The Western bankruptcy and the sanctions on the media outlet

International affairs

Editorial

The Western bankruptcy and the sanctions on the media outlet

Ghaleb kandil

Media freedom and the right to express one’s opinions and positions are considered to be the main products promoted by the West led by the United States in the Third World, under the slogan of the spread of democracy.

Firstly, the colonial wars waged by the American empire with the support and partnership of its affiliates in Europe and tools in more than one region around the globe - and especially the Arab Gulf reserves - revealed the real purpose behind these wars, namely the pillaging of the oil wealth and the protection of Israel in the context of what the American strategists dubbed the Great Middle East. During the last few years, the forces opposing American hegemony were able to develop media tools and platforms liberated from the monopolization of the West and used them to defend the causes of the people targeted by the colonial wars. The American and Western handling of the concept of media freedom is another replica of the slogan related to the spread of democracy which was turned into a tool to protect backward and oppressive autocracies such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and surrender the leadership of the so-called Arab spring to the most tyrannical Arab governments. In the meantime, the West in embracing the last apartheid entity around the world as Israel is implementing racial segregation in occupied Palestine, racial cleansing and settlement activities, while developing its hostile and colonial capabilities with Western and American financial and military support. These practices caused the collapse of many claims regarding human rights in the Western rhetoric.

Secondly, the media issue in particular exposes the false American and Western claims regarding the defense of freedom, plurality and democracy, as the consecutive American administrations and EU commissions developed the sanctions targeting media institutions which stood in the face of colonial will, conveyed the pulse of the people and adopted the idea of the resistance against the colonialists in the Arab and Islamic East. The lie related to the free media being promoted by the West has collapsed a long time ago, and especially during the test of the Iraq and Afghanistan invasions which exposed the secrets of the censorship imposed on the media outlets and the rhetoric dictated by the American intelligence apparatuses. Moreover, during the past years and especially in the context of the global war on Syria, new media misleading techniques emerged, along with the spread of illusions to serve the political and war plans led by the Americans, NATO, the United States’ tools and the governments collaborating with it.

Thirdly, the Abu Dhabi channel was incriminated when it aired footage showing the martyrdom of Palestinian child Mohammad al-Darra with the bullets of the Israeli occupation, while Al-Manar channel was sanctioned in the United States and the European Union and was described by the American Department of State as being a terrorist entity for conveying the message of a legitimate Lebanese resistance against the Israeli occupation. Moreover, the Palestinian Al-Aqsa channel was incriminated for contributing to the battle to defend the Palestinian people and their resistance against Zionist occupation. A few months ago, and in the context of the war on Syria, the Europeans sanctioned Al-Dounia channel and recently, the American administration announced harsh sanctions against the Syrian radio and television authority. These sanction aim at preventing the targeted media outlets from continuing to promote a liberation course opposed to colonial hegemony and come in response to their role in conveying the real picture to the international public opinion in the face of the lies, falsifications and fabrications.

The Ottoman occupation executed the opinion leaders and journalists in the Arab countries when it went politically bankrupt and failed to promote the Turkish culture among the Arabs. Today, the American empire and the Western governments affiliated with it are announcing their bankruptcy and impotence while revealing their tyrannical nature through the sanctions imposed on the media outlets. The sanctions are collapsing one by one in the face of the determination of the resisting journalists to topple the arrogant colonialism, amid questions surrounding the date of the awakening of the educated and democratic Western elite that is responsible before the oppressed people for practicing criticism towards the concealed tyranny in the Western capitals behind the mask of false democracy.

Arab affairs

New analysis

The defeated and the opportunity of the Russian and Chinese ladder.

The statements of UN Envoy Mr. Kofi Anan clarified the content of the transformation affecting the American assessment of the situation in Syria and the general headlines of the new plan that was drawn up following the qualitative and decisive failure which affected the colonial project to destroy the Syrian strength and dismantle this resisting state which constitutes the backbone of the independence and liberation system in the region.

Firstly, the American recognition of the collapse of the wager over the amendment of the Russian and Chinese positions - which are blocking the way before any attack on Syria via a Security Council resolution - forces Washington to stop its attempts and to push Moscow and Beijing toward placing the ladders needed by the American leaders and their European affiliates to climb down the tree of escalation against Syria. The Chinese officials confirmed their determination to use the veto again to prevent the issuance of any resolution by the Americans and the French in particular at the Security Council, in order to provide a cover for an attack on Syria. The American officials and the Gulf rulers used all sort of pressures and enticements, but to no avail. These desperate attempts revealed the intellectual and political impotence and stupidity in dealing with the rising superpower which knows very well that the relinquishing of the alliance with the Arab Syria or the Islamic Iran would allow the United States to control the sources of energy and their strategic passageways which are needed by Chinese economy. On the Russian level, this mental disability affected the Western capitals, the Gulf and Turkey when they claimed that the Russian position might become more lenient following the election of President Vladimir Putin. Indeed the Russian leaders headed by the elected president insisted on issuing quasi daily assurances about their stable position towards the situation in Syria, and their determination to use the veto to deter the pressures and threats targeting both Syria and Iran. President Putin even put forward a principle worthy of admiration and appreciation in the ranks of all the oppressed populations, by saying that from now on, Russia will base its foreign policy on the defense of all the people resisting colonial hegemony, which is exactly where Syria stands.

Secondly, in the context of the recognition of the failure, consecutive American statements were issued about the difficulty to wage war on Syria due to the strength of its army, the cohesion of its state and the popularity enjoyed by President Bashar al-Assad in the most difficult circumstances. For their part, the Western experts who read into the outcome of the referendum over the new constitution recognized that this constitution truly conveyed a will to ensure democratic change and that the results confirmed the fact that more than two thirds of the Syrian people supported the country’s commander and leader. At this level, the statements of French President Nicolas Sarkozy to the governmental France 2 channel were very expressive, as he assured “it seems I will receive him again” while talking about his relations with President Bashar al-Assad.

Thirdly, the colonial plan’s move to the stage of negotiations via Kofi Annan is a proclamation of failure but also features further hypocrisy and conspiracies at the level of what Annan is carrying to infiltrate the strong Syrian fort through what he claims to be the imposition of a ceasefire and the staging of comprehensive dialogue. Ban Ki-Moon’s envoy, who is participating in the conspiracy on Syria, will be received in Damascus with great courtesy, calm and steadfastness in the context of the discussions and the presentation of the various viewpoints while looking into the details, files and documents such as the ones put forward before the Secretary General’s Assistant and featuring a list of the schools and hospitals that were destroyed and burned down by nowadays’ revolutionaries.

The principles of the Syrian national state are known and the resisting state which is supported by its people masters the art of negotiations as it is acknowledged by the enemies before the friends. The next few weeks will witness numerous visits to Damascus and many Western, Gulf and Turkish meetings with Russian and Chinese envoys such as the one expected to be held with Minister Lavrov in Cairo. In the meantime, the national state will continue pursuing the remnants of the defeated gangs and continue to tighten its grip around its territory to prevent the smuggling of funds and weapons to the murders and the criminals and the infiltration of terrorists into the country.

News analysis.

The Gaza blood and the shame of the MB leaders.

The Gaza Strip became under attack after a blackout was imposed on its population, at a time when Egyptian gas was fueling the Israeli power plants. This surreal, tragic and bloody image reveals one the facets of the bitter truth produced by the commitment of the new Egyptian authorities and the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood organization to protect the Camp David accord and respect all its obligations.

Firstly, the Gaza Strip population was the most enthusiastic among the Arabs and Muslims in celebrating the toppling of Hosni Mubarak who was a direct partner in the Israeli extermination war which targeted Gaza, in the besieging of the Strip and in depriving the resistance in it of any chance to get what it needed in the context of the confrontation with the enemy. Following Israel’s defeat and in partnership with the Saudi leaders, the Strip has been deprived of medicine, construction material and food products while Hosni Mubarak, along with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf governments, pursued the smuggling of funds to Ismail Haniyeh’s government. One year has gone by since Hosni Mubarak’s’ toppling and the blockade which was imposed on Gaza is still sustained, while the leaders of the MB pledged not to change any measure adopted by Mubarak to suffocate Gaza and liquidate the resistance. With Israel’s proclaimed resumption of the depletion of the Strip on the military level, its bombardment and the destruction of all aspects of life in it, the truth is that the MB in Egypt is a direct partner in the Israeli attack and is nowadays a ruling organization alongside the military council under the sponsorship of Assistant Secretary of State William Burns.

Secondly, Hamas’s leaders must point out to the people the changes that occurred in their lives and the way the Egyptian authorities have been dealing with the deprived, blockaded and targeted Strip. Gaza is resisting and its people are standing fast in the most difficult circumstances. As to Hamas’s leaders, they must rise up to the level of responsibility for each drop of blood that is shed, as long as they are remaining silent over the ongoing partnership between Cairo and Tel Aviv and their conspiracies against the resistance. The resistance fighters in Hamas must be become aware of the dirty game in which the leaders of the international organization of the Muslim Brotherhood have become involved to protect Israel, sustain the Camp David accords and turn Hamas into an affiliate in the context of the plan to liquidate the Palestinian cause.

The blood that was shed in Gaza following the Israeli attack exposed the shame and conspiracies of the MB leaders and should force the Hamas leaders to distance themselves from the illusions of a wretched authority and non-existent glory. There is no room for truce or ceasefire with Israel. They must therefore prepare to face a new aggression and uphold the armed popular resistance option as the only way to liberate Palestine and regain the rights.

News analysis

Why Gaza?

Netanyahu came back from Washington and stared liquidating the leaders of the resistance in the Gaza Strip. What was noticeable at this level was that the raids carried out in one night claimed the lives of eight Islamic Jihad cadres and one leader from the popular resistance movement. Netanyahu is tackling the timing of the war on Iran although he knows he is lying and that the war would be much greater than his army’s capabilities without the involvement of the entire NATO alliance. He also knows that NATO cannot risk an oil war that would undermine the remaining structures of Western economy. The negotiations of the big players with Iran extend beyond Netanyahu and the negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency until July will grant more time to ensure wide scale regional understandings.

The Israeli instructions to the occupation army is for it not to target Hamas’s positions to avoid giving the extremists –i.e. the resistance fighters- a pretext to become involved in a rocket response, while limiting the attacks to the Islamic Jihad and the local resistance factions while holding them responsible for the escalation. O leaders of Hamas, there is no dictatorial regime in Gaza and the respect of the will of the people would require a response to the attack. This is Gaza, so who is Hamas? Has it changed?

The Arab file.

The Arab papers issued this week shed light on the situation in Syria, and while the Saudi papers and some Gulf papers continued their instigation against Syria, articles and reports pointed to the failure of the war on Syria. Al-Hayat newspaper thus carried confessions by French President Sarkozy, saying he will be forced to receive the Syrian president again and that he failed to distance him from Iran during the last few years in the context of what was known as the French openness vis-à-vis Syria.

In Egypt, the head of the ruling military council, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, defended the lifting of the travel ban imposed on the Americans accused in the case of the civil society organizations, assuring: “We are placing the country’s higher interests above all other considerations.”

For their part, Libyan tribal leaders and politicians in the city of Benghazi proclaimed the Barqa province in the eastern part of Libya as a federal province and chose Sheikh Ahmad al-Zubair as-Senoussi as head of its ruling council. Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Rahim al-Keib said in this context: “We do not need federalism and we do not need to head in that direction. We do not wish to go back fifty years.”

Israeli file

The visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington and the results of the opinion polls occupied the main headlines of the Israeli papers issued this week. Maarev thus said that Prime Minister Netanyahu exited his meeting with American President Barack Obama empty-handed. As to Yediot Aharonot, it believed that unlike the previous meetings, Obama did not humiliate Netanyahu and the latter did not try to lecture Obama before the camera lenses.

On the other hand, the papers tackled the results of the opinion polls and Haaretz concluded that 58% of the Israelis opposed a military strike against Iran unless the United States participated in this strike, despite the fact that 50% of the surveyed expressed confidence in Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak at the level of their handling of the Iranian file. Maarev’s opinion poll showed on the other hand that the Likud under the command of Netanyahu would still come ahead in case elections are staged today, while Haaretz revealed that the Israeli army had started new training operations for an upcoming underground war in which it will have to face the management of war in trenches located beneath the ground, especially in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.

Lebanese affairs.

News analysis.

A state or a scandal?

Numerous reports are coming out and revealing the responsibility of the Lebanese state and the government in particular for Lebanon’s transformation into a platform to attack Syria. And in light of the facts, the recent statements issued by the Cabinet are mere vocal phenomena awaiting their translation on the ground through the adoption of stringent measures leaving no room for doubt. The Italian plane which landed in Beirut a few months ago and was said to be carrying aid while it was actually carrying weapons smuggled into Syria, the Emirati plane which was exposed by Al-Manar channel and was said to be carrying tents and food products, the operation rooms which were established in Lebanon to manage the sabotage campaign in Syria under the sponsorship of the Future Movement and the Lebanese Forces, the teams managed by the American, French and British intelligence apparatuses from these countries’ embassies in Beirut, the presence of officers handling the training and planning of the actions of the saboteurs and terrorists on Syrian soil and the Lebanese media outlets involved in the war in Syria alongside the groups, parties and figures instigating additional violence and infighting, all show that Lebanon has become such a platform upon an American order.

The last signs of this reality were seen in the statements issued by Ambassador Maura Connelly, ones which were rejected by the Cabinet before some ministers came out a few hours later to say that Connelly was not the one intended in the governmental statement, as though the person concerned was an unknown ghost and not Connelly who is carrying out instigation and whose intelligence officers are operating in the Awkar den which she is managing to coordinate the sabotage operations from Lebanon. What is new at the level of this anarchy carried out under the cover of the government’s statements are the pressures exerted on the army command and the security bodies to disregard terrorists who fled to Lebanon after the Syrian national state imposed its control over their dens, and the exertion of pressures in dubious circumstances to ensure the release of some detainees who confessed to the formation of terrorist cells and the planning of operations in Lebanon and Syria.

It is shameful for the Lebanese state that the Information Branch is still implicated in the plan to sabotage Syrian security and that those who fabricated the false witnesses are still occupying prominent positions and continuing to work day and night with the American and French intelligence apparatuses to undermine that security. Any denial issued at this level is a mere lie and fabrication practiced by the philosophers of abstinence who are eluding the responsibility on all levels and in all positions. It is therefore our right to ask: are we living in a state or at the heart of a futile scandal which is still controlled by colonialism? Soon enough, all those who conspired against the resistance and are conspiring against Syria from Lebanon will be held accountable, as they are attacking these two honorable forces, i.e. the resistance and Syria, and have become exposed to all.

Lebanese file.

Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rahi assured that he supported the Arab Spring but not the spring filled with violence, war, destruction and killing. He indicated: “The main source of the crisis in the Middle East is the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Whenever the international community attempts to resolve the problem by establishing a Palestinian state and an Israeli one, the veto is used.” On the other hand, he added: “The Arab countries are not allowed to seek the armament they need while Israel can get all the weapons it wants”, believing that Syria “like any other country needs reforms that are demanded by the people. Even Syrian President Bashar al-Assad announced these reforms in March. True, the Syrian Baath regime is an extremist dictatorial regime, but there are many like it around the Arab world.” He thus considered that Syria was the closest state to democracy and expressed fears over a transitional phase in Syria which might constitute a threat to the Christians of the East.

American Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly met with Interior Minister Marwan Charbel. A statement was issued by the American embassy following the meeting saying that Connelly called for the protection of all the unarmed Syrians, including the elements of the Free Syrian Army. For his part, Army Chief General Jean Qahwaji stated: “Those demanding that we facilitate the passage of armed men into and out of Syria have made a mistake at the level of the request and the address.” He thus assured that the army was enhancing its presence in Wadi Khalid, stressing: “The military forces are doing their best to control the border, prevent smuggling in both directions and counter any infiltration attempts.” For his part, Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour responded to Connelly by assuring: “Lebanon does not respond to requests and acts based on its interests, its security consideration and its capabilities.”