11 February 2011 By Stephen
Lendman In fact, repression throughout
the Middle East is largely ignored except some
reporting on protests in Tunisia, Yemen, Jordan, and
Algeria, but they've faded with focus mainly on Egypt.
Though important, most Arabs live
in 21 other countries and territories from the
Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Sea, from the
Mediterranean Sea to the Horn of Africa and Indian
Ocean on two continents. Their combined populations
approach 340 million people, most of them denied
freedom and dignity for centuries. Their plight stretched from
Ottoman 16th century rule through WW I, then British
and French control, and now America and Israel.
They're ruling hegemon partners, mainly Washington, of
course, allied with its key regional partner.
Together, they virulently oppose Arab nationalism and
democratic freedoms. Edward Said once explained that: "The basic premise of Arab
nationalism in the broad sense is that, with all their
diversity and pluralism of substance and style, the
people whose language and culture are Arab and Muslim
(the Arabic-speaking peoples) constitute a nation and
not just a collection of states scattered between
North Africa and the western boundaries of Iran." However, any "independent
articulation of that premise was openly attacked," by
the French, British, Americans, and Israelis through
wars and repressive occupation and dispossession of
indigenous Palestinian people. Washington and Israel especially
remain deeply hostile to Arab nationalism and attempts
to unify Arabs politically. Their goal, in fact, is
divide, conquer and control, redrawing the Middle East
to suit imperial, not Arab interests. They thrive on
"Arab fragmentation, collective inaction, and military
and economic weakness," Said explained. He also said Arabs largely never
achieved collective independence in "whole or in part"
because outside powers coveted their lands and
resources. For over half a century, in fact,
Washington based its Middle East agenda on three
policies: -- supporting Israel; -- controlling regional oil
supplies; and -- assuring Arab states remain
reliable vassals, Egypt especially as the region's
lynchpin but also Palestine under leaders it controls
along with Israel. Said called it "an unprecedented
crisis. Unprecedented means are therefore required to
confront" what he said was "a wholesale attack....by
an imperial power, America, that acts in concert with
Israel, to pacify, subdue, and finally reduce (Arab
peoples) to a bunch of warring fiefdoms whose first
loyalty is not to their people but to the great
superpower" under puppet rulers enriching themselves
at their expense. Kings do it. Shekh leaders do it.
Mubarak did it, and so don't Mahmoud Abbas, Salam
Fayyad and other key Palestinian Authority (PA) fellow
travelers, profiting at their own people's expense as
reliable Israeli enforcers. In fact, they cooperate actively
in pursuing, facilitating, or ignoring systematic
attacks against civilians and property in Occupied
Palestinian communities. As a result, a typical week
resembles late January through early February,
including: -- PA security forces arresting
targeted figures, including Hamas members; -- Israeli settlers, with
impunity, killing two Palestinian civilians, wounding
a third in Nablus and Hebron; -- an IDF explosive killing a
Gaza child; -- its forces targeting
Palestinian workers, farmers, children and fishermen
in Gazan waters; -- using brute force against
peaceful protesters, causing injuries and at times
deaths; -- bombing tunnels south of Rafah
numerous times, causing more of them; -- other bombings of a Gaza
medicine factory, setting it ablaze, and attacking a
metal workshop in northern Gaza; at least 10 injuries
overall were reported; -- announced plans for an
electric security barrier to wall off Egypt; and -- Israel forces making 31
lawless incursions into Palestinian West Bank
communities, arresting 23 civilians, including seven
children and a PA representative. Moreover, Gaza remains besieged
over seven months after Israel's Security Cabinet's
decision to ease closure. As a result, reconstruction
is severely impeded, including the rebuilding of
schools, hospitals, residential neighborhoods, and
vital civilian infrastructure. In addition, food insecurity as
well as high unemployment and poverty rates remain
major concerns. Also, virtually all exports are
banned, exacerbating dire economic conditions,
worsened because Israel severely restricts entry of
humanitarian organizations, international diplomats,
journalists, and others wanting to assess conditions
or help. In the West Bank and East
Jerusalem, daily life involves severe movement and
speech restrictions, including 585 permanent
roadblocks, manned and unmanned checkpoints, and
closure or militarized control of around two-thirds of
all main roads between 18 Palestinian communities.
Overall, about 500 km of West Bank roads are
restricted, and about one-third of the West Bank,
including East Jerusalem, is inaccessible to
Palestinians without IDF-issued (very hard to get)
permits. This is how police states work,
daily responsible for crimes against humanity,
especially against those who dare resist. As a result,
Palestinians suffer grievously, largely out of sight
and mind, more than ever perhaps with world attention
on Egypt. For them, daily life involves
militarized repression, police state harshness even
more brutal than Mubarak's because the entire
population suffers, especially besieged Gazans,
suffocating under near total closure for over three
and a half years, except for restricted exceptions. On February 7, IRIN, OCHA's
humanitarian news and analysis service said Egypt's
uprising exacerbated Gaza's humanitarian crisis
because Rafah crossing and tunnels have been closed.
It explained that: "The problem is getting fuel to
the border inside Egypt. There are no military forces
on the Egyptian side....so smugglers are getting
hijacked on the road from Cairo and all their stuff
(is) stolen. It's very dangerous for them...." "There is nothing coming through
the tunnels now." Only limited fuel amounts are
available at triple the recent price. Without relief,
it means "no cars, but also no electricity," that's
already in short supply, forcing widespread use of
fuel-powered generators. Hospitals are also affected.
Shifa Hospital, Gaza's largest, has less than a week's
supply of fuel, creating a potentially critical
situation. A senior intensive care unit nurse
expressed great concern, saying: "This unit, especially, is
entirely dependent on electricity. If there's a power
cut we have to operate the ventilators manually before
the generator kicks in. There are power cuts here for
four hours every day. It will be impossible to keep
people alive without our generators - the monitors,
the ventilators, everything - will be gone." Bassam Abu Hamad, a senior Gaza
health consultant, also said greater closure puts
lives at risk, adding; "People in need of radiotherapy,
and advanced surgery in particular, are simply unable
to get treatment. While Rafah is closed, we will see
increased loss of life here in Gaza." Already prices have skyrocketed,
affecting fuel, food, other consumer goods, and the
limited amounts of available building materials. On February 9, IRIN said tunnels
resumed supplying petrol, a week after it was cut off.
However, Egypt's crisis means everything is uncertain,
including high prices making vital supplies
unaffordable for many. In addition, Rafah remains
closed, affecting patients unable to reach Egypt for
treatment. WHO's Gaza officer in charge, Mahmoud Daher
said: "In cases of closure, like we're
seeing now," patients without Israeli permits to leave
"struggle to get adequate health care in Gaza. The
longer Rafah remains closed, the higher the
possibility that these patients' prognosis will be
affected. This is a very worrying situation." It
promises to stay that way as Egypt's uprising shows no
signs of ebbing. On February 9, Al Jazeera said
Egyptian labor unions went on nationwide strike,
supporting street protesters. Around 20,000 factory
workers were involved. Demonstrators held signs saying
"Closed until the fall of the regime." Correspondent Stefanie Dekker
said there's "even an Internet campaign aimed at
mobilizing thousands of expatriates to return and
support the uprising." Activist Ahmad Salah told Al
Jazeera that protesters are "more emboldened by the
day....This is a growing movement, it's not
shrinking." Whether or not Egyptians prevail,
besieged Gazans face increasing hardships heading
toward crisis conditions if essential supplies and
services remain spotty or unaffordable. Yet media
reports largely ignore them. Even Al Jazeera offers
only occasional accounts. A brief February 9 one headlined,
"Egypt events spark Gaza fuel panic," saying Gazans
scrambled to make due best they can in coverage
running barely over two minutes compared to hours
devoted to Egypt. It's nothing new for
Palestinians. They've suffered mostly in silence.
Major media coverage largely ignored them for decades,
except during two Intifadas and Israeli wars when
unjustly they were called terrorists, not heroic
freedom fighters, struggling for rights long denied
them. They still do out of sight and
mind in most Western societies, especially Americans
given carefully filtered managed news, infotainment
and junk food news. It leaves large majorities out of
touch and uninformed, believing fantasies opposite of
realities, including aggressive wars called liberating
ones against people only yearning to be free. It's no exaggeration saying millions across North African and Middle East countries harbor decades of pent up anger, expressed powerfully by courageous Egyptians after 16 days of protest showing no signs of ebbing. It's also true that Washington maneuvers plan new faces under old policies, creating the impression of change, a longstanding scheme initiated numerous previous times, usually successfully, and odds favor it this time. As a result, it's hard distinguishing between pro and anti-reformists pretending to want change, perhaps including made for television heros. The latest one comes to mind without knowing whether or not he's credible. At least, be wary. Accept nothing at face value. What's portrayed publicly may be more fiction than fact, so viewers should demand proof. Without it, remember numerous past times manufactured heros were fakes, but don't conclude it arbitrarily. The latest one comes to mind - Wael Ghonim, Google's regional head of marketing the New York Times called "emotive and handsome....the movement's icon," quoting Professor Ibrahim el-Bahrawy (a former ruling party member) saying, "His emotions exploded. I was very, very moved." Who, in fact, is Ghonim, a fair question since he practically emerged out of thin air, and overnight become a prime catalyst of revolt? He's Google's Middle East/North Africa head of marketing, who in January, created the Facebook "We Are All Khaled Said" page, honoring the young Egyptian blogger beaten to death by police last June. Operated anonymously as "El Shaheed" (the martyr), the page helped rally anti-government protests beginning on January 25. On January 27, Ghonim went missing, his same day Twitter feed saying: "Pray for #Egypt. Very worried as it seems that government is planning a war crime tomorrow against people. We are all ready to die #Jan.25." For days, no one knew his whereabouts until learned authorities held him. On February 7, 12 days later, he emerged unharmed, and on Dream 2, a private Egyptian channel, gave a highly emotional interview, admitting he administered the Facebook page. He also created Mohammed ElBaradei's official web site, the former IAEA head who suddenly parachuted into Egypt after living outside his native country for 30 years. Did he come voluntarily, or was he brought, perhaps serving America's imperial agena, another unanswered question. For many in them, Egypt's jails operate like roach motels, those entering disappear after lengthy torture/ interrogations. Ghonim, however, said he wasn't harmed, just kept blindfolded incommunicado, his family unaware what happened. After release, he said many others contributed to the Facebook page, adding, "This was a revolution of the youth of all of Egypt. I'm not a hero," endearing him to protesters. Though so far no evidence suggests it, at issue is whether a Google executive "Internet activist," in fact, was enlisted for his role. If so, it wouldn't be the first time made-for-television heros were, in fact, villains. Hopefully, he's not the latest, but be wary until known for sure.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening. http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/. Comments 💬 التعليقات |