Poll: 'Most Israelis support 'Ethnic Cleansing, Annexation & Apartheid!'

[Tikun Olam] "...  Gideon Levy writes in Haaretz that Israelis (Jews) have largely shed their previous veneer of democratic values and now hold views that can only be described as authoritarian-racist, if not fascist.

"... The majority of the Jewish public, 59 percent, wants preference[s] for Jews over Arabs in…job [appointments] in government ministries. Almost half the Jews, 49 percent, want the state to treat Jewish citizens better than Arab ones; 42 percent don’t want to live in the same building with Arabs and 42 percent don’t want their children in the same class with Arab children.
A third of the Jewish public wants a law barring Israeli Arabs from voting for the Knesset and a large majority of 69 percent objects to giving 2.5 million Palestinians the right to vote if Israel annexes the West Bank.
A sweeping 74 percent majority is in favor of separate roads for Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank. A quarter – 24 percent – believe separate roads are “a good situation” and 50 percent believe they are “a necessary situation.”
Almost half – 47 percent – want part of Israel’s Arab population to be transferred to the Palestinian Authority and 36 percent support transferring some of the Arab towns from Israel to the PA, in exchange for keeping some of the West Bank settlements.
Although the territories have not been annexed, most of the Jewish public (58 percent ) already believes Israel practices apartheid against Arabs. Only 31 percent think such a system is not in force here. Over a third (38 percent ) of the Jewish public wants Israel to annex the territories with settlements on them, while 48 percent object.
…The survey indicates that a third to half of Jewish Israelis want to live in a state that practices formal, open discrimination against its Arab citizens. An even larger majority wants to live in an apartheid state if Israel annexes the territories.
…The interviewees did not object strongly to describing Israel’s character as “apartheid” already today, without annexing the territories. Only 31 percent objected to calling Israel an “apartheid state” and said “there’s no apartheid at all.”
In contrast, 39 percent believe apartheid is practiced “in a few fields”; 19 percent believe “there’s apartheid in many fields” and 11 percent do not know.

In an accompanying op-ed, Levy adds:

"... Israelis have never appeared so pleased with themselves, even when they admit their racism. Most of them think Israel is a good place to live in and most of them think this is a racist state. It’s good to live in this country, most Israelis say, not despite its racism, but…because of it..."

"Qatar-armed terrorists in Syria would ultimately target the US!"

[EW] "... This Eli Lake story describing what has happened to one of two Benghazi suspects arrested in Turkey confirms something I long suspected: he was headed for Syria.

These people say Turkish officials held [Ali Ani] al-Harzi for less than a week at the behest of the U.S. government, then sent him to Tunisia. There, he was kept in military custody until last week, when he was transferred to a jail in preparation for a court trial. It’s unclear what role he might have played in the attacks or what he might be charged with. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. intelligence community are working with Tunisian authorities, but there has been no deal yet on whether to send al-Harzi to the U.S. or keep him in Tunisia where he could be charged under the country’s own counterterrorism laws. The Tunisians have also not yet allowed U.S. officials direct access to the suspect.

Al-Harzi is a member of violent extremist networks in North Africa, one U.S. intelligence officer told The Daily Beast. This person added that he was also connected to jihadist organizations in the Middle East and was headed to Syria when he was detained in Turkey. [my emphasis]

Think about what it means that a guy who had just bragged about attacking our Benghazi mission was headed for Syria–through Turkey.
While there have long been claims that jihadists involved in overthrowing Qaddafi (though remember, this guy is Tunisian) made up some of the fighters in Syria, this makes it clear how unfriendly to American interests some of those jihadists are. Moreover, it suggests terrorists now consider Syria a kind of hiding place. (Note, Lake’s September 28 story reporting his brag may well have alerted al-Harzi that he needed to seek refuge.)
The apparent link between the people who attacked the mission in Benghazi and the “freedom fighters” in Syria explains something else. This month there has been a series of stories detailing how the jihadists in Syria are the ones getting arms; there’s also some blame-game going on, with sources trying to blame Qatar, and not Saudi Arabia, for arming terrorists. I can see now why these countries are scrambling to absolve themselves of arming terrorists–because the terrorists have ties to attacks on the US. (Incidentally, it shouldn’t make sense ideologically, but I keep thinking about the fact that Qaddafi’s old spook Moussa Koussa is hanging out in Qatar these days.)
One more point about this. Though this arrest was reported on October 4, the arrest itself took place on October 3, the same day Turkey decided to start shelling Syria.
That was also the day of the first Presidential debate. I said then–and believe even more now–that one of the reasons Obama did so poorly in that debate is because he had just been briefed on increasing hostilities in Syria. He had also, presumably, just been briefed that one of the guys involved in the Benghazi attack was fleeing to Syria to take part in those increasing hostilities.
There has always been reason to worry about Qatar and Saudi Arabia’s attempts to do in Syria what they did in Afghanistan in the 1990s. But this seems like pretty strong circumstantial evidence that the Qatar-armed terrorists in Syria would ultimately target the US."

So, who wants civil strife in Lebanon?

A few members of FUTUE/Hariri 'privately owned political movement, militia & 'guests' of the Free Syrian Army! Numbers? 300-400 idiots. Hariri himself, Siniora & others, mix bravado with servitude: Telephone calls, nocturnal visits and emissaries from Washington, Paris, Doha & Riyadh have confused the bunch.

King & Emir prying Hamas

[Oxford Analytica] "... Hamas's emerging alliance with Qatar is helping the Islamist movement distance itself from Tehran and rehabilitate its ties with the region's Sunni states. However, its regional re-emergence will not be complete until it has repaired relations with Riyadh -- something which is unlikely to happen unless Hamas takes the potentially destabilising step of cutting relations with Tehran.

The emir of Qatar, Shaykh Hamad bin-Khalifa Al Thani, visited Gaza today, in the first visit by a head of state to the territory since Hamas took power in 2006. Hamas, a wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, has strengthened its ties with Doha in the past year amid a weakening of relations with traditional allies, Iran and Syria. Qatar is playing a key role in bolstering the organisation as it seeks to capitalise on the new regional environment. Substantial financial aid is reportedly helping Hamas compensate for a shortfall in Iranian funding, while the emirate has played a key role in mediating talks with both Jordan and Fatah. However, relations with Saudi Arabia remain on hold following the Palestinian Islamist movement's seizure of power in Gaza in 2007..."

This is what we are dealing with!

'$100 for registered fighters'

[AFP]"...ALEPPO, Syria – After months of fighting without pay, Syrian rebels in Aleppo are receiving their first salaries, paid with money commanders say is at least in part provided by foreign states. In Aleppo’s old city area, fighters gave their names to defected Syrian military officer Colonel Abdul Salam Humaidi, who searched through lists provided by rebel commanders before paying the men in crisp $100 bills. The rebels made thumbprints in ink next to their names to indicate they had been paid. As the fighters gathered, the crack of rifle fire could be heard from elsewhere in the old city, just one of many areas in Syria’s one-time commercial capital that have become battlegrounds between forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and rebels fighting to overthrow his regime. “The revolutionary military councils… are undertaking to distribute monthly salaries to the fighters, especially on the front lines,” Humaidi told AFP. All fighters are now paid $150 per month, but this may change in the future, with different salaries given to those who are married and those who are on the front lines, he said. Humaidi said he “defected from the military after 30 years of service, because the regime is corrupt and sectarian.” He is now a financial official for the rebel Revolutionary Military Council. He declined to say where the payroll cash was from, but rebel commanders in Aleppo told AFP it came from foreign assistance and from other supporters, though they differed on the specific countries involved. “The Military Council (is) distributing the salaries, with Qatari support… of $150 per person registered for two months,” said Haji al-Bab, a commander in the Tawhid Brigade, adding that fighters who are not registered are not being paid..."

Erdogan devises a 'new system'

[Milliyet] "... In short, Moscow’s blocking of United Nations moves and Iran’s attitude that affected Turkey’s expectations in the region pushed Ankara into a corner and forced it to change its inflexible policy on Syria.The “triple negotiation system” Erdogan spoke of after his meeting with Ahmadinejad is an important signal. The “triple negotiation system” will bring together Turkey, Egypt and Iran; Turkey, Russia and Iran; and Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia to work separately toward a solution in Syria.
As one can see from Erdogan’s statement, the initiative aims to overcome the obstacle of Saudi unwillingness to the sit at the same table with Iran. Turkey seems to have cured itself of the allergy of discussing Syria with Russia and Iran.
Responsibility now lies with regional powers instead of the passive international community under the UN banner. The involvement of Russia and Iran also means that, Assad's regime, if not Assad, will have a place at the negotiating table."

Alhurra TV office destroyed by furious protesters in Benghazi

Via AngryArab
Alhurra TV office destroyed by furious protesters in Benghazi: Voice of Russia

Al Qaeda in Jordan, "using smuggled weapons & explosives from Syria"

"... Security forces had detained 11 suspects, all Jordanians, in connection with the plot, which envisaged carrying out attacks in the capital Amman using smuggled weapons and explosives from Syria, according to security officials cited by television.... "Their plans included getting explosives and mortars from Syria," the security source told Reuters, saying the militants had sought to strike at a time of regional upheaval when the country's security establishment is over stretched..."

Jordanian soldier killed in clash with Syria bound Jihadists!

AMMAN (Reuters) - "A Jordanian soldier was killed in clashes with Islamist fighters trying to cross the country's northern border into Syria,.... .Troops detained 12 Islamist fighters after the clashes, which occurred overnight, an army statement said..."

Leverett: 'A political settlement in Syria requires significant shifts in Turkish, US & Gulf Arab policies.”

"... Flynt Leverett (senior director for Middle East affairs on the National Security Council. Prior to serving on the NSC, he was a counterterrorism expert on the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff, and before that he served as a CIA senior analyst for eight years. Since leaving government service, Leverett served as a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Saban Center for Middle East Policy before becoming the director of the Geopolitics of Energy Initiative in the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation:    

“I think that there is a genuine popular base for the opposition in Syria, there are indigenous factors that contribute to this conflict, certainly.  But I also think that the Syrian government, the Assad government, retains the support of probably a narrow majority of the Syrian population…at least half of the Syrian population still supports the government.  That’s why I say I don’t think there is a military solution to this.  I am not that confident that the Assad government can really win militarily, particularly as long as the opposition is supported by outside players.  But I also don’t think that there’s a way for the opposition to win.  [So] I come back to my basic point—that the only way out of this is a negotiated political process.
The problem so far has been that there are players—the United States, the Gulf Arabs, the Turks—that have insisted up to this point that a political process have not just preconditions but what you might call “pre-results”:  that Assad’s departure had to be stipulated at the get-go.  And for the United States, there’s this further concern that they’ve never wanted to have Iran involved in a regional process or a contact group on Syria.  That’s just not a serious diplomatic position, if you want a political settlement…If we are going to have a political settlement, it is going to require some significant shifts in Turkish and U.S. and Gulf Arab policies.” 
There is additional discussion of the real drivers of U.S. policy toward Syria and about just who is introducing sectarianism into the conflict.  (It isn’t the Assad government or the Islamic Republic of Iran.)  Flynt also pushes back against suggestions from another panelist that the Arab Awakening has been a “disaster” for Iran and that one should not link the U.S. intervention in Libya with Washington’s posture toward the conflict in Syria:         
“The Iranians definitely see this differently—and I think they actually are right on this point, analytically.  They think that the Arab Awakening is working very, very strongly in their favor, in that any government in this region which becomes at all more representative of its people’s attitudes, beliefs, preferences, and so forth is automatically going to become less interested in strategic cooperation with the United States (much less with Israel) and is going to become more open to an Iranian message of resistance…
In terms of the comparison—the way the U.S. is dealing with Libya, the way the U.S. is dealing with Syria—obviously the United States has not intervened directly, militarily yet in Syria.  But I think that the fact that, in contrast to Libya, Russia and China have been willing to veto three Security Council resolutions, which would have legitimated that sort of intervention by the United States, is a really important factor here.  It’s certainly no guarantee that the United States won’t, at some point, act without a Security Council resolution.  The United States, unfortunately, has done that before.  But I think that has been an important constraint on the United States in this situation.”
Along with the U.S.-Iranian relationship, the conflict in Syria is one of the most important factors that will shape regional dynamics in the Middle East over the next decade.  And Washington is yet again pursuing policies that not only increase the level of human suffering in the Middle East, but also work against America’s long-term interests in the region. "

'The current British-American policy in Syria is failing on a monumental scale'

[Guardian] "... The only way forward is to broker a political settlement, with Russia using its leverage to ensure that Assad negotiates seriously. Without pandering to Vladimir Putin's ruthless rigidity, engagement with Russia is critical – as is consultation with Iran. Otherwise a settlement will not happen.The guidelines for a political transition approved by the five permanent members of the UN security council at the Geneva conference in June still provides the best road map – but only if the US, the UK, Saudi Arabia and their allies drop their current stance and help to implement it.However unpalatable, Assad may have to be granted immunity in order to get him to sign up and stop his barbarity. All state employees, including those in the armed forces, must be allowed to keep their posts, to avoid a repeat of the chaos caused by America's de-Ba'athification in Iraq....
The current British-American policy is failing on a monumental scale. Unless there is a radical change, all the hand-wringing and condemnation is either empty or hypocritical – or both."

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood: "Kuwait is the prelude to a bigger revolution across the Gulf!'"

Clashes & dead across Lebanon as Army battles Hariri's & Salafi militias

 'al Qaeda-Hariri gunmen fighting the Lebanese National Army'

[BBC] "...Lebanon's army has urged the country's political leaders to show caution when expressing their opinions, in a bid to calm "unprecedented" tensions....
The worst clashes were in Tripoli in the north, where at least three people died as gunmen exchanged fire. Soldiers have been deployed in the capital Beirut, where there have been sporadic clashes.
In a statement, the army urged "all political leaders to be cautious when expressing their stances and opinions" and in attempting to mobilise public action "because the fate of the nation is at stake"....
The BBC's Wyre Davies in Beirut says the army is a widely respected institution in Lebanon that has often been required to stand between the country's diverse political and religious factions.... 
A group of angry protesters broke away from the funeral, held at the Rafik Hariri mosque, and attempted to storm the prime minister's office. Police fired into the air and used tear gas to break up the crowds.
Overnight, protesters set up road blocks in the capital. Exchanges of gunfire were reported in the city overnight and on Monday morning in Tariq al-Jadida. Continue reading the main storyThe army launched a major security operation in the morning, sending troops backed by armoured personnel carriers on to the streets to restore calm and re-open roads.
Serious clashes were reported in Tripoli on Sunday evening, where two children were among at least three people killed...."

Le Figaro: French Intelligence Operatives believe that 'Wissam al Hassan trumped-up & manipulated the charges against Michel Samaha!'

[Le Figaro]"... Les services de renseignements francais et americains le connaissaient tres bien. Cet ete, son service a ete en pointe dans l’arrestation de l’ancien ministre libanais pro syrien Michel Samaha, accuse de preparer des attentats pour destabiliser le Liban. Une accusation accueillie avec un certain scepticisme par certains membres de la communaute du renseignement en France, notamment.

''Samaha etait bien trop malin pour se laisser embarquer en personne dans une telle operation'', affirme un agent, qui privilegie plutot la piste d'une manipulation par le service de Wissam el-Hassan. Ce ne serait pas la premiere fois que celui-ci trempe dans un tel montage: apres l'assassinat de Rafic Hariri, le service des FSI (celui de W. el-Hassan) avait deja fabrique un faux temoin a charge contre Damas, en la personne de Zouheir Ziddiq, avec la collaboration d'autres services dans la region, lesquels se retrouvent aujourd'hui comme par hasard engages dans la lutte pour faire tomber Bachar el-Assad en Syrie.

Ce matin, les proches de Wissam el-Hassan - notamment dans son entourage professionnel - etaient interroges par les enqueteurs libanais, qui cherchent a savoir qui l’a ‘’vendu’’....."

54% Americans: 'It is more important to have stability in the Middle East, even if there is less democracy!'

[PEW] "... A majority of Americans (54%) say it is more important to have stable governments in the Middle East, even if there is less democracy in the region, while 30% say it is more important to have democratic governments, even if there is less stability. The percentage prioritizing democracy in the region has slipped over the past year and a half. In March 2011, in the early days of the Arab Spring, 37% said democracy in the region was more important than stability.There is little partisan difference on this question; both Republicans and Democrats place a higher priority on stability. Independents also prioritize stability over democracy in the Middle East (62% vs. 27%)..."

"... More than six-in-ten (63%) say they think the U.S. should be less involved with changes of leadership in the Middle East, compared with just 23% who say the U.S. should be more involved.

Although Republicans are more likely than Democrats or independents to favor greater involvement, just 34% of Republicans advocate this (compared with 20% of Democrats and 19% of independents)..."

Netanyahu: 'No Limit on our aggression & expansion!'

"... Netanyahu spoke Sunday after the European Union's foreign policy chief criticized plans to build 800 new apartments and a military college on contested land, which the international community considers to be under Israeli occupation."We are not imposing any restrictions on construction in Jerusalem" Netanyahu told his Cabinet. "It is our capital."

(Oh, & this happened) 

"... A top aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas promptly accused Netanyahu of deliberately destroying prospects for peace..."

Glorious day in Beirut when the 'al Qaeda flag flaps along the Lebanese Forces flag'

'FUTURE/Hariri TV's Nadim Qutteish to all 227 protestors: 'Mikati needs to be burried ....!'

Strenghtening Muhamad bin Nayef's hand or blaming Iran & Iraq? All of the above!

 'Game of Thrones'' favorite!

[IraqiNews] "... Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) -The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia accused The Head of the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council, Ammar al-Hakim, of smuggling the explosives to Qatif city.The formal Saudi Newspaper (Ukadh) stated “Some weapons and explosives were seized in a truck smuggled to Qatif city in KSA.”
“Hakim is behind the smuggling of those explosive materials,” the News agency added.
“We do not need to terrify anyone and do not afraid of anyone, but we are able to protect our territories and sustain its security and will not allow anyone to violate our sovereignty,” the Newspaper concluded..."

"Imbecile!"

Fabiola here is saying that Hezbollah is involved in Syria because it flew a drone over Israel! Therefore, we're safe to say America was involved in the genocide in Rwanda because Britney Spears lost weight!

"... The French foreign minister also said Lebanon's powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah, which is closely allied to Assad's regime, was involved in the Syrian unrest.
"Hezbollah is in the Lebanese government and we don't see much of their role," he said. "But their presence in the conflict has been apparent in the past few days, such as the drone which overflew Israel.".."