‘Talibanization’ of Afghanistan and Pakistan

May 13, 2009

By Padmini Arhant

The Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan and the northwestern regions of Pakistan, particularly the swat valley have proven deadlier for the ruling powers in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United Sates due to the inevitable civilian casualties and displacement arising from the incessant shelling supposedly targeting the Taliban militants.

According to the Pakistani government, the military operation has been effective thus far in the attack against the militants, without any confirmation or denial on the humanitarian catastrophe.

Meanwhile, the Taliban’s pervasive retaliation to the military force is evident from the clashes in other districts, Buner and Dir with the Taliban expected to be within 60 miles of the Capital city, Islamabad. Incidentally, the Taliban’s eyes are set on Karachi, the commercial capital and an epicenter for various terror networks readily available to forge alliance with the ideological militant group.

The North -Western Frontier Province appears to be under siege. The heavy bombing has elevated the humanitarian crisis with the internal refugees toll reaching a phenomenal 1.3 million and still rising including the earlier 550,000 from the tribal warfare.

It’s intriguing for those familiar with the Taliban’s rise and fall and their sudden emergence with well-equipped weaponry to challenge the U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, and the Pakistani artillery predominantly supplied by the United States and China.   Most recently, the Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari reportedly blamed the United States i.e. CIA for creating the Taliban and implied that such creation consequently led to the present quagmire.

Origin of Taliban as ‘Mujahideens’ (The Arabic meaning “strugglers” )

As per Wikipedia – The Free Encyclopedia – Thanks

“The best-known mujahideen, various loosely-aligned Afghan opposition groups, initially fought against the incumbent pro-Soviet Afghan government during the late 1970s.

The mujahideen were significantly financed and armed (and are alleged to have been trained) by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) during the Carter[5] and Reagan administrations and the governments of Saudi Arabia, the People’s Republic of China, several Western European countries, Iran, and Zia-ul-Haq’s military regime in Pakistan.

The Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was the interagent used in the majority of these activities to disguise the sources of support for the resistance. Under Reagan, U.S. support for the mujahideen evolved into an official U.S. foreign policy, known as the Reagan Doctrine, which included U.S. support for anti-Soviet resistance movements in Afghanistan, Angola, Nicaragua, and elsewhere.”

Reality Check:

Although, the facts support the origin of Taliban (historically the orphans of the former Soviet oppression) as the ‘Mujahideens’ previously funded and trained by the nations vigorously involved in the lucrative arms race up until now,

The contemporary rise of Taliban and their empowerment attributed to the covert support by the Pakistani military and prominently the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) implicated in various terrorist activities around the world notably the September 11, 2001 and notwithstanding the Mumbai terror attack in November 2008.

The dynamic duo also presumably associated with other national and international conspiracies…

Fostering acrimony between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir dispute,

Coordinating with China and Israel in the arms supply to the island nation Sri Lanka in the ethnic cleansing of the Tamils,

Assassination attempts on the Afghan President Hamid Karzai,

The Indian embassy bombing in Kabul, and

Last but not the least, the possible link in the assassination of the former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto are few of the many contentious issues related to both institutions.

The above information might be controversial and inflammatory however, in Pakistan’s political reality democracy never allowed to blossom by the all-powerful Pakistani military force and the Intelligence Services apparently controlling the nuclear site. The successful coups in the past right down to the former Military Commander and President Pervez Musharraf are testimony to the fact that democracy proven oxy-moron by the ISI and the Pakistan armed forces.

Ironically, the waging of war against Taliban by the Zardari-Gilani administration succeeding a Military regime with a puppet figurehead after having given refuge and diplomatic immunity to the ousted Taliban forces post 9/11 is analogous to a raging forest fire set by the rangers entrusted with safeguarding the habitat’s interest.

It’s noteworthy that the former President Musharraf’s government was the only nation and the Islamic power to extend an open invitation to the Talibans following the U.S. troops led war against Afghanistan in 2001, while simultaneously posing as an important ally to the former U.S. administration under President George W. Bush.

Talibans are the by-product of the historic multinational blunder and botched up conventional stockpiles sale by the military industrial complex in Afghanistan under the guise of prototype for democracy in the lawless region of the world.

How does the scenario play out in Pakistan’s neck of the woods and for the rest of the world?

Taliban and Al-Qaida are formidable in their ideology to destabilize the democratic (more appropriately ‘dynasty’) rule in Pakistan perceived as the “American appointees” with the political cohesion of the Pakistani ISI and the Military hierarchy.

The Congress under Bush administration approved and granted $10 billion U.S. taxpayers aid to the Military power represented by the ex-President Musharraf for FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) in an effort to fight the global war on terror. In return, the Pakistani Military misappropriated the funds(?) and diverted all attention towards the long time rival India in anticipation of a major confrontation on Kashmir by instigating the local militant groups alongside the Kashmiri border.

Evidently, failure on FATA combined with the conciliatory actions by the Pakistani ISI and the Military contributed to a myriad of terror networks within Pakistani soil.  Furthermore, the lack of oversight and accountability on the U.S. taxpayers’ aid to the Pakistan Military rather than the people enabled the precipitous decline of law and order.

As a result of the unconditional foreign aid to the institutions with flawed track record, today Waziristan is a safe haven for the Al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden and the North-Western Frontier Province now under Taliban control, thereby comprising a strategic victory for the terror and militant groups.

Interestingly, the Pakistan military has incorporated the incumbent U.S. President Obama’s “Change” philosophy in their traditional political agenda, i.e. toppling the government elected through a muddled electoral process in Pakistan. The difference being the conspicuous departure from the overt military coup launched against the prior democratic governments in the state.

Nothing more potent in fomenting anti-government and anti-American sentiments than a political turmoil from the homegrown insurgency forcing the ruling government to stage air and ground assaults yielding immense civilian casualties and ultimately the refugee status for a sizeable population in the homeland, again the humanitarian disaster unfolding with the blessings of the United States behind the scenes.

The anger and disappointment is visibly widespread among the victims and the families, they are demanding that the international community hold the United States and Zardari government accountable for the greatest human tragedy.

In this particular instance, the Pakistani ISI and the Military score the highest points for being the smooth operators.

Not surprisingly, the moderate, peaceful and pro-democracy population in Karachi and different parts of Pakistan is terrified of the Taliban rule and the Sharia law. The domestic and the international news agencies along with the human rights organizations have released several reports with graphic visuals on the civilian deaths and the exodus of at least 1,000,000 refugees and probably more are fleeing the main town, Mingora in Swat Valley and other war zones.

Accordingly, the Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani seeking international aid to relieve the millions and the President Zardari’s visit to the U.S. requesting Congress for at least $83 billion U.S aid to rescue his nation from tyranny might be justified.

Howsoever, the United States taxpayers and other nations should not fall into the booby trap of funneling funds to the state, since the ordinary citizens in Pakistan and Afghanistan never ever receive a dime and invariably the funds are channeled to the nefarious sources lacking in ethics and defiant of national or international law. Please refer to the alternative recommendations detailed in the ‘remedy’ section of the article.

With respect to Afghanistan, the United States Special Forces’ recent aggression against the Talibans and other terror networks producing the huge civilian casualties is unacceptable. The medical reports from the international aid organizations suggest the use of White Phosphorous bombs in the raid, claiming to be legal in the international wars despite the use of such chemical arsenal considered a humanitarian crime on all accounts.

These are the reasons why war is a terrible choice as there is no winner except for the deaths and destruction of innocent civilians apart from the truth being the other casualty. An independent, international committee should conduct any investigation and not the parties accused of the crime to reflect seriousness and credibility in the matter.

International Crisis Remedy

Civil unrest and internal violence anywhere is a matter of concern. Nevertheless, the situation in Pakistan is precarious not just for the ‘nuclear’ factor and the potential ramifications in the Indian sub-continent, but also the imminent danger of radical elements in control of a highly volatile nation complex in demographic, political and socio-economic structure. In addition, Taliban and Al-Qaida together constitute a tremendous threat to the international security.

Effective immediately, any financial assistance from the United States and other nations must be conditional with a requirement for complete overhauling of the Pakistani ISI and the top Military officials to assure the international community the legitimacy of democratic power in the state.

Under no circumstances, cash payments made directly to the government agents in both countries i.e. Afghanistan and Pakistan in the light of embezzlement and bribery scandals involving the political figures. The economic aid to the people delivered by the credible non-profit humanitarian organizations is appropriate to realize the real gains and progress in the nations affected by corrupt bureaucracy.

Investments in cash and kind must be subject to accountability by an oversight committee of the respective nations.

Given the magnitude of the humanitarian plight in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the United States and NATO should engage more in the relief effort by providing logistic support to the people of these two nations desperately in need of efficient services from evacuation to settlement in peaceful manner.

Henceforth, the United States and allies must shift gear from the offensive military operation towards the relentless Peace Corps projects and rebuild civilizations in Afghanistan, Pakistan and war zones around the world. Such unprecedented action called for image reparation and trust revival lost in the imperialistic desire to invade and occupy nations vulnerable to new age weapons experiment.

The escalating violence and tension in these two countries has generated a severe loss of confidence in the local and foreign governments by the victims caught in the crossfire between the tribal warlords in cahoots with the fundamentalist forces and, the military might of the economic powers in the world.

Therefore, it’s essential for Afghanistan, Pakistan, United States and NATO to prioritize civilian protection and welfare before, during and after the combat period. It would greatly improve relationship with the local civilian population important to prevail in the indomitable task of defeating terror around the world.

In the twentieth and twenty first century, the rich and affluent nations imposing economic sanctions against the economically weak offenders has been the common and popular course of action, regardless of the real victims being the people and not the government authorities in power.

Now is the time to abandon the military action, economic sanctions and concepts that are obsolete, redundant and counterproductive.  Instead, useful and meaningful methods guided by moral principles are the best replacement to deal with any and all crises.

International consensus and action is paramount in the permanent arms embargo to relieve poor/ impoverished nations and developing/developed nations alike from the persisting outbreak of civil wars constantly witnessed in Africa, Latin, Central and South America, and relevantly in Sri Lanka with Pakistan and Afghanistan leading the world trend.

The existing conditions in Afghanistan and Pakistan are not a regional issue but a global calamity.  Similarly, it’s no longer the United States’ unilateral battle and the cooperation from the world over at all levels viz. troops involvement, financial assistance and logistic provision instrumental in maintaining international peace and order.

Finally, the game is over for the military industrial complex raking profits at the expense of innocent blood in the worldwide promotion of senseless carnage and chaos among humanity.

For the world at large, it’s worth remembering that,

“Peace within you helps spreading peace around you.”

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

Written by Padmini Arhant · Filed Under International Politics | Leave a Comment 

Radio Show Update

January 24, 2009

Schedule Update:

January 24, 2009, Air time – 8.00 – 10.00 P.M(PST)

Category: Current Events

Topic: Wall Street Bailout

Discussion:

What should financial institutions do with taxpayers’ bailout?

Why haven’t the financial institutions invested funds to stimulate economy?

What is public demand from them and the legislators?

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January 25, 2009,  Air Time 2.00 – 4.00P.M (PST) – (5.00 – 7.00P.M EST)

Topic: Free Palestine

Discussion:

1. How can we help to expedite independent state for Palestinians free of Israeli blockade, occupation and aggression?

2. What should the new administration do to be a trustworthy partner and unbiased peace broker in the Middle East conflict?

3. How can we help Israeli population elect a moderate government in early February favoring peace and diplomacy over military action for their national security and sovereignty?

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January 30, 2009, 120 minutes 2.00P.M – 4.00P.M – Cancelled due to restrictions on segments at frequent intervals.

Category: Current Events

Topic: Economy and Health Care – Please refer to blog post on www.padminiarhant.com for details and I invite you to post comments.

What should the new administration do for you and the economy?

How do we fix the Health Care system?

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Podcast live : http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Padmini-A

Guest Call-in-number: (646) 727 -3778

I invite you all to participate in the public forum and share your concerns, ideas and knowledge.

Your comments and thoughts are welcome in the political discourse.

Let us keep democracy alive and help our new President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden in rebuilding our nation.

Your participation is a huge encouragement and always appreciated – Thank you again.

Look forward to the session.

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

Written by Padmini Arhant · Filed Under Business | Leave a Comment 

Armageddon – Israel Attack against Gaza

January 8, 2009

By Padmini Arhant

The on-going conflict between Israel and Palestine is not necessarily the news of the day for some mainstream media preoccupied with the discussion of mundane topics to fill the airtime.

Why should it be important?

Even, if the casualties from the bloodbath in Gaza happened to be children.

Ironically, sensitivity to atrocities is limited and varies among individuals.

Some react only when tragedy hits home, while others choose to remain silent and oblivious regardless of the horrific nature of events particularly the political figures with authority.

One has to wonder about the reason behind such conduct.

Does politics impact individuals to be complacent to violence?

Or, is it characteristic of individuals running for public office?

Often, moderate voices suppressed by the amplified endorsements of war producing death and destruction are the general trend in the Western democracies.

Fortunately, sanity and reasoning power still exists in the world as exhibited in the articles by various caring, compassionate and knowledgeable authors, who are aptly qualified to be the heads of the government or counsel on foreign relations in challenging the tradition.
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Courtesy: http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_4192.shtml – Thank you.

Israel and the Palestinian Territories

By Howard Lisnoff

Online Journal Contributing Writer

Jan 5, 2009, 00:32 Email this article

As a Jew, I am shocked by Israel’s attack against the Gaza Strip! As of this writing over 430 Palestinians have died in the massive military operation, while four Israelis perished as a result of rocket fire by Hamas.

Well over 90 percent of Palestinians killed have been civilians, a number in keeping with the death toll of contemporary warfare and its lethal effects on innocent civilian populations. Among the over 430 Palestinians killed by Israeli bombs were five sisters in one bombing and two sisters in another.

It can be assumed that the unleashing of this massive military power was accomplished with a wink and a nod from the Bush administration that has sought to remake the Middle East in its own image.

The incoming Obama administration, on vacation, was conveniently absent and issuing platitudes about Hamas, as did the national media.

This is how Gideon Levy of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz related the attacks and counterattacks on Democracy Now (December 29): “Yes, I think that Israel had this legitimacy to protect its citizens in the southern part of Israel, and it had legitimacy to do something, as the Israelis all expect the government to do, but this doing something does not mean this brutal and violent operation.

The diplomatic efforts were just in the beginning, and I believe we could have got to a new truce without this bloodshed.”

Israel’s attack against a militarily weak Gaza Strip violated the Geneva Conventions, the Nuremberg Principles, the Charter of the United Nations, and the moral imperative against attacks on civilian populations, or what were called the rules of war in a saner time. Its actions prior to this past weekend’s attack violated international law that bans collective retribution against a civilian population (specifically article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention).

The hostilities of this past week ended the truce between Hamas and Israel that had been in effect for several months, and was marked by the firing of rockets into southern Israel by Hamas and the economic blockade of Israel against Gaza. At the onset of current hostilities, huge bunker-buster bombs supplied by the U.S. were used on the Gaza Strip, and the Islamic University was among the targets of the Israeli Defense Forces.

So, where is the indignation? The Talmud, the quintessential commentary on the Old Testament states unequivocally: “What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man. This is the law: all the rest is commentary.” (Shabbat 31a).

“What is hateful to you” has been universally ignored when planning military actions against others by the sole superpower and its proxies across the globe.

War against civilian populations has been turned into the norm. The world cannot remake or take back the horrors such as the Holocaust and past conduct in military matters.

But, what can be done is adherence to the rule of international law in dealing with violent conflicts and the use of diplomacy that seeks to redress the horrors that have been foisted on civilian populations.

Religious fundamentalists support all of Israel’s incursions against Palestinians.

They believe thatArmageddon will begin in the Middle East and lead to their (fundamentalists’) collective salvation. They have ‘enjoyed” nearly 30 years of support from successive administrations in Washington, D.C.

Howard Lisnoff is a freelance writer.

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Another massacre in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict

By Rodrigue Tremblay

Online Journal Guest Writer

Jan 1, 2009, 01:18 Email this article

“The liberty we prize is not America’s gift to the world, it is God’s gift to humanity.” –George W. Bush, State of the Union speech, January 28, 2003 (N.B.: Bush’s primary speechwriter at the time was a theologian: Michael Gerson.)

“When it comes to the Israeli-Arab conflict, the terms of debate are so influenced by organized Jewish groups like AIPAC that to be critical of Israel is to deny oneself the ability to succeed in American politics.” –Henry Siegman, former head of the American Jewish Congress

“I don’t think there is such a thing as an independent Israel doing anything, because I think no matter what they do it’s our [American] money, it’s our weapons, and they’re not going to do it without us approving it and if they get into trouble we’re going to bail them out, so there is no separation between the two.” –Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX), Dec. 28, 2008

“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” –Albert Einstein (1879-1955) Physicist and Professor, Nobel Prize 1921

The year 2008 was not a very good year by any account, either financially or politically. Chaos and immorality have prevailed.

The Israeli attacks that began on Saturday December 27, 2008, are most reminiscent of what the government of Israel did to Lebanon during the summer of 2006. Both are examples of disproportionate retaliation to thoughtless provocations.

Indeed, the use by the government of Israel of sophisticated American-made F-16 jets, AH-64 Apache helicopters and devastating US-supplied GBU-39 smart bombs to target numerous dwellings in Gaza Strip cites — with civilians making up an overwhelming majority of the more than 300 victims — is an immoral act. Bombing a city can only create a humanitarian catastrophe and it should not be allowed in any circumstance.

With these planned-in-advance Christmas-New Year period attacks, when the world’s political attention is the weakest, Israel is punishing the entire population of the Gaza Strip (1.5 million people) for the irresponsible behavior of a small group of Hamas leaders.

But, no matter how this is phrased, nothing justifies collective punishment, an illegal doctrine used by the Israeli government time and again against the Palestinians while the world stands still.

We understand the rationale: Such attacks are designed to coerce the Hamas government, (which seized power in Gaza less than two years ago, replacing the Fatah government of the Palestinian Authority), to stop firing rockets in the direction of Israeli border cities and refrain from launching suicide attacks inside Israel.

Since Hamas doesn’t have one percent of the military capability that Israel has, its attacks on Israeli cities would appear to be most foolish and irresponsible.

Indeed, there is no doubt that bombing Israeli cities is a terrorist act. But sadly, in this action-reaction drama, one has to keep in mind that Hamas’ attacks on Israeli cities came after an Israeli military cross-border raid in Gaza in early November and after years of an illegal blockade of Gaza by Israel. That is the reason why both sides pretend they are attacking the other side in self-defense in this ongoing drama.

Nevertheless, even though the Hamas government seems to be run by defiant leaders who have launched rocket attacks against Israeli cities and targeted Israeli civilians, this does not excuse the Israeli government’s disproportionate reaction in indiscriminately bombing a heavily populated territory with warplanes and attack helicopters.

All this demonstrates how the world is lacking a moral compass and institutions capable of implementing rules of law and justice. Meanwhile, the law of the jungle continues to reign.

The neocon-controlled U.S. government of George W. Bush, contrary to most other governments, has refused to ask for an immediate stop to the Israeli attacks. It is therefore an active accomplice in the carnage and it cannot escape its responsibility and involvement.

As a matter of fact, anybody who remains silent while these barbarian acts are being committed becomes ipso facto an accomplice. This applies to most everyone at different degrees, the most responsible being those in authority.

Rodrigue Tremblay lives in Montreal and can be reached at rodrigue.tremblay@yahoo.com. He is the author of the book “‘The New American Empire.” His new book, “The Code for Global Ethics,” will be published in 2008. Visit his blog site at thenewamericanempire.com/blog.

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The American puppet state

By Paul Craig Roberts

Online Journal Contributing Writer

Jan 6, 2009, 00:26 Email this article

President George W. Bush was in his stand-up comedian role when he declared that he wanted to be remembered as a fighter for human rights.

Seldom has a fighter for human rights amassed Bush’s death toll. According to Information Clearing House,

Bush’s invasion and occupation of Iraq has resulted in 1,297,997 dead Iraqis. Millions more have been wounded, and millions are displaced. Bush’s legions have taken out weddings, funerals, kids’ soccer games, hospitals, and mosques.

And that’s before we come to Afghanistan.

In Afghanistan “we don’t do body counts,“ declared a commander of Bush’s imperial legions.

But the thousands of dead civilians and schoolchildren have rallied Afghans to the Taliban, whose lightly armed fighters have retaken most of the country from the Unipower.

Bush’s January 2, 2009, radio address is one grand lie that would win the World’s Biggest Liar contest in Cumbria. Israel is turning Gaza into Auschwitz, and the idiot puppet in the White House is blaming the Gazans.

The president of the United States is a sick joke. He has falsified history.

Americans should be ashamed that their president is a puppet of a small, but ruthless, state in the Middle East that lives off American largess.

Nothing has changed with the election of Obama, whose first act was to put Israel in charge of the White House. For the first time in its history, the Americans have a dual citizen, an Israeli who served in the Israeli military, as chief of staff of the White House.

My friends in the Israeli peace movement are despondent that America, “the light of the world,” is overcome by evil and serves wickedness.

America has entered its decline. America has exported its manufacturing so that CEOs and Wall Street crooks could claim large bonuses while the working class declined.

The American financial industry is discredited and in chaos, having resorted to stealing one trillion dollars from American taxpayers, while putting the rest of the world into financial crisis, including the destruction of Iceland’s currency.

Most of the world now has reasons to hate and to distrust the United States.

American unemployment is high and rising despite the massive printing of money and budget deficits that are too large to be financed, except by the printing of more money.

The damage done to the American people in the first decade of the 21st century by their own government is comparable in some ways to the damage American hubris and self-righteousness have inflicted on the civilian populations of Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Gaza, and South Ossetia.

Instead of losing their homes to bombs, more than one million Americans have lost their homes to the subprime mortgage fraud. We are spied upon without warrants or cause. Our civil liberties are endangered.

Does anyone believe that George Bush, who assaulted his own country’s civil liberty, will be remembered as a “fighter for human rights”?

Paul Craig Roberts [email him] was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury during President Reagan’s first term. He was Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal. He has held numerous academic appointments, including the William E. Simon Chair, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Georgetown University, and Senior Research Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He was awarded the Legion of Honor by French President Francois Mitterrand. He is the author of Supply-Side Revolution : An Insider’s Account of Policymaking in Washington; Alienation and the Soviet Economy and Meltdown: Inside the Soviet Economy, and is the co-author with Lawrence M. Stratton of The Tyranny of Good Intentions : How Prosecutors and Bureaucrats Are Trampling the Constitution in the Name of Justice. Click here for Peter Brimelow’s Forbes Magazine interview with Roberts about the recent epidemic of prosecutorial misconduct.
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Also transcripts from http://www.democracynow.org – Thank you..

January 05, 2009

Israeli Professor Under Hamas Rocket Fire, Neve Gordon Condemns Israeli Invasion of Gaza

Earlier this morning, three Qassam rockets exploded in open areas in the western Negev in Israel. We go to the region to speak with Neve Gordon, chair of the Department of Politics and Government, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, and the author of Israel’s Occupation. [includes rush transcript]
Guest:

Neve Gordon, chair of the Department of Politics and Government, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, and the author of Israel’s Occupation. His latest article for The Guardian newspaper is titled ‘The Dire Cost of Domestic Rivalries’

AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to go to Beersheba right now in Israel to Neve Gordon, chair of the Department of Politics and Government at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel. He’s author of the book Israel’s Occupation.

We just heard a description of the rockets going as far as the Negev. Can you talk about the effects of what is happening right now in Israel proper and what your thoughts are on this movement that Phyllis Bennis is describing around boycott, around divestment?

NEVE GORDON: Well, we just had a rocket about an hour ago not far from our house. My two children have been sleeping in a bomb shelter for the past week. And yet, I think what Israel is doing is outrageous, as opposed to what Meagan said before. We have here a situation where actually Israel did leave the Gaza Strip three years ago, but it maintains sovereignty in any political science sense of the term. We’ve controlled all the borders. We’ve basically had an economic boycott on the Gaza Strip. And the people there have been living in what one should probably call as a prison. And they’ve been reacting with rockets, because probably that’s the only way that they can react.

And I think what Israel has been doing now has little to do with stopping the rockets, but actually it’s an election move inside Israel. It’s a move to build the reputation of the Israeli military after its humiliation in 2006. And what they’re actually doing is bombing from the air and massacring people, and we have to say no to this from here.

I’m not sure an international boycott on Israel is currently the way to go, because I think what we need is pressure from below, pressure from within Israel. As an Israeli citizen, I still believe in the importance of democracy and in the importance of the Israeli people also making a decision. This should be done through pressure. I agree with Phyllis on that. I think international pressure has to come. I think a divestment of the Occupied Territories and everything made in the Occupied Territories should be the first stage.

I think that Obama has a major role to play. He has been silent. And I think he can pressure the Israeli government into reaching agreement with the Palestinian people. I think today and for the past years,

Israel has been the obstacle to peace in the Middle East, because it’s not willing to compromise on the three major issues, which is a return to the 1967 borders, it’s the division of Jerusalem, and it’s a recognition of the right of return of the Palestinians with a stipulation that only a small amount can return back to Israel.

AMY GOODMAN: And do you see the Obama administration, as he’s now constituted it, going in this direction? Do you see any signs of this, Professor Gordon?

NEVE GORDON: I see—I hear silence. Now, I think I’ve written that Obama has an opportunity, because what it needs to bring peace in the Middle East is—or between Israel and the Palestinians is now known. We’ve had the Geneva Accords. We’ve had the Sari Nuseibeh and Ayalon. We’ve had the Arab Initiative. What needs to be done is clear. What is also clear is that regardless of the elections in Israel, the government that will be chosen will not go in the direction of peace.

Now, the third facet is that a majority of Israelis will probably vote for a two-state solution. My suggestion to Obama is to take—to write up an Obama plan, which I say I think is clear what needs to be done, and to go over the Israeli government and to bring it to a referendum to the Israeli people, and ask them, “Do you want a two-state solution?” We have a constellation, a configuration in the Israeli government, that a large minority will control any government and not allow it to make peace, regardless of what happens in the elections. And so, what we need is some kind of intervention from outside to go directly to the people. I think the people of Israel, if the American president will come and say, “Listen, you take it, and if not, you’ll be penalized, too. You take the two-state solution, and if not, you’ll be penalized.” And I think that is probably the way to go for Obama. I don’t know whether he’ll do it or not.

AMY GOODMAN: Neve Gordon, as you said, your kids are in a bomb shelter now. You’re in the Negev. We have seen many images of the rockets, the effect of the rockets hitting Sderot. But we’ve heard little voice from Israelis like you. And I’m wondering, is that an effect of the US media or the Israeli media? Or are those voices not that loud? In Sderot, for example, there is an alternative group that is called Alternative Voices, who actually, despite the rockets there, are calling for an end to the blockade and are calling for a ceasefire, calling for an end to the attack on Gaza. And this is over 1,800 people of Sderot.

NEVE GORDON: There is an alternative movement. This past Saturday—you mentioned protests around the world—I participated in a protest with my children in Tel Aviv. There were about between 5,000 and 10,000 people, which, proportional to the population, is not a small protest. The vast majority—let us not delude ourselves, because the vast majority of the people in Israel do support.

There are plenty of voices against. If you read Ha’aretz, the Israeli newspaper, people like Gideon Levy and Amira Hass, you’ll see that there are voices that are against.

The problem is that most Israelis say what Meagan said before.

They say, “Israel left the Gaza Strip three years ago, and Hamas is still shooting rockets at us.”

They forget the details. The details is that Israel maintains sovereignty. The details is that the Palestinians live in a cage.

The details is that they don’t get basic foodstuff, that they don’t get electricity, that they don’t get water, and so forth.

And when you forget those kinds of details, and all you say is, “Here, we left them. Why are they still shooting at us?” and that’s what the media here has been pumping them with, then you think this war is rational.

If you look at what’s been going on in the Gaza Strip in the past three years and you see what Israel has been doing to the Palestinians, you would think that the Palestinian resistance is rational.

And that’s what’s missing in the mainstream media here. And so, although there are voices of resistance in Israel and although there was a quite big protest on—actually, two big protests on Saturday, one in Sakhnin and one in Tel Aviv, it is still a really small minority.

AMY GOODMAN: Neve Gordon, I want to thank you for being with us, chair of the Department of Politics and Government, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, speaking to us from Beersheba. His book is called Israel’s Occupation. Phyllis Bennis, thank you for being with us, fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C. When we come back, we go back to Gaza.”

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Summary:  Armageddon

It is evident from the concerned voices that the ongoing reign of terror by Israel particularly against innocent civilians in Gaza through invasion, occupation , blockade and now direct confrontation is a heinous crime against humanity.

As indicated by Israeli citizen, Professor Neve Gordon, ideal candidate to be the head of the state of Israel,

The murder and massacre is carried out for political reasons by the incumbent Israeli administration and the eternally belligerent counsel Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu with a commanding support by U.S. administration and Congress members.

On the other hand, the hideous Hamas masquerading as the benefactors of the Palestinian population in Gaza has in fact led the situation to deteriorate from survival to peril by forcing Palestinian children obliterated through suicide bombing and Israeli shelling as well as Israeli children sleeping in bomb shelters for days and nights.

As suggested earlier in the blog post titled Israeli Palestinian Conflict on December 30,2008,

It is a rude awakening for both Israeli and Palestinian civilians being the real victims and casualties of the ongoing conflict orchestrated by war mongering authorities and aggressors in the United States, Israel and provocative Hamas.

Hence, fundamental political transformation in Israel and Palestine is the only saving grace for the people of these two states.

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Peace Proposal:

Israel and Hamas must ceasefire or deal with the wrath of natural phenomenon.

Now is the time for Israeli citizens to reflect upon the pros and cons of peace over war .

It is unequivocally important for Israeli government to make unconditional withdrawal of troops and settlements from all Palestinian territories backtracking to 1967 i.e. Gaza, West Bank and Golan Heights.

In addition, recognize the truth that peace rests in their hands by letting their Palestinian neighbors live with respect and dignity required for complete status as a sovereign nation, which means no blockades and check posts barring Palestinians from normal existence.

Israel cannot and must not hold any Palestinian area for settlement or occupation along the borders under the pretext of their national security.

With four weeks, left for the general election Israelis must elect a government represented by views like Professor Neve Gordon for long lasting peace and security of Israel and the entire Middle East region.

Palestinians, all those remaining after the barrage of Israeli missile attacks and bombings combined with Hamas’ tactics to use Gaza as launching pads for rocket attacks, must come in terms with reality…

That electing an ideological group like Hamas, committed towards their own agenda of terror has yielded carnage and chaos costing tens and thousands of lives and their future.

Therefore, Palestinians must make a concerted coalition of moderate and peace loving visionaries pledging support for the people and their future to represent the independent Palestinian state.

Palestinians must vow to themselves and their children not to seek the path of revenge paved with hatred, rage and terror against Israel.

Palestine and all other Arab nations must recognize Israel as a sovereign nation and acknowledge its democratic system.
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Myth clarification:

The hegemony in the United States and Israel responsible for fueling this inhumane onslaught in Gaza with inevitable cyclical violence in Middle East and around the world is due for clarification on Armageddon.

Reference also applicable to Hamas and all other terrorists groups imposing death penalty as jihad on citizens through suicide bombings and rocket attacks.

Armageddon is not for the salvation of demagogs engaged in the exhaustion of weaponry and deadly arsenal through unjustified wars to replenish new stock.

Armageddon is for deliverance of the oppressed, persecuted , tortured and tormented population on earth.

Non-acceptance of the stated peace proposal will lead to dire consequences for perpetrators on both sides.

Finally, leadership lacking in courage to defend truth, justice and innocent lives is doomed for failure.

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

Written by Padmini Arhant · Filed Under International Politics | Leave a Comment 

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

December 30, 2008

Cause and Effect:

The half a century old battle between two neighbors has evolved into an eternal volcano erupting periodically with sparks flying across the Middle East and in all Islamic nations around the world.

Israeli-Palestinian crisis also created a new war in the twentieth century and that is terrorism.

Unfortunately, it is now the epidemic around the world.

Amazingly, in the wake of unresolved intolerance between the two neighbors,

Peace and Diplomacy never had a chance instead,

Both sides relegated to techniques like suicide bombing, aerial bombardment through rockets and missiles with children and women as the so-called collateral damage in this senseless violence.

Negotiations between both parties rejected due to incessant obsession to deprive one another of peaceful existence.

Ironically, neither of them is a winner confirming the fact –

Nobody ever wins a war. Every one is a loser.

As stated earlier, there is cause and effect behind every event.

All this bloodshed is because of the Israeli controlled and illegal occupation of Palestinian territories for nearly five decades and the bitter truth of the matter is,

In the twenty first century, the people of Palestine are still suffering and struggling, as they do not have a place they could call home.

Israel might claim that it endured numerous suicide bombings and constantly threatened by the neighbors instigated by Iran.

Therefore, it reserves the right to defend itself by any means.

While this is true, Israel must ask itself, who is responsible for the unnecessary unmitigated violence that has emboldened terrorists, proliferated widespread fundamentalism and relevantly encouraged nations like Iran to seek nuclear weapons for wiping Israel of the map?

Undeniably, radicalism exists around the world particularly in the Middle East region.

Again, reiterating the fact nothing happens without a cause.

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Fact Check:

The criticism against Israel as the coveted ally of the United States is an absolute truth predominantly from the active lobbying and representation of Israeli interests in Washington.

Every Presidential candidate treads over a fine line not to jeopardize the Jewish votes and actively vows to protect Israeli welfare by religiously attending the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference during the Presidential campaign.

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AIPAC according to http://www.realjewnews.com/?p=235

Author – Br Nathanael Kapner

What’s Behind The AIPAC Curtain?

“CONTROL” IS WHAT THE AIPAC ZIONIST JEWS are all about. Is it then any surprise that the June 2-4 2008 AIPAC Policy Conference with 7,000 attendees including 300 from Congress was a media blackout ?

How could it be that with Condoleezza Rice, all 3 Presidential hopefuls, and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in attendance, the media coverage was nill? Well – since Jews stick together, (I grew up as a Jew), the Jewish owned mainstream media apparently agreed to “stonewall it.”

The business of wielding influence is what American Jewry is all about. And American Jewry prefers not to have this made public. This was brought home to the American Conservative Magazine journalist, Phillip Weiss. At his very first AIPAC Conference this year, Weiss was demanded by AIPAC officials while writing down his report to show his credentials.

Weiss, who made the observation regarding the Conference that AIPAC was serving their tribal interests , reported: “At the outset AIPAC performed a ‘roll call.’ The names of all the politicians in attendance were read off by three barkers in auctioneer fashion. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi won the day before her peers by shedding tears when mentioning the Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah.”

Indeed – all with political ambitions to remain in power came to the Conference to be accounted for before the influence-wielding Jews of AIPAC.

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AIPAC’S CONTROL OF AMERICA’S POLITICAL SYSTEM

In his Rense.com article, AIPAC Vs America , Rense political analyst Ted Lang observes that AIPAC controls American foreign policy in the Middle East. Lang also says that attempts to terminate the slaughter of innocent Iraqi citizens and to stop the AIPAC-ordered invasion of Iran will invoke the smear of ‘Anti-Semitism.’

And with the mass murders of Iraqi civilians and women with their children in Palestine, Ted Lang asks the most important question of our day: —

“Are the world’s greatest atrocities now attributable to Jews?” — Here .

If this question is not answered soon, groups like AIPAC will make our entire political system one great Zionist atrocity!

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Analysis:

First and Foremost, Palestinians are not responsible for the horrific holocaust in the twentieth century.

Illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories by Israel since 1967 is the root cause of all evil that followed the trail of violence up until now.

Despite being the holocaust victims, it is fathomless that Israeli oppression of Palestinian population is upheld as the national defense and security act.

Israel always is in the forefront to rescue Jewish citizens in crisis around the world whether it is Ethiopian Jews or the five Jewish victims in the recent Mumbai terror attacks.

In fact, Israel volunteered to send its own commandos to rescue the five Jewish captives held hostage at Nariman Center in Mumbai, India.

Why can’t Israel expand its obligation towards humanity rather than being selective in the safeguard and rescue of Jewish people alone?

Isn’t this planet inhabited by humans of other faith and denomination as well?

Shouldn’t their life matter?

Why is Israel not forthcoming with its possession of Nuclear arsenal and Washington including United States media and news organizations relentlessly defend Israel of every offensive act against Palestinian population?

If only Washington played an unbiased role in the mediation of peace process between Israel and Palestinian people, by demanding Israel to an unconditional withdrawal of troops and settlements from Gaza, West Bank and Golan Heights and,

Granting Independence to Palestinians by allowing them to call these territories provinces of Palestine, there can be an eternal peace in the entire region including the security of Israel and United States.

Further, the Palestinian population need not rely on radical elements like Hamas and it would negate the reasons available to threaten Israel by Hezbollah and their mastermind Iran.

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Recent Assault:

The escalated violence in the past three days from December 27, 2008 through up until now resulting in major civilian casualties on the Palestinian side estimated over 360 victims with children being the majority is a callous demonstration of Israeli might against weak and fragile Palestinian population.

Israel’s sophisticated airstrikes and missile attacks (Thanks to United States supply of weaponry and multibillion dollars aid) on civilian targets in retaliation to Hamas’s outdated rockets is a crime against humanity worthy of condemnation.

There is no justification whatsoever in the mass murder of civilians carried out in the pretext of national security.

It is not to glorify Hamas’ terrorist action proclaimed as “jihad” towards Israeli population either.

An eye for an eye will make the world go blind.

In the quagmire, the civilians on both sides are the targets and the action by the political factions representing the people of Gaza and Israel is belligerent and must be halted instantaneously.

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Ceasefire:

Israel must refrain from further attacks for the safety and security of its own existence now and in the future.

Hamas on the other hand must realize that their reign of terror against Palestinians through exploitation and abuse of Power by encouraging young, vulnerable citizens as suicide bombers against Israeli civilians is not the kind of representation the Palestinians deserve at present and beyond.

In light of the current carnage and destruction brought upon particularly the innocent civilians in Gaza and those hurt in Israel it is evident that fundamental transformation is required in the political process on both sides.

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Face the Truth:

Time’s up for conservative politics in Israel and Washington lobbying responsible for the plight of Palestinians through unlawful settlements and occupation of their homeland.

It is incumbent on Israel effective immediately to start preparing for the unconditional withdrawal from territories backtracking to 1967 i.e. Gaza, West Bank and Golan Heights to enable Palestinians their entitlement to a homeland.

Hamas in turn will wind up all of its insidious activities and ploy at the behest of Iran against Israeli population or else deal with regrettable consequences.

Similar destiny will be shared by all those elements whether it is Hezbollah or any Islamic anarchists, theocracy like Iran involved in systematic destabilization of peace and progress in the Middle East region particularly Palestine, Israel and Iraq.

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Message Alert:

Information is being delivered according to the earlier warning of an imminent Armageddon through divine intervention to end sufferings of all human beings on this planet and restore peace, progress and prosperity for all.

Solutions on confrontations between nuclear neighbors India and Pakistan, Oppression of Tibet by emerging economic power China, Persecution of Burmese population by the Burmese Junta and ultimatum to Military regimes in Africa and the Americas with a promise to liberate the people of all these regions is in order.

Failure to adhere to suggested strategies and proposals will lead to unrequested and unprecedented disaster.
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Special Request:

The readers of the blog posts and visitors to the website www.padminiarhant.com are advised that any delay in response to national and international events are not to be treated as lack of interest or concern by the entity.

While being mindful of the adverse impact such as loss of lives from conflicts like war, every article is presented after meticulous research and fact check for authenticity of the information.

Therefore, your understanding and patience is appreciated at all times.

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

Written by Padmini Arhant · Filed Under International Politics | Leave a Comment 

Middle East Conflict

September 26, 2008

Vadim said…

I feel the same way about Obama. You neglected to mention his shifting stance towards Israel (perhaps it’s not your issue). He used to meet with Edward Said and do activism in the Palestinian community here in Chicago. Now he says he’s been “pro-Israel” from the start.

FISA was the last straw for me. I’m going to vote third party unless he revokes his support for the bill: http://tinyurl.com/5w9w9v

I’m in Illinois so it likely won’t make a difference but I’m too disillusioned with Obama at this point to do otherwise.

August 14, 2008 1:44 PM

Hi Vadim,

Thank you for your comment.

“Palestinian” issue is a humanitarian issue.

I have raised my concerns recently in public regarding human rights violation and the challenges faced by “Palestinian” population for more than half a century now.

I see no difference between a Palestinian Mother and an Israeli Mother’s grief stricken images resulting from this ongoing conflict that could be resolved only if everyone involved could reach out to one another as human beings first and then anything next.

As a Mother, I can’t imagine the courage and emotional strength required for any mother to bury her own child or children before her time.

Giving birth to “life” is the most arduous and joyous journey for a mother. The aspiration to raise a child in a free and secure world and provide basic to affordable comforts is a common dream of any parents.

Only if the “sources” responsible for this conflict could realize that they have been gifted with “life” by a “mother” who is rewarded with a second chance to life during childbirth despite modern medicine and technology.

Every “life” is precious and should matter.

When I see a child in Palestine, Tibet, Burma or Darfur suffering and yearning for freedom, I see beyond their ethnicity. I see the human pain and agony. The hopelessness in their eyes that “darkness” will never be expelled from their “dreams” and yet forcing
a smile for the “international press” coverage on the carnage and destruction of their lives.

I have mentioned on numerous occasions in my blogs throughout the “Democratic Primary Election” on my.barackobama.com about the “Palestinian Plight” and the importance for international support and action to restore human rights and dignity for the “Palestinian People” and others mentioned above.

My website www.padminiarhant.com to be uploaded and active from August 19th, 2008 has a “Humanitarian” header dedicated to human rights issues concerning all human beings on earth.

I am also in the process of publishing my very first book titled “Words Matter”,
The Mind of a Blogger, subtitled “How Democracy is Hijacked during War and Election”?

I have sincere and genuine concern for people deprived of basic human rights and liberty to think and express as well as those struggling to establish a place they could call “Home” like in the case of “Palestinians.”

Once again, your thoughts are much appreciated.

Sincerely,

Padmini Arhant

August 15, 2008 5:57 PM

Written by Padmini Arhant · Filed Under International Politics | Leave a Comment 

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