03 January 2009

candles in the dark شموع فى الظلام

 

In the course of the past week while a terrorist bloodbath (human political and cultural) unfolded next door a few events gleamed in the gloom.

Now to sample a few without further ado:

1- Greece - a longtime supporter of justice for Palestine - sends aid. This is despite its recent civil woes. This was a Greek government action in perfect consonance with the will of the Greek people, even though the two have been at loggerheads and youth demonstrating against them. It was a moment where all Greece, Ellas, spontaneously came into unison to sound a harmonious note ; aid to Gaza. Gia'sou. (btw, did Egypt let it through?)



2- people across the near east and as far as the sind, the EU and the transatlantic protest in large numbers.
Except in our "near east", the protestors are not overly opressed (fallout of the financial meltdown which is a Madoff-like swindle but multiplied a hundred-fold?)
Also indicative of this laissez-faire is the notable absence of agents provocateurs. This, despite the agitations in Ellas anfd Fce coupled with the associated whirled bank head's warning of civil unrest all of which could have been played up here.
But there was apparently no will to do so.
Everybody, even the PDs' agents-provocateurs are impoverished , clipped by practically the same financiers of the psychotic mayhem in Gaza. Perhaps the police's agents provocateurs stood in the demos and remained peaceful this time in order not to undermine their own cause.

3- Louder voices have come also from the very nation that injected the zionism into our oriental and arab midst. justice'n'peace fixtures Ken Livingston, George Galloway the Respect MP; from the novel quarter of the brit-music universe, music past master Annie Lennox and UN activist Bianca Jagger called on Obama the PE to cut the chicken-dove and "but he'th thtill the prethiden'" weasel act s and say or do something.
Reference: (in arabic) Brit activists call on Obama to break his silence.



4- Also from the brit-music universe, electronic/ambient music guru Brian Eno wrote a piece on Gaza.
OK. These statements, in the persons of Eno and Lennox make up a bit for when McCartney took that whiz in the Jordan. Macca are you listening to them? Do you regret your misplaced whiz?

5- This quote by Jonathan Cook: "In a country such as Israel, with a citizen army, the public has become positively phobic of a war in which large numbers of its sons will be placed in the firing line. That fear is only heightened by reports in the Israeli media that Hamas is praying for the chance to engage Israel’s army in serious combat. The decision to sacrifice many soldiers in Gaza is not one ... the Labor Party will take lightly with an election in six weeks."

6- The very candid report by UN special rapporteur Richard Falk in which he detailed the humanitarian catastrophes visited upon Palestinians in Gaza by the zionists, in spite of his being both jewish and American. In his words there was none of the serpentine zigzagging and fudging of crucial context and detail we are accustomed from the so-called "zionist doves" like Avnery, the oh-so-Gushing shalom and the other fakes.
His uncompromising reports can be read here and here.

7- In contrast to the Mr-Obama-chicken-dove-goes-to-washington roadshow, Cynthia McKinney and a group of remarkable human beings (including Mr. Sami al-Haj)


Mr. Sami al-Haj, wrongfully detained at Guantanamera guajira guantanamera camp for seven years and recently released.

have risked their own lives (yet again) boarding a relief boat that headed for Gaza from Cyprus despite the air bombing campaign. The civilian boat, Dignity, was rammed in its larboard (port, ie left side) bow , a clear proof of intent, and a crime of international maritime law. The Dignity was rammed two more times by Israeli patrol boats.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution , the newspaper of record for the bible belt state of Georgia , actually used this misleading headline "McKinney relief ship, Israeli vessel collide ". OneNewsNow's headline went for the jugular: "McKinney seeks publicity, endangers crew in Gaza."


Photograph: Ali Hashisho/Reuters

The damaged ship which had set out from and with blessings of the Cypriots, as one of their parliamentarians Dr. Elena Theoharous was also among those on board, putt-putted to safe harbor to Soor in Lebanon, licking its wounds from the gaping hole on its larboard. It was thus that Cynthia thankfully lived to tell the tale.

8- from the churchillian and often antagonistic Fisk:
of all people, he managed to sound a consonnant note for once in a blue moon in his article, "The rotten state of Egypt is too powerless and corrupt to act" , Thursday, 1 January 2009. In it he managed to take up issues that go to the heart of Egypt's struggle under its valetudinarian government. Though he did not spare the easy target his usual robust denigrations and race-tinged sneers. He faintly echoed the thoughtful arab op-ed وجهات نظر - مصر.. العدو في الداخل by `Atef Mu`tamad (Atef Mutamad) (as did I echo him, in previous posts ("resign already") and future ones ("on egypt and lebanon part 1 - egypt") ).

9- Throughout all this was the near omnipresence of aljazeera. i am not and would not intentionally plug it. This is simply an empirical observation. It was always there: in Gaza, on the boat the Dignity, at Rafah, in London, at the worldwide demonstrations, reprinting and commenting on Fisk and on Egypt and so on. Unlike most the rest of the world's news media.

Cependant, Egypt's antidandruff shampoo appear to act, rather conspicuously, the way turncoats feigning indignation do. Whether it is an act of egyptian cryptography is anybody's guess. Then there are Lebanese (and likely israeli agents provocateurs posing as lebanese) lobbing shame grenades not just at Egypt's head and shoulders, but at the entire population - which for the latter is a rather tenuous proposition. Qatar patronizes the cause , though its aid did get turned back , rerouted to the incommunicado israeli gates instead. Qatar , if only through aljazeera, plays up the complacency of Egyptians as if they thesmelves haven't been hosting US terrorist forces as well as the ooze-spurting conference of the WTO. Abu Mazen vowed to kick back in NYC until the security council forces a cease-fire (it might as well be until Sharon levitates 100 feet in the air and glides gleefully past high-rise windows) or realistically until the us and israel decide it's time to stop. This while "our man in Ankara" Mubarak kicks back and takes in some of that lingering whiff of High-Porte gravitas from Mr. Erdoğan.

The 9 items above were like candles. But the vaudeville numbers in the preceding paragraph remain a part of the gloom.

(An unabridged unproofed vulgar version is at the alter-blog)

- 30 -

P.S.

The doubt lingers whether I am not falling for elaborate strategems of opinion forming. As though one is supposed to think Israel is bad, the PA is a bad, hamas is bad , iran bad, al jazeera good, egypt bad, or hamas good, all arab leaders bad ; bad bad good ; good good bad. bad good bad. good bad good.

Such guessing at the actual hands of cards that state and media players are clutching is pointless, miring one in mirrored irrealities.
Only the spontaneous reactions of people around the world provide a concrete indication of reality.

 

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