Brag, Obama, brag!!! By Jamil Shawwa

In business, experts say,  that you must brag about your successes, you must share your ideas, you must be out there and let people know how good you are, or not, but be there, expand and try and see how it goes. Do not be shy or modest, it does not help. If you are good, then brag about it, and if you believe that you are good, then better, brag more.  In politics and in love, I guess, the same applies, actually, in politics, you need to brag it more and there more urgency to brag and show off. You need to be out more, and  in democracies, bragging is not a choice if you want to survive, bragging is a must,, Modesty in politics does not take you anywhere, or maybe it could take you to a term, or it could give you sympathy, but not much more. Since making history in November of 2008 and becoming the first African American president of the United States, Obama did not set still and accept the honor for itself, just being elected president and making history; he understands that was just the tip of an iceberg and that he needs to do more to cement his legacy in the US history, not just being a coincidence, or a footnote or because America felt guilty and needed to elect a black president. Obama has completed phase one of his task, got elected, he lost part of the midterm elections, had the republicans won the house, but managed to keep the senate under his control, the democrats. Outside the US, he has established America’s supremacy not through regional alliances but through working within world bodies and collective overall win -win situations. He is managing Iraq; stumbling in Afghanistan but in the same time got the worst terrorist, Osama Bin Laden, to the ultimate justice that Bin Laden wrote for himself. Now the game is changing as it always anyway does close to elections date- *George Bush senior did not learn the lesson or he was too bored of politics that Bill Clinton won in 1992, Obama needs to look inward more, and focus on keeping America’s wheels well lubricated and oiled, and the next generations feeling safe and optimistic about the economic future of the United States.  America cannot continue to raise its debt cediling, and cannot function if the time is wasted in just the game of politics rather than in the game of getting solid, measurable, on the ground, actions that the American people can feel. Here is the name of the game if Obama wants to get a second term, and not just being elected by accident, and not for being elected because America felt guilty, or because Bush and the wars screwed up the economy in 2007. He needs to Brag. Brag about what you have done, show the American people your efforts in health care, law now, and talk about Congress, and the maneuvers, brag about lifting the US economy from the near collapse to stability; not success yet, just stability. Obama, Brag your lungs out, do press conferences, go all over America and start from this moment to build a legacy and grassroots movements that on their wings, you will fly to the White House for a second term. Obama needs to look inward moving forward, politics inside, and you must be successful inside, even if you need  to take care of the world, you still must relate it to the average American, otherwise, you need to kiss the second term goodbye, and you need to kiss the legacy another bigger goodbye. Brag Obama, Brag.

*         Other reason to George Bush senior loss is the Ross Perot factor. Google for more information.

Beware: Arabs, Palestinians, Refugees.. Ahead…by Jamil Shawwa

After 1948, and throughout 1956, and 1967, the society of Gaza was divided, sharply, into two sections, two classes, two distant societies: Those who are from Gaza, the families that have been there for the longest time, and those who "immigrated", "forced" or "left" from different parts of the historic Palestine due to the war that surrounding Arab rulers and their Palestinian collaborators  waged against the State of Israel after the *United Nations established the two state solution- and ended up in Gaza, in refugees camps.

The distance between the two societies maybe was nothing, few feet, few meters, but in actual integration, the distance was by thousands of miles or kilometers. The Gaza society and the surrounding Arab countries that the refugees ended up residing in- Jordan, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon- never embraced the Palestinian refugees.

In Gaza, both societies looked suspiciously at each other and both looked down or up at each other, depends on who you ask.

The Refugees as they are called were put in tents first in different parts of the Gaza strip, some on fabulous real estate alongside the Mediterranean Gaza beaches, the most well known camp, called the “ Beach Refugees Camp” you kind of think of it as if we are talking about a resort for the refugees.

Most of the residents of these camps later on found refuge in working in Israel, learning new language, Hebrew, learning other skills in all fields that the original people of Gaza did not allow them to learn nor did they have the required skill at to start with. They, the refugees,  were never accepted as normal human beings and part of the society.

The politicians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip took their cause, not to help, but to advance certain regional agendas, some worked for the Jordanians Hashemite and some worked for the PLO and other Palestinians organizations, even the terrorist, Abu Nidal, had few followers- mercenaries.

Basically the refugees became a commodity for all the fractions in the Arab countries to use, to trade and to bargain. From that point on, the issues of the Palestinian refugees started; Israel had nothing to do with it; it has been and still is a Palestinian- Arab issue that will be resolved inside the West Bank and Gaza and in the neighboring Arab countries, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

The commodity that is still traded in until this moment is aware of its being the merchant’s tool to bargain and sell around and it has accepted to be like that, maybe out of no other choices. The refugees are treated like tenth class citizens everywhere. In Gaza right now, I believe, and I need to get more details, they have been given citizenship, or passports; Israel did the same when it provided the whole population, whoever asked for, with Travelling documents- laissez-Passer - actually I was one of those people that came to America on an Israeli travelling document. I was not a refugee, I’m originally from Gaza, from a Gaza family- see how I’m making the distinction, and I had to explain myself. At the time, I did not have any other passport, most people especially those in the West Bank had Jordanian- and many in the Gaza Strip- passports and Jordanian citizenship; the lucky ones there, had the full Jordanian citizenship. Jordan makes distinction as of the class of passports it provides.

In Jordan there is a war between those who are called the Jordanians or the original Jordanians, including Palestinians and those who are called the not so original- Palestinians- and it depends on what kind of document you have; are you originally Jordanian with regular passport, or are you one of those who have a Jordanian passport that you need to renew every two years.

I recall well. every Saturday, walking the streets of Gaza, the main two streets, al-Wehda (Union)- and  El-Mokhtar- named after the Libyan leader who fought the Italians in the last century- you would see waves of humans, workers, refugees, the forgotten Palestinians, the rejected Palestinians by their own brethrens, walking the streets, dazed, looking suspicious because the society is looking suspiciously at them.

We (the original people of Gaza) looked down at them, as if they were animals and they looked at us with eyes of fear and sometimes disgust. We did not talk to each other, they were different- not sure how- we did not visit each other and God forbid we would give our daughters to any of them to marry; they were on the fringes, the very far fringe; now they are ruling Gaza and probably the trend will continue.

We used to go to Tel-Aviv, and Ashkelon, few miles away from Gaza and we would see them there, cleaning bathrooms, working; of course later on I realized that cleaning bathrooms to make a living is an honorable task in life, to collect garbage to feed your family is not humiliating, on the contrary, the opposite is of that is humiliating.

Israel needed the refugees and the refugees needed Israel, again, some went ahead to reach the highest in their societies. Before politics turned the refugees into ticking suicidal bombers, into objects and tools for the TV terrorist organizations and for the Arab merchants of death and for those who  do not want ever to see a Palestinian State in the West Bank and Gaza, the refugees, made money- working in Israel- to build houses, and buy properties and to send their children to universities, mainly Egypt and some Eastern European countries and of course to the ultimate "Evil Empire" which later on we found out that it was just a joke, a historical joke, the former Soviet Union.

Now, The Palestinian refugees must be given full rights in the Arab countries according to normal laws of citizenship; the so called right of return, is nothing but a political bargain and ploy that countries are using to offset the settlements in the West Bank, at this moment.

So you can imagine, the right of return might continue to be used politically as maybe the State of Israel is having the settlements in the West Bank as a political bargaining chip.

The final word is, those who live in "refugees camps" in the West Bank and Gaza must move on, instead of calling them camps, call them cities, new places to embrace the future, and to look forward and not as breeding pockets of despair, humiliation and terrorism.

The Palestinians must rise, now, and reject all those Arab regimes, including their own that continue to use them as a commodity. The Palestinians must demand elections, must start the full integration in the West Bank, and once a new leadership is elected, the Palestinians must pick up the phone, or jump on facebook, or text, the Israeli prime minister's office in Jerusalem and the defense department in Tel-Aviv and demand to sit together and talk. Talk as humans talk, negotiate as clever business people do, talk freely and discuss. The world cannot but accept you, the new Palestinians, the civilized and smart Palestinians.

*UN Resolution 181 for 1947 to establish two states in  Palestine.

Check related:

Arabs, Jewish, Israel and Palestine

Hamas Role Part 1

Hamas Enemy not Friend of Palestine

Israel and Palestine, PLO and Hamas

The Evolving Identity of the State of Israel: A Jewish State by Jamil Shawwa

I personally do not have any problems or issues with the debate and wishes of the State of Israel and many Israelis to have the State, their country, considered, by the world body, the international community as  a Jewish State.

The State of Israel after all is the original and principle homeland of the Jewish people from all over the world.

The questions being raised right now are many, for example, the status of other ethnic or better to say, religious groups, Muslims, Christians, Druze, Sharkas and others. Other questions involve how attaching a specific religion to a country's identity would affect its status as a democratic country for all of its citizens. Further more, what if each country in the Middle East started to attach a religion to its name and identity. What if France or Germany call themselves Christian, or the US calls itself Muslim, or Christian, or Jewish. What if India with over 100 million Muslims started to call itself a Hinduism society, or attach Hinduism to its identity?

This trend though  is happening mainly in Arab and Middle Eastern countries. Egypt calls itself The Arab Republic of Egypt, Saudi Arabia the same thing, Iran calls itself The Islamic Republic. So the argument could go as Judaism has the same concept as Arabism or Islamism; it could contain all religions within it.

The other question: What is in a name that makes it so important to a society; why would the State of Israel- a strong, genuine, vibrant, democratic country for its people, would want to limit itself to a certain identity. I'm sure that even doing so would not compromise it's much needed move to a complete and eventual integration of all it's groups within one society with equal rights or equal chances fair access to all positions, and all opportunities; we are talking access, after that it is up to the individual or the group to make it or break it.

Let us look at another angle, Judaism to its believers and to those that believe and understand the three divine religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, is not just a religion, it is a concept and it is a way of life. It is also an idea, and politically, it is a huge magnet. So the debate that is going on in the State of Israel right now, very strongly among all sectors of the society, is about how to preserve this idea, Judaism, as a way of life and an identity that the Jewish people from all over the world believe in  and gather around, and continue to attach it to a society and a country that include and will continue to include Israeli citizens that are Muslims and Christians, Arabs and Druze, and other sects.

How can those other groups feel as first class citizens, if their country calls itself, a Jewish State- we cannot tell them to leave, Israel is their country.

The dialogue and the debate also is taking a very important turn as the State of Israel is preparing it’s citizens, all of them, to the expected establishment of a Palestinian State in the West bank and the Gaza Strip.

A proposed law to define who is the Jewish has been in the Knesset for decades, and is a daily topic everywhere in Israel and among the Jewish people all over the world, and if passed, my information is that it has not passed yet, but if passed it would give the authority to the highest religious establishment, the rabbinate, to assume this responsibility.

The other law that just passed in the Knesset was the “Boycott law" and according to *Haaretz the following apply “According to the law, a person or an organization calling for the boycott of Israel, including the settlements, can be sued by the boycott's targets without having to prove that they sustained damage. The court will then decide how much compensation is to be paid. The second part of the law says a person or a company that declare a boycott of Israel or the settlements will not be able to bid in government tenders.” Bibi Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, voted for the law and in the same time refused to investigate the NGOs that the very same law targeted among others; skillful maneuver from a skilled politician.

I think Israel is going through an **evolution, a search for identity, or a renewable identity, Israel is looking beyond the establishment of the Palestinian State in Gaza and the West Bank to what next.

There is a momentum in Israel- a fantastic soul searching and a fantastic vision that looks beyond the daily routine of having to send its children and it’s best to areas that are not part of the State of Israel; moreover, more importantly, Israel does not want to be called an occupying force.

Simultaneously with peace, Israel will always maintain the necessary power to preserve its rightful place among all nations to live securely and permanently where it is now; this position is not questioned but needs to be highlighted daily within the Israeli society due to the geopolitics which is Israel 'still' surrounded by Arab and Islamic countries and Israel will always have those same countries around it that at this moment do not but will eventually with
it have diplomatic relations.


So if you were Israel, what is the solution, again, beyond the withdrawal from the West Bank and the establishment of a Palestinian State in the West Bank of Gaza? The solution, maybe, is to enforce an identity that has been synonymous to its name but not necessarily enforcing the religious identity. It also means the rise of a new political movement: The Political Jewish, or political Judaism, as now we talk about political Islam- the idea is almost the same as Zionism which is the foundation of the State of Israel.

The evolving concept and the new dialogue might end up establishing new boundaries to the strong religious establishment within the Israeli society.

Now, how can Israel integrate the religious establishment within it’s society, how can Israel create the ultimate civil  society where religion would be a regular political party that runs for elections, that can win and lose but regardless without jeopardizing the secular society and the universal freedoms that are granted to all human beings regardless of their national origins, religions, background, race, ethnicity.

Israel is a secular society, the religious apparatus does not control the society but it’s a political/religious establishment, wise enough not to interfere in Israel’s image as a secular and democratic society.

Israel also gives its citizenship to its citizen as expected regardless whether they are Jewish or not.

Finally, what if the State of Israel decided instead of creating a law to define who is the Jewish, would create a new concept and calls it, Who is the Israeli, and apply what other democratic societies would apply to those that they grant citizenship. Again, Israel has dual processes, the citizenship part and the identity part, and the big question now is whether the Israelis would want to combine both in one or continue to have this dual processes.

Related and Notes:

*Haaretz 07/14/2011

**The Israeli Arabs and the Evolving Identity of the State of Israel

Judaism Conversion

Ultra-Orthodox 1

Ultra-Orthodox 2

America Wants You to Be Selfish…..by Jamil Shawwa

America right now is on a mission, in fact, America has been on a mission since this great nation was formulated from people from all over the world, the mission right now is to actively transfer the American values to every part of the world; it fits the American political and social model of win- win situations. America does not think that the world would be better off by surrounding itself with losers; it believes  that it needs to surround itself with winners. America is selfish here; because it believes that if each individual believes in themselves, does their best; succeed, that ultimately the group will be successful. Same applies to countries surrounding America and ultimately every single country on earth. America is the only superpower on earth And I believe it has the ingredients to continue to be the number one, and I believe it is in the humanity best interest to have the American model, a universal one with of course each country having its own version of it. Mesh the American model, I like to mesh things, when you do such things, you get new colors and new flavors and new ideas. Rigidity, stupidity, lack of imagination, the Win-Lose situations, and colonialism, ended and destroyed every single empire that existed since the beginning of time as we know it or learned about it. America does not have that model; America does not believe in expansionism or colonialism, America wants you to succeed. The United States helped the human race to survive and some actually would go as far as saying that America saved the human race twice in the last century, when America decided to intervene in World War I and did the same but more forcefully in World War II. America. Contrary to ideas and politics of isolationists within its Congress, Press, America saw- through grand presidents- Wilson, Roosevelt, and Monroe before that- that the oceans are no longer barriers, and that the US is not immune if it keeps itself confined within its borders thinking that those wars were not of its concerns. America's leadership as a super world power started in 1914 and was confirmed and engraved in an unbreakable rock during and after World War II. In 1945 and before America convinced and confirmed that humiliating Germany as the allies did after World War I would not benefit anyone, it would only plant the seeds for another war, and same applied to Japan. Actually during the famous Versailles conference in 1919, America worked hard to convince the Europeans allies that isolating the Germans and imposing humiliating compensations on Germany, will only be a prelude to another war, no one listened then, retribution and revenge were the name of the game, and what America warned from happened, when criminals took over the power in Germany, democratically, and turned the world into hell, millions were killed. After the second war, no one had the choice not to listen to America, and America made it clear, that Germany to be included, and rehabilitated, as in Japan, America kept the emperor. America worked to create the IMF and the World Bank and the United Nations to be places and models where countries can talk, emulate regionally, and agree and sometimes be forced to accept decisions that they do not like. Exactly as individuals in the US can reach to Banks and credit companies, and investment groups and courts as needed. America’s pursuit of world peace is not a dreamer’s quest, it is an action plan, and it is a plan that believes in talking, containment as it did with the Soviet Union and ultimately conclusion. America is inclusive, America is not conclusive, But America will use its military might as needed and in any place on earth to ensure that this successful model thrives. It will go after anyone and anywhere that would seek through terrorism and aggression, to destroy the way of life, the human way of life, the American way of life, all the same, and end in the same place. America right now is helping the Arab countries to seek their freedom, to have democratically elected governments; it is helping the Israelis and the Palestinians to achieve peace, a smart, practical peace with a Palestinian State in the West Bank and Gaza, and a secure, safe, vibrant State of Israel next door. America’s associates are the following to ensure Win- Win situations all over the world; Germany, see the genius of the Americans, is leading and integrating Europe’s Economically, Britain and France leading the military actions of NATO where is needed, in particular in the Middle East and Europe, China in Asia with Japan and South Korea, soon to be one Korea, Russia is helping here and there. The emerging super power, India, and the emerging regional powers in the Middle East as Turkey and the integration of Israel and Palestine in a Middle Eastern organization. America is everywhere and this is how it should be and should continue. But do not expect America to jump every time you or others think that you are right, or that "it is the right thing to do", or "it is the moral thing to do". America does not function that way, America is a deliberate and collaborative system, it moves methodically and it acts with a wide lens and multiple perspectives that those that ask for action every time an "incident" here and there takes place, will be very disappointed. There has never been a power on earth that has the ingredients of survival and continuity and evolving as the United States; Happy birthday America.

Jerusalem: Divided….Never, Shared…Forever, by Jamil Shawwa

In an expose last Sunday on the CBS 60 Minutes program, Leslie Stahl, one of the program anchors, went to Jerusalem and to Silwan, adjacent to the city, and interviewed people managing the City of David project, a tunnel that the owners of the project say that David, the divine prophet, had his city in while in Jerusalem or it is the old city of Jerusalem, the biblical one that David built and lived in. The project is sponsored and owned by “EL-AD” an investment group based in the State of Israel with global offices; very successful team. The expose was not about the tunnel or the benefits of this project to people and tourism and the enhancements that it could bring to the City of Jerusalem, although the Mayor of Jerusalem, correctly and cleverly so, have focused on the financial and tourism benefits of the project. The whole focus was on as Leslie Stahl put it, the division of the city and the rights of both people, the Palestinians and the Israelis to the historic city that is cherished by the followers of all three divine religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The El-AD project manager focused on the religious dimensions to the tunnel and the Palestinian speaker, that 60 Minutes chose to represent the Palestinian side was a local resident of Silwan the city by the city with majority residents of Palestinians, chose to blast the project and act as victim rather than showing vision or practical solutions- I only saw anger on the Palestinian side, I did not see empowerment or solutions. The whole discussion was fruitless in my opinion, as I mentioned it focused on a moot issue that no one discusses anymore, which is the division of the city, the focus should have been though, in my opinion, about the future solution, the only solution for Jerusalem, which is the sharing of the city among it’s residents and the sharing of the city among the two states that will have Jerusalem as their capital; The State of Israel and the State of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza. I personally do not mind the project, the City of David, and I looked at it from the point of view of Mayor Nir Barkat of Jerusalem, that it is good for tourism. Now, of course such projects usually involve the local residents, and need to have their opinions and their involvement- City Hall discussion. The City of David might end up after the final solution either shared by both the Israelis and the Palestinians exactly like the Eurotunnel between France and England or it could fall under one authority, either way, it should be preserved and in the process, preserve and maintain all the holly sites in Jerusalem, the Jerusalem of tomorrow.

The Killer and His Accomplices----Al-Assad and the Syrians…by Jamil Shawwa

·                              

       The stories coming from Syria are horrifying, terrifying and exceed all imaginative and unimaginative terror that many of us humans knew about Al-Ba’ath party and the criminals that run Syria now. Boys, girls and children in the streets are being killed and being kidnapped, mothers crying their loved ones and the stories go on and on. It has been an endless nightmare since 1963.  This the gratitude Al-Assad is providing the Syrians for allowing him to stay in power for generations, for allowing him to turn the Syrians into the worst in the Middle East, and making them ashamed of calling themselves Syrians. Al-Assad killed the Syrian mind and personality and turned his people into machines and mouthpieces for his sick propaganda, using his own sick logic and living and breathing conspiracy theories against Syria. What conspiracy and for what; Syria now is nothing, it is not a threat to anybody, it has no political weight, and it has nothing to do with the Palestinians or the Lebanese, The Golan Heights will wait until a democratic Syria is formed, no one needs Al-Assad anymore, his services are no longer attractive and his price is no longer a bargain, and he has no talents to bargain to start with. But Al-Assad is not alone, he has accomplices, has partners in the crime, he has the Syrian people. If you listen and hear many of them, you feel how they have been brainwashed; everything around them, in their mind is about conspiracy theories and metaphorical nonsense. They talk like him, they inject in their conversations, these illogical, sick minded challenging concepts and theories, trying to show logic or a trend in something that is so bizarre and so chaotic.  The face of Syria is a fascist, destructive, divisive face; it is the face of the propaganda machine of Al-Assad. I want to hear the voice of the Syrians, the ones that have resisted the brainwash that has made the Syrians doubt themselves, scared of their shadows, questioning their logic and their mental capacities to think.  The Syrians need to start thinking, and using the human logic, and see if things make or do not make sense- their sense and not Al-Assad sense. The Syrians have been drugged for generations and have been in coma for generations, and the time is now to wake up, and the time is now to start looking up, with head high and it is the time now to tell that sick, criminal, Al-Assad and his mini criminals in the Ba'ath party to go. It will take the Syrians some time to clean up after him, they even might need multinational organizations to clean the garbage he is leaving in every Syrian home and street, but the most importantly, who can clean the garbage he planted in the Syrian mind, and the Syrian logic and the Syrian personality and the Syrian reputation and the Syrian soul.

                            

For Israel and For Palestine; Bibi goes to Congress….by Jamil Shawwa

Everything Bibi Netanyahu of the State of Israel said in Congress yesterday came to no surprise to those that know that the ultimate strategic goal of the state of Israel is the establishment of a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank; he did it Bibi style.  He performed well, politicians must be performers, and must be smart public speakers, and must have the charisma to motivate their audience. The audience was very friendly, and the atmosphere was festive for Bibi to do his best. Bibi acknowledged publically and enthusiastically, in my opinion, the genuine desire of the majority of the Israeli people to have peace with their neighbors in the West Bank and Gaza, and with their extended neighbors in the Arab and Muslim countries, Bibi acknowledged- correctly- that Jerusalem will not be divided; it will not, Jerusalem will be shared by both the Israelis and the Palestinians. Bibi talked about the Palestinian style of missed opportunities, and he was right, so it is up to the Palestinians to think of changing style, see, maybe it will work. Basically, Bibi gave advices, and if you listen and watch the speech again, the road map is already there, the car is already there, the passengers are in the car, the tank is full and the car is ready to move, the drivers to the destination can help each other, the car has two drivers, but once it reaches it’s destination, each driver will have their own car. The borders will be drawn but will be open, political parties will be established and will play the game of politics. He acted and represented his country, the State of Israel, and he spoke on behalf of those who elected him. No one expected Bibi to talk on behalf of the Palestinians, he should not, the Palestinians need to have their own, leaders like him, who cares about their country, and who strongly and enthusiastically represent the views of the people that entrust them and choose them for such responsibility. See, the Palestinians have a political model in Bibi and actually other Israeli leaders; the model is that when you are elected, you are powerful, even if you have different parties and different point of views. You are the head of the state- in Israel, the prime minster is the executive, and the president is a ceremonial post- although the influence of the president has varied through out the history of the state starting with the first president, Haim Weisman, until now with Shimon Peres playing the elder statesman role very positively for his people. For generations the Arabs and the Palestinians expected the Israelis to succumb to their demands, why should they, the Arabs rejected them since 1947, why should the Israelis hand to the Palestinians on a silver platter what the Palestinians are asking for, I personally would have made the Palestinians work for it, and this is what Israel, the US and the world are doing; make the Palestinians appreciate this historic opportunity to have their own homeland side by side of the State of Israel. The Palestinians need to help themselves first, need to clean their house, and need to get their act together, and need to hold elections, and need to have a national referendum, maybe, on how to proceed and need to have clear answers to the refugees issues, and Jerusalem and need to create a goal and a political agenda, and finally, need to act like business people; in business- as I once read in a magazine- you do not necessarily get what you think that you deserve, but you get what you negotiate. People who want to see a Palestinian state do not send suicide bombers, do not fire rockets across the border at a neighboring state and do not talk about the right or not of this country or that to exist. The State of Israel is not a Palestinian business, the Palestinian business is the West Bank and Gaza; shift the focus inward, and you will have your state.

The Art Of Political Bluntness; Bibi’s style..By Jamil Shawwa

Many were shocked at the way, style and words of Bibi Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister during his meeting with the US president in the Oval Office couple of days ago. The range of the reaction has varied from describing him as obnoxious, to just describing him as being frank, honest and straightforward. Bibi Netanyahu was blunt but this is the style of the political school that he was raised in, the school of Menahem Begin, Yitzchak Shamir, and Ariel Sharon. Some also said that Bibi is influenced to a large degree by his father that is considered an ultra conservative in Israeli politics, and that Bibi was raised on hard line politics when it comes to peace with the Palestinians. Bibi also carries the burden of his brother, Col. Netanyahu, who was killed while leading the rescue operation of the Air France plane hijacked to Entebbe, Uganda in 1976. Also he has a deep rooted sense of responsibility to ensure that the people of Israel are protected and secure in an area that is technically still hostile to them. In addition, if we go a little more back in history, it is the school of Ze'ev Jabotinsky, the revered political leader in the beginning of the last century that inspired many leaders from the right in Israel. Having said the above does not mean that Bibi rejects a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, he does not, and he knows that it is coming and that the final solution will be a two state solution. Menahem Begin, before Bibi, swore many times by his mother’s grave that he will never withdraw from Sinai and that he will never dismantle Yamit, the main settlement in Sinai, Begin did both. Ariel Sharon did the same before withdrawing from Gaza in 2005.  What people expect Bibi to do is what Bibi is doing right now, which is to be a hard liner and to sound tough and to be adamant in regard to certain concessions in the West Bank or the withdrawal to the 1967 lines. It is an art, it is politics, and it is mainly rhetoric that analysts and observers know that it does not mean much. If Bibi did not talk the way he talked to Obama, people would have thought that there is something wrong with Bibi, so he must rise to the occasion, and he must rise to the expectations of the right and the conservatives and the religious leaders in the State of Israel.  Bibi could be very well the Israeli leader that will sign the declaration of independence of the state of Palestine in Gaza and the West Bank. The conservatives have done it before and they are the ones most capable- or have the power and the confidence of the Israeli people, according to many- to handle a revolution that the ultra religious might stage once the painful process, to many Israelis, of the withdrawal from the West Bank starts, and once the more painful process for many Israeli starts, which is having to share the city of Jerusalem. There is no country in the Middle East that deserves to exist more than the State of Israel, and there is no country in the Middle East that deserves to exist more than the State of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza.

For Israel and For Palestine, The Obama Speech by Jamil Shawwa

The president in his Middle Eastern speech tonight restated the declared and the ongoing US policy and strategy in the Middle East which includes the establishment of a Palestinian State in the West Bank and Gaza within the 1967 borders; all agree on this one. The differences are on certain technicalities that can be resolved if there is a political will to move forward and to stop the bickering, the haggle and the rhetoric about this and that from all parties. We need to look at the big picture, it is not only that geographic area that consists of Israel, and the West Bank and Gaza, but it is the surrounding Arab countries and beyond that to the Islamic countries. It is the new Middle East and the end of the dysfunctional Arab League and the establishment of a viable Middle Eastern organization or union, maybe, similar to the EU that will have Israel and Palestine as prime members. It is time as well for Israel and Palestine to compete within their continent; Asia, for world sports, no need for Israel to compete with the Europeans- Israel is a Middle Eastern/Asian country. Basically, peace means peace, and means historic and larger view of the region than just looking at Israel and Palestine. Israel will withdraw from the West Bank and will recognize Jerusalem as capital for both states, an open city, but must have the rest- Arab and Islamic countries- do the same with Israel, recognize, establish peace and normalization. The Palestinians need to have a strong elected parliament and leadership that can embrace the only way to achieve the state which is the negotiations with the State of Israel. It is there, and it has been there for generations but the political blindness, the hypocrisy and following the Arab discredited regimes, lack of vision and confidence and the lack of determination to keep the eye on the prize which is statehood side by side with the State of Israel and Jerusalem as an open city and capital for both states, have made the case for the Palestinians ridiculous; if they cannot help themselves, who will, and why should anyone help those that are not willing to help themselves.

It is time now for the Palestinians to know that Palestine is and only the West Bank and Gaza Strip, there is nothing else called Palestine beyond Gaza and the West Bank. There is a next door neighbor called the State of Israel.

The Ultimate Terrorist Killed....The Demise of Bin Laden and a Word to the Palestinians...by Jamil Shawwa

The ultimate terrorist has met his destiny; a destiny he wrote with blood and murders. Today, I have a message to those lowlifes in Gaza- the Hamas organization and its idiot, Ismail Haniya- shame on you praising the ultimate terrorist, Gaza needs to put those "mini terrorists" and pretenders in the garbage cans now. The Palestinians need to start living like humans, need to be smart, enough of your sickening pretentious, and enough of your stupid hypocrisy, enough of allowing the criminals of Hamas and other so called organizations to manipulate you. Refuse to be mouthpieces to those semi humans, rise and reclaim your shredded dignity and kick them out once and for all. The choice is yours, go now to the streets of Gaza and kick them out and kick out any of your leaders who continue to manipulate you in the name of the Palestinian cause. The path is clear and the road to a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank is clear, as long as you have the right map and the right flash light so you can differentiate the evil from the good. Actually, you know who is who; the problem is the stupidity of not taking action.

The Trial of Pharaoh, Seven Thousand Years After, by Jamil Shawwa

Mubarak of Egypt’s bad luck brought him to govern in the era of the Internet, and facebook, and Twitter but mostly in the era of freedom and in the era of the Arab countries turn to breathe and feel what most of the world has been having for some time; democracy and human rights. Mubarak otherwise would have gotten away or at least would have not fallen the way he did. His predecessors were luckier, will, maybe not Anwar El-Sadat, he was assassinated, but at least to some it is better than to be overthrown by the same people that the Egyptian leaders for thousands of years never respected, never took into account and never felt that they even deserve any kindness or consolation. Mubarak’s  bad luck made him the sacrifice for the Egyptians thousands of years of suffering, and humiliation.  He is probably the least evil or the lesser evil among many. One of the worst was Gamal Abdel Nasser, whose stupidity and demagoguery made him wage a war that was in its idiocy worse than the war of 1948 that the Arabs waged and lost but still did not learn. Mubarak and his sons are on trial, dragged to jail, waiting for their prosecutors, 80 million strong, the population of Egypt, and millions of other Egyptians through out the history of Egypt and since those poor Egyptian slaves that built the pyramids,. The defence attorneys are few, they are disappearing, the Pharaoh fell, and the friends and the pretenders are gone. Ramses, and all the other Pharaohs are crying Hosni Mubarak and are cheering him in the same time, they did not have to go through what he and his family will go through. They do not want to be in his place. Mubarak however showed class when he left, I  predicted that he will leave, but did not predict that it would be that way, a revolution that no one, at least not us the ordinary people thought of, I still  encouraged it not only for him but for all the non elected Arab leaders. I personally understand how the Egyptians feel, and lived in Egypt and used to see the humiliation in their faces every day, everywhere, in police stations, in the streets, in the cafes, in the overcrowded buses, in living in grave yards, in the lines for a loaf of bread-if they could get even that and was not filled with screws and other stuff- in the lines for cigarettes, human lines were Egypt’s daily routine. But Mubarak did not invent that system, Nasser did, still, Mubarak shared the responsibility. But I do not encourage humiliating him, not Mubarak, show him grace, if you need to put him on trial, let it be, but do not try him on behalf of all the Pharaohs and do not try him on behalf of hundreds of millions of Egyptians through out history that have never been respected in their country. Treat Mubarak as Russia treated Gorbachev, let him live in peace for the remainder of his life. He did not kill his people as Saddam did, or Qazzafi the psychopath, or the king of Bahrain or the president of Yemen, or the butchers of Syria. He represented a system he did not create, he did not reform or change it and he bears responsibility, otherwise the rest would say the same thing, we did not create the system but found it. He just played a game and thought that he will get away with it, but once all was done, and the game was over, he left, he did not fight.  Let the last pharaoh rest in peace. There will never be again another pharaoh.

The Cowards of Gaza, the Cowards of Damascus, The Cowards of Tehran and the Cowards of Hezbollah…..…An X-ray by Jamil Shawwa

In the Middle East, right now, there are four "groups" that to call them human would be an insult and humiliation to humanity, to call them political groups, would be an insult to politics, already an insulting word, so we cannot add insult to injury. To call them parties, would be an insult to all the legitimate political and social parties around the world, to call them leaders, would be an insult to the word and meaning of the word leader which usually points out to those that inspire and those that motivate. So let us call them with a word they love, a word they respect, and a word that belongs to them, that is attached to them, and that is identified for them, Cowards.  Let us start with the Cowards of Gaza, Hamas, they are firing rockets, why, and now they are begging and kissing the feet and the behinds for restraint, but this is how cowards live and operate. They are lowlifes, no respect, although they won an election, but they won it because the other alternative, the PLO, was arguably, worse, politely putting it, corrupt. Again, the people of Gaza should rise against the terror of Hamas and the rest of the TV and multimedia terrorists groups, they are the occupier, not Israel, Israel withdrew from Gaza, was ready to withdraw from the West Bank and was ready to talk about Jerusalem and the Golan, but the cowards disappeared, they prefer to live in the dark, they are the night bats, they cannot survive the light, they prefer to fire rockets, and dig tunnels, and live like animals. They have taken the Palestinian people, who have been as complacent as anyone can be through out their history in this crime, as hostages. The Palestinians can drop all this trash, and can start anew, and can bring respect to people that have never had respect, the Palestinian people.  Throw out Hamas, now.

In Syria, we have worse situation, maybe, See, it is a competition as who the worst is, who is the most criminal and who is the most terrorist, and who is the most hypocrite and who is the most demagogue; this is an x-ray of the garbage of the Middle East. The Alawis, a fraction, less than 5% of the population, a gang, a mafia, a group of suicidal maniacs, they commit suicide if the party decides so, hijacked a country that matches the Palestinians in hypocrisy, and a country that has a reputation of having ill reputed merchants and politicians and a country where the majority Muslim Sunnis are weak, and where the grand Syrian Sunni families were unrealistic, naive and idiots, basically. The Ba'ath mafia rules Syria, but a group of Syrians are fighting back now; those are the freedom fighters that Syria never had or known, they do not want to be anymore attached to that garbage. Throw out the Alawis and Al-Ba’ath and that helpless, poor, irrelevant, disillusioned, Al-Assad, now.

Finally, so far, I am going to combine two trashcans in one, Hezbollah and Iran that is the lowlifes, the Mullahs, the Rasputins that run Iran. The two are interconnected and intertwined and they are the cousins of another sect, the Alawis in Syria, so you can see the connection, the three feed into each other, and the three live through each other. The Shia power has already risen in the Arab countries, and why not, but it is a twofold problem, first is  a Sunni majority that are so tyrant and ignorant that it never treated the Shia well- Check the Gulf countries, and the other is  Iran and the powers of the political hypocrisy, they are really are guns for hire, not sure how to explain it though, basically, I know that they act pursuant to political agendas and not ideology; yes, I think this is a good explanation. Hezbollah and Iran, again, pursuant to certain political agendas, as it seems or turned to be, might drag a semi country-Lebanon- into chaos as they did in 2006. See, if you look around, you see that once the Arab countries start cleaning up their trash, peace is here, Israel has no problem, the US, the EU, Russia, China, no one has a problem in granting the Palestinians their rightful place among the civilized nations, and grant them a state in the West Bank and Gaza side by side with the State of Israel, no one, except for the cowards, Hamas, Hezbollah, Al-Ba’ath and Alawis and the ultimate losers, the ultimate hypocrites and the ultimate joke and the ultimate clowns, the Mullahs of Iran, they do not want to see a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank, they want to see destruction. The Mullahs enemies, their only enemies, are the Arab Muslim Sunnis. That is Iran, nothing more and nothing less and that concludes our X-ray for the day.

Go ahead; Make My day. Shut Down the Government...America America...by Jamil Shawwa

In 1981, and after the sounding defeat of Jimmy Carter, the new president, the Grand Old Party lifesaver, Ronald Reagan declared, “government is not the solution, government is the problem”. In 1993, Bill Clinton declared, “the era of big government is over”. Both presidents, a republican and a democrat, used that rhetoric during economic downturns like the one we live in now. Since then every president, every candidate for office tried to emulate and imitate and tried to get into this wagon or off the wagon of blaming the federal government for everything that goes wrong in this country, from their perspective. Almost all has been and is political rhetoric, no substance and false. America is the federal government; it is the glue that made America the greatest country on earth. The federal government is the government of the people and for the people and by the people and it is the fifty states combined and it is the union that we all live and breathe through its healthy and renewed veins. America loves to discuss, talk, argue, deliberate, and convince, this is how this country was built and this is how the constitution was crafted, out of excruciating years, months, days, and hours of deliberations. America’s lifeline and foundation is there for everyone who is interested to read, in the federalist papers and in the drafts of the constitution and in the bill of rights. The founding fathers of the republic, The United States, put the power over the purse in the hands of the elected body, the congress, and not in the hands of the elected executive, the president. They wisely knew that you need more than just one individual, even if that individual was the elected president of the United States, to decide what money can and where to be spent. We have witnessed an impasse like the one we are witnessing right now back in 1995, when few republicans, infuriated by the loss of George H. Bush and the winning of a little known southern state governor by the name of Bill Clinton, that they created what came to be known, for couple of years and then disappeared, as the republican revolution when bill Clinton got reelected in 1996 and defeated a good man but with no charisma, Bob Dole. They shutdown the government, showed people that they are meanies, they did not intend to, but republicans come across- in general- in the American psychic as inconsiderate meanies, and sometimes according to some as bunch of SOBs. Americans felt then, in 1995, and now, that they were out of touch, did not care about the elderly, women, children, all they cared about was to tell Americans, that you need to depend on yourself only, that it is you that can make or break things, that the government is not a babysitter, that if you do not work hard, no one really can carry you or your burden. The republican party’s message then and now is that America cannot afford to be a welfare state, America cannot pay for women abortion clinics; this one actually resides deep in religious reasons, many of them are religious christians that feel that clinics that cater to abortion and unwed mothers are sinners, and that the government cannot support such sin. In that particular one, they forget or try to forget the separation of state and religion or the separation of church and state, or the synagogue and state or the mosque and state, America now is for all and not only for church goers or mosque goers or synagogue goers. The news just updated of a tentative deal between president Obama and the republicans to avert a shut down of the government, but until when, no one yet is sure. The issue is not that, it is the blackmailing of America that some in the republican party use every now and then to get their way, but in the process and in the midst of all the political spinning and rhetoric, those extremists do not realize that they are hurting the very same country that they claim to defend and pretend that they care about. The government is the people, it is the women and children, it is the parks and the museums, it the military and the troops that stay day and night all over the world to make sure that we are safe here and that we have freedom here, and that our foundation is solid. The federal government is not a strange body that you need to fight, on the contrary, it is the very heart and soul of this country that you need to nourish like a baby, and protect. The problem is not the government, it is us, we the people who make the rules, and write the bills and the laws and create the policies and the politics. Do not attack the government, do not shut down the system, reform it, protect it, and keep it alive. Those tactics of shutting down the livelihood of the people will not work, they never did, in the past the republicans lost and they will lose again if the tactics continue.

The Maestro…..the Obama doctrine…... by Jamil Shawwa

Everyone right now talks about the two doctrines, well, maybe not everyone but those that are nosy like me. The Bush doctrine was based on “either with us or against us" no other choices. That doctrine came to life after the terrorist attack on America. At that time, in my opinion, the US did not have any other choice. We needed to confront that wave of terrorism and we needed to act immediatly. We did not have to negotiate, convince, or wok to find common ground. We still managed to form a huge alliance much bigger than we did in WWII when we confronted other groups of criminals against humanity. Now the situation is different, we do not need to use the Bush doctrine, we are doing a fantastic alliance building against a psychopath in Libya. The Maestro is taking position and is taking center stage, the orchestra is ready, he has to lead, there is no other choice, but he cannot lead alone, the orchestra has to match, has to play the right tunes, and has to deliver the right rhythms. America will continue to be the leader in world affairs, and in the Middle East, there is nothing but the US. Having said that, it is not a blind leadership, but a smart one, it is a leadership that based on many pillars, the UN is one, NATO, and within those two, we have the European alliance with Russia's tactical silence and the Asian's with China's always accommodating. England right now is managing the political efforts to topple Qazzafi and it is working very well. Cameron and Hague are transforming England back to world stage after years of irrelevancy. They are polishing the old empire, and they are renovating a role that is important to be palyed right now in the Middle East. France and England are the leading players in the orchestra with the Maestro making sure that they deliver the best they can. Qazzafi is already gone in my book; it is just a matter of time. But the doctrine will not go, this is the new role of America in the world, to lead with partners and with groups and with alliances, it has been like this but now America is giving more respect to those important partners and the partners just love the new American style. America’s strength resides in its ability to move and maneuver, in its ability to create win-win situations, and in its ability to preserve the balance of powers and in its genius in inventing ways to inspire others. Behind all this is a talented maestro that needs to continue to show his talents daily, or at least until November of 2012. If he is reelected, very possible, I do not see so far any other viable candidate on either side, Obama’s doctrine will flourish in ways that will make the 21 century another American century.

For Israel and For Palestine...a Table for Two. By Jamil Shawwa

The forces of darkness, evil, and hypocrisy continue to drag this poor but not naive people, the Palestinians, into the abyss. They go to homes and kill families and they expect the world to watch and say hurray. They are Satan in long dirty beards and without beards, wearing the flag of peaceful divine religions and brainwashing the innocent and the not so innocent. They blow buses, launch rockets and expect the world to sympathize and applaud. They are and the rest of those lowlifes, are the ones that keep making sure that the West Bank and Gaza never even come close to enjoy what the rest of the humans are enjoying; an independent state in the West bank and Gaza, where people can go to work, dream of the future, plan vacations for themselves and their families, travel and see friends and relatives and explore the world and it's beauties. The forces of evil and despair that are wearing the beards of hypocrisy are killing every hope in the land of peace and in the land of the three divine religions and they keep delaying the final status. But they are not alone, on the other side of the Isle, in the State of Israel, there are those that match them in fanaticism and hypocrisy, Their job- elements in the two societies- is to silence the moderates on each side and make them as despair as the rest and make them believe that the two cannot live together in two states and make them believe that an eye for an eye to the rest of it.  Abbas is crying and weeping like a  boutique girl in Amsterdam getting caught in the act, not ready for the next client, asking this and that to save him or asking this or that to tell Israel to do this or stop that. Those forces of darkness, some in their lousy, pretentious beards, in their deceiving appearance, in their criminal minds, are the wardens of the Israelis and the Palestinians and they are the tyrants that make sure that the Palestinians never wake up, make sure the stigma of terrorism is their name or their middle name. The Palestinians and the Israelis- maybe unintentionally- are helping the forces of evil; in Palestine, they are electing them, and in Israel, they are not clear on the policy and the future. Imagine the hypocrisy of a people, or maybe not, maybe it is not hypocrisy, maybe it is despair, maybe the Palestinians are desperate but they are afraid, they look around and they are afraid, they do not want to be called that they have forgot the forgotten cause, and that they do not want to be called the generation that has allowed what the previous generations did not allow. Well, I have news for the Palestinians, rise, and rise now, look around, and throw out your jailers and your wardens, kick them; vaccinate yourselves against them so they do not infect you again. Rise, go to the streets, no one can stop you, you, the Palestinians, can now make a difference, can now get rid of Hamas and the PLO and can now, elect people and can now call Bibi and Ehud and Shimon- as a sign of respect to the elder statesman- and tell them, I want to set now with you- I can provide the table and four chairs, ok maybe five but not more than six- and we are not going to leave the room until the Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza is born and we are not going to leave until every Arab and Muslim country recognize the ultimate right of the State of Israel to live in peace in it’s  internationally recognized borders with Jerusalem as it’s capital and the same Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza…What are you waiting for- I'm almost done- go to the streets, you have been manipulated by choice, for tens of years, maybe it is enough, maybe you will start dropping hypocrisy and self-deceive for other choices. Try, the Palestinians and the Israelis, something else, a new approach, and a new perspective and see if it works; you might be amazed beyond your wildest imaginations. Now is the time to act, because if not now, when.

Dancing and Singing at an Airport...Lebanon 2011 by Jamil Shawwa

The Lebanese are singing for their country; they are saying that their country has civilization. I know one thing about the Lebanese, all of them, they love Beirut. But, in a minute, they can destroy it in the name of their sect, religion, their political affiliation and their love. They have done it before.  The Lebanese are dancing in Beirut International Airport. I do not want to spoil the video but the Airport in Lebanon is under the control of Hezbollah. Those Lebanese are interesting human beings, they can dance together now, and tomorrow ...the same dancers could be fighting each other. The airport now is called Rafik El-Hariri International Airport. Hariri, the former prime minister of Lebanon, was killed in 2005. An International Court is looking to subpoena Syrians officials, Hezbollah officials and Lebanese former military commanders for his murder.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ccy-EQPH3LU  

The West Bank and The Gaza Strip…Rise….Part III- No historical or Religious Claims- Ongoing by Jamil Shawwa

The news reported yesterday that a person went and committed a crime, killed a family in a settlement in the West Bank. The State of Israel has the right to defend its citizens everywhere as many countries believe and might take action against individuals or against groups either in Gaza or in the West Bank. The cycle continues, once Israel takes action, some Palestinians might feel that they need to retaliate and take action against those that took the previous action. The cycle continues, killing and retaliating and organizations and individuals claiming historical or religious rights to this piece of land or that piece of land or over the whole land. Some might say that the settlements in The West Bank are illegal as they are built on a disputed land or lands that are still waiting for the final solution, others would reply and say no, these settlements will stay regardless and the people there will be citizens of the state of Palestine in the West bank and Gaza and some will say, wait a minute, these people have the right to settle anywhere in the land of Israel. The end game, not sure, it seems that everybody or the policy makers and certain groups behind them in both entities in Palestine and in Israel are content somehow with the status quo. Satisfied with the regular interactions that take place there and has been taking place since even before 1948. The problem is not outside the control-maybe- of both Israel and Palestine. The problem is not in the international community, or the great powers, the problem is there in the West Bank and Gaza and in the State of Israel and the solution is also there in Palestine and Israel. The first step is stop the talk from some Arabs and Israelis or some religious Muslim Arabs and some religious Jewish people about historical claims to the land, it will not work, both sides not only will bring so called facts or religious verses that support each side but will also bring the continuous cycle of hatred and the continuous cycle of wars and violence and will continue to feed those monsters on all sides of the isle that do not want to see a flourishing State of Israel and a flourishing State of Palestine. Leave history behind and look at now. Now we have the State of Israel and we have the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, period, nothing else, no other countries. We also have Jerusalem as an open city and a capital for both. We also have religious places that a skilled manager can manage for both people, if things get complicated and both continue to fight about "management". History right now is irrelevant in the land of peace and history is irrelevant in the land of the three divine religions, what is relevant is now, and the people that live there and the facts on the ground. The facts reflect the ultimate and the undisputed right of the Jewish people to enjoy their country, the State of Israel, as it is now. The facts also reflect the ultimate and the undisputed right of the Palestinian people to have their state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. History can be rewritten now, and history can be remade now. History starts now and not prior to 1948.

Tsunami in the Pacific and a Tsunami in The Middle East….Shockwaves…by Jamil Shawwa

What a trying day across the shores of the Pacific, it is reaching Hawaii and maybe the beaches of California. Warnings are issued for about fifty countries as news reports stating.  It seems technology did not predict or gave early warning to this ocean earthquake. Same as in the Middle East, the Arab and Iranians dictators did not know that their people are alive and breathing and did not see the early warnings smoke. The earthquake in the Pacific is claiming innocent lives as the one in the in the Middle East. We all want to control the Pacific earthquake, although it is impossible to prevent, but easy or easier to predict, but most of us want the human tsunami in the Arab countries and Iran to continue, hopefully peacefully, to drive those illegitimate dictators out of power one by one.

The Arab Monarchies…..Red Flag by Jamil Shawwa

I think *Jordan and Morocco can lead the Arab royalties into the first constitutional monarchies where the prime minister- from the party the wins the majority seats in parliament- would be the executive like in England, Japan and other countries in Europe. The royal families in Morocco and Jordan have the street-smart politics talent and this could be an ingredient for their survivals. Very tough though but let us see how they would evolve.

The rest of the monarchies, **Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, and the other Gulf countries so far have not shown signs of the changing times, The bottom line is this; the monarchies in the Arab countries must evolve to endure.

   

*Read my piece about Jordan and the Hashemite on http://arabamericanwire.blogspot.com/2010/10/storythe-10-years-old-boy-in.html

**Read my piece about the evolution of Saudi Arabia on   http://arabamericanwire.blogspot.com/2010/12/prince-bandar-machiavelli-and-future-of.html

      http://arabamericanwire.blogspot.com

*In The Name Of The Divine Religions… A Bow by Jamil Shawwa

Compare the Westboro Baptist Church and the Congressman from New York, Peter King, and the suicide bombers in Pakistan that blow funerals. What is the common ground between the nuts, the fanatics here and the criminals in Pakistan; not much, both hijacked a religion and both in the name of a divine religion created new religions and new wave of hatred. No faiths, religions, or philosophies throughout history suffered as much as the three divine religions, not from sources strange to them but from those that claim that they belong to them. In America, the Supreme court said that it is legal for the Westboro Baptist Church to disrupt –by shouting and cursing- the funerals of the fallen soldiers, in Pakistan, they take liberty to kill themselves and others in the suspicious shadow of the silence of the law.

* facebook post 03/09/2011
Check my posts from 03/09/2011, 03/02/2011 and 03/04/2011