New Events

International

no events posted in last week

Blog Feeds

The Saker
A bird's eye view of the vineyard

offsite link Alternative Copy of thesaker.is site is available Thu May 25, 2023 14:38 | Ice-Saker-V6bKu3nz
Alternative site: https://thesaker.si/saker-a... Site was created using the downloads provided Regards Herb

offsite link The Saker blog is now frozen Tue Feb 28, 2023 23:55 | The Saker
Dear friends As I have previously announced, we are now “freezing” the blog.? We are also making archives of the blog available for free download in various formats (see below).?

offsite link What do you make of the Russia and China Partnership? Tue Feb 28, 2023 16:26 | The Saker
by Mr. Allen for the Saker blog Over the last few years, we hear leaders from both Russia and China pronouncing that they have formed a relationship where there are

offsite link Moveable Feast Cafe 2023/02/27 ? Open Thread Mon Feb 27, 2023 19:00 | cafe-uploader
2023/02/27 19:00:02Welcome to the ‘Moveable Feast Cafe’. The ‘Moveable Feast’ is an open thread where readers can post wide ranging observations, articles, rants, off topic and have animate discussions of

offsite link The stage is set for Hybrid World War III Mon Feb 27, 2023 15:50 | The Saker
Pepe Escobar for the Saker blog A powerful feeling rhythms your skin and drums up your soul as you?re immersed in a long walk under persistent snow flurries, pinpointed by

The Saker >>

Public Inquiry
Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005

offsite link RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail?supporter? Anthony

offsite link Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony

offsite link Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony

offsite link RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony

offsite link Waiting for SIPO Anthony

Public Inquiry >>

Human Rights in Ireland
Promoting Human Rights in Ireland

Human Rights in Ireland >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link A Golden Age for American Meritocracy Fri Jan 24, 2025 14:15 | Darren Gee
The second Trump Presidency has already dissolved hundreds of DEI programmes and looks set to herald a new golden age of American meritocracy. It's a movement America and the world are hungry for, says Darren Gobin.
The post A Golden Age for American Meritocracy appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Think Tank?s Net Zero Survey Concludes the Public is the Problem Fri Jan 24, 2025 13:10 | Ben Pile
The Social Market Foundation has carried out a survey on public attitudes to Net Zero and concluded that the "uninformed" and reluctant public are the problem. Why else would they say no to heat pumps?
The post Think Tank’s Net Zero Survey Concludes the Public is the Problem appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Number of Children Who Think They are Wrong Sex Surges 50-Fold Fri Jan 24, 2025 11:10 | Will Jones
There has been a 50-fold rise in children who think they are the?wrong sex in just 10 years, with two thirds of them girls, analysis of GP records suggests.
The post Number of Children Who Think They are Wrong Sex Surges 50-Fold appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Lib Dem Leader Ed Davey: Go Back to Your Constituencies and Prepare to Live in Mud and Grass Huts Fri Jan 24, 2025 09:00 | Chris Morrison
With all 72 Lib Dem MPs supporting the mad Climate and Nature Bill, their clownish leader Ed Davey is effectively telling them to go back to their constituencies and prepare to live in mud and grass huts.
The post Lib Dem Leader Ed Davey: Go Back to Your Constituencies and Prepare to Live in Mud and Grass Huts appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link In Episode 27 of the Sceptic: David Shipley on Southport, Fred de Fossard on Trump vs Woke Capitalis... Fri Jan 24, 2025 07:00 | Richard Eldred
In episode 27 of the Sceptic: David Shipley on Southport, Fred de Fossard on Trump vs Woke Capitalism and Ed West on the grooming gangs as Britain?s Chernobyl.
The post In Episode 27 of the Sceptic: David Shipley on Southport, Fred de Fossard on Trump vs Woke Capitalism and Ed West on the Grooming Gangs As Britain?s Chernobyl appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

And Again Israel and Again Israel

category international | anti-war / imperialism | news report author Thursday January 08, 2004 18:26author by the ipsiphi Report this post to the editors

January 9th 2004 IrlGov EU. meets His Excellency Nabil Shaath, the Palestinian Foreign Minister

As a follow up to it's January 4th statement on the Golan heights, the Irish Presidency will tomorrow host the Palestinian foregin minister Dr Shaath.

Quite a formidable character who has been around _a log time_ like since before Yassar Arafat made the scarf so popular.

"Bertie says":

Nabil Shaath to Visit Dublin, 9 January 2004
Date: 8 Jan 2004
Policy Area: General Affairs and External Relations
Content Type: Press Releases

His Excellency Nabil Shaath, the Palestinian Foreign Minister, will visit Dublin on 9 January for Presidency related meetings with the Minister of Foreign affairs, Brian Cowen TD. During the visit Dr Shaath will also meet the Taoiseach and the leader of the Seanad, Senator Mary O'Rourke. At Leinster House Dr Shaath will also meet with the Chair of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and will later meet with the Parliamentary Friends of Palestine. Dr Shaath will meet Minister Cowen at Iveagh House where the main item for discussion will be developments in the Middle East Peace Process. There will be a brief press opportunity at the end of the meeting at approximately 2pm.

*******************************************

My usual drole style is padded out with reference to the sites linked at the end.

Dr. Nabil Shaath (born 1938) was previously the Palestinian Authority Minister of Planning and International Cooperation since 1994. Which like covers much the same stuff so he's familiar with the office. He was elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council in 1996 representing Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip.
Shaath is a member of Fatah's Central Committee and was part of the Palestinian delegation to the 1991 Madrid Middle East Peace Conference and has participated in several sessions of peace negotiations with Israel in Oslo and Washington. He liked the Spanish and they like him. He has signalled in the last year that Madrid or "Spain" would make a suitable place to hold the next hoped for talks.

Shaath headed the first delegation of the PLO to the United Nations and accompanied President Yasser Arafat during his famous 1974 speech at the U.N General Assembly. Shaath represented Palestine in many world conferences including the World Economic Forum.

From 1961-1965, Shaath taught Finance and Economics at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States. Shaath obtained two doctorates, one in law and another in economics, from the University of Pennsylvania. He later taught at the Universities of Cairo, Alexandria and Beirut.

August 3rd he met the Israeli foreign minister for the first time, and well Dr Shaath is the "Palestinian part of the Road Map" which so thoughtfully brings:-
Israel, USA, Palestine, Spain and Ireland together the matrix. We ought all watch this part of the "Irish Strategy" very carefully, the honeymoon shall soon be @ an end.

For one recent statement will be _very fresh_ (I suspect) in Dr Shaath's mind, that which he made on 22nd of December 2003 -
"Foreign Minister Dr. Nabil Shaath on Monday denied Israeli reports that US president George W.Bush said Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat should be eliminated.

"Many US sources said these statements are incorrect and President Arafat has received many telephone calls asserting that these statements are not true," Shaath told the Jerusalem-based Al-Quds daily."

********************************

http://www.nad-plo.org/who/n-shaath.html
http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH0nmy0
http://www.pna.gov.ps/
http://www.eu2004.ie/templates/news.asp?sNavlocator=66&list_id=30
reaction to the Road Map unedited transcript of phone call:
http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0305/25/sm.20.html

related post:
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=62851&search_text=israel

Now I suppose Avi H will organise a big protest or something.

author by kokomeropublication date Thu Jan 08, 2004 19:54author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Avi will regale us with tales of how 18,000 Ethopian Jews are being "saved" by resettling them in Israel.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0108/mideast.html

No doubt they will face an uncertain future as second-class citizens in their new home, and will be sent as cannon-fodder to ethnically cleanse the Palestinians from their homes in the West Bank and Gaza.

author by avi H.publication date Fri Jan 09, 2004 11:06author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Ask Dr. Road Map why the PA didn't meet its primary initial obligation under it which was to stop terrorist murders of Israelis. This is what caused it to fail, as Israel met all its first stage obligations.

author by Jim Monaghanpublication date Fri Jan 09, 2004 11:31author address author phone Report this post to the editors

All the road map allows is a glorified bantusan and the Sharon government would not even give that. The role of the PA under this map and Oslo is to act as a police force protecting the Israeli state from the angry , dispossessed Palestinian masses.
A one state solution would give a Palestinian majority. Even in the confines of the original Israeli state there would be a Palestinian majority in 10/20 years and now if the right of return existed.
Sharon hopes to break and totally demoralise the Palestiniian people and make a "peace" with a broken PA leadership.
At this stage the PA is practically broken and lacks the means to either resist effectively the Israelis or perform the work of a Vichy type regime.
The acts of resistance deplored selectively by Ari and other Israeli apologists should be seen in the context of the desperation of a supra oppressed people abandoned and maybe in despair. The guilty ones are those who dispossessed them and drove them from their homes.I find it hard to blame them for lashing out at their oppressors even if I disagree with their tactics, leadership and startegy.
The crusader states lasted for a long time but were eventually eliminated.
If the Palestinian people were given justice even after all that has happened there might be a possibility of a democratic sate with equality and respect for all it's diverse population. The alternative is oppression for as long as there is a Palestinian people no matter how downtrodden. The current victors are left with a vista of constant security needs and reliance on American aid to pay for it. A real peace with justice (predicated on a right of return of people and return of property) might allow a vista where endless oppression might be a thing of the past.

author by Avi H.publication date Fri Jan 09, 2004 11:45author address author phone Report this post to the editors

The Palestinians would have received a perfectly viable state under the Road Map, which is why Dr. Road Map Nabil Shaah was in favour of it.

The Arabs are just so greedy: as if they don't have enough land already, they want to push the Jews out. Look at the size of all the Arab territory in the Middle East!

A unitary state is a total non-starter. The Arabs would be a majority within ten years, so it's just yet another way of trying ot destroy our country. In any event, Israelis would never agree to it, and even more so after the Arabs have been committing all these suicide atrocities against us.

author by Aaron Spublication date Fri Jan 09, 2004 12:42author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Israeli historian Benny Morris has finally recognized that the nascent Israeli state did, in fact, deliberately and violently expel the bulk of the Palestinian Arab population -- something he had denied in his earlier work. But he has also decided that it was a good thing to do, and even that it should have been done more thoroughly!

For the Ha'aretz interview with Morris and, I hope, a rather interesting discussion of same, click on this URL:

Related Link: http://indybay.org/news/2004/01/1667397.php
author by avi H.publication date Fri Jan 09, 2004 13:39author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I agree with him. What's your point?

I mean, isn't it better to separate two hostile populations by force rather than leave them to murder each other? Isn't that what happened in India and Pakistan at about the same time?

author by the cleanserpublication date Fri Jan 09, 2004 16:48author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Exactly what Adolf was trying to do in Europe as well, but of course he was not quite as successful as you chaps ....

author by avi H.publication date Fri Jan 09, 2004 18:27author address author phone Report this post to the editors

The Jews posed no threat to the Germans, nor do they pose any threat to the Arabs.

author by Mepublication date Fri Jan 09, 2004 18:33author address author phone Report this post to the editors

"The Jews posed no threat to the Germans, nor do they pose any threat to the Arabs."

But Israel surely does.

author by kokomeropublication date Fri Jan 09, 2004 19:04author address author phone Report this post to the editors

leaving Kashmir (muslim) under the control of India has led to decades of strife and a full-blown nuclear arms race.

Whereas there is a balance in the Indian sub-continent the Israeli terror state is not content with having won the nuclear arms race against their Arab neighbours but continues to build more and more when the Iranians, Iraqis and Lybians are giving up theirs.

The simple reason is Israel wants it's own nuclear umbrella to squash all resistance to its ethnic cleansing of the West Bank and Gaza and mass murder and persecution of Palestinians.

There is only one aggressor in this picture and its Israel!

The Palestinians are simply reacting by fighting back against oppression as the Jews did in the Warsaw ghetto!

Boycott Israel until they go back to their pre-1967 borders!

author by avi H.publication date Fri Jan 09, 2004 19:29author address author phone Report this post to the editors

In reality, Israel has no designs on any sovereign Arab country. If it did, it would never have returned territory conquered in wars that it didn't have to.

Israel is a democracy. The Arab world, including the Palestinian authority, is not. Do you understand what that means? It means that people like Indymedia people (i.e. those whose views differ from the government-decreed norm) are arrested, tortured or killed; and that ethnic minorities, such as Jews, are persecuted.

The Arabs hate the Jews, not least because they are a persecuted people that escaped the subjugation and slavery to which the Arabs subjected them for centuries.; not least also because their developed state is a success in a way that no Arab country is, and a historical comparison between the relative achievements of the two peoples is deeply shaming to them.

author by the cleanserpublication date Fri Jan 09, 2004 19:43author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Quite right Avi ....

However, let's not forget that the state of Israel, a veritable regional mini-superpower armed to the teeth with WMD, would be a lot less developed if it weren't for all those tasty dollars milked from the USA ....

Related Link: http://www.wrmea.com/html/us_aid_to_israel.htm
author by avi H.publication date Fri Jan 09, 2004 19:53author address author phone Report this post to the editors

The Arabs have a lot, lot more of these than Israel ever did, and they just squandered them.

author by the cleanserpublication date Fri Jan 09, 2004 20:09author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Whereas the Israelis have wisely invested them in the finest military hardware money can buy ...... not to mention the nuclear arsenal ....

author by kokomeropublication date Fri Jan 09, 2004 20:18author address author phone Report this post to the editors

In reality, Israel has no designs on any sovereign Arab country. If it did, it would never have returned territory conquered in wars that it didn't have to.

>> You do have to return the West Bank and a series of UN resolutions starting from 242 will eventually force you to!

Israel is a democracy.

>> Democracies do not practice apartheid, assassination, ethnic cleansing and torture or make a virtue of it!

The Arab world, including the Palestinian authority, is not. Do you understand what that means? It means that people like Indymedia people (i.e. those whose views differ from the government-decreed norm) are arrested, tortured or killed; and that ethnic minorities, such as Jews, are persecuted.

>> You mean just like Palestinians are murdered, tortured and dissappeared, and persecuted by the Israelis?

As for Israel being such a "success" it's economy has been crippled by the load of the military and would collapse altogether were it not for the American bail-outs!

Finally stop referring to the "Arabs" as if they were one people ... they're not!

It makes as much sense as calling the Irish, English, Scots and Welsh the same because they share a language and live in the same corner of the planet and only demonstrates that you have no understanding of your neighbours!

author by avi H.publication date Fri Jan 09, 2004 20:49author address author phone Report this post to the editors

about the Middle East, which is NOTHING. Actually, the Arabs are one people, although they are divided tribally throughout the Middle East. However, there are many Middle Eastern peoples they have oppressed - the Berbers, Bedouin, Kurds, Circassians, Jews, etc. etc. Even the Palestinians are not a separate people and have no separate history or existence as 'Palestinians' before 1967. In the 1930s, for example, the term 'Palestinian' meant a Jew.

author by your little pirate dude.publication date Fri Jan 09, 2004 22:41author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Bertie says (*)

The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ireland, Brian Cowen TD, today held talks with the Palestinian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Nabil Shaath. Dr Shaath was in Dublin, as part of his European Regional tour, to discuss developments in the Middle East Peace Process.

The Minister and Dr Shaath discussed the current difficulties facing the Road Map, the attempts to restore the Palestinian militants' ceasefire, the EU concerns over the continued construction of the Israeli security wall, the expansion of the Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories and the Minister's visit to Israel and Egypt next week.

Following the meeting the Minister stated:

'I am going to the region next week and it is very important that I meet with the Palestinian Foreign Minister as we engage again in the consultative process with all the parties, both as a responsibility as a member of the Quartet group, where my job as Presidency is to see the implementation of the Road Map as quickly as possible, and to ensure that the international community takes up its responsibility to assist the parties in trying to advance these issues as a matter of urgency.

Also, I indicated to Nabil that we will remain in constant touch in this semester, throughout our Presidency… We are looking to see what way we can encourage movement so that we can try and resolve the beginnings of the implementation of the Road Map…

Inaction is simply not an option…It is important that we work politically and diplomatically with the parties…I am going to Israel next week and will talk with the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister.

We have seen an escalation … on all sides. It is imperative, as democratic politicians, that we confront these issues with the seriousness and united purpose that is required.'.

During the course of his visit Dr Shaath was welcomed to Dublin by the Taoiseach, Mr Bertie Ahern TD. At Leinster House he met with Dr Michael Woods TD, Chairman of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and with Senator Mary O'Rourke, Leader of Seanad Eireann. In the afternoon Dr Shaath had the opportunity to meet with the Parliamentary Friend of Palestine.
ENDS

(*) ="my taoiseach & the supreme little rascal of Ireland to whom I give sloppy hugs, in this honeymoon period before getting really serious on exactly how much of the 25% of Global GDP shared by 450,000,000 other European hopefuls you and your mates ripped off from us"

author by David C.publication date Fri Jan 09, 2004 23:09author address author phone Report this post to the editors

The Avi/Likudnik position that a unitary state is a total non-starter for demographic reasons, when combined with their violent opposition to a viable 2-state solution, shows that the end game for Israel's leaders is the extermination or ethnic cleansing of the palestinian people from their own land. That is an inevitable conclusion of Israel's position, just as the holocaust was the inevitable conclusion of the Nazi position in the mid 30's. This is often spoken openly by senior Israeli politicians - as occured just a few days ago.

Avi - the soul of you and your people (i.e. Likudniks, not jews) is with the Nazis.


Some facts on the above discussion:

The Road map, like the Wye River accords offered to Arafat, is a deliberately vague and fuzzy set of possiblties intended to drag out the clock some more so that Israel can build or consolodate more 'facts on the ground'. No maps. No promises. Nothing real. In general Israel wants a vague, drawn-out process, while the palestinians want a pragmatic, detailed process. This is why the Likudniks hate the Geneva Accords so much. Israel wants land much, much more than security - this is central to understanding the conflict.

Israel is *not* a democracy, because 4 million people under occupation can't vote in Israeli elections. There are also many ways in which arab Israeli's are prohibited from participating in politics. It is a place in which religious/racial discrimination is build into its political structure.

Avi's argument that "arabs have lots of land so why can't we steal some" makes as much sense as "israeli's have lots of money so why can't I have Avi's". Avi - have you ever looked honestly at the roots of your arguments? Don't you feel an irritating itch from your rational or moral mind?

Israel is the South Africa of our time - evil, defensive and with a limited future under its current polocies. The rise of the Internet, global TV, international travel, etc has eroded Israel's ability to 'manage' its image, and the world now understands the truth about what is happening. And that is bad news for you and yours, Avi...

author by avi H.publication date Sun Jan 11, 2004 20:50author address author phone Report this post to the editors

That just shows your purile reductionism: Israel is a square peg, your brain is a round hole.

author by David C.publication date Sun Jan 11, 2004 23:30author address author phone Report this post to the editors

(BTW, 'Purile' describes your response nicely...)

When the world woke up to what was happening in aparthied South Africa in the 1980's the result was swift and certain:

-The nation became despised the world over.
- It's citizens became ashamed of their citizenship. Many sought to leave.
- Its economy shrank steadily under formal and informal boycotts.
- Its politicians, cultural figures, sporting figures, etc were met with protests and opposition wherever they went, and rapidly learned to stay at home.
- Its internal opposition figures were revered and supported internationaly.
- It was diplomatically rejected by civilized governments throughout the world and was left with a shrinking circle of allies drawn from fellow-pariah nations.
- etc. etc.
Sound familiar?

Do you remember that famous terrorist, Nelson Mandela? Whatever happened to him? Did the racist white South Africans succeed in bring security to their country by defeating the terrorist ANC?

Sick, twisted, evil little facist Israel will, with certainty, shrivel and die. A decent, tolerent, hopeful, secure and prospersous Israel will rise from its ashes.

author by kokomeropublication date Mon Jan 12, 2004 10:42author address author phone Report this post to the editors

If there is anybody guilty of purile reductionism it is Avi. It is a central tenet of expansionist Zionism that the Arabs are "one" people (against Israel), which they are quite obviously not.

To admit that the Arabs are many peoples/states (several of which have independently reconciled with Israel or at least have ceased hostilities) would be to admit that there is no conspiracy against Israel and would thus remove the rationale for Israels expansionism, paranoia, nuclear deterence etc.

Israel will use any and all means to brainwash the ignorant into believing this hogwash, some of them incredibly sophisticated such as the Trojan devices (hidden transmitters planted deep inside Lybia which relayed false "terrorist" transmissions destined for interception by US NSA spy-ships and satellites) used to create a pretext for the US bombing of Lybia in 1986
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2003-09/25/content_267303.htm.

As such any such intercepts or "chatter", which often form the basis for US and American action, from mobile phones, radio transmissions or the internet relating to Arab states and/or terrorism is highly suspect and should be treated with extreme caution.

A commercial spin-off from Israels spying activities (many Xacct employees come from an elite Israeli army communications and espionage unit) called http://www.xacct.com ensures that they could even be watching you in Ireland http://www.xacct.com/NEWS/PR/xacct_release_030915.htm

"Israel-based Xacct Technologies has won numerous awards during the last
three years for its intelligent business infrastructure platform and
data gathering technologies. For example, Red Herring has named it one
of the "Top 50 Companies Most Likely to Change the World."

A closer look at Xacct's technology reveals some startling implications
and opportunities for abuse. Promoted as a comprehensive, real-time data
collection, correlation, aggregation and account provisioning solution,
Xacct's technology uses "smart agents" to record information and
transmit data to a central event manager, storing the usage data in a
commercial database. Direct access to servers is not required, and Xacct
claims that more data often can be gathered by interrogating traffic
near the device than what the device itself provides.

Xacct's carrier-class technology is deployed as a business
infrastructure solution that provides multisource, multilayer data
collection, as a convergent software platform that captures and
transforms raw network data, such as that from GPRS, UMTS and IP
networks, into actionable business and intelligence information. Because
protocols such as GPRS are always on, it's possible for a carrier to
offer information back to a user based on his or her location and
previous behavior. Going a step farther, Xacct can collect and process
this data in real time, combining behavioral events with positional
events. With the upcoming penetration of third-generation wireless
standards, this presents some interesting legal perspectives as to how
the information should or should not be used."

Related Link: http://www.casi.org.uk/discuss/2003/msg05018.html
author by kokomeropublication date Mon Jan 12, 2004 10:52author address author phone Report this post to the editors

which you seem (pretend) to know very little about, Avi.

The Ottoman Turks, NOT the Arabs, ruled over the modern middle-east for 400 years from 1517-1917 so if you have an issue with oppression you should take it up with them and their British successors 1917-1948, not the Saudis, Palestinians, Syrians etc.!

On the basis of 400 years of Turkish oppression why is Israel so friendly with Turkey?

author by David C.publication date Mon Jan 12, 2004 17:37author address author phone Report this post to the editors

2/3 of the population of the EU and probably 3/3 of the population of the rest of the world (non-US ) think that Israel is a facist state that is a serious danger to world peace. I'd say your propaganda has run its course, Avi. Maybe its time for you likudniks to start thinking of a different approach?

(Although, on the other hand, imagine what Israel's image would be like if they *didn't *spend $800 million.yr on propaganda! Ha!)

Number of comments per page
  
 
© 2001-2025 Independent Media Centre Ireland. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by Independent Media Centre Ireland. Disclaimer | Privacy