Former U.S. ambassador Chas Freeman spoke yesterday at the Palestine Center for the annual Sharabi lecture at the Palestine Center. Follow the link to view his excellent discussion.

The shocking piece of the speech was picked up by Paul Woodward and Phil Weiss,

In late November 1988, shortly after the election of George H. W. Bush as president, I was invited to lunch by a senior Israeli official with whom, in pursuance of U.S. policy, I [as deputy assistant secretary of State for African affairs] had worked closely to expand Israel’s diplomatic and military presence in Africa. I had come to like and respect this official. He wished to thank me, he said, for what I had done for his country. I was pleased. Over lunch, however, he asked me what I planned to do in the new administration, adding, “tell me what job you want. We can get it for you.” The casual arrogance with which this representative of a foreign power claimed to be able to manipulate the staffing of national security positions in the U.S. government was a stunning belittlement of American patriotism. Twenty years later, I was to be reminded that agents of foreign influence who can make appointments to national security positions in the United States can also unmake them. Who said that there was no Israel lobby?

MOVE OVER AIPAC (website)
Janet McMahon: AIPAC, a Not-So-Benign Night Flower

An international coalition pledged on Thursday in Rome to fund Libyan rebels in the hopes of ending the stale mate in their fight against Moammar Gadhafi’s forces.

The conference, attended by about two dozen NATO and Arab nations, plus international organizations, was held to discuss ways to put more pressure on Gadhafi’s regime and eventually topple it. The money will come from Gadhafi's own coffers via a request for the “partial unfreezing of blocked funds in banks or financial institutions to make available the basic necessities of Libyan population,” said Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini. Frattini said that $250 million is already available to help the rebels. More will is likely to come when the assets are unfrozen.

Reuters Africa: Giving frozen assets to rebels is piracy--Libya
Patrick O’Connor: Washington funnels confiscated Libyan assets to “rebel” leadership

A human rights activist says Syrian security forces have killed six people during widespread protests on Friday.

Thousands of protesters held rallies in major areas across the country, including the capital, Damascus, and its suburbs. The activist said five people were killed Friday in the central city of Homs and one in Hama. He asked that his name not be used for fear of reprisals by the government. He is a senior member of a human rights group that compiles death toll figures in Syria. The protesters turned out despite a bloody crackdown on the seven-week-old uprising against President Bashar Assad's autocratic regime. More than 565 civilians and 100 soldiers have been killed since thee uprising began in March, according to rights groups.

At least eight people have been killed in the latest unauthorized US drone attack on Pakistan's tribal district of North Waziristan.

A senior Pakistani security official was quoted by AFP as saying that eight missiles were fired in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan. Islamabad has frequently criticized Washington over the non-UN-sanctioned drone strikes, saying the attacks are a blatant violation of Pakistan's sovereignty. The US has carried out hundreds of drone strikes in tribal regions bordering Afghanistan. Washington says the attacks target pro-Taliban militants but thousands of civilians have been killed since the drone attacks started in 2008.

BBC: US drone 'kills eight' in North Waziristan

Photo taken on May 1, 2011 shows the spring scenery around the Issyk-Kul lake in Kyrgyzstan. (Xinhua/Sadat)

A significant blast targeting police just south of Baghdad left scores dead or wounded. At least 40 Iraqis were killed and 100 more were wounded in this and other attacks across the country. New developments concerning the Arab League summit meeting and the P.M.O.I. arose as well.

At least 30 policemen were killed and more than 75 were wounded when a suicide bus bomber attacked a group of policeman who were in the middle of a shift change at a Hilla police station. Thirty of the wounded are seriously injured, so the death toll could climb. The vehicle contained 330 pounds of explosives and also caused significant material damage. Fortunately, the blast occurred before many civilians arrived for work in the heavily trafficked commercial area where the station is located. Al-Qaeda was blamed for the attack. A bomb targeting a major general in charge of security for Asayesh forces in Tuz Khormato killed two of his bodyguards and wounded seven others. The chief was seriously injured. In Baghdad, a blast on al-Nidhal St. killed one person and wounded three others. A defense ministry official was assassinated in Jamila. Four people were wounded in a blast in Zaafaraniya.

Millions of dollars to Osama bin Laden, near Abbottabad Villa night was a magnet for tourists ghoulish, reports the Daily Mail of London. Even if the doors are closed compound, visitors have left the area of ​​free access to Pakistani investigators had searched the house. Local residents Ali Abbas, 43, began last season destination bin Laden to bring the report by e-mail. Abbas has expressed interest to tourists are welcome. He said that to reach the largest number of visitors to the United States and Europe. Abbas said ... "Westerners are stupid, but people or not, surely the foreigners when they declared a landmark, is very good for the city, people should visit and see where the greatest terrorist in the world lived."

Pakistani officials today warned of “serious consequences” should the Obama Administration attempt another unilateral attack like the one that Sunday morning that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad.

The Pakistani government expressed concern at the time because the US did not contact them until after the raid, but those concerns have grown dramatically since the White House reported yesterday that they might keep launching such raids. Osama bin Laden was clearly a special case since the US had been seeking him for so long, and while the lack of communication was annoying, most analysts agree that the Zardari government would not file a formal complaint about that particular raid. Pakistani Army Chief General Parvez Kayani, however, warned that if the US made a habit of such raids the military would “reconsider” its relationship with the US.

SF Gate: US-Pakistan relations in trouble

The head of the CIA has revealed that there was no live footage of the main part of the operation that killed Osama bin Laden, contradicting earlier reports that the US president was watching the action.

CIA Director Leon Panetta stated on Thursday that there was a 25-minute video blackout during the raid on the fortified compound owned by the al-Qaeda chief and that the US President Barack Obama and his national security aides had little knowledge of what was happening during the 38 minutes of the US special forces' operation on Pakistani soil, the Daily Telegraph reported.

This is while a photograph of Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, along with defense staff and national security aides in the Situation Room was released by the White House, appearing to show them anxiously watching as the mission unfolded.

AWIP: Blackout during raid on "bin Laden compound"
empirestrikesblack: Staged: White House “Situation Room” Photos Part Of Bin Laden Fable

Overcrowding, drug use and poor management of prison officers' time have led to a "tinder box" situation in Irish jails where criminals band together in gangs and violence is commonplace, according to the Prison Officers Association.

The association says within the last two weeks three officers were injured in Mountjoy Prison in Dublin, one sustaining a broken nose, one suffering a severe shoulder injury and a third receiving slash injuries to his chest and face. The association described as "savage" another attack on a young prison officer in Wheatfield Prison which left the officer hospitalised. Speaking at the association's annual conference in Kilkenny this morning, deputy general secretary Jim Mitchell said violence in prisons was increasing as a result of overcrowding, with stabbings and assaults a regular feature.