'Scanalous' John Kerry phone tap news

What's the bet that the 'John Kerry's phone calls tapped' news is just a diversion ... you know, focus on the scandal instead of what's going on.

Or am I getting all weird now?  LOL

WIKILEAKS - 2009 - Israeli soldiers testified to instances where Gazans used as human shields

IDF TO INVESTIGATE COMPLAINTS OF CRIMINAL CONDUCT BY ITS FORCES DURING OPERATION CAST LEAD Date: 2009 July 30, 15:45 (Thursday)     Canonical ID: 09TELAVIV1694_a Original Classification: CONFIDENTIAL From:    Israel Tel Aviv     To:       Israel Jerusalem | Secretary of State 26 SOLDIERS WHO WERE THERE 2. (C) The allegations of criminal conduct by various organizations such as Human Rights Watch and the International Red Cross have been persistent since the conclusion of "Cast Lead" in January 2009. Individual Palestinians also testified to IDF abuses such as looting, beatings, vandalism of property and the use of the local population as human shields. But by far the strongest reverbration in Israel was that created by the Israeli organization "Breaking the Silence", which collected testimony from 26 unnamed IDF soldiers. All of the soldiers had been involved in Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip, and testified to instances where Gazans were used as human shields, incendiary phosphorous shells were fired over civilian population areas, and other examples of excessive firepower that caused unnecessary fatalities and destruction of property. ... ENTER THE JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL  5. (C) A long-standing joke in the Israeli military relates to the need for an attorney as an essential component of the combat soldiers assault equipment. On the even of Operation Cast Lead, the media put out the word that the plan of attack had been so carefully worked out that it would take the troops through the treacherous minefields of international law, a promise that now seems overly optimistic. The Goldstone Comission, the International Red Cross, and Human Rights Watch are all demanding accountability on Israel's part fo the 1400 Palestinians killed -- according to Palestinian claims -- and the enormous damage to civilian property int he Gaza Strip. The case of the IDF Spokesman versus "Breaking the Silence" might indicate, however, that in the Israeli context, the most effective pressure comes from home.  ... SOURCE - WIKILEAKS - HERE.

Anyone that wants to read the rest of the cable can do so at the WikiLeaks link - here.

This is freaking me out a bit.

TWITTER - Obama

TWITTER

LOL

Gaza - What has Israel achieved

Patrick Cockburn Sunday 3 August 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict: What has Israel achieved in 26 bloody days? Hamas is stronger, the Jewish state looks shifty and heartless – and the world's eyes are on Gaza ... ...  massive firepower is used to inflict heavy losses on the other side, the great majority of the casualties being civilians. But, as the war goes on, Israeli leaders find that Israel's military superiority is failing to produce comparable political gains. ... A reason for Israel launching these mini-conflicts, for there has not been an all-out war since the invasion of Lebanon, is to demonstrate its raw military power. But, each time round, it simultaneously shows the limitations of that power to get anywhere in ending Israel's long confrontation with the Palestinians. For all the devastating firepower of Israel's air force, tanks and artillery deployed against a few thousand Hamas gunmen, it is unlikely to permanently eliminate them and thus win a military victory. And, even if it did, the victory would not be conclusive since the Palestinian sense of oppression is so great that some other armed group, possibly in the shape of Isis (the self-tagged Islamic State), would soon take its place. ... FULL ARTICLE @ SOURCE SOURCE - The Independent (UK) - here.

I'm astounded how strong and determined the Hamas are.

UKRAINE - DESERTION SURGE

Over 400 Ukrainian soldiers flee to Russia, ask for refuge SOURCE - RT NEWS - HERE.

NSA spies and Israel's spies are buddies

NSA has close partnership with Israel Mon Aug 4, 2014 10:5AM New documents show a “far-reaching” collaboration between the US National Security Agency and Israeli intelligence services most of which was directed against Palestine.  The NSA "maintains a far-reaching technical and analytic relationship with the Israeli SIGINT National Unit (ISNU) sharing information on access, intercept, targeting, language, analysis and reporting," according to an NSA document dated April 13, 2013, which is among other documents revealed by The Intercept on Monday.  The documents show the US has provided Israel with cash, raw data and analysis under agreements reached between the NSA and Israeli SIGINT National Unit also known as Unit 8200, the secretive signals intelligence organization.  The Intercept's Glenn Greenwald wrote that the documents "underscore the indispensable, direct involvement of the US government and its key allies in Israeli aggression against its neighbors. That covert support is squarely at odds with the posture of helpless detachment typically adopted by Obama officials and their supporters."  The documents also show Unit 8200 along with the US, Britain and Canada attempt to collect signals from throughout the Middle East.  In 2003 and 2004, the US explored a "massively expanded intelligence-sharing relationship called 'Gladiator.'" But the Israelis demanded hundreds of millions of dollars in exchange for the project, which "appears never to have been consummated," one document shows.  The documents, however, revealed receipts for cash payments to Israel worth $500,000; though it is not clear if the receipts represent one or multiple payments, and that their precise purpose is undocumented.  ... FULL @ SOURCE ... Source - Press TV - here.

The $500,000 must be the 'petty cash' of the spy world.

The other stuff can't be that surprising. 

Everyone's in the five eye or whatever it is, so of course they're spying and sharing intelligence.

GAZA - Death Toll 1,820 Palestinians - 9,400 Injured Palestinians

GAZA Telegraph.co.uk-9 minutes ago More than 1,800 Palestinians and more than 60 Israelis dead GAZA Israeli warplanes and tanks have been pounding numerous sites inside the Gaza Strip since July 8. The air, sea and land strikes have so far killed over 1,820 Palestinians and injured about 9,400 others. Source - Press TV - here.