Links from my del.icio.us account for February 11th through February 14th:
- Pre-empting the Satellite TV Revolution – Committee to Protect Journalists – On the Arab Interior Ministrers' agreement to control satellite TV stations.
- ei: Israel lurches into fascism – Ali Abunimah writes: "Lieberman, who previously served as deputy prime minister, has a long history of racist and violent incitement. Prior to Israel's recent attack, for example, he demanded Israel subject Palestinians to the brutal and indiscriminate violence Russia used in Chechyna. He also called for Arab Knesset members who met with officials from Hamas to be executed.
But it's too easy to make him the bogeyman. Israel's narrow political spectrum now consists at one end of the former "peace camp" that never halted the violent expropriation of Palestinian land for Jewish settlements and boasts with pride of the war crimes in Gaza, and at the other, a surging far-right whose "solutions" vary from apartheid to outright ethnic cleansing." - Hamas murder campaign in Gaza exposed | World news | guardian.co.uk – I'd like to read more detail about the kind of people Hamas went after in its murder-and-kneecapping campaign, especially an analysis of how credible the claims that the victims were IDF collaborators or whether they were just political opponents.
- U.S., EU indicate they prefer Kadima-Likud unity government in Israel – Haaretz – Israel News – Because a Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu coalition would just make their jobs explaining why the US still supports Israel more difficult?
- UK Muslim tells court he fabricated Islamist past | International | Reuters – The result of the British media paying for interviews with ex-jihadists: "Hassan Butt, 28, told Manchester Crown Court he had fed stories to the media and that his portrayal of himself as a terrorist planner who later renounced violence in order to fight Islamist extremism was a fabrication."
- Mauritania says it has closed its embassy in Israel – Haaretz – Israel News – About time.
- The American Conservative » Whither Zinni – Zinni overlooked for Iraqi ambassador job: "Zinni was rejected after Clinton came under pressure from some major supporters in New York State who told her that the appointment was unacceptable to Israel because Zinni is perceived as “hostile” to the Jewish state. Zinni has, indeed, been critical of Israel on a number of occasions. Another source in the intelligence community has told me that Zinni was perceived as bad for Israel’s security because Israel regards Iraq as a “front line state” in its confrontation with Iran. If Israel were to attack Iran it would need overflight approval over Iraq, something that Zinni would be unlikely to approve, possibly even submitting his resignation to stop such a development."
I would venture a guess that Mauritania’s decision to throw out Israel has a lot to do with the fact that the US apparently is turning a cold shoulder to the current ruling junta, which threw out the democratically elected Abdellahi last year. The fact that they’re just throwing out the embassy rather than cutting ties suggests that the junta is maybe trying to test the waters of their US relationship, to see if that’ll get Washington’s attention (and by attention I mean money). I don’t know that it signifies the junta’s moral outrage at the Gaza attacks or an effort to pressure Israel itself per se.
They probably are testing things, since the EU and US still won’t recognize the junta, and sending signals they can turn to others. The direct reason was probably that they thought it would please the Qataris, with whom they have a strong economic relationship and who have mediated on their behalf. It gave Qatar something to boast of at the Doha summit. But the junta has also been reaching out to the Chinese, just to say: we don’t necessarily need you.
Oh, even more complex than I knew of, good. Thanks for that insight!