Israel Demands the return of Gilad Schalit

The media is being blamed for organizing a protest of ten thousand Israelis who marched across the country to Prime Minister Netanyahu's private residence against Gilad Schalit's imprisonment by Hamas - they set out two days after the fourth anniversary of his capture and Gilad's father promised he wouldn't go home without his son.

For weeks the local media portrayed the Schalit's family's trek as a re-enactment of Moses' journey to Pharaoh. Like Pharaoh, the media insinuates that Netanyahu is evil because he refuses to make a deal with Hamas to free the young soldier. This is bad news for Israel, Hamas must be loving it. Read the whole article here:

http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=179821

Australians Want Out of Afghanistan

Most Australians want us out of Afghanistan. It doesn't matter how old they are, how they vote or how much they earn. That's what Essential Research found last week in their poll. The trouble is both the Labor Government and the Opposition have both pledged support for Obama so we could be there for years and years.

Coalition deaths in Afghanistan by country are listed below as at 24th June 2010. Add to this list the hundreds of maimed and wounded soldiers who have already gone home.

USA: 1062

UK: 303

Canada: 147

Germany: 47

France 44

Denmar: 33

Spain: 26

Italy: 24

Netherlands 24

Poland: 18

Australia: 16

Romania: 15

Estonia: 7

Norway: 5

Sweden: 4

Czech

Republic 3

Latvia: 3

Hungary: 2

Portugal: 2

South Korea 2

Turkey 2

Belgium 1

Finland: 1

Jordan: 1

Lithuania: 1

TOTAL: 1,793

http://www.crikey.com.au/2010/06/22/the-steady-and-widespread-erosion-of-support-for-the-afghan-conflict/

Frustration mounts over BP oil spill

Nine weeks after the oil spill, there is more money in the little fishing town of Bayou La Batre today than there has been for many years. Oyster man Delane Seaman watches a procession of recreational boats coming into the town dock, each owner with a promise of a day's pay of $1400, and each mate $200, all courtesy of BP. The program called Vessels of Opportunity has been a lifeline for this small town of 2,300 people, the program paying several times more than they could make fishing. But for others like Mr Seaman and his brother whose oyster processing plant has been closed since May, it has been weeks of anger and frustration.

"These folks right here shouldn't be hired on" Mr Seaman said pointing to a group of sport-fishing boats from Florida. "We heard BP was going to be hiring the people directly affected by the oil spill but we can't get hired - they're hiring all these people instead who quit their jobs to come here. We've had our application in for two months."

Bayou La Batre has become a one-employer town. BP destroyed the livelihoods of many and is now, through their cleanup programs, the only source of employment.

The company is trying to hire more commercial fisherman and plans to cut the share of recreational boats but those who are not working say this still has not happened. There is a real fear that the money will run out, BP will declare bankruptcy or end the program. There are currently 915 vessels in the Alabama program, 262 of them working from Bayou La Batre.

Mayor Stanley Wright said he had repeatedly fought with BP to hire more local fishermen and got grants of $7.5 million and $1 million from the state's BP grant to put residents to work at about half the rate BP pays. This money however has run out. "How we got out of this without a murder, it's a miracle" he said.

For Delane Seaman there is the feeling that "BP took our life away" only to replace it with a form of dependency that he and his brother went into business to avoid. "All our lives we've made decisions for ourselves" he said. "Now BP is telling us what we can and can't do. You have no mediator. BP has the final yes or no because they're holding the purse strings."

Frustration levels are at breaking point. The tragic story of charter fishing captain Allen Kruse who shot himself, is still fresh in everyone's mind.

Iran set to break Gaza Blockade

It looks like there is more trouble ahead for Israel - big trouble. Iran said this week that it would send a blockade-busting ship carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists to Gaza. Commandos are training for another possible confrontation at sea. The ship is called "Infants of Gaza" and will set sail on Sunday carrying 1100 tons of supplies and 10 Pro-Palestinian activists. Israel warned Iran to drop the plan.

Iran made the announcement only days after Israel eased up on its blockade of Gaza after international condemnation to the deadly raid on the flotilla last month.

"No one in their right mind would believe that a ship sent by ayattolahs and their Revolutionary Guards has anything to do with "humanitarium aid" said Israel Foreign Ministry spokesman. "I don't think there is one single country in this region and beyond that would let such an ayotollah ship come near its coasts."

The Fall of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd

Powerbroken Mark Arbib specialises in the rise and fall of Labor politicians. He was there when Premier Bob Carr retired, was instrumental in the fall of Morris Iemma, Nathan Rees and Kim Beazley and now finally the demise of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.


So who is this co-called powerbroken Mark Arbib? He was born in the Sydney suburb of Chippendale in 1971. His father, Eric Arbib was of Libyan heritage and spoke Italian, moving to Australia in the 1960s and became a property developer. His mother Lola was born in Sydney and had to raise Mark and his brother after the death of their father when they were young. He has a Master of Arts in Political Science and Economic History from the University of NSW.


While studying, he worked part-time at a Sizzler restaurant in Bondi Junction. While working there, management made a move to remove penalty rates and he negotiated on behalf of the part-time workers and signed up members to the Liquor Trades Union. Later he worked as a metal trades assistant, beach inspector and restaurant cook but became increasingly involved in the trade union movement. In 1995, he was elected President of NSW Young Labor after joining the Party in 1992. He served as Assistant General Secretary from 1999 and was the ALP State Organiser between 1996 and 1999.


He has been a Labor member of the Australian Senate since July 2008, representing the state of NSW. He was the Australian Labor Party State Secretary of the NSW branch from 2004 to 2007. In February 2009 he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Government Service Delivery, a position within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. On 9 June 2009 he was sworn in as Minister for Employment Participation. He lives in Sydney with his wife and two daughters.

Another man involved in the Prime Minister's demise is Australian Workers Union Secretary Paul Howes. He appeared on "Lateline" on Tuesday night around 10.45 pm when he suddenly dropped a bombshell: "We have to look at what's is the best interests of our members of our union to ensure fairness remains in our member workplaces and we think that Julie Gillard is the best option to lead Labor to victory at the upcoming election". At 9.30 am the next morning, Kevin Rudd was out and Gillard was the new Prime Minister.

Paul Howes was born on 23 August 1981 and is the National Secretary of the Australian Workers Union. He entered politics while still at Blaxland High School in the Blue Mountains of Sydney, joining the far-left political groups Democratic Socialist Party and Resistance. He never finished high school, leaving in Year 9. However, by the age of 16, Howes departed from his flirtation with far-left politics and joined the Australian Labor Party.

Howes became a union official at the age of 17 when he was employed as a research officer by the Labor Council of NSW (now Unions NSW). He joined the Australian Workers Union as an official in NSW in 2002 and was later recruited to the National Office of the union. In 2005 he was elected as the union's National Vice President, becoming the youngest ever national official in the history of the union. As AWU National Secretary, Howes is a Director of AustralianSuper, one of the largest superannuation trusts in Australia.

Howes came to national attention as union spokesperson for the miners during the Beaconsfield Mine Disaster, one of the most watched television events in our history and naturally, there was much sympathy for the mining workers.

In December 2008, Howes was elected Vice President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions and in February 2009 he was re-elected unopposed for a four year term as AWU National Secretary. He lives in Sydney with his wife Lucy and three children.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard

Yesterday Julia Gillard was Kevin Rudd's Deputy and today she has his job. Only months away from a general election, the Labor Party decided they needed to dump Kevin Rudd if they hoped to win another term. Late last night we heard there were rumblings that something was going on in Canberra - pollies and the press were glued to their mobiles because the unthinkable was about to happen - there was an expected leadership spill. The lights in Parliament House in Canberra burnt brightly all through the night and by morning, the numbers had all been crunched and Julia had them all in the bag. Everyone knew what the outcome would be before she set foot in the Labor Caucus meeting scheduled for 9 am this morning and it took only 35 minutes for the party to decide her fate - she was elected unopposed and became our first female Prime Minister. The expected leadership battle didn't eventuate, Kevin Rudd acknowledged that the party's factional power brokers had lost faith in him and he decided not to stand.

"I'm well aware that I am the first woman to serve in this role but can I say to you, I didn't set out to crash my head on any glass ceilings" she added.

Gillard and her new deputy Wayne Swan, were swon into their offices by Australia's first woman Governor-General within hours of the ballot. Wayne Swan will keep his financial portfolio as treasurer and will fly to Canada on Friday for the G20 summit in Rudd's place. He was also elected unopposed.

At lunchtime, an emotional Rudd gave his final speech at Parliament House flanked by his wife and three adult children and said he thought that keeping Australia out of recession during the global financial crisis was one of his main achievement and also his decision to say "Sorry" to the stolen generation of indigenous Australians. He said he would contest the next election and continue to serve his party in any way he could.

Looking pale and emotionally drained, Kevin Rudd decided to attend the last sitting of Parliament this afternoon. The Leader of the Opposition Tony Abbott said it was unfortunate that a Prime Minister elected by the Australian people should have his term cut short in this way and a rare moment of goodwill swept through the chamber as all members agreed.

General Petraeus, new Afghanistan Commander

General Petraeus

Just as well America has lots of generals. General McChrystal only served for a year as top boss in Afghanistan, he replaced General David McKiernan who was fired by Defense Secretary Robert M Gates.

Because General McChrystal had direct control of Afghanistan at a critical time in the war, his sacking is seen as very significant. It's up there as the most high profile firing since President Harry Truman fired General Douglas MacArthur who was leading international forces in the Korean War.

In 2008, Admiral William Fallon was forced to resign as head of Central Command for comments he made in Esquire Magazine about the Bush administration's policies in the Middle East.

As the new Afghanistan Commander, General Petraeus has a hard road ahead of him because of the strict timeline laid out by the White House - their planned US troop reduction scheduled to begin in just over a year's time.

Edit 10/11/2012.  David Petraeus served as commander of the war in Afghanistan in 2010-1011 and was appointed CIA director in April 2011.  On Friday, he resigned.  Here is the full text of his letter:

HEADQUARTERS Central Intelligence Agency

9 November 2012

Yesterday afternoon, I went to the White House and asked the President to be allowed, for personal reasons, to resign from my position as D/CIA.  After being married for over 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair.  Such behavior is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organization such as ours.  This afternoon, the President graciously accepted my resignation.

As I depart Langley, I want you to know that it has been the greatest of privileges to have served with you, the officers of our Nation's Silent Service, a work force that is truly exceptional in every regard.  Indeed, you did extraordinary work on a host of critical missions during my time as director, and I am deeply grateful to you for that.

Teddy Roosevelt once observed that life's greatest gift is the opportunity to work hard at work worth doing.  I will always treasure my opportunity to have done that with you and I will always regret the circumstances that brought that work with you to an end.

Thank you for your extraordinary service to our country, and best wishes for continued success in the important endeavours that lie ahead for our country and our Agency.

With admiration and appreciation,

David H. Petraeus

This clever man had to go because infidelity leaves powerful people vulnerable and he was ripe for blackmail.  What an utter tragedy.

Israel's New Spy Satellite

Israel launched a new spy satellite on Tuesday to improve intelligence in the face of Iran's build up of nuclear arms. Called Ofek 9, the satellite was launched from the Palmahim air base along the Mediterranian coast.

"This provides Israel with greater operational flexibility, since we now have another set of eyes on a target", Chaim Eshed, director of MAFAT said. Israel failed to launch the Ofek 6 which fell into the sea in its third boost stage. Last week South Korea failed to launch their satellite and India also failed, so the launch is a great relief for Israel.

While it does not represent a significant technological breakthrough, it will carry a camera that's a bit more advanced than the one aboard the Ofek 7. Israel's last satellite TecSar, was launched from India in 2008 and can create high-resolution images using advanced technology enabling it to produce pictures in all weather conditions, even at night.

More Australian Troops die in Afghanistan

Along with the rest of the world, we are getting sick and tired of hearing about the deaths of our soldiers fighting in Afghanistan. The war has been going on now longer than WWI and WWII and it's about time we brought the troops home. So why did we commit to the war in the first place?

Australia's friends and allies share a lot of history together and we've got long memories. We owe a lot to America for their help in the Pacific during WWII. Japan planned to extend their Pacific control by setting up a base at Tulagi in the Solomons and they had every intention of taking Port Moresby. If America hadn't stepped in, we might all be speaking Japanese today. Thanks mates.

So just like the Vietnam fiasco, when America asked her friends to send troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, we readily obliged. (However, the British had more sense and stayed out of it.)

The real question here is whether you think the war in Afghanistan is justified. No it isn't. Should our troops die in this God forsaken part of the world for a reason we don't fully understand? No they shouldn't.

But here's the bottom line. I think the main reason we are fighting a war in Afghanistan is because, like so many other countries in the world, we are loathe to deny the greatest fighting machine in the world any request it makes of us. Why? Because we may need their help one day. Is that a pathetic reason? Probably, but we're stuck with it.

Mahmoud Abbas

Fafo, a Norwegian research company found that 72 per cent of Palestinians in both the West Bank and Gaza were in favour of peace negotiations with Israel, but stressed that a settlement freeze should be a pre-condition to talks. The poll also revealed a rise in Palestinian support for halting rocket attacks from Gaza against Israel rising from 53 per cent in favour of a halt in 2009 to 61 per cent in 2010. Most Palestinians who agreed to take the poll said they had more confidence in Mahmoud Abbas, than that of Hamas, and reveals that support of Hamas in Gaza was relatively lower than in 2008.

But here's the problem. It's the fourth anniversary of the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit. For four years, Hamas leaders have not allowed him to speak to his family and for four years Hamas has told Israel that if they release hundreds of their people, some of whom are known terrorists, they will set him free.


In October 2009, Schalit was shown in a video to be alive and in apparent good health, yet Israel has still not received any response from Hamas about bringing him home. That proposal, made by German and Egyptian mediators, was responded to positively by Israel in December 2009, but nothing has happened since.

So in the end, it appears to be down to Hamas for the lack of progress in securing a deal. Despite all the promises they made through third party negotiations, this young man's life still hangs precariously in the balance.

Warren Buffett - Philanthropist.

This interesting man Warren Buffett and Bill Gates have been talking to lots of wealthy people about the "Giving Pledge" which asks US billionaires to publicly commit half their wealth to charity.

Warren Edward Buffett is an American investor, industrialist and philanthropist. He is one of the most successful investors in the world. This man is a legend in his own lifetime and the primary shareholder, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He is currently the third richest man in the world.

Apparently he didn't get burnt in the global financial crisis, he saw it coming. He is known to be very frugal and lives in the same house in Omaha that he bought in 1958 for $31,500. In 1989, after spending nearly 10 million dollars on a private jet, Buffett named it "The Indefensible". Up to that point, he was very critical of CEO's extravagant purchases.

As the world seems to be suffering from negative news syndrome, it's heartening to find a good news story - millionaires giving away half their wealth to people around the world who desperately need it.

Dawn - saving the wildlife after the BP disaster

The International Bird Research Centre has been using Dawn dishwashing liquid for 32 years. They use 10 per cent Dawn concentrate in water to cut through the grease and it's gentle enough not to harm the animals' eyes and feathers. So far 557 birds are being cleaned and the makers, Procter and Gamble have sent 7,000 bottles so far. They donate $1 to saving wildlife for every bottle bought and registered online and are aiming on raising $500,000 by the end of June.

The effort has generated goodwill to the social networking media. The campaign's Face Book page has 240,041 fans as at June 14 and their Twitter feed has 1,000 followers.

But there's a catch to all this goodwill - Dawn is a petroleum-based product and critics say that by using it, they are creating even more demand for oil. The world is well and truly hooked on oil, it's in almost everything - will we ever find a substitute?

Jews for Justice

Published by Jews for Justice in the Middle East. They have produced this excellent resource which is available to people around the world.

The convention wisdom is that, even if both sides are at fault, the Palestinians are irrational "terrorists" who have no point of view worth listening to. Our position however, is that the Palestinians have a real grievance: their homeland for over a thousand years was taken, without their consent, and mostly by force, during the creation of the state of Israel. And all subsequent crimes - on both sides - inevitably follow from this injustice.

This paper outlines the history of Palestine to show how this process occurred and what a moral solution to the region's problems should consist of. If you care about the people of the Middle East, Jewish and Arab, you owe it to yourself to read this account of the other side of the historical record.

http://www.ifamericansknew.org/history/origin.html

Israel's Building Program

The building of those controversial housing units in Israel have just been given the "technical nod". When the plans were disclosed in March during a visit from Joe Biden, they sparked a bitter row with the US because they are over the "green line".

But despite Obama's strong opposition, the planning committee approved the proposal on Tuesday.

Israel sure is pushing the boundaries.

http://www.jpost.com/israel/article.aspx?id=178572

Russia's Drug Addiction

Russia is begging America to destroy the poppy fields in Afghanistan. The epidemic of heroin addiction in Russia threatens the very existence of the country. There are more than two million drug addicts in Russia today, that's about one addict to every 50 Russians of working age - a level eight times higher than in EU countries. Ninety per cent of the heroin comes from Afghanistan.

Russia's critics say that the government's policy on drugs is responsible for the worsening epidemic. The goal is not to help people suffering with addiction but to identify them and then punish them. No country in the world has ever been able to deal with its drug problems in this way. An addict who seeks medical help is immediately put on a state register and this information is available to police who can arrest them. They deliberately ignore the best available medical evidence and recommendation on how to treat drug addicts.

Methadone is banned in Russia and needle and syringe exchange points are regarded as highly controversial and drug users hide away from everyone, they worry that if they go and get clean needles and syringes, they will be arrested and sent to prison. This drives epidemics of hepatitis C and HIV/Aids and there are now more than one million people HIV positive.

So why is Afghanistan the biggest supplier of heroin in the world? "We don't trample on the livelihood of those we're trying to win over" is America's response, that is their reason why they guard the poppy crop. Surely something is going on here that we are not being told about, this goes against everything we believe in, it's immoral and disgusting.

Afghanistan's New Mineral Boon

Now they have discovered large veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and lithium, it should be good news for Afghanistan but it's not. It's going to take a long time to develop a serious mining industry. Their infrastructure is non existent, the road system is terrible and most of the minerals are in isolated places. Add to that the current lack of foreign investment in the country because of the continued fighting, and you get an idea of just how long it's going to take.

The US has invested heavily in the country and China and Russia are both eager to stake a claim for a share of the riches. There could also be a power struggle between the government in Kabul and the provincial and tribal leaders in the mineral rich areas. Then there is the problem of corruption - payoffs to warlords and government officials from the opium crop. These corrupt individuals would surely follow and be involved in any lucrative mining industry that might open up.

America is spending 100 million dollars in northern Afghanistan over the next twelve months. They intend to build roads, a power production system, electrical distribution system, water well production, water storage, water distribution, sanitary sewer collection system, communication manhole/duct system, curbs, walkways, drainage and parking. Construction is supposed to take one year at which time the US is allegedly supposed to begin winding down its forces and going home. It reminds me of what developers do before they release a new estate - I think they are getting ready to move in permanently.

I wonder what's really going on over there, I guess we'll never know.

Iceland's Gay Prime Minister

Iceland is the only country in the world to have an openly gay head of state. Joanna Sigurdardottir became Prime Minister in 2009 and on Friday, they passed a law allowing same sex partners to get married in a vote which met with absolutely no political resistance. The vote was 49 to 0 to change the wording of marriage legislation to include matrimony between "man and man" and "woman and woman" in addition to a union between men and women. Gay marriage is not a big issue in Iceland, nor is it controversial.

Iceland's Protestant church has yet to decide whether to allow same sex marriage is church. The law says Ministers will always be free to perform gay marriage ceremonies, but never obliged to.

In America, churches are waging a bitter war against gay marriage but the protestant countries of Sweden, Norway and Denmark have all endorsed same sex marriage. It's the rest of the world that's having difficulty coming to terms with it, including Australia and the UK. The Netherlands was the first country to legalise gay marriage in 2001.

Israel's Greatest Loss: Its Moral Imaginatiion

An interesting article on Haaretz.com this morning Monday 14th June 2010.

If a people who so recently experienced such unspeakable inhumanities cannot understand the injustice and suffering its territorial ambitions are inflicting, what hope is there for the rest of us?

By Henry Siegman

http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/israel-s-greatest-loss-its-moral-imagination-1.295600

Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan

Hamid Karzai is the President of Afghanistan and he's a man between a rock and a hard place. He has led his country since the 2001 fall of the Taliban. He used to be a White House favourite during the Bush Administration but recently his popularity has waned and he's suspected of making deals with warlords, tolerating drug smugglers and ignoring corruption. In April this year, he threatened to join the Taliban if the West didn't stop pressuring him.

Now Mr Karzai has lost faith in the Americans and NATO to prevail in Afghanistan and is keen to strike his own deal with the Taliban and Pakistan, the Taliban's longtime supporter. If this is true, it will surely be a change of heart for the President because he's spent the past nine years in office accusing the Pakistanis of supporting the Taliban.

People close to him say he began to lose confidence in the Americans last summer after President Obama announced that he would begin reducing troops by the summer of 2011. The Americans and NATO are sending thousands of additional troops into the country to supposedly weaken hard-core Taliban and force them to the bargaining table but it's not happening and he knows the Americans can't afford to stay there forever. He believes that a lot of Taliban have been wrongly detained and should be released, they don't know who the enemy is and they wrongly detain people. He's trying to build bridges with the Taliban and his brother Ahmed Wali Karzai has recently held secret meetings with its deputy commander.

After all the deaths and suffering of innocent civilians and soldiers from around the world, it looks like we will all pack up and go home. And for what?

The Problems of Race

London Crowd

How the world changes. Next year, white newborn babies will become a minority in the USA. According to census, non-white births, including Hispanics, made up 48 per cent born in America between July 2008 and 2009. Hard to believe there will be more minority births than whites of European ancestry. Even in the recession, minority birth rates were still quite high.

One of my favourite tv shows is the UK version of Donald Trump's 'The Apprentice' with Sir Alan Sugar. It's quite heartening to see so many young people of different colours and backgrounds making such a success of their life, that they are head hunted to appear on the show. But Britain also has its problems. The pressure of immigration and rising birth rates fuelled by the new arrivals is having an impact and in London, four in ten young people are members of ethnic minorities.

We are so lucky in Australia, we share no borders with anyone, and I feel sorry for the Americans and their border problems. The changing make-up of the population has caused deep resentment. It is now an offence in Arizona to be an illegal immigrant and police have the power to search anyone they suspect is not from the US. Among Hispanics, there were around nine births for one death compared to one-on-one ratio for whites. Add to that the fact that the median age of the white population is older than that of non-whites, so a larger share of miinority women are in prime child-bearing age.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1285856/White-newborn-set-minority-U-/s-year.html#ixzzz0qaejwcaZ

Iran - Latest Sanctions

Can the world stop this crazy man from causing World War Three? Yesterday, the UN imposed its toughest sanctions yet on Iran but it seems nothing can change the course Iran has set itself. China and Russia joined the majority vote of 12 in favour of the sanctions in the 15 nation council but Lebanon abstained and Brazil and Turkey voted against them. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said "The resolutions you issue are like a used hankerchief which should be thrown in the dustbin. They are not capable of hurting Iranians."


"Nothing will change, the Islamic Republic will continue uranium enrichment activities" said Ali Asghar Soltanieh, the Iranian envoy to the UN's nuclear watchdog after the vote.

The new sanctions will prohibit the sale of heavy weapons such as tanks, warplanes, attack helicopters and warships to Iran and allow inspection of planes and ships suspected of carrying banned cargoes. More importantly, the resolution will also freeze the assets of a further 41 Iranian companies including 15 controlled by the increasingly powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp.

Israel's Inquiry into Aid Flotilla

Israeli legal experts have scorned the proposed inquiry into last week's raid on the aid flotilla which killed nine people. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a marathon meeting with his inner cabinet and set the rules for the inquiry but he needs President Obama's permission first before he can make an announcement. He already knows that the President isn't happy about Israel's handling of the raid.

The inquiry's panel will have no power to compel witnesses to appear and there will be no interrogation of the soldiers or officers who took part in the raid, turning the whole thing into a farce. Professor Amnon Rubinstein was approached to be part of the inquiry but he poured scorn on it saying "There is coffee without caffeine and there is an investigative commitee without an investigation. When you don't investigate, it's not an investigative commitee. I think that only a legal investigative committee, according to the law with full powers, the exact opposite of what the Defence Minister wants, can help Israel." he said.

Other esteemed Israelis like Professor Yehezkel Dror and political analyst Boaz Okon have also branded the inquiry a whitewash.

The eyes of the world are watching Israel's every move.

The Creation of Israel

There is a theory that Israel was created by the United Nations out of pity for the Jewish people and their suffering experienced in the Second World War. You may agree or disagree.

In 1922, the League of Nations granted Britain a mandate over Palestine which called for the establishment of a Jewish homeland to encourage Jewish immigration and Jewish settlement on the land. Naturally, all hell broke loose.

The British decided they could no longer manage Palestine and handed the problem over to the United Nations. On the 29th November 1947, after much debate and discussion, the UN recommended the partition of Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab. The Jews accepted the resolution and the Arabs did not. And there you have it in a nutshell. Did the UN do the right thing and will we ever see a resolution to the problem?

Helen Thomas talks about Israel

The problems of the Israelis and the Palestinians are causing passionate feelings in people all around the world. Helen Thomas, the 89 year old "Dean of the White House Press Corp" has ended her brilliant career on a sour note. On 27th May 2010 outside a Jewish White House heritage event, Rabbi David Nesenoff asked if she had any comments on Israel and was shocked by her reply. She replied "Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine.... remember these people are occupied and it's their land. He asked "Where should they go to?" She replied "They should go home to Poland, Germany ..... America and everywhere else."

Cheryl Arvidson, a longtime friend of Thomas said she hopes the end of Thomas's career does not taint a long and important legacy. "Helen Thomas has been a strong advocate for women's rights and a trailblazer for women all of her life, she broke down every barrier imaginable in Washington journalism and won every 'first' that existed. And more importantly, she always was there to lend a helping hand to the women who followed her. My sincere hope is that this current controversy does not detract in any way from the amazing accomplishments in her long and rich career."

A columnist for Hearst Newspapers, Thomas has frequently been critical of Israel. She has apologised for her remarks and has announced her resignation.

BP boss Tony Hayward

The arrogance of BP boss Tony Hayward astounds me. He said there was no need for him to speak to President Obama about the oil spewing out into the Gulf of Mexico. He dismissed demands for his resignation and said they were finally making headway in plugging the leak.

He apologised for saying he 'wanted his life back' just weeks after the explosion that killed 11 workers. Asked in an interview if he considered resigning he said "It hasn't crossed my mind. It's clearly crossed other people's minds, but not mine."

He said that the mining industry had been exploring in deep water for over twenty years and it has not had to contend with an incident of this sort before. He admitted the company had been devastated by the disaster but said BP would survive and has the 'wherewithal to weather the storm and come back strongly.'

I think Tony Hayward will be held up as a future example of how not to handle a devastating oil spill. He badly needs a lesson in diplomacy and seems devoid of human feeling and compassion.

The Gaza Blockade

This is an excerpt from the New York Times Editorial dated 1st June 2010. They recognise the suffering of the people of Gaza and ask if the blockade is working.

There is a bigger question that Israel - and the United States - must be asking: is the blockade working? Is it weakening Hamas? Or just punishing Gaza's 1.4 million residents - and diverting attention away from abuses by Hamas, including its shelling of Israeli cities and its refusal to accept Israel's right to exist? At this point, it should be clear that the blockade is unjust and against Israel's long-term security.

The situation in Gaza is grim. Eight out of ten people depend on international aid agencies to survive. Basic foodstuffs are available but medical supplies and construction materials are severely lacking. The desperation could be seen on Tuesday when Egypt lifted the blockade and several thousand Garzans rushed the border but were later sent home after police officers said they did not know when the crossing would be opened.

On Tuesday, President Obama expressed his "deep regret" over the flotilla incident. He is doing Israel no favors with such a tepid response. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shown time and time again that he prefers bullying and confrontation over diplomacy. Washington needs to make clear to him just how dangerous and counter-productive that approach is.


Mr Obama needs to state clearly that the Israeli attack was unacceptable and back an impartial international investigation. The United states should also join the other permanent members of the United Nations Security Council - Britain, France, Russia and China - in urging Israel to permanently lift the blockade. That would lessen the suffering of the people of Gaza and it would give the United States more credibility as it presses both Israelis and the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas to negotiate a peace deal.

http://www.nytimes.com/2-1-/06/02/opinion/02wed1.html?scp=gaza%20blockade&st;=cse

Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico

Crosses erected this week on Grand Isle, Louisiana

What's more important, oil or the environment. Hard to decide? It shouldn't be, you can't sit on the fence on this one, you must take a side.

Now here's yet another problem for Obama - they want him to ease up on his drilling restrictions. He says his decision is necessary to give officials time to figure out what went wrong and how to prevent another disaster from happening. (Very logical)

But Senator David Vitter suggests instead of shutting down deep water drilling for six months which will affect 33 rigs in the gulf and ultimately result in up to 20,000 lost jobs (also very logical) the administration instead start an immediate and rigorous safety inspection campaign, while only shutting down those rigs that have problems that can't be addressed immediately.

So which way does Obama go? His daughter said "Daddy, please fix the oil leak" and the country wants the oil.

Would you be prepared to do without your car?

Was the Iraq War all about oil

When the Iraq war broke out, it was rumoured that it was 'all about oil'. In 2007 Alan Greenspan wrote a memoir called The Age of Turbulence: Adventures In a New World. In it he talks about the Iraq War. This article was published in the London Times on 16th Septenber 2007.

From Times Online

September 16, 2007

America's elder statesman of finance Alan Greenspan has shaken the White House by declaring that the prime motive for war in Iraq was oil.

In his long-awaited memoir to be published tomorrow, Greenspan, a Republican whose 18 year tenure as head of the US Federal Reserve was widely admired, will also deliver a stinging critique of President George W Bush's economic policies.

However, it is his view on the motive for the 2003 Iraq invasion that is likely to proide most controversy. "I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil" he said.

Greenspan 81 is understood to believe that Saddam Hussein posed a threat to the security of oil supplies in the Middle East. Britain and America have always insisted the war had nothing to do with oil. Bush said the aim was to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction and end Saddam's support for terrorism.

What does this mean to you, an Australian, whose government sent troops into Iraq without a second thought. And what does it mean to all the mothers around the world whose sons died there.

Sydney Journalist on aid boat to Gaza

So who is this 56 year old man Paul McGeough who works for the Sydney Morning Herald and what was he doing on one of the aid boats to Gaza? Well, first of all, his girlfriend is peace activist Nadia Itraish, a 49 year old Palestinian-American who lives in Virginia. She is passionate about the treatment of Palestinians and dreams of creating a Palestinian state. She works as a Director of mortgage company Freddie Mac and was educated at George Washington University. McGeough was once an editor of the Sydney Morning Herald and apart from being twice named Journalist of the Year, his work has been acknowledged by five Walkley awards.

McGeough has been a foreign correspondent for 20 years and written books about his experiences. His latest book Kill Khalid is about the bungled 1997 assassination attempt on Hamas leader Khalid Meshaal. It was at the American book launch that he met Ms Itraish. His book about the Hamas leader is popular and now the producer of Brokeback Mountain wants to turn it into a movie.

After his release yesterday, McGeough told his paper he believed the "appalling handling" of the Israeli commando raid demonstrated the need for journalists to witness such events, even if it meant putting himself in harm's way for his job.

The Gaza Blockade

Fruit and vegies on sale in Gaza

Trying to get information on the Gaza Strip on the internet isn't easy, there's conflicting information. I read that Israel, the US and and the EU have been responsible for allowing 1.5 million people, mostly women and children, to live in abject poverty, 65% of children under 18 aren't getting enough food, they can't afford to buy soap, the price of safe drinking water has tripled, in 2009 65% of babies 9-12 months were severely anaemic and none of the 3,425 homes destroyed by Israel have been rebuilt, displacing 20,000 people. Then I find a picture showing an abundance of fruit and vegies for sale in Gaza. Someone is telling porkies.


Then I discover an organisation called IHH, headed by Bulent Yildirim, organised the aid for Gaza flotilla, Intelligence agencies warn it's tied to Islamic terrorists. Only one of the six ships headed for Gaza met with resistance from Israel, it was the Mavi Marmara and Bulent Yildirim was on it. Knowing that a violent episode was about the happen, he held a one year old baby in his arms as he said "This is a message to Israel". He's been recruiting sympathetic people from around the world to sail with him to Gaza which explains why there were so many foreigners on board. Are the two Sydney Morning Herald employees sympathetic to the cause of Gaza or are they after a good story, only time will tell.


Israel has many friends and allies around the world. How much better would it be to ruin their reputation in the eyes of their friends, let them see just how cruel and ruthless they really are. If this was the strategy, it worked very well because nations around the world, including Australia, have all dumped on Israel and are asking for an independent enquiry into the debacle.


Taking the opposite point of view, the Israelis have murdered innocent people and it's clearly an outrage. Haneen Zoabi, an Arab-Israeli MP who was on board said that Israeli commandos let at least two of the wounded die of their injuries while they searched the ship for weapons and herded the passengers into rooms. As the only Hewbrew speaker, she tried to solicit help from the commandos "I made a sign in Hewbrew 'Please we have two very dangerous injuries. Please give us help" she said. But the soldiers ignored her. "They died in the coming half hour" she told the London Times.


We have no idea what really happened, all we have is a video clip. I believe the activists knew very well they would be stopped and searched for arms, it happens all the time, and it's logical to assume they were expecting a confrontation. On the video you can clearly see people wielding what appears to be wooden or metal poles, as the soldiers descend onto the ship.


Rightly or wrongly, Israel is suffering condemnation from the world and needs a miracle of biblical proportions. I guess now she'll find out who her true friends are.