New U.S. Navy Slogan: ‘Global Force’

But there’s no such thing as the ‘American Empire’…

Escalted Airstrikes Fuel Rise in Terrorist Recruiting Among Westerners

‘Westerners attending camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan despite successful U.S. strikes,’ Craig Whitlock reports as Jane Mayer reports the Obama Administration has authorized an amount of such strikes equal to the last three years of the Bush Administration. ‘Despite’?

Stealing DNA From ‘Suspects’

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is challenging a California law in federal court ordering authorities to extract and database a DNA sample from people accused of felonies.

Military Operative Spied on Anarchist Antiwar Activists for Two Years (Video)

From today’s Daily Briefing: “‘John Jacob’ spent the last two years spying on anarchist activists of the Students for a Democratic Society in Tacoma and Olympia, WA for the U.S. military. (InfoShop News)… If the InfoShop link has problems, you can read more by Jeremy Pawloski at The Olympian.”

Amy Goodman and Anjali Kamat of Democracy Now! (DN!) interview Washington activists spied on by the military operative. The operative reportedly spied on activists from organizations including Students for a Democratic Society, Iraq Veterans Against the War, and Port Militarization Resistance.

John Pilger on Honduras, Iran, Gaza, Newspeak, and the American Empire (Video)

John Pilger interviewed by Amy Goodman at Democracy Now!, discussing coverage of the coup in Honduras in contrast with that of the Iran election, the Gaza Massacre, Obama’s warfare stimulus to expand the American Empire.

Obama is Wall Street’s Favorite Crony

Gerald Celente and Webster Tarpley on the new powers granted to the Federal Reserve and the cult of personality making it easy for banksters to use him as their puppet…. and they are.

Video From a Woman in Iran Before Saturday’s Resistance

A woman in Iran relays a message to the world Friday night.

U.S. Concedes ‘Significant Errors’ in Most Deadly Attack on Afghan Civilians Since 2001, U.N. Seeks to Probe Strikes

Philip Alston, U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, demands ‘real accountability’ for the U.S.-led coalition’s mounting death toll of Afghan civilians — notably the May attack on Farah that killed 130-140 civilians, including up to 95 children where the U.S. military concedes to making ’significant errors’.

Christian U.S. Soldiers Proselytising in Afghanistan, ‘On a Mission From God as the New Israel’ (Video)

al Jazeera made the accusation that U.S. soldiers were acting as Christian missionaries in Afghanistan. The Pentagon said, ‘Prove it!‘ al Jazeera did. Oh boy, they did. al Jazeera’s (AJE) “Inside Story” and Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! (DN!) report on what’s just the tip of the iceberg.

What the Hell, Obama?! Genocide is Genocide!

Genocide is only genocide when it suits the president’s ambition and it isn’t when it doesn’t suit his majesty.

Netanyahu Believes ‘National Emergency’ Would Help Build Coalition

Israel PM-designate Bibi Netanyahu (aka “Mr. Iran”) has struggled to build a coalition gov’t. Would he resort to manufacturing a crisis?

The Magic Stimulus is Blood Money

Why do you think China can afford to bail out the American people?

Obama’s Proxy War

The US knows that Israel is commiting acts of terrorism by threatening Iran and remains silent, while issuing tacit consent — supplying it all and playing the public relations game of fear and confusion.

The President vs. The Pentagon: Part IV — Iraq ‘Pullout’ Will Leave 50,000 Troops to ‘Protect US Interests’

The pre-election pledge of Pres. Obama to pull combat troops out of Iraq in 16 months without residual forces has changed to 19 months with 50,000 residual forces remaining — though Obama could remove all troops within a year if he wanted to.

Turkish PM Walks Out of Davos Early Debating Israeli President

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Turkey PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the Palestine-Israel conflict and the process for peace in the Middle East. Israel Pres. Shimon Peres’ response was refused adequate rebuttal by the moderator and PM Erdogan walked off the stage, pledging never to go to Davos again, and headed back to Turkey.

Russell Means on The Republic of Lakotah, Fascism and Gaza

Kucinich: Federal Reserve No More Federal Than Federal Express

Rep. Dennis Kucinich on the debated stimulus and the Federal Reserve

India Hands Pak 26/11 Dossier Seeking Extradition of Suspects

The New York Times:

Calling the Mumbai terrorist attacks a “conspiracy” hatched on Pakistani soil, India on Monday handed Pakistan what it said was the first comprehensive evidence linking them to Pakistan and demanded that those responsible be tried in Indian courts, a demand likely to be rebuffed.

Speaking Monday evening to reporters here, the Indian foreign secretary, Shiv Shankar Menon, refused to say whether the suspected conspirators were connected to current or retired government officials, but said that it was unlikely that a sophisticated, commando-style assault, like the one in Mumbai in late November, “could occur without anybody anywhere in the establishment knowing it was happening.”

While Mr. Menon refused to specify whether India had evidence of complicity of Pakistan’s military or spy agency officials, he did not rule it out. “We are not going to say this is where the line ends,” he said.

In a presentation to a number of foreign diplomats earlier in the day, Indian officials detailed the involvement of retired Pakistani military officials in training the gunmen who carried out the Mumbai attacks, according to two diplomats present.

The envoys, speaking on condition of anonymity in keeping with typical diplomatic protocol, said the 100-page dossier included transcripts of telephone conversations between the gunmen and their superiors in Pakistan during the course of the attacks; transcripts of interrogations of the sole surviving gunman, Muhammad Ajmal Kasab; phone numbers in Pakistan that the attackers called as they sailed across the Arabian Sea from Karachi, Pakistan, to Mumbai, India; and details of their movements, recovered from a GPS unit they had used.…

The Indian authorities say the gunmen were citizens of Pakistan and belonged to a banned terrorist group, Lashkar-e-Taiba. The police have said that during interrogation, Mr. Kasab said he had been trained by retired Pakistani military men.

Immediately after the attacks, India assigned blame to “elements” in Pakistan, taking pains not to accuse members of the government, which pledged to cooperate and announced the closing of camps of Lashkar-e-Taiba and its charitable wing, Jamaat-ud-Dawa.…

During a stop in Islamabad on Monday, the United States assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian affairs, Richard A. Boucher, said that it was “clear” the attackers had “links that lead to Pakistani soil.”

But he also said that in the aftermath of the attacks, the authorities in Pakistan had “done quite a bit,” and that a “significant” number of members of Lashkar-e-Taiba had been arrested. “Pakistan has a number of people in custody” suspected in the planning and execution of the attacks, he said.

Mr. Boucher declined, however, to answer a question about whether evidence suggested any involvement or support for the Mumbai plot, directly or indirectly, by the Pakistani government.

According to a Pakistani official, Pakistani authorities have obtained confessions from members of Lashkar-e-Taiba who said they had been involved in the attacks. One of them, according to the official, is Zarrar Shah, the militant group’s communications chief. American intelligence officials say they believe he has served as a conduit between Lashkar and the premier Pakistani spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence.…

The Pakistani government confirmed that India had handed over materials about the Mumbai attacks and said the evidence was being examined by “concerned authorities,” according to the country’s state news agency.

Paki Pres. Asif Ali Zardari and PM Yousuf Raza Gilani reiterated Pak’s devotion to fighting terror and the importance of healthy relations with the US and India, as the FBI and China will be involved in Pak’s investigation. Foreign Secy. Salman Bashir has expressed that Pak “will evaluate the information provided by India so far”

PM Gilani: “Pakistan’s persistent efforts to defuse the current tensions with India, and his government’s commitment to take action against any Pakistani national in case credible evidence is provided,”

India’s home minister, Palaniappan Chidambaram hinted at Pak’s rogue Inter-Services Intelligence’s (ISI) involvement over the weekend — as we have.

Indian Foreign Secy. Shivshankar Menon: “The relationship between Lashkar-e-Toiba and the ISI has been historical. It is a very fine line to draw between state actors and non-state actors. Whoever is responsible has to pay… We will follow evidence wherever it leads. It is hard to believe something of this scale, which amounts to commando operation, would occur without anyone in the establishment knowing. We are not going to say this is where the line ends. We have to continue with the investigations.”

India’s primary minority Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) still thinks 26/11 is a game of political football:

By warning Pakistan that it would have to pay “enormously” if another 26/11 takes place, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was actually “condoning the present act”, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said here Monday.

The BJP said that Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s statement that the “price they (Pakistan) will pay if this is repeated, I think, will be enormous” was a testimony to the bailout plan.

“Right from 26/11, the union government has launched an offensive in coercive diplomacy. The BJP supported the move in the national interest. But Pakistan is in continuous denial mode till today. It seems that the government of India is now warning Pakistan for the future, in a way condoning the present act,” party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said at a press conference here.

The government must come clean on the actions it has envisaged in the face of Pakistan’s denial, he said.

US to ‘Thwart any Arab Initiative’ for Immediate Cease-Fire in Gaza

Reuters – Pres. Bush and Pres. elect Obama on the Gaza Massacre:

Bush made clear while he is concerned about deteriorating conditions for Palestinians living in Gaza that he puts the onus on Hamas, and he stopped short of calling for an immediate halt to the fighting as some European leaders have done.

“I understand Israel’s desire to protect itself, and that the situation now taking place in Gaza was caused by Hamas,” Bush said in his first public response to Israel’s ground offensive in the territory.…

Obama, who has promised to make Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking a high priority, remained largely silent on Gaza, but said Bush administration officials were briefing him regularly on the situation.

“When it comes to foreign affairs, it is particularly important to adhere to the principle of one president at a time, because there are delicate negotiations taking place right now, and we can’t have two voices coming out of the United States when you have so much at stake,” Obama told reporters in Washington.

Bush, speaking to reporters after a White House meeting with a Sudanese official, said Hamas was to blame for the Gaza crisis. “Any ceasefire must have the conditions in it so that Hamas does not use Gaza as a place from which to launch rockets,” Bush said.

International efforts to secure a ceasefire moved ahead with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Middle East special envoy Tony Blair visiting the region, but they had no apparent immediate impact on the fighting. The death toll in besieged Gaza rose to at least 541 people over the 10-day offensive.…

“The United States is concerned about the humanitarian crisis. We care about the people of Gaza and therefore have provided millions of dollars of fresh aid to the United Nations to help,” Bush said.

“All of us of course would like to see violence stop,” Bush said, but added that the cessation should not come at the expense of steps to prevent a Gaza crisis from recurring.

Little Alex in Wonderland’s repeated claims of US cynicism in the UN Security [sic] Council (UNSC) were emphasized by Ha’aretz, an Israel daily publication:

The United States is determined to thwart any Arab initiative aimed at forcing the UN Security Council to assume a direct role in the Gaza crisis.

Reliable sources at the UN say that the U.S. ambassador to the UN, Zalmay Khalilzad, has received explicit instructions from his superiors at the State Department to torpedo any initiative proposed by the Arab bloc which is designed to grant the Security Council the status of an official arbiter that will have direct involvement with disentangling the Gaza crisis.…

The U.S. policy means that the Arab foreign ministers who arrived in New York on Sunday in an effort to advance a Libyan cease-fire initiative can expect a diplomatic confrontation with Washington.

The US is seeking a “three-tier cease-fire” for Gaza that would include “an arrangement for reopening crossing points on the border with Israel” and “entail addressing the issue of tunnels into Gaza from Egypt through which Hamas has smuggled a variety of materials, including arms.”

Fellow Big Five UNSC member with veto power, China’s President Hu Jintao, has expressed his concern for Gaza — referring to it as a “humanitarian crisis.” (For a humanitarian crisis, Pres. Hu need no look not too far, but whatever.):

“We are very worried about the humanitarian crisis that has emerged in the Gaza Strip,” Hu told Bush in the telephone conversation, which happened late Sunday, according to a statement on the ministry’s website.

Hu “expressed concern about the escalation in the conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis and the worsening turbulence in the Middle East,” the statement said.

“We hope that the relevant parties will immediately stop their military activities and armed clashes and relax the situation in order to create the conditions for a solution to the conflict by political means,” Hu said.…

Israeli Defense Minister and Labor Party leader Ehud Barak says that Gaza is “partially surrounded” and repeats Israel’s claim of self-defense.

Meanwhile, an Iranian journalist is arrested by Israeli authorities for “reporting the truth” that can “now get you jailed for violating the nation’s stringent new military censorship laws.”

US Reminds the World What Makes the UN Security [sic] Council a Joke

In the latest case of US coddling Israel’s violations of international humanitarian law (IHL), the US reportedly struck down a cease-fire in an emergency meeting of the UN Security [sic] Council last night:

The United States thwarted an effort by Libya on Sunday to persuade the UN Security Council to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza after Israel launched a ground invasion, diplomats said.

Several council diplomats told reporters that the U.S. refusal to back a Libyan-drafted demand for an immediate truce at a closed-door emergency session had killed the initiative, since council statements must be passed unanimously.

The text by Libya, the only Arab member of the council,expressed “serious concern at the escalation of the situation in Gaza, in particular, after the launching of the Israeli ground offensive” and called on all parties “to observe an immediate ceasefire.” Arab nations demanded Saturday night that the UN Security Council call for an immediate cease-fire following Israel’s launch of a ground offensive in Gaza, a view echoed by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

The United Nations Security Council held emergency consultations late Saturday to address the escalation of violence in Gaza….

“Israel cannot continue to behave as a state above international law – this is the law of the jungle,” [Riyad Mansour, the permanent Palestinian observer to the United Nations, told reporters].

Mansour added that it was crucial for the council to adopt a statement calling for an immediate cease-fire and withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

It was not clear if Washington would back the Libyan text in its current form.

The United States and Libya have clashed repeatedly on the Israeli-Palestinian issue over the last 12 months since Libya joined the Council and the United States has tried to keep the topic off the agenda whenever possible….

Ban has urged key world leaders to intensify efforts to achieve an immediate Israeli-Hamas cease-fire that includes international monitors to enforce a truce and, possibly, to protect Palestinian civilians.…

Ban “is convinced and alarmed that this escalation will inevitably increase the already heavy suffering of the affected civilian populations,” the statement said. He asked that Israel ensure civilian safety and allow humanitarian assistance to reach those in need, according to the statement.

The secretary-general urged regional and international partners to “exert all possible influence to bring about an immediate end to the bloodshed and suffering.”

AP:

Libyan Ambassador Giadalla Ettalhi said the United States during the discussions late Saturday objected to “any outcome” on the proposed statement.

He said efforts were made to compromise on a weaker press statement but there was no consensus. Several other council members, speaking on condition of anonymity because negotiations were closed, also said the U.S. was responsible for the council’s failure to issue a statement.

The U.S., Israel’s closest ally, has designated Hamas a terrorist organization. U.S. deputy ambassador Alejandro Wolff said the United States saw no prospect of Hamas abiding by last week’s council call for an immediate end to the violence. Therefore, he said, a new statement “would not be adhered to and would have no underpinning for success, (and) would not do credit to the council.”…

Arab nations demanded that the council adopt a statement calling for an immediate cease-fire and expressing “serious concern at the escalation of violence and the deterioration of the situation in Gaza and southern Israel,” a view echoed by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

If it had been approved, the statement would have become part of the council’s official record but would not have the weight of a Security Council resolution, which is legally binding.

Egypt’s U.N. Ambassador Maged Abdelaziz said it was regrettable that one permanent council member — a clear reference to the U.S. — refused to accept any statement at a time when “the aggression is escalating and more people are dying and the military attack on the ground is at its full scale.”

Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. observer, said: “We have war. We have aggression against the Palestinian people, and it is a sad and tragic moment when the Security Council cannot address this issue by at least demanding from Israel … to stop this aggression immediately.”

British Ambassador John Sawers said he was “very disappointed” as PM Gordon Brown has called for an “immediate cease-fire” agreement that includes a stop to Hamas rockets, arms trafficking, and border regulations staing that “Israel needs to be secure and Palestine needs to be viable.”

AntiWar.com:

The new draft seemed aimed at answering those concerns, as the British government suggested everyone was open to a resolution if the terms were right.

Yet this seems not to have been the case, and the US rejection this time appears to have nothing to do with the terms of the draft, and everything to do with the fact that it would call on Israel to stop its invasion. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the United States can veto any resolution, and has traditionally done so when the resolution would stand in the way of Israeli military action.

Meanwhile, the death toll has risen above 500, including 87 children, and more than 2,450 wounded. and nothing from the US states conditions addressing Israel’s violations of IHL as have come from the EU:

The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, on Sunday pledged an additional $4.2 million of emergency aid for Gaza and called on Israel to respect international law.

“Blocking access to people who are suffering and dying is also a breach of humanitarian law,” Louis Michel, EU’s humanitarian aid commissioner, said in a statement.

“I call on the Israeli authorities to respect their international obligations and ensure a ‘humanitarian space’ for the delivery of vital relief,” he said.

The same article quotes the US State Department as saying “it told the Israeli government that any military action should be ‘mindful of the potential consequences to civilians’.” Leaving out references to IHL is a result of carefully crafted statements. Were the US to mention IHL, they’d be contradictory to not condemn Israel’s actions being executed with US supplies. Still no word from the president-elect, yet, “we don’t have one president at a time when it comes to the economy or Iraq or Afghanistan or other issues.”

Israel Could Invade Gaza This Morning

The Times:

Israel was poised last night for a big ground offensive in the Gaza Strip after allowing hundreds of foreigners to leave the devastated territory.

The Times understands that by this morning Israeli troops and tanks could be operating inside the area as part of large-scale operation to prevent Hamas from firing rockets into southern Israel.…

A week of airstrikes has killed at least 430 Palestinians and left scores of buildings as rubble, despite diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire. Hamas rocket attacks have killed four Israelis since the fighting began.…

Among the mounting Palestinian death toll yesterday were three young brothers, aged 7 to 10, who were killed in one of the 30 or so strikes carried out by Israeli warplanes. All along the border, Israeli tanks and troops have turned fields into muddy, makeshift camps from which to launch their offensive. The Government has already mobilised more than 6,000 reserve troops and has given the green light to call up almost 3,000 more. Artillery barrages were also fired into the strip, while aircraft bombed the open ground that the hundreds of troops will need to cross, and where Hamas has placed mines and dug tunnels to outflank the invaders.

al Jazeera reports Hamas is ready and UNRWA commissioner is “appalled” by Gazan “suffering”:

Hamas’ political leader has warned Israel that its army will be defeated if it invades the Gaza Strip.

“If you commit the stupidity of launching a ground offensive then a black destiny awaits you,” Khaled Meshaal said in a recorded speech aired on Friday.

“You will soon find out that Gaza is the wrath of the God,” he said….

“This battle was imposed on us and we are confident we will achieve victory because we have made our preparations.

“Our position is clear. We will not give in. Our resolve cannot be broken,” he said.

“Our demand is also clear. The war must end, the siege lifted, and crossing points open without restriction.”…

Talking to Al Jazeera, Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official in Beirut, said that the party to be blamed for the present situation is Israel, not Hamas.

“It’s clear now that Israelis are blocking all the political solutions. The main question is supposed to be what will be the right end for this? And the clear answer is ending the occupation.”

Karen Abu Zayed, the commissioner for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza, said that in eight years of working in Gaza the need for aid had “never been so acute”.

“I am appalled and saddened when I see the suffering around me,” she said, adding UNRWA has made an emergency appeal for $34m to help the Gaza population.

Hasan Khalaf, Gaza’s assistant deputy health minister, described the ongoing assault on Gaza as “an Israeli massacre”.

US weapons are being used for the massacre in Gaza to which the White House and Pres.-elect Obama tryranically (yet, simultaneously cowardly) consent.

“Peace, Propaganda, and the Promised Land: Media and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict” (Video)

Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land provides a striking comparison of U.S. and international media coverage of the crisis in the Middle East, zeroing in on how structural distortions in U.S. coverage have reinforced false perceptions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This pivotal documentary exposes how the foreign policy interests of American political elites–oil, and a need to have a secure military base in the region, among others–work in combination with Israeli public relations strategies to exercise a powerful influence over how news from the region is reported.

Media Foundation – “Peace, Propaganda, and the Promised Land: Media and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict” – 2006 (1:19:14):

More on Israeli Newspeak:

- Obama, Gaza and the Hypocrisy of American ‘Liberals’

- Israel Succeeds at Missing Targets

- Israeli Newspeak Hits a New Low (Even for Them)

- The Politics of State Terror

Israel Continues to Shut Out the Press

With an estimated 425 dead and 2,000 wounded in Israel’s attack on Gaza, Israel persists in its PR effort to sell the attacks targeting Hamas, the majority political party of Palestine, aided by US-Israeli policy. The sell is not complete without the continued blockade of the free press, despite a court order.

Representative Press – “Israel Attacks Gaza, Silence from Mainstream Media about Israeli Violations of International Law” (3:51):

Israel continues to target mosques, kill children without rockets, and prepare for a ground invasion on the Gazan people.

The Real News Network (TRNN) – “Rafah – Report from the ground” – 1 Jan 09 (9:20):

Conveniently, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s Labor Party has gained popularity since the Gaza Massacre began going into Israel’s elections.

Israel Rejects Immediate Cease-Fire; Iran Calls for Quick Action

After 393 are reported dead and over 1,600 wounded, Israel rejects immediate, US included, globally endorsed cease-fire as a “band-aid” that is not “durable.”

AntiWar.com:

As pro-war rallies continue across Israel, the Israeli government has announced that it will reject the 48-hour ceasefire proposed yesterday to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered to the Gaza Strip. Labeling the truce as ‘unrealistic’, the attacks on the strip will continue unabated.

“There’s no such thing as a ‘humanitarian ceasefire’,” one aide to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert insisted. “Gaza is not undergoing a humanitarian crisis.” But the situation on the ground tells a different story; with hundreds dead and thousands wounded, hospitals are running short on space and supplies. Food was already in short supply before the attacks began, and the destruction of the smuggling tunnels which had been Gaza’s sole source of imports from the outside world since Israel began barring humanitarian shipments has only made matters worse.

On the other hand, Israel said it would allow 2,000 tonnes of food into the strip later today and the UN plans to renew food distribution tomorrow. How easily this will proceed with most civilians scared to leave their homes amid the continuing attacks remains to be seen. Israel will also allow dozens of Gazans to leave for treatment, but only the “chronically ill,” not the casualties of the ongoing war.

Israel is beginning to allow a “handful of reporters” into Gaza to cover the war.

In Gaza, which ‘not undergoing a humanitarian crisis,’ the UN estimates “a minimum of 25 percent of all those killed are civilians and it may well be far higher” (and this does not include civilian police officers) after what “Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told President Shimon Peres on Tuesday that the aerial phase of the operation is ‘the first of several’ phases of attack that have been approved” that has no timetable.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (left) responds (29:21):

Mahmoud Abbas told the Palestinians in a television address on Wednesday that Israel’s bombardment was “barbaric and criminal aggression”.“The most important obligation is to rally the forces, nationally and regionally, to end the barbaric and criminal Israeli aggression against our people in the Gaza Strip,” he said.

Abbas, who had been criticised for blaming rival faction Hamas for provoking the Israeli attacks, and accused of colluding with Israel over the operations on Gaza, said he “would not hesitate to put negotiations to an end if they come into conflict with our interests”.

“Peace does not mean humiliation or surrender,” he said in the recorded address. “Our people are still equipped with more options.”

al Jazeera English: “Iran Urges Arabs to Act on Gaza”:

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, has told the Arab League it should take action “quickly” to end the Israeli attacks on Gaza.

Speaking on Wednesday as Arab ministers met in Cairo, Ahmadinejad warned that setting up committees and making speeches would not be an adequate response to the offensive that has killed nearly 400 Palestinians.

“If the Arab League does not want to do anything today, when does it want to act?” he told a rally in Zahedan in southeast Iran, the Reuters news agency reported.

Ahmadinejad did not suggest what action Arab leaders should take.

“Aren’t these oppressed Palestinians Arabs? So, when should the capacity of the Arab League be used? The Arab League should act quickly,” he said.

The Iranian leader also criticised the United Nations’ response to the assault on Gaza.

“To which nations does this UN belong? This security council is for the security of which part of the world?” he said.

Iran is just the latest to accuse Israel of genocide. An Israeli Ambassador has accused Iran for fueling Israel’s attacks on Gaza.

Without any sympathy for Pres. Ahmadinejad’s policies and tactics, we have not held back in our criticism of the UN Security Council, as I wrote when Israel was preparing for the Gaza Attacks:

Escalated violence between Israel and Hamas will put the US and the UN in a corner were Hamas soldiers to receive support from Syria, Lebanon, and Iran to counter Israel’s support by the West. This anticipated support has brought on Russia’s support for the Palestinians after diplomatic efforts by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Were Israel to strike Gaza, the UN Security Council would become an even faster growing house of conflicting interests.

Fisk: Arab Dictators Don’t Speak Up for Their People ‘and We Want it That Way in the West’ (Video)

As the Gazan death toll passes 375 with over 1,600 wounded, Robert Fisk schools the masses on Palestine-Israel, the Middle East, its dictators, diplomacy, and the West’s role in Middle Eastern conflict.

al Jazzera English – “Inside Story: Assault on Gaza Continues” with Robert Fisk, former Egyptian UN Ambassador Hassan Issa – 29 Dec 08 (22:31):

Israel has stepped up its attacks on Gaza for the third consecutive day on Monday. The Israeli raids have killed around 320 Gazans and wounded more than 1,400 so far. UNRWA has said that there are about 51 civilians among Gaza’s casualties including 17 women and some children. Meanwhile, Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni said that “in a war… civilians sometimes pay the price” in a sign that Israel will continue its attack until “all goals are achieved.” On Monday: We’ll discuss the Arab and international reactions to the current Israeli assault on Gaza, and what is the possible role that the Arab countries and the international community can play to end the current assault.

Part One (10:46):

Part Two (11:45):

For more on the Gaza Attacks, see our YouTube playlist.