The security situation in Afghanistan continued to be bad on Sunday. In Jalalabad in the eastern Pashtun region, a roadside bomb targeting a US convoy injured 13 Afghans. It may be that the attack also killed a US soldier, since one was reported KIA in ‘eastern Afghanistan.’ In Qandahar to the southwest and in Kunduz […]
Archives for June 2010
Key Afghan Security Officials Sacked by Karzai
Tel Aviv Rally Against Gaza Blockade;
Wave of Protests, Gov’t Condemnation
Waves of protests and governmental denunciations against Israel’s attack on the Mavi Marmara relief vessel last Monday washed over the world, even as Israel raided and captured another aid vessel, the Rachel Corrie. The demonstrations, while widespread, did not typically involve more than a few thousand persons in each city. The firmness and frankness of […]
Northern Ireland Condemns Israeli Raid on Rachel Corrie,
“Completely unacceptable Use of Force”
In what N. Irish Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness described as a “raid,” the Israeli Navy again commandeered an unarmed, peaceful ship in international waters, the Rachel Corrie, in a bid to prevent wheel chairs from reaching the blockaded people of Gaza, an Occupied Territory of which Israel controls the borders, air and sea. The […]
The Big Mistake in the New BP Ad
Uh, BP, fire that Public Relations firm you hired to make a new commercial. They gave you some good advice and some rotten advice. We wanted some empathy from BP – Check We wanted assurances that they’d pay out claims. – check, but what the hell do you mean by ‘legitimate’ claims? Is this legitimate […]
Rachel Corrie Intercepted;
The 9 activists killed last Monday were shot 30 Times
Wire services reported early Saturday morning that the Rachel Corrie had been intercepted by Israeli war ships and that its communications had been jammed by the Israelis. The ship, which had set off from Ireland, was intended to land at Gaza with humanitarian supplies. International bodies estimate that only 25% of needed supplies are getting […]
Rachel Corrie Steaming toward Gaza
Likud Vows it will Not Arrive
Oh, oh. Part Deux. The Rachel Corrie Gaza aid ship is now steaming toward the Gaza coast, and its communications may have been already jammed. It is flagged as an Irish vessel, and the far right Israeli government of Binyamin Netanyahu and Avigdor Lieberman have vowed that it will not be allowed to reach Gaza. […]
Eyewitnesses Say Israelis came in with Guns Blazing
As The Lede points out, the more Mavi Marmara passengers who talk to the press, the more the Israeli official narrative about their landing on the deck of the ship is challenged. Accounts of Israeli troops shooting passengers between the eyes are particularly chilling. Aljazeera English broadcast an interview with Jamal ElShayyal , a journalist […]
Erdogan: Israel in danger of losing its “best friend” in the Region
NATO HQ Seething
As funerals were held in Turkey on Thursday for 7 Turks and 1 US citizen, a new wave of anger swept over Turkey at Israel. The popular emotions have potential implications for Turkey and NATO in the Middle East, and therefore for the United States and the Obama administration. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan […]
American Citizen Killed by Israeli Navy
Hey, Tea Party. A foreign navy boarded an unarmed ship flying the flag of a NATO member in international waters and shot dead an American citizen with four bullets to the head and one in the chest on Memorial Day. It did this while the head of the belligerent state was on his way to […]