This Google analytics chart shows a sharp drop in Syria’s Internet traffic to nearly zero on November 29 2011.

Syrian minister blames “terrorists” for Internet blackout
29 November, 2012 – Al Akhbar

Syria’s Information Minister Omran al-Zoabi claims “terrorists” attacked Syria’s Internet network causing the nation-wide web blackout Thursday. The statement was made to Syria’s Al-Ikhbariyya al-Souriyya TV channel.

A Syrian State TV report said the Internet blackout was brought on by a fault in the technical cable, according to Reuters, contradicting Zoabi’s claims of a militant attack.

State-owned Syrian Telecommunications Establishment controls all of the country’s Internet networks, making Zoabi’s allegations less than credible among Internet activists on social networks.

Seventy-seven Internet networks went offline throughout Syria all day Thursday and phone lines appear to be severely disrupted prompting speculation about significantly escalated fighting in the crisis-ridden country.

Two Austrian peacekeepers were wounded near Damascus airport as their convoy came under fire this evening, according to Reuters, while some media report that rebels started shelling the capital’s airport on Thursday. Previously, several reports said Damascus-bound flights were being rerouted, sparking speculation that the airport was closed.

Internet Intelligence Authority Renesys reported that affected Internet networks, which represent 92 percent of the country’s routed networks, have sporadically experienced outages since this morning at 10:26:30 GMT.

Various Twitter sources said phone lines were also faltering. Al-Akhbar was able to get through to contacts in Damascus, but not in the Tartous area. Attempted communications also show that phone lines in the outskirts of Damascus appear to be down. …source

Tunisia sends in army to quell protests
29 November, 2012 – Al Akhbar

Army forces were dispatched to rein in protests in the impoverished Tunisian town of Siliana as clashes between security forces and demonstrators continued for a third day, leaving hundreds wounded.

According to an Al-Akhbar correspondent in Tunisia, health officials confirmed that more than 200 people have been wounded so far as demonstrations over lack of jobs turned violent.

Stone-throwing protesters clashed with police using shotguns and tear gas on Tuesday and Wednesday in the central Tunisian town. The army was sent in to replace police forces.

Marches in solidarity with the Siliana protesters have sprouted across the country, including the capital, Tunis, to denounce police violence, Al-Akhbar’s correspondent said.

News channel France 24 reported that its Tunisia correspondent David Thomson and his driver Hamdi Tlili were fired on by riot police in Siliana during clashes Wednesday.

In an interview with Radio Express, Thomson confirmed that he was shot in the back by police officers with birdshots, a type of multiple-projectile ammunition typically used for hunting. …more

Exclusive: Inside Future Movement’s Syria Arms Trade
By: Radwan Mortada – 29 November, 2012 – Al Akhbar

Al-Akhbar has obtained recordings of Future Movement MP Okab Sakr organizing weapons transfers to the armed Syrian opposition at the behest of Future leader Saad Hariri.

The phone call is the first hard evidence of the role Sakr and his backers in Future were playing in providing arms and logistical support to the Syrian rebels.

In a three-part series built on documents, audio recordings, and interviews with sources close to Sakr, Al-Akhbar will shed light on Sakr’s attempts to hijack the Syrian uprising for his own means while running the armed opposition into the ground.

A few weeks ago, Al-Akhbar’s offices in Beirut received an anonymous phone call. The caller claimed he was in possession of “audio recordings which will expose MP Okab Sakr and his role is destroying the [Syrian] revolution.”

The news did not come as a surprise. Sakr’s connection to the Syrian opposition was well-known, and his role as an arms dealer to the rebels had been documented in the press.

Neither was it the first time that information about the existence of audio recordings of Sakr’s conversations had circulated.

Al-Akhbar initially doubted the caller and his motivations, but he promptly sent the first recording. It sounded a lot like Sakr’s voice, which was later confirmed by audio experts.

A few days later, the anonymous caller made another phone call to Al-Akhbar and gave his email address. Further communications were carried out over email and phone to identify the extent of the recorded material and its importance.

The source did not reveal the number of recordings in his possession, saying only that there were dozens. For further confirmation, he sent an excerpt from a second recording.

It was Sakr’s voice again and the voice experts were also inclined to believe so. Yet the recordings raised more questions about the identity of the source, including how the recordings came into his possession and what he hoped to gain by leaking them to the press.

It was soon revealed that the source had been working with Sakr for more than a year as part of an operations room established to support the Syrian uprising.

As for his motivation to provide the recordings, the source said that “Sakr ruined the revolution with his crazy dealings.”
According to the source, there are several operations centers: one in Antakya, one in Adana, and one in Istanbul. He mentioned that Sakr had his own building in the Floriya neighborhood in Istanbul where meetings are held from time to time.

He also said that around 20 young men from various Syrian regions are charged with running military operations from the rooms. They coordinate with commanders of armed opposition groups to provide needed funding and hardware, and then they direct fighters toward areas under attack or siege, all under the supervision of Turkish and Qatari intelligence officers. …more

U.S. Weighs Bolder Effort to Intervene in Syria’s Conflict
By DAVID E. SANGER and ERIC SCHMITT – 28 November, 2012 – NYT

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration, hoping that the conflict in Syria has reached a turning point, is considering deeper intervention to help push President Bashar al-Assad from power, according to government officials involved in the discussions.

While no decisions have been made, the administration is considering several alternatives, including directly providing arms to some opposition fighters.

The most urgent decision, likely to come next week, is whether NATO should deploy surface-to-air missiles in Turkey, ostensibly to protect that country from Syrian missiles that could carry chemical weapons. The State Department spokeswoman, Victoria Nuland, said Wednesday that the Patriot missile system would not be “for use beyond the Turkish border.”

But some strategists and administration officials believe that Syrian Air Force pilots might fear how else the missile batteries could be used. If so, they could be intimidated from bombing the northern Syrian border towns where the rebels control considerable territory. A NATO survey team is in Turkey, examining possible sites for the batteries.

Other, more distant options include directly providing arms to opposition fighters rather than only continuing to use other countries, especially Qatar, to do so. A riskier course would be to insert C.I.A. officers or allied intelligence services on the ground in Syria, to work more closely with opposition fighters in areas that they now largely control.

Administration officials discussed all of these steps before the presidential election. But the combination of President Obama’s re-election, which has made the White House more willing to take risks, and a series of recent tactical successes by rebel forces, one senior administration official said, “has given this debate a new urgency, and a new focus.”

The outcome of the broader debate about how heavily America should intervene in another Middle Eastern conflict remains uncertain. Mr. Obama’s record in intervening in the Arab Spring has been cautious: While he joined in what began as a humanitarian effort in Libya, he refused to put American military forces on the ground and, with the exception of a C.I.A. and diplomatic presence, ended the American role as soon as Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi was toppled.

In the case of Syria, a far more complex conflict than Libya’s, some officials continue to worry that the risks of intervention — both in American lives and in setting off a broader conflict, potentially involving Turkey — are too great to justify action. Others argue that more aggressive steps are justified in Syria by the loss in life there, the risks that its chemical weapons could get loose, and the opportunity to deal a blow to Iran’s only ally in the region. The debate now coursing through the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department and the C.I.A. resembles a similar one among America’s main allies.

“Look, let’s be frank, what we’ve done over the last 18 months hasn’t been enough,” Britain’s prime minister, David Cameron, said three weeks ago after visiting a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan. “The slaughter continues, the bloodshed is appalling, the bad effects it’s having on the region, the radicalization, but also the humanitarian crisis that is engulfing Syria. So let’s work together on really pushing what more we can do.” Mr. Cameron has discussed those options directly with Mr. Obama, White House officials say. …more

Foreign Officer Minister meets Bahraini opposition
29 November, 2012

Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt: “The UK will continue to engage with all sides and help wherever we can to bring about the peace and stability Bahrain deserve.”

Speaking today, Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said: “I was pleased to speak with members from Al Wefaq and the National Unity Assembly this week.

“We discussed the current situation in Bahrain one year on from the Independent Commission of Inquiry’s report and our shared concern at the recent bombings. I reiterated the UK’s support for the Declaration of Non-Violence that was launched earlier this month by Al Wefaq and five other political societies. It is an important confidence-building measure and I encourage other leaders in Bahrain to declare publicly their support for this initiative. Violent protests are unacceptable and we condemn them unequivocally.

“We also discussed recent actions taken by the authorities, such as the ban on protests and the withdrawal of citizenship from 31 individuals. I made clear that the UK is concerned about such steps which undermine potential reconciliation and that the UK is urging the Government of Bahrain to do more to create the right environment for meaningful political dialogue. I therefore welcome the Government’s acceptance of a needs assessment team from the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights next week to discuss this alongside follow-up to the recent Universal Periodic Review of Bahrain by the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

“The UK will continue to engage with all sides and help wherever we can to bring about the peace and stability Bahrain deserve.”
…source

Bahrain Prisoners of Conscience Coalition under threats and intimidation
EA World View – 29 November, 2012

Bahrain. On Tuesday, political prisoners in Bahrain released a statement announcing the formation of a the Prisoners of Conscience Coalition, a new movement to demand rights from behind bars. The statement was shared online by leading activist Zainab AlKhawaja.

Alkhawaja alleges today that, shortly after the statement’s release, authorities reacted with hostility towards the prisoners:

angry arabiya @angryarabiya Less than 15 mins after the statement was released police attacked bldg 3, ransacking cells beating some prisoners #bahrain #HeroesinChains 29 Nov 12 [twitter]

angry arabiya @angryarabiya The prisoners stood strong, hand in hand, chanting, their voices could be heard outside the prison walls #bahrain #HeroesinChains 29 Nov 12 [twitter]

According to Zainab, this morning “an officer from public prosecution met with the prisoners”, asking for their demands. However, when the officer left, Zainab claims that “riot police surrounded the building, preparing to attack”. Some prisoners in building 3, where inmates were reportedly threatened two days ago, have allegedly been taken to solitary confinement. Families of prisoners in the building have also not had any contact with them. …source

Amal Society Members’ Sentences Reduced, One Acquitted
29 November, 2012 – POMED

Several members of Amal Society, a party that was dissolved by the Bahraini government in June 2012, had their sentences reduced in a trial held on November 28. Ali Al Mahfoud, Jassim Al Dimistani, Sayed Mahdi Hadi, and Talal Al Jamri had their sentences decreased from ten to five years. Yasser Ebrahim, Idris Al Ekri, Ali Mashallah, Jaffer Hassan, and Mohammed Abdullah, who were initially sentenced to five years, were released for time served after having their terms reduced to a range of one to twelve months. …source

Syrian rebels using children in war: HRW
29 November, 2012 – Reuters – The Daily Star

BEIRUT: Syrian rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad have sent children into combat and used boys as young as 14 to transport weapons and supplies, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday.

The New York-based group said it had interviewed five boys aged between 14 and 16 who said they worked with rebels in the southern province of Deraa, the central Homs region and on the northern border with Turkey.

Three of them, all aged 16, said they carried weapons and one said he participated in attack missions. Two others, aged 14 and 15, said they supported fighter brigades by conducting reconnaissance or transporting weapons and supplies.

The International Criminal Court says that conscripting or enlisting children under the age of 15 or using them to participate in hostilities is a war crime. The United Nations convention on child rights urges states to ensure that people under 18 are not recruited or used in hostilities.

“All eyes are on the Syrian opposition to prove they’re trying to protect children from bullets and bombs, rather than placing them in danger,” said Priyanka Motaparthy, children’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch.

She urged rebel commanders “to make a strong, public commitment against use of children in their forces, and to verify boys’ ages before allowing them to enlist.”

A 16-year-old boy from the Khalidiyeh district of Homs city told HRW he participated in combat missions.

“I used to carry a Kalashnikov… I used to shoot checkpoints … to capture (them) and take the weapons,” he said, adding that his 2,000-strong battalion gave him combat training.

“They taught us how to shoot, how to dismantle and put together a weapon,” he told Human Rights Watch. He volunteered along with his older brother and other relatives.

Another boy, from Homs, said children took on various roles. “The job you have depends on you,” he said. “If you have a brave heart, they’ll send you to (attack) checkpoints.”

He said that after several months in a combat post, his commanders told him to leave the unit because of his age.

“They said we need older guys – you’re too young,” he said.

The youngest boy quoted by the rights group was a 14-year-old who said he transported weapons, food and other supplies for fighters near the Turkish border.

“We would bring bullets and Russiyets (Kalashnikovs). All of the kids were helping like this. We were 10 boys between 14 and 18 years old,” he said.

The Centre for Documentation of Violations in Syria, an opposition monitoring group, has documented the deaths of at least 17 children who fought with the FSA. Many others have been severely wounded, and some permanently disabled, HRW said.

Rights groups say both government forces and rebels may have committed war crimes during the 20-month-old uprising against Assad, including torture and summary executions. Most of the accusations have been levelled against pro-Assad forces.
…source

Al Qaeda “Virtue Police” Show up Along NATO Protected Turkish-Syrian Border
By Tony Cartalucci – Global Research – 28 November, 2012

NATO-backed terrorists along Turkish-Syrian border establish Al Qaeda-style “Virtue & Vice Police,” heralding the West’s true designs for Syria.

An obscure, unreported pair of Getty images created on November 21, 2012 depict masked, armed terrorists atop a building with the words “Committee for Promotion of Virtues and Prevention of Vice” scrawled across its facade. The images were taken in al-Bab, northern Syria.

While the establishment of Al Qaeda-style “virtue police” along Syria’s borders is troubling enough, what is perhaps even more disturbing is the AFP caption that accompanied the images. The caption reads:

Syrian members of the Committee for Promotion of Virtues and Prevention of Vice stand guard on top of a building with a freshly painted wall with the name of the committee in Arabic at their headquarters in al-Bab, northern Syria, on November 21, 2012. The committee was created to fight abuses and crimes committed by members of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) only, and has 80 elements recruited outside the FSA. The rebels faced growing criticism, particularly after a video was posted on YouTube earlier in November, appearing to show opposition fighters beating and executing soldiers after attacks.

The caption presumes absolute ignorance on behalf of potential readers as to what “Committee for Promotion of Virtues and Prevention of Vice” actually means in the context of sectarian extremism linked to groups such as Al Qaeda, leading US-backed efforts to topple the Syrian government. Not only do the committees have nothing to do with fighting “abuses and crimes committed by members of the Free Syrian Army,” but to suggest that the “committee” is only policing fellow terrorists betrays the last 2 years of documented evidence regarding the so-called “FSA” and its members who hail from Al Qaeda linked groups both inside Syria and beyond, including the notorious Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) hailing from Benghazi, Darnah, and Tobruk, Libya.

“Virtue Police” Simply a Manifestation of NATO-backed Terrorist Flooding over Turkish Border.

It was exposed at length that many of the so-called “Free Syrian Army’s” fighters were in fact foreign terrorists imported into Syria via long-established Al Qaeda networks used to feed fighters first into Afghanistan during the 1980′s, then into Afghanistan and Iraq during America’s occupation of both nations over the past decade.

The documented details of this network were exposed in the extensive academic efforts of the US Army’s own West Point Combating Terrorism Center (CTC). Two reports were published between 2007 and 2008 revealing a global network of Al Qaeda affiliated terror organizations, and how they mobilized to send a large influx of foreign fighters into Iraq.

Image: Cover of the US Army’s West Point Combating Terrorism Center report, “Al-Qa’ida’s Foreign Fighters in Iraq.” The report definitively exposed a regional network used by Al Qaeda to send fighters into Iraq to sow sectarian violence during the US occupation. This exact network can now be seen demonstrably at work with NATO support, overrunning Libya and now Syria. The terrorists in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi that US Ambassador Stevens was arming, is described by the 2007 West Point report as one of the most prolific and notorious Al Qaeda subsidiaries in the world.

The first report, “Al-Qa’ida’s Foreign Fighters in Iraq,” was extensively cited by historian and geopolitical analyst Dr. Webster Tarpley in March of 2011, exposing that NATO-backed “pro-democracy” rebels in Libya were in fact Al Qaeda’s Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), listed by the US State Department, United Nations, and the UK Home Office as an international terrorist organization.

The West Point report exposed Libya as a global epicenter for Al Qaeda training and recruitment, producing more fighters per capita than even Saudi Arabia, and producing more foreign fighters than any other nation that sent militants to Iraq, except Saudi Arabia itself. …more

What do they want from Syria?
29 November, 2012 – By Finian Cunningham – PressTV

The terrorist war on Syria, which the Western media trumpet as a ‘pro-democracy uprising,’ is aimed at precisely the opposite of pluralist coexistence. What the terrorists want is to tear the tolerant soul out of the country and plunge its people into an internecine, hate-filled sectarian bloodbath.”
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“What do they want from Jaramana? The town brings together people from all over Syria and welcomes everybody.” These were the anguished words of one distraught resident in the Syrian town of Jaramana that was devastated by multiple deadly explosions this week.

The death toll has yet to be confirmed. Early reports on the blasts said 34 were killed. Later, the toll was put at more than 50, with over 120 injured, many critical. All of the victims were civilian.

Over the past 20 months, Syria has witnessed dozens of massacres and horrific car bombings in its capital Damascus and in other cities and countless villages across the country. But the latest atrocity in Jaramana, located close to the capital, is distinguishable perhaps because it most clearly shows the vile Machiavellian mentality of the perpetrators in their broader strategy towards the Middle Eastern country.

As the words of the shell-shocked resident above indicate, Jaramana can be seen as an exemplar of the pluralist nature of the Syrian society, “welcoming everybody”. The town is particularly known for its Christian and Druze Muslim communities, who by all accounts have coexisted peacefully for centuries. The populace is also largely supportive of the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad.

This Wednesday morning, as workers, mothers and school children were going about their usual daily routine, two massive no-warning explosions ripped through the heart of Jaramana. The second blast was detonated minutes after the first one when bystanders were rushing to the scene to aid the wounded. The heinous calculation of the perpetrators was to maximise the killing and suffering.

“What do they want from Jaramana?” The answer is revealed in the resident’s subsequent words: “The town brings together people from all over Syria and welcomes everybody.”

The terrorist war on Syria, which the Western media trumpet as a “pro-democracy uprising”, is aimed at precisely the opposite of pluralist coexistence. What the terrorists want is to tear the tolerant soul out of the country and plunge its people into an internecine, hate-filled sectarian bloodbath.

The targeting of Jaramana is a deliberate, brutal calculation to precipitate such a bloodbath. The town has been inflicted with several similar, although less deadly, bombings in recent months. On 29 October, a car bomb killed 11 people.

There are no military or state security installations in Jaramana. As noted, it is a urban district known for its tolerance towards mixed religions and cultural heritage. But, for the terrorists and their fiendish mentality, that civic virtue made Jaramana a prime target.

The armed militants in Syria are driven by Sunni extremists of Wahhabist or Salafist tendencies, who see pluralist coexistence of Sunni, Shia, Alawite, Druze, Christian, Jews and non-believers as anathema to their demented puritanical ideology.

Other elements within the Syrian armed militant groups would appear to be simply “soldiers of fortune” – mercenaries and criminal opportunists who have no particular religious affiliation. …more

More than 150 protesters wounded by Tunisia police
28 November, 2012 – Al Akhbar

More than 150 people were wounded on Wednesday in a second day of clashes between Tunisian security forces and thousands of protesters in a poor southwestern town, a hospital source told AFP.

A doctor at the hospital in Siliana said more than 150 people were being treated for different types of injury, with four of them transferred to Tunis.

The emergency services in Siliana, some 120 kilometers south of Tunis, were visibly overwhelmed, as relatives of the victims gathered and vented their anger, according to an AFP reporter at the scene.

“We will burn the town!” shouted a man whose son was among those injured.

Several armored vehicles belonging to the national guard were deployed, while protesters erected barricades in the streets.

By early afternoon the clashes were ongoing, between stone-throwing protesters and police, with thick clouds of tear gas visible in the town.

The interior ministry declined to comment on the unrest.

But the prime minister’s office said it was concerned about “the protests in public places in the Siliana prefecture,” in its first reaction to the unrest.

It also said it regretted “the use of violence against the security forces, aggression at the headquarters of sovereignty, and attempts to damage public property.”

Several thousand protesters had gathered at 0900 GMT in front of the prefecture in Siliana demanding the departure of the regional governor, trade union official Nejib Sebti told AFP earlier.

The security forces then began firing warning shots and tear gas, before using a “strange” type of shot to disperse the crowd, he said.

Similar clashes took place on Tuesday, with the police then using rubber bullets to scatter the protesters.

“The people of Siliana most affected by poverty will never go down on their knees,” Sebti said, warning that they were “ready to die for their rights.”

The protesters are demanding the liberation of 14 people detained during violent unrest in April 2011 and funds to boost economic development in the impoverished region, as well as the governor’s resignation.

Investment in the poor farming region fell by 44.5 percent from January to October, compared with the same period last year.

Much of Tunisia’s interior suffers from a chronic lack of development, and has seen growing social unrest, including protests that often turn violent, amid rising discontent over the Islamist-led government’s failure to improve living standards. …source

ICG: A Way Out of Egypt’s Transitional Quicksand
POMED – 28 November, 2012

A recent article by the International Crisis Group (ICG) addresses Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi‘s declaration of full power. The decree ”removes the unpopular Prosecutor General, a Mubarak-era holdover; paves the way for retrial of recently acquitted officials implicated in violence against demonstrators; protects both the Shura Council and Constituent Assembly from possible court-ordered dissolution; prolongs the Constituent Assembly’s term by two months; and, crucially, immunizes all presidential decisions from judicial review until adoption of a new constitution.”

Morsi’s decree came in reaction to the imminent collapse of the Constituent Assembly and the reinstatement of wide-ranging powers to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), according to the report. This combination of events, the ICG says, would have caused untold damage to the already unstable transition. The report also argues that Morsi’s decree enjoys widespread support among Egyptians, while the unpopular liberal opposition relies on “obstructionist politics” to assert its influence on the process. However, Morsi’s declaration has served to deepen the divisions among political groups, as well as the executive and judicial branches of government. To move forward, the ICG recommends that the “president and Supreme Judicial Council should agree to restore judicial oversight over his decisions with the exception of those pertaining to the maintenance and functioning of representative political institutions, while the courts should refrain from their own overreach. Additionally, members of the Constituent Assembly who have withdrawn in protest ought to rejoin the body, while some Islamist members could resign and be replaced by constitutional law experts.”

Issandr El Amrani criticized the piece, saying the ICG’s assertion that Morsi’s power grab has enjoyed widespread support is not based on substantiated evidence. “There is no reliable information on what the general public thinks of Morsi’s decree, but anecdotal evidence suggests there is quite a bit of opposition to it,” El Amrani said. However, he did agree that the opposition has not articulated a solution to the problems that Morsi’s decrees sought to address. …source

Obama II – the purge and the pact
by Thierry Meyssan – Voltaire Network – Damascus (Syria) – 28, November 2012

Enjoying a legitimacy reinforced by his reelection, President Barack Obama is preparing to launch a new foreign policy – drawing the conclusions from the relative economic weakening of the United States, he has renounced the idea of governing the world on his own. US forces continue their departure from Europe and their partial disengagement from the Middle East in order to take up positions around China. From this perspective, he wants to weaken the developing Russo-Chinese alliance at the same time as sharing the burden of the Middle East with Russia. Consequently, he is ready to apply the agreement on Syria which was reached on the 30th June in Geneva – deployment of a UN peace force, composed mainly of troops from the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, and maintenance of Bachar el-Assad in power if he is designated by his people.

This new foreign policy is running into strong resistance in Washington. In July, a series of organised leaks to the Press sank the Geneva agreement and forced Kofi Annan to resign. This sabotage seems to have been hatched by a group of senior officers who are unable to accept the end of their dreams of a global empire.

This problem was never evoked during the Presidential campaign, since the two main candidates were in agreement about the change of policy and only disagreed on the manner in which it should be presented.

So Barack Obama waited no longer than the evening of his victory before giving the signal for the start of a purge which has been in cautious preparation for months. The resignation of General David Petraeus from his functions as head of the CIA has been widely publicized, but it was only the appetizer. The heads of many other senior officers are about to roll in the dust.

The purge first affects the Supreme Commander of NATO and Commander of EuCom (Admiral James G. Stravidis), who is at the end of his term, and his scheduled successor (General John R. Allen). It continues with the ex-Commander of AfriCom (General William E. Ward) and the man who has been his successor for a year (General Carter Ham). It will probably also eliminate the chief of the anti-missile shield (General Patrick J. O’Reilly) and still others of lesser importance.

Each time, the senior officers are accused either of sexual misconduct or embezzlement. The US Press has feasted on the sordid details of the sexual triangle which implicates Petraeus, Allen and Petraeus’ biographer, Paula Broadwell, while avoiding any mention of the fact that she is a Lieutenant-Colonel in Military Intelligence. It seems abundantly clear that she was infiltrated into the entourage of the two Generals in order to bring them down.

The purge in Washington was preceded in July by the elimination of the foreign executives who oppose this new policy and who were implicated in the battle of Damascus. Everything went down as if Obama had allowed the clean-up to happen. For example, the premature death of General Omar Suleiman (Egypt), who had come to undergo treatment at a US hospital, or the attack on Prince Bandar ben Sultan (Saudi Arabia), seven days later. …more

Israel carries out ground incursion into Lebanon
28 November, 2012 – Al Akhbar

Eleven Israeli soldiers carried out a ground incursion into Lebanon Wednesday morning, breaking the border’s barbed wire fence near the village of Wazzani and mounting a sandbag barrier roughly 15 meters past the demarcation line.

The soldiers reached a Lebanese military zone, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported.

Ground and air incursions into Lebanon are a direct breach of UN resolution 1701 which ended Israel’s war on Lebanon in 2006. Israel has carried out more than 20,000 illegal surveillance flights over Lebanon since that ceasefire.

The Lebanese Army and the UN’s international peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL are on high alert. …source

Trial of two boys starts in Bahrain
Amnesty International – 28 November, 2012

Children with roses Young boys hold roses while sitting at the base of the Pearl Monument, Bahrain. © Al Jazeera English

Two 15 year old boys, Jehad Sadeq Aziz Salman and Ebrahim Ahmed Radi al-Moqdad were arrested with two adults during an anti-government protest in Manama, the capital of Bahrain.

They have since been held in detention and appeared for the first time before the High Criminal Court in Manama, the capital of Bahrain, on October 16, together with Sadeq Jalil Ibrahim al-Haiki.

Their charges under articles of the Bahrain Penal Code and the 2006 anti-terrorist law include ‘’intending to murder”, “burning a police car”, “illegal gathering and rioting”, “throwing Molotov cocktails”, and “attempting to steal a police car”. One of the defendants told the court he had been tortured in detention. Their lawyers are still waiting for the results of a forensic examination and their case has been adjourned to 3 December. All five are still held in the Dry Dock prison in Manama.

The age of criminal responsibility in Bahraini law is 15 years old. However, as Jehad Sadeq Aziz Salman and Ebrahim Ahmed Radi al-Moqdad are under 18, they are children and should be treated in accordance with the rules and principles of juvenile justice.
…more

Bahrain – time for Britain to take a lead
By Eric Avebury – 23 November, 2012 – Liberal Democrat Voice

On November 5, thirty-one Bahrainis were deprived of their citizenship arbitrarily, without notice and without judicial process, contrary to customary international law. Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights says that everyone has the right to a nationality and no-one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality. The victims can appeal these decision, but there is no point. The king has absolute power to grant or rescind citizenship, and the courts wouldn’t dream of overturning his decisions.

No wonder that hundreds of Bahrainis demonstrate against the government every day. Even after a total ban on meetings they continue to turn out after Friday prayers. The ruling family’s assault on the rights of the people provokes their hatred, and they are calling for regime change.

The ancestors of the royal family came from Zebara in the 18th century, so the chant on the streets is;

Your visit is finished – go back to Zebara

In Arabic it rhymes:

Intahat Ziyara, Oodoo illa Zebara

The US State Department repeat their call to the government of Bahrain to create a climate that is conducive to reconciliation, to meaningful dialogue, to reform, to bring peaceful change. Britain also calls for peaceful dialogue, but many of the leaders of the opposition are serving life sentences in prison, among them Hassan Mushaima, leader of the Haq movement and Abduljalil al-Singace, the head of its human rights bureau; Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, a leading human rights activist.

Nabeel Rajab, head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, is imprisoned for three years for a remark he made on Twitter.

The Bassiouni Commission, which examined hundreds of human rights abuses following the uprising that began in February 2011, recommended that political prisoners should be freed and compensated for the torture they suffered.

Prince Salman, the Crown Prince, gave the Foreign Secretary William Hague a personal commitment to an inclusive political dialogue. This can’t happen while most of opposition are behind bars. Now the provocative and unlawful deprivation of these people’s citizenship, with the threat of more to come, makes it harder than ever to start a dialogue.

Our Government needs to tell the hereditary autocrats of Bahrain that the long-term peace and stability of Bahrain can’t be achieved by killing, torturing and arbitrarily imprisoning human rights and political activists. Bahrain and the other Gulf monarchies need fundamental reforms that transfer power from permanent autocrats to the people, as in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and soon we hope, Syria.

Britain should line itself up with the future, and not with anachronistic family oligarchies. …source

Saudi forces disperse protesters
28 November, 2012 – UPI.com

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Nov. 28 (UPI) — A human rights activist in Saudi Arabia said security forces descended on protesters who were demonstrating for more judicial rights.

Mohammed al-Qahtani, a member of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association, told CNN that security forces broke up a protest in front of the country’s human rights commission in Riyadh. Several prisoners have remained behind bars without trial, he said.

“These are ongoing protests about political prisoners,” he said. “The government is not willing to take them to court and issue verdicts.”

CNN said it was unable to verify Qahtani’s claims. The activist is on trial for running an unlicensed organization.

Calls by CNN to the Saudi Interior Minister went unanswered. The official Saudi Press Agency reports Wednesday the ruling monarch issued a decree reliving Interior Minister Ahmad bin Abdulaziz of his post. A royal decree, meanwhile, related to “amnesty for prisoners of public rights according to certain conditions,” the official news agency reports.

Demonstrations in Saudi Arabia are exceptionally rare.

…source

France notes “with satisfaction” ongoing Bahraini reform efforts
26 November, 2012 – Kuwait News Agency

PARIS, Nov 26 (KUNA) — France said on Monday that it had noted “with satisfaction” the decision of the highest Bahraini authorities to implement reform recommendations made last year and urged continuing efforts to fully implement the independent report submitted at that time by Sharif Bassiouni.

“We praised the initiative of King Hamad in July 2011 to put in place an independent commission of enquiry…destined to shed light on human rights violations during the events of February and March 2011,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot said in a briefing.

“We also noted with satisfaction the decision of the highest Bahraini authorities to implement the recommendations formulated by the commission of enquiry in the report submitted a year ago,” the official added.

Lalliot said that certain measures have been taken and France called for all the recommendations to be adopted.

“Such a gesture is an indispensable element to favour reconciliation and create conditions for lasting calm in Bahrain,” the spokesman stated.

“All parties must, incidentally, refuse recourse to violence. In this regard, we have taken note, with interest, of the ‘statement on non-violence’ formulated by five political associations from the opposition, proposing to all an agreement for a political action framework respecting the principle of pluralism”.

Saudis rally in Riyadh to call for release of political detainees
27 November, 2012 – Islamic Invitation Turkey

Saudis have staged a protest rally in the capital, Riyadh, to demand the release of those held in Al Saud prisons without charge for long time.

Witnesses said scores of people, including women, demonstrated outside Saudi Arabia’s Human Rights Commission in the capital on Tuesday to call for the release of their jailed relatives.

“Release innocent detainees,” read a banner held by the protesters.

The protesters ware dispersed by police and dozens of them, including women and chidren, were arrested.

“They detained six children, 23 women and around 30 men,” Ali Alhattab, an activist told Reuters.

In October, Saudi authorities warned that they would deal “firmly” with protests after hundreds of Saudis gathered outside Tafiya prison, north of the capital, in September to demand the release of their relatives.

Human rights watchdog Amnesty International has criticized Riyadh over the warning and urged the authorities to “withdraw their threat.” In Saudi Arabia, protests and political gatherings of any kind are prohibited. …source

Saudi shares hit 10-month low as Egypt’s crisis weighs; Gulf mixed
25 November, 2012 – By Nadia Salee – Reuters

Saudi Arabia’s shares slumped on Sunday, dragging the market down to a 10-month low as political turmoil in Egypt sparked by President Mursi’s new powers spooked regional investors, while other Gulf markets closed mixed.

Egypt President Mohamed Mursi decree issued on Thursday that defends his decisions from judicial review, set off street violence and unravelled efforts to restore stability after last year’s revolution. Cairo’s index plunged 9.6 percent.

Investors are concerned Egypt’s political unrest could have widespread implications for the Middle East.

“The market was already under pressure from the violence in Gaza and now it’s Egypt’s protest,” said a Riyadh-based trader who asked not to be identified.

Israel and Gaza called a truce on Wednesday, following eight days of violence, which triggered a sell-off across regions and weighed on markets.

Saudi’s heavyweight sectors – petrochemicals and banking – were the main drag. Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) , the world’s largest chemicals producer fell 2.3 percent. Al Rajhi Bank dropped 1.2 percent and Samba Financial Group shed 2.2 percent.

The kingdom’s index dropped 2.1 percent to its lowest close since Jan. 25 and marked its biggest one-day loss since early June.

“The index broke the key support of 6,550 sharply to the down side,” said Mohabeldeen Agena, head of technical analysis at Cairo’s Beltone Financial. “We are expecting the bears to continue pushing it downward towards 6,300 levels.

In Dubai, property stocks helped lift the index, which gained 0.3 percent, after plans announced for a new mega project in the emirate.

Dubai’s Emaar Properties climbed 2.2 percent, Drake & Scull added 0.6 percent and builder Arabtec rose 1.3 percent.

The emirate’s ruler on Saturday unveiled a master development that appeared to include re-starting projects that were halted following a property price crash. …more

…source

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France to recognize Palestinian state at U.N.
27 November, 2012 – Associated Press – The Daily Star

PARIS: The French foreign minister says France plans to vote in favor of recognition of a Palestinian state at the U.N. General Assembly this week.

Laurent Fabius has told parliament that France has long supported Palestinian ambitions for statehood and “will respond ‘yes'” when the issue comes up for a vote “out of a concern for coherency.”

With the announcement Tuesday, France – a permanent member of the Security Council – becomes the first major European country to come out in favor. It amounts to a setback for Israel.

The Palestinians say the assembly is likely to vote Thursday on a resolution raising their status at the United Nations from an observer to a nonmember observer state, a move they believe is an important step toward a two-state solution with Israel.

…more

Around the world, a generation of workers is discovering the power of resistance.

Confronting a global austerity agenda
27 November, 2012 – SocialistWorker.org

Spanish workers march during the recent multinational strike in Europe (Ana Rey)Spanish workers march during the recent multinational strike in Europe (Ana Rey)

REVOLUTION AND reaction, austerity and resistance. That was the shape of world politics in 2012 as the rulers of governments around the globe attempted to force working people to bear the brunt of an ongoing global economic crisis.

The particulars of the crisis and the struggle vary from country to country. The Middle East, where revolutions shook world politics last year, has seen a revolutionary civil war in Syria, resistance to another Israeli military onslaught against the Palestinians of Gaza, and–in the last weeks of November–a renewal of struggle in Egypt against a power grab by the ruling Islamist party that won the country’s first post-revolutionary elections.

U.S. ally Bahrain has spared no effort to crush the democratic movement in that country, but another Washington-backed monarchy, Jordan, is ending the year panicked by a new wave of protests.

The fightback has continued in Western Europe, the old heartland of the capitalist system. Merciless austerity programs that cut wages and pensions while slashing social spending have provoked a series of strikes and protests–most impressively, the recent pan-European general strike in Spain, Portugal and other countries.

But the wave of workers’ struggle has spread beyond Europe. India saw its biggest-ever general strike in February. In China–a one-party dictatorship where independent unions are illegal–strikes, mass worker protests and riots are commonplace.

In the U.S., workers’ resistance has been less dramatic compared to the 2011 uprising in Wisconsin against Gov. Scott Walker’s anti-union legislation and the emergence of organized labor as a crucial part of the Occupy Wall Street movement a year ago.

Yet though strikes remain at their lowest levels in decades, a nine-day walkout by Chicago teachers in September was one of the most important U.S. union battles in decades. In the face of an all-out ideological offensive by the Democratic-controlled city government, the teachers nevertheless won widespread solidarity and showed the potential for a renewed labor movement.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

DESPITE THE many differences from country to country, a common factor is at the heart of these protests–a global economy that’s still too weak to overcome the effects of the financial crash of 2008.

As the International Monetary Fund (IMF) noted in its World Economic Outlook published in October, “The recovery continues, but it has weakened. In advanced economies, growth is now too low to make a substantial dent in unemployment. And in major emerging market economies, growth that had been strong earlier has also decreased.”

The IMF has lowered its forecast for growth in the advanced countries–mainly the U.S., Europe and Japan–from an already weak 2 percent to just 1.5 percent. That’s the result of much of Western Europe sinking into outright recession.

As the economy falters, voters have tended to kick out the parties that presided over the debacle. In Greece and Spain, it was center-left social democratic parties that were sent packing in recent elections, while in France, right-wing President Nicolas Sarkozy was ousted in favor of the Socialist Party.

But whichever mainstream parties European voters have chosen, the austerity agenda remains. From liberal to conservative, all these parties share a consensus of continued cuts in wages and social spending, differing only on how fast and deep the cuts should come. And if workers in Greece or Spain object, officials from the European Union, the European Central Bank and the IMF can demand that the cuts go through anyway–or else the debt-wracked countries will be cut off from the loans and financial assistance that have their financial systems from total collapse.

When it comes to democracy versus austerity, big capital insists that austerity wins–in every case.

That’s why U.S. politicians are using the so-called “fiscal cliff”–a January 1 deadline before higher taxes and across-the-board spending cuts go into effect–as an excuse for austerity, American-style. The message is that we better accept further spending reductions in exchange for a small increase in taxes on the rich–or risk the economic contraction that result from going over the cliff.

The message is the same, repeated in many languages around the world: “We hate to do this, but we have no choice.”

But behind the rhetoric about “shared sacrifice,” the real agenda in the U.S. and Europe is a deep and permanent cut in the standard of living for working people. Governments need to enable corporations to remain profitable while meeting the rising competition from China, Brazil and other industrializing countries. Cutting workers’ wages and benefits is no longer enough. The social wage–government spending on education, health care, retirement systems and more–must be slashed, too, in order to keep taxes low for business and the wealthy. …more