This short movie shows the facts about those rebels who described by some as "freedom fighters". Libya is planed to be Iraq 2, but instead of saying WMD...this time its "protecting civilian".
Libya is for Libyan...and those who say Gaddafi most go...guess what?....most of Libyan want him to stay. After all he is definitely better than a new Karazai!
May 30, 2011
Is Obama above the law
The U.S. intervention in Libya's civil war, intervention that began with a surplus of confusion about capabilities and a shortage of candor about objectives, is now taking a toll on the rule of law. In a bipartisan cascade of hypocrisies, a liberal president, with the collaborative silence of most congressional conservatives, is traducing the War Powers Resolution.
NATO risks spilling own blood while mounting pressure on Gaddafi
NATO is stepping up its pressure on Colonel Gaddafi as Britain and France are ready to deploy strike helicopters into Libya. But it comes at the risk of suffering their first casualties after two months of one-way bunker buster bombing.
House to vote on Libya
An increasingly war-weary House will vote this week on legislation that would halt the U.S. military intervention in Libya. The vote comes just days after lawmakers nearly approved a measure to expedite the American withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Obama in violation of War Powers Act?
Several lawmakers, including Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Tequesta, testified before a House committee that President Obama is in violation of the War Powers Act for failing to get proper congressional approval to continue U.S. operations against Libya.
The War Powers Act, passed in 1973 over President Nixon's veto, allows presidents to use force in emergencies but supposedly requires them to seek and receive congressional approval within 60 days. It was intended to prevent open-ended escalations such as occurred in Vietnam.
African Union President Condemns NATO bombings on Libya
Nguema, who is also President of Equatorial Guinea, called for the organization of a peace-keeping force that sets up its scenario of operations between the forces of Libyan leader Muammar Gadaffi and his rivals from the National Transition Council, which is supported by NATO.
Qaddafi and Zuma Meet But Reach No Agreement
Talks between President Jacob Zuma of South Africa and Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi ended Monday with no sign of the breakthrough Libyan officials had said they hoped for ahead of the visit. The outcome appeared to leave the Tripoli government and its rebel foes still mired in the stalemate that has settled over the conflict, and NATO with the prospect of an extended campaign of airstrikes in its bid to topple the Libyan leader.
Gaddafi and Zuma begin talks amid fanfare
President Obama has shown himself to be weak in his dealings with the Middle East, says Robert Fisk, and the Arab world is turning its back with contempt. Its future will be shaped without American influence
Who cares in the Middle East what Obama says?
President Obama has shown himself to be weak in his dealings with the Middle East, says Robert Fisk, and the Arab world is turning its back with contempt. Its future will be shaped without American influence
Libya says 11 killed in NATO strikes south of Tripoli
The Libyan government said that 11 people were killed by NATO airstrikes Monday against civilian and military sites south of the capital Tripoli, a military source said.
Zuma Says NATO's Bombing Campaign in Libya Reminds Africans of Colonialism
South African President Jacob Zuma said the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's bombing of Libya and disregard for solutions to the conflict proposed by the African Union are reminiscent of colonialism. "It is a very strong view within AU members that Europe doesn't respect the AU," Zuma said in an interview with Johannesburg-based broadcaster SAFM. "I think that, in a sense, undermines the integrity of the African Union. This, in a sense, reminds them of colonialism."
Zuma in Libya, ANC condemns Nato bombing
President Jacob Zuma is in Tripoli for talks with Libya's increasingly beleaguered strongman Muammar Gaddafi. On the eve of the visit on Sunday, the ANC condemned Nato's aerial bombardment of military targets in Libya.
French lawyers to file lawsuit against Sarkozy over bombing in Libya
Former French Foreign Minister Roland Dumas and another French lawyer said Sunday they were planning to file a lawsuit against French President Nicolas Sarkozy for crimes against humanity in Libya, Xinhua reported.
Time to rethink Canadian involvement in ill-fated Libyan venture
During his visit last week to London, President Barack Obama took the opportunity to assert America's commitment to deposing Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. This came in the wake of stepped-up NATO airstrikes in Tripoli that had reportedly killed another 19 civilians inside Gadhafi's targeted presidential compound.
UN blasts 'shocking' Syria crackdown as toll rises
The United Nations on Monday condemned the "shocking" brutality of President Bashar al-Assad's regime, as activists said at least 15 people were killed in the latest crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.
May 29, 2011
'US dropped cluster bombs on Misratah'
A Human rights investigation in Libya has found that it was the US and its Western allies who cluster bombed the troubled city of Misratah back in April.
Libya rebels upbeat ahead of Kadhafi 'exit' talks
Libyan rebels applauded a G8 call for Moamer Kadhafi to go ahead of a visit on Monday by South Africa's president for talks that officials said will focus on an "exit strategy" for the strongman.
May 28, 2011
Gaddafi to be told to stand down or face Apache attack
If, as most pundits predict, tomorrow's peace mission to Tripoli by South African president Jacob Zuma fails, Nato will hit the Libyan leader harder than it has ever hit him before.
NATO "saving civilians" thru bombs
All talk about the "emergence" of India and China has stopped with the continuance of the ceaseless bombarding of Libyan cities by NATO. This alliance seems able to go into action only in situations where it faces very weak opposition. Against such weaklings, its soldiers, sailors and aircrew fight eagerly, conducting their missions with impunity, whether it be against the Serbians in the former Yugoslavia a decade ago or against the legally recognized regime in Libya, that made the mistake of surrendering its WMD capability peacefully in 2003, only to now face attempted decapitation. Each bomb dropped by NATO on Libya shows up the weakness of China and India, both of which have been forced to watch this attack on a defenseless country in silence.
African Leaders Urge Nato to Stop Airstrikes
The Africa Union (AU) security summit ended today in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, calling for an outright end to NATO-led air strikes on Libya.
African leaders back Gaddafi, ask Nato to end bombings
African Presidents have asked allied forces to halt intensified bombings in Tripoli, called for an immediate ceasefire between government and rebel forces and decided Col. Muammar Gaddafi stays in power as negotiations get underway.
NATO's Attack On Libya Is an Attack On Africa
African leaders don't know a potential history changing moment even when it's dangling in front of their eyes---Libya. If African leaders were able to rally and repudiate NATO's merciless and destructive bombardment of Libya and forcing it to halt, so that the African Union (AU) peace plan can be implimented it would represent the greatest victory in the history of the entire continent against Western military incursion.
Rebels sought Zuma-Gadafy meeting, report says
SOUTH AFRICAN president Jacob Zuma's meeting with Col Muammar Gadafy next week was prompted by a request from Libyan rebels who want the country's long-standing leader to agree to a ceasefire, a South African newspaper reported yesterday.
NATO governments running out of options in Libya
Gadhafi has been playing by the rules for the last five years, renouncing terrorism and dismantling his fantasy "nuclear weapons programme". He has been exporting all the oil he could pump. He wasn't threatening western interests, and yet NATO embarked on a military campaign that it knew was likely to end in tears in order to stop him.
May 27, 2011
Africa demands fall on deaf ears amid NATO bombardment on Libya
As African leaders recently demanded from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia that NATO stop its bombardment on Libya, the West disregarded the call and was in fact intensifying its war against Muammar Gaddafi.
House to vote next week on ending U.S. involvement in Libya
The already-contentious congressional debate over the U.S. intervention in Libya is about to get even more heated. The House will vote next week on a measure calling on President Obama to end U.S. military involvement in Libya, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's (R-Va.) office announced Friday evening.
Flashback:Obama: U.S. Involvement in Libya Action Would Last 'Days, Not Weeks'
President Obama told a bipartisan group of members of Congress today that he expects the U.S. would be actively involved in any military action against Libya for "days, not weeks," after which he said the U.S. would take more of a supporting role, sources tell ABC News.
US rejects Qaddafi ceasefire offer as 'not credible'
Forces loyal to the Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Qaddafi bombarded the rebel-held city of Misurata with mortars yesterday, as the United States said a fresh ceasefire offer from the Libyan leader's government was not credible.
In Shift, Russia Agrees to Try to Talk Qaddafi Into Leaving
President Dmitri A. Medvedev on Friday offered to leverage Russia's relationships in Libya to try to persuade Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi to leave power, an act of long-shot diplomacy that for the first time casts Russia as a central player in events unfolding in North Africa.
AU leaders seek end to Nato strikes in Libya
African leaders on Thursday called for an end to Nato airstrikes on Libya to pave the way for a political solution to the conflict. The leaders made the call after a summit dedicated to Libya held at the African Union headquarters here.
Nato rejects Libya offer
TRIPOLI: Libya's prime minister on Thursday said the government had asked the United Nations and African Union to prepare and monitor a ceasefire, but ruled out the departure of strongman Muammar Qadhafi.
Palestinian state bid faces US veto at UN Security Council
The Palestinians cannot circumvent the UN Security Council to avoid a likely US veto if they try to join the United Nations as a sovereign state later this year, a top UN official said on Friday. But the official made clear a US veto would not put the issue of Palestinian statehood and UN membership to rest.
May 26, 2011
The Libyan war that should not have been
The West's war against Libya has overstepped its bounds. It was billed as a military action aimed at protecting civilians. But it has evolved into a bombing campaign that threatens the very civilians it claims to support.
African Leaders Urge Nato to Stop Airstrikes
The Africa Union (AU) security summit ended today in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, calling for an outright end to NATO-led air strikes on Libya.
Libya effort is called violation of war act
WASHINGTON — Several lawmakers from both parties on Wednesday accused President Obama of violating the War Powers Resolution by continuing American participation in NATO's air war in Libya without Congressional authorization, but they struggled with the question of what Congress can or should do about it.
Gaddafi makes new ceasefire offer
The government of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has contacted foreign states offering an immediate ceasefire, but there was scepticism that the proposal could end the three-month-old conflict.
Russian opposition to Libya campaign causes G-8 rift
Russian resistance to the NATO-led bombing campaign in Libya caused a rift at talks among world powers Thursday, France's president said, highlighting the difficulty in making sure Arab uprisings have peaceful endings.
Flashback:Obama: U.S. Involvement in Libya Action Would Last 'Days, Not Weeks'
President Obama told a bipartisan group of members of Congress today that he expects the U.S. would be actively involved in any military action against Libya for "days, not weeks," after which he said the U.S. would take more of a supporting role, sources tell ABC News.
As Goal Shifts in Libya, Time Constrains NATO
President Obama has subtly shifted Washington's public explanation of its goals in Libya, declaring now that he wants to assure the Libyan people are "finally free of 40 years of tyranny" at the hands of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, after first stating he wanted to protect civilians from massacres.
Lawmakers bar US ground troops from Libya
The US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Thursday to bar US forces and private contractors from operating on the ground in Libya, where rebels are fighting to oust Moamer Kadhafi.
Welcome to the Violent World of Mr. Hopey Changey
As Barack Obama continues his ludicrously overhyped European tour, media gloss cannot disguise the renewed imperial ambition of Libya's western aggressors.
Ass-Backwards in the Middle East The Myths That Underpin the Failure of American Policy in the Middle East Tuches aufn tish: Buttocks on the table. That's the colorful way my Yiddish-speaking ancestors said, "Let's cut the BS and talk about honest truth." It seems like a particularly apt expression after a week watching the shadow-boxing between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that brought no tangible progress toward an Israeli-Palestinian peace.
African Union endorses roadmap for peace and security in Libya
Heads of State at the African Union (AU) Extraordinary Summit, on Thursday endorsed a roadmap for peace and Security to ensure perpetual unity in Libya and other countries experiencing political skirmishes.
May 25, 2011
US conflicting statements can't mask imperialist aims in Libya
US president Barack Obama delivered a much anticipated foreign policy address related to developments in the Middle East on May 19. The speech, which avoided the major issues related to the uprising in North Africa, the Palestinian question and the US/Nato war against Libya, created even more hostility toward his administration domestically and internationally.
Lebanon's Hezbollah says most Syrians back Assad
Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Wednesday most Syrians still backed President Bashar al-Assad and the removal of his regime on the back of mass unrest would serve U.S. and Israeli interests.
Russia condemns NATO strikes on Libya
Russia's Foreign Ministry has slammed NATO's recent fatal airstrikes on Libya, calling the raids on the capital of Tripoli a violation of the UN Security Council resolutions.
Africans urge Libya political solution
African leaders on Wednesday urged a political solution to the long-running Libyan conflict as they opened talks in the Ethiopian capital over the troubled north African state.
India supports African Union stand on Libya crisis
India, which is expected to formally align itself with the mood in Africa against Western intervention in Libya, on Tuesday said the "decisions relating to Africa should be left to the Africans".
Libyan assets held by leading global banks
Some of the biggest and best-known financial institutions in the world held billions of dollars of Libyan state funds, a leaked report has revealed.
Bad News From The BBC - Part 1: 'Replete With Imbalance And Distortion'
One of the main headlines on the BBC news homepage earlier this month read, 'Violence erupts at Israel borders'. Israeli soldiers had shot dead at least 12 protesters and injured dozens more. BBC 'impartiality' decreed that the brutal killings were presented almost as an act of nature, a volcanic eruption that simply happened.
India, Africa call for end to Libya bombing
ADDIS ABABA: Amid growing regional and international concerns about the conflict in Libya, where NATO has intensified its bombing campaign in recent days, India joined Africa in calling for an immediate ceasefire and for a negotiated end to the violence there.
Libya: Col Gaddafi's oil minister 'did not flee'
Top Libyan oil official Shokri Ghanem has not defected, contrary to widespread reports, and is secretly working for Col Muammar Gaddafi to maintain ties with big oil companies, sources at western firms said.
Libya could be bone of contention for Obama, allies
President Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron professed unity Tuesday on a range of pressing national security issues, but the war in Libya may create friction among friends.
Obama: No 'Let Up' Against Libya's Gadhafi
President Barack Obama says there will be no "let up" in the pressure that the U.S.-backed NATO coalition is applying to drive Moammar Gadhafi from power in Libya.
19 killed as fresh air strikes hit Tripoli late on Tuesday
NATO has carried out its heaviest air strikes against Libya's capital Tripoli on Tuesday in more than two months of bombing, amid upbeat comments from France and the United States on overthrowing Muammar Gaddafi's rule, reported Reuters.
Netanyahu Conditions Denounced as 'War' by Palestinians
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu laid out what he called his vision for peace with the Palestinians Tuesday, but listed a set of conditions the Palestinians immediately called "a declaration of war."
Syria — What's behind the protests?
People in the U.S. and around the world have broad sympathy for the popular demonstrations taking place in the Middle East. All the uprisings, however, are not necessarily the same.
Civil war looms as big blasts rock Yemeni capital of Sana'a where heavy fighting near ministries leave the airport closed.
US orders nonessential diplomats to leave Yemen
The State Department on Wednesday ordered nonessential U.S. diplomats to depart Yemen and urged all Americans there to leave as security conditions deteriorated with the country's embattled leader refusing to step down.
Yemeni president adamant he 'will not leave power'
Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh has issued messages of defiance, saying he will not step down or allow the country to become a "failed state", as clashes continued in the heart of the capital for a third day.
Rebels rob Libyan bank
In the days after Libya's rebels rose up against Moammar Gadhafi, they faced a vexing challenge: How do you pay for a revolution?
At least 3 killed in NATO raid, says Libya
The Libyan Government says at least three people have died and 150 were injured in the latest NATO airstrikes to hit the capital, Tripoli.
Stop U.S. bombing of Libya!
The bombing of Libya, which began on March 19, has aroused world opposition to this new aggression by the U.S. and European imperialist powers.
NATO pounds Libya capital
Loud explosions rocked Tripoli yesterday as NATO unleashed its heaviest blitz yet of the capital in a bid to speed up the ouster of Libyan leader Muammar Gadaffi while rebels gained ground diplomatically.
Lying About Libya?
President Barack Obama has gone to war in Libya without requesting a declaration of war from Congress. But he said he would abide by the War Powers Resolution. However, his 60 day grace period for bombing ended on Friday.
Dispatch From Tripoli: NATO's Feast of Blood
While serving on the House International Relations Committee from 1993 to 2003, it became clear to me that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was an anachronism. Founded in 1945 at the end of World War II, NATO was founded by the United States in response to the Soviet Union's survival as a Communist state. NATO was the U.S. insurance policy that capitalist ownership and domination of European, Asian, and African economies would continue. This also would ensure the survival of the then-extant global apartheid.
US calls for Kadhafi to leave Libya
Washington urged Moamer Kadhafi to leave Libya as its most senior envoy to date held talks in the rebel capital Monday and the West decided to send strike helicopters into the battle against his regime.
At least 3 killed in NATO strikes in Tripoli
At least three people were killed with some 150 others injured in NATO airstrikes in Tripoli early Tuesday near the area around leader Moamer Gadhafi's Bab al-Aziziya residence, local TV reported.
Senators Kerry, McCain Push Resolution to Support Libya War
A "bipartisan" resolution was introduced by Senators John Kerry (D — MA) and John McCain (D — AZ), the two most recent failed presidential candidates, to express non-specific Senatorial "support" for the war in Libya.
France, Britain to deploy helicopters to Libya
France and Britain are deploying attack helicopters to strike Moamer Kadhafi's forces, top French ministers said Monday, in a shift in tactics two months into NATO's air war in Libya.
US invites Libyan rebels to open office in DC
NATO launched its most intense bombardment yet against Moammar Gadhafi's stronghold of Tripoli Tuesday, while a senior U.S. diplomat said President Barack Obama has invited the Libyan rebels' National Transitional Council to open an office in Washington D.C.
Libya: British attack helicopters to be deployed
British attack helicopters will be deployed in Libya within days in a significant expansion of the military mission against Muammar Gaddafi's forces.
Lies On Top Of Lies, and Congress Was Buying
How to process the rapturous response by the U.S. Congress to a speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that was "lies on top of lies and illusions heaped on illusions," in the words of Ha'aretz' aghast Gideon Levy. The only voice speaking truth that day was an activist who got beat up by Israel's righteous supporters. U.S. money is hard at work. But others are too.
Palestinians: Netanyahu peace outline unacceptable
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's parameters for a peace deal, outlined in a speech to the U.S. Congress on Tuesday, fell far short of what is needed to resume negotiations, Palestinian officials said.
Netanyahu Speech Pleases Congress, Virtually No One Else
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today delivered a major policy speech to the US Congress. It is about the easiest audience in the world for an Israeli official, and virtually each statement of policy of slogan he barked from the podium was met with a standing ovation by the assembled Congressmen.
Netanyahu in Congress: Jerusalem Must Remain Undivided
Israel is the only country that has guaranteed freedom of all faiths in Jerusalem, which must remain undivided, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told Congress Tuesday. In unusually strong language, he told members of Congress that Judea and Samaria are part of the ancient Jewish homeland that our forefathers walked in and that the 650,000 Jews living there "are not 'occupying' the region." He strongly criticized the changed versions of history that are being promoted by others.
To Friendly Crowd, Netanyahu Repeats Criteria for Peace
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu capped off a turbulent visit to Washington on Tuesday with a speech to a more sympathetic audience in Congress than he found at the White House, promising peace negotiations aimed at "a far-reaching compromise" with the Palestinians but setting several significant limits on what Israel would accept.
US Politicians Kowtow to a Foreign Leader
When the President of the United States reiterated longstanding American policy in the Middle East — that the borders of Israel and a Palestinian state must be based on the 1967 borders, give or take a few land swaps here and there — was he really "not surprised," as he claimed in his speech to AIPAC a few days later, by the ensuing uproar? That's what he says, but the reality is harder to discern: after all, this was the premise behind George W. Bush's — and, before him, Bill Clinton's — public statements on the issue, and the President had every reason to believe this time would be no different.
AIPAC Chief Warns Obama: Don't Be Even-Handed With Palestinians
Speaking one day after President Barack Obama's address to their national conference, AIPAC Executive Director Howard Kohr warned the president against treating both Israel and the Palestinians "even-handedly."
Yemen Officials: 38 Killed in Capital Fighting
Fighters from Yemen's powerful tribes fired on government buildings Tuesday, prompting soldiers to respond with intense shelling in street battles that left at least 38 dead as the uprising against President Ali Abdullah Saleh threatened to become a militia-led revolt.
CNN: McKinney blasts U.S. on Libya TV
Former Georgia congresswoman Cynthia McKinney went on Libyan state TV over the weekend to condemn U.S. policy in the region, CNN reported.
Netanyahu and the one-state solution
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address US legislators on Tuesday. He will, no doubt, tell members of Congress that he supports a two-state solution, but his support will be predicated on four negative principles: no to Israel's full withdrawal to the 1967 borders; no to the division of Jerusalem; no to the right of return for Palestinian refugees; and no to a Palestinian military presence in the new state.
Israeli right mocks Obama's rapid submission to Netanyahu
Jewish settler leaders were moved to express their satisfaction with Barack Obama's Middle East speech at the AIPAC annual conference, going as far as inviting the US president to join the leadership of their association.
The President Goes AIPACing
President Obama addressed the Zionist lobby AIPAC on 22 May 2011, just four days after his major televised 19 May address on the Middle East. In that earlier speech he paid attention to the popular uprisings going on in the region and placed himself, at least rhetorically, on the side of those seeking democratic reform. But then, in typical diplomatic fashion, he gave no indication that his administration would do anything forceful to prevent the current violent suppression of democratic protesters in those places where, we might assume, the U.S. has influence, like Bahrain, Jordan and Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
Complex But Clear US Foreign Policies
I've heard Congress people and others say repeatedly that the U.S. has no real or clear foreign policy for the Middle East. I think the U.S. has a clear but complex and changing, general policy in the Middle East which we can infer from U.S. actions, but Obama et al. keep using short run tactics and proclamations to deceive the various major powers there and the American people.
Obama: US Support for Israel 'Ironclad'
US president rejects Palestinian moves to seek statehood through United Nations in speech to American pro-Israel lobby.
Syria's Assad hit by EU sanctions
President and other senior officials added to list of those banned from travelling to EU and subject to asset freezes.
Gunbattle kills six after Yemen leader refuses to go
Six people died in clashes in Sanaa between police and backers of a powerful opposition tribal chief on Monday, tribal sources and state media said, as tensions rose after Yemen's president refused to step down.
May 22, 2011
Moroccan police beat up protesters
Police in Morocco have violently dispersed protesters who defied a ban on demonstrations, beating them up with batons and taking several into custody.
How Bahrain is oppressing its Shia majority
Six years ago, Bahrain's parliament gave me a standing ovation. This month, the Bahraini government barred me from entering the tiny kingdom which sits off Saudi Arabia's coast and hosts the US Navy's Fifth Fleet. While this fall from grace might seem extreme, it is easy to explain.
Obama and the Israel Lobby
This week's hysterical, reality-deprived reaction to President Obama's pronouncements on the Israel/Palestine conflict genuinely provoked laughter on several occasions.
Israel Harms Palestinians (And Itself): My Political Rupture With AIPAC
My concern for the Israeli-Arab conflict is a personal one. I was raised in a Jewish neighborhood -- three synagogues within three blocks of our home in Springfield, Mass. -- which sensitized me to Jewish culture and history. As a young student of world affairs, I closely followed the history of the Holocaust and Israel's birth in Palestine.
Obama seeks to soothe Israel on Mideast vision
President Barack Obama on Sunday sought to soothe Israeli fury over his new Middle East peace proposals by making clear that the Jewish state would likely be able to keep some settlements in any final deal with the Palestinians.
May 21, 2011
Stop the Attack On Libya Now!: IAC Statement
U.S. and French cruise missiles and bombs are raining down on the African state of Libya. This is not a "humanitarian' intervention. U.S.-backed regimes in Yemen, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are murdering protesters in the streets today.
Eleven killed as Syrian funeral becomes protest
Syrian security forces shot dead 11 mourners in the central city of Homs on Saturday at a mass funeral for people killed in the latest crackdown on protests against President Bashar al-Assad, a rights campaigner said.
Yemen's Saleh says Gulf-brokered deal is a "coup"
Sana'a — Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh described a Gulf-brokered deal he was expected to sign later on Saturday as a 'coup' dictated by foreign agendas.
NATO pounds pro-Gadhafi forces' command centers amid criticism of overstepping mandate
NATO widened its campaign to weaken Moammar Gadhafi's regime with airstrikes on desert command centers and sea patrols to intercept ships, the military alliance said Saturday, amid signs of growing public anger over fuel shortages in government-held territory.
Palestinians more skeptical about Mideast talks
Palestinian officials said Saturday that Israel's dismissive response to President Barack Obama's new Mideast peace proposal proves there's not enough common ground for meaningful negotiations.
House lawmakers push back against Obama's stand on 1967 borders
A growing number of House lawmakers are pushing back against President Obama's recent call to base Israeli-Palestinian peace talks on pre-1967 borders. Echoing the concerns of Israeli leaders, the critics maintain that reverting to those boundaries — which existed prior to the Six Day War of 1967 — would endanger Israel and empower its enemies.
Israeli rebuke of Obama exposes divide on Mideast
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bluntly told President Barack Obama on Friday his vision of how to achieve Middle East peace was unrealistic, exposing a deep divide that could doom any U.S. bid to revive peace talks.
Jewistan: Finally Recognizing Israel as the Jewish State
Israel's Likudnik Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reached into his bag of Zionist tricks and pulled out a brand-new demand that had never surfaced before in the history of the Middle East Peace Process going all the way back to their beginning with the negotiation of the original Camp David Accords conducted under the personal auspices of U.S. President Jimmy Carter in 1978: The Palestinians must recognize Israel as "the Jewish State." Not surprisingly, the Zionist controlled and funded Obama administration publicly endorsed this latest roadblock to peace that was maliciously constructed by Israel.
Bahrain: Will Obama's Speech Help the Reformists?
For weeks, Bahrain's Shi'ite-dominated opposition movement felt it had been suffering in a bubble. The occasional condemnation of the Sunni monarchy's repression would emerge from Washington, but little else. But as the regime began razing more Shi'ite mosques (more than 30 in the past three months), thundering words of support came from the very top of the American government.
Lawmakers largely silent on war powers authority in Libya
U.S. operations in Libya hit the 60-day mark Friday, but Congress has grown largely silent on the administration's unilateral intervention into the war-torn North African nation.
Obama Should Follow His Own Advice on the 'Moral Force' of Non-Violence
Given that President Obama daily authorizes the firing of hellfire missiles and the dropping of cluster bombs in places such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen, it was awful odd seeing him wax eloquent this week about the "moral force of non-violence" in places like Egypt and Tunisia. But there he was, the commander-in-chief of the largest empire in history, praising the power of peaceful protest in countries with repressive leaders backed by his own administration.
Robert Fisk reacts to US President Barack Obama's May 19 speech on the Middle East, North Africa, and discusses 1967 Israel/Palestine borders with Tony Harris from Al Jazeera's headquarters in Doha.
Russia steps up criticism of NATO Libya campaign
Russia stepped up its criticism of the NATO-led air operation in Libya on Friday, calling for increased United Nations and African Union peace-making efforts to stem the violence.
Libya Offers To Pull Troops From Cities
The government of Col. Moammar Gadhafi will pull its forces out of Libyan cities if NATO ends airstrikes and rebels also pull back, a spokesman said Thursday.
"Bomb Everything in Libya": Pirates of the Mediterranean 'Up the ante'
All things being equal, which undoubtedly they are not, and surely that's point, the long overdue arrival of a truly socialized, globalized planet would have been able to tackle the mess capitalism has made of things. After all, our disasters are now planetary in scale and thus can now only be handled by the planet as a whole. That means all of us, not just a privileged few.
Netanyahu Rejects Obama's 1967 Border Proposal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in front of President Obama and the media, explicitly rejected the president's call for a Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders.
Israel's Netanyahu rejects Obama proposal on borders
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday bluntly rejected President Barack Obama's vision for the borders of a future Palestinian state, opening up one of the deepest divides in years between Washington and the Jewish state.
Disputes 'between friends': Obama, Netanyahu at WH
Indicating no progress toward peace, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sat alongside President Barack Obama on Friday and declared that Israel would not withdraw to 1967 borders to help make way for an adjacent Palestinian state. Obama had called on Israel to be willing to do just that a day earlier.
Democracy NOW! DN! Global news and politics with Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez - In a major speech on the U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and on the Arab Spring, President Obama said a Palestinian state must be based on the 1967 borders, the first time a U.S. president has explicitly taken this position.
New govt. would recognise Palestinian state
Denmark will be one of the states that is prepared to recognise Palestinian statehood if the opposition Social Democrats, Socialist People's Party and Social Liberals wins this year's election, according to Berlingske.
Obama says Gaddafi's departure from Libya inevitable
President Barack Obama said on Thursday it was inevitable Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi would have to leave power and only then could a democratic transition in the North African state proceed.
NATO Warplanes Attack Libyan Ships in 3 Ports
NATO warplanes attacked eight Libyan ships on Thursday night in three coastal locations, including the port of Tripoli, expanding the air campaign against what allied officials said was an increasing seaborne threat from Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi's forces.
Israel Announces Major Settlement Expansion in East Jerusalem
Within hours of President Obama's speech giving lip-service to the notion of a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, Israel's Interior Ministry held a vote approving a massive expansion of two settlements within occupied East Jerusalem.
Obama's Middle East Speech Reflects Tension Between Words and Actions
Obama's speech on the Arab uprising was delayed, apparently because of late rewrites. And I think that's apparent in the text, which is a real tightrope. There's a tension to fit all of the past and present actions of the United States in that part of the world under one coherent theme.
Obama granted Netanyahu a major diplomatic victory
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can feel satisfied while flying to Washington Thursday night. U.S. President Barack Obama has granted Netanyahu a major diplomatic victory.
Republican senators press president on War Powers deadline
As the U.S. military campaign in Libya approaches the 60-day mark this Friday, six Republican senators wrote President Obama asking if he will comply with the War Powers Act, which says Congress must authorize action that lasts more than 60 days.
Tripoli demonstration backs Gaddafi
Muammar Gaddafi loyalists staged a show of support in the Libyan capital today, claiming the rebel insurgency is nearing its end.
The illegal war in Libya
When President Obama ordered the U.S. military to wage war in Libya without Congressional approval (even though, to use his words, it did "not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation"), the administration and its defenders claimed he had legal authority to do so for two reasons: (1) the War Powers Resolution of 1973 (WPR) authorizes the President to wage war for 60 days without Congress, and (2) the "time-limited, well defined and discrete" nature of the mission meant that it was not really a "war" under the Constitution (Deputy NSA Adviser Ben Rhodes and the Obama OLC). Those claims were specious from the start, but are unquestionably inapplicable now.
Tunisia denies Gadhafi wife, daughter in country
Pan-Arab television channels quote the Tunisian Interior Ministry as denying that the wife and daughter of Muammar Gadhafi crossed into Tunisia several days ago.
An Israeli military base in Libya near the border with Algeria
According to a document written in Hebrew, an agreement has been signed between Israel and the National Transitional Council (CNT) in Benghazi, Libya, concerning the creation of a Zionist military base in the Jebel Akhdar region, for a period of thirty years in case they come to power.
Obama says Palestine must be based in 1967 borders
President Barack Obama is endorsing the Palestinians' demand for their future state to be based on the borders that existed before the 1967 Middle East war, in a move that will likely infuriate Israel. Israel says the borders of a Palestinian state have to be determined through negotiations.
Right wing MKs: Obama is the new Arafat
Danon, Ben-Ari outraged by US president's call for creation of Palestinian state on '67 lines; Livni says plan in Israel's interests.
Syrian Source: Sanctions Serve Israel
A senior Syrian official told Syrian state television on Thursday that United States sanctions against President Bashar Al-Assad and senior members of his regime were, essentially, aimed at the Syrian people and serve the interest of Israel.
Former Netanyahu aide leaked secret nuclear project with U.S.
PM leaves for Washington in shadow of two diplomatic crises — one with the United States that revolves around Netanyahu's former national security adviser Uzi Arad, the other with Russia.
Saying No to Permanent Global War
The House is expected to vote soon on a bill that hands over to the President Congress' constitutional authority to declare and authorize war, substantially altering the delicate balance of powers that the Founding Fathers envisioned.
May 18, 2011
US senators challenge Obama on Libya
In a challenge to President Barack Obama's handling of the conflict in Libya, a group of US senators accused him Wednesday of violating a 1973 law aimed at curtailing the White House's war powers.
15 Syrian army personnel killed in clashes: paper
The death toll of Syrian army members and security forces killed in clashes with "armed terrorist gangs" in the towns of Tal Kalakh and Daraahas has risen to 15, the state-run al-Baath daily reported Wednesday.
Libya: enough is enough
I have recently returned from a visit to Tripoli and western Libya. As a parliamentarian I am concerned about conflict wherever and whenever it appears. There are many tragedies in an armed conflict, including suffering of civilians, particularly women and children and the elderly.
NATO's PR Firm: Washington Branch
The NATO bombing mission in Libya is so obviously about bringing another oil-rich country under Western domination that in attempting to cover up its true aim the mainstream media simply clarify the alliance's objectives.
After 2 Months, No End in Sight to Libyan Air Campaign
On March 19, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's army had quashed weeks of anti-government protests and was poised for an all-out assault on Benghazi, the opposition's stronghold, when the U.N. Security Council authorized coalition forces to step in and protect civilians.
In Libya, Sleep-Walking Their Way To Day 60
On Friday it will be 60 days since Obama announced "a limited military action (to) protect Libyan civilians" — thus marking the end of its supposed legality under the War Powers Act. Despite the apparent lack of any progress there, the former lawyer has made no move to end or make legal his action.
May 17, 2011
France says gaining support for U.N. Syria resolution
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said on Tuesday France and Britain were close to getting nine votes for a resolution on Syria at the U.N. Security Council, but Russia and China were still threatening to use their veto.
Seven killed in Libya clashes
Seven people were killed today in Misrata during clashes between rebels and Libyan forces loyal to leader Muammar Gadafy, a doctor at a hospital in the rebel-held Libyan city said.
Israel and Palestine: Here comes your non-violent resistance
FOR many years now, we've heard American commentators bemoan the violence of the Palestinian national movement. If only Palestinians had learned the lessons of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, we hear, they'd have had their state long ago. Surely no Israeli government would have violently suppressed a non-violent Palestinian movement of national liberation seeking only the universally recognised right of self-determination.
Photographer deliberately shot by Israeli soldier during Nakba Day clashes
Reporters Without Borders was told that Othman was clearly identifiable as a journalist at the time of the shooting and was deliberately targeted. The press freedom organization urges the Israeli authorities to investigate the circumstances in which he was shot and punish those responsible.
WikiLeaks cables show that it was all about the oil
WASHINGTON — In 2006, three years after the Russian government had charged Mikhail Khodorkovsky — then the country's wealthiest businessman — with fraud and moved to break up his Yukos oil company, U.S. diplomats had had enough.
Pakistan and NATO Trade Fire Near Afghan Border
Pakistani soldiers exchanged fire with two NATO helicopters that crossed into Pakistan's airspace from Afghanistan early Tuesday, the Pakistani Army said, as United States senators increased calls in Washington to suspend or put conditions on billions of dollars in American aid to Pakistan.
Pakistan must refuse foreign aid: Nawaz
Pakistan must demonstrate some self-respect and refuse foreign aid before it is withdrawn, said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief, Nawaz Sharif.
US steps up face-to-face peace talks with Taliban
The United States has stepped up face-to-face peace talks with the Taliban, holding at least three meetings in Qatar and Germany in recent days with figures believed to be close to Mullah Omar, the group's leader.
21 bodies found in Iraq mass grave
The bodies of 21 people killed in fighting between Sunni insurgents and US forces in the town of Fallujah, west of the Iraqi capital, were discovered on Tuesday in a cemetery, officials said.
UK steps up bombing of Gaddafi targets
Hours after the international criminal court chief prosecutor called for the arrest of Muammar Gaddafi and his closet advisers for mass murder, Britain stepped up its strikes on what military officials described as secret police compounds in Tripoli.
Kevin Hall: US wanted to block Italian Eni from acting as "stalking horse" for Gazprom Wikileaks
Details Emerge of America's Secret Oil War with Russia
U.S. diplomats scored a silent victory last month when the Italian oil company Eni and Russian energy giant Gazprom postponed a deal to share a large claim to Libyan oil. The State Department can't take credit, however, as the two companies based their decision to shelve the arrangement was based on the violence in the region.
The Long Overdue Palestinian State
SIXTY-THREE years ago, a 13-year-old Palestinian boy was forced to leave his home in the Galilean city of Safed and flee with his family to Syria. He took up shelter in a canvas tent provided to all the arriving refugees. Though he and his family wished for decades to return to their home and homeland, they were denied that most basic of human rights. That child's story, like that of so many other Palestinians, is mine.
US public supports Palestine statehood
It becomes clearer every day that Binyamin Netanyahu's government is terrified by the prospect that the Palestinians are planning to unilaterally declare a state later this year. In fact, it is safe to say that no other proposed Palestinian action has ever shaken up any Israeli government the way that the idea of a unilateral declaration has.
Libya offers truce to UN as revolt enters 4th month
TRIPOLI: Moamer Kadhafi's prime minister offered on Sunday a truce to the visiting UN special envoy to Libya, Abdul-Ilah al-Khatib, in return for an immediate NATO ceasefire, as an anti-regime revolt entered a fourth month.
Libyan military spokesman killed in NATO raid
Colonel Milad Hussein al-Fiqhi, spokesman of the Libyan forces led by Muammar Gaddafi, was killed Sunday in a NATO raid that targeted an intelligence building in the capital Tripoli, Al Arabiya news channel reported.
Why Mainstream Media Refuses to Report the West's Shocking New Colonialism
The world's great, intergenerational banking families have embarked on a new spate of colonialism to disenfranchise their enemies and empower their allies. Those regimes in developing countries that endorse power-elite goals will be allowed to function. Otherwise they will be destabilized.
Increasingly better-armed Libyan rebels say they are pressing their offensive both east and west of the city of Misrata, under their control, towards Tawarga and Zlitan. They say that Zlitan is the last major obstacle before Tripoli, which is 150 kilometers further west.
ICC prosecutor calls for Gadhafi arrest warrant
The International Criminal Court's prosecutor has requested judges to issue arrest warrants for Libyan leader Gadhafi and two others for crimes against humanity. However it may have limited impact on the crisis.
COMMENT: The United States is not a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) but gets the ICC to serve its agenda.
COMMENT: This video does not show fighting... just some people firing weapons and standing around.
U.S. accuses Syria of inciting Israel border clashes
Lebanese delegation files complaint at UN after 10 people killed in border clashes; Israel's delegation plans to follow suit, with complaints against both Syria and Lebanon.
