Stephen Lendman

Bahraini and Saudi security forces continue daily terror in Bahrain, human rights groups condemning the violence, including Amnesty International (AI), providing regular updates.

On May 11, AI reported more than 47 health professionals, including doctors and nurses, have been arrested, charged and may face trial before a military court for doing their job. All are Shias in a Sunni-run state.

Entirely bogus charges against them include:

● refusing to help people in need;
● embezzling public funds;
● assaults causing deaths;
● unauthorized possession of weapons and ammunition;
● refusing to perform duties;
● putting people's lives and health at risk;
● illegal detention;
● abusing authority;
● attempting to forcefully occupy buildings;
● incitement to forcibly overthrow the Khalifa monarchy;
● incitement of regime hatred;
● incitement of the hatred of a segment of society;
● disseminating false news and malicious rumors, harming the public interest; and
● participating in unauthorized rallies and meetings.

AI calls the accusations "vague" and "trumped up." In fact, those charged are for participating in peaceful protests, treating injured demonstrators, and denouncing state violence - noble acts, not crimes.

More »

Khalid Amayreh in occupied Jerusalem
Al-Ahram Weekly

Predictably, Israel is using financial blackmail in an attempt to snub out Palestinian national reconciliation and unity

The extreme rightwing government of Israel is carrying out threats to financially scuttle the Palestinian Authority (PA) for daring to restore national unity with Hamas.

Israeli leaders are worried Palestinian national unity will strengthen the overall Palestinian stance vis-à-vis Israel and might expedite international recognition of a prospective Palestinian state.

Israel has refused to transfer to PA coffers an estimated $100 million in tax and customs revenue, which Israel collects on the Palestinians' behalf. Israel receives administration and other fees for collecting the money that the PA government uses to pay salaries for tens of thousands of civil servants.

Consequently, the PA has so far not been able to pay salaries for April. This is already generating discontent within the Palestinian community. Some Palestinian political leaders have urged the PA to respond stringently to Israel's draconian measures by suspending or ending security coordination with Israel.

Israel and its guardian ally, the United States, view the continuation of security coordination between Israel and the PA as a sine qua non for the existence and survival of the PA as well as for the continuation of any semblance of peace efforts in the region.

However, with a growing feeling among Palestinians, including Fatah supporters, that Israel is effectively blackmailing the Palestinian leadership, some prominent Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) leaders and officials have voiced exasperation at the Israeli behaviour.

More »

Karla Fetrow
subversify

Three Warning Bells

It is the spring of the year; a time of rebirth, renewal and regeneration. It is also a time that painfully signals the advancing epidemic of poor global health. It marks one year since the Mexico Gulf Coast oil spill; a tragedy that analysts say isn’t really as great as it first appeared. They point to a few large water fowl that have returned to their nests, some clean public beaches and a return of tourism for generating the economy. In the meantime, the families of those who died in the oil spill continue to mourn their losses. In the meantime, thick, black oil continues to ease from the sea. In the meantime, the fishermen who depend on shrimp and crab harvests, return home empty handed.

This trembling spring, still wounded, marks one month since a devastating earthquake and accompanying tsunami killed Japan and its best hopes of recovery by critically damaging its nuclear reactors and initiating a full break down. Anxiety arises, not just for the plight of the Japanese people, but also the effects the radioactive cloud will have on the global environment and economics. Their fears are justified. Not only was Japan the third largest economy in the world, proving that industry and technology can provide for millions on an island no larger than California, environment and economy are intricately tied. In the wake of the disaster and the tons of contaminated water emptying into the sea, food companies and their customers nervously debate the safety of eating Northern Pacific fish, even with the assurances that the radioactive dispersing will be too minute to have any effects on a marine life diet.

It is the spring of the year, and both the Atlantic and Pacific side of the northern hemisphere are bleeding, but the biggest wound to have struck masquerades blandly behind the name of spreading democracy to the Mideast and Africa. The biggest wound to have struck is in the deployment of depleted uranium missiles.

More »