The Truth about the 1967 Arab-Israel War - Norman Finkelstein - English

Part I


Part II


On the circumstances surrounding the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Norman Finkelstein writes:

“Preserving its deterrence capacity has always loomed large in Israeli strategic doctrine. Indeed, it was the main impetus behind Israel's first-strike against Egypt in June 1967 that resulted in Israel's occupation of Gaza (and the West Bank). … After Israel threatened and laid plans to attack Syria, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser declared the Straits of Tiran closed to Israeli shipping, but Israel made almost no use of the Straits (apart from the passage of oil, of which Israel then had ample stocks) and, anyhow, Nasser did not in practice enforce the blockade, vessels passing freely through the Straits within days of his announcement. In addition, multiple U.S. intelligence agencies had concluded that the Egyptians did not intend to attack Israel and that, in the improbable case that they did, alone or in concert with other Arab countries, Israel would -- in President Lyndon Johnson's words -- "whip the hell out of them." … The predicament for Israel was rather the growing perception in the Arab world, spurred by Nasser's radical nationalism and climaxing in his defiant gestures in May 1967, that it would no longer have to follow Israeli orders. Thus, Divisional Commander Ariel Sharon admonished those in the Israeli cabinet hesitant to launch a first-strike that Israel was losing its "deterrence capability...our main weapon -- the fear of us."[8] Israel unleashed the June 1967 war "to restore the credibility of Israeli deterrence" (Israeli strategic analyst Zeev Maoz).[9]” [Italicized in the original]

See the full text: “Foiling Another Palestinian “Peace Offensive”: Behind the Bloodbath in Gaza.” Norman Finkelstein. Jan 19, 2009.

On Summer 2006 Israeli War on Lebanon:

American Radical - the Trials of Norman Finkelstein - English

American Radical - the Trials of Norman Finkelstein - English

Particularly interesting in this documentary was the lesser known emotional and personal side of Norman Finkelstein. The documentary covers his earlier work dissecting Joan Peters' zionist fabrication, "From Time Immemorial". It also looks at concerted propaganda and coercive tactics used by the Zionist organizations against him. More recently they led to his tenure rejection at DePaul University. Finkelstein continues to be a supporter of the two-state solution - I believe for its rhetorical and diplomatic value in the eyes of the international community. But realistically speaking this solution is no more viable. (See http://gazaawareness.blogspot.com/ for more on this line of argument.)

Culture Jamming for the Right Cause

You may be familiar with a campaign technique called 'Culture Jamming'. Basically, you use the same vocabulary and methods of presentation that you see in the regular, mainstream media and turn them into something ironic, unexpected, and thought provoking (although people realize that only afterward). Culture jamming is an act of subversion. It can also be a form of protest.

Think about the impact the following headlines would make if they were published in NYTimes or on CNN:

"Israel admits it made a huge mistake, calls for immediate ceasefire, promises to compensate the Gazans in full."

"Israel admits it was wrong all along, promises to return Palestinians their land by the end of the year."

Examples of Culture Jamming

1. Some people recently tried something similar with NYTimes (you probably have seen this already). According to reports, the culture-jammers printed 1.2 million papers and distributed them for free in New York's busy locations. The headline of the paper read "Iraq War Ends".

Here is the paper: http://www.nytimes-se.com (apparently, the link is not functional anymore, but note that this spoof website has almost the same address as the original NYTimes)



On a topic that was not covered in the NYTimes spoof - the Palestine-Israel Conflict - see the coverage in a recent Financial Times spoof:

"Anti-Semitism on decline since Israel wiped off map": http://ft2020.com/israel/ (unfortunately, link not functional anymore)



"G20 protesters distribute spoof FT" - Guardian, March 27, 2009
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/mar/27/g20-spoof-financial-times-ft

2. Check out the 'Yes Men' Dow Chemical spoof



The guy in the video did the homework really well. Had all the relevant facts (more than just mocking Dow, he is also conveying useful information), and did a very convincing performance - very professional.

More interested in their works? Check out their documentary, The Yes Men Fix The World (trailer)

Hurray for Baba Ali!

See Baba Ali's latest project.



From his earlier, V-Blog, "Muslim While Flying":



Taking on one of the pressing social problems, "$25,000 Muslim Wedding!!"

Closed Zone - Gaza

The new animated film created by Yoni Goodman, Director of Animation for the Academy Award-nominated film "Waltz with Bashir", together with the human rights group, Gisha. "Closed Zone" shows the closure of the Gaza Strip and its effects on the ability of 1.5 million human beings living there to fulfill their daily needs, as well as their dreams and aspirations. More details and videos at www.closedzone.com

See Gaza Awareness: http://gazaawareness.blogspot.com/

"Waltz with Bashir" - Movie

Daring. Disturbing. A Powerful anti-war movie, depicting the horrors of war and political Zionism in the Sabra and Shatila massacre of 1982. A Must watch! (Rated 'R' - for strong sexual and violent content. Viewer discretion advised.) The movie perhaps also reflects the growing anti-war resistance within the state of Israel.



The start of the movie in the above clip.



A strong statement on the perversity of war with a touch of irony.

G-20 Protests - Police Attack Students at Univ. of Pittsburgh

Police used teargas pepper spray and rubber bullets against University of Pittsburgh students during the Pittsburgh G20 Summit. Many of the students were not part of any demonstration but bystanders curious to find a mass of armed riot police on their campus. The students were obviously not prepared for these kinds of actions... otherwise they would have come wrapped with the American flag and banners with constitutional provisions written on them. Still I doubt that they would have been covered with even a fraction of the frenzy with which the media covered the recent Iranian protests. The point is not the legitimacy of these protests and for that matter - as a comparison - the Iranian protests. Rather it is the hypocrisy of the media coverage and the selective implementation of freedom of expression by the powers that be.

On the Iranian protests check out Phil Wilayto's open letter to the anti-war movement published in the "Monthly Review" on July 8 2009:
http://www.monthlyreview.org/mrzine/wilayto080709.html

America's Secret War with Iran - Vanguard

Vanguard correspondent Mariana van Zeller travels to the Iraq-Iran border to investigate claims that the United States is supporting militant groups that are attacking Iran.

So far the Obama administration has made no meaningful change in the old American strategy of destabilizing the system in Iran through covert and overt means. Supporting the separatist militant groups in Kurdistan and Balochistan areas is one such front in which the US and Iran are face to face with each other. Turkey is also not happy with America because any support to PJAK also strengthens its sister PKK.

The Iranian Revolution in the Making - 1979 Footage - English

This appears to be from Jan-Feb of 1979 in Tehran. Shah has already fled and Imam Khomeini is enthusiastically awaited in Iran. The air is filled with euphoria. In what became a signature activity or gesture of the Iranian revolutionary movement, the demonstrators are handing flowers to the soldiers. Before departing the Shah appointed Shapour Bakhtiar as the Prime Minister. Bakhtiar was from one of the opposition parties. Shah wanted this to be seen as a conciliatory gesture to forestall the revolution. However, Bakhtiar's tenure lasted for no more than 36 days. He failed to rally support from the members of his own party- the National Front. This footage was aired by CBC.

Here is another:

Miniature Earth - English

Friends, let this not come as a surprise to you. This is the reality we are living in where it is ‘estimated that one billion people in the world suffer from hunger and malnutrition. That’s roughly 100 times as many as those who actually die from these causes each year. About 24,000 people die every day from hunger or hunger related causes… Three-fourths of the deaths are children under the age of five.’

How you can help:

Don’t waste natural resources. Be thankful to God for His gifts and blessings. Be mindful of your responsibility toward other human beings. Think about what the Prophet (saws) would do. Have mercy and compassion toward all humankind. Next time you spend money on those unnecessary luxuries of your life, think for a moment about the plight of the poor and oppressed around the world. Be aware of the materialistic forces and the contradictions of the dominant economic systems that are at the roots of global inequality. Don’t become a part of this system. Don’t become a slave of consumerism and endless materialistic competition.

Understand that it is not enough to just keep yourself from engaging in consumerism. It's not always easy to protect yourself and your family against the multi-billion dollar industry of marketing. Join forces with other like-minded people. Strengthen your communities that can serve as a buffer against corporations. Engage in collective action. Transform people's consciousness and hyper-consumeristic lifestyles. Among other things, join a local organization that is working against subtle forms of oppression, like hunger, poverty, illiteracy, domestic violence, anorexia and bulimia, perfect body images, and endless materialistic competition. If there isn’t any, start one today!

For ideas, you can look into doing online activism. Check out moveon.org’s work. Some online organizations also invite web surfers to click on their sites regularly. They say every click earns them revenue to support their causes. The Hunger Site is an example. Some may also invite you to buy their T-shirts and other souvenirs. I guess, you can buy these items if you think they can help spread the word and encourage people to join a good cause. But, in general, more shopping and more consumption cannot be a solution to human suffering. Selling consumers to products through clicks or ads is exactly what we need to shun. Because that feeds into the same loop of consumerism. My suggestion: Donate directly! And, encourage others to do the same!

Lastly, remember the advice Imam Ali gave in his Last Will:

“My advice to you is to be conscious of Allah and steadfast in your religion. Do not yearn for the world, and do not be seduced by it. Do not resent anything you have missed in it. Proclaim the truth; work for the next world. Oppose the oppressor and support the oppressed.”

Become a friend and supporter of oppressed people and an enemy of oppressors and all forms of oppression."

Inspiration from Hajj - Malcolm X

This clip is from the movie, "Malcolm X", based on his life and struggle. When he was in Macca Malcolm X or Al-Hajj Malik El-Shabaz wrote a letter to his loyal assistants in Harlem... from his heart.

Here is a related excerpt from Dr. Ali Shariati's famous book "Hajj", Chapter: The Delay in Mina

"There is a two day stay over in Mina to think about your ideology and what you have done. On the Eid day and after the sacrifice, the ceremonies are over. You must stay two more days or even three more days, if you can, in Mina. You are not supposed to leave Mina in these days - not even to return to Mecca!

Why? Satan is defeated, sacrifice is offered, Ihram is removed and Eid is celebrated! Why should more than a million people remain in this valley for two or three more days! This time allows them to think about Hajj and understand what they have done. They can discuss their problems with people from other parts of the world who have the same faith, love, needs and ideology. Muslim thinkers and intellectuals who gather here and freedom-fighters who fight colonialism, oppression, poverty, ignorance and corruption in their homelands, get to know each other, discuss their problems, find solutions and ask for each other's help.

Muslims from all over are supposed to study the dangers and conspiracies of the super-powers and their agents who have infiltrated Muslim nations. They should make resolutions to fight against brainwashing, propaganda, disunity, heresy, false religions ... and many other diseases threatening the "unity" of Muslim nations.

They should offer a common and worldwide struggle to introduce Islamic facts and support the cause of freedom for colonized nations and those Muslim minorities who are under the torture of fascist regimes as well as prejudiced political groups. Through a system of cooperation and understanding and an exchange of views and feelings, the Muslim communities would be strengthened in their struggle against their common enemy. A better understanding of true Islamic doctrine can be brought about by solving some of the theological differences that exist among Muslim religious groups!"

Full Text: http://www.al-islam.org/hajj/shariati/

The Others - Native Americans, Arabs, Blacks, etc.

A related excerpt from Eqbal Ahmad's column, "Culture of Imperialism":

"Boundaries were drawn to deny our common humanity. An ideology of difference possessed the empires' intellectuals and administrators. They had a mania for classifying people and viewed each as a distinct, necessarily divisible entity. Easy intermingling of peoples was regarded as somehow unnatural. Edward Said points to how the English were astonished to find Muslims, Christians and Jews socializing as though they were not different species. So in the novel Tanered, one of Disraeli’s characters quips that 'Arabs are simply Jews on horseback, and all are orientals at heart.' The policy of divide and rule flowed easily from this sectarian outlook.

While the menace of miscegenation haunted imperial cultures and barriers of policy and social sanctions were erected to prevent it, complex mechanisms emerged to break the barriers to conquest and domination. There was the notion of mystery, as in the mysterious East, an invitation to exploration. Mysteries, after all, demand solution by enlightened, knowledgeable men. Or the idea of darkness, as in the dark continent to which one should bring light. Or the notion of empty lands which of course needed filling up. Or the veritable literature on identifiable, collective mind the Arab mind, Hindu mind, etc. that is still prevalent. All led to a set of common conclusions: they are not like us. They are different. Hence they can be treated differently, according to standards other than those that apply in civilized places. The outlook was so embedded in civilization that it traversed centuries. One finds strange bedfellows, separated in time and space. 'We must save Chile from the irresponsibility of its people', Henry Kissinger was reported to have said while proceeding to destabilize the elected government of Salvadore Allende. A century earlier Karl Marx had written: "They cannot represent themselves. They have to be represented." Third World dictators give precisely this argument to justify their tyranny. This culture is pervasive, it cuts across continents and penetrates our outlook by a variety of mediums. As I outline this talk in the flight from Islamabad to New York, Pakistan International Airlines shows Star Trek: First Contact. I snip at what looks like a high-tech, outer-space replay of an earlier voyage into an 'undiscovered' world. Commander Jean-Luc Picard plays a modern-day Cortes, leading the crew of the newly commissioned Enterprise E to war against the Borg "an insidious race", informs the PIA flier.

Those "half organic aliens" appear like Indians in the early Westerns mysteriously, ubiquitously and sometimes seductively. Violence flows freely as 'contact' is made. Fallen aliens are shot even as they beg for mercy. Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew commit quite a holocaust with an insouciance we are expected to appreciate only because they have vanquished an alien race mysterious, dangerous, seductive and, ultimately, vulnerable. The Borgs have no individual identity, only a collective one. Their defeat is deemed final only when their roots are destroyed, when their head which assures life's motion to the entire race is cut off. An idea redeems this "mission"; once contact has been made the world will change. Promises Captain Picard: "Poverty, disease, and war will end."

Star Trek is but a crude, popular expression of the culture of imperialism. This culture is not Western any more. Rather, it enjoys hegemony, it has become global. Note an irony: Pakistan International Airlines, which will not serve wine to passengers, happily serves up Captain Picard on its flights."

http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Library/9803/eqbal_ahmad/imperial.html

A critical point to note here is that Colonialism was not separate from the European project of the (so-called) Enlightenment. Colonialism was not contradictory to the liberal ideals of political rights and self-determination. The very ideals of European Enlightenment, anchored in the notions of uni-linear progress of history and civilizations, the emphasis on particular modes of thought and reason, the importance on individual rights and private property as the means of self-actualization, and the difference between the "modern" and "backward", implied that Europeans see themselves as "different," "superior," and "civilized" in comparison to other unfamiliar cultures and peoples. Both John Locke and John Stuart Mill, the champions of Liberalism, supported and rationalized the practice of colonialism through these ideals. To them it was a "progressive force" that would civilize the indigenous people (sounds very familiar, huh?!). That is the "White Man's Burden". These ideals were also incorporated into particular versions of Christianity that were brought to the Americas by the European settlers.

Amir Sulaiman - She Said I Prefer A Broken Neck - Poem

A poem about life struggles, in the context of the African American experience in America.

Professor Hamid Algar on Obama's Iran Policies - English

This lecture took place on 11 February 2009 at UC Berkeley on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Hamid Algar has been a member of the University of California-Berkeley faculty since 1965. He is the biographer of Ayatollah Khomeini and ranks among world's leading historians of Islam. He teaches courses on Persian literature the history of Islam and Shiism and Sufism. He has written books and articles on each of these subjects including more than 100 articles in the Encyclopaedia Iranica.

The Battle of Algiers - Movie

"I hadn't looked at The Battle of Algiers, that classic 1965 film about urban guerrilla warfare, for at least twenty years, but once seen it tends to linger undiminished in the mind's eye. Made by Italian director Gillo Pontecorvo, the film deals with the bitter struggle in the 1950s between French colonials and settlers and the Algerians they had colonized. The film has the grainy look of a documentary, but as the opening trailer proudly proclaims, not a foot of newsreel was actually used. Back in the 1960s, when it first came out, it was watched with romantic fascination by young American radicals, eager to absorb the experiences, a million miles distant from their own lives, of Third World revolutionaries. In the 1980s my husband used to show it in a political science class he taught about revolution. And now the Pentagon has recently shown it to its functionaries, even as our own troops are deeply mired in urban guerrilla warfare. I wondered what tips and instruction they were intended to glean from it, and so I slipped our copy into the VCR and watched it again..."

Full text: The Battle of Algiers and Its Lessons by Sheila Johnson
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0907-07.htm

Reconsider Columbus Day

Excerpts from Eqbal Ahmad's quite insightful article on this subject:

"The expansions which followed Christopher Columbus' s voyage to the Americas resulted in the destruction of great civilizations the Aztec, Inca, and Maya. The Indians of North America suffered a similar fate. Nearly all of God's creation including land and labour were turned into commodities in the capitalist sense of the word. People were kidnapped, bought, transported and sold. The demographic colour of continents changed with white settlers and black slaves displacing the brown natives in the Americas and the Caribbean.

A world system of unparalleled political, economic and cultural dimension, was created and continually reinforced by new technology. In the industrial age, the expansionist drive moved on to Asia and Africa most of which was colonized. At the start of the 20th century, nearly all of the world's non-Western peoples were under some form of Western domination, and remain hopelessly trapped in structures of extreme inequality which is not merely economic...

"While the menace of miscegenation haunted imperial cultures and barriers of policy and social sanctions were erected to prevent it, complex mechanisms emerged to break the barriers to conquest and domination. There was the notion of mystery, as in the mysterious East, an invitation to exploration. Mysteries, after all, demand solution by enlightened, knowledgeable men. Or the idea of darkness, as in the dark continent to which one should bring light. Or the notion of empty lands which of course needed filling up. Or the veritable literature on identifiable, collective mind the Arab mind, Hindu mind, etc. that is still prevalent. All led to a set of common conclusions: they are not like us. They are different. Hence they can be treated differently, according to standards other than those that apply in civilized places. The outlook was so embedded in civilization that it traversed centuries. One finds strange bedfellows, separated in time and space. 'We must save Chile from the irresponsibility of its people', Henry Kissinger was reported to have said while proceeding to destabilize the elected government of Salvadore Allende. A century earlier Karl Marx had written: "They cannot represent themselves. They have to be represented. " Third World dictators give precisely this argument to justify their tyranny. This culture is pervasive, it cuts across continents and penetrates our outlook by a variety of mediums. As I outline this talk in the flight from Islamabad to New York, Pakistan International Airlines shows Star Trek: First Contact. I snip at what looks like a high-tech, outer-space replay of an earlier voyage into an 'undiscovered' world. Commander Jean-Luc Picard plays a modern-day Cortes, leading the crew of the newly commissioned Enterprise E to war against the Borg "an insidious race", informs the PIA flier.

Those "half organic aliens" appear like Indians in the early Westerns mysteriously, ubiquitously and sometimes seductively. Violence flows freely as 'contact' is made. Fallen aliens are shot even as they beg for mercy. Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew commit quite a holocaust with an insouciance we are expected to appreciate only because they have vanquished an alien race mysterious, dangerous, seductive and, ultimately, vulnerable. The Borgs have no individual identity, only a collective one. Their defeat is deemed final only when their roots are destroyed, when their head which assures life's motion to the entire race is cut off. An idea redeems this "mission"; once contact has been made the world will change. Promises Captain Picard: "Poverty, disease, and war will end."

Star Trek is but a crude, popular expression of the culture of imperialism. This culture is not Western any more. Rather, it enjoys hegemony, it has become global. Note an irony: Pakistan International Airlines, which will not serve wine to passengers, happily serves up Captain Picard on its flights. "

Full Text: http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Library/9803/eqbal_ahmad/imperial.html

I should point that the use of the word "great" in the above article is probably relative, stressing that there were people and civilizations already inhabiting this place before Columbus - a lost sailor - came and "discovered" this land.

On a related note, see the following story:

Columbus Status Toppled in Venezuela, October 12, 2004
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/734

Missing in Pakistan - Documentary - Urdu and English

Some thoughts from when this documentary first came out around November 2007:

A heartbreaking documentary by filmmaker and journalist Ziad Zafar on the disappeared people in Pakistan. Timely and to the point. Points to the two major factors that determine Pakistani politics - the American geo-strategic interests and the politico-economic interests of the military establishment.

Important to note that religious extremism and sectarianism in Pakistan have always been the function of these two factors. The American selfish interests in the region and the failure of political process since the establishment of Pakistan are the real causes behind religious extremism.

Busharrafs war on terror is failing. This war is itself a form of and a cause of growing terrorism in the region. Those individuals involved in militant organizations and terrorist activities should be brought to justice. But it should be done through given constitutional and criminal procedures instead of extra-judicial kidnappings and killings.

Because illegitimate and unpopular power has its own logic. It does not distinguish between one type of body from the other - one type of citizen from another - militant or otherwise - when it comes to the question of preserving itself. The history of dictatorships in Pakistan - military or democratic - provide plenty of examples where in the name of National Integrity, Development, Islamization, and more recently Curbing Islamic Extremism and War on Terror the state has suppressed dissent liberties and freedom of its citizens.

Notice the list of missing people at the end of the documentary. Recognize the backgrounds of people through their names. Are they only what the Pakistani state likes to call the Islamic Militants. Or the list also includes the Baloch, Muhajir, Pashtoon, Sunnis, Shias, Liberals, Human Rights Activists, and Journalists.

In His Name, the Most High

The Whispered Prayer of the Rememberers - Syed Walid Mazeedi



Ya Ilahi - Mohammad Husayn



The tune is after a famous hymn in English, Hallelujah. "Hallelujah" is usually translated as "Praise ye the LORD" or "Praise the LORD". Similar to Alhamdulillah (الحمد لله), an Arabic phrase meaning "Praise to God" or "All praise belongs to God," and similar to the Hebrew phrase Hallelu Yah meaning "praise (הַלְּלוּ) Yah (יָהּ)."