Peres goes public against Netanyahu and colonial means

All this week we have heard from PM Netanyahu that "Israel has done what it's always done--build in Jerusalem."

Of course many of us "middle of the road Middle East folk" would say: "Umm, OK Bibi... but why do you not see the obvious here? Why don't you be the PM who lets the Palestinians have East Jerusalem--and thus the West Bank and Gaza--and live as a hero among Israeli greats? By giving Palestinians a viable state you make Israel that much safer."

Well clearly, for whatever reason, Bibi doesn't see it like that.

Then again, neither does Israeli President Shimon Peres. In a Haaretz interview, President Peres said:

"Previous governments built in Jewish neighborhoods, but not in Arab ones... even Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir did not build in the heart of Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem. That's why the entire world agreed to [building in Jewish areas], and it wasn't a stumbling block in negotiations."

The president also told Netanyahu and several ministers that every other Israeli government (until now of course) has agreed not to build in what is considered to be "predominantly Arab areas of the city. "

And yes, he was talking about East Jerusalem.

Quick Hit on Qadaffi

Al-Farabi was watching the telecast of the Arab Summit today in his flat with several of his Syrian friends. He was glad to learn that it's not just people in the West that think the self-described "king of kings, imam of imams" Col. Qaddafi is a total nut-job. They were all well aware of his epic performance at the UN in the fall. We were really hoping for an encore today, but he was mild (by his own standards).

One wonders when the Algiers casbah fashion-line will spread to include it's neighboring leader's clothing. I mean, this Casbahite is no fashionista, but it seems Qaddafi's got practicality nailed. If only he was original....

Another installment of Syrian Voices is on its way. Al-Farabi just needs to knock out an Arabic exam and oral presentation this week.

Secular Iraqiya Pary Wins in Iraq

So the secularist Iraqi coalition led by Iyad Allawi, the former premier, won the most seats in the recent parliamentary election. This is two more than the incumbent PM Nouri al-Maliki.

PM Maliki, a religious, but not clerical, Shia, said that he does not "accept the results" on the grounds that they are not final yet. But my question is: Will he "accept them" when they are?

As Tom Ricks says over on his blog, The Best Defense, this could be "Iraq, the unraveling."

We will keep an eye on this potential power shift.


Update: Oh whoops, Maliki has already "angrily condemn[ed] results as fraudulent."

Pope B and his keffiyeh?

So is it just me or is the pope wearing a keffiyeh?

Hamas VS the Salafi Jihadi

The Casbah has featured a number of posts over the years (yes, years) that say that Hamas is not al-Qaeda. This is true. (And no, we don't like either.)

There have been a number of events that clearly mark this fact. One, for example, is the famous Abu l-Nur al-Maqdisi, the leader of Jund Ansar Allah, who was killed by Hamas gunmen after old al-Maqdisi deemed it was a good idea to declare an "Islamic emirate" in Gaza. Yeah, Hamas wasn't into it.

But really, isn't all about our methodology in understanding these groups? Most who see them as one of the same look at them from a Western, or moderate Islamic perspective--of course Israeli, too. So what if we look the other way around? How is Hamas more "liberal" than the classic Salafi-Jihadi?

Well for one, Hamas supports the general idea of democracy and something like technocratic government. This is to be a very Sunni Islamic system, but nevertheless, it is not a traditional caliphate. Additionally, there are other instance where Hamas is reluctant to impose various forms of Islamic law onto the places they control, Gaza. This differs from the Salafist type.

So now to my main point: A Jihadi-Salafi Case against Hamas by our friends over at jihadica did a really interesting post on this matter. Honestly, I learned learned a lot. Isn't is amazing that underpaid bloggers can do a better job than, say, the New York Times on this kind of thing?

"Third Intifada On West Bank!"

There are plenty of ways I check the news. One of the best is to glance at the updating reel of blog post headlines on the left side of this blog... and yes, they are all worth clicking on.

In short, I was looking for something this week that I did not see:

"Third Intifada On West Bank!"

(Jewish-Israeli settlements on the West Bank.)

Did you see it? I sure didn't; and I'm curious as to "why?"

The peace talks are stalled, Bibi and his fanatical right wing coalition don't seem to want to budge on settlements or East Jerusalem, the Israeli Defense Force has killed more on the West Bank in the last week than in the last six months, and to tie it all there has been a scuffle at a disputed religious site in the Old City.

"My God," you might say. "So is this an overture for the Third Intifada?"

Nasser Laham, chief editor at the Ma'an news agency and probably the most trusted man in Palestine, says "no." (And I trust that Nasser has about as good of a gauge on anything West Bank, Fatah or PLO as anyone, even Abbas.) Nasser Laham writes in an Op-Ed for Ma'an English:

Declaration of a new aimless intifada at this stage will be a most dangerous decision, taking into account internal disagreement and the lack of unity. We have to realize that each side will exert efforts to claim responsibility and take advantages of this intifada if it erupts. Despite all this heroic incitement through media outlets, none of the Palestinian leaders possess the potential to lead a popular uprising the same way the First Intifada was led. In order to prevent a siege on the West Bank similar to that imposed on the Gaza Strip, let us focus on taking our intifada to the UN where we struggle to declare statehood against occupation’s will.

I think Nasser is saying is that the "old ways" simply haven't worked. Crudely armed Palestinians going up (again) against the American-armed Israeli Defense Force will end in a way too gruesome to describe in this Casbah. Plus, the Palestinians will lose whatever international support they have gained.

Simply put: Violence on the part of the Palestinians will solve nothing. So get into a calm space (if you live on the West Bank ) and start learning the teachings of a small Indian named Gandhi.

This is truly the way to end the Israeli occupation.


Update: I consider this proof that the Israeli Defense Force is lying. They say they only use "rubber bullets," yet this X-ray, obtained by the Ma'an news agency shows otherwise.

Update II: "It is interesting to note that Azerbaijan, via its strategic Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) Pipeline, supplies roughly a quarter of Israel's oil."

WHY AMERICAN HEALTH CARE MATTERS TO JERUSALEM

Today is an historic day for America. Yes, today, the house passed a key procedural vote to clear the way for sweeping healthcare reform in the United States by a 219-212 count. It is a major victory for those who have fought many years to reform the broken, debt accruing healthcare system plaguing the United States. It is an even bigger victory for President Obama, who has vested much of his political future in this bill. As for the the rest of the world, one might ask so what? Or you may be wondering why I am writing about this on a Middle East blog? Well, let me enlighten you to how everything is connected.

The battle for a healthcare bill, fought by the leading Democrats, and spearheaded by President Obama and his cabinet, is not only a fight to provide affordable healthcare to millions of Americans, but it is a test of President Obama's meddle. As Dr. James Zogby points out, "this coming week will tell us about the ability of President Barack Obama to be a strong leader and an honest broker in Middle East peacemaking".

If Obama is successful in focusing and herding the majority of his immovable party into a compromise on this bill, despite the gigantic opposing efforts of powerful lobbyists and partisan opposition, he will have not only won a major victory for his country, but he will have significantly improved his negotiating power when it comes to Israel and the settlement expansions.

Obama is scheduled to meet with Netanyahu this week, and when he does, this new political victory, and the lessons he learned along the way can be useful to him and his team of advisers. It will embolden him to stand firm on his earlier statements about the settlement expansion, and it can become a tool in his approach to the coming Arab American relations battles he will undoubtedly face in the near future.

When the healthcare bill passes, President Obama will have defeated a defiant group of powerful lobbyists. And while he will have slain some major foes with this win, he will also awaken the wrath of some other powerful lobbies at the same time. If Obama becomes more confident through this win, then it will surely seep into his negotiations with Israel and how he handles Jerusalem will surely determine how AIPAC decides to handle Obama.

So, by now can you see the connection? Thus, a battle for healthcare reform in a city named Washington D.C., in a country called America will have a lasting effect on a small holy city named Jerusalem in a small sliver of land roughly 8000 miles away called Israel.

P.S. This and a few other reasons are considerations that should have every Palestinian, Arab, pro-peace, two-state solution supporter clapping loudly for comprehensive healthcare reform in America. I mean, all I'm saying is that I'm saying...