Category Archives: Global Politics

The world is trying to save Israel from itself. Will we listen? | +972 Magazine

On this issue one must repeat today what was true yesterday, the day before, and every day since 1967: the idea of settling for the purpose of marking territory — based on a worldview based on belligerence and supremacy — while placing a civilian population under military rule, is ugly and unsustainable. This worldview has been held by decent, realistic Israelis for 50 years. There is no chance for the apartheid model as embodied by the settlements, which grant their Jewish residents excessive privileges over the Palestinians.The greatest harm caused by the settlements is vis-a-vis Israelis and Judaism: they force the state to constantly deepen its hatred and fear of Arabs. Anger and fear, after all, are what raise a generation of soldiers and settlers who will maintain the mechanisms of settlement and occupation. Without anger and fear, there is nothing.Beyond the issue itself, there is the story of the settlements and the coalition of Prime Minister Netanyahu and Education Minister Naftali Bennett, which decided in the past few years to break the rules of the game when it comes to the occupied territories. No longer does Israel tread lightly and form alliances to ensure a facade of the status quo. This approach, one of the defining characteristics of the Zionist movement since its inception, has been replaced with arrogant ranting and biblical quotes, all while showing the world exactly how powerful we are.

Source: The world is trying to save Israel from itself. Will we listen? | +972 Magazine

Carl Paladino, Trump Ally, Wishes Obama Dead of Mad Cow Disease in ’17 – The New York Times – Stupid and racist is doubly dangerous!

Mr. Paladino, in the interview with The Times, said he was “not politically correct,” though he disputed the notion that his comments were racist. Asked why he wanted to see the first lady live with a gorilla in Africa, he paused for a long time, then said: “What’s wrong with that?”

AMAZON WATCH » New Witch Hunt in Ecuador Against Indigenous and Environment Defenders

The Shuar situation about which Acción Ecológica had been sounding the alarm involved the escalation of the conflict between the Shuar community of Nankints, the government, and a Chinese mining conglomerate Explorcobres S.A. (EXSA). The government had granted EXSA rights to mine for copper in the area of San Carlos Panantza, which overlaps with Shuar ancestral territory, without seeking the consent of – let alone properly consulting with – the Shuar, despite the fact that international and Ecuadorian law require such consultation. As the mining project moved forward, the Shuar tried to engage various government entities in dialogue.Those attempts at dialogue were brutally interrupted in August when military and police forces forcibly evicted Shuar families from land the company needed for the mine. After a lack of adequate response from the government, in late November the Shuar attempted to return to those lands and were met with heavy police and military presence, including air assaults. When the vice president of FICSH tried to mediate, he was arrested. Instead of heading calls from regional and national indigenous federations for mediated dialogue, the government continued its heavy-handed approach, and the conflict escalated. Last week those protests turned violent, resulting in several injuries and the death of one policeman. The government then declared a 30-day “state of emergency” – essentially the suspension of rights and due process – and sent in the military, complete with armored tanks. President Rafael Correa wasted no time in taking to the airwaves and Twitter to defame the Shuar, calling them “semi-delinquents” and implying that they’re using extortion for material gain.

Source: AMAZON WATCH » New Witch Hunt in Ecuador Against Indigenous and Environment Defenders

Israeli judges order grandchildren out of Jerusalem family’s home – How can anyone defend this shameful act?

The Ghaith-Sub Laban family’s six-year legal battle to remain in their home of six decades has come to an end, as the Israeli high court made a final ruling in the family’s eviction case on Wednesday.After Jewish settlers rejected the court’s proposed compromise on Tuesday, the Israeli judges returned a more favorable verdict to the settlers: allowing the Ghaith-Sub Laban family to remain in their home for only 10 more years, and at that point terminating their protected tenancy.Without protected tenancy, the settler organization that owns the building can evict the family.But the court has ordered the descendants of Mustafa Sub Laban and Nora Ghaith, whose mother first moved into their house in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City in East Jerusalem in 1953, to leave their home.Nora and Mustafa currently live in the house with a daughter, two sons, a daughter-in-law and two grandchildren aged 4 and 9.

Source: Israeli judges order grandchildren out of Jerusalem family’s home | The Electronic Intifada

German police arrest neo-Nazis after occupation of Dortmund church | News | DW.COM | 17.12.2016

The neo-Nazi group barricaded themselves in the steeple of the Lutheran church on Friday at 6:40 p.m. (1740 UTC), Dortmund police said in a statement.They hung a banner from the tower parapet, lit flares and shouted right-wing slogans down at the bustling Christmas market crowd below using a megaphone. The neo-Nazi group also appeared to light fireworks from the steeple in a picture circulating on social media.Police used force to break through the barricade with the help of Dortmund’s fire department and ended the illegal occupation, a police statement said.Authorities also took action against other far-right extremists who were gathered around the outside of the church, some of whom were passing out flyers.Eight of the right-wing extremists in the church tower, who were already known to police, were arrested but later let go from police detention.

Source: German police arrest neo-Nazis after occupation of Dortmund church | News | DW.COM | 17.12.2016

From IT specialist to guerilla fighter: Estonia’s citizen army gears up to deter Vladimir Putin’s war machine – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Estonians eye Russia’s annexation of Crimea and United States President-elect Donald Trump’s comments about reining in NATO spending, which provided a bulwark against Russian expansion during and after the Cold War.Now thousands of Estonians, many without previous military experience, have flocked towards the EDL for specialised conflict training.They learn to fire weapons, recognise Russian armoured vehicles, and live in the country’s vast forests.Some of the more experienced recruits are given instructions on how to make roadside bombs. Others learn how to run a field kitchen capable of feeding thousands of people.The EDL chief, Commander Meelis Kiili, puts it simply — “if you want peace prepare for war”.

Source: From IT specialist to guerilla fighter: Estonia’s citizen army gears up to deter Vladimir Putin’s war machine – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Man Caught On Video Punching Another Man At Hollywood Metro Station Arrested: LAist

The oft-repeated “if you see something, say something” mantra appears to have worked out in the case of an alleged attack at a Metro Red Line station that was observed and recorded by a bystander.Witness Lake Cunningham recorded a video of an alleged assault on Tuesday morning at about 1 a.m. at the Hollywood and Vine station. The video depicts a younger white man punching an older black man in the head on the station platform. Cunningham also claimed that the younger man kicked the older man in the face, though it is not seen on the video. Though police had been called at the time of the alleged attack, all involved parties had departed the station by the time they arrived.Cunningham’s video was widely distributed via social media and various news outlets, and authorities say they subsequently received numerous tips, CBS Los Angeles reports. One of those tips involved a 32-year-old Culver City man named James A. Hanson, who police say confessed to being the younger man in the video. Hanson was arrested Thursday afternoon at about 1 p.m. He is currently being held in lieu of a $50,000 bail, according to Fox 11.”Hanson has admitted to his role in the assault and has been booked at the sheriff’s Century Regional Detention Facility,” L.A. County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Ramon Montenegro said.The victim in Cunningham’s video also came forward following news reports about the incident and was treated for injuries suffered during the assault.

Source: Man Caught On Video Punching Another Man At Hollywood Metro Station Arrested: LAist

Man, 73, Shot Dead by Officer Had a Crucifix, Not a Gun, Police Say – The New York Times

“Explains everything – a non-Hispanic calls police and claims he thinks there is a Mexican with a gun across the street – so of course – when police arrive he is shot and killed – no questions asked…” So this is not new, happens dozens of times a year. It is a shame and should not be the automatic but it is. When will whole community say – NO MORE!

According to the police, a woman who lives across the street from Mr. Serna was removing items from a vehicle outside her home when she noticed a man standing behind her. He turned out to be Mr. Serna. She said he asked if he could get in the car. He was allowed only to look into the vehicle, and the woman went inside her house, the chief said.The woman later said she had believed that Mr. Serna had a firearm because his hand was in his jacket, and she saw an object with a handle, the chief said. She told her husband about the encounter, and he called the police to report a man outside with a gun.“He is brandishing a firearm,” the husband said, according to a recording of the 911 call, which was published by KERO television station. He said the man was an “older Mexican gentleman” and that it looked like the firearm was a revolver. “He could be the neighbor across the street or a visitor; I am not for sure.”When officers arrived, the woman pointed out Mr. Serna as he left his house, Chief Martin said. The police said they shouted to Mr. Serna to take his hands out of his jacket and to stop walking toward them. But he continued and entered the woman’s driveway, officials said.

U.S. Officials: Putin Personally Involved in Hack

Ultimately, the CIA has assessed, the Russian government wanted to elect Donald Trump… ‘It is most certainly consistent with the Putin that I have watched and used to work with when I was an ambassador and in the government,’ said Michael McFaul, who was ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014.’He has had a vendetta against Hillary Clinton, that has been known for a long time because of what she said about his elections back in the parliamentary elections of 2011. He wants to discredit American democracy and make us weaker in terms of leading the liberal democratic order. And most certainly he likes President-elect Trump’s views on Russia,’ McFaul added. Clinton cast doubt on the integrity of Russia’s elections.”If this were a plot for a movie, it’d be rejected for its sheer petty absurdity. The GOP never, ever gets to invoke the name of their beloved St. Ronnie Raygun again, not after they gleefully supported Putin’s lapdog. Jesus Christ.

FBI covered up Russian influence on Trump’s election win, Harry Reid claims | US news | The Guardian

Harry Reid, outgoing Senate minority leader, compared FBI director James Comey to the agency’s notorious founder, J Edgar Hoover, and called for his resignation. A secret CIA analysis found that people with connections to the Russian government provided emails, hacked from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s campaign, to the whistleblower website WikiLeaks in the final months of the election, according to a Washington Post report published late Friday.“ The FBI had this material for a long time but Comey, who is of course a Republican, refused to divulge specific information about Russia and the presidental election,” Reid told MSNBC’s AM Joy on Saturday.  Comey testified to Congress in July that he was no longer a registered Republican, though he belonged to the party most of his life. “Everyone should know WikiLeaks was involved from the very beginning,” Reid continued. “They leaked the information as if it was run by one of the great political operatives in America when in fact it was run by the political operatives in Russia. “Russia has a pretty good way of cheating. Look at what they did with athletes,” he added, alluding to the long-running doping scandal of Russian Olympic athletes.Pressed on whether he believed Comey had information on Russia’s influence and sat on it, Reid replied: “That’s right, that is true.”Advertisement“I am so disappointed in Comey. He has let the country down for partisan purposes and that’s why I call him the new J Edgar Hoover, because I believe that,” Reid added, calling for the director’s resignation.

Source: FBI covered up Russian influence on Trump’s election win, Harry Reid claims | US news | The Guardian