Should Palestinians throw stones?

Why thank you Wastafarian for that comment on my last post. It reminded me of a conversation I had with As-Salibi while smoking waterpipe and relaxing from the perverse nightmare of an Israeli Defense Force tear-gassing earlier in the day.

The Palestinians gather every Friday, after prayer, to demonstrate against the Israeli wall, built to "stop suicide bombers" after the second Intifada. So how it plays out is that the marchers march, teenagers with Arafat-style kaffiyas wrapped around there heads start throwing stones, and the Israeli Defense Force launches tear gas like we all have been slammed by an oriental monsoon. What the fuck?

(Yes, Salibi and I were covering, and of course running guerrilla-style with our cameras, through the Biblical olive trees, trying to get the best pictures we could from the weekly West Bank protest in Bil'in.)

(Palestinian protesters fleeing Israeli tear-gas in the village of Billin.)

Anyway, everyone already knows what they think about A) Israel-Palestine, B) resistance, and C) who is at fault for the madness.

So I want to re-pose a question, the same one I posed to As-Salibi that evening while puffin' waterpipe in his Bethlehem pad:

Should these Palestinian teens be throwing stones at these solders? Because if they did not the solders would not likely use tear gas. Maybe not? But just because you aren’t using an AK-47 doesn’t make it "non-violent."

As-Salibi responded with:

"Ok. This situation, for the people of Bil'in, has gone way beyond pacifism... Meaning that the wall the Israel has illegally put up is already annexing much of the village of Bil'in. This is just the kind of thing that needs to be done to attract attention and show the world the inhumanity of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank."
(I might have gined this up a bit Salibi, forgive thy.)

So, guerrillas of this Casbah, what are your thoughts? Is stone throwing the way forward? Let's at least come to terms with the fact that stone throwing is violent. But maybe Salibi is right when he implied that this situation is beyond non-violence... if such a thing exists...

Though, it is this bloggers opinion that if West Bank protesters put up posters of Gandhi and wore t-shirts of the robed old Indian to these gassings would make quite the headline for us journalist to write about... hint, hint.

The "crack down" at Bil'in

For those who have been following this Casbah for a while, you might want to brace yourself for the new cold hard bummer on the West Bank: The Israeli government has vowed to "crack down" of West Bank peaceful protests of the wall of separation.

Indeed, it was front page news on the NY Times website this evening. According to the article, the Israeli military is concerned by how much international attention these protests are getting. They want to stop it before it starts spreading throughout the West Bank.

While I understand this concern from an Israeli military point of view, it must be said that this whole issue is overlurked by the fact that the wall dose not follow the "green line," or 67 armistice that most governments in the world recognize as turf for the future Palestinian state. But politics aside, look out international journalist and protesters--it looks like the arrests are going to get more rampant and more brutal.

And just for kicks, you can click below and re-read my photo/blogging recap of the events from this summer:

The Gassing at Bilin: A West Bank tale from surfin' the Casbah
The Gassing at Bilin, round II (West Bank)
Bil'in, Palestine (Two months later)
The Israelis of Bil’in

The laugh of the week

I just told my dad this is going on the blog as the "laugh of the week." Click on the link. It will take you to president Obama's painful response to the question of why the U.S. does not condemn Israeli human rights abuses against the Palestinian people.

Thomas Ricks: "Our biggest threat in Afghanistan is the Afghan government."

Thomas Ricks had a most interesting moment today on NPR. No, nothing crazy happened, just the fact that Ricks says that our experiment with counterinsurgency is going to fail in Afghanistan.

Why, you may ask? Well, according to Ricks:

"our biggest threat in Afghanistan is the Afghan government."

I highly suggest you throw this podcast on your Ipod while you jog outside this Casbah today.


Update: Tony Badran has a great analysis in NOW Lebanon today on the Israeli, Syrian and Hezbollah balance of military power in the Levant. A read worth your time--especially since a war is coming.

Sex and the Levant

In sharing a recent experience I thought I’d divert from the usual discussion of Middle East politics. Now I’m no Damascene desperado, but I do have a Syria girlfriend. This being my third living experience in the Middle East I left with much less trepidation about everyday life. However, the thought of maintaining a relationship despite cultural obstacles replaced the usual anxiety. For those who have not visited the Middle East before, public affection is a rarity and strongly discouraged. Couples don’t kiss in public…just about ever. The relationship experience many Americans have is difficult to compare to the relationships among Arabs. This difference was something I fully anticipated not so much from my significant other whose outlook is very cosmopolitan, but of other Syrians watching us interact.

With time to reflect and assess, I’m happy to report that my initial concern may have been unfounded. I am actually shocked that we have yet to receive any disparaging comments, especially when we hold hands in public (again a rather timid exercise for an American, but not for a Syrian unless it is with the same sex). Perhaps this because we frequent the Shallan district of Damascus. With its high end shops, restaurants and cafes, and the occasional night club, Shallan is probably the closest thing to nightlife in Syria.

Last night, while sharing arkeley (also known as shesha), a gentlemen approached our table. As I puffed on the water pipe I couldn’t help but think his visit would not be pleasant. I was very wrong. He inquired as to where I was from and what I was doing in Syria. He then asked about us, since we had been holding hands all night. She, always reluctant to reveal personal business, did not tell him much but did suggest that we were more than friends. After a few minutes of chit-chat he returned to his table.

Later in the night when my girlfriend was in the bathroom he came back to tell me I should have flowers for her. I told him that I had recently bought flowers but there was no pressing need to do so tonight. He insisted. I told him thank you but we are mashy (okay in Syrian slang). The man asked me to wait a few minutes at the table. He left the restaurant. I had a feeling what was coming. Sure enough he quickly returned with a bouquet of flowers. I repeatedly said this was unnecessary. However, as many of you Casbahites probably already know refusing his request too many times would be an insult. Not wanting to offend him, I relented, but told him I would not take credit. She came back to the table incredulous as I told her the whole episode.

Lesson learned. Syrian hospitality holds no limits. Instead of receiving negative comments, we have received well wishes time and again. Of course, plenty of people have stared, but that’s a common experience for foreigners and fellow Syrians.

The Persian Puppets of Lebanon?

So I've been writing my book and getting into it with the NEOCONS over at Michael J. Totten's blog. Yeah, it all started when old Totten posted an article called, " Iran’s Private Army Digs in for a Wider Lebanon War."

Sweet Jesus over again, do we really need to repeat this endless Levantine debate? Ok. Why not?

It started with something like this:

Yo, Michael, when has anything in the Middle East actually worked like this? I wrote:

"...you love to call Hezbollah the 'the Lebanese branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.' Yet, I see that you offer little proof that Hezbollah is the taking orders from Tehran. Sure there are connections--both inspirational and with arms--but you make it sound like it is an automatic thing."

The Totten retort:

Isn't the fact that Hezbollah's ideology is velayat-e faqih tell you all you need to know? It makes them, by definition, subjects of Ali Khamenei.

Abu's rant:

My experience with Hezbollah suggests that though they are supporters of the Iranian revolution (I mean, look at the AK's on the flags) there is a difference between paying tribute for support and being firm believers in velayat-e faqih.

To support this difference, Nasrallah himself says that velayat-e faqih is what Hezbollah believes in, but it simply is not the right model for Lebanon. This is a clue.

And, these are the markings of a shrewd politician who plays along with the "exporting the revolution" crowd in Tehran and beyond, while understanding the local/nationalist agenda--which Hezbollah was founded on vis-a-vis Israeli occupation and the influx of Palestinians--is really the issue at hand for his Shia Lebanese.

Thus, I think that we cannot assume that Hezbollah simply an arm of the IRGC. Though many NEOCONS in D.C. love to think the Middle East is that synonymous. Every group I can think of, perhaps besides the Taqfiris, have some kind of local/nationalist agenda. The rest is just Islamist glitter.

I'm saying that for the reasons I mentioned--Hezbollah having a local/nationalist agenda, among other things--is reason why Hezbollah won't do whatever Iran says. Nothing in the Middle East is that automatic. Sayyed Totten disagrees.

So what say you Casbahites? Has old Abu been gettin' sauced off that fermented Casbah camels milk again, or has Totten lost his way?

And you better say something because this is a 100 hit a day blog now!

The Arab Media War - Phase 2

There is a new contestant in the battle royale for Arab media domination: America.

Although it doesn't seem like it, the U.S. Congress actually passed a few bills in December. No, they haven't managed to pass a bill reforming the American health care system...or a bill that effectively curtails the outrageous Wall Street bonuses at banks bailed out with taxpayer funds.

However, Congress used its valuable time to pass a law that may lead to sanctions on Middle East satellite-TV stations that broadcast content "hostile to the United States." As is, the resolution requires that the President

"Submit an annual report to Congress regarding anti-American incitement to violence in the Middle East," and also "Requires that such report include a country-by-country list of media outlets and satellite companies that engage in such incitement."

(For full text of the bill, click here. ) The bill could possibly result in regional satellite operators being branded as 'terrorist entities' if they contract their services and carry channels deemed by the US as 'terrorist.'

The action is facing widespread denouncement by Arab media personalities, and Arab governemnts condemned the bill as an interference in their affairs. America's favorite dictatorships Egypt and Saudi Arabia used the occasion to revive their proposal for an entity that would monitor Arab satellite TV.

The idea of a Super Police for TV was originally proposed back in February of 2008 by Amr Moussa, secretary general of the Arab League. It was heavily criticized then, as it is now. Following the congressional resolution, Egypt and Saudi Arabia seem to think that the best answer to an American proposal for censorship is....censorship.

Anyone who has lived in the Arab world for a while knows the two main satellite carriers: Arabsat and Nilesat. The former happens to be controlled by Saudi Arabia, and the latter by Egypt. Any approval of the proposal would give immense power to these two governments.

Currently, the battle lines are drawn with Egypt and the Saudis in favor, with the main opponents consisting of Lebanon and Qatar. Lebanon is the traditional Arab forum of free thinking, while Qatar has a vested interest against the proposal as the home of Al-Jazeera.

Wastafarian predicts that the Arab League proposal will be tabled. While the Arab League approved restrictions on satellite channels back in 2008, their decision was nonbinding. With America now entering the ring in the Arab media fight, opposition may unite just enough to ensure that this proposal for enforcement is finally forgotten. The bill will most certainly be viewed as the latest example of American hypocrisy: Democracy and press freedom are OK for Americans, but not for Arabs.

Regardless of the result, the news is another disturbing development for global media pluralism, coming after the recent deportation by Israel of Jared Malsin, a reporter working in Palestine.

Human Terrain Systems, The Movie

(This is a picture taken of Human Terrain specialists. A friend of the Casbah once told me over a Beiruti beach day that when she did this work in Iraq, the Iraqis felt better talking to her when she wore dress clothes, not military camouflage.)

Non-kinetic warfare: You can't just kill your way out.

As far as the US military is concerned, this is too bad. Not because they are a brazen bunch of killers, but because the US military--to use a sweeping generalization--is a conventional force. And they specialize in taking down other conventional forces (I.E Saddam's Iraq, part I and II).

So what happens when you send a troop of US Marines into a place like Iraq or Afghanistan and the regime crumbles almost faster by the threat of US power than its firepower? Answer: You get the guerrilla problem. Non-conventional. Insurgency.

The truth is that most of our "Johny Utah's" in the armed services don't care or understand the local culture of wherever they are fighting. However, they aren't to blame. They are trained to use weapons. Period. And while there are notable exceptions to this, the current task of population-centric counterinsurgency--that is based around wining over and protecting the civilian population--is severely harmed by the fact that US forces are simply not trained for working with average Mohammads on the street.

So what do you do? Human Terrain Systems is a $40 million program that integrates civilian experts with US troops to win hearts and minds.

Regardless of whatever you think about this controversial program, there is an interesting new movie coming out about the nature of this notion. (Many academics have complained that this is just an Avatar-like charade that seeks to exploit rather than understand local cultures.)

I say watch the trailer and decide for yourself...