Stephen J. Sniegoski: Neocons’ Tepid Reaction to the Egyptian Democratic Revolution

 

Neocons' Tepid Reaction to the Egyptian Democratic Revolution

Posted on 04. Feb, 2011 by Raja Mujtaba in Hot Topics

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Stephen J. Sniegoski is the author of The Transparent Cabal and a contributor to The Passionate Attachment. He is a frequent contributor to Opinion Maker

By Stephen J. Sniegoski

The  uprisings currently taking place against the autocratic regimes in the Middle East would seem to be in line with the neoconservatives' advocacy of  radical democratic change in the region.  But there is one significant difference.  The neocons had sought to use democratic revolutions to overthrow the enemies of Israel, even applying it, much less successfully, to countries such as Saudi Arabia, which were client states of the United States; but now democratic revolution is engulfing the Mubarak regime in Egypt, which maintained friendly relations with Israel.  As Israeli writer Aluf Benn points out in Ha'aretz, "[t]he fading power of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's government leaves Israel in a state of strategic distress. Without Mubarak, Israel is left with almost no friends in the Middle East."  ["Without Egypt, Israel will be left with no friends in Mideast," January 29, 2011]  In a situation where Israeli interests would be harmed by democratic revolution,  the neocons' ardor for this development  has  cooled dramatically.

Daniel Luban on Lobelog points out that in the first days of the Egyptian revolution the neocons were  largely silent on this development and those who commented tended  to express some skepticism as to its likelihood to bring about positive results.   He quotes The  Weekly Standard'sLee Smith cautioning U.S. activists not to become too fond of the Egyptian demonstrators:  "It is not always a good thing when people go to the streets; indeed the history of revolutionary action shows that people go to the streets to shed blood more often than they do to demand democratic reforms."  Luban predicts that "[i]f the protests are ultimately unsuccessful, the neocons will attack Obama for letting the protesters twist in the wind; if the protests are ultimately successful, they will claim the events in Egypt as vindication for the Bush democracy promotion agenda." 

[ "More Silence from America's 'Democracy Promoters',"  January 27, 2011,]

While my own brief research confirms Luban's point that the neocons have not championed radical  democratic transformation in the current situation, I also found  a number of commonalities and differences among the views of the neocons who voiced their opinions as the events in Egypt have become a featured topic in  the mainstream media.    In line with what Luban has written, I also did not find any neoconservatives who have explicitly abandoned their professed faith in their democratic agenda.  For example, they maintain that the revolts validate their democratic prescription for American Middle East policy during the past decades—that had the U.S. actually fostered democracy in the region, the current revolutionary turmoil would not have ensued.  

The neocons differ among themselves, however, in their assessment of the current situation and in their prescriptions for U.S. actions.  Where they express skepticism of the positive nature of the ongoing revolution, they try to demonstrate how this does not conflict with their fundamental faith in democracy.  In short, they profess to identify with the democratic aspirations of the Egyptian demonstrators but question whether democracy will result from their actions.  It should be emphasized that it is essential for the neocons to praise the democratic aim of the uprising since they could not  do otherwise if they intend to maintain their image as  champions of democracy at a time when most of the world wholeheartedly identifies with the Egyptian pro-democratic protestors.  Moreover, since most observers agree that the Mubarak regime cannot survive,  it is strategically necessary for the neocons  to jump on the bandwagon and encourage the U.S. government to guide the revolution in directions beneficial to American–and, of course, Israeli—interests, under the guise of preventing it from leading to an alleged greater tyranny of the radical Islamists. 

The neocon whose views seem to have changed the least is long-time neocon operative Elliott Abrams, the son-in-law of neocon godfather Norman Podhoretz and Midge Decter.  In assessing the current situation, Abrams heaped blame on America's traditional Middle East foreign policy that had ignored the domestic policies of autocratic regimes in its focus on U.S. geostrategic interest and regional stability.

["Egypt protests show George W. Bush was right about freedom in the Arab world," Washington Post, January 28, 2011,   ]

Abrams writes that Egyptian President Mubarak, along with Tunisia's recently deposed leader, Ben Ali, had "proffered the same line to Washington: It's us or the Islamists." He contends that "[r]uling under an endless emergency law, he [Mubarak] has crushed the moderate opposition while the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood has thrived underground and in the mosques."  Mubarak's tyrannical policies, in effect, made the Islamist Brotherhood his major opposition, which then enabled him to justify "the lack of democracy by saying a free election would bring the Islamists to power."  Abrams acknowledges that while radical Islamists might win free elections, "the regimes that make moderate politics impossible make extremism far more likely.  Rule by emergency decree long enough, and you end up creating a genuine emergency.  And Egypt has one now."

Abrams asserts that George W. Bush's democracy agenda (inspired, of course, by the neocons) had it completely right about the Middle East, quoting from a Bush 2003 speech which read:  "Sixty years of Western nations excusing and accommodating the lack of freedom in the Middle East did nothing to make us safe – because in the long run, stability cannot be purchased at the expense of liberty.  As long as the Middle East remains a place where freedom does not flourish, it will remain a place of stagnation, resentment and violence ready for export."

Abrams points out that there was considerable resistance to the "democracy" agenda as unrealistic from within the Bush administration and that the Obama administration abandoned it.  He stresses that it has now become essential for Obama to emulate Bush:  "Now is the time to say that the peoples of the Middle East are not 'beyond the reach of liberty' and that we will assist any peaceful effort to achieve it – and oppose and condemn efforts to suppress it."

Bill Kristol, the editor of The Weekly Standard,  and perhaps the most prominent neoconservative active today, expresses somewhat belated  support for  the revolutionary cause in Egypt but wants  to make sure that the United States will guide  it in the proper direction. "Mubarak," he contends, "is now part of the problem, not part of the solution.  His attempt to hang on to power is now an obstacle to stability in Egypt, to say nothing of considerations of freedom for the Egyptian people and the long-term interests of the United States. Surely, I would say, it's time for the U.S. government to take an active role (much but not all of it behind the scenes), working with the army and civil and political organizations to bring about a South Korea/Philippines/Chile-like transition in Egypt, from an American-supported dictatorship to an American-supported and popularly legitimate liberal democracy."

["Working Group on Egypt Calls for Suspension of U.S. Aid," January 29, 2011,]

Writing in his blog "Neocon Corner," Joshua Muravchik, a long-time neocon stalwart of a more leftist, social democratic, persuasion, views the crisis in Egypt as having great potential ramifications.  "The uprising in the streets of Egypt could remake our world," Muravchik contends. "Turmoil is contagious. . . . If the flames are not smothered fast in Egypt, which is still the most influential country of the Arab world, the conflagration will spread across the region."

Muravchik posits three possible outcomes.  The first, which he describes as "less than momentous," would see Egypt becoming "more of a military dictatorship and less of a party-ruled state.  And it might muddle along that way, as it has already for generations.  The consequences would be sad for Egyptians, not so major for the rest of the world."

["What Egypt Portends: Three Scenarios," January 28, 2011, ]

Muravchik next offers a "hopeful scenario" that would involve "an agreement between the regime and leading opponents on some kind of redistribution of power which could be meaningful only through honest elections.  This would create a model that would be hard for the region's other autocrats to withstand.  A wave of democratization would spread over the Middle East like the one that hit Eastern and Central Europe in 1989."

Finally, Muravchik sets forth the "frightening scenario" in which "the army crumbles . . . the revolution triumphs, and that the only organized force capable of picking up power from the streets . . . is the Muslim Brotherhood."

The "best bet" for Egypt, Muravchik contends, is to have a fair election this year, and he emphasizes that it is essential for the U.S. "to throw its weight into the demand" that this be done.  "If Obama makes such a call, many Egyptian voices will echo it," Muravchik opines. "The current chaos could make things much better for Egypt and the region — or much worse. The time for Obama to find his silver tongue is now."

David Frum, who crafted George W. Bush's notorious "Axis-of-Evil" speech, provides more qualified support for the political upheaval  in Egypt. Like Abrams, he agrees that dictatorships are ultimately fragile and that the U.S. should have actively pushed for democracy there long ago.  "This week's protests remind us that dictatorships do not deliver stability," Frum asserts.  "Dictatorships do not make reliable allies over the long term. Egypt's friends should be planning — should have planned long ago — for a transition to a more representative form of government."  But Frum does not see the fall of the Mubarak regime as certain.  And instead of supporting immediate revolutionary change, as sought by the street demonstrators, he argues for a slow transition to democracy, which "means gradually bringing more and more of the population into politics." ["David Frum: Egypt's small steps towards true democracy," January 29, 2011.

When directed against what essentially were the enemies of Israel (a category in which he included Saudi Arabia), Michael Ledeen championed radical democratic revolution, expressing such extreme views as:  "Creative destruction is our middle name.  . . . It is time once again to export the democratic revolution, "and  "One can only hope that we turn the region into a cauldron, and faster, please. If ever there were a region that richly deserved being cauldronized, it is the Middle East today." (The Transparent Cabal, p. 209).  But now confronted with an actual revolutionary upheaval, the ultra-radical  Ledeen has metamorphosed into veritable paragon of caution, maintaining that "[i]n Egypt, which is by far the most important of the Arab countries affected by the tumult, there are genuine democrats and also members of organizations (from the Muslim Brotherhood to Islamic Jihad, Hamas, et al.) who would transform Egypt from an authoritarian to a totalitarian regime."  Allegedly quoting his grandmother, Ledeen observes: "Things are never so bad they can't get worse." [ "Egypt: Revolution? By Whom? For What?," January 28, 2011, ]

Ledeen puts forth considerable effort to show how his current cautious stance does not conflict with his overall support for democracy.  "We are supposed to be the revolutionaries, and we must support democratic revolution against tyranny," he solemnly avers.  "But we must not support phony democrats, and for the president to say 'Egypt's destiny will be determined by the Egyptian people,' or 'everyone wants to be free' is silly and dangerous.  Egypt's destiny will be determined by a fight among Egyptian people, some of whom wish to be free and others who wish to install a tyranny worse than Mubarak's.  That's the opposite of freedom.  Think about the free elections in Gaza that brought the Hamas killers to power."

Ledeen agrees with the other neocons that the traditional U.S. Middle East policy of all-out support for authoritarian leaders was bound to fail.  "We should have been pressuring the friendly tyrants in the Middle East to liberalize their polities lo these many years," he opines.  "We should have done it in the shah's Iran, and in Mubarak's Egypt, and in Ben Ali's Tunisia.  It is possible to move peacefully from dictatorship to democracy . . . But we didn't."

Ledeen, however, sees a silver lining in the current crisis since, he maintains, it offers the ideal opportunity for the U.S. to come out in support of the Green Movement revolutionaries in Iran, stating that "if we're going to praise the Tunisian and Egyptian freedom fighters, all the more reason to hail the true martyrs in Iran."  He emphasizes that it is necessary to "support democratic revolution.  But not false revolutionaries."  And of course, he actually means that a "democratic revolution" is one that advances the interests of Israel, while "false revolutionaries" are those who act against Israeli interests.  

John Bolton, a long-time member of the neoconservative nexus, who currently is making noises about running for the Republican presidential nomination, did not even pay lip service to democracy in his negative portrayal of the political upheaval in Egypt. It should be said that this complete slighting of democracy makes Bolton something of an outlier among the neocons.  Instead, he focuses solely on the Muslim Brotherhood bogeyman.  He went so far as to say that he did not "think we have evidence yet that these demonstrations are necessarily about democracy.  You know the old saying, 'one person, one vote, one time.'  The Muslim Brotherhood doesn't care about democracy, if they get into power you're not going to have free and fair elections either."  To Bolton, the issue was one revolving fundamentally around American geostrategic interests. "Let's be clear what the stakes are for the United States," Bolton asserts.  "We have an authoritarian regime in power that has been our ally."  He believes, and seems to hope, that the Egyptian army, which he describes as the real power in the country, could take actions to suppress this revolutionary development. .[Bolton, AMB. JOHN BOLTON: Is Democracy Coming to Egypt at Last?]

From the neocons' less-than-enthusiastic reaction to the ongoing democratic revolutionary wave in the Middle East, it is apparent that they are far from being democratic ideologues, as has often been claimed.  And this has been apparent for some time.  In The Transparent Cabal, I cite many instances where the neocons take positions that are contrary to supporting democracy–their opposition to democratic rights for Palestinians being the most egregious, but far from the only example.  In fact, I point out that the "Neoconservatives have not always even claimed to be exponents of democracy as a policy goal; in fact, it was the rejection of pushing democracy as a foreign policy goal that loomed large in their early years. During the Cold War, the neoconservatives emphasized that it was essential to support dictatorships, if they were pro-United States, as part of the overall war on Soviet Communism.  They were especially critical of President Jimmy Carter's emphasis on human rights in foreign policy, which they held had served to undermine anti-Communist pro-American dictatorships, such as the Shah's Iran and Somoza's Nicaragua, and facilitated their transformation into anti-American dictatorships that might align with the Soviet Union." [The Transparent Cabal, pp. 227-228]  In short, instead of being ideologues of democracy, the neocons largely use "democracy" as a rhetorical weapon to advance their own particular agenda, which currently involves advancing the interests of the state of Israel, which they claim to be identical to the interests of the United States.

Thus it would be expected that the interests of Israel would loom large in their assessment of the current political upheaval in Egypt.  The neoconservatives thus express their support for democracy in general  in Egypt, but then raise the specter of a Muslim Brotherhood takeover of Egypt, and the concomitant emergence of an undemocratic theocratic state, if a free democratic election should actually take place.  But why should the Muslim Brotherhood, which is the oldest and largest Islamic political organization,  be prohibited from participating  in the politics of Egypt?  This trans-national organization renounces the use of force and expresses its commitment to democracy—a commitment which it has demonstrated in practice.  The Brotherhood's announced support for Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei to negotiate with the Mubarak regime would seem to dispel any anti-democratic intent.  Moreover, political parties comprised of its members take part in other democratic governments, including that of Iraq, where the Islamic Party represents the religious Arab Sunni population.  And the activist secular leaders of the revolution for democracy in Egypt (who would have the most to lose) do not express any grave fear that the Muslim Brotherhood would subvert a nascent Egyptian democracy.  ["What's So Scary About Egypt's Islamists?," Time, November 29, 2010, ]

It is quite apparent that Muslim Brotherhood  is considered dangerous because it has long been hostile to Israel, and its impact on Egyptian policy would likely be to move the country away from its current friendly relationship with Israel.  The Brotherhood's prescription for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is to support  the  Palestinian armed resistance, especially that of Hamas.  Although this certainly goes  against the goals of Israeli and American foreign policy, it is no more a violation of democracy than the militant foreign policy positions expressed by various Israeli, or for that matter, U.S. politicians.  For a true believer in democracy, Egyptian foreign policy should be something for the Egyptian people to determine, not the United States or Israel.  

As I bring out in The Transparent Cabal,  the fundamental goal of the neocons, as with the Israeli Right, is the destabilization and fragmentation of the Israel's enemies, for which the rhetoric of democracy provides an ideal façade.  Since Mubarak's Egypt has maintained relatively friendly relations with Israel, it has not been targeted for destabilization and fragmentation.  Instead the neocons have targeted  Saddam's Iraq and the Islamic Republic of Iran, which are enemies of the U.S. (in part, at least, due to the efforts of the Israel lobby), as well as of Israel.  And, as described in The Transparent Cabal, the neocons have developed less-publicized plans to destabilize Saudi Arabia, a crucial friend of the U.S. but in various ways hostile to Israel.  

It should be emphasized, however, that the neocon position toward Egypt could definitely change in the future, when it too could become a target for democratic destabilization.  This view actually was mentioned in a controversial presentation in July 2002 by  Laurent Murawiec, a senior fellow at the neoconservative Hudson Institute, before the Defense Policy Board (the advisory panel for the U.S. Department of Defense),  at the behest of the board chairman, neocon guru Richard Perle.  At a time, when the Bush administration was gearing up to make war on Iraq, Murawiec's  target for U.S. military intervention was ironically  Saudi Arabia, which he described as the principal supporter of anti-American terrorism – "the kernel of evil, the prime mover, the most dangerous opponent."  Murawiec concluded his briefing with a summary of what he called a "Grand Strategy for the Middle East," in which he stated that "Iraq is the tactical pivot. Saudi Arabia the strategic pivot. Egypt the prize."  In short, neocons are willing to consider destabilizing Egypt sometime in the future.  Should a regime that is hostile to Israel emerge from the current turmoil, a plan to destabilize the country could move to the forefront. [The Transparent Cabal, pp. 203-204]

--

Thank you and remember: 

Peace is patriotic!

Michael Santomauro

253 W. 72nd Street

New York, NY 10023

Call anytime: 917-974-6367

E-mail me anything:

ReporterNotebook@Gmail.com

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Is this a Freudian slip? What do you think?

 

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLiBP7F07hc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Peace.
Michael Santomauro
@ 917-974-6367

What sort of TRUTH is it that crushes the freedom to seek the truth?

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Martin Webster says: Top Zionist publisher openly backs EDL

 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Martin Webster <martinwebstir@virginmedia.com>
Date: Wed, Feb 9, 2011 at 10:34 AM
Subject: Top Zionist publisher openly backs EDL
To: Martin Webster <martinwebstir@virginmedia.com>

Express Group now openly promoting the English Defence League

The promotion (see the Daily Star report below) which the billionaire Zionist Jew Richard Desmond is giving to the English Defence League via the Express Group component of his ever-growing media empire would seem to challenge the 'official' position of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and its Community Security Trust that Zionist-Jewry in Britain is firmly opposed to the EDL and its 'Islamophobic' policies.

Desmond has always been a bit of a maverick. He built his fortune on pornography before selling up to raise the capital to buy the Express Group, which includes the Daily Express, the Sunday Express and the Daily Star. Last year he bought Channel 5 TV. Recently he withdrew his publications from the Press Complaints Commission, to which all major national and small local newspaper groups belong.

But his backing of the EDL should not be seen a genuine split within the Jewry.

Throughout history, wherever they have settled, the Jews have always played both ends against the middle. They are not bothered by the concept of a principled, unified and consistent approach to any issue — except one: the survival and advancement of the Jews. In all other matters they are are entirely morally pragmatic and often deliberately contradictory.

Their policies and tactics guided by one question only: What, for the moment, is good for the Jews?

Thus it is that they want to promote immigration and race-mixing among the goyim (non-Jews) in Britain — and indeed among all white European peoples and nations — but also want to make Britain an uncomfortable place for Muslims, except those who are willing both to accommodate themselves to the Jewish domination of Britain's 'Establishment' and abandon the Palestinians to Israel's genocidal ethnic cleansing.

So they operate a 'Good Cop, Bad Cop' routine which confuses the Goyim, be they indigenous Anglo-Saxon-Celtic British, or any one of several hundred varieties of ethnic aliens who have been encouraged (by the Jews) to invade and settle in our homeland since WW2.

This is just one aspect of the topic....

"Jewry's Race Policy: 'Racism for US — Multi-Racialism for YOU'."

....which I will be exploring during my address to the next meeting of the New Right association to be held in central London from 1.00pm next Saturday, 12th February.

Anybody who would like to attend this meeting (at which there will be two other speakers dealing with other topics) should e-mail me by no later than 11.45am next Friday (11th February) with their mobile number. I will forward their e-mail address and mobile number to the New Right organisers who will then make contact giving information about redirection arrangements on Saturday morning.

Martin Webster.

P.S.: In connection with Jewish backing of the EDF, you might care to go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLiBP7F07hc&feature=player_embedded

This is a short clip from the speech given by the EDL's religious advisor, Rabbi Nachum Shiffren. In this, during a 'Freudian slip', he blurts out the truth concerning Jewish racism. I think he gave this speech at the EDL's pro-Israel rally held last year outside the Israeli Embassy in Kensington, London.

A week before that rally the EDL held an anti-Muslim rally in Leicester and the "anti-fascist" rabble led by Searchlight mobilised against it. For some reason Searchlight did not mobilise its supporters against the EDL's pro-Zionist, pro-Jewish rally outside the Israeli Embassy. I e-mailed Searchlight via its web site to ask why. Guess what? I didn't get a reply!

I am grateful to Sean Hadley of  GriffinWatch  ( <http://griffinwatch-nwn.blogspot.com> ) for drawing my attention to Rabbi Shiffren's inadvertent outburst of honesty.

=======================================================================

From:
Date: Wednesday, 9 February 2011 11:55
To: Martin Webster <martinwebstir@virginmedia.com>
Subject: EDL To Go Political

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/view/175956/EDL-TO-GO-POLITICAL/
Daily Star – Wednesday 9th February 2011 -  9:2:2011
 
EDL To Go Political
by Steve Hughes & Emily Hall

THE English Defence League is set to break into mainstream politics with a bid to get MPs in Parliament.

It wants to field official EDL candidates in national and council elections.

The move is an attempt to increase the organisation's political influence, just like the BNP under Nick Griffin.

The party's boss Tommy Robinson said: "We aren't ruling it out. I think this country needs a party that's not afraid to say things some would consider unpopular.

"My hope is still that the Tories will take a tougher stance.

"We are a single issue group and at the moment we would rather have a dialogue with the other political parties – but that could change."

Mr Robinson, 28, real name Stephen Lennon, whose group now has 74,000 Facebook followers, predicted the EDL would have more online supporters than the Tories, Labour and the Lib-Dems by the end of the year.

He said the organisation's main aim was to outlaw the Koran then adapt it to fit in with British society.

He said the only way to do this would be to force Muslims to realise the words of their holy scriptures are outdated.

He said: "They have got a responsibility to sort out their religion. They have to reform their religion so it fits in."

Mr Robinson also revealed that he wants to appear on BBC1's Question Time. And the EDL boss said that, unlike bumbling BNP leader Nick Griffin, 51, he would be a surefire hit on the show.

The BBC was blasted for allowing Mr Griffin on to the panel in 2009 and thousands of people protested outside the studios.

But Mr Robinson claimed the EDL was now so popular he would get supporters outside the venue if he appeared.

He said: "Nick Griffin got two million votes and he's an MEP but he didn't have anyone supporting him when he went on Question Time.

"Get me on Question Time. I'll have 10,000 people turn up to support me." Meanwhile a row was brewing last night over the EDL's latest planned march, which officials claimed would cost £1million to police.

The protest is planned for March 19 in Birmingham after two Muslim councillors refused to stand up in honour of a war hero at a ceremony.

MPs have called for Home Secretary Theresa May, 54, to ban the event, which falls on the same day Wolverhampton Wanderers play Aston Villa.

In the Daily Star phone poll yesterday, 98% of readers said they agreed with the EDL's policies.

--

Thank you and remember: 

Peace is patriotic!

Michael Santomauro

253 W. 72nd Street

New York, NY 10023

Call anytime: 917-974-6367

E-mail me anything:

ReporterNotebook@Gmail.com

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Israel’s defenders oppose Egyptian democracy (out of concern for Egypt of course)

 

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Here are the headlines from Mondoweiss for 02/09/2011: BDS promises a just peace, unlike current US strategy Jane Harman's exit is good news Israel's defenders oppose Egyptian democracy (out of concern for Egypt of course) Orange County DA files charges against 11 Muslim-American students who interrupted Michael Oren; JVP says 'charge us too' President McCain confronts the Egyptian revolution: 'We will defeat democracy and we will be free' 'We just want the rights you have' (Why isn't the U.S. listening?) 'Our only agenda is love of Egypt' — Freed activist Wael Ghonim reenergizes protesters 'NYT' says two-state solution should be saved by building 25-mile tunnel so that Israelis don't have to see Palestinians traveling to Gaza The Meaning of Budrus Anderson Cooper knows what to do next– it's time to hear the stories of our heroes BDS promises a just peace, unlike current US strategy Feb 08, 2011 09:54 pm | David Schwartzman and Mai Abdul Rahman The US initiated and brokered Palestinian-Israeli negotiations have failed to resolve this festering conflict with grave human rights implications for more than forty years. It has become crystal clear that US led peace negotiations will likely fail for the foreseeable future unless other political tools are employed to help spur a different political paradigm. US impotence was clearly displayed during President Obama's first years in office. In spite of his publicly articulated plan and declared intention to end the expansion of the Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the US has failed to deliver any substantive progress. Recent symbolic gestures to publicly recognize Palestinian sovereignty by a growing number of nations, particularly in Latin America, signal worldwide frustration with the US continued unproductive role as a peace broker. The US Congress' record of unconditional support for Israel's pro-settlement government along with the aggressive campaigns by the powerful Israeli Lobby in the US have served to obstruct any meaningful US role in bringing about an end of the occupation and realizing justice for the Palestinian people. Faced with this reality, a growing number of concerned citizens in the US are turning to creative new approaches to bring an end to the Israeli occupation and Apartheid-Israeli style. In July 2005, Palestinian civil society launched a "call to international civil society organizations and people of conscience all over the world to impose broad boycotts and implement divestment initiatives against Israel, similar to those applied to South Africa in the apartheid era, until Israel meets its obligation to recognize the Palestinian people's inalienable right to self-determination and fully complies with international law." Further, "These non-violent punitive measures should be maintained until Israel meets its obligation to recognize the Palestinian people's inalienable right to self-determination and fully complies with the precepts of international law by: 1. Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall; 2. Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and 3. Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194. Since the issuance of this historic call in 2005, the global Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign has been taken up by countless of international peace groups, unions, churches, municipalities, countries and peace advocates. With many successes of the global BDS movement, this campaign has finally crossed the Atlantic. It is being duplicated in the US by individuals and groups in DC, Maryland, California, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and several other states, with active involvement of peace groups with diverse ethnic and religious composition. Believers and Non-Believers, Christians, Jews and Muslims are becoming active in this movement. Americans are adopting the BDS campaign in their local communities to build a broad national movement. They are taking this issue out of the hands of the few gatekeepers to engage mainstream Americans in their cities, town halls and houses of worship. They have come to recognize that BDS is a potent domestic means to change the current official US role of backing Israel regardless of the human consequences. Like the international BDS campaigns, US BDS relies on the guiding principals set by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Geneva Convention, UN resolutions and the International Court of Justice decisions on the wall and the Israeli occupation. The Hague Court stipulates the following: Settlers cannot be transferred into an occupied territory: The indigenous population of an occupied territory cannot be deported from the occupied territory regardless of motive; If a population must be transferred for security or military reasons they must return after security measures have been set in place. In addition the International Court of Justice considers it a crime against humanity for any state whether in peace or war to engage in the collective persecution of "any identifiable group on political, racial, national, ethnic, cultural, or religious" grounds. Significantly, the US BDS initiative reasserts the relevance of the Charter of Nuremberg which declared forced deportation and uprooting of civilian populations to be both a war crime and a crime against humanity. This is an opinion adopted by the world community to protect future communities from displacement and to avert a recurrence of the German Jewish experience during the Hitler regime when Germany oversaw the indiscriminate displacement of Jews, with millions perishing in concentration camps. The US BDS campaign relies on the examples of the successful South African Anti-Apartheid Boycott model as well as the earlier Jewish United Boycott Committee Campaign when Jews and human rights activists developed an organized boycott campaigns of German goods that was implemented throughout Europe and the US between 1933-1945 to protest German war crimes and injustices perpetuated against Jews. The 1936 Jewish led boycott of the German Olympics was an aggressive popular campaign that helped educate the American public on the dire conditions and plight of Jews in Germany. Building and strengthening the US BDS movement has become a major objective for many US peace and justice activists. The Palestinian BDS call was adopted by the UN Civil Conference and is currently being considered for adoption in the UN General Council in 2011. The likely endorsement of BDS by the General Assembly will express the consensus of world public opinion thereby creating a basis for BDS to be implemented by member states, as well as being recognized as a legitimate tool for corporate ethical accountability on this and other human rights issues. The current Israeli government 's arrogant refusal to consider suspending settlement building - never mind end its illegal occupation of Palestinian land - has so far only generated pathetic rhetorical protests from the US governement with no consequences. Massive US military and financial aid to Israel continues. Observing this travesty has been a major factor in encouraging ordinary Americans to implement the Palestinian BDS call. The US BDS movement has a real potential to change the political paradigm that has exacted a heavy price on Palestinian and Israelis people. Without justice for the Palestinian people Israelis will continue to live in a highly militarized state without a prospect for real peace and security. And realizing a just peace in the Middle East would have huge positive consequences for all of humanity, by contributing to global demilitarization, thereby freeing up resources needed to confront the multifold challenges posed by the increasing threat of catastrophic climate change and unmet human needs here in the US and especially in the global South. David Schwartzman is an environmental scientists on the faculty of Howard University and a member of the International Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN). Mai Abdul Rahman is a Palestinian American living in Washington D.C. She has founded the American Palestinian Women's Association and is a Doctorial student at Howard University's School of Education.   Comment on this article >       Jane Harman's exit is good news Feb 08, 2011 09:32 pm | Philip Weiss This story is a day old, I know, but LA congresswoman Jane Harmanis leaving Congress, where she spearheaded Israel's concerns, to head the Woodrow Wilson Institute for Public Policy. Is it a win or a loss? I think it's a win. It takes a real rightwing crank on the issue out of Congress, where she's really standing in the road. (Her two-time primary opponent Marcy Winograd--who puts Palestinian human rights at the top of her issues list and would visit Bradley Manning in solitary-- is thinking of running, and might actually threaten for the seat in the special election?) Also, Harman is 65. Her move reflects the largest force working for our side: the aging of the Israel lobby. Her husband Sidney is 92; he owns Newsweek and the Daily Beast, and will presumably back the Wilson Institute, too, and make sure that it's conservative on the issue. But I still feel she's out of the way. Will Haim Saban be calling her now? Somehow I doubt it...   Comment on this article >       Israel's defenders oppose Egyptian democracy (out of concern for Egypt of course) Feb 08, 2011 07:16 pm | Adam Horowitz Today's letters to the editor in the New York Times represent the wide swath of the US public that is behind the protesters in Egypt (82% according to a new Gallap poll). Of the five letters that were published, four of them call on the Obama adminstration to stand with the protesters and warn that "the United States is proving to be on the wrong side of history."  Here's the fifth letter: To the Editor: Re "Militants, Women and Tahrir Square," by Nicholas D. Kristof (column, Feb. 6): Yes, "it would be tragic if we let our anxieties" about whether a democratic Egypt might end up a more repressive country "impede our embrace of freedom and democracy." It would also be tragic if we failed to realize that the Muslim Brotherhood likely won't deliver the democracy that the Egyptians (and we, on their behalf) crave. Without some countervailing force, the Muslim Brotherhood is likely to use the democratic process to come to power, but to rule using fundamentalist Shariah law. Because the Muslim Brotherhood is better organized than the many people on the street whom Mr. Kristof has interviewed, the masses' good intentions and dreams for a vibrant democracy may prove irrelevant if the Brotherhood comes to power. Amy N. Lipton Greenwich, Conn., Feb. 6, 2011 The writer is active in several pro-Israel organizations. This is not an isolated example. Here is a video of Alan Dershowitz using the same line on CNN last week and Mona Eltahawy putting him in his place (starts around 2:15): You would think the advocates trying to represent "the only democracy in the Middle East" would do a better job at actually representing democracy. But then again, Israel's own democracyseems to be in question these days, so I guess these arguments make perfect sense.   Comment on this article >       Orange County DA files charges against 11 Muslim-American students who interrupted Michael Oren; JVP says 'charge us too' Feb 08, 2011 03:29 pm | Adam Horowitz Last Friday, the Orange County district attorney, Tony Rackauckas, announced he was filing charges against the 11 students who interrupted Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren's speech at UC Irvine a year ago. This was despite the fact that the Muslim Student Union, which helped organize the protest, had already been reprimanded by the university. Rackauckas made a statement on the charges saying: This case is being filed because there was an organized attempt to squelch the speaker, who was invited to speak to a group at UCI. These defendants meant to stop this speech and stop anyone else from hearing his ideas, and they did so by disrupting a lawful meeting. This is a clear violation of the law and failing to bring charges against this conduct would amount to a failure to uphold the Constitution. The ACLU protested the move saying "We are unaware of any case where a district attorney pressed criminal charges over this type of nonviolent student protest," and the LA Times condemned the decision with an editorial titled "Free the Irvine 11." Now Jewish Voice for Peace has come out in support of the protesters by making the obvious point that there is clearly a double standard when Muslim-Americans exercise their right to free speech versus other Americans. The JVP Rabbincal Council released a statementthat says in part: It is clear that there are double standards for protest in the United States. Last November, the members of Young, Jewish and Proud, the young activist arm of Jewish Voice for Peace, were let go after similarly disrupting a speech by the Israeli Prime Minister in front of a much larger audience in New Orleans. Instead of facing sanctions or criminal charges, their actions were lauded by many writers in Israeli and Jewish papers and news outlets across the world. In stark contrast, 11 Muslim students faced unprecedented sanctions both at the University of California and now from the office of the District Attorney which has empaneled a grand jury. Apart from being deeply concerned by the actions of the Orange County District Attorney's Office, we want to express our support for the message of those who interrupted Ambassador Oren. We believe that four decades of the Israeli Occupation of Palestine calls us to interrupt business as usual. Students that stood in public and voiced their passionate concern over policies of siege, home demolition, targeted destruction of infrastructure and ongoing dispossession of people from their land had a right to confront Ambassador Oren, and hold him and his government accountable for actions that were deemed as war crimes by the Goldstone Report. JVP has also organized a petition which has been signed by over 5,000 supporters who admit to also having interrupted a speaker or event to make a political point. The petition goes on to ask the DA to charge them as well if "interrupting injustice is now considered a crime." The petition and the rabbi's letter will be delivered to the Office of the Orange County District Attorney tomorrow by Rachel Roberts, who was part of a a group of young Jews who interrupted Netanyahu in New Orleans, and Estee Chandler, a JVP leader in Los Angeles.   Comment on this article >       President McCain confronts the Egyptian revolution: 'We will defeat democracy and we will be free' Feb 08, 2011 12:33 pm | Samuel Nichols If John McCain had beaten Barack Obama, this is the speech he would be making: This menacing wave washing over the Middle East is one of the gravest dangers this world has ever seen. This virus has already crept in and destroyed Tunisia. Tunisia's president was forced to leave the country to spare his own life from this awful turn of events. The virus has moved across North Africa and is currently festering in Egypt. We have recommended that President Mubarak leave the region to avoid drastic consequences of this virus. As I address youtonight, this sickness is threatening to spread to nearby Jordan and Yemen. Our scientists and technicians have been working tirelessly to discover more about this awful virus. It seems to be targeting our allies: oppressive dictatorships and undemocratic regimes whose stability are necessary for our way of life. Our brightest minds are working to protect us from this beast which threatens not only our great nation, but all of humankind.  Citizens of this great country, this is the most dangerous time in all of modern history. But this is not a time for fear; but is instead, a time to be brave and to heed the call to defend our liberties and our freedoms. Go home tonight and hold your loved ones, look them in the eyes and tell them why this nation is a great nation, remind yourself of why we have persevered and prospered as a light on the hill for all of the world. We will overcome this disease that threatens to undermine our way of life. We will defeat democracy and we will be free. Thank you and good night. Samuel Nichols is an activist from the US working with Christian Peacemaker Teams, an organization that supports Palestinian-led nonviolent resistance to the Israeli occupation. He lives in al-Tuwani, a small village in the South Hebron hills, amongst Palestinians committed to nonviolent resistance to land confiscation and settler violence. Follow Nichols on his blog  and on Twitter.   Comment on this article >       'We just want the rights you have' (Why isn't the U.S. listening?) Feb 08, 2011 11:31 am | Felice Gelman Back in the U.S. after an amazing front row seat in Cairo at the Egyptian revolution, I have had to translate my point of view from the street to the news stream. But I can't help being informed by what I saw in the streets of Cairo and in Tahrir Square. It's a parallel world out here, with mainstream media coverage of Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman as the U.S.-approved man for the transition to democracy. Clearly an amazingly versatile politician, Suleiman -- Egypt's chief torturer and leading advocate of autocracy -- has morphed into a bridgebuilder to the opposition. It must be time and distance that lets the press and the White House propose this with a straight face. It certainly isn't flying in Tahrir Square where the pro-democracy forces are adamant they will stay until Mubarak leaves. One chant was, "We won't go until you go."  The U.S. government never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity. The fastest and surest course to the "stability" that the U.S. seeks in the Middle East is political reform. But, when the opportunity arises to shuck an aging, repressive, kleptocracy in favor of a popular democracy, the worried looks and frowns come out. The backroom meetings begin. As Hilary Clinton famously said in an interview with Al Arabiya "I really consider President and Mrs. Mubarak to be friends of my family." Indeed? Well, Hilary, we know it's awfully hard to kick a friend of the family out into the cold. Maybe that's why Mubarak's own lawyer, Frank Wisner, was chosen as the U.S. envoy to "negotiate" with him.  And so our government has continued to do what it does so well --- deal only with the people it knows best, propping them up when they stumble over their own scheming greed. The people it knows best are the ones who created whatever problem/crisis is currently being faced. This is what brought us Goldman Sachs to manage the bailout of the financial system. It's what brought us Halliburton to manage the occupation of Iraq. And now it brings us Omar Suleiman to manage the Egyptian governance crisis. It is a sclerotic approach that has attached the US to failed regimes over and over again. The US blessed "transition" government in Egypt is trying to find ways to transition back to autocratic rule as fast as possible. This means continued arrests of activists, continued deployment of threatening thugs, meaningless stalling negotiations with the opposition, and efforts to isolate the pro-democracy forces of civil society in Tahrir Square. It's a tactic that might work in the short run for the Mubarak kleptocrats. The disruption caused by the protests is a burden on all -- but least bearable for the middle and working class who live from paycheck to paycheck. Having had no political life for the last 30 years, Egyptians are not particularly politically sophisticated, and the state controlled media is working hard to create divisions.  But where will that leave Egyptian society? Just as in the occupation of Iraq, the US is a pursuing a policy that is likely to result in wiping out secular civil society. The only opposition that is organized to survive an onslaught by the secret police is the Muslim Brotherhood -- the bete noire of Obama and Clinton. Everything I saw in Tahrir Square and elsewhere in Cairo during the days of protest was concentrated in a passionate desire for freedom of expression and a desire for democratic, accountable government. And almost every single person I talked to believed this was what America stood for. "We just want the same rights you have," was a frequent refrain. Almost no one was interested in a religious government. This may have been the least radical revolution we have witnessed. The protesters are simply asking for their human rights. If it doesn't succeed, it will carry a lesson for everyone in the Middle East. The US government's willingness to back the Mubarak regime and its failure to recognize their legitimate demands has been baffling to the protesters. But the same players and the same foreign policy have kept the US standing shoulder to shoulder with oppressive regimes around the world. Just in the last twelve months -- Iraq, Honduras, Haiti -- every time the US has backed the kleptocrats against the democrats. It's way too early to give up on the possibility the protesters will prevail. Their support is so broad-based, their demands so legitimate, and their commitment to a grassroots movement so strong that they may succeed without outside pressure in pushing Mubarak out. The Egyptian revolution may proudly be able to say that it won on its own.   Comment on this article >       'Our only agenda is love of Egypt' — Freed activist Wael Ghonim reenergizes protesters Feb 08, 2011 10:50 am | Seham Wael Ghonim's emotional interview with Dream TV. Watch the entire interview at http://egypt.alive.in/. Here is the latest on Twitter:   And more of the most recent developments: Follow up : Police Killed General Mohamed El-Batran Wael Abbas published recordings with prisoners from Kanatar prisonwho are speaking the inhuman treatment and the massacre they facing from January 26, 2011.  There is a very particular recording that made me stop , this recording is the testimony of some unnamed prisoner who claimed that General Mohamed El-Batran was killed by the police itself at Al-Kantar prison. According to this unnamed prisoner El-Batran was shot down along with his assistant by police snipers from the prison's tower.  http://egyptianchronicles.blogspot.com/2011/02/follow-up-police-killed-general-mohamed.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EgyptianChronicles+%28Egyptian+chronicles%29 Egypt Protests Leave 297 Killed: Human Rights Watch CAIRO — At least 297 people have been killed since Egypt's anti-government uprising began two weeks ago, U.S.-based Human Rights Watch told The Associated Press on Monday. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/07/egypt-protests-leave-297-_n_819821.html  Official brutality, torture continue amid Egypt revolt: activists CAIRO: Egypt's feared state security services are using torture as much as they ever did, rights activists say, with no sign that their horrifying tactics are about to change despite the regime's promise of reform.  Rights groups say that anger against routine police abuse and torture has been a driving force behind the massive popular protests in which at least 300 people have died and an unknown number were detained.   http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=124668#ixzz1DJmeKrUy  Hosni Mubarak to leave Egypt for health check in Germany: report  Hosni Mubarak may travel to Germany as a patient as part of a graceful exit strategy, Der Spiegel reports, a move organized by the US and Egyptian governments. http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/egypt/110207/mubarak-hospital-germany-gamal  Mubarak pushes 'transition plan' The Egyptian government says it is moving towards a "clear map" for a power transfer, as protests against President Hosni Mubarak continue. http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-12394941 2009 cable tells of Mubarak resisting U.S. calls for reform Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak "seeks to avoid conflict and spare his people from the violence he predicts would emerge from unleashed personal and civil liberties. In Mubarak's mind, it is far better to let a few individuals suffer than risk chaos for society as a whole." http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=7cbbf4042c5afea22f406bfd88e73567  Omar Soliman tells Christiane Amanpour About the agenda Omar Soliman sat with Christiane and had that very short interview which was aired on ABC. This was the second televised interview for general Soliman after being the VP. The first interview was with the Egyptian TV and surprisingly this interview is much worse than the first interview. This is his first interview in a foreign channel after being the VP.  http://egyptianchronicles.blogspot.com/2011/02/omar-soliman-tells-christiane-amanpour.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EgyptianChronicles+%28Egyptian+chronicles%29 WikiLeaks: Israel preferred Suleiman as Mubarak's successor 2008 cable quotes senior Defense Ministry official as telling US that in the event of Egyptian president's death, "There is no question that Israel is most comfortable with the prospect of Suleiman."  http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?ID=207262&R=R1 Suleiman: The CIA's man in Cairo Suleiman, a friend to the US and reported torturer, has long been touted as a presidential successor. http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/02/201127114827382865.html In Backing Vice President, U.S. Plays Tricky Hand in Egypt The Obama administration's support of Vice President Omar Suleiman shows a reliance on the existing regime to make changes it has steadfastly resisted for years. http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=1aba0421bb4fc1b2aa971b559bc75e66  U.S. eases off call for swift Egypt reform The Obama administration feels the approach is needed to reassure Middle East allies of U.S. loyalty. But gradual reform isn't going to satisfy the protest movement in Cairo.  The Obama administration has reconciled itself to gradual political reform in Egypt, an approach that reflects its goal of maintaining stability in the Middle East but is at odds with demands of the protest movement in Cairo that President Hosni Mubarak relinquish power immediately. http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/B4MTKQ1mxdc/la-fg-us-egypt-20110208,0,7537859.story  Egypt's ex-police chief appears before prosecutors CAIRO, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Former Egyptian Interior Minister Habib el-Adli has appeared before military prosecutors and may face charges of causing a breakdown in order, a security source said on Monday, during protests against President Hosni Mubarak.  The source said Adli, who was in court on Sunday, could be be charged with withdrawing security forces from the streets during the uprising, ordering live fire on protesters and releasing prisoners from jail.  http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/egypts-ex-police-chief-appears-before-prosecutors  Egypt protests: Muslim Brotherhood's concessions prompt anger Egypt protests have sought Mubarak's removal. The Muslim Brotherhood suddenly dropped that demand in talks Sunday, angering participants in Egypt protests and causing an apparent split in the group's ranks. http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/_xY74vhLkYY/Egypt-protests-Muslim-Brotherhood-s-concessions-prompt-anger Community amid Egypt's chaos United against their president, demonstrators in Tahrir Square have managed to bridge the country's political divides. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/201127162644461244.html  Egypt's opposition grows bolder, Brotherhood may quit talks CAIRO: Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood said it could pull out of talks with the government if opposition demands were not met, including the immediate exit of President Hosni Mubarak who chaired a Cabinet meeting Monday.  Protesters, barricaded in a tent camp in Tahrir Square in the heart of Cairo, have vowed to stay until Mubarak quits and hope to take their campaign to the streets with more mass demonstrations Tuesday and Friday. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=124676#axzz1DJjtgdcH  State Department confirms Egyptian military "elements" participated in crackdown The State Department now acknowledges that "elements" of the Egyptian military have taken part in the violent crackdown on journalists and activists in Cairo over the past few days, calling into question the positive influence and neutrality of the military, which the Obama administration praised last week.  Human rights activists in Washington and Cairo reported last week uniformed Egyptian military personnel were directly involved in the arrest, detention, and interrogation of human rights activists in Egypt, including the raid on the Hisham Mubarak Law Center, which included the arrest of Human Rights Watch researcher Daniel Williams. In a gripping first-hand account on Monday, Williams explained the extensive role of Egyptian military personnel in his incarceration.  http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/02/07/state_department_confirms_egyptian_military_elements_participated_in_crackdown  Obama administration deals with conflicting statements on Egypt The Obama administration's message on Egypt and the fate of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has been evolving ever since protesters took to the streets of Cairo on Jan. 25, but conflicting messages from different parts of the administration are complicating the U.S. stance going forward. http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/02/07/obama_administration_deals_with_conflicting_statements_on_egypt  "The Empire's Bagman": Obama Egypt Envoy Frank Wisner Says Mubarak Should Stay The official U.S. response to events unfolding in Egypt remains mixed. Over the weekend, the Obama administration distanced itself from U.S. "crisis envoy" to Egypt Frank Wisner after he issued a statement in support in support of President Hosni Mubarak. Revealing a possible conflict of interest, British journalist Robert Fisk recently reported Wisner works for the law firm Patton Boggs, which openly boasts that it advises "the Egyptian military, the Egyptian Economic Development Agency, and has handled arbitrations and litigation on the [Mubarak] government's behalf in Europe and the U.S." We are joined by Trinity College Professor Vijay Prashad, who has written about Wisner's history with the U.S. Department of State and his close relationship with Mubarak. http://www.democracynow.org/2011/2/7/the_empires_bagman_us_ambassador_frank  The inside story on the exploding Egypt "envoy," Frank Wisner Uber-diplomat Frank Wisner won't be making any public remarks on the crisis in Egypt anytime soon; the Obama administration has directed him to steer clear of the press following his command performance in Munich, where he went off the reservation of the Obama administration's policy and forced the administration to distance itself from him and his remarks. http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/02/07/the_inside_story_on_the_exploding_egypt_envoy_frank_wisner  Arrests/Detentions Egypt protesters tell of beatings while in custody One lawyer says interrogators whipped him with a rubber hose and burned him with cigarettes. Former detainees say they'll continue to demonstrate. The young lawyer sat in a cafe, burn marks on his hands, purple and yellow bruises hidden under the legs of his jeans. He knows he might be followed, but he doesn't care. He says that telling his story might be the only way to protect himself. http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/PvfWT1o5INM/la-fg-egypt-prisoners-20110208,0,4695771.story  Exclusive: Wael Ghonim's First Interview With English Subtitles http://egypt.alive.in/2011/02/07/exclusive-wael-ghonims-first-interview-with-english-subtitles/ Wael Ghonim Interview on Al Jazeera English http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east/2011/02/07/live-blog-feb-8-egypt-protests  Political activist Wael Ghonim is free Wael Ghonim, a Google executive and political activist,arrested on 25 January by Egyptian authorities has been released. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jn52O78p3Q&feature=youtube_gdata Blogger's release 'reignites' Egypt Google executive Wael Ghonim speaks after release from Egyptian custody, sparking outpouring of support from protesters. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/20112722535988460.html Wael Ghonim, Google Executive, Released In Egypt After several rumors throughout the day, Google has now confirmed that its executive Wael Ghonim was freed today by Egyptian authorities.  Ghonim himself announced the news in a tweet, stating: "Freedom is a bless that deserves fighting for it. #Jan25"  Googletweeted, "Huge relief--Wael Ghonim has been released. Our love to him and his family." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/07/wael-ghonim-google-egypt_n_819667.html  Ayman Mohyeldin on his detention Ayman Mohyeldin, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Cairo who was held by the military outside Tahrir (Liberation) Square on Monday, has spoken to the network about the experience following his release. "As we have been for the past several weeks, we've been reporting daily from Liberation Square, and yesterday as I was making my way into Liberation Square I was essentially stopped by the Egyptian military," said Mohyeldin. "There was a young recruit there ... who asked me for my identification. And when I presented him with my identification, he asked me 'What you are coming to do?'." "I simply said I was a journalist, I didn't really have any major equipment on me, just a small camera and my cellphones. "Immediately it seemed like he was taken aback, suprised perhaps by my identity. At that time they didn't know who I was working for, and they didn't ask me, really. "It was just the mere fact that I was a journalist who was trying to go into Liberation Square that seemed to be enough for them to take me for further questioning." Handcuffed Mohyeldin describes how he was taken to a separate holding area, where he was handcuffed with plastic strips, had his equipment taken off him and was interrogated. At least two other journalists were already present at the holding area. Other detainees appeared to have been severely beaten, intimidated and at least one person broke down in tears under the pressure. While foreign journalists were released fairly quickly, Mohyeldin and a Reuters cameraman of Palestinian descent were held for an extended period. All of the detainees who were released were told to sign a document that said that they would not attempt to return to Tahrir Square without permission from the military. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBNLYet_NEQ&feature=youtube_gdata  My 36 Hours in Egyptian Captivity Cradling an assault rifle, the soldier in the sand-colored camouflage uniform stood on a chair, haranguing the group of men and women inside the Hisham Mubarak Law Center, a noted human rights organization in Cairo. "You want to go outside?" he asked our group. "They will kill you." http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/02/07/my-36-hours-egyptian-captivity  Media Crackdown: Democracy Now!'s Sharif Abdel Kouddous Reports from Tahrir Square on the Systematic Targeting of Journalists in Egypt Reporting on the Egyptian uprising has been not only difficult, but even dangerous for many domestic and foreign journalists. Tactics used against media workers include cutting phone lines, repeated arrests and detention, harassment, the seizure of equipment and intimidation. The first fatality of a journalist was also reported last week. Democracy Now! senior producer Sharif Abdel Kouddous speaks with journalists in Cairo's Tahrir Square. He also visits a media tent set up by activists to collect reports from people on the streets. http://www.democracynow.org/2011/2/7/media_crackdown_democracy_now_s_sharif  Egyptian Blogger Sandmonkey will Continue on Despite Brutality To call the ongoing people's revolts in Tunisia and Egypt FaceBook revolutions is certainly overstating the case.  In both countries, the time was ripe for revolution and social upheaval. Poverty, repression and hopelessness were enforced by greedy U.S.-supported despots who were deaf to the needs of their people. But there is little doubt that the recent street-protest revolts in Tunis and Cairo were assisted by new social media: Facebookers, tweeters and a new generation of Internet bloggers. http://pulsemedia.org/2011/02/07/egyptian-blogger-sandmonkey-will-continue-on-despite-brutality/  Protests/Protesters/Attacks Against Them & Eyewitness Accounts Statement of the April 6 Movement Regarding the Demands of the Youth and the Refusal to Negotiate with any Side The youth of Egypt have stood their ground and struggled against the tyrants. We have faced bullets against bare chests with great courage and patience. We salute the great Egyptian people, the creators of this revolution. For that reason, we affirm that victory is the fall of Mubarak and his regime. http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/579/statement-of-the-april-6-movement-regarding-the-demands-of-the-youth-and-the-refusal-to-negotiate-with-any-side Protests swell at Tahrir Square Tens of thousands pour into central Cairo seeking President Mubarak's ouster, despite a slew of government concessions. http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/02/201128123235508653.html Egyptian Revolution - A badly Injured Egyptian Hero  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4jERkLpnVY&feature=player_embedded  Violence in Egypt clashes Al Jazeera has obtained footage showing violent clashes between Mubarak loyalists and pro-democracy protesters on the night between February 2 and 3. In one clip, Mubarak loyalists are seen driving into a crowd of pro-democracy protesters, who then set upon them. In another, shots are fired on protesters on a bridge. Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons in Cairo has more. [Warning: the images in this footage may disturb some viewers.] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w69Grp6QHdI&feature=youtube_gdata  Mass protests continue in Egypt Pro-democracy supporters hold fresh rallies in Cairo, just hours after the release of a detained Google executive. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/20112851424979539.html Freed Google exec Wael Ghonim reenergizes Egyptian protesters Wael Ghonim, an Internet activist who helped organize the Jan. 25 protests, was held in secret detention until yesterday. Protesters hold him up as a symbol of why the regime can't be trusted. http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/hMZ-ekMeJUw/Freed-Google-exec-Wael-Ghonim-reenergizes-Egyptian-protesters Alexandria Protests http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evvl4NLsfpQ&feature=player_embedded  The different shades of Tahrir Even after two weeks, central Cairo's Tahrir Square remains the heartbeat of the pro-democracy movement. http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/spotlight/anger-in-egypt/2011/02/20112811181499676.html Tahrir: epicentre of the revolution In Cairo's Tahrir [Liberation] Square, there's a growing sense of camaraderie, as demonstrators continue to rally until Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak steps down. As the unrest enters its third week, protesters are forging close bonds, and exploring new ways of making their voices heard. Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros reports from Cairo. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeTzu9aK3xs&feature=youtube_gdata Shocking 'Egypt images' emerge New video footage shows violent confrontations between protesters and government supporters. http://english.aljazeera.net/video/middleeast/2011/02/201127184024139962.html Protests Demanding Mubarak to Resign Grow Stronger, Despite Some Government Concessions Newly appointed Egyptian vice president Omar Suleiman held talks on Sunday with opposition groups in Cairo in an attempt to stem the anti-government protests that continue across the country. Suleiman agreed to several major concessions, including ending the country's decades-old emergency laws (he did not say when), allowing a free press (even as another Al Jazeera reporter was arrested), and creating a constitutional reform committee. The top demand of demonstrators--the immediate removal of President Hosni Mubarak from power--was not addressed. Protests continue today across Egypt, and tens of thousands of demonstrators have held their ground in Tahrir Square amidst a heavy military presence. To further explain these developments, we are joined by Democracy Now! senior producer Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Hossam Bahgat, an Egyptian human rights activist live from Cairo. [includes rush transcript–partial] http://www.democracynow.org/2011/2/7/protests_demanding_mubarak_to_resign_grow  Protests continue in Tahrir Square Pro-democracy protesters in Cairo appear unmoved after talks between the Egyptian government and opposition groups. People are still gathering in Tahrir Square but the space they are allowed to occupy is getting smaller as authorities are trying to get life back to normal in the capital. Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher reports. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U8UKh23YxE&feature=youtube_gdata  #EgyWorkers Updates University professors will gather tomorrow, Tuesday, 12:30pm in front of their club headquarters, and will stage a march in support of the revolution, joining the protesters in Tahrir. Also, tomorrow 12 noon, journalists will gather at their syndicate, in an emergency meeting to lobby for impeaching their state-backed syndicate head, Makram Mohamed Ahmed.  http://www.arabawy.org/2011/02/07/workers-revolution/ Actors for the Revolution  I spoke with actress Yosra el-Lozy, who's been attending the Tahrir protests, and she says there is roughly 265 members of the Cinema Syndicate who signed a statement denouncing the President of the Syndicate's pro-regime position, and expressing the actors' refusal for negotiations with the regime. http://www.arabawy.org/2011/02/08/cinema-2/  Scenes from Tahrir Square: Anti-Mubarak Sign Central Cairo has been the site of numerous protest signs, ranging from the poignant to the giggle-incuding. This one straddles a line between the two, invoking dark humor. It says, in reference to Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak: "Hitler committed suicide, you can too." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX2rxSuzuuY&feature=youtube_gdata Tahrir Square Wedding Cheers Protesters It might not have been the fairytale venue of her dreams, but Ola Abdel Hamid's choice to marry Ahmed Zaafan in the heart of Cairo's Tahrir Square was nonetheless a moving moment in the massdemonstrations against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/07/tahrir-square-wedding_n_819603.html  Muslims return favor, join hands with Christian protesters for Mass in Cairo's Tahrir Square On Friday, the holy day for Islam, Christian protesters in Tahrir Square joined hands to form a protective cordon around their Muslim countrymen so they could pray in safety. Sunday, the Muslims returned the favor.  They surrounded Christians celebrating Mass in Cairo's central plaza, ground zero for the secular pro-democracy protests reverberating throughout the Middle East. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2011/02/07/2011-02-07_muslims_turn_out_in_mass.html#ixzz1DL697DgD  Egyptian Protesters' Makeshift Helmets (7 pics) The brave protesters on the streets of Cairo face many challenges. Among them, flying rocks and projectiles cause many injuries. With limited resources at the scene, we take a look at how people are improvising to protect themselves. It's amazing to see what people will do when they have to adapt to survive. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/07/egyptian-protesters-makes_n_819942.html  #Jan25 Facing the tanks One of the protesters who are sleeping in front of the army tanks in Tahrir Square. Yesterday, the army tried moving in to restrict the protest space in the square. The revolutionaries moved quickly, took out the barbed wire installed by the army, forming human chain on the ground. http://www.arabawy.org/2011/02/08/tanks/  Egypt's protesters settle in for long haul Demonstrators continue to demand Mubarak's resignation, as people attempt to resume lives.  CAIRO: Cairo protesters dug in for a long fight Monday, pressing their demand for an overhaul of the political system and the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak as many Egyptians tried to resume their normal lives.  Up to 2,000 people bedded down overnight under blankets and tents made from plastic sheeting in Tahrir Square. Some slept while others camped out on woolen blankets as national and revolutionary songs blared out from loudspeakers. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=124666#axzz1DJjtgdcH  Egyptians abroad come home for 'revolution' CAIRO: For many Egyptians abroad, watching raging anti-regime protests on television was not enough. They made excuses at work, convinced their families and booked flights home to join the "revolution."  For some the decision was easy. They were seeing a lifelong dream unfold in their homeland, and they knew they had to get there to take part. For others, it was more difficult. They struggled to work out whether their presence would be useful and how they could leave behind jobs and family. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=124667#axzz1DJjtgdcH  Scenes from Tahrir Square: Rock Concert On the night of Tuesday, February 8, Tahrir Square took on a festival atmosphere, with a man playing an acoustic guitar to a crowd of hundreds. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gkl76mIh8aA&feature=youtube_gdata  Scenes from Tahrir Square: Tent Village In the six days since anti-government demonstrators defended central Cairo in vicious street battles, the occupied square has turned into a warden of semi-permanent housing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWPgZPgh5go&feature=youtube_gdata Scenes from Tahrir Square: The Welcome In recent days, the civilian blockades that check for identification cards and screen for weapons at the entryways to the square have been augmented by a celebratory greeting crew that welcomes visitors with chants of "Here, here, here! The Egyptians are here!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2866seHpWs&feature=youtube_gdata  #Jan25 'We are not afraid anymore' http://www.arabawy.org/2011/02/07/jan25-we-are-not-afraid-anymore/  #Jan25 Singing for the Revolution  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GTJ3xU_2FQ&feature=player_embedded  #Jan25 Protesters in Mahalla set police cars on fire http://www.arabawy.org/2011/02/07/mahalla-8/  Anti-Mubarak protester in Tahrir Square… http://www.arabawy.org/2011/02/07/bury-the-regime/  #Jan25 Egypt's Friday of Rage  http://www.arabawy.org/2011/02/07/revolt-19/  2/7/11 Tahrir Square and videos from the revolution http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPBw7gHa5Mk&feature=player_embedded  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3lmaTz8IGc&feature=player_embedded  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGMW4uratOA&feature=player_embedded  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5TasR6u3Vc&feature=player_embedded  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkJQyLy7nOc&feature=player_embedded  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDjxz624KD8&feature=player_embedded  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IEU3ktuT7Y&feature=player_embedded http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJzzwXJPyyM&feature=player_embedded  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MegPz5115GU&feature=player_embedded http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U-D-PO1vAQ&feature=player_embedded  Call to Action Send This To the General Prosecutor ASAP If you are Egyptian or live in Egypt then please use this form and send it to the general prosecutor ASAP through Fax , we are asking the general prosecutor to open an investigation about minister of information Anas El-Fiky. Anas El-Fiky is accused of spreading hate and lies in the society , yes we are accusing him of hate crime. His official media whether in TV or radio or newspaper accused us and the El-Tahrir protesters of being traitors working for Iran and Israel and even Mars for $ 50 and KFC meal !!  http://egyptianchronicles.blogspot.com/2011/02/send-this-to-general-prosecutor-asap.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EgyptianChronicles+%28Egyptian+chronicles%29 Dear Lebanese brothers and sisters We need mass protests in Lebanon in solidarity with the Egyptian revolution. We need the Lebanese trade unions to issue statements on our behalf. We need Lebanese student unions to lobby the Egyptian embassy continuously… Our revolution will change this region, and turn it upside down. If we succeed, not only we will liberating Egypt, but we will be striking the biggest blow to US imperialism and Zionism in the region… Solidarity… http://www.arabawy.org/2011/02/07/viva-resistance/ World Solidarity  Video of the Sayyed Speaking, most poignant part towards the end when he says:"Yash'hadullah (As God is my witness) that with great longing and desire that I wish I could join you and I would offer my blood and my soul like all these young men who offered their lives for this noble cause" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It6stFQanHM&feature=player_embedded Hezbollah backs Egypt protests Leader Nasrallah says protesters are fighting for 'Arab dignity' and slams US for supporting region's 'dictatorships'. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/20112716455777942.html Sayyed Nasrallah to Egyptians: Your Victory Will Change Face of Region Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah announced on Monday support to the Egyptian and Tunisian people in the light of their revolutions against their regimes. His eminence stressed that what we're witnessing today is a real and patriotic revolution in Egypt.  Sayyed Nasrallah expressed belief that the victory of the Egyptian people in its revolution will change the whole face of the region. "On behalf of Hezbollah and all resistance parties, we place our capabilities at your service," his eminence declared during the speech. http://almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=1363&cid=23&fromval=1&frid=23&seccatid=14&s1=1  Lebanese National Forces Back Egyptian Revolution In support of Egypt's Arab identity and in support of the Egyptian people's revolution against the Camp David regime, the Lebanese national forces and parties held on Monday a ceremony at Ghobeiry square, Beirut, in which different speeches were delivered. http://almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=1453&cid=23&fromval=1&frid=23&seccatid=14&s1=1  Nabi Saleh marches with the people of Egypt Despite pounding rain and aggressive repression tactics employed by the army, the village of Nabi Saleh marched Friday in solidarity with the people of Egypt. The demonstration was also in honor of 14 year Nabi Saleh resident Islam Tamimi, who was arrested in a night raid in the village almost three weeks ago and remains in jail. http://palsolidarity.org/2011/02/16526/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+palsolidarity+%28International+Solidarity+Movement%29 Protests in Geneva http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRxfcE2wfqI&feature=player_embedded Stand with Egypt Protest in San Francisco http://wearemany.org/v/stand-with-egypt-protest-0 #Jan25 Egypt - Rap of the revolution Most of the world's past conflicts have inspired protest songs to reflect the spirit of resistance. Now Egypt has its own. Inspired by the resilience of the demonstraters, several notable musicians from North America have teamed up to release a rap song. Omar Offendum, a Syrian-American rapper, was interviewed at Al Jazeera's Doha studio. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSLWbIMxd88&feature=youtube_gdata The #Jan25 Anthem has Arrived Check out this track and video. #Jan25 -Amir Sulaiman, Ayah, Freeway,The Narcicyst, Omar Offendum (Produced by Sami Matar) This is what inspired music sounds like... real protest, activist, liberation hip-hop. It is for the protesters who brought forth their fury and energy for a better future in Egypt. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCbpiOpLwFg&feature=player_embedded  Ramy Essam, "The Sound of the Revolution" (Music Video) Ramy Essam is a singer and composer from Mansoura, Egypt. This song, composed of slogans of the Egyptian Revolution, was performed at Tahrir Square in Egypt on the "Day of Departure" (4 February 2011). http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2011/essam080211.html Friends of the Dictator Netanyahu: Egypt could follow Iran Bibi says Egypt may turn into new Iran, radicalize in wake of political upheaval; PM tells European parliamentarians they too are threatened by Tehran's missiles, says West has trouble recognizing fanaticism hiding behind suit and tie. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4025339,00.html  Egypt could crush uprising 'like Iran': Netanyahu JERUSALEM — Egypt could ruthlessly suppress the uprising against President Hosni Mubarak like Iran crushed mass protests after a disputed June 2009 election, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned.  "There could be liberal and democratic reforms in Egypt. The second possibility is that Islamists take advantage of the turmoil to seize control of the country," he said in an address to parliament on Monday evening.  The third possibility, he told more than 400 visiting European MPs from some 30 countries, is that "Egypt follows Iran's example".  Netanyahu said Tehran simply quashed the mass protests after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election that opponents said was rigged. "There were no talks, the people were simply killed on the streets."  The Israeli premier stressed that Israel's interest was to "preserve the peace that has existed for three decades... and brought stability in the region."  Egypt has since January 25 seen the biggest challenge to Mubarak's 30-year rule with tens of thousands taking to the streets to demand his ouster. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jRyOjZPYY8K-jw5ueU_EV4PS2JTw?docId=CNG.2c5a19790e1a96031e65d4fdf8d64cdc.e21  As'as Abukhalil's Commentary `Umar Sulayman... In English Watch.  But his Hebrew is probably better. http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/umar-sulaymanin-english.html The Intelligence of Egyptian protesters The beauty of Egyptian protests is that they went to the head of the regime, head on.  In Jordan, the opposition cowardly express its anger at the prime minister, as if he is the head of the regime.  But then again: the opposition in Jordan, in its secular and fudamentalist versions, have been the most lame and most monarchist of any opposition I know--save of the Moroccan Communist Party under `Ali Ya`tah. http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/intelligence-of-egyptian-protesters.html  Breakdown of protesters Most agree on this rough breakdown: 15% Muslim brotherhood, 5% various Arab nationalist and progressive parties, and 80% who belong to no parties at all. http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/breakdown-of-protesters.html Marwan Mu`ashshir I find this galling.  US and Saudi media are interviewing Marwan Mu`ashshir on developments in Egypt as if he is some democracy champion.  I mean, the man was a minister in the regime of King Abdullah of Jordan, and was known for being the most hardline against reform and in favor of closer relations with Israel.  Wait, wait. I get it now.  Those who advocate for closer ties with Israel, are democrat by US standards.  Just like Sadat was a cute dictator, for the West. http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/marwan-muashshir_07.html  NYT: poor Mubarak Mr. Mubarak, 82, has survived three wars, an Islamic uprising and multiple assassination attempts. Two years ago, an aneurism caused the sudden death of his 12-year-old grandson, Muhammad, a deep personal blow".  We are supposed to feel sorry for him? In one week, he managed to kill more than 300 and injured more than 2000 Egyptians.  This story is like those biographies of Hitler which talk about his kindness to Goebbels' children. http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/nyt-poor-mubarak.html  Of course, Wisner speaks for Obama "That tension was laid bare in Munich when Mr. Wisner, whom the White House sent last week to ask Mr. Mubarak to announce he would not run for another term, told a high-level security conference that "President Mubarak's role remains extremely critical in the days ahead." While Mrs. Clinton said that Mr. Wisner "does not speak for the administration or the government," she did not contradict much of his message." http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/of-course-wisner-speaks-for-obama.html  Anis Mansur: and Saudi propaganda This guy was a chief propagandist for Sadat: he later invented a career of himself as a dissident in Nasser's time, when in reality he had written in his praise, just as he praises Mubarak.  He does not travel much nowadays due to age, but did travel to attend the wedding of prince `Azzuz.  He writes for Al-Ahram and for the mouthpiece of Prince Salman, Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat. He is regarded as knowledgeable and intellectual, but he often makes things up about philosophers and historical figures. Look what he says about Lenin, here: he claims that Lenin was always cheating on his wife, and that when she would complain, he would threaten her with a gun.  As you know, there is absolutely no basis of this whatsoever, and the person--her--who fabricated the story clearly has not read about Lenin.  If anything, Lenin (who I don't like now, but I used to like in my communist youth) stopped talking to Stalin when the latter once called his wife and fought with her and called her a "syphilitic whore."  The guy just made up a story, just to entertain his Saudi benefactors with anecdotes about communist figures, as if communism remains a threat to House of Saud.  Tell him to regale us with stories and anecdotes about the married and unmarried lives of Saudi princes and kings. http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/anis-mansur-and-saudi-propaganda.html Hillary Explains why the US does not support democracy in Egypt "she emphasized the dangers of rushing headlong into a vote without rewriting the Constitution, engaging opposition groups or mastering the mechanics of elections, like how to compile voter rolls." http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/hillary-explains-why-us-does-not.html  Nasrallah on Al-Arabiyyah TV Hasan Nasrallah has just given a speech in support of Egyptian protesters.  Not much in the speech: he on the hand wanted to express support for the protesters, but on the other hand did not want to seem to be lending help to the regime's propaganda about outside interferences (the regime blames a conspiracy hatched between US, Mossad, Hamas, Iran, and Hizbullah for its troubles).  But what surprised me is that Al-Arabiyyah TV (the news station of King Fahd's brother-in-law which really lived up to its brand name of pure propaganda during these days by delivering non-stop propaganda for Mubarak's regime) is that the station decided to carry Nasrallah's remarks live: only to provide ammunition to regime propaganda. http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/nasrallah-on-al-arabiyyah-tv.html  The White Man can measure the Intellectual vibrancy of the natives As is known, the White Man has a device toe measure the "intellectual vibrancy" of the natives, and can measure the level of intelligence of the natives:  "Today's Arab societies — less intellectually vibrant than Iran..."  This dude, a loyal student of Bernard Lewis, follows the inclinations of the latter who always in his history books make a point to refer to the racial/ethnic backgrounds of great thinkers and philosophers in Islamic history and state that they are of non-Arab origin (of course, the great Philosopher, Al-Kindi was 100 per cent Arab).  http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/white-man-can-measure-intellectual.html  Monstrous dictatorship "Historically, what Washington always really feared is Arab nationalism, not crackpot self-made jihadis. Arab nationalism is intrinsically, viscerally, opposed to the 1979 Camp David peace accords, which have neutralized Egypt and left Israel with a free iron hand to proceed with its slow strangulation of Palestine; for As'ad Abu Khalil of the Angry Arab website, every Middle East expert who worked on the accords "helped construct a monstrous dictatorship in Egypt"." http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/monstrous-dictatorship.html  Frank Wisner "We work in tandem with Israeli law firms to help serve clients and gain a more "local" understanding of what they consider their greatest needs. The firm has a close working relationship with Dov Weissglas, the past chief of Staff to former Prime Minister Sharon, who advises us in dealings with a number of our Israeli clients." http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/frank-wisner_07.html When the moon hits you eye like a big pizza pie That's amore "Several cables describe a "warm relationship" between Mr. Mubarak and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel." http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/when-moon-hits-you-eye-like-big-pizza.html  The Israeli government is officially freaking out "The Israeli government is freaking out," said Dr Shmuel Bachar, at the Israel Institute for Policy and Strategy. "For the past 30 years we have depended on Egypt's peace treaty with Israel. Now, suddenly, we have rediscovered the existence of something called an Egyptian public, the existence of which we've vigorously tried to ignore." http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/israeli-government-is-officially.html "Wise Men" Committee in Egypt There are some good people in that "Wise Men" committee although there are some regime types there too (NYTimes said that the committee has Western support which troubles many).  So an Egyptian comrade who is a leading activist in the protest was offered to join the "Wise Men" committee but he tells me that he scoffed at the idea and refused. http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/wise-men-committee-in-egypt.html  Man of Israel "Saudi political writer and analyst Turki al-Hamad slammed embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak as an agent of Israel and the United States, rejecting as groundless the claims that a foreign conspiracy was behind the popular uprising in the country." http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/man-of-israel.html  Analysis/Op-ed Inside Story - Corruption in Egypt Many Egyptians feel the only ones benefitting from the country's wealth are businessmen with ties to the ruling National Democratic Party. How did Egypt become so corrupt? And what can a new government really do about it? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73dJYlHJZbA&feature=youtube_gdata This is Egypt's revolution, not ours | Mohammad Mursi All we in the Muslim Brotherhood want is for President Mubarak to go and real democracy to prevail.  As the past fortnight has underlined, Egypt occupies a leading role in one of the most vital and volatile regions in the world. However, this great country has been ruled by an autocratic regime for more than 30 years, and left riddled with corruption, poverty, inequality and insecurity. With millions condemned to live in squalor, astronomical unemployment rates, political suppression and absence of basic freedoms, the Egyptian people have been seething with anger, frustration and discontent for years. Thousands of political dissidents have been dragged before military courts and sentenced to years in prison despite civil courts ordering their release. Elections were rigged on an unimaginable scale – forcing Egyptians, and especially the young, into a state of utter desperation. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/08/egypt-revolution-muslim-brotherhood-democracy Smell of freedom is sweet in this small Egyptian town CAIRO (IPS) - Imam Mohammed al-Saba of the Eisa mosque here in the center of the rural town Kirdasa takes the pulpit to tell his congregation he can smell "the air of freedom for the first time in thirty years." http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11784.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29  Time for Democracy in Egypt, Ralph Nader Those politically savvy people who thought strongman, Hosni Mubarak would be out before the end of the first week of the Egyptian uprising better rethink the odds. For thirty years Mubarak has developed what can be called a deeply rooted dictatorial regime with regular White House access and annual largesse of some $1.3 billion in military equipment and payroll.  A former military man, he has been very alert to what is needed to maintain the loyalties of the police, the intelligence security forces and the army. If he goes, tens of thousands of those on his payroll could lose their patronage and be on the outs if his government is really replaced. http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16629  US officials flock to appear on Al Jazeera What a difference a revolution can make.  Members of the Obama administration are flocking to appear on Al Jazeera, one of the most influential media sources in the Arab world.  US officials are desperate to have their spin of events in the Middle East included as millions tune in to the network's coverage of the uprising in Egypt.  http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/egypt-revolts-officials-court-al-jazeera/  Making History in Tahrir Watching Egyptians protest today is a sight I never thought I'd witness. Having studied urban protest in Egypt and Syria in the late Middle Ages, like other Arabs of my generation I had been beguiled by our political quietness, our seemingly unending, bottomless stoicism. I chose to work on premodern protest to say something about the present and argue for something in the future. The late middle ages offered a case of medieval Islamic regimes centered in Egypt and including Syria, before the arrival of European imperialism – and before "modernity."  http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/578/making-history-in-tahrir Window of democracy has likely already shut (and Hillary knocks at Suleiman's door), Philip Weiss It helps to know something about Egypt if you're writing about it. (I guess). Here's a really smart piece by Joshua Stacher of Kent State at Foreign Affairs saying that the "democratic window has probably already closed," that the regime has never broken down, its central institution, the military, remaining as powerful as ever. And now the gov't is successfully playing the young demonstrators off against the ordinary citizens' desire for normal times. http://mondoweiss.net/2011/02/window-of-democracy-has-likely-already-shut-and-hillary-knocks-at-suleimans-door.html  American revolution, Philip Weiss I insist that the Egyptian revolution is having a huge effect on our discourse. Two indications that I am right: --On Saturday, Hillary Mann Leverett was on MSNBC. Alex Witt asked her about the Muslim Brotherhood, and Leverett said they were a legitimate part of the Egyptian polity and were opposed to the inhumane blockade of Gaza. Or words to that effect. She went on for a bit about Gaza. It was a huge moment for the mainstream media, not to hear the usual b.s. about Hamas and weapons. http://mondoweiss.net/2011/02/american-revolution.html Washington and Arab Revolts: Sacrificing Dictators to Save the State, James Petras To understand the Obama regime's policy toward Egypt, the Mubarak dictatorship and the popular uprising it is essential to locate it in an historical context. The essential point is that Washington, after several decades of being deeply embedded in the state structures of the Arab dictatorships, from Tunisia through Morocco, Egypt, Yemen, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian Authority, is attempting to re-orient its policies to incorporate and/or graft liberal-electoral politicians onto the existing power configurations. http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16630  Events in Egypt show U.S. understanding of Middle East is almost zero The U.S. has shown that it does not understand and comprehend the pulse of the street in the Arab world despite its multifarious intelligence agencies. It has drastically failed to weigh the influence governments, oppositions and Arab populations exercise in the Arab world.   It seems the U.S. relies heavily on unilateral sources which are very close to the circles of power in the Middle East and lacks the ability to interpret and decipher the situation and its likely course in the future.   In thousands of documents WikiLeaks has released of secret correspondence regarding the Middle East, there has been no hint that the days of U.S. allies in the region were close. http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2011-02-06\kurd.htm  Foreseeing Egypt's Unrest, Juan Cole I noticed a lot of television commentators wondering why no one predicted the unrest in Egypt. I'd just like to draw attention to the number 1 item in my New Year's list of 2011 challenges for US foreign policy. While it is not exactly a prediction of what we are seeing today on our television sets, it lays out the outlines of the challenge as we are now experiencing it and suggests that corporate media is just listening to the wrong inside-the-beltway pundits if they weren't hearing about these potentialities in the Egyptian scene before January 25. http://www.juancole.com/2011/02/foreseeing-egypts-unrest.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+juancole%2Fymbn+%28Informed+Comment%29 Mubarak's Last Act, Mohammad Salama As a native Egyptian who left seeking opportunities for a better, more humane life unavailable under Mubarak's rule, I see the events currently unfolding in Egypt as both surreal and inevitable.  It all began in 1975, when Anwar El Sadat chose an inconspicuous military hero to be his vice president. The choice was surprising because at that time, young Muhammad Hosni Mubarak was a leading air force officer, but by no means Mohamed Al-Gamasy, the outstanding leader of the 1973 Egyptian victory. Sadat's choice was precipitated by his fear that influential army personnel would collude to take down his regime after his peace talks with Israel began. Sadat's best option was an unassuming, loyal young man to whom the choice was also a surprise. In 1979, Sadat signed a peace agreement with Israel under the auspices of the United States, shocking many Egyptians and Arabs since it was unbecoming for an Arab president to visit the Knesset or shake hands with an Israeli leader. Before long, the cultural milieu in Egypt and the Arab world mobilized against Sadat, and two years later, Sadat, fully attired in his military regalia, on Oct. 6, 1981 – the anniversary of the October victory – was shot down. Mubarak, who was at Sadat's side, escaped with just a sling on his injured arm.  http://original.antiwar.com/salama/2011/02/07/mubaraks-last-act/ "You'll Be Late for the Revolution!" An Anthropologist's Diary of the Egyptian Revolution This is the diary of one week (much too short although it felt so long) that I spent in Egypt in the middle of the popular revolution that began on 25 January 2011 and that at the time of writing this is still continuing - to an uncertain direction. Ever since the demonstrators filled the streets on 25 January I felt that I should really be in Egypt, a country where I have many friends and to which I feel very bound through more than twelve years during which I have been studying, doing research, and living with the people of Egypt. On 28 January, as millions went out all over the country, I booked my ticket to Cairo for a short visit, with the aim of making myself an idea of the atmosphere, of the sensibility of life of an uprising that had completely taken me by surprise. As an anthropologist, my work in the last years has focussed on the aspirations people have, the frustrations they experience, and the ways they try to find to live a life of dignity under constantly frustrating conditions. But I had not taken seriously the possibility that there would emerge a sudden collective consciousness that it is actually possible to change these conditions. Just days before 25 January, a friend asked whether there could be a revolution in Egypt like there was in Tunisia, and I said no, I don't think so, because it seems so difficult to mobilise the people in Egypt, and for decades people have expected a revolution to break out in Egypt, but it hasn't. Well, now it has, and much of what I thought I knew about Egyptian society has to be revised http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/580/youll-be-late-for-the-revolution-an-anthropologists-diary-of-the-egyptian-revolution The Muslim Brotherhood and Democracy in Egypt, JOHN L. ESPOSITO We are witnessing an extraordinary and potentially historic transformation in Egypt and the Arab world.  Sparked by the Tunisian pro-democracy movement and toppling of the Ben Ali regime, the rulers of Egypt, Jordan, Yemen and Syria are facing popular demands for reform. As the Gallup World Poll, the largest and most systematic poll of the Muslim world representing the voices of a billion Muslims, reported, majorities in most countries, including Egypt, want democratic freedoms. http://www.counterpunch.com/esposito02072011.html  Kissinger on Egypt, BARRY LANDO Always comforting to have Henry Kissinger around to advise the current U.S. administration what to do. His latest advice to Obama re Egypt: slow down, take things easier, don't rush Egypt's sensitive leaders. "We should be looking at a democratic evolution," said Kissinger. But he warned the U.S. should cultivate key democratic reformists and military leaders in a low-key fashion during the process. "It should not look like an American project. The Egyptians are a proud people. They threw out the British and they threw out the Russians." http://www.counterpunch.com/lando02072011.html  Jamie Stern-Weiner, "Counter-Revolution Field Manual" In backing Suleiman's bid for control the U.S. and Britain are directly opposing the demands of the protestors lauded by Cameron. Indeed, as Rami Khouri reports, they are "frantically groping for ways to transfer power from one old military officer to a group of equally old colleagues". This is not to say that American officials are of one mind. There is a spectrum of views: from those, like US special envoy Frank Wisner, who demand "continued leadership" by Mubarak, to those, like Hillary Clinton, who are calling for Mubarak to go so that the regime can survive. Initially the former view was dominant. But as the revolt spread and it became clear that Mubarak's continued rule was untenable, the U.S. and the Egyptian regime shifted to Plan B: "to ride out the uprising with their basic authoritarian prerogatives intact". . . . If we set this dogma aside and examine the facts, it emerges that the American counter-revolutionary intervention in Egypt, as described above, has followed a "standard pattern": support for an allied dictatorship until the allegiance becomes untenable, at which point it is dropped and the U.S. tries to determine or co-opt its replacement. http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2011/sw080211.html Mubarak's Thirty-Year Dictatorship, Stephen Lendman Throughout decades of brutal rule, Mubarak remained a steadfast US ally. As a result, Washington rewarded him generously. US administrations also ignored his crimes, corruption, and lawlessness, as late January released WikiLeaks cables reveal, showing Obama knew he kept power through ruthless state terror. http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2011/02/mubaraks-thirty-year-dictatorship.html Tunisia and Egypt Ripples Felt Throughout Arab World Palestinian Streets Quiet as PA Suppresses Protests, Mel Frykberg RAMALLAH, Feb 7, 2011 (IPS) - The Palestinian Authority (PA) is using brute force and intimidation tactics - similar to those deployed in Cairo - to suppress pro-Egyptian and Tunisian protests in the West Bank. http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=54390 Domino Effect: JORDAN: Tribesmen slam Queen Rania, warn of revolt Three dozen members of powerful Jordanian tribes have lashed out at the country's glamorous Queen Rania and denounced what they called a "crisis of authority," calling for political change and justice against those involved in corruption in the Arab kingdom.  in a joint statement issued over the weekend, the 36 tribal figures also issued a stern warning: If political reform isn't implemented soon, Jordan is likely to face a popular uprising similar to those in Egypt and Tunisia. http://www.arabawy.org/2011/02/07/domino-effect-2/  Saudi reformers start Facebook group DUBAI – Like their Arab neighbours using the web to rally against their regimes, Saudis seeking political, social and economic reforms have created a group on Facebook that by Tuesday had nearly 2,000 members.  "The people want to reform the regime" group calls for a constitutional monarchy, transparency, legislative elections, an independent and fair judicial system, anti-corruption measures and respect for human and women rights. http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/saudi-reformers-start-facebook-group/ Riz Khan - Winds of change in the Arab world Inspired by protests in Egypt and Tunisia, rumblings of discontent are growing across the region. Could the pro-democracy protests in Egypt generate an unstoppable momentum for political reform across the Arab world? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7poocnp3Ic&feature=youtube_gdata   Comment on this article >       'NYT' says two-state solution should be saved by building 25-mile tunnel so that Israelis don't have to see Palestinians traveling to Gaza Feb 08, 2011 10:35 am | Philip Weiss The New York Times Magazine has afforded Bernard Avishai a number of pages in its forthcoming issue to try and resuscitate two-state solution ideas of three years ago ("A Plan for Peace That Could Still Be"). It includes this throwaway line: [Then-Israeli PM Ehud] Olmert produced a map of 6.3 percent [of the West Bank colonized by Israel], suggesting that for the percentage of Palestine Israel would annex, it would compensate Palestine with 5.8 percent, plus a 25-mile tunnel that would run under Israel from the South Hebron Hills to Gaza. My mind reeled when I read this. Can a person really offer such an idea in good conscience as a concession to the Palestinians? I'm not phobic, but the idea of traveling 25 miles under the desert to see my grandmother-- wow! And let us be clear, this is all a form of gerrymandering; so that privileged people get to hold on to their Jewish democracy while the fragmented parts of Palestine are somehow unified. Notice that the tunnel is put forward as a form of "compensation" for the land Israel is stealing from the Palestinians. Would you take a basement as compensation for a mansion? Now and then I drive the Holland Tunnel. I look forward to it ending, after 3 miles or so. According to Google, a couple of tunnels in the world are longer than the proposed Gaza tunnel. They cost huge amounts of money and lives. And those tunnels at least have an excuse; they're going under seas and mountains. The longest one took 60 years to build. The New York Times tunnel would be a huge expenditure of civil engineering, and a massive contribution to global warming, too, and huge waste of water too, think of all the concrete involved-- to escape what? For segregation purposes, so that Israelis don't even see the Palestinian cars. How sad that the Times puts this forward as an ameliorative proposal for a people denied rights for 44 years.   Comment on this article >       The Meaning of Budrus Feb 08, 2011 10:29 am | Ramona Budrus is a documentary about a West Bank village in which villagers succeeded in saving their land from Israeli annexation through non-violent demonstrations. The film serves as an excellent example of what effective Palestinian popular struggle should look like: inclusive of all groups including women and all political parties. In 2004, the villagers of Budrus resisted for 10 months non-violently against the building of the Israeli annexation wall on their lands. At their peak, the demonstrations had 500 out of 1,200 villagers in attendance. In the end, the villagers successfully managed to get the wall rerouted, and saving 95% of their territory. I recently saw the film at a live screening in the West Bank. Following the film, there was a question and answer session between the audience and Ayed Morrar, the protagonist and lead Budrus organizer. I asked a question that has been with me at all the protests I have attended in the past five months while in Palestine: why do certain villages employing non-violent strategies succeed while others fail? In this case, I asked Morrar why he thought that Budrus was able to reach its ultimate goal of re-routing the wall, while the other villages engaged in non-violent struggle have not been able to do the same. Morrar pointed to a few reasons, namely women's prominent role in the village's demonstrations, as well as the ability of villagers to work together across party lines. Morrar's 15 year old daughter Iltezam, encapsulates the strength and determination of the village's women. She was the first villager to succeed in getting past the Israeli border police and stopping a bulldozer from razing agricultural land by courageously jumping in front of it. This act was able to inspire the rest of the village and was important in motivating others to join the struggle. Iltezam was responsible for organizing the women's contingent and rallying other women to join the protests. Many women participated in the demonstrations in various ways; they threw stones at military jeeps, and stood alongside Palestinian men confronting soldiers. Women's presence reduced the amount of violence used by the military. Since women had not been involved since the beginning, their sudden appearance put soldiers in an unusual and awkward situation, which made them think twice about using force on the demonstrators. Soldiers were surprised and unprepared, and did not know how to deal with them. Their presence psychologically manipulated soldier's power and might have been one of the factors that led to the eventual success of the demonstration. Morrar's observation rings true with my thoughts regarding other protests I have attended while in the West Bank, including Bil'in, Al Masara, Silwan (East Jerusalem), Nabi Saleh, and Beit Ommar. Only a couple of Palestinian women have been present at the demonstrations, usually one or two among fifty or more protesters. The only visible Palestinian women have been village bystanders watching as the action unfolds. The lack of participation by half of the village's female population diminishes the power and effectiveness of such an action. If women are not getting involved or are not encouraged to do so, it is much harder to amass a large pool of people, and confront the Israeli oppressor with enough force. Additionally, women's participation lessens or at least delays the use of violence by the military. Their presence plays with soldiers' notions about who they are permitted to be rough and violent with. If other Palestinian villages exploited this reluctance and weakness on the part of the military, perhaps less force would be used, and more leeway would be given to demonstrators. Morrar's other point was that Budrus was able to unite across political lines, and form a broad based political movement. The film features Ahmed Awwad, a local Hamas leader who plays a major role in rallying Hamas villagers for the demonstration. This made it possible for villagers from Hamas, and Fatah to work together. This unity is something that might be lacking at the other villages engaging in demonstrations. I often see a sea of Fatah flags, and some demonstrations have even felt like Fatah rallies. Rarely do I notice Hamas and PFLP flags represented. Could it be that other villages are not able to bridge the party divide? It's significant to keep in mind that Budrus' success came way before Hamas won the election in Gaza in January 2006. Since then, tensions have dramatically risen between not only Israel and Hamas, but also the PA and Hamas. The PA has also become tremendously repressive towards non-Fatah party members. This means that the political landscape has become enormously fragmented and polarized, making it harder for different political parties to work together. This has many implications for the unity of Palestinian society, especially in times of crisis. If Palestinians are so polarized, and fear dissent, how can they work in harmony when confronting the biggest enemy of all, Israel? When analyzing the success and failures of social movements one has to look at both internal and external factors, and in this case I have only tackled some of the internal movement dynamics. External factors also play a huge role in determining success, namely the strength and determination of an occupying power willing to do whatever it takes to crush opposition. It would therefore be too simplistic to assume that the lack of women's role and unity are the only factors affecting the success of demonstrations, as these are only internal factors. This is a complicated matter, and there are many other variables that should be taken into consideration. Some of these include: the nature of the demands, the strategic significance of the village's location for Israel, timing (maybe more were involved when the demonstrations first started), escalation of Israeli violence and repression against demonstrators, etc. Amidst these countless complexities, there are key lessons that one can obtain from the film. One is that popular resistance must include a wide array of village residents if it is to be effective. Half of the village's female population cannot be excluded, nor can party affiliation impede unity. These obstacles are hard to overcome, especially with a new political landscape. However, new strategies should be devised in order to truly create a broad based grassroots movement against the occupation.  Ramona is an activist currently living in the West Bank.   Comment on this article >       Anderson Cooper knows what to do next– it's time to hear the stories of our heroes Feb 08, 2011 09:37 am | Philip Weiss I crashed last night on Egypt. The sense that a deal is in the works that will sell out the young people in Tahrir Square, the sense that the U.S. and the authoritarian Egyptian regime are still working hand in glove, the inevitability of the Israel lobby as a factor. At dinner, my wife said to me, It's going to take a long way to work its way out. Great things are happening. Then I thought about when the paper, The Israel Lobby, came out in the LRB five years ago and I ran around the house with my six-guns going and shouting, It's high noon! High noon for the Israel lobby! Well, these things take a while. People in Washington had to read it in brown paper bags.   After dinner I watched a lot of TV and took heart. Mona Eltahawy is always exciting. She sees it as her job to rally the west, not to let our spirits flag. Not to be at all pessimistic. She spoke with joy of the Wael Ghonim story-- the google executive who was just released by Egyptian authorities after 12 days in jail. It is a beautiful story. This young man came back to Egypt from a fancy job in Dubai to liberate his country, he is as indifferent to the blandishments of corporate/elite life as the well-educated hijackers were ten years ago, but for completely different reasons. And on seeing the photos of the dead after 12 blindfolded days behind the bars, Ghonim sobbed and apologized to their parents before excoriating the regime. What a human being!! What a spirit! I want to learn everything about this man. Then later on Anderson Cooper's show on CNN, he spotlighted Khalid Abdallah, a British-Egyptian actor who has chosen to be in Egypt for the same reason, to fight for his society, for social justice, freedom of expression, the right of assembly... He is optimistic. He spoke by Skype from a high-ceilinged room in Cairo, and I recognized the space. An old house. An open window on the streets and rooftops and cats of gracious old Cairo. You can see that Cooper is radicalized by his experience in Egypt. He talked about the gov't "lies" repeatedly last night and raced ahead of Abdallah to lay out the cruelness of the regime. He identifies fully with the youth of Tahrir Square, feels loyalty to their cause. I sense that this is not some one-off for young Cooper, that he is with us. He knows that America must change for Egypt to change; and that it is vital to show Americans the people who so affected him in Cairo, the Khalid Abdallahs who can reverse our stupid racist images of the Arab world. We need heroes to keep this revolution alive. Let journalists find the charismatic leaders and tell their thrilling stories. We have time now, let us dig deep to learn their stories. The New Yorker must do a big piece telling us how the revolution came about, 60 Minutes must also do the story, and we will meet these people and hear what they care about. Facebook is one thing, now let us put a face on the revolution. [Update: Please go watch Wael Ghonim's interview at the top of this page. Staggering intellectual and moral leadership. Our only agenda was the love of Egypt. Now is not the time to impose ideologies...]   Comment on this article >       Your donation to Mondoweiss ensures we will continue to cover the most important issues surrounding Israel/Palestine and US foreign policy. Please donate today.   Follow Mondoweiss on Twitter and Facebook   Buy our book The Goldstone Report: The Legacy of the Landmark Investigation of the Gaza Conflict, includes an abridged copy of the UN report accompanied by a dozen essays, exploring the political, legal and social legacy of the report and the Israeli attack on Gaza in the winter of 2008-2009. Learn more and buy it atgoldstonereportbook.com.

Peace.

Michael Santomauro 

@ 917-974-6367 

What sort of TRUTH is it that crushes the freedom to seek the truth?

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