Annapolis

27Nov07

I will hopefully find time to write a proper take on the Annapolis “get together” tomorrow – suffice to say, it basically offered a re-affirmation of the long dead “roadmap” (in fact, thanks to Israeli rejectionism, it was stillborn) and a promise to reach a settlement within a year (because, as we know, deadlines have [...]

Filed under: Israeli / Palestinian, News and politics, US   |  2 Comments
Tags: "peace process", Annapolis, Saudi Arabia, Syria

Not bad for a "dictator"

26Nov07

As we approach the public referendum on 69 proposed changes to the Venezuelan constitution, the standard media lies about Chavez being a “dictator”, a “strong-man” and a “caudillo” have resurfaced, as predictable as they are false.
Certainly, some of the proposed reforms are a cause for concern – the move to make it more difficult for [...]

Filed under: Media, News and politics, US, Venezuela   |  7 Comments
Tags: Bolivarian revolution, Democracy, Hugo Chavez, socialism

Racist Ha’aretz ads

24Nov07

Currently running across the top of the Ha’aretz site is an animated banner advert, that flicks through four stages:

In case the blood-red background wasn’t menacing enough, the word “Arab” flashes a few times, to drive the point home: the filthy Arabs are corrupting the Holy land of pure, Judeo-Christian civilisation.
It’s strange that Ha’aretz, which generally [...]

Filed under: Israeli / Palestinian, Media, News and politics   |  9 Comments
Tags: advertising, Ha'aretz

Bloody furreners!

22Nov07

And here we were thinking that the demonisation of Iran was purely political…
‘Around 60% of all foreign militants who entered Iraq to fight over the past year came from Saudi Arabia and Libya, according to files seized by American forces at a desert camp.
The files listed the nationalities and biographical details of more than 700 [...]

Filed under: Iran, Iraq, News and politics, UK, US   |  5 Comments
Tags: War

Chomsky on Iran

22Nov07

Good stuff from The Real News.

Filed under: Iran, News and politics, US, Videos, WMD   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: Chomsky, The Real News, War

Walled In

18Nov07

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) last week published a report (.pdf) examining the humanitarian impact of Israel’s “security fence” on 67 Palestinian communities in the northern West Bank, representing a combined population of nearly 220,000 Palestinians. 15 of the communities surveyed, with a total population of 10,000, are [...]

Filed under: Israeli / Palestinian, News and politics   |  3 Comments
Tags: Human Rights, occupation, OCHA, UN, wall

Distorting the IAEA report on Iran

16Nov07

Published at UK Watch.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) yesterday published its latest report (.pdf) into Iran’s nuclear activities. Interestingly, the U.S. has claimed that the report confirms what it has been saying all along – that it “makes clear that Iran seems uninterested in working with the rest of the world” – and [...]

Filed under: Iran, Media, News and politics, UK, US, WMD   |  7 Comments
Tags: "ElBaradei is an anti-Semite!", IAEA, spin, War

The “gestures” that weren’t

15Nov07

The excellent Machsom Watch, an Israeli NGO that monitors IDF checkpoints in the West Bank, have released a report refuting the Israeli government’s claims to have removed 24 roadblocks as a “gesture of goodwill” to Mahmoud Abbas:
“Only two of the 24 roadblocks that Israel claimed to have removed recently were in fact removed; many never [...]

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Tags: "matrix of control", Machsom Watch, occupation, roadblocks

Quote of the Day

14Nov07

“How can moderate Palestinians claim that the ceasefire and the peace process are working if every day more and more Palestinian land is built on? I liken the Israeli position to that of somebody who stands on somebody else’s toes and says that they will get off only when that person stops screaming.”
- MP Martin [...]

Filed under: Israeli / Palestinian, News and politics, Quote of the Day   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: "peace process", "roadmap", Annapolis

Britain’s role in the world

14Nov07

There was an interesting discussion yesterday in the House of Lords about the West Papuan problem, specifically the genocidal Indonesian occupation of West Papua which has thus far enjoyed the full support of the British government. The exchange, between several Lords and Foreign Office Minister Lord Malloch-Brown, reveals a lot about the sincerity of [...]

Filed under: News and politics, UK, West Papua   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: "primitives", Arms Trade, Democracy, Human Rights, Indonesia, International & Foreign Policy, occupation