Ladles and jellyspoons, we interrupt this programme to inform you that Sleeper Cell has found a new home at talkislam.info.
The exact website is something like www.sleepercell.talkislam.info.
We are still in the process of moving in, so the new house doesn't quite look as nice and put-together as this old one.
We here at Sleeper Cell appreciate your well wishes and support during these 18 months. We're not leaving you, just phoning in our correspondence from a different locale.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Sarah Palin is a Stupid Bitch
So says a reader from Serbia. (Yes, some of my readers are Serbs. You got a problem with that?) A reader identified only as JK writes:
"Did you see Palin's interview with Katie Couric? She said of the Pakistani people: 'They want democratic values to be allowed in their country'.
"What kind of stupid bitch is she? Democratic values are allowed in Pakistan. Pakistan is a democracy. Do not Pakistani citizens vote for members of parliament, and for the prime minister?
"Yes, you may argue that Pakistan is a fragile democracy, or not an ideal democracy - the same can be argued about the United States, where corporations and lobbyists control the government, not the people - but it is a democracy nonetheless.
"Palin simply assumes - like a lot of Americans - that since Pakistan is a Muslim country it must outlaw democratic values. Remember, Palin said that democratic values are not allowed in Pakistan.
"What kind of stupid fucking bitch is she? Goddamn, I knew the American people were dumb, but this takes the cake."
Couldn't have said it better myself, JK. If you're the authoress of the Potter novels, please share your wealth with a starving blogger in Africa.
Till then, I remain sincerely yours,
the fedster
#
"Did you see Palin's interview with Katie Couric? She said of the Pakistani people: 'They want democratic values to be allowed in their country'.
"What kind of stupid bitch is she? Democratic values are allowed in Pakistan. Pakistan is a democracy. Do not Pakistani citizens vote for members of parliament, and for the prime minister?
"Yes, you may argue that Pakistan is a fragile democracy, or not an ideal democracy - the same can be argued about the United States, where corporations and lobbyists control the government, not the people - but it is a democracy nonetheless.
"Palin simply assumes - like a lot of Americans - that since Pakistan is a Muslim country it must outlaw democratic values. Remember, Palin said that democratic values are not allowed in Pakistan.
"What kind of stupid fucking bitch is she? Goddamn, I knew the American people were dumb, but this takes the cake."
Couldn't have said it better myself, JK. If you're the authoress of the Potter novels, please share your wealth with a starving blogger in Africa.
Till then, I remain sincerely yours,
the fedster
#
Friday, September 19, 2008
Surge Not Working: UCLA study
Contrary to Barack Obama's gushing that the surge has worked "beyond our wildest dreams", a new study from UCLA confirms what experts like Patrick Cockburn have said all along: interethnic conflict in Iraq has decreased due to the actions of the Iraqis themselves. It has nothing to do with President Bush sending more racist thugs to murder and rape the Iraqi people.
This study shows that demographic shifts - largely due to ethnic cleansing - account for the recent steep drop in violence.
But let's not kid ourselves: Iraq is still a disaster. A manmade, U.S-made disaster. The rate of violent death per day there is on par with the civil war in Sri Lanka and the independence movement/insurgency in Kashmir. To put this into perspective: about 8 Kashmiris a day have been killed since 1991. That's a lot of people, Shafqat.
Link to Reuters story:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080919/sc_nm/iraq_lights_dc
Full text for when link rot occurs:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Satellite images taken at night show heavily Sunni Arab neighborhoods of Baghdad began emptying before a U.S. troop surge in 2007, graphic evidence of ethnic cleansing that preceded a drop in violence, according to a report published on Friday.
The images support the view of international refugee organizations and Iraq experts that a major population shift was a key factor in the decline in sectarian violence, particularly in the Iraqi capital, the epicenter of the bloodletting in which hundreds of thousands were killed.
Minority Sunni Arabs were driven out of many neighborhoods by Shi'ite militants enraged by the bombing of the Samarra mosque in February 2006. The bombing, blamed on the Sunni militant group al Qaeda, sparked a wave of sectarian violence.
"By the launch of the surge, many of the targets of conflict had either been killed or fled the country, and they turned off the lights when they left," geography professor John Agnew of the University of California Los Angeles, who led the study, said in a statement.
"Essentially, our interpretation is that violence has declined in Baghdad because of intercommunal violence that reached a climax as the surge was beginning," said Agnew, who studies ethnic conflict.
Some 2 million Iraqis are displaced within Iraq, while 2 million more have sought refuge in neighboring Syria and Jordan. Previously religiously mixed neighborhoods of Baghdad became homogenized Sunni or Shi'ite Muslim enclaves.
The study, published in the journal Environment and Planning A, provides more evidence of ethnic conflict in Iraq, which peaked just before U.S. President George W. Bush ordered the deployment of about 30,000 extra U.S. troops.
The extent to which the troop build-up helped halt Iraq's slide into sectarian civil war has been debated, particularly in the United States, with supporters of the surge saying it was the main contributing factor, and others arguing it was simply one of a number of factors.
"Our findings suggest that the surge has had no observable effect, except insofar as it has helped to provide a seal of approval for a process of ethno-sectarian neighborhood homogenization that is now largely achieved," Agnew's team wrote in their report.
Agnew's team used publicly available infrared night imagery from a weather satellite operated by the U.S. Air Force.
"The overall night light signature of Baghdad since the U.S. invasion appears to have increased between 2003 and 2006 and then declined dramatically from 20 March 2006 through 16 December 2007," their report said.
They said the night lights of Shi'ite-dominated Sadr City remained constant, as did lights in the Green Zone government and diplomatic compound in central Baghdad. Lights increased in the eastern New Baghdad district, another Shi'ite enclave.
Satellite studies have also been used to help document forced relocations in Myanmar and ethnic cleansing in Uganda.
(Reporting by Maggie Fox, editing by Ross Colvin)
#
This study shows that demographic shifts - largely due to ethnic cleansing - account for the recent steep drop in violence.
But let's not kid ourselves: Iraq is still a disaster. A manmade, U.S-made disaster. The rate of violent death per day there is on par with the civil war in Sri Lanka and the independence movement/insurgency in Kashmir. To put this into perspective: about 8 Kashmiris a day have been killed since 1991. That's a lot of people, Shafqat.
Link to Reuters story:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080919/sc_nm/iraq_lights_dc
Full text for when link rot occurs:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Satellite images taken at night show heavily Sunni Arab neighborhoods of Baghdad began emptying before a U.S. troop surge in 2007, graphic evidence of ethnic cleansing that preceded a drop in violence, according to a report published on Friday.
The images support the view of international refugee organizations and Iraq experts that a major population shift was a key factor in the decline in sectarian violence, particularly in the Iraqi capital, the epicenter of the bloodletting in which hundreds of thousands were killed.
Minority Sunni Arabs were driven out of many neighborhoods by Shi'ite militants enraged by the bombing of the Samarra mosque in February 2006. The bombing, blamed on the Sunni militant group al Qaeda, sparked a wave of sectarian violence.
"By the launch of the surge, many of the targets of conflict had either been killed or fled the country, and they turned off the lights when they left," geography professor John Agnew of the University of California Los Angeles, who led the study, said in a statement.
"Essentially, our interpretation is that violence has declined in Baghdad because of intercommunal violence that reached a climax as the surge was beginning," said Agnew, who studies ethnic conflict.
Some 2 million Iraqis are displaced within Iraq, while 2 million more have sought refuge in neighboring Syria and Jordan. Previously religiously mixed neighborhoods of Baghdad became homogenized Sunni or Shi'ite Muslim enclaves.
The study, published in the journal Environment and Planning A, provides more evidence of ethnic conflict in Iraq, which peaked just before U.S. President George W. Bush ordered the deployment of about 30,000 extra U.S. troops.
The extent to which the troop build-up helped halt Iraq's slide into sectarian civil war has been debated, particularly in the United States, with supporters of the surge saying it was the main contributing factor, and others arguing it was simply one of a number of factors.
"Our findings suggest that the surge has had no observable effect, except insofar as it has helped to provide a seal of approval for a process of ethno-sectarian neighborhood homogenization that is now largely achieved," Agnew's team wrote in their report.
Agnew's team used publicly available infrared night imagery from a weather satellite operated by the U.S. Air Force.
"The overall night light signature of Baghdad since the U.S. invasion appears to have increased between 2003 and 2006 and then declined dramatically from 20 March 2006 through 16 December 2007," their report said.
They said the night lights of Shi'ite-dominated Sadr City remained constant, as did lights in the Green Zone government and diplomatic compound in central Baghdad. Lights increased in the eastern New Baghdad district, another Shi'ite enclave.
Satellite studies have also been used to help document forced relocations in Myanmar and ethnic cleansing in Uganda.
(Reporting by Maggie Fox, editing by Ross Colvin)
#
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Black Man: Israeli "Security" Made Me Dance
Another one from the Associated Press. I love it when people are singled out for their ethnicity (see post below about Pakistani woman in the U.S.).
This guy is a dancer engaged to a Jewish girl who has a lot of family in Israel. His dad is Muslim. His first name is Muslim. He arrives at Ben-Gurion Airport in Israel.
Yeah, some dance troupe from the States is going to sneak in a terrorist. Yup, this is what the world has come to.
As someone who has been through Israeli airport "security" a number of times, Mr. Jackson should be glad he was only made to dance.
September 9, 2008 - 2:27pm
By JOSEF FEDERMAN Associated Press Writer
JERUSALEM (AP) - A performer with the famed Alvin Ailey dance troupe on Tuesday said he was twice forced to perform steps for Israeli airport security officers to prove his identity before he was permitted to enter the country.
Abdur-Rahim Jackson, an eight-year veteran of the dance ensemble, said he was singled out by Israel's renowned airport security because he has a Muslim name. He called the experience embarrassing and said at one point, one of the officers even suggested he change his name.
"To be greeted like this because of my name, it took me back a little bit," said Jackson, who is black.
Israel is the first stop on a six-nation tour celebrating the New York-based dance company's 50th anniversary. Earlier this year, Congress passed a resolution calling the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater a "vital American cultural ambassador to the world."
Jackson said he was pulled aside from other members of the troupe when they arrived at Israel's international airport on Sunday night. He said he was taken to a holding room, where he was asked about the origins of his name. When he explained he was part of the dance group, he was asked to perform.
"I stood up. I asked what type of dance?" he explained. "He said, "Just do anything.' I just moved around."
Minutes later, he said a female officer put him through a similar interrogation and asked him to dance again.
"The only time I'm really expected to dance is when I'm performing," he said.
Jackson said he received his name because his father was a convert to Islam. Jackson said he was not raised a Muslim, does not consider himself religious and is engaged to a Jewish woman in the troupe who has relatives in Israel.
Jackson said he did not plan to press the matter further, saying the numerous apologies he has received from American dignitaries and his Israeli hosts is "enough for me." The Israel Ports Authority said it had no comment because it did not receive a formal complaint.
The incident was reported in Israel's largest newspaper and on an Israeli television news and interview program. "The security guards should be sent home or (the airport) will become a mental asylum," said Motti Kirshenbaum, a veteran commentator and host of the Channel 10 TV program.
Israel is constantly on the alert for attack because of the Israel-Palestinian conflict and extremist Islamic rejection of the Jewish state's existence. Security is strict at all entry points and inside the country.
=====
What about Israel's extremist rejection of a Palestinian state's existence? Wonder why the AP writer forgot to mention that.
#
This guy is a dancer engaged to a Jewish girl who has a lot of family in Israel. His dad is Muslim. His first name is Muslim. He arrives at Ben-Gurion Airport in Israel.
Yeah, some dance troupe from the States is going to sneak in a terrorist. Yup, this is what the world has come to.
As someone who has been through Israeli airport "security" a number of times, Mr. Jackson should be glad he was only made to dance.
September 9, 2008 - 2:27pm
By JOSEF FEDERMAN Associated Press Writer
JERUSALEM (AP) - A performer with the famed Alvin Ailey dance troupe on Tuesday said he was twice forced to perform steps for Israeli airport security officers to prove his identity before he was permitted to enter the country.
Abdur-Rahim Jackson, an eight-year veteran of the dance ensemble, said he was singled out by Israel's renowned airport security because he has a Muslim name. He called the experience embarrassing and said at one point, one of the officers even suggested he change his name.
"To be greeted like this because of my name, it took me back a little bit," said Jackson, who is black.
Israel is the first stop on a six-nation tour celebrating the New York-based dance company's 50th anniversary. Earlier this year, Congress passed a resolution calling the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater a "vital American cultural ambassador to the world."
Jackson said he was pulled aside from other members of the troupe when they arrived at Israel's international airport on Sunday night. He said he was taken to a holding room, where he was asked about the origins of his name. When he explained he was part of the dance group, he was asked to perform.
"I stood up. I asked what type of dance?" he explained. "He said, "Just do anything.' I just moved around."
Minutes later, he said a female officer put him through a similar interrogation and asked him to dance again.
"The only time I'm really expected to dance is when I'm performing," he said.
Jackson said he received his name because his father was a convert to Islam. Jackson said he was not raised a Muslim, does not consider himself religious and is engaged to a Jewish woman in the troupe who has relatives in Israel.
Jackson said he did not plan to press the matter further, saying the numerous apologies he has received from American dignitaries and his Israeli hosts is "enough for me." The Israel Ports Authority said it had no comment because it did not receive a formal complaint.
The incident was reported in Israel's largest newspaper and on an Israeli television news and interview program. "The security guards should be sent home or (the airport) will become a mental asylum," said Motti Kirshenbaum, a veteran commentator and host of the Channel 10 TV program.
Israel is constantly on the alert for attack because of the Israel-Palestinian conflict and extremist Islamic rejection of the Jewish state's existence. Security is strict at all entry points and inside the country.
=====
What about Israel's extremist rejection of a Palestinian state's existence? Wonder why the AP writer forgot to mention that.
#
Pregnant Pakistani Woman Denied Right to Board U.S. Plane
The year was 2006. America was at its most ignorant and bullying self (wait, that's today - uh, never mind, skip the intro).
A Pakistani woman is now suing US Airways after she was detained, while pregnant, for 9 1/2 hours in 2006 because she had facial cream in her carry-on luggage. Rather than discard the cream and let her board the plane, "security officials" detained her without counsel and illegally searched her apartment. Eventually she was released and had to drive to her destination.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080905/wv_terminal_evacuated.html?.v=1
Of course, US Airways has no comment.
Full story from Associated Press:
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- A Pakistan native barred from boarding a US Airways flight at West Virginia's Tri-State Airport two years ago is suing the Tempe-based airline, claiming her constitutional and civil rights were violated.
Rima Qayyum, who now lives in Jackson, Mich., was detained at the airport security line in August 2006 because she had a water bottle and face cream in her carry-on luggage.
Qayyum was traveling a week after U.S. authorities banned the carrying of liquids onto flights. The ban came after British officials made arrests in what they said was a plot to blow up U.S.-bound planes using explosives disguised as drinks and other common products.
Qayyum was interrogated for 9 1/2 hours after airport authorities tested the items and found traces of explosive substances, but the lawsuit alleges the test results were false positives. Results of a later laboratory test were negative.
The lawsuit states that Qayyum was targeted because of her ethnicity.
"US Airways had no legitimate nondiscriminatory reason to believe that Plaintiff posed any security risk," the lawsuit alleges.
"US Airways should have known, trained and instructed its employees, agents and/or representatives to be aware that treating someone differently on the basis of their perceived race, ethnicity, religion and/or national origin is wrong," it says.
While Qayyum was being questioned, she was "denied access to counsel, was illegally detained, an illegal search of her apartment was made and she suffered great emotional distress, worry, anxiety for her health and for the health of her unborn child," the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit says she was carrying the water because she was 4 1/2 months pregnant. It also alleges that liquids found in the carry-on bags of other passengers were discarded.
Because of the incident, the terminal was evacuated and kept closed for more than nine hours.
Qayyum eventually drove to her Michigan destination.
The complaint, filed Aug. 14 in U.S. District Court in Huntington, alleges that US Airways "acted intentionally and/or recklessly when it chose to deny her entrance to its aircraft" and that the airline's "conduct was extreme and outrageous."
The lawsuit seeks a permanent injunction directing the airline to take affirmative steps to remedy illegal discriminatory conduct. It also seeks reasonable attorney fees and costs, and damages and other relief in an amount to be determined at trial.
Valerie Wunder, a spokeswoman for Tempe, Ariz.-based US Airways, declined to comment Thursday.
#
A Pakistani woman is now suing US Airways after she was detained, while pregnant, for 9 1/2 hours in 2006 because she had facial cream in her carry-on luggage. Rather than discard the cream and let her board the plane, "security officials" detained her without counsel and illegally searched her apartment. Eventually she was released and had to drive to her destination.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080905/wv_terminal_evacuated.html?.v=1
Of course, US Airways has no comment.
Full story from Associated Press:
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- A Pakistan native barred from boarding a US Airways flight at West Virginia's Tri-State Airport two years ago is suing the Tempe-based airline, claiming her constitutional and civil rights were violated.
Rima Qayyum, who now lives in Jackson, Mich., was detained at the airport security line in August 2006 because she had a water bottle and face cream in her carry-on luggage.
Qayyum was traveling a week after U.S. authorities banned the carrying of liquids onto flights. The ban came after British officials made arrests in what they said was a plot to blow up U.S.-bound planes using explosives disguised as drinks and other common products.
Qayyum was interrogated for 9 1/2 hours after airport authorities tested the items and found traces of explosive substances, but the lawsuit alleges the test results were false positives. Results of a later laboratory test were negative.
The lawsuit states that Qayyum was targeted because of her ethnicity.
"US Airways had no legitimate nondiscriminatory reason to believe that Plaintiff posed any security risk," the lawsuit alleges.
"US Airways should have known, trained and instructed its employees, agents and/or representatives to be aware that treating someone differently on the basis of their perceived race, ethnicity, religion and/or national origin is wrong," it says.
While Qayyum was being questioned, she was "denied access to counsel, was illegally detained, an illegal search of her apartment was made and she suffered great emotional distress, worry, anxiety for her health and for the health of her unborn child," the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit says she was carrying the water because she was 4 1/2 months pregnant. It also alleges that liquids found in the carry-on bags of other passengers were discarded.
Because of the incident, the terminal was evacuated and kept closed for more than nine hours.
Qayyum eventually drove to her Michigan destination.
The complaint, filed Aug. 14 in U.S. District Court in Huntington, alleges that US Airways "acted intentionally and/or recklessly when it chose to deny her entrance to its aircraft" and that the airline's "conduct was extreme and outrageous."
The lawsuit seeks a permanent injunction directing the airline to take affirmative steps to remedy illegal discriminatory conduct. It also seeks reasonable attorney fees and costs, and damages and other relief in an amount to be determined at trial.
Valerie Wunder, a spokeswoman for Tempe, Ariz.-based US Airways, declined to comment Thursday.
#
Q&A Correspondence on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Regarding the question of Palestinian nonviolence, and the question of a one-state solution versus the popular two-state solution, reader "fayruzz" in London writes:
Dear Sleeper Cell,
I've found that some of the best analysis and explanation of the conflict comes from open dialogues. Even e-mail dialogues. Here is a recent exchange between me and an American Kenyan friend of mine. He is learning about the conflict, is trying to be partial to the Palestinian point of view, but is sceptical of Palestinians as a whole. You might say he tends to buy too much into the American media's version of things (which we both know is insane).
Here's his letter, followed by my longish reply. This is a slapdash e-mail, of course, and perhaps with a little editing it could be a proper essay. I didn't double-check the statistics, so they may not be exact. Like I said, with proper editing and footnoting and cross-checking, this could be a real essay. Nonetheless, I think in its present form it still covers a lot of relevant ground, and your readers may find it useful.
=====
Kenyan American's message regarding Jeff Halpern's recent article [fedster's note: see two blog posts below for highlights of Halpern's article, not that you need it to understand this correspondence]:
Interesting. I'll admit I don't hear Palestinians saying they're being unfair to Israelis. The question that is still unanswered for me is what to do to get a one or two state solution. I'll admit I don't know of a solution. I do think armed resistance is counterproductive. Even if you can get over moral qualms, the disparity of arms is too great. You told me that there are multitudes of Moderate palestian intellectuals who are not being heard. Why is that? I knew of Desmond Tutu and the 60's knew Martin Luther king and SNIC. Is it all on the western media or does some of the blame rest on Palestinians for not championing such leaders enough. I really want to know.
=====
Reader fayruzz's "longish" reply [let me, the fedster, know if this correspondence is useful after all]:
k-man, i hope you read this and think it through. you might have to read it in sections over two to three sitting. if it's too boring to read, lemme know, and i'll do it in person when i come to america next month. don't be afraid to ask tough questions.
the best thing, i think, is to work for a one-state solution. israel is accidentally doing more than anyone else to make this a reality: they are gobbling up so much palestinian land, leaving it in such non-contiguous chunks, that an independent palestinian state is impossible now.
israel has already carved the west bank up into over 140 separate island cantons. these 140 separate cantons can never be united into a state for the main reason that israel won't let them: they insist on jewish-only bypass roads and israeli settlements to remain in between palestinian towns and neighbourhoods. thus territorial contiguity is an impossibility.
i first heard of this theory way back in 1997 - it was obvious even then - from the dean of jerusalem university, sari nusseibeh. and this brings me to your second question: who are the pali intellectuals opposing violence? dr. sari nusseibeh is but one of hundreds. he has a ph.d in philosophy from oxford and has lived in jerusalem his whole life (but for a handful years studying in england).
dr. nusseibeh is a lifelong member of the PLO. the new yorker did a big feature on him in 2002 called "why is nobody listening to the PLO's voice of reason?" detailing his pacifist platform (he calls for "christlike response and restraint" to israeli violence), his tremendous support and respect among the palestinians, and israel's refusal to deal with him. israel has jailed him several times on ridiculous charges - he's never been convicted of anything - and he's always eventually let go from prison after a few weeks and no trial.
the big three among the palis: nusseibeh, hanan ashrawi (a woman, and a christian, and a ph.d from university of virginia), and dr. haider abdel-shafi (a physician from gaza), are all famous (nonviolent) intellectuals whom the palis chose as their negotiating team to deal directly with the israelis at the madrid peace conference in 1991.
george bush, sr. accepted this team of famous (nonviolent) pali intellectuals, as did secretary of state james baker. however, israel made the absurd condition that they would only attend the madrid peace conference if the palestinians were not represented. bush and baker relented.
so, the 1991 madrid peace conference had the jordanians negotiating on behalf of the palestinians, as per israeli demands. ultimately, no deal was reached because israel's government was conducting secret back-door negotiations with arafat and his cronies in norway (these became the famous "oslo accords").
probably the most famous pali (nonviolent) intellectual was edward said, professor of literature at columbia university till his death in 2003. he was new york's most famous pali, america's most famous pali; when he died on 25 sept '03 (i had just finished day shift, i remember), the new york times wrote nearly a full-page obituary for him. he published more than a dozen books during his lifetime on the question of palestine and is recommended reading in every university class dealing with the history of the conflict.
additionally, there are literally hundreds of other nonviolent palestinian movements. rachel corrie, a white american chick from washington state, was a member of one of these when she was crushed to death by an isaeli bulldozer during a nonviolent protest in 2003. (this cold-blooded murder, witnessed by at least 10 europeans and north americans, got almost no coverage in the u.s. media, though alan rickman, the british jewish actor who played the villain in die hard and kevin costner's robin hood, directed a play about rachel corrie that toured the u.s. and even was performing in peru while we were there for dylan's wedding.)
for more info on the literally dozens of palestinian nonviolent movements, go to the blog: http://www.sleepercellayearehcue.blogspot.com/ and look on the left-hand sidebar for links to several of them.
some of the other palestinian nonviolent political parties include those run by mustafa barghouti, a famous west bank intellectual well-known in europe (but somehow totally invisible in the u.s.). also, azmi bishara, a palestinian with israeli citizenship who served several terms in the knesset (israel's parliament).
i suppose a foreigner could ask: where are the american voices championing withdrawal from iraq? where are those american leaders denouncing the war crimes and rapes our soldiers have committed in iraq? neither pelosi nor obama have raised a voice against any of these atrocities. are we then to conclude that americans condone, or are happy with, these crimes?
second, hamas is, paradoxically, the only palestinian political party to have wrenched any concessions from israel. this has been the subject of countless israeli commentaries appearing in their newspapers, as well as in the new york review of books and the london review of books. it's nearly 1:30 in the morning, so i'll not bore you with those details. my point is, the only group that really supports armed struggle is surprisingly the only one getting israel to alter its policies.
i know you don't believe this - and again, let me stress that i have never supported hamas ideologically or otherwise - but i'll give you a short (half-page) article from a recent london review of books, written by an israeli political analyst, that describes this in more detail.
so: i don't believe that armed struggle will work, and neither do a huge majority (i almost wrote "99%") of palestinians. the number carrying out attacks against israel is incredibly small. there have been no attacks against israel since the hamas-israeli ceasefire of june. (yet israel has continued to murder palestinians, but that's another story.) how many suicide bombings have occurred in the last 2-3 years? i think only one, maybe two. in that time, israel has bombed the hell out of a lot of the gaza strip, killing over 100 people in june 2006 alone.
remember: when israel kills palestinians and the palis don't respond, the american newspapers call it "a lull in violence in the region". when one or two palis fire a rocket into empty desert land in israel, or when there is a suicide bombing that actually kills someone, then suddenly "the region is unstable", and israel "grudgingly retaliates to the flareup in violence".
but once again, nonviolence is the answer, and palis clearly know this and practise this in overwhelming numbers. read the jeff halper article again.
and lastly, i find it interesting that you demand such tremendous christlike behaviour and perfection of the palestinians and make no such demands on israel. as norman finkelstein (son of holocaust survivors, ph.d in poli sci from princeton) asks, why does the world ask only that palestinians take the moral high ground?
=====
Dear Sleeper Cell,
I've found that some of the best analysis and explanation of the conflict comes from open dialogues. Even e-mail dialogues. Here is a recent exchange between me and an American Kenyan friend of mine. He is learning about the conflict, is trying to be partial to the Palestinian point of view, but is sceptical of Palestinians as a whole. You might say he tends to buy too much into the American media's version of things (which we both know is insane).
Here's his letter, followed by my longish reply. This is a slapdash e-mail, of course, and perhaps with a little editing it could be a proper essay. I didn't double-check the statistics, so they may not be exact. Like I said, with proper editing and footnoting and cross-checking, this could be a real essay. Nonetheless, I think in its present form it still covers a lot of relevant ground, and your readers may find it useful.
=====
Kenyan American's message regarding Jeff Halpern's recent article [fedster's note: see two blog posts below for highlights of Halpern's article, not that you need it to understand this correspondence]:
Interesting. I'll admit I don't hear Palestinians saying they're being unfair to Israelis. The question that is still unanswered for me is what to do to get a one or two state solution. I'll admit I don't know of a solution. I do think armed resistance is counterproductive. Even if you can get over moral qualms, the disparity of arms is too great. You told me that there are multitudes of Moderate palestian intellectuals who are not being heard. Why is that? I knew of Desmond Tutu and the 60's knew Martin Luther king and SNIC. Is it all on the western media or does some of the blame rest on Palestinians for not championing such leaders enough. I really want to know.
=====
Reader fayruzz's "longish" reply [let me, the fedster, know if this correspondence is useful after all]:
k-man, i hope you read this and think it through. you might have to read it in sections over two to three sitting. if it's too boring to read, lemme know, and i'll do it in person when i come to america next month. don't be afraid to ask tough questions.
the best thing, i think, is to work for a one-state solution. israel is accidentally doing more than anyone else to make this a reality: they are gobbling up so much palestinian land, leaving it in such non-contiguous chunks, that an independent palestinian state is impossible now.
israel has already carved the west bank up into over 140 separate island cantons. these 140 separate cantons can never be united into a state for the main reason that israel won't let them: they insist on jewish-only bypass roads and israeli settlements to remain in between palestinian towns and neighbourhoods. thus territorial contiguity is an impossibility.
i first heard of this theory way back in 1997 - it was obvious even then - from the dean of jerusalem university, sari nusseibeh. and this brings me to your second question: who are the pali intellectuals opposing violence? dr. sari nusseibeh is but one of hundreds. he has a ph.d in philosophy from oxford and has lived in jerusalem his whole life (but for a handful years studying in england).
dr. nusseibeh is a lifelong member of the PLO. the new yorker did a big feature on him in 2002 called "why is nobody listening to the PLO's voice of reason?" detailing his pacifist platform (he calls for "christlike response and restraint" to israeli violence), his tremendous support and respect among the palestinians, and israel's refusal to deal with him. israel has jailed him several times on ridiculous charges - he's never been convicted of anything - and he's always eventually let go from prison after a few weeks and no trial.
the big three among the palis: nusseibeh, hanan ashrawi (a woman, and a christian, and a ph.d from university of virginia), and dr. haider abdel-shafi (a physician from gaza), are all famous (nonviolent) intellectuals whom the palis chose as their negotiating team to deal directly with the israelis at the madrid peace conference in 1991.
george bush, sr. accepted this team of famous (nonviolent) pali intellectuals, as did secretary of state james baker. however, israel made the absurd condition that they would only attend the madrid peace conference if the palestinians were not represented. bush and baker relented.
so, the 1991 madrid peace conference had the jordanians negotiating on behalf of the palestinians, as per israeli demands. ultimately, no deal was reached because israel's government was conducting secret back-door negotiations with arafat and his cronies in norway (these became the famous "oslo accords").
probably the most famous pali (nonviolent) intellectual was edward said, professor of literature at columbia university till his death in 2003. he was new york's most famous pali, america's most famous pali; when he died on 25 sept '03 (i had just finished day shift, i remember), the new york times wrote nearly a full-page obituary for him. he published more than a dozen books during his lifetime on the question of palestine and is recommended reading in every university class dealing with the history of the conflict.
additionally, there are literally hundreds of other nonviolent palestinian movements. rachel corrie, a white american chick from washington state, was a member of one of these when she was crushed to death by an isaeli bulldozer during a nonviolent protest in 2003. (this cold-blooded murder, witnessed by at least 10 europeans and north americans, got almost no coverage in the u.s. media, though alan rickman, the british jewish actor who played the villain in die hard and kevin costner's robin hood, directed a play about rachel corrie that toured the u.s. and even was performing in peru while we were there for dylan's wedding.)
for more info on the literally dozens of palestinian nonviolent movements, go to the blog: http://www.sleepercellayearehcue.blogspot.com/ and look on the left-hand sidebar for links to several of them.
some of the other palestinian nonviolent political parties include those run by mustafa barghouti, a famous west bank intellectual well-known in europe (but somehow totally invisible in the u.s.). also, azmi bishara, a palestinian with israeli citizenship who served several terms in the knesset (israel's parliament).
i suppose a foreigner could ask: where are the american voices championing withdrawal from iraq? where are those american leaders denouncing the war crimes and rapes our soldiers have committed in iraq? neither pelosi nor obama have raised a voice against any of these atrocities. are we then to conclude that americans condone, or are happy with, these crimes?
second, hamas is, paradoxically, the only palestinian political party to have wrenched any concessions from israel. this has been the subject of countless israeli commentaries appearing in their newspapers, as well as in the new york review of books and the london review of books. it's nearly 1:30 in the morning, so i'll not bore you with those details. my point is, the only group that really supports armed struggle is surprisingly the only one getting israel to alter its policies.
i know you don't believe this - and again, let me stress that i have never supported hamas ideologically or otherwise - but i'll give you a short (half-page) article from a recent london review of books, written by an israeli political analyst, that describes this in more detail.
so: i don't believe that armed struggle will work, and neither do a huge majority (i almost wrote "99%") of palestinians. the number carrying out attacks against israel is incredibly small. there have been no attacks against israel since the hamas-israeli ceasefire of june. (yet israel has continued to murder palestinians, but that's another story.) how many suicide bombings have occurred in the last 2-3 years? i think only one, maybe two. in that time, israel has bombed the hell out of a lot of the gaza strip, killing over 100 people in june 2006 alone.
remember: when israel kills palestinians and the palis don't respond, the american newspapers call it "a lull in violence in the region". when one or two palis fire a rocket into empty desert land in israel, or when there is a suicide bombing that actually kills someone, then suddenly "the region is unstable", and israel "grudgingly retaliates to the flareup in violence".
but once again, nonviolence is the answer, and palis clearly know this and practise this in overwhelming numbers. read the jeff halper article again.
and lastly, i find it interesting that you demand such tremendous christlike behaviour and perfection of the palestinians and make no such demands on israel. as norman finkelstein (son of holocaust survivors, ph.d in poli sci from princeton) asks, why does the world ask only that palestinians take the moral high ground?
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Monday, September 8, 2008
Evidence Contradicts US Denials in Afghan Airstrike
After weeks of denials by our government, there is finally no doubt: more than 90 Afghan civilians, at least 75 of them children or women, were killed by an American bombing frenzy in Azizabad on 22 August.
Carlotta Gall of the The New York Times parses through the evidence in a courageous article and comes to this conclusion. She is supported by various NGOs in the region, several human rights organisations, intelligence officials, local physicians, and a UN special investigation into the U.S. bombing.
You'll recall that our military has insisted for weeks that only 5-7 civilians died. Some of our honest American officials even went so far as to say that local Afghans fabricated false graves in order to paint the U.S. in a bad light. (Does this remind anyone of Israeli claims that the Lebanese were digging empty "show" graves in 2006 after indiscriminate Israeli bombings killed hundreds of children?)
Check it out for yourself with this link-rot-avoiding secondary link:
http://www.truthout.org/article/evidence-contradicts-us-denials-afghan-airstrike
#
Carlotta Gall of the The New York Times parses through the evidence in a courageous article and comes to this conclusion. She is supported by various NGOs in the region, several human rights organisations, intelligence officials, local physicians, and a UN special investigation into the U.S. bombing.
You'll recall that our military has insisted for weeks that only 5-7 civilians died. Some of our honest American officials even went so far as to say that local Afghans fabricated false graves in order to paint the U.S. in a bad light. (Does this remind anyone of Israeli claims that the Lebanese were digging empty "show" graves in 2006 after indiscriminate Israeli bombings killed hundreds of children?)
Check it out for yourself with this link-rot-avoiding secondary link:
http://www.truthout.org/article/evidence-contradicts-us-denials-afghan-airstrike
#
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