be just

Israeli border policemen scuffle with Palestinians and peace activists during a demonstration against the apartheid wall in the West Bank village of Bil'in, November 2006. (Fadi Arouri/MaanImages) ei: Nothing less than our freedom For the people of our small village of Bil'in, which lies west of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, the planned negotiations between Palestinian and Israeli leaders in Annapolis, Maryland evoke mixed feelings. Like all Palestinians, we pray that our children will not spend their lives as we did, under Israeli military occupation. But our experience has been that Israel, the stronger party, exploits peace talks as a smokescreen to obscure facts that it is establishing on the ground. During the Oslo "peace" process Israel built settlements in the occupied territories at an unprecedented rate. Israel's system of settler-only roads, which is now strangling our cities and villages, was created during the Oslo process. This makes us wary of ...

Palestinian Folklore Dancing Banned in a US School :: from www.uruknet.info :: news from occupied Iraq - it : "Officials in Old Saybrook have canceled performances by a Palestinian dance troupe after getting a complaint that it is offensive to Jews and Israel. The decision involves planned performances at the town’s elementary and middle schools by Al-Ghad Folklore Dancing Troupe. Town resident Ginger Horton says she felt compelled to complain to school officials after her two grandchildren told her they were offended by the troupe’s performance at the high school Monday. Here is the yucky part: Horton says the grandchildren told her the high school performance depicted Israeli soldiers beating and torturing Palestinians. School Superintendent Joseph Onofrio says he canceled further performances after learning several parents questioned whether it was appropriate for their children."

Meet Abu Abed: the US's new ally against al-Qaida With summary beatings and imprisonments, he has the methods of a mafia don. But he and others like him are crucial to American strategy : "On a recent Friday morning in west Baghdad, 20 of Hajji Abu Abed's men were shifting their feet nervously in the dusty yard outside his house as they waited for their leader to emerge. The men, young and well armed with Kalashnikovs, pistols and hand grenades, were wearing the favoured dress for militiamen in Iraq these days: green camouflage commando uniforms decorated with bits of US army kit - a pouch on one man, webbing on another, a cap here, sunglasses there, a few flak jackets between them. Some bore the insignia of Iraqi army officers. Around noon, a fighter came running from the large house across the street and shouted: 'The Hajji is coming!' A pick-up truck came speeding into the yard, followed by several saloon cars packed with fighters. In the back of the pick-up,...

The Raw Story | Suitcase nukes said unlikely to exist : "Members of Congress have warned about the dangers of suitcase nuclear weapons. Hollywood has made television shows and movies about them. Even the Federal Emergency Management Agency has alerted Americans to a threat — information the White House includes on its Web site. But government experts and intelligence officials say such a threat gets vastly more attention than it deserves. These officials said a true suitcase nuke would be highly complex to produce, require significant upkeep and cost a small fortune."

Al Jazeera English - News - Death Toll Rises In Somali Fighting : "At least 60 people are now believed to have been killed in violence that has rocked the Somali capital, Mogadishu, for the past three days. Ethiopian forces began shelling parts of the capital after the body of at least one of their soldiers was dragged through the streets after battles with anti-government fighters on Thursday."