CIA Propaganda - Selling War in Afghanistan

ꕤ Summary SOURCE WikiLeaks CIA PROPAGANDA EXPERTS SELLING THE AFGHAN WAR TO RELUCTANT PUBLIC IN ALLIED NATO COUNTRIES ‘ISAF Mission’ referred to in CIA propaganda strategy report  -- is basically NATO military intervention     & is therefore referred to as such in the summary below CIA strategic communication analysis -- ie amounts to a CIA Propaganda Assessment & Plan Dated:  11 March 2010 ___________________________________ The propaganda plan focuses on finding ways to sell NATO military intervention in Afghanistan to the French, German & other Western European publics ___________________________________  SUMMARY / COMMENTS NATO countries, in this case, primarily France & Germany count on PUBLIC APATHY to proceed with committing resources and troops to NATO military action in Afghanistan _______________ Oddly,  this ‘public apathy’ is  despite 80% *opposition* of German & French public polled in late 2009 So one would think that until such public opinion is translated into street demonstrations and the like, such opposition will be taken as ‘public apathy’ and ignored by politicians _______________ CIA warns that public hostility may be aroused by: *military casualties *civilian casualties NOTE:  Dutch (Netherlands) government fell due to troop commitment to Afghanistan CIA therefore also cautions that Dutch-style debate spill-over could result in the event of high casualties and could threaten other European maintenance/commitment to NATO military intervention in Afghanistan Article - Netherlands govt collapse Dutch government collapses after Labour withdrawal from coalition Row over extension of Dutch troops' tour of duty in Afghanistan forces Labour out of Jan Peter Balkenende's ruling coalition David Batty and agencies @David_Batty Sunday 21 February 2010 03.52 AEDT Last modified on Tuesday 20 May 2014 05.21 AEST The Dutch government has ­collapsed over disagreements on whether or not to extend troop deployment in Afghanistan. The prime minister, Jan Peter Balkenende, said the Labour party – the second-largest party in his ruling coalition – was quitting. He tendered his government's resignation to Queen Beatrix, the Dutch ceremonial head of state, in a telephone call. Balkenende has been weighing up a request from Nato for Dutch troops to stay in Afghanistan beyond 2010. Just under 2,000 Dutch personnel have been serving in the southern Afghan province of Uruzgan, where 21 Dutch soldiers have been killed. MORE http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/feb/20/dutch-coalition-collapse-afghanistan _______________ Public Apathy Permits Politicians to Ignore Voters Afghan military intervention unimportant to the French and German public, therefore: =  French and German leaders could disregard what opposition there was =  could increase their troop contributions to NATO military intervention in Afghanistan Result of public apathy as at March 2010: -- Germany:  third highest troop level in Afghanistan -- France:  fourth highest troop level in Afghanistan *DESPITE OPPOSITION of 80% of German & French public polled in late 2009 _______________ That's a massive amount of opposition that the German and French governments are ignoring, presumably because it is not opposition mounted in the streets of those countries. _______________ Same 2009 poll showed German and French public: -- did not rank Afghanistan as a most urgent issue. -- did not rank stabilising Afghanistan as a high priority issue. -- did not see Afghanistan as a national problem. -- saw Afghanistan military intervention as waste of public funds. Therefore, propaganda must be tailored to EXPLOIT these public opinion factors. CIA propaganda advice memo indicates that the European public viewing the issue of Afghanistan as a 'not our problem' which is interpreted that the existing deployment of troops to Afghanistan is not on the public radar. CASUALTIES The CIA propagandist plan concern is that: Passive public opposition could be turned into active calls for withdrawal of troops if German troops, French troops or Afghanistan civilians are killed. _______________ Which probably explains why: 1) the military hides figures of civilian dead. 2) the government discourages media focus on military dead, bodybags etc. _______________ DOMESTIC POLITICS Ongoing support for NATO military intervention is at risk at ELECTION TIME. { Comment:  therefore, one would think, anti-war campaigners might wish to especially concentrate their efforts in the lead up to elections, as election time appears to be a critical time to turn public opinion and to perhaps leverage wanted results from politicians } CIA express concern re DOMINO EFFECT: ie if the Dutch pull out due to domestic opposition, the French and the Germans may do likewise, citing the Dutch precedent. { Comment:  for anti-war campaigners, that would mean that if one country’s campaign is successful, there is a strong likelihood that such success may be followed up elsewhere, by setting of example for others to follow } _______________ Propaganda Pre-empting Opposition Between 2008 & 2010 (ie 2 year period) France + Germany took measures to pre-empt further opposition to Afghanistan military intervention _______________ FRANCE Following deaths of x10 French soldiers in late 2008, Sarkozy called for a National Assembly to give the appearance of debate & consent Sarkozy's government won the vote Sarkozy used that opportunity to then deploy a further 3,000 troops Due to regional elections coming up March 2010, Sarkozy's govt is at risk to any increase in casualties ______________ GERMANY Kunduz Airstrike 2009 American F-15E fighter jet struck two *beached* / *stranded* fuel tankers reportedly captured by Taliban insurgents, in response to German call. Over 90 civilians killed in US fighter attack. German Col. Georg Klein relying on intelligence officer relying on sole informant. Col. Georg Klein ordered that 500-pound GBU-38 bombs be dropped at 2:30am. June 2010 Germany announced it would pay $5,000 to each of the families of over 100 civilian victims, as an ex gratia payment without admitting liability. Former Afghan Commerce Minister Amin Farhang described the $5,000—equivalent to about 20,000 Afghanis—as a "laughable" sum. {Comment:  that sum’s an insult} Germany reclassified the Afghanistan deployment as an "armed conflict within the parameters of international law", allowing German forces to act without risk of prosecution under German law. [Wikipedia] ------------------ Article - Kunduz "Officially, the German deployment had been termed a "stabilization mission," which left many soldiers resentful that the full dangers of their mission were not appreciated back home." February 11, 2010 http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/the-world-from-berlin-new-evaluation-on-afghanistan-long-overdue-a-677289.html So the propaganda program was already in place in Germany, spinning the 'stabilisation mission' line for what is intensely contested occupation. ______________ Kunduz Airstrike of Sept 2009 killed high number of Afghan civilians is described by the CIA as a 'potential pressure' on the government Germany also has vulnerability:  May 2010 regional elections CIA advises on how the European public may be encouraged to swallow increased military casualties and/or increased civilian causalities: ie can be done by linking 'outcomes' in Afghanistan with the voters' own priorities Communication method to achieve this: *propaganda program across NATO troop contributing nations  *consistency  *repetition  *linking to key concerns for particular national audiences is the pre-emptive propaganda measure, to be relied upon to continue to support NATO military intervention in the event that the 2010 apathy concerning Afghanistan military intervention turns to active opposition & calls for withdrawal, as this propaganda will then shore up the politicians' ability to justify & support taxpayer expense and deployment of their nations' troops in Afghanistan. { Comment:  So it is propaganda to pave the way to giving politicians the excuse to carry on as they wish, even in the face of future opposition. } THE PLAN FRANCE Exploit concerns for civilians & refugees give examples of benefits to Afghan civilians / ie spin the Afghan civilian ‘benefits’ Choice of spin is based on results of public opinion polls. 2009 Public polls indicated: 1) those in support of Afghanistan military intervention, hold the view on basis that intervention is a 'help' to civilians; 2) those against Afghanistan military intervention, hold the view on the basis intervention is damaging to civilians. Going by the 2009 polls, the CIA propaganda experts conclude that contradicting the perception that Afghanistan military intervention does more harm than good is important in France, particularly given the Muslim minority in France. The plan is to cite a 2009 poll that indicates that a majority Afghans support foreign military intervention in their country. Reason for this tactic:  This is important because a good percentage of the German and French public that was polled (and in opposition to the military intervention in Afghanistan) also believed that the Afghan public is opposed to foreign military intervention in Afghanistan. Exploiting Public Guilt In addition, the French can dramatise the potentially negative consequences of NATO defeat for Afghan civilians Exploiting Cultural Differences re Status of Women eg by using the spectre of Taliban denying girls education this is supposed to trigger secular French indignation give the public reason to support French military intervention in Afghanistan -- ie  using propaganda to spin foreign military intervention in Afghanistan aims as a'good and necessary' cause so as to obtain public support, regardless of casualties ______________ COMMENT Explains all that incongruous emphasis on women's rights and anti-rape campaigns pushed by the UN, the British government, the US government, and like organisations -- where the ditzy Hollywood celebrities front the propaganda sideshow in a perverse entertainment-politics ‘marriage’ with bald-headed neocon warmonger politicians ______________ Exploit Testimonials  / Personalise Exploiting stories re the plight of refugees is highly recommended (given media controversy that was whipped up re 2009 expulsion of 12 Afghan refugees) { Comment:  the same could be said of the ‘Refugee Crisis’ currently drummed up by Merkel and the media and used by politicians in an attempt to justify attack on Syria } French were already involved in anti human trafficking efforts, so (according to the CIA propaganda memo), the French could be talked into supporting a NATO propaganda campaign along the lines that a NATO defeat could cause a refugee crisis. ______________ COMMENT  The irony is that military interventions are responsible for creating displacement and refugee problems, which Europe is currently awash with due to successive interventions of NATO and allies. ______________ GERMANY 2009 poll indicates German public opposition to war in Afghanistan was on the basis of: - financial/resources waste reasons - not a German issue - objection in principle {pacifist public} Ways to dampen German public opposition to NATO military intervention in Afghanistan - demonstrating ‘progress on the ground' - propaganda re consequences for Germany if NATO defeated in Afghanistan - propaganda re value of German 'partnership' in the NATO-led intervention - using propaganda about Afghanistan optimism re the military intervention's progress could challenge the waste of taxpayer money argument { Comment:  following government-associated broadcaster polls are never to be trusted (in my opinion) ...  } Background ARD ARD (broadcaster) joint organisation of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters founded in 1950 in West Germany ARD - world's largest public broadcaster, with a budget of €6.3 billion & 23,000 employees budget comes primarily from the licence fees every household, every company and even every public institution ARD - operates many correspondents' offices in foreign cities, second only to BBC News {Comment:  BBC has been described as a ‘nest of spies’ by Iran, so it is not unreasonable to conclude ARD would be a like German organisation} Since 1960 it ARD been operated by the German federal government [Propaganda & Mass Persuasion, Cull, Cullbert & Welch - pg 333] ABC/BBC/ADR These polls *supposedly* indicated a high level of Afghan support for foreign military invasion in their country, on the basis of belief in pending improvement of conditions. {Comment:  lol ... anyone actually believe that?  Who did they poll, US payrolled dissidents? } Meanwhile, there were equally high levels of German pessimism re ‘stabilising Afghanistan’ Propaganda plan is to stress this 'high optimism' attributed to Afghanistan public To counter the 'not our problem' attitude of the German public, the following propaganda is called for: messaging that indicates NATO defeat in Afghanistan could equal exposure to terrorism, opium, refugees in Germany ______________ Irony This is the *exact* result of German *INTERVENTION* abroad -- it creates an explosion of displaced & therefore refugees, that Germany (& Europe) is now imposing on the German public. Currently Germany (& Europe) is hosting unprecedented levels of (unvetted) refugees and economic immigrants, passed off by the media as 'Syrian refugees' --  80% of whom are from countries other than Syria -- countries that have been targets of US & allied military destruction. Thus Germany has in fact opened itself up to ADDITIONAL financial burden; extensive, ongoing, and irreconcilable social burden; significant threat and likelihood of internal violence and terrorism; probable drug importation given the high probablility of internal links (refugee influx) to external sources of opium. All these ADDITIONAL costs of war to Germany are imposed on German taxpayers, alongside the refugee problem Germany has taken onboard on behalf of its imperialist American 'partner'. ______________ For Germany, propaganda strategy is to spin and emphasise NATO intervention's 'multilateral' and 'humanitarian' propaganda angles 1990s Germans supported NATO attack on Balkans as a show of 'commitment' to NATO allies German point of weakness is the desire to help / co-operate. The 'helping allies' rationale is the major reason for German public support of NATO military intervention in Afghanistan (in 2009 poll). European worry about European standing in Washington is EXPLOITED by Washington -- as leverage for maintaining European contributions to the NATO military interventions. eg.  Obama did not attend EU summit /  places Europe in 'lesser position' & results in European 'hand wringing' re this demotion For some bizarre reason, the French and the German publics are deemed to have confidence in Obama's ability to handle foreign affairs CIA indicates that this French & German public gullibility can be exploited by getting Obama to: a) spout propaganda about the importance of NATO military intervention in Afghanistan; & b) express disappointment in allies who do not help. ______________ LMAO ... ingenious.   That definitely hooks in the brainwashed Germans, who are all about goodness and light and hand-holding cooperation in the aftermath of decades of British and US subjugation and propaganda.  lol ______________ 2009 poll showed that when citing the Obama *personal* request for Afghanistan deployments, support increased as follows: =  4-15% French increase in support for 'yes' =  7-13% German increase in support for 'yes' ______________ CIA says that although the total percentages are small, there is a public sensitivity to disappointing the plutocratic puppet President of the American empire EXPLOITING AFGHAN WOMEN FOR WAR PROPAGANDA idea is to use Afghan women to 'humanise' NATO military intervention in Afghanistan / as the symbols of NATO's noble role in combating Taliban. Arrange media events conveying testimonials by Afghan women to broadcast to disproportionately female audiences. EXPLOIT *Afghan women speaking of experiences under Taliban *Afghan women speaking of aspirations for the future *Afghan women speaking of fears of Taliban victory Hook up Afghan women and the media Disseminate the pro Western/NATO intervention in Afghanistan propaganda via media to the French, German and other European women so as to get the women of Europe to come on-board with NATO military intervention in Afghanistan This is especially important as polls indicate that - 08% more French women than men are anti war - 22% more German women than men are anti war SOURCE WikiLeaks ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- Propaganda 101 Obama will decorate an original French soldier for bravery in Afghanistan ꕤ COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Barack Obama will deliver in a month the Medal of Honor to Captain Florent Groberg, 32, a French-born US soldier who distinguished himself for his courage in fighting in Kunar province, Afghanistan. TRANSLATION Barack Obama will deliver in a month the Medal of Honor to Captain Florent Groberg, 32, a French-born US soldier who distinguished himself for his courage in fighting in Kunar province, Afghanistan. The "Medal of Honor", the highest American military award, distinguished, since 1863, an "act of heroism beyond duty." It is often awarded posthumously. Deployed in Kunar province in 2009 and again in 2012, Captain Groberg has shown 8 August 2012 in Asadabad. In an interview with Army Times magazine, Groberg captain told how he came face-to-face with a man about to commit a terrorist attack - suicide, an explosive device attached to the torso.  "The only thing I thought was: I must away from myself, I have to get him away from everybody," he recounted, explaining how he had then thrown to the ground. "At that time, he lands on the ground, I look at it, and it explodes, it explodes right before my feet." The blast left four people dead and many injured on the US side. But the intervention of Captain Groberg prevented the suicide bomber to activate his bomb when he had planned to do so and thus avoided a death toll much higher. Florent Groberg was born in Poissy, near Paris, May 8, 1983. US citizenship in 2001, he was educated at Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda. Recounting the phone call from US President informing him that he would receive the prestigious medal, Florent Gorberg evoked unforgettable: "It's not every day that one of the most influential men in the world calls you on your mobile. " The discount will medal ceremony held November 12 at the White House. FRENCH SOURCE http://www.leparisien.fr/international/obama-va-decorer-un-soldat-d-origine-francaise-pour-son-courage-en-afghanistan-15-10-2015-5186039.php?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_term=Autofeed&link_time=1444864002#xtor=AD-1481423552 ꕤ

UPDATE - Video - Ex-MI6 Head, Richard Dearlove - Brainwashing at Cambridge University {By Charlie Veitch of 'THE LOVE POLICE' }

ꕤ Video SOURCE A video created by Charlie Veitch of 'THE LOVE POLICE' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZUIDXNhkIE ❤ ❤  COVERT FOOTAGE FILMING PROHIBITED Ex-MI6 Head Richard Dearlove Cambridge University Defends State Secrecy & Slams WikiLeaks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZUIDXNhkIE "By speaking at Cambridge University this elitist scumbag is OBVIOUSLY trying to pollute and brainwash the minds of our country's future leaders, by justifying the very mentality that's turned our country into a police state."  more:  here ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- About to watch this ... 'Love Police' is such a great name.  :) ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- UPDATE Annie Machon  Article - RT News Making the case for war: Dearlove doublethink on Iraq? Annie Machon Annie Machon is a former intel­li­gence officer for MI5, the UK Secur­ity Ser­vice, who resigned in the late 1990s to blow the whistle on the spies’ incom­pet­ence and crimes with her ex-partner, David Shayler. Draw­ing on her var­ied exper­i­ences, she is now a pub­lic speaker, writer, media pun­dit, inter­na­tional tour and event organ­iser, polit­ical cam­paigner, and PR con­sult­ant. She is also now the Dir­ector of LEAP, Europe. She has a rare per­spect­ive both on the inner work­ings of gov­ern­ments, intel­li­gence agen­cies and the media, as well as the wider implic­a­tions for the need for increased open­ness and account­ab­il­ity in both pub­lic and private sectors. Published time: 26 Jul, 2013 12:16 Edited time: 26 Jul, 2013 12:19 In a sensational article in a UK newspaper last weekend, the former head of MI6, the UK’s foreign intelligence agency, appears to have broken the code of omertà around the fraudulent intelligence case used as the pretext for the Iraq war in 2003. Sir Richard Dearlove, former head of MI6 and current Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge, contacted the UK’s Mail on Sunday newspaper to say he had written his version of the (ab)use of intelligence in the runup to the US/UK invasion of Iraq.  With the long-awaited and much-delayed official Chilcot Enquiry into the case for war about to be published, Dearlove is obviously aware that he might be blamed for the “sexing up” of the intelligence, and that 'Teflon' Tony Blair might once again shuffle off all responsibility. You’ll no doubt have some vague recollection that, in the run-up to the 2003 Iraq War, the British government produced a couple of reports “making a case for war”, as Major General Michael Laurie said in his evidence to the enquiry in 2011: “We knew at the time that the purpose of the [September] dossier was precisely to make a case for war, rather than setting out the available intelligence, and that to make the best out of sparse and inconclusive intelligence the wording was developed with care.” The first such report, the September Dossier (2002), is the one most remembered, as this did indeed “sexed up” the case for war as the deceased Iraqi weapons inspector Dr David Kelly exposed. It also included the fraudulent intelligence about Saddam Hussein trying to acquire uranium from Niger. It was this latter claim that Colin Powell used to such great effect at the UN Security Council. Rupert Murdoch Also, just six weeks before the attack on Iraq, the “Dodgy” Dossier, based largely on a 12-year old PhD thesis culled from the internet, but containing nuggets of raw MI6 intelligence — was presented by spy and politician alike as ominous premonitory intelligence. Most memorably in the UK, it led to the bogus “Brits 45 minutes from Doom” front-page head­line in Rupert Murdoch’s The Sun newspaper, no less, on the eve of the crucial war vote in Parliament. Interestingly from a British legal position, it appears that Tony Blair and his spin doctor Alastair Campbell, released this report without the prior written permission of the head of MI6, which means that they would appear to be in breach of the UK’s draconian secrecy law, the Official Secrets Act (1989). Thus was made the dodgy case for war.  All lies — millions of deaths and many more maimed, wounded, and displaced, yet no one held to account. Subsequently, there was also the notorious leaked Downing Street memo, where Sir Richard Dearlove was minuted as saying that the intelligence and facts were being fitted around the [predetermined war] policy. On July 23, 2002 at a meeting at 10 Downing Street, Dearlove briefed Tony Blair and other senior officials on his talks with his American counterpart, CIA Director George Tenet, in Washington three days before. In the draft minutes of that briefing, which were leaked to the London Times and published on May 1, 2005, Dearlove explains that George Bush had decided to attack Iraq and the war was to be “justified by the conjunction of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.”  While then-Foreign Secretary Jack Straw points out that the case was “thin,” Dearlove explains matter-of-factly, “the intelligence and facts are being fixed around the policy.” There is no sign in the minutes that any­one hic­cuped — much less demurred — at "making a case for war" and furthering Blair’s determination to join Bush in launching the kind of “war of aggression” out­lawed by the post-world war Nuremberg Tribunal and the UN treaty. The acquiescence of the chief spies helped their political masters main­line into the body politic un-assessed, raw intelligence and forged documents, with disastrous consequences for the people of Iraq and the world. Yet Dearlove long remained unrepentant. Even as recently as 2011, post-retirement and bloated with honours, he continued to deny culpability. When questioned about the Downing Street Memo during an address to the prestigious Cambridge University Union Society by the fear­less and fear­somely bright student, Silkie Carlo, Dearlove tried grandiloquently to brush her aside. But were the remarks in the Memo really “taken out of context” as Dearlove tried to assert? No – the text of the Memo was clear and explicit. So Dearlove could potentially have saved millions of lives across the Middle East if he had gone public then, rather than now as he is threatening, with his considered professional opinion about the intelligence facts being fitted around a preconceived war policy. Would it not be lovely if these retired servants of the crown, replete with respect, status and honours, could actually take a stand while they are in a position to influence world events? Doing so now, purely to preserve his reputation rather than to preserve lives, is even more “ethically flexible” than you would normally expect of an average MI6 intelligence officer. Perhaps that is why he floated to the top of the organisation. Dearlove is right to be worried about how both Chilcot and history will judge him.  These intelligence failures and lies have been picked over and speculated about for years. They are an open secret. But holding the gun of disclosure to the UK government’s head smacks of desperation.  He is quoted as saying that he has no plans to breach the Official Secrets Act by publishing his memoirs. But by publishing an account of the run-up to the Iraq war, he would be still guilty of a breach of the OSA. It has been established under UK law that any unauthorised disclosure crosses the “clear bright line” of the law. And Dearlove seems well aware of this – his original plan was for his account to be made available after his death. Rectum_Defende I can see why he would plan that – firstly he would not risk prosecution under the draconian terms of the OSA, but his account would, in his view, set the record straight and protect his reputation for posterity.  A posthumous win-win. The official motto of the UK spies is “Regnum Defende” — defence of the realm. Serving intelligence officers mordantly alter this to “Rectum Defende” — politely translated as watch your back. Dearlove seems to be living up to the motto.  He must be one very frightened old man to be contemplating such premature publication. The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT. https://www.rt.com/op-edge/uk-iraq-intelligence-war-632/ Gee, wonder why this guy's not a WikiLeaks and Assange fan? ...  lol ꕤ

East Jerusalem

ꕤ Article SOURCE extracts - various Israel will 'never' limit settlement building in East Jerusalem – Israeli FM Published time: 16 Nov, 2014 18:28 Edited time: 16 Nov, 2014 18:33 Israel will never stop its settlement constructions in occupied East Jerusalem, according to Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. Lieberman’s comments come just four days after Israel approved plans to construct some 200 homes in Ramot, despite clashes in the region prompted by settlement expansion. Settlement expansion has been a controversial issue; Palestinians regard the holy city of Jerusalem as the capital of a future state, and strongly oppose any Israeli expansion. Washington responded to the news negatively, reasserting its opposition to the construction of settlements in East Jerusalem. It stated that Lieberman’s announcement may “exacerbate this difficult situation on the ground and...will not contribute to efforts to reduce the tension.” Israel claimed East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War, with its annexation never being recognized internationally. Since then, Israel has built numerous settlements which are now under military regulation, with different laws being applied arbitrarily to certain areas. Some 500,000 Israelis have settled in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, among 2.4 million Palestinians. The Israeli occupied territories have been seeking full Palestinian statehood and independence from Israel for decades. But despite international criticism, the Israeli government encourages the Jewish population in the West Bank to build new settlements. https://www.rt.com/news/206023-israel-jerusalem-settlement-building/ Israel plans 1,000 settler homes in Jerusalem About 1,000 units to be built in parts of Arab areas of occupied city that Palestinians want for their future state. 27 Oct 2014 20:25 GMT | The Israeli government has said that it is advancing construction plans to build about 1,000 housing units in occupied East Jerusalem that Palestinians want to be part of their future state. ... Israel has said all of Jerusalem will forever be its capital, citing historical, religious and security reasons. But the international community, including the US, does not recognise Israel's annexation of the eastern sector of the contested city. Our correspondent said Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister, was under pressure by his right-wing coalition partners, who are pressing for the building of the new settlements and have threatened to withdraw their support from his government. Tensions have been high since June, when the body of three three Israeli teenage settlers were found weeks after they were abducted by unidentified group. Israeli groups retaliated by abducting and killing a Palestinian teenager in East Jerusalem, spurring riots. The abductions set off a series of events that led to the 50-day Gaza war. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/10/israel-plans-settlements-east-jerusalem-20141027101953784884.html ... dire water shortages in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza The Jewish Israelis and the Israeli authorities do not seem to see these Israeli Palestinian neighbors, of whom 74% live under the poverty line, among them 53% of the children, according to official figures from 2009-2010. As noted by Friends of the Earth in Israel, the changes in demographics, standard of living and technology have made the current allocation of water resources, set 20 years ago as part of the second Oslo Accords, irrelevant. The management of the joint environment and water within the framework of this agreement has been proven ineffective. The Israeli-Palestinian committee, established to manage the joint water resources in the West Bank, has not met in an official session for more than two years. [ ARTICLE refers to raw sewage pollution  ] http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/03/east-jerusalem-arab-israelis-water-pollution-palestine.html# By DANIEL K. EISENBUD \  01/20/2015 21:31 Israeli bulldozers demolished an illegally constructed Arab home in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Isawiya shortly before dawn on Tuesday, officials said. The owner, Rebhi Dari, told Arab media he could not legally procure a building permit through the Jerusalem Municipality, nor afford the associated expenses for doing so, and therefore was forced to construct it without a permit so he could house his family. “The occupation simply does not want us here. We are not welcome in our own city, Jerusalem,” Dari said in an interview with a Palestinian publication. “They are fighting our steadfastness – that is why they ask for large amounts of cash for some paper work. Approving an application for a construction permit takes years and ends up being denied.” Dari claimed that his family was forcibly removed from the home after receiving demolition orders 24 hours before, which resulted in rioting, though Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said no disturbances had taken place. Following the demolition, the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) issued a statement condemning what it deemed an “ethnically motivated” forced displacement. “The demolition of Palestinian homes and other structures resulting in forced displacement and land expropriation are politically and ethnically motivated,” the organization said Tuesday. “The aim [of destroying Arab homes] is to limit development and confine the four million Palestinian residents of the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza to small enclaves, thus effectively foreclosing any viable, contiguous Palestinian state and ensuring Israeli control and the ‘Judaization’ of the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem,” it said. The ICAHD added that the Jerusalem Municipality also is threatening to destroy 100 more illegally built Arab homes in Isawiya. The municipality, however, has stated repeatedly that all illegally built structures throughout the city, including in Jewish neighborhoods, are demolished regardless of if the owner is Jewish or Arab. Still, Meretz Councilman and east Jerusalem portfolio holder Dr. Meir Margalit described the demolition as an “inhuman act.” “It’s terrible to demolish a house,” he said by phone Tuesday. “When you demolish a home you don’t just destroy the building, you destroy the family that lives in it.” Moreover, Margalit contended that the demolition will further implicate Israel for alleged war crimes being pursued by the Palestinian Authority at the International Criminal Court. “I warn the Jerusalem Municipality that, just now, when the International Criminal Court in The Hague is investigating all kinds of crimes against humanity in the Israeli occupied territories – including east Jerusalem – they should know that house demolitions of civilians is a crime according to international law that the ICC will judge together with the settlements and other illegal activities. http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Government-demolishes-illegally-constructed-Arab-home-in-east-Jerusalem-388377 Hardline Israelis anger Palestinians by trying to reclaim prayer rights at Jerusalem's most famous holy site As Muslims and Jews assert ownership over the Jerusalem's most famous holy site, some fear the competing beliefs risk igniting a full-scale religious conflict By Robert Tait, Jerusalem 8:00AM GMT 07 Jan 2015 ... The scene of the confrontation was the Al Aqsa Mosque complex, the most sensitive - and hotly contested - religious shrine in Jerusalem's historic Old City, and known to Jews as the Temple Mount. Such scenes have become increasingly common in recent months as radical Jewish groups - often backed by Right-wing Israeli politicians - have entered the site trying to claim worship rights in the face of opposition from Muslims, who insist it is rightfully and exclusively theirs. The all-male Jewish group was visiting because the compound is also regarded as the most sacred location in Judaism, whose adherents believe it to be where the two ancient Jewish temples stood and the site of their foundation stone. Similar stand-offs happen almost daily at the compound - a sweeping open plaza dominated by the 1,400-year-old Al Aqsa mosque, one of the world's oldest, and the dazzling gold-plated Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem's most recognizable architectural landmark and the spot from where the Prophet Mohammed reputedly made his flight to heaven. Their frequency has established the Al Aqsa/Temple Mount site as Jerusalem's most dangerous flashpoint, capable of triggering a third Palestinian intifada (uprising) or even an international conflict, according to Danny Seidemann, an Israeli lawyer who tracks political developments in the city. At issue, Jewish campaigners say, is the right of Jews to worship at their religion's holiest site. That right has been denied for as long as the complex has been an Islamic shrine since the 7th century AD. It was re-affirmed by a 1967 agreement between Israel and the Al Aqsa authorities, known as the waqf, after Israeli forces captured East Jerusalem, including the holy sites, from Jordan in the Six Day War. The accord, commonly referred to as the status quo, states that only Muslims have the right pray. Jews and other non-Muslims are allowed to visit at certain times of the day but cannot pray. But nationalist Israeli Jews are trying to overturn it, arguing that the current arrangement tramples their civil rights and religious freedom. "The Temple Mount is holy. The status quo isn't holy, it's evil," said Ya'acov Hayman, leader of the Haliba organisation, one of several groups calling for "Jewish freedom" on the site. "We want legislation making sure that our rights are respected. We will soon be suing the government of Israel for failing to respect the civil rights of Jews and other non-Muslims on the Temple Mount. Ninety-five per cent of the area of Temple Mount is open space and there is no reason whatsoever why that can't be shared space. " Mr Hayman - who was last year arrested for openly praying and singing the Israeli national anthem inside the complex - said the rules must be changed even if it risked triggering a religious conflict with Muslims who would be likely to see it as an attack on their faith. "Al-Aqsa's presence in Jerusalem connects two billion Muslims across the world to Palestine," said Dr Ekrima Sa'eed Sabri, head of the Islamic supreme committee, which has authority over the waqf, and a former mufti of Jerusalem. "They think that if they can break the connection between Muslims and al-Aqsa, it will break the relationship between Muslims and Palestine. "It's a dishonourable competition between the Israeli political parties linked to the coming elections. Netanyahu is trying to appease the Right-wing so he can stay as prime minister." Mr Netanyahu - who had previously tolerated the visits of his ministers to the site - was forced to act in October after the attempted assassination of Yehuda Glick, a prominent Jewish Temple Mount campaigner, by a Palestinian from East Jerusalem. After Israeli forces tracked down and killed the would-be assassin, Muataz Hijazi, Mr Netanyahu ordered the complex temporarily closed, to Muslims as well as Jews - prompting Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader, to accuse him of "an act of war". As tensions mounted amid a series of "lone wolf" attacks in Jerusalem and elsewhere that left 11 Israelis dead, the Israeli leader held crisis talks in Amman with King Abdullah of Jordan, which retains administrative control over the holy sites, and John Kerry, the US secretary of state. He agreed to restrain his ministers from visiting the compound in the presence of television cameras while lifting age restrictions on Muslims allowed to attend Friday prayers. He also denied any intention to alter the "status quo" banning Jews from praying there. That disclaimer is disbelieved by Al Aqsa officials, as well as by some Israelis, who believe the prime minister shares the same goal as the radical campaigners but has decided to proceed stealthily. "The status quo has already changed," said Shaykh Omar Awadallah Kiswani, director of the Al-Aqsa mosque. "With all the police and the restrictions on religious freedom we have seen, the place feels more like an armed camp than a place of worship. In the media, Netanyahu calls for calm. But he says one thing and does another, because I see what's happening on the ground. " The prime minister believes Israel must assert full control over a site which the late Moshe Dayan, the legendary former Israeli defence minister and military figure, decided should stay in the hands of the Muslim authorities, according to Menachem Klein, a political scientist at Bar Ilan University in Tel Aviv. "Netanyahu has reacted to external pressure from King Abdullah and John Kerry and decided to go carefully by lowering the issue's profile, " he said. "But it's not that he want anything different from what the radicals want. He just wants to go in small steps but keep the subject of the Temple Mount as a place Israel must rule fully. He is not sincere when he talks about keeping the status quo and is definitely not ready to negotiate transferring sovereignty to the Palestinians or anyone else." http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/11328893/Hardline-Israelis-anger-Palestinians-by-trying-to-reclaim-prayer-rights-at-Jerusalems-most-famous-holy-site.html Paywalled Israeli Settlers Take Over Palestinian House in East ... www.haaretz.com › News › Israel May 6, 2015 - Residents of the Palestinian Silwan neighborhood said some 20 Jewish youths moved in the middle of the night while the family living there ... [were away] Who are the Jews of Silwan, and Why are They There? Oct 22, 2014 First, it’s important to understand where and what the neighborhood actually is. “Silwan” is in fact an Arabic name for a vast swathe of territory in eastern Jerusalem, just outside the Old City, which encompasses the ancient City of David and the old Jewish neighborhood of Kfar HaShiloach – where a thriving Jewish community was ethnically-cleansed by Arab forces in the early twentieth century. It is believed to have been the site of the ancient Israelite capital, and as such returning to the area is a priority for Zionist idealists in their struggle to reclaim their national Jewish heritage. That’s reflected in demographic nature of those who live there, who identify as religious-Zionists. ... It was in fact for that very reason that the Yemenite Jews who arrived in Israel during the “First Aliyah” of 1882 – having walked thousands of miles by foot to reach the land of their ancestors – chose to live precisely there. Convinced the Messiah was imminent, they opted to settle in the heart of ancient Jerusalem, to watch the redemption unfold. ... As tensions between Jews and Arabs in Israel began to mount in the early twentieth century, Kfar HaShiloach would bear the brunt of violent anti-Semitism whipped up by anti-Zionist firebrands like the Nazi-collaborating Mufti of Jerusalem. “Unfortunately, the community was decimated – just like most Jewish life in the heart of Jerusalem – by Arab pogroms, in 1929 and 1937; as well as in 1948,” when the British-led Jordanian Arab Legion systematically expelled all remaining Jews from the eastern half of Jerusalem – including the Old City, Western Wall and Temple Mount – and also seized control of Judea and Samaria. For Luria and those who move there, restoring the Jewish presence to those areas is not only an act of defiance but the ultimate fulfillment of the Zionist mission to return the Land of Israel to its people. “We’re basically just fulfilling the Zionist dream,” he says. “Zionism didn’t die in 1948 or 1967.” http://linkis.com/pamb2 Israel issues demolition order for mosque in East Jerusalem 22nd August 2015 JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli municipality officials delivered a demolition order Friday to the al-Qaaqaa Mosque, a house, and a studio apartment in the Silwan neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem, local sources told Ma’an. ... The mosque, built three years ago, is a 110 square meter space that serves 5,000 worshipers. ... The ruling includes the demolition of a 1.5 dunam (.4 acre) sports field as well as a neighboring warehouse and animal shed. Silwan is one of many Palestinian neighborhoods in occupied East Jerusalem that is seeing an influx of Israeli settlers at the cost of the demolition of Palestinian homes and eviction of Palestinian families. Israeli authorities have carried out around 370 demolitions of Palestinian property in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank since the start of 2015, displacing an estimated 432 residents, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Thousands of Palestinian residents are at risk of losing their homes, as members of the current right-wing Israeli government continue to champion longstanding policies to obtain a Jewish majority in East Jerusalem. East Jerusalem was occupied by Israel in 1967 in a move never recognized by the international community, and four decades of Israeli policy in the area have neglected the Palestinian community while fostering the growth of Jewish settlement. http://palsolidarity.org/2015/08/israel-issues-demolition-order-for-mosque-in-east-jerusalem/ Israel to build Jewish seminary in East Jerusalem By AP and Times of Israel staff February 12, 2014, 8:44 pm JERUSALEM — A municipal planning committee on Wednesday advanced a plan to build a Jewish seminary in the heart of an Arab neighborhood of East Jerusalem, triggering angry Palestinian accusations that Israel was undermining already troubled Mideast peace efforts. ... The fate of East Jerusalem is one of the most sensitive issues in the peace efforts. The Palestinians seek East Jerusalem, captured by Israel in the 1967 Six Day War, as the capital of a future independent state. Israel considers East Jerusalem to be part of its capital and says it will never relinquish control of the area and its sensitive religious sites. In Wednesday’s vote, the city planning council gave preliminary approval for a nine-story Jewish seminary in the Arab neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. ... Nimr Hamad, an aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, called the move “a new obstacle on the road to peace and a new obstacle in front of Mr. John Kerry’s mission.” “This also proves that the Israeli government indeed flouts the position of the international community and international public opinion, thinking they can impose facts on the ground,” he added. http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-to-build-jewish-seminary-in-east-jerusalem/ Israel defends Jerusalem evictions August 3, 2009 -- Updated 1937 GMT JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel moved to defend itself in the face of international criticism Monday over its eviction of dozens of Palestinian families from a neighborhood of Jerusalem they have lived in for generations. ... In the court action, a settler group sued claiming the Palestinians had violated an agreement under which they were allowed to live in the houses. ... After the Palestinians were moved out, two Jewish families moved in. ... "Tonight, while these new settlers from abroad will be accommodating themselves and their belongings in these Palestinian houses, 19 newly homeless children will have nowhere to sleep." ... The United States, the United Nations and the European Union condemned the move. ...  "As Secretary [of State Hillary] Clinton has stated previously, the eviction of families and demolition of homes in East Jerusalem is not in keeping with Israeli obligations under the Roadmap," said Robert Wood, referring to the 2003 "Roadmap for peace" plan. Israel has claimed East Jerusalem as part of its sovereign capital since taking the eastern part of the city from Jordan during the Six-Day War in 1967. Also condemning the evictions were British diplomats. "We are appalled by the eviction in East Jerusalem this morning," the British Consulate said. "These actions are incompatible with the Israeli professed desire for peace. We urge Israel not to allow the extremists to set the agenda." The evictions happened as Israel and the United States have been increasingly at odds over U.S. President Barack Obama's insistence that Israel's government freeze all settlement activity as a necessary step toward advancing negotiations with Palestinians. Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took strong public exception to American requests that an Israeli building project in the disputed and mostly Arab East Jerusalem be stopped. The Bush administration had no problem with such projects as long as Israel built within the construction lines of existing settlements in the occupied West Bank. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/08/03/israel.evictions/ Israel accused of ethnic discrimination after stripping Palestinians of East Jerusalem residency Israel has acknowledged stripping a record number of Palestinians of the right to live in East Jerusalem. By Adrian Blomfield in Jerusalem 8:15PM GMT 02 Dec 2009 The announcement came as a confidential European diplomatic report issued its most damning assessment of what it claimed was an Israeli strategy to create a Jewish majority in the city’s predominantly Arab east. Israeli government figures obtained under a Freedom of Information Act request showed that 4,577 Palestinians had been stripped of the right to live in East Jerusalem last year, a record. Jerusalem’s most senior European diplomats alleged that Israel had embarked on a strategy to alter the city’s delicate demographic balance. According to the European report, a confidential year-end briefing which was leaked to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, municipal officials have consistently refused to grant Palestinians in East Jerusalem building permits. At the same time, the report claimed, the government had connived with right-wing Jewish settler groups to buy up Arab houses and expand Jewish settlements “into the heart of the Muslim quarter.” Annexed by Israel following its capture in the 1967 Six-Day War, East Jerusalem is viewed by Palestinians as their capital and its status is a deeply emotive issue. Recent riots in and around East Jerusalem’s walled old city, home to some of the world’s most iconic religious landmarks, were partly fuelled by rumours of a Jewish plot to gain ownership of the area. Numbering 250,000, Palestinians have the majority in East Jerusalem, but their numerical superiority is being challenged by the presence of 190,000 Jewish settlers. According to the report, many of the settlements have been built on the periphery of East Jerusalem in an effort to cut it off from the surrounding West Bank, making it easier to argue that the city is a cohesive Jewish unit. ... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/6712087/Israel-accused-of-ethnic-discrimination-after-stripping-Palestinians-of-East-Jerusalem-residency.html ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- COMMENT I was curious to see what kind of things may have led to the recent Palestinian on Israeli on Palestinian violence. Above are just some random articles that probably have some bearing on what's going on at present. The US, UK, and European politicians condemning Israel could withhold aid, arms and trade to Israel if they sincerely condemned the actions of Israel, but they don't.   So this condemnation of Israel is just politicians making the right public noises, providing feigned support of Palestinians and paying lip-service to concerns about international law.  Of course, that publicly stated 'condemnation' will never be backed by sanctions against Israel -- and Israel knows this and does what it wants. So that makes the US, UK, and European politicians complicit in the decades-long displacement, occupation and abuse of Palestinians. ꕤ

CIA - Rendition - Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr / Abu Omar - ex-CIA, Sabrina De Sousa Held Portugal

ꕤ Article SOURCE http://www.allgov.com/news/us-and-the-world/cia-agent-convicted-in-italy-for-kidnapping-detained-in-portugal-151012?news=857615 CIA Agent Convicted in Italy for Kidnapping Detained in Portugal Back to News submit to reddit Monday, October 12, 2015 A former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer who was convicted in absentia for the kidnapping of a terror suspect in Italy was prevented from leaving Portugal and may be sent to Italy to serve her sentence. Sabrina De Sousa was convicted, along with 22 other Americans, of participating in the abduction from a Milan street of Egyptian cleric Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr, also known as Abu Omar, in 2003. He was taken to Egypt, where he was tortured, according to his wife and Italian prosecutors. He was freed in 2007. De Sousa says she wasn’t involved in the kidnapping, but did serve as an interpreter during its planning stages, according to The Washington Post. Since she and the other Americans—most of them CIA officials— were convicted by the Italian court in 2009, De Sousa has been outspoken in her criticism of the U.S. government’s seeming abandonment of those involved in the kidnapping. She told the Post that she knew that she could be detained by traveling to Portugal, but wanted to bring the matter to a head, either with the United States granting her diplomatic immunity or by Italy reinvestigating the kidnapping or granting her and those also convicted clemency. “This has gone on for 10 years,” De Sousa said. “It’s impacted my life. I’ve got relatives in Europe, and I don’t see any reason to give that up. The rendition should have never taken place, and we were all thrown under the bus for it.” De Sousa expressed surprise that it took Portuguese authorities as long as it did to detain her. “The interesting part of it is the timing,” De Sousa told the Post. “Why now? When I came into Portugal I did not get detained. I have been here for several months and the Italians never asked Portugal to surrender me to Italy. When was it put into their system at the airport? Someone in Italy seemed to know I was traveling.” She said she was prohibited last Monday from leaving the country, but after a court hearing only had to surrender her passport and was not jailed. De Sousa left the CIA in 2009 and sued to get diplomatic immunity to protect her from the Italian charges, but her case was dismissed. Only one other defendant in the case has come close to being extradited. Robert Seldon Lady, who was the CIA’s station chief in Milan at the time of the kidnapping, was detained in Panama two years ago at Italy’s request but was released. One of the defendants, Col. Joseph L. Romano III, a retired Air Force commander, was pardoned by the Italian court in 2013. SOURCE http://www.allgov.com/news/us-and-the-world/cia-agent-convicted-in-italy-for-kidnapping-detained-in-portugal-151012?news=857615 The Rendition Project UK Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr, a.k.a. Abu Omar, was born in Egypt in 1963. Having been detained and tortured by the Egyptian regime for his involvement in Egypt’s militant Islamic Group, he was granted political asylum in Italy in 2001. In the lead up to the Iraq war of 2003, he campaigned against the invasion and occupation of Iraq. This sparked surveillance by the Italian authorities of his activities, and investigations into the contacts he kept. The Italian authorities alleged that he was recruiting fighters to go to Iraq and resist the occupation. He denies this.   On 17 February 2003 Nasr was apprehended in Milan by a man in a police uniform. He was bundled into a van where men in balaclavas beat, blindfolded and restrained him. The journey lasted several hours, and on arrival at what is now known to be the US airbase at Aviano, Nasr was prepared for his rendition to Cairo, via the Ramstein airbase in Germany. Common with other rendition victims, his clothes were cut off, a suppository was forcibly inserted into his rectum, his head was taped leaving holes only for his mouth and nose, and he was forced onto a CIA-contracted Gulfstream IV jet with registration number N85VM, operated by Richmor Aviation.  EXTRACT - SOURCE http://www.therenditionproject.org.uk/prisoners/abu-omar.html ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- COMMENT These people don't deserve immunity or clemency, but they'll get it because we live in a corrupt world in which corruption and might is right. Even if this guy had been organising a resistance to the 2003 US invasion, how does that make him a 'terrorist' when the US invasion of Iraq was illegal and on false pretexts? Robert Seldon Lady was released by Panama and Col. Joseph L. Romano III was pardoned by Italy, so I don't see Italy playing hard ball regarding De Sousa. Everybody's corrupt, but I get the impression that Italy and Latin America are that bit extra corrupt and somehow linked and closely linked to the US and CIA, so why are they even bothering to go through this farce of convicting the CIA? Found the torture and rape of this guy rather disturbing. ꕤ

Assange - U.K. State Political Persecution - Change of Tactics

ꕤ Article SOURCE as marked London Removes Policemen From Outside Ecuadorian Embassy Europe 16:22 12.10.2015(updated 19:28 12.10.2015) The London Metropolitan police announced Monday it would end its permanent guard at the Ecuadorian embassy where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been taking refuge. According to the statement published on the Metropolitan police website, the UK police have maintained 24/7 presence outside the building since Assange entered it over three years ago. Kristinn Hrafnsson, the official WikiLeaks representative, told Sputnik that he believes this is nothing more than a change of tactics: "It’s a bit hard to read into it. Are they just replacing the visible presence with covert officers? The metropolitan police have spent over £12 million on this ridiculous siege for over three years now. So now they’re putting a covert team up against him. I wonder if that’s simply a change of tactics and the expenditure will simply go on. It’s very hard to read into exactly what this means. One can speculate that they are possibly trying to hide the cost by removing the visibility of the police officers who have been surrounding the embassy 24/7 since June 19, three years ago." "I don’t think I’d call anything a victory unless the siege was called off and Julian is allowed to enjoy the political asylum that he was granted fully in compliance with international law by the Ecuadorian government," he added. "So this doesn’t make a huge difference in my mind, it’s obvious that the Metropolitan police is somewhat reacting to the outrage among the public for spending over £12 million on this ridiculous attempt to arrest him." EXTRACTS ONLY http://sputniknews.com/europe/20151012/1028406190/london-ecuador-assange-police-removing.html Met Police UK Covert plan at Ecuadorian Embassy strengthened after removing dedicated guards Oct 12, 2015 13:59 BST Metropolitan Police Service strengthens covert plan at Ecuadorian Embassy after removing dedicated 24/7 guards. Since Julian Assange entered the Ecuadorian Embassy in June 2012, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has maintained a police presence at the Embassy. Julian Assange was arrested on a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) in December 2010 and his extradition ordered him to answer serious criminal allegations in Sweden. He is subject to arrest under Section 7 of the Bail Act, for failing to surrender to custody on 29 June 2012 for removal to Sweden. EXTRACT ONLY http://news.met.police.uk/news/covert-plan-at-ecuadorian-embassy-strengthened-after-removing-dedicated-guards-132799?utm_campaign=send_list&utm_medium=email&utm_source=sendgrid ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- COMMENT When I first heard the news, I figured the establishment's guard dogs would be out there somewhere in plain-clothes, and I was right.  lol It's just a change of tactics and they're going covert, to hide the extent of police presence and to hide the ongoing costs to the public -- which is rather underhand. As WikiLeaks mentioned a pending UN decision, I got excited thinking maybe the whole thing's about to be called off and Assange is about to be free. Struggled to stay awake to see what happens.  Turns out there was no need for a 'freedom vigil' ... it really is just a switch to covert surveillance.  Bastards.  lol Check out that assh*le statement from the Met:   THEATRE "his extradition ordered him to answer serious criminal allegations in Sweden" REALITY "his extradition ordered him to answer serious criminal BROKEN CONDOM (NO DNA found by laboratory) SWEDEN SOCIAL DEMOCRATS POLICE & PARTY *PAL* *UNRECORDED* AND *EDITED* POLICE DATABASE LOGGED *REVIVED* police ALLEGATIONS in Sweden ... that were originally tossed out by an honest Swedish prosecutor ... that COULD have been dealt with by substitute Sweden prosecutor INTERVIEW in UK, at any time in the last 5 YEARS that Sweden has refused to interview Julian Assange, who has been given political asylum by Ecuador, in accordance with provisions of international law" Yeah, it's handy to tack on 'serious' and 'criminal' before mere ALLEGATIONS -- mind you, trumped up allegations of Sweden POLICE and Sweden AUTHORITIES, no doubt working in the service of their American masters, to spin what is undemocratic POLITICAL PERSECUTION of a journalist into something other than what it is, to the gullible and uninformed public. Assange has been available to be interviewed by Swedish authorities in Britain since 2010, and has been available for such interview, under siege at the Ecuadorian embassy: SWEDEN LIES Sweden hasn't bothered to question Assange in the UK in the FIVE YEARS its had to do so -- and has, in fact, done all to AVOID questioning Assange. The Swedish establishment, the British establishment and those that serve them are the criminals:  they're committing the crime of politically persecuting a journalist who has exposed US and allied war crimes. ꕤ

Video - Documentary - Iraq

ꕤ Video SOURCE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww065_UGlGU&feature=youtu.be Uncovered: The War on Iraq   Documentary ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- About to watch this.   Hoping to keep awake through it.  Trouble staying awake even at this moment.   Been keeping all over the place hours.  Now I'm in a strange place where I can't stay away but I can't sleep either.  Zombie.  lol PS I don't have to sulk anymore.  I can watch it in the living room.  Get to stretch out.  Yay!  ------------------------ PPS I fell asleep several times during this and kept waking up, getting that startled rush you get when you're dropping in and out of sleep.   Got to watch again.  lol ꕤ