Month: January 2009

At least two Iraqis were killed and six more were wounded on a quiet news day in Iraq. No Coalition deaths were reported. Meanwhile, Iraq promises to not forcibly evict Iranians from Camp Ashraf. Also, the Iraqi government is trying to rein in journalists by threatening fines for certain coverage of Iraqi elections. In Tuz … Continue reading “Saturday: 2 Iraqis Killed, 6 Wounded”

As the war in Gaza approaches its third week, a chorus of influential voices in the U.S. media has cast the conflict as a proxy war in which the real enemy is not Hamas but Iran. The result has been a growing tendency in the U.S. to view Gaza as simply one battleground in a … Continue reading “In Washington, All Roads Lead to Tehran”

As the Israelis try to justify the massive loss of civilian life in Gaza, their arguments and counter-charges continue to be shot down either by the United Nations or by international human rights organizations. Did the Israelis misidentify a school run by the UN Relief Works Agency (UNRWA), where 43 Palestinians seeking shelter were killed … Continue reading “Aid Groups Dispute Israeli Claims in Gaza Attacks”

International aid organizations, including the UN humanitarian agency in Palestine, are calling for the immediate implementation of the Security Council resolution passed late Thursday demanding a cease-fire in Gaza. "The Council must ensure that the words in the resolution must quickly translate into meaningful change," said Nicole Widdersheim of Oxfam International, the London-based charity that … Continue reading “Israel Ignores UN Security Council Resolution”

The war that Israel launched on Gaza Dec. 27 is the seventh war of choice Israel has launched against its neighbors since 1973, the last year in which it fought a war that was forced upon it. Of the seven wars one – in Lebanon, 1978 – had the goal of establishing an Israeli-controlled "security … Continue reading “Israel’s Wars of Forced Regime Change”

Contrary to Israel’s argument that it was forced to launch its air and ground offensive against Gaza in order to stop the firing of rockets into its territory, Hamas proposed in mid-December to return to the original Hamas-Israel cease-fire arrangement, according to a U.S.-based source who has been briefed on the proposal. The proposal to … Continue reading “Israel Rejected Hamas Cease-Fire Offer in December”

Decrying U.S. “complicity” in what they say amounts to Israeli violations of international law, human rights groups are calling on the U.S. government to demand an immediate cessation of indiscriminate violence against civilians and increased humanitarian aid to Gaza inhabitants. “The Israeli air strikes represent serious violations of international law – including the Geneva Conventions … Continue reading “Rights Groups Condemn US Role in Gaza Conflict”

Somebody is going to have to whisper in President-elect Obama’s ear that the unipolar moment has passed and the United States can no longer afford its informal worldwide empire. Even though the looming economic meltdown will likely be serious – and maybe even cataclysmic – the foreign policy chattering classes of both parties are on … Continue reading “We Can No Longer Afford the Empire”

Criticism by international watchdog groups over the increasing death toll in Gaza mounted this week as the first legal actions inside Israel were launched accusing the army of intentionally harming the enclave’s civilian population. The petitions – over attacks on medical personnel and the shelling of United Nations schools in Gaza – follow statements by … Continue reading “Criticism of Israeli War Crimes Mounts”

Editor’s note: The following is Rep. Ron Paul’s statement on H. Res. 34, "Recognizing Israel’s right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza, reaffirming the United States’ strong support for Israel, and supporting the Israeli-Palestinian peace process." Madame Speaker, I strongly oppose H. Res. 34, which was rushed to the floor with almost no prior … Continue reading “Gaza Resolution One-Sided and Unwise”