trip in Gush Etzion last Friday. Police arrested two more suspects Sunday in connection with the Bat Ayin shooting. The two, a 46-year old resident of the Otniel settlement and a 22-year-old Ashkelon resident, are suspected of being involved in the shooting and they will be brought before a court for a hearing into the extension of their remand. They join two other suspects who were arrested over the weekend and whose remand was extended by four days. … According to Prazot, the Palestinians ambushed them – throwing stones, using live fire and charges
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4021259,00.html
Palestinians and the Egyptian uprising
Gazans stockpile fuel as tunnel trade stops
GAZA CITY (AFP) — Gazans were on Sunday stockpiling fuel over fears that supplies from Egypt, which are brought in through smuggling tunnels, could be halted by the political unrest gripping the country, witnesses said … The majority of petrol and diesel supplies in Gaza are brought in through the tunnels, but the Hamas-run ministry of economy insisted there was no shortage and called for an end to panic-buying.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=355551
Gaza shuts border with Egypt
RAFAH, Palestinian Territories: Gaza’s Hamas rulers on Sunday shut down the Rafah border crossing after guards on the Egyptian side fled their posts due to the spiraling unrest gripping the country.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/1107894/1/.html
Gaza-Egypt border sealed indefinitely
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) 30 Jan 10:22 — Egyptian authorities have closed the crossing with the Gaza Strip indefinitely as its army deploys in the northern Sinai, a Ma’an correspondent said Sunday … Authorities in Gaza also confirmed that strict instructions were given to smugglers telling them all tunnels would remain closed to ensure no Palestinians in Gaza were able to enter Egypt.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=355471
Gazans fear unrest threatens vital supply line
updated 30 Jan 15:51 The ongoing unrest in Egypt affected prices in the blockaded Gaza Strip, where most of the commodities have been flooding to the coastal enclave through smuggling tunnels. Locals say items like cigarettes and basic food went up by almost a third … Onlookers noticed that owners of grocery stores and supermarkets were trying their best to stock up on as many goods as they could fearing supply through smuggling tunnels might stop at any moment.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=355426
Gaza government warns merchants against price hikes
…A statement for the government media office said that all kinds of foodstuff and fuel were available in comfortable quantities, adding that there is no reason to fear in this regard. It said the government was closely following up the markets and prices, warning of any attempt to exploit the situation to increase prices.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/en/default.aspx?xy
Hamas inmates flee Egypt jail, return to Gaza
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories (AFP) 30 Jan – Two out of eight Hamas prisoners who broke out of a Cairo prison as a wave of anti-government protests swept Egypt arrived back in Gaza on Sunday, an official source said. A senior official in the Hamas government confirmed all eight were on their way back to Gaza, with the report also confirmed by one of the escapees … Among those who arrived back in Gaza on Sunday was Mohamed al-Shaer, a big name in the cross-border smuggling enterprise, who was arrested in Egypt six months ago after completing the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
http://www.aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=1&id=23968
Palestinian prisoner escapes Egyptian jail
A Palestinian held in an Egyptian prison has returned to the Gaza Strip, his family said Sunday. Relatives of Hassan Washah said he returned to the Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, the fate of dozens of other Palestinian prisoners in Egyptian custody is still unclear. Egyptian state security recently arrested seven Palestinians from Gaza, including a student accused of inventing a hi-tech surveillance system. Spokesman for relatives of Palestinians held in Egypt Imad As-Sayyid said Egypt is holding 39 Palestinians, and that 11 escaped from Abu Za’bal prison on the desert road between Cairo and Alexandria.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=355621
Palestinian students stranded at Cairo airport
CAIRO — Palestinians students at universities in Egypt on Sunday appealed to President Mahmoud Abbas to facilitate their safe return. Many students said they have been stranded at Cairo airport for several days. Several airlines have canceled flights to Egypt as anti-government protests continue for a sixth day.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=355659
Palestinians in Gaza react to Egypt, Tunisia uprisings / Pam Bailey in the Gaza Strip
29 Jan – …Jehan “JeJe” al-Farra, a 20-year-old English literature student, said immediately after the Tunisian uprising, “The message I got from the Tunisian movement is that the people are the cause of change. If there is any change you want you have to do it yourself … The biggest challenge facing the Arab world today is youth unemployment … The Sharek Youth Forum (recently shut down by the Hamas government), reported that approximately 60 percent of youth between the ages of 15 and 30 were unable to find jobs in 2009 despite a high university matriculation rate.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11761.shtml
Arab Israelis back Egyptian protesters
Arab Israelis held rallies of solidarity with Egyptian protesters across the nation Saturday, expressing their support for ongoing protests threatening to topple President Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year rule.In Haifa, dozens of Arab residents accompanied by leftist activists gathered for a protest and held up communist, Palestinian and Tunisian flags. The demonstrators chanted slogans in support of the Egyptian uprising while slamming President Mubarak and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4020862,00.html
Activism / Solidarity
Dearborn fundraiser sold out in support of Gaza missions
30 Jan – DEARBORN - A sold-out crowd of more than 700 came out to Greenfield Manor in Dearborn on Saturday, Jan. 22 to welcome members of the U.S. Boat to Gaza and Viva Palestina organizations at a fundraising dinner featuring renowned speaker and former British Member of Parliament George Galloway.
http://www.arabamericannews.com/news/index.php?mod=article&cat=Community&article=3843
Siege
Gaza: Kerem Shalom terminal partly open, Karni closed
30 Jan 15:27 Israeli authorities decided to partially open the Karem Shalom crossing between Israel and the besieged Gaza Strip to allow food products in, flowers and strawberries out.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=355428
Detention
Activist gets 9 years for spying for Hezbollah
JERUSALEM (AFP) — A prominent Palestinian-Israeli human rights activist was sentenced to nine years in jail Sunday after pleading guilty to spying for Lebanon’s Hezbollah, an Israeli court official said. Ameer Makhoul was convicted last October of espionage and aggravated espionage on the basis of a plea bargain in which the prosecution dropped a charge of assisting the enemy in time of war.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=355553
Salah Hamouri: One of thousands of Israeli political prisoners / Steve Lendman
In March 2005, French/Palestinian Hamouri was arrested, tortured and imprisoned for allegedly co-conspiring with Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) members to assassinate Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, ultra-Orthodox Shas party’s spiritual leader and former Israeli Chief Rabbi. At age 91, [Yosef is] very much alive … Based on secret Israeli intelligence, no proof, Hamouri was sentenced to seven years in prison after accepting a plea bargain. Over a two-year period, an Israeli military court convened over 20 times on his case.
http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2011/01/salah-hamouri-one-of-thousands-of.html
Abbas militia kidnaps MP’s son
AL-KHALIL, (PIC)– Security militias loyal to de facto Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas kidnapped the son of Hamas MP Mohammed Abu Juhaisha of Al-Khalil on Saturday night. The PIC reporter in the city said that the intelligence apparatus’s militia took Musab from his workplace in Edhna village, Al-Khalil district.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/en/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq
Hizb ut Tahrir: PA detained member
Hizb ut-Tahrir on Saturday accused Palestinian Authority security forces of detaining a party member in the West Bank district of Hebron on Friday. The movement said PA forces seized Mus’ab Abu A’rqub after noon prayers on Friday in Dura. Hizb Ut-Tahrir is an international pan-Islamist party seeking the re-establishment of an Islamic Caliphate.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=355387
Palestine Papers and other political news
Poll: 68% of Palestinians don’t believe Al-Jazeera leaks
RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Over two-thirds of Palestinians living in the occupied territories doubted the accuracy of leaked PLO documents shortly after they were published [and now?] by Al-Jazeera, the results of a recent poll said … There was little variation across the territories, with 71 percent in the West Bank doubting the documents, compared to 64 percent in Gaza. However, the majority of Hamas supporters polled believed the leaked papers were real, while most Fatah supporters said they were fabricated. Both factions agreed the leak of the documents would serve Israeli interests, with 88 percent saying Israel would benefit most from their publication.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=355302
Hamas: PA trying to conceal scandal of leaks
Hamas on Sunday accused the Palestinian Authority of trying to cover-up the “scandal” of recently published leaked PLO documents … The PA announced it would form a committee to investigate the source of the leak. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the decision was an admission that the leaks were genuine. “Appointing a committee to investigate who leaked the papers is clear evidence that the content of the papers was authentic.”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=355586
Jerusalem figures demand end to negotiations
JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — A coalition of religious and civil society figures from Jerusalem on Saturday called on the PLO to quit all negotiations with Israel. Religious officials and representatives of civil society organizations held a meeting in a Jerusalem hotel to discuss leaked PLO documents published by the Doha-based Al-Jazeera TV network covering a decade of Israel-Palestinian negotiations.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=355379
Palestinian UN resolution aims to put heat on US
UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — Palestinians are pressing the UN Security Council to pass a simmering resolution that they say attacks the “cancer” of Israel’s occupied-territory settlements but which many diplomats see also targeting the United States. The deadlocked Israeli-Palestinian peace process was not mentioned in President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech this week and the Palestinians and others want to know what the US Middle East strategy is. They feel “abandoned,” said one diplomat at the UN headquarters.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=355489
State media: Abbas contacts Mubarek
President Mahmoud Abbas contacted his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak on Saturday, state media said. “President Abbas affirmed the Palestinian leadership’s support for Egyptian security and stability,” Abbas was quoted as saying.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=355368
‘Cyprus recognizes Palestinian state on 1967 lines’
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas received a letter from the president of Cyprus Dimitris Christofias in which he recognized a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, reported Palestinian news agency WAFA on Sunday. According to the report, in the letter, Christofias ensured historic deep relations between the two countries and said he hoped the region will witness a peaceful solution ensuring an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=205894
Report: Hamas officials can’t leave Gaza for Schalit talks
Palestinian sources reported Sunday that the closure of the border between Gaza and Egypt at the Rafah crossing has prevented Hamas officials from heading to Damascus to discuss the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Schalit. The Hamas officials were expected to meet with German negotiator Gerard Conrad in an attempt to reach a prisoner swap deal.
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=205845
Other news
Israelis fear gas crisis due to events in Egypt
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)– Israel expressed fears that the delivery of 40 percent of gas supplies to its territories may stop as a result of continued events in Egypt. Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper warned on Sunday of a new crisis in Israel if gas supplies from Egypt were suspended.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/en/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k
Aida refugees lend a helping hand to the homeless
Munjid Jadou, Bethlehem — Fouad Darwish lives on a small plot of land in Aida Refugee Camp and sleeps on blankets on the ground. He is rejected by society, a former drug addict who sold his home while he was in prison. Several youths in Aida Camp put PNN in contact with Darwish so his suffering could be known outside the camp, after even the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) refused to lend a hand or even acknowledge his humanity. These young people said the economic conditions in the camp made it impossible for Darwish to find work, so they decided to help him.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9469&Itemid=
Bedouin man shoots sister over Facebook pics
Police arrest 21-year-old from Rahat on suspicion he tried to murder his 18-year-old sister after she posted pictures of herself wearing revealing clothes, in company of men … The young woman was lightly to moderately injured … The suspect added that because his sister “violated the family’s honor,” he decided to take revenge and illegally got hold of a weapon.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4021376,00.html
Analysis / Opinion
Egypt’s uprising and its implications for Palestine / Ali Abunimah
If the Mubarak regime falls, and is replaced by one less tied to Israel and the United States, Israel will be a big loser … [Aluf] Benn observes, “Israel is left with two strategic allies in the region: Jordan and the Palestinian Authority.” But what Benn does not say is that these two “allies” will not be immune either … There is also a demonstration effect for Palestinians: the endurance of the Tunisian and Egyptian regimes has been based on the perception that they were strong, as well as their ability to terrorize parts of their populations and co-opt others. The relative ease with which Tunisians threw off their dictator, and the speed with which Egypt, and perhaps Yemen, seem to be going down the same road, may well send a message to Palestinians that neither Israel’s nor the PA’s security forces are as indomitable as they appear.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11762.shtml
The Egyptian masses won’t play ally to Israel / Gideon Levy
As long as the masses in Egypt and in the entire Arab world continue seeing the images of tyranny and violence from the occupied territories, Israel will not be able to be accepted, even it is acceptable to a few regimes … Not a plague of darkness in Egypt but the light of the Nile: the end of a regime propped up by bayonets is foretold.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/the-egyptian-masses-won-t-play-ally-to-israel-1.340080
Egypt riots are an intelligence chief’s nightmare / Amos Harel
Western intelligence in general and Israeli intelligence in particular did not foresee the scope of change in Egypt, which may require a reorganization of the IDF.
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/egypt-riots-are-an-intelligence-chief-s-nightmare-1.340027
Israeli analysts fear Islamic takeover in Egypt
JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel’s leaders anxiously watched events in Egypt on Sunday as analysts warned that if a new leadership was dominated by Islamists it could threaten 30 years of peace between the two neighbors.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=355679
Israel staunchly on the side of Arab tyrannies / Yossi Gurvitz
We seem to experience what looks like an Arab Spring of Nations, beginning with Tunisia – yet the Israeli public, as well as its leadership, are discontent. An uprising against vampires like Ben Ali and Mubarak, who held their offices for decades, not only fails to excite them, it practically frightens them. The Israelis have placed themselves, automatically, on the side of the Arab tyrants. After all, Israel is pretty comfy with them; they don’t surprise you. An anonymous Israeli minister – I guess it’s Boogie Ya’alon, a former army chief of staff and current Likud politician, since he has the requisite indoctrination - told Time yesterday that, as a principle, Israel prefers democracies “because democracies do not initiate wars” (he probably forgot about Iraq). But, on the other hand, “I’m not sure the time is right for the Arab region to go through the democratic process”. Of course not. The timing is never right.
http://972mag.com/israel-staunchly-on-the-side-of-arab-tyrannies/
Israelis are not hostile to the Egyptian revolution, they are simply anxious / Noam Sheizaf
… I was watching Israeli networks over the past few days, and I found their coverage to be pretty similar to those on CNN or Sky, and more balanced and professional than FOX News. Channel 1 had a reporter in Cairo broadcasting live on Friday, and he was clearly exited by the protest. In other TV stations, there were lively exchanges between those who saw the risks involved in an Egyptian revolution (these were mainly the military correspondents) and those who were impressed and even moved by the Egyptian cry for freedom
http://www.promisedlandblog.com/?p=3736
Who will protect Israel on the Egyptian front? / Amir Oren
For around 30 years, the IDF has created perfunctory scenarios involving regime change in Cairo, but in practice Israel’s ability to respond and adapt quickly to such a situation has atrophied.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/who-will-protect-israel-on-the-egyptian-front-1.340082
Iraq
Iraqis watch Egypt unrest with sense of irony
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqis who have long suffered from high unemployment, poverty and endemic corruption — the catalysts of unrest spreading in the Arab world — called on their own government to take notice. Many watched footage of riots and looting on the streets of Egypt, the region’s traditional powerhouse, with a sense of irony. The scenes brought back disturbing memories of similar mayhem in Iraq, but also admiration for an uprising that came from the streets rather than in the wake of a foreign invasion.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110130/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_feeling_egypt_s_pain
Iraq offers to evacuate citizens living in Egypt
BAGHDAD (AP) — The Iraqi government says it will evacuate its citizens living in Egypt for free as the chaos in the North African nation enters its sixth day. Sunday’s offer is a role reversal since many of the Iraqis living in Egypt fled their homeland because of rampant violence, with near-daily attacks still continuing. Transportation Ministry spokesman Aqeel Hadi Kawthar tells The Associated Press that “we will send whatever planes needed to those who want to leave Egypt.”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110130/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_egypt_evacuations
Iraqi Kurd protests seek gov’t resignations
SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq (AP) — An opposition party in Iraq’s Kurdish north on Sunday urged the regional government to resign, saying protests in the Arab world should be a wakeup call for its leaders. The government quickly rebuffed the call.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110130/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_kurdish_protest
‘Gaps in Iraq forces’ may hamper security gains
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Shortfalls in the capabilities of Iraq’s security forces could undo security gains after US troops leave at the end of 2011, a US watchdog said in a report published Sunday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110130/pl_afp/usiraqunrestpoliticseconomy
Tunisia
Thousands greet Tunisian Islamist leader’s return
TUNIS (AFP) — Thousands turned out Sunday to welcome Islamist leader Rached Ghannouchi after more than 20 years in exile, as he eyed a political future for his Ennahda movement after the fall of Tunisia’s regime. “God is great!” Ghannouchi cried out, raising his arms in triumph as he walked into the arrivals hall of Tunis airport, with thousands of cheering supporters crowding around him before driving off to visit his family. The crowd intoned a religious song in honour of the Prophet Mohammed, as supporters held up olive branches, flowers and copies of the Koran.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=355623
Tunisian women rally ahead of Islamist leader’s return
TUNIS (AFP) — Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi vowed a transition to democracy as hundreds of women rallied on Saturday in the Tunisian capital to express their fears of an Islamist resurgence. Women’s groups took to the streets of Tunis to defend the extensive rights for which they have fought for more than half a century, on the eve of the return of Islamist leader Rached Ghannouchi from exile. Actresses, university lecturers and human rights campaigners said they wanted to make sure their rights stay intact despite the recent upheavals.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=355399
Algeria
Organizers: Thousands in Algeria protest march
ALGIERS (AFP) — More than 10,000 protesters marched against authorities in Algeria’s northeastern city of Bejaia on Saturday, organizers said, in the country’s latest rally inspired by neighbouring Tunisia. Demonstrators marched peacefully in the city in Algeria’s Berber-speaking Kabylie region, shouting Tunisia-inspired slogans such as: “For a radical change of the regime!,” a lawmaker with the opposition Rally for Culture and Democracy, Mohamed Ikhervane, told AFP.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=355420
Lebanon
Lebanon PM-designate briefs president on government
BEIRUT (AFP) — Lebanon’s premier-designate Najib Mikati, who is backed by Hezbollah, on Saturday briefed the president on his talks on forming a new government, set to be boycotted by outgoing prime minister Saad Hariri … A source close to Mikati told AFP that Mikati’s cabinet would likely consist of 24 to 30 ministers, most of whom would represent political parties but which would also include technocrats.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=355398
Yemen
Amnesty: Yemeni right activist threatened after organizing protests
Amnesty International has called on the Yemeni authorities to protect a human rights activist and journalist who is alleged to have indirectly received a death threat from a high-ranking official for her role in organizing and taking part in the continuing mass protests in the country. Fears for Tawakkol Karman’s safety arose after her brother received a phone call on Wednesday implying that his sister would be killed if he did not ensure she stayed at home.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/yemeni-rights-activist-threatened-after-organizing-protests-2011-01-28
Sudan
Sudan students, police clash in Khartoum protests
Students clashed with police in Khartoum on Sunday, as Sudanese youths heeded calls to take to the streets for a day of nationwide, anti-government protests
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/01/30/135635.html
U.S.
Analyst: Upheaval exposes US weakness in Mideast / Lachlan Carmichael
WASHINGTON (AFP) — The upheaval in Egypt and other parts of the Middle East and North Africa, driven by forces largely beyond US control, have starkly exposed Washington’s weakness there, analysts say. For some observers, the events crystallize a dramatic reversal of fortunes from the 1990s when US-led troops evicted Iraqi occupation forces from Kuwait and launched an Arab-Israeli peace process that lasted a decade. In just a few weeks, a groundswell of popular anger has taken on autocratic regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen and Jordan — all US allies — while Iran- and Syria-backed Hezbollah brought down a pro-Western government in Lebanon.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=355446
Why is America so afraid? / Philip Weiss
29 Jan – The Egyptian revolution threatens an American-imposed order of Arabophobia and false choices … I thought this is what he wanted for the Arab world: democracy! But the market dropped, and the cable shows are filled with mistrust of the Arab street. Our talking heads can’t stop talking about the Islamists.
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/01/29/weiss_egypt_scared/index.html
As the dominoes flow toward Israel / William A. Cook
…How strange to watch our CNN talking heads, especially the Israeli trained Wolf Blitzer, former editor of AIPAC’s in house “Near East Report,” stuttering before the cameras as he recalled the fall of the Shah of Iran, America’s staunch ally for 25 years, as a direct result of similar riots by Iranian civilians, and the resulting loss of America’s control in Iran. He failed to mention that our friend had subjugated the Iranian people beneath the boots of his SAVAK mercenaries that protected his elegant life style while the people suffered under his despotic regime. Then as now our Presidents spoke of America’s suapport of human rights neglecting to mention the CIA’s overthrow of the elected nationalist (1951) Mohammed Mossadegh as Prime Minister.
http://sabbah.biz/mt/archives/2011/01/30/as-the-dominoes-flow-toward-israel/
