Middle East and State Department Diary - 25 July 2014

 "Israel must be permitted to crush Hamas."  Michael Oren

"I have seen no confirmed reports, however, of Hamas using force to keep people in targeted areas so they can serve as human shields — and perhaps sway world opinion by boosting the body count. When people decide they must leave their homes, they can do so. But where are these evacuees supposed to go? To the nearest school or hospital? Not if these, too, are considered legitimate targets by the Israeli Defense Forces.'  Eugene Robinson

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Oren is undoubtedly a spokesman for the real Israel.  He is CNN's leading man on the Middle East.  Was that apointment happenstance?  He is "Ambassador in Residence" at the Atlantic Council, etc.   There has been a lot of prevarication on the part of the Zionists here and there, a lot of talk  of "limited objectives,"  "desperate efforts to avoid civilian casualties,"  and of the "traumatization of Israeli civilians" by Hamas/IJ rockets.  (This last in spite of the nearly complete ineffectiveness of Hamas/IJ rockets).  But, here, in former American Oren's oped we see a little honesty.  Israel means to destroy Hamas in order to make a peace of subjugation with the PA, and that is the whole story.  Hamas is not crushed yet.  It fights on and therefore Israel does not want "peace."  Next stop will be rebellion on a large scale in the West Bank and I am still waiting to know what Hizbullah will do to back up their statements.

Robinson, after the still obligatory oath of fealty to Israel, opines that they have gone too far.  Amen, brother.  pl

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/michael-oren-israel-must-be-permitted-to-crush-hamas/2014/07/24/bd9967fc-1350-11e4-9285-4243a40ddc97_story.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/eugene-robinson-israel-is-acting-as-if-it-is-free-of-moral-responsibilities/2014/07/24/6b76763c-1372-11e4-9285-4243a40ddc97_story.html

*****************

"Hundreds have found shelter in areas between Mosul and Irbil – the capital of the Kurdistan regional government – that are controlled by Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, but they face an uncertain future.

"If Isis stays, there is no way the Christians can return," Father Boutrous Moshi said from Qara Qoosh, a Christian area south-east of Mosul. "It is up to God whether we return or not. They have not burned the churches but they did set fire to the pictures and the books and broke the windows."

Monks at the 4th-century Mar Behnam monastery, a major pilgrimage site run by the Syriac Catholic church, were allowed to take only the clothes they were wearing.

Sarab Hazem, from the Zehoor neighbourhood of Mosul, said that initially there were no attacks on Christians when Isis took the city in a lightning offensive in June, though Isis fighters did capture and take away police, security agents and soldiers. "No one knows what becomes of them," he said.

Then, statues of Christ and the Virgin Mary were destroyed. "They are savages," Hazem said. "This is oppression for no reason. I believe it is no longer possible for Christians to live in Iraq.""  The Guardian

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There are still vast numbers of Americans who have no grasp of the idea that there are Arabic and Aramaic speaking Christians in places like Iraq and Palestine, and that these Brethren in Christ lived well under secularists like Saddam and the Assads as well as under the Hashemites in Jordan.  Jesus was an Aramaic speaker.  These are among the oldest Christian communities in the world.  ISIS gave them  a choice of conversion, the Jizya (capitation tax) or death.  At least they had a choice.  Correct me if I err but I thnk the Shia and the Yazidis are simply killed as murtadoon (apostates).  Non-wahhabi Sunnis are given one chance to "repent." 

Why do they do things like destroy Jonah's Tomb?  As strict muwahiddoon  (wahhabis) they believe that reverence for any object, whether grave, shrine, or a person is shirk (a form of idol worship).  pl

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/24/iraqi-christians-mosul-isis-convert-islam-or-be-executed

http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/24/world/iraq-violence/

***************

"The latest invented story appears to have been produced primarily as a replacement for Harf’s increasingly debunked allegations surrounding the MH17 shoot-down, a talking point which has gained her no small mocking in the press over the past week, as she directly contradicts the US intelligence community’s own releases on the matter.

Harf’s latest allegations included the phantom artillery fire and secret evidence of Russia planning to maybe send a bunch more weapons to the rebels. One member of the assembled press, humorously, asked if there was “a YouTube video or something that you can point us to,” calling back to Harf’s regular use of social media as “proof” for her claims.

Harf declared “I just said I wasn’t going to give you the underlying source,” and asked if the press preferred she keep things to herself that she can’t prove. This led to another exchange, with someone shooting back “Marie, I think that it would be best for all concerned here if when you make an allegation like that, you’re able to back it up with something more than just “because I said so.”"  Anti-war.com

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Women like this one and Mika B give women a bad name.  They can't find a woman spokesperson for State who looks like something more than a sorority girl homecoming queen?  pl 

http://news.antiwar.com/2014/07/24/us-invents-reports-of-russia-attacking-ukraine-bases/

 

Comments

[LJ]

"Next stop will be rebellion on a large scale in the West Bank and I am still waiting to know what Hizbullah will do to back up their statements."

Isn't Hizbullah tied up in Syria, i.e. over-extended?

[turcopolier]

LJ

No. Their intervention wold take the form of rocket and missile fire into Israel. None of those people have been in Syria and they have enough village militias to defend their fortified line in Lebanon. pl

[Babak Makkinejad]

Col. Lang:

Margaret Tutwiller - but I guess she was too Southern...

[David Habakkuk]

Colonel Lang,

“Israel means to destroy Hamas in order to make a peace of subjugation with the PA, and that is the whole story.”

But even if they could make a 'peace of subjugation' with the PA, why should they think it would last? A problem with the 'Iron Wall' concept has always been that, even if you can bash one generation of Palestinians into total submission, why should the next generation accept that state of affairs?

Why should they not say either that a compelled submission has no legitimacy, or that those who conceded it were Quislings and despicable traitors, or some combination of both claims?

'There are still vast numbers of Americans who have no grasp of the idea that there are Arabic and Aramaic speaking Christians in places like Iraq and Palestine, and that these Brethren in Christ lived well under secularists like Saddam and the Assads as well as under the Hashemites in Jordan.'

Partially lapsed English Anglicans often understand this very well.

'Women like this one and Mika B give women a bad name.'

Absolutely. Likewise, people like Michael Oren give Jews a bad name. And indeed, thugs like Oren are in the process of convincing people like myself, whose whole culture is shaped by the marvellous outpouring of creativity unleashed by the emancipation of European Jews from the ghetto, that the empowerment of American Jews has been a disaster.

Perhaps indeed there is a Jewish, and American tragedy – well illustrated by current events in Ukraine. Among Eastern European Jewish immigrants to the United States and their descendants, one finds people of deep learning and wide humanity – Stephen F. Cohen is only one of many.

One also finds over-educated idiots, incapable of finding an exit from old grievances and hatreds: Victoria Nudelman/Nuland being one of very many.

Unfortunately, it seems almost universally the case that the wise, learned, and humane Jews have absolutely no influence over the policies pursued by American governments, and the over-educated idiots intoxicated by the ability that access to the power of their new-found country gives them to pay off old scores have a great deal.

[mike]

On Wednesday Massoud Barzani (President of the Kurdish Regional Government in Iraq) met with and welcomed Louis Rapahael I Sako (Chaldean Patriarch of Babylon) and other Iraqi Christians from Mosul and Nineveh. He is quoted as saying to them: “We will all either die together or we will live together with dignity”.

http://basnews.com/en/News/Details/Barzani-to-Iraqi-Christians--We-will-live-and-die-together/28029

[VietnamVet]

Colonel,

Ms. Harf is in an impossible position. The USA and EU started the Ukrainian Civil War by supporting the overthrow of the elected government. The continued support of the Junta and the refusal to negotiate a settlement is proof that the intention of the USA is to destabilize Russia. A state of war now exists between the United States of America and the Russian Federation, just not declared. But, she cannot admit to the truth. So she observes the dictates of neoconservative doctrine and she lies.

Israel has invaded before. It is killing Palestinians again. This will continue until it has living space or ceases to exist.

The USA has around 750 troops and perhaps several thousand officials and contractors left in Iraq. The Islamic State is up and running consolidating its power while Americans are developing assistance plans. They are completely at the mercy of others; the Islamic State’s battle plans and the defense of the Shiite Militia. I’d be getting out now. My opinion is that both religious militias would love to bulldoze flat all symbols of the Crusader/Jew occupation of Iraq; especially the embassy. A fighting withdrawal is inevitable.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2299043/Incredible-story-British-soldier-survivor-19th-century-Afghan-conquest--warnings-today-s-military-missions.html

When a government lies to its citizens the first causality is credibility. Propaganda to work has to be based on the truth. The best example is 1950’s TV show “Victory at Sea” or Stephen Ambrose’s stories of American foot soldiers in WWII who were going not as conquerors but as liberators. Today the propaganda does not work because America fights its wars with drones and surrogate conquerors; Neo-Nazis in Ukraine and Jihadists in Syria.

[Matthew]

Col: After flooding the airwaves with all this talk about Hamas rejecting a "reasonable" ceasefire, the Israel Security Cabinet unanimously rejected Kerry's proposal. See http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-07-25/john-kerry-fails-broker-gaza-truce

The chief of Hamas gave an interesting interview on the BBC. See ttp://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p023kld8

I'm sure Mika will invite him onto Morning Joe.

[ex-PFC Chuck]

There's an important post at The Vineyard, that is if the documents discussed are authentic, regarding Ukrainian casualty and desertion rates:
http://vineyardsaker.blogspot.de/2014/07/catastrophic-desertions-and-losses-in.html

[Matthew]

DH: "Humane" Jews pay a socially heavy price for dissent. Have you seen what Max Blumenthal and M J Rosenberg have to put up with? And look what happened to Judge Goldstone's reputation after (gently and reluctantly) broke ranks.

[PirateLaddie]

Maggie Tutwiller, of "the Alabama Tutwillers?" Pleeze! Why not Betsy Tamposi, another disastrous GOP retread of the Daddy Bush era?

[oofda]

Not to quibble, but Nuland has only a bachelor's degree (albeit from Brown), but no grad school or law degree. For a person in her position, she is in reality, 'under-educated.'

[Kunuri]

Israel may win their little war within the framework of their objectives. But they will find that they will lose the last vestiges of support for their cause going back awhile within the civilized society. I was just watching a movie about the Warsaw ghetto, and my stomach turned, how the roles have changed. How bankrupt the Israeli flim-flam has become! How the little nation of Israel can forget they are there because of a lot of men and women of conscience have helped them over the decades. How can a learned Rabbi of true Jewish fate can condone what is going on down there? How can real Jews not resort to their 3000 year morality law and see things differently than we do here. If they do, they have indeed joined the ranks of ISIS and the Wahhabis. How will they ever claim righteousness if a real calamity ever faced them and they needed help on account of the woes they suffered in the past?

[fanto]

Colonel - my heart grows to see the viewers from Bulgaria, Switzerland, France, Ireland, Germany, Far East almost in a row on the sideline showing the current users of your blog. The word spreads - and I am helping too in my small ways.

[tv]

"They can't find a woman spokesperson for State who looks like something more than a sorority girl homecoming queen?"
That's being VERY charitable.
Both Harf and Psaki look and act like college dorm RA's.
Seems typical of the Obama bunch - immature sycophants.

[oofda]

Just to show that not everyone buys his shtick, here is a video of Oren getting booed offstage at UC Irvine a few years ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsdtafcbqrE

[robt willmann]

The Master of State Department spokespersons was Richard Boucher, who unfortunately was promoted to Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs. My sainted mother and I would drop everything if he was giving a press briefing on C-Span just to listen to him and laugh; not at him, but at the way he handled the press, speaking in a near monotone with an unflappable demeanor, and at times going on and on without saying a thing.

Digging around on C-Span's website reveals some of his old briefings, which should be studied by any aspiring spokesperson. Here are a couple from 2005--

http://www.c-span.org/video/?186868-1/state-department-daily-briefing

http://www.c-span.org/video/?186588-1/state-department-daily-briefing

[confusedponderer]

I saw Ms. Harf's performance from July 1, 2014.
Just combine two of her quips:

"this humanitarian situation there is a direct result of Russian-backed incursions there. There was not a humanitarian situation there before the separatists started killing people."

and

"UNHCR’s statement did not say that 110,000 refugees fled Ukraine into Russia. What it said is that number of people had crossed the border at some point. That could be to go visit their grandmother and come back."

Yes of course, they could just visit their grandmothers! What else?

Sooo ... in East Ukraine it's the Separatists who are killing people ... and the separatists are pro-Russian ... or rather-Russia is pro separatist ... and the people flee, and of all places, they flee to Russia ... Russia, we are told, is a terrible tyrannical dystopia lorded over by the overlord Vladimir Putin ... what can these idiots hope to find there but doom and misery? Just grandmothers?

And yet they flee to Russia. So let's assume that some of these people don't have grandmothers anymore, and actually did flee:

What and who do they flee from? The fighting? Perhaps the soldateska that Kiev has sent down there to subdue Eastern Ukraine? Because if they were fleeing the separatists, they’d be fleeing, like west, Ms. Harf … ? Why do they flee east?

Nah, they just like visiting their grandmothers.

It must take a generally contemptuous and blindly ambitious nature to be able to tell such outrageous BS with a straight face, and be able to look in the mirror afterwards without having to retch.

Ms Harf is adding insult to injury for East-Ukrainians, while by the way insulting every listeners in telligence.

Considering how supine media in the US generally are of late, it's a small marvel, and a good, sign that reporters are beginning to tire of being sold a bill of goods by people like Ms. Harf. In her case, her being so obnoxious may have accelerated that effect.

[Haralambos]

Col, Lang,
Thank you for noting the following: "There are still vast numbers of Americans who have no grasp of the idea that there are Arabic and Aramaic speaking Christians in places like Iraq and Palestine, and that these Brethren in Christ lived well under secularists like Saddam and the Assads as well as under the Hashemites in Jordan. Jesus was an Aramaic speaker. These are among the oldest Christian communities in the world."
To this I would add the Copts in Egypt and the Sudan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copts. Would that information about these Christians and their histories were more well-known in the US and further afield.

[Haralambos]

VietnamVet, in response to your comment, "Ms. Harf is in an impossible position," I would suggest she chose to remain in that position. I would cite Brady Kiesling's resignation as an example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brady_Kiesling. This is not a criticism of your take but a suggestion that she did have other options.

[Bandolero]

All

Regarding MH17, today (Russian state news agency) Ria Novosti carried an interesting report:

http://ria.ru/world/20140725/1017459906.html

Logistic.ru (a site I never heard before today) carries, what seems to be a translation of that Ria news item into English. Quote:

Ukrainian authorities do not exclude that Boeing could be brought down during training workouts of Ukrainian defense

... On the day of the crash of Malaysian airliner, the Ukrainian air defense units of the armed forces were conducting training on unlocking the system of the missiles launching. The emergency situation during its conducting could become the cause of the tragedy with Boeing, the source in one of the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine told RIA Novosti.

"July 17, the commander of the 156th surface to air-missile regiment was ordered to carry out training of combat crews to provide cover for ground troops in the suburbs of Donetsk – to deploy battalions, work out track air targets, and fulfill the whole algorithm in tracking and conditional destruction of targets with the missile Buk-M1," the interlocutor of the agency said.

The real launch of the missile 9M38M1 was not contemplated despite the fact that the battery commanders were given unlocked keys to conduct missile launches, according to the source.

According to him, "two Su-25 were sent to participate in the training in Dnipropetrovsk airbase Kulbakino of 229th team of tactical air forces in Nikolayev. They were tasked to conduct aerial reconnaissance and identify control objectives in the region of a concentration of ATO grouping to the west of Donetsk."

"Upon entering of one aircraft in the detection zone of surface-to-air missile system Buk, it was taken to support combat crew of the battery located near the settlement of Zaroschenskoe. Apparently, by a tragic accident flight routes of Malaysian Boeing and Su-25 were coincident in some time despite the difference in levels, and merged on the screen into one major point, which has become fatal for the civil board. At the moment of convergence of targets at one azimuth the tracking system automatically rebuilds to lead those, which has the largest area," he said.

The source was unable to explain, why unauthorized launch was done: "The Security Service of Ukraine are addressing this issue. About half past nine in the evening they took the battery commander with the crew." According to him, he has no information about the progress of the proceedings.

...

Source: http://en.logistic.ru/news/news.php?num=2014/07/25/33/5734

Of, course, a "source in one of the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine" is no proof for nothing. And, naturally, I have no idea whether the information is true.

However, what I think, what it distinguishes from the rumor peddling we see so much regarding MH17 these days is that the information seems to me to be quite specific, like "commander of the 156th surface to air-missile regiment," "229th team of tactical air forces in Nikolayev" and "located near the settlement of Zaroschenskoe."

So, I would guess, some real journalists could be able to take this as a starting point for quite specific questions and investigations.

Meanwhile, according to Ria Novosti, the spokesperson of the Ukrainian defense ministry flatly denied that information above: "The Boeing wasn't shot down during an exercise. The source has wrong information. Information that the Boeing was downed during an exercise are total madness."

Source:

http://de.ria.ru/environment_disaster/20140725/269110063.html

I haven't found any denial that there wasn't any Ukrainian anti-air-exercise involving Buks, however.

[Fred]

Tv,
Yes, it speaks volumes of the people doing the hiring for the state department.

[Lee]

#CrushHamas now trending on Twitter and Facebook, hah.

[FkDahl]

Russian BBC video, trying to find the alleged launchpoint of the BUK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUvK5m2vxro&hd=1&html5=1&cc_load_policy=1

[kao_hsien_chih]

There is something peculiar about "social media" as "evidence" and USG's attitude towards them.

With regards Gaza, much of dissenting views and alleged evidence against official US position comes from social media. Many people are even lionizing how "social media as evidence" will break the stranglehold of Zionism on Western public opinion supposedly because "it cannot be controlled." On the other hand, of course, US govt hardly ever mentions social media in this area.

With regards Ukraine, social media is quite hostile to the "rebels" and Russians, in line with US govt policy. In fact, here, US givt officials routinely cite social media as "evidence" to supoort their positions in absence of any other.

It is not clear to me that social media deserves much credence in any context. It is necessarily a collection of hearsay, opinions, half-truths, and downright lies. Given the worldwide demographics of the participants within, its average worldview is distinctly skewed towards younger, idealistic and "western" opinions. It is, to a large degree, an echo chamber that says more about what youngish tech savvy peooke think than about the real state of affairs anywhere. We should remember that, if socual media were anything close to an accurate reflection of reality, Egypt should be flourishing Western style liberal democracy. After all, did not social media offer ample evidence that most Egyptians were eager to embrace Western democracy?

The functional equivalents if the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (or even al-Sisi, people who may not be tech savvy, but are sufficiently numerous, powerful, and organized to be the arbiter of the real events, are everywhere, on all sides. Social media don't change that when the stakes rise. Maybe social media might be more decisive if politics become sufficiently "civilized" that the losers don't stand to lose more than just pocket change, but opinions of outside wankers mean little in real fighta.

[Lee]

Also, not sure how much I trust the sources in this op-ed. If true though...

http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2014/7/israel-hamas-palestiniansconflictunitedstatesinternationallaw.html