Martha's report from Palestine

I met Martha in Palestine last year. she is back in the west bank and filed this report: Notes from the Field: MPT in Palestine/Israel
The story of Izbat at Tabib began in 1948 when the residents of Tabur (now Israel) came under attack by Zionist extremists. As a result a number of families moved 20 miles west to settle in Palestine, forming a new village, Izbat at Tabib. ...

and this video

Riyadh 'offers airspace' for Israel attack on Iran

Riyadh 'offers airspace' for Israel attack on Iran
Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:13:52 GMT
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Israeli fighter jets have been allowed to use Saudi airspace to launch go-it-alone air strikes on Iranian nuclear installations, says a recent report.

The issue ahs been discussed in a closed-door meeting in London, where British Intelligence Chief Sir John Scarlett his Israeli counterpart, Meir Dagan, and Saudi official have been present Daily Express.

According to the report Scarlett has been told that Saudi airspace would be at Israel's disposal should Tel Aviv decide to move forward with his military plans against Iran.

The British daily added the likelihood of an Israeli attack against Iran has increased significantly after the country announced plans to launch its second enrichment facility in the central city of Qom.

In line with its policy of nuclear transparency, Iran announced the construction of a second enrichment plant in a letter to the UN nuclear watchdog on September 21. The new plant is due to produce enriched uranium up to 5 percent.

The letter was sent 12 months before the agency's regulations oblige its members states to inform of new developments.

With eyes firmly fixed on Iran's nuclear progressions, the right-wing government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly threatened to bomb the country's enrichment facilities out of existence.

Tel Aviv accuses Tehran of nuclear weapons development - a charge rejected by both Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog, which has so far made "21 unannounced inspections" of the country's nuclear facilities.

The UN nuclear watchdog in its previous reports has confirmed that Iran only enriches uranium-235 to a level of "less than 5 percent."

Uranium, which fuels a nuclear power plant, can be used for military purposes only if enriched to high levels of above 90 percent.

Details of the controversial Israeli plans to attack Iran emerged after John Bolton, the former US ambassador to the United Nations, recently told a group of intelligence analysts that “Riyadh certainly approves” of Israel's use of Saudi airspace in the event of war with Iran.

Bolton, had previously said he had discussed the possibility with Saudi officials in closed-door meetings. “None of them would say anything about it publicly but they would certainly acquiesce in an overflight if the Israelis didn't trumpet it as a big success.”

The recent revelations follow a flurry of media reports in July, which suggested the Saudi government had approved the use of its airspace for an attack.

While Saudi officials deny having diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv, an Israeli defense source has confirmed that the Mossad spy agency maintained “working relations” with the kingdom.

According to a study published bythe Center for Strategic and International Studies, a military exchange between Iran and Israel could result in the death of as many as 6 million people.

Tens of thousands displaced in new Pakistan offensive

Tens of thousands displaced in new Pakistan offensive: officials

SLAMABAD (AFP) – Between 56,000 and 100,000 people have fled their homes since Pakistani troops launched a new anti-Taliban offensive in the tribal Khyber district, UN and Pakistani officials estimated Monday.

The military, backed by artillery and helicopter gunships, launched the offensive on September 1 after a suicide bomber killed 22 policemen in Khyber, which lies on the main supply route for Western troops in Afghanistan.

"Over 100,000 people have arrived in Peshawar since the military mounted an offensive," said Mian Iftikhar Hussain, information minister in North West Frontier Province.

"We intend to set up a camp for them. We have asked the federal government to provide us assistance to cope with the situation."

Qaiser Afridi, a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said the ongoing operation in the Bara district of Khyber had displaced between 8,000 and 12,000 families. The families average seven members.

"They are staying with their friends and relatives and we are just getting this data from our implementing partners," Afridi told AFP.

UNHCR has advised the government to prepare assistance for the displaced people, he said. "We are assessing the humanitarian situation there and let's see what the government does."

The Frontier Corps paramilitary, which operates in Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal belt, said eight militants and a soldier were killed in ground fighting in Khyber on Monday.

A "fierce encounter" took place on hilly terrain near Naraikarawal village, in which a "commander Nawaz" and seven other militants from the Taliban-linked Lashkar-e-Islam group were killed, it said in a statement.

Pakistani authorities said Monday they had sacked 715 tribal police who failed to show up for work after Lashkar-e-Islam militant leader Mangal Bagh threatened to demolish their homes and exact other harsh penalties.

The military says it has killed around 170 militants in Khyber but such tolls are impossible to confirm independently.

In April Pakistan launched a major operation to clear the Taliban from Swat and neighbouring northwestern districts.

The offensive forced 1.9 million civilians from their homes. The UN last week said 1.65 million people had returned after the government declared the area free of insurgents.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/pakistanafghanistanunrestdisplaced




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Rabbis involved in organ sales

Rabbis involved in organ sales
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At the end of July when 10 people, among them several rabbis, were arrested in New Jersey, USA, it was assumed that this was little more than a case of tax fraud by another charity. Charities often run foul of the law by failing, quite innocently, of fulfilling their legal obligations. But the New Jersey arrests pointed to something much bigger. There were not only politicians involved in corruption scandals — again not unusual for the US — but rabbis selling organs imported from Israel. One of them, Levy Izhak Rosenbaum from Brooklyn, described himself to an FBI agent whom he believed to be a client, as a “matchmaker”. The rabbi was not talking about romance; it was more serious: buying and selling kidneys from Israel. He admitted that he purchased kidneys from ‘poor people’ in Israel for $10,000 and sold them for $160,000 each in the US. And he had been in this business for decades

In addition to the tidy profit the learned rabbi and his fellow travelers were making was the more sinister plot of harvesting the kidneys of Palestinian youth shot and wounded by Israeli soldiers. Dragging their bodies away, their organs were removed at hospitals to be sold. Palestinian families have for years complained about the ripped bodies of their children handed over to them by Israeli soldiers who forced their burial in the middle of the night, but the full extent of the crime has just come to light.

Illegal trade in organs is nothing new but the New Jersey-Israeli connection points to something absolutely criminal. A report by Donald Bostrom in a Swedish paper on August 3 highlights the harvesting of Palestinian organs by Israeli doctors. He writes that at a conference in 2003, Israel was singled out as the only ‘Western’ country where doctors do not condemn illegal trade of organs or take measures against doctors who conduct such illegal operations, according to Dagens Nyheter (December 5, 2003).

Bostrom narrates the story of Bilal Ahmed Ghanem from the West Bank village of Imatin who was shot and wounded by the Israelis and then loaded on to a jeep and driven away. Five days later, his body, ripped across the front from the neck to below the navel was brought for burial in the middle of the night. His relatives were forced to dig the grave. Bilal was one of 69 youth out of 133 killed that year that had autopsies performed on their bodies. The relatives had no doubt: his organs had been removed. Why were Israelis interested in performing autopsies on the bodies of Palestinian youth?

The New Jersey rabbis’ organ sales business provides the answer.

Targeting Pakistan and silencing the critics

Targeting Pakistan and silencing the critics
Thursday, September 03, 2009
By Shireen M Mazari
While US diplomats target their critics in Pakistan with a new ferocity, the US media and politicians target the Pakistan's nuclear and military capability. Taking the latter first, Dr Khan had barely gained his "freedom" when that murderous former Vice-President Dick Cheney, in a pre-taped interview to Fox News (Aug 30), declared that the Obama Administration should use the CIA to find out what Dr Khan was up to. Cheney also expressed pride in the Bush administration's aggressive use of drones in FATA. So should we assume that the increased presence of Blackwater and other unidentified US personnel in Islamabad may also have Dr Khan as a possible target?

Nor was it just Cheney firing off on one of America's obsessions – Dr Khan – while quite unconcerned about the massive proliferation that the US continues to Israel (this is all now part of the published and publicly available data). More irritating than disturbing, has been the story in The New York Times (NYT), citing unnamed senior administration and congressional officials (of course when we cite similar sources, US officialdom is not amused), accusing Pakistan of modifying Harpoon missiles given to the Pakistan navy so as to be able to hit land-based targets.

Had the NYT bothered to do some basic research they would have realised that Pakistan has no need to modify the old Harpoon missiles when they already have far better land-based missile systems already battle-tested and in their arsenal. As it is, the Harpoon does not have the range that would be required to hit land-based targets.

The question that arises then is why plant this story now – apart from the continuing US effort to undermine the Pakistan's military capability and keep the military institution under pressure (or so they assume)? One reason may have to do with putting pressure on the Pakistan Navy to give its go-ahead to a US request, forwarded by Pakistan's Ministry of Defence to the naval chief, to allow them to build a landing strip near Gwadar (their own miniport facility) which US marines can use ostensibly as part of their anti-narcotic activities. So far there has been no response from the Pakistani side. Why they can't do that at the existing facilities in the area is the question some Pakistanis are asking?

Interestingly, in relation to the Pakistan Navy and the Harpoon issue, there are also unconfirmed (but reliable) reports that the Special Services Group Navy (SSGN) is constructing operational facilities in Gharo, Sindh (close to the Indus delta, south of Thatta) which are purpose-built to serve as a base for an army unit – comprising halls, residential units and storage facilities. Some years back the Navy had decided to shift the SSGN headquarter (PNS Iqbal) from the dockyard to a coastal area, but Gharo was not the likely site at the time. Because there has been a sudden increase in assistance to the SSGN from the US, questions are being raised whether this shifting of the SSGN to Gharo is actually a ruse to allow US Marine 'trainers' to arrive there in large numbers on the pretext of training SSGN commandos in newly-acquired weapons and tactics? So, the old carrot and stick approach – assistance and then the ridiculous Harpoon story – continues to be at work. What is disturbing here is that perhaps this whole Gharo "deal" is being done at a micro-tactical level with the overall military high command not totally in the know. Certainly it merits a closer examination by the military leadership and more transparency.

Clearly, the Americans do not understand the ordinary Pakistani. Their interaction with the ruling elites has led them to assume that this elite, with its tendency towards subservience and a constant gaze towards Washington (with a few exceptions) is reflective of the Pakistani nation at large. Again, subtlety having never been a strong American trait, they are responding to negative responses of ordinary Pakistanis in the usual ham-fisted manner in an effort to silence the critics.

This writer has had the honour of being one of their targets especially since 2008 when stories regarding General Hood and the 11 conditions relating to unfettered access in Pakistan for US personnel with no legal restraints surfaced in the media. But even earlier, when Riaz Khokhar was Foreign Secretary, the US embassy had sought to have me either silenced or removed from the Institute of Strategic Studies -- or else the embassy would assume that I was reflecting (heavens forbid) the official views of the government of Pakistan. That is why some readers may recall for a while at the bottom of my column there was a one-liner stating that the views expressed were my own. Full credit to Mr Khokhar for standing his ground, but I knew it was simply a matter of time when I would be liberated from all official strangleholds.

Now, once again, this scribe as well as some electronic media hosts – all of whom have been exposing the increasing muscle flexing by the growing number of non-diplomatic Americans now in Pakistan (especially Blackwater – now re-christened Xe Worldwide) are being targeted. Just for the record, whatever has appeared in these columns regarding this group and the dubious Creative Associates International Inc (CAII) has been gleaned from Western media sources including the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA), but then verified from reliable local sources.

Especially with the Blackwater issue refusing to die down in the media despite a strange silence in Parliament and in spite of threats of multiple types from the yet-to-be-expanded US embassy in Islamabad; new revelations are made on a daily basis about US shenanigans in Pakistan. Here in Pakistan it has got to the stage where one is not sure who is an "official" American and who is not. After all, the guard who abused Pakistan and an SHO in the diplomatic enclave was a member of the US government; but who were the three Americans who beat up a Pakistani citizen, Mohsin Bokhari, in Islamabad's Aabpara last week? After using violence against this citizen they did eventually apologise, but the police refused to register a case because they felt that if the case registered by the SHO of the diplomatic enclave had no impact in terms of justice – thanks to the pusillanimity of the present MFA set up – it would simply be a waste of their energy in the month of fasting to register yet another case of violence by Americans against a Pakistani citizen.

Further, as the growing disaffection hits the more conscientious Pakistanis in officialdom, what should one make of the information (from frustrated police officials) regarding four Americans initially arrested on Aug 25 at FIA headquarters, Peshawar Morrh, Islamabad with unlicenced automatic weapons (seven MI-6) and no identification – although the arresting officials say they were "kala pani" (Blackwater) personnel around 14:45. When they were brought to the Margallah police station, SP Nasir Aftab, who had previously been serving in the diplomatic enclave, also arrived, followed by US embassy's security officer, a retired Pakistan army officer, Captain Ijaz. The latter abused and threatened the policemen and in front of SP Aftab had the four Americans, with no diplomatic identity, released from custody. When the SHO protested, SP Aftab also adopted Captain Ijaz's tone and later confessed he was helpless as he had orders from "above" for the release of the men. (This was reported in at least one major newspaper the following day.)

So how much pressure will we all be able to endure and when will we all be silenced one way or another? If the Americans understood us they would realize that the Pakistani nation cannot be silenced into submission despite its leadership.



The writer is a defence analyst. Email: callstr@hotmail.com

Peace Walk - from Camp Williams to Ft. McCoy

On Thursday morning august 6, 2009, we all got together at Monica’s house in Peoria and piled in two cars, all seven of us, to drive to Mill Bluff camp to participate in a peace walk. Others joined us from all over, including Canada, New York, Florida and Iowa. I probably was not the oldest, but Kasey, Monica’s son at 9 was the youngest peacemaker. Christopher, Tonya’s godson at 12 and Mohamed, the Iraqi refugge, at 16 were the next youngest walkers

Friday morning we started our three-day walk from Camp Williams, which is headquarters to the 32nd Brigade Combat Team of the Wisconsin National Guard. The 32nd BCT is currently deployed to Iraq, the largest combat deployment of the Wisconsin Guard since World War II.

On Sunday we arrived at our destination, Fort McCoy, which plays a key role in the mobilization of Army Guard and Army Reserve units deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. The organizers of the walk had alerted the relevant authorities about our activities. They had closed the main gate and had put barriers near the road, which nine people crossed and were arrested promptly.

The purpose of the walk was to raise awareness about the wars still going on and to remember the bombing of Hiroshima. Several people read moving accounts of bombing and aftermath of the US dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Protesting at a street corner every week or getting together every so often is a great way to meet like-minded people, raise awareness and perhaps motivate other people. I often wonder, though, about the effectiveness of our protests. We put ourselves in harms way, get arrested suffer humiliations but nothing seems to change. The wars, the injustice, the torture go on unabated. What else can we do to more effective to bring about the change we so desperately want? Significant these two army camps may be symbolically, but folks there are not the decision makers.

Wisconsin people signed a petition, which if approved will give the governor power over federal order to deploy national guards. Local level may be where we can have some influence. What if all over the country we protest at our senator or representatives office on regular basis and present our point of view. If they don’t listen to us, come next election, we throw them out of office. Ultimate power is in our hands; all we need is to figure how to use it most effectively.

Friday it rained all day and all night. Our tents leaked and we were soaked out. Saturday night we stayed in a hotel in Tomah. At breakfast I met a woman and we started talking. I was very happy to tell her why I was there, when she asked me what brought me to Tomah. It was my turn to ask her. she was also from Illinois a place west of Rockford.

She was in Tomah for a family reunion. Then she told me about her son who was in the army and was going to be deployed to Kandahar in southern Afghanistan. Upon my asking she told me the family believed in the mission in the mission but was not so sure now. She expressed some frustration at the government not telling the truth and didn’t quite believe that her son was serving his country by going to war in Afghanistan. He had already served two years in Iraq. When asked her what her son thought about it she replied: he rather be home. When I asked her what’s keeping him from doing what he wants to do she answered with one word: prison!

She told me they watch CNN and Fox News and her husband watches Rush Limbah. I tried to be gentle with her and told her to lookfor alternate media such as Democracy Now!

peace walk pix

Help stop Google from trying to steal www.YoutubeIslam.com

Note:- Forwarded Message from Shk. Yusuf Estes.

Bismillah Rahman Raheem

I need your help, inshallah. Please do something for me and for Islam right now, inshalllah. First, read this and then join me and those who believe in Allah - to stop a very horrible crime about to be committed by some very powerful and forceful people. Help me put this information all over the Internet and around the world - we can do it, inshallah.

Let me start at the beginning . . .

Can you imagine my shock when I opened up an email telling me our website domain name (YOUTUBE.COM) is being taken over by GOOGLE and their video site - YOUTUBE?
Here is more or less what we were told:
NOTICE: Effective August 5th, 2009 Google (owner of YouTube.com) will take over your domain name:

YOUTUBEISLAM. COM.

Although we have purchased the name "YOUTUBEISLAM. COM" and have renewed for several years through GODADDY.COM it seems GOOGLE has enough influence to just simply take our domain name from us - and by the way, we have even paid for it all the way through to next year.

First, their lawyers contacted us saying they were going to take our domain because we copied their logo. We didn't even come close to their logo.. (look for yourself www.YOUTUBEISLAM. com/images/ logo.gif)

They next came up with saying our name was too similar to their name. We changed the name and the layout to read:
Yo Utu Beis Lam.com and we even registered that as a trade name.

We changed the logo and the images to reflect the new name.

They said they went into "arbitration" (of course we were not invited to that meeting) and then our registrar (GODADDY.COM) notified us they are "transferring" our domain name over to GOOGLE.

We have always maintained the highest of standards on our site - We never allowed any videos with inappropriate material. We did not allow videos that insulted or put down other religions. No dating or suggestive materials. No bad language. Only topics fit for all the family.

We paid for the bandwidth from our own pockets to make sure everything was always as it should be without having people click and wind up on websites attacking beliefs or making fun of believers and certainly nothing to hurt people's feelings.

Above all, we did not put up any ads (especially not GOOGLE ADS) on our site.

(Could this be why they want it so bad?)

Or is it just so they can advertise their thousands of customers who would be happy to introduce thousands of paying advertisers to ways of entering into the homes of trusting Muslims who will think the website still belongs to Yusuf Estes and his dawah team?

Maybe they just don't like Islam?

Or possibily they don't like seeing so many new people entering Islam from our work?

Why does GOOGLE - a company who bought YOUTUBE for billions of dollars - want to take away our little website?

Good question.

I think you know the answer.

But do we have to let them do this without at least telling others about the unjust way of dealing of these people?
Are we just going to sit there and do nothing, while they destroy our work, our efforts, our viewers trust and above all - destroy the chance for many people to know the truth about real Islam in simple English language.

We don't have to.

We can make a difference, maybe even stop these cowards.. Let's join together, all around the world and make a difference.

Let's tell everyone what is going on and what they can do to help...

1. Get a good copy of this page and make sure it is easy to read

2. Copy it

3. Make sure to mail it out to everyone and ask them to do the same

4. Send text messages - Like this: "Google trying to steal Yusuf Estes website - www.YoutubeIslam. com Help us stop them - www.GuideUS. TV for details"

5. Call people you know, or fax them, and tell them the same basic statement, asking them to share this message in every way possible.

6. Send regular mail to Google ask them not to steal our only ad-free, family video website and leave it for us to use.

7. Email the people at Google and tell them we all use their other services and appreciate the good things they offer for people to use, but please let us keep our family oriented website for true Islam in English.

8. Send faxes to Google and ask them to do the same thing.

9. Contact the local newspaper, the TV and radio people and tell them we are not happy with what GOOGLE is doing to our website for true Islam.

10. Remind everyone to do this each and every day until the news people pick up this story and it is heard around the world. Do it every day.

11. Tell everyone about our live broadcasts on our other websites and how important it is for us to have our own TV station in America - for Muslims to have a voice. A voice for Islam.

And by the way - on Sunday (today) we have a live broadcast on the Internet to tell everyone about all of this. It will be at 2 PM our time (EST) and will include Mutahhir Sabree myself and others.

Here is the site - link will be there, inshallah, to direct everyone to our program.

www.GuideUS. TV

12. Pray to Almighty Allah and beg Him to give victory for His deen and His message in English.

Thank you and may Allah Bless you and your family and make your efforts work for good for you and for all of us, ameen.
____________ _________ _______

As regards all the material - we are keeping all of it - and we will be making it available on our other websites, inshallah. Either of the follow:

1. www.GuideUS. TV
2. www.BridgeToFaith. com
3. www.WatchIslam. com

Make dua and ask Allah to keep this site and domain for His Sake, ameen.

Jazakallah khair was salam alaykum,

Yusuf Estes

www.YOUTUBEISLAM. com (while it lasts) - Article on this site: www.IslamNewsroom. com


Also read report from Saudi Gazette.

http://www.saudigaz ette.com. sa/index. cfm?method= home.regcon&contentID=200907314 5328


Make dua and spread the word!