Though the decisions hadn’t been officially announced to the public yet, Israel’s defense ministry has confirmed major steps toward two new rounds of settlement expansions adding up to 2,269 new homes in the occupied territories. ● The committee signed off on 1,015 homes in one case, meaning they’re effectively a done deal barring unforeseen opposition from Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, while the other 1,254 have been approved in theory, but are awaiting a period of public comment. It was likely that Israel was holding off the official announcement until the upcoming prisoner release date, when they always announce major settlement expansions to placate MPs who oppose the peace process. The matter was brought to public attention by Peace Now. The settlements will be yet another major blow to the peace process, as Palestinian officials have been reluctant to approve any extension of the process beyond the April 29 deadline, and this will be one more indication that the talks have netted much more settlement growth and very little substance. [Video: Gilad Atzmon]

CounterPunch: America's Role in the Creation of the State of Israel

Ukraine's [illegitimate] prime minister has pulled his nation closer into Europe's orbit by signing a political association agreement with the EU at a summit of the bloc's leaders. ● Friday's agreement between Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and the EU leaders was part of the pact that former President Viktor Yanukovych backed out of last November in favor of a $15 billion bailout from Russia. That decision sparked the protests that ultimately led to his downfall and flight last month, setting off one of Europe's worst political crises since the Cold War. Russian forces took control of Crimea two weeks ago in the wake of Yanukovych's ouster and President Vladimir Putin this week annexed the strategically important Black Sea peninsula.

BBC: Ukraine crisis: EU signs association deal || EU President Herman Van Rompuy said in a statement that the accord "recognises the aspirations of the people of Ukraine to live in a country governed by values, by democracy and the rule of law". [Orwell rolling in his grave...now Fascism is Democracy.]

When the Ukrainian government under Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign the Association Agreement, the United States, Germany and other EU states including Poland and Hungary organised and financed right-wing and fascist parties as well as extreme right-wing shock troops to carry out an overturn in Kiev and bring a government to power dominated by ultra-nationalists and fascists. (Ulrich Rippert)

Rehmat's World: Ukraine: A Jewish Takeover
Finian Cunningham: Ukraine: Shady Ashton's role in regime change
Norman Pollack: Ukraine as Stalking Horse: The Rise of Fascism in the West
John Pilger: The forgotten coup - and how the godfather rules from Canberra to Kiev
Alex Lantier: Anti-Russia propaganda and the fabrication of a new pro-war consensus
Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya: A Distorted Lens Justifying An Illegitimate Ukrainian Government

● Crimea’s secession from Ukraine was just like Kosovo’s secession from Serbia, and any arguments otherwise are just attempts to bend the West-advocated rules that were applied to the Kosovo case, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. The statements came as Putin was addressing the Russian parliament to convince lawmakers to ratify a treaty, which would make Crimea part of the Russian Federation. In the speech he challenged Washington’s position, which says that Kosovo was a unique case and could not justify any other move towards independence in the world. “Our western partners created the Kosovo precedent with their own hands. In a situation absolutely the same as the one in Crimea they recognized Kosovo’s secession from Serbia legitimate while arguing that no permission from a country’s central authority for a unilateral declaration of independence is necessary,” Putin reminded, adding that the UN International Court of Justice agreed to those arguments. “That’s what they wrote, that what they trumpeted all over the world, coerced everyone into it – and now they are complaining. Why is that?” he asked. ● Putin dismissed the argument that Kosovo was unique due to the large number of victims during the Balkan wars and the dissolution of Yugoslavia. “It’s beyond double standards,” Putin said. “It’s a kind of baffling, primitive and blatant cynicism. One can’t just twist things to fit his interests, to call something white on one day and black on the next one.” ● The president dismissed the allegations that Russia is violating international law with its actions in Ukraine. “Well’ it’s good that they at least recalled that there is international law. Thank you very much. Better late than never,” Putin said adding that in fact nothing of this kind happened.

● The US-Russia sanctions war is picking up pace today, with the Obama Administration announcing its “second round” of sanctions against Russia, targeting “wealthy Russians” and their assets in the US. Russia responded just minutes later with sanctions of their own, including a travel ban on several Obama aides and hawkish Senators. ● The US officials hit with sanctions today responded with mocking comments echoing similar statements from Russian MPs hit by the US Monday, insisting the travel bans and asset seizures wouldn’t effect them at all to begin with. ● President Obama suggested the third round of sanctions would target Russia’s primary exports of oil and gas and “could disrupt the global economy.” He added that he believes it is necessary because of his objections to the annexation of Crimea. ● Ukraine, for its part, insists it is going to avoid any trade or sanctions war with Russia if at all possible, and said it is going to rely on the WTO to resolve any disputes that may arise.

Stephen Lendman: Sanctions Wars
EuroNews: Merkel: ‘G8 no longer exists’ as EU plans further sanctions on Russia
RT.com: EU expands Russia sanctions list to 33 people, cancels EU-Russia summit
RT.com: Western sanctions against Russia ‘irrational and designed to assert US dominance' – Russian FM
RT.com: 2014 Gallup International poll: US #1 threat to world peace

The coup government of Ukraine has ordered its troop to leave Crimea. Many of these troops, especially officers, may not follow these orders. Russia is offering them a much better deal: “The pay is five times that offered by Ukraine,” [the captain] said. “The pensions are five times better, and will be offered 20 years sooner. We are told we would serve on the same military base. Defend the same soil, the homeland of many at these bases. Families living quite nearby the bases will be able to remain in their same homes.” Why would any officer, especially those native from Crimea, reject such a fantastic deal? The Russian president already signed a new executive order that will let those officers keep their ranks and will recognize their Ukrainian military education.

Marching lockstep with Washington, the Australian government has imposed asset seizures and visa bans on selected Russian figures and ratcheted up threats of reprisal against Moscow after Crimea’s population voted overwhelmingly to secede from Ukraine and join Russia. In the Ukraine crisis, the Australian political establishment has made clear its commitment to yet another US geo-strategic offensive, directed at establishing Washington’s hegemony over the pivotal and energy-rich expanses of the Eurasian landmass, once part of the Soviet Union. By instigating the coup in Kiev, Washington is seeking to bring Ukraine, like other former Soviet republics, directly into its orbit, with the ultimate aim of subordinating or dismembering the Russian Federation as well.

The Jewish shriek against Putin is at fever pitch. Leading the crusade are Thomas Friedman of the New York Times and Martin Wolf of the Financial Times. Friedman wants to raise gas pump taxes thinking this will lower global oil demand. Who cares if Americans suffer at the pump? This will “punish Putin,” says Friedman, and that’s all that matters. Wolf says the IMF can punish Putin by making Ukraine an economic powerhouse and less dependent on Russian gas and trade. But the first 3 billion of an IMF loan goes straight to Moscow via Russia’s bailout deal Ukraine signed with Putin last December. Wolf’s scheme is a con and Yatsenyuk is his patsy. Everyone knows that loans from the IMF will not “improve” Ukraine’s economy but will make Kiev the slave of Jewish bankers.

How about sanctions? Obama says Russia must “pay the cost” for “grabbing” Crimea. The Russians are laughing. Russia’s deputy prime minister, Dmitry Rogozin—one of the ‘evil eleven’ on Obama’s ‘freeze-their-assets’ list—tweeted back, “Hey Comrade Obama! I don’t own a single asset in the USA.” Victoria Nuland (born “Nudelman”) of the US State Department tried to stop Putin by ‘regime-changing’ Yats the Yid as Ukraine’s prime minister. Instead, it sent Crimea, home of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, flying into the arms of Vladimir Putin. It’s a super deal for Vlad whose Black Sea Fleet lease with Kiev to the tune of 90 million a year will soon be rent free.

AND it looks like neocon Jews Jeffrey Goldberg and William Kristol along with AIPAC’s shill McCain are drumming up war against Putin with the same old lies just like they did against Saddam. The only ones who will “pay a price” are American Gentile boys who will be shipped back from Ukraine in coffins. Jews don’t send their own to die in their wars. Can the Jews stop Putin? Yes they can. When all else fails send in the nukes and bomb Russia to kingdom come…and wipe out the entire human race along with them. If Jews can’t get their way, the Sampson Option comes into play.

Despite two earlier rulings that the US Justice Department needed to provide Kim Dotcom and others involved in Megaupload with the actual evidence being used against them for the extradition trial, an appeals court overturned those rulings and now the New Zealand Supreme Court has agreed in rejecting the request. While the chief judge dissented, the majority found that the extradition treaty does not require the country that has filed the charges against the individuals to provide the information and that the New Zealand courts have no real authority to order the US DOJ to provide the evidence. It does seem rather ridiculous that someone can be sent halfway around the world to face criminal charges without first being able to see the evidence against them, but that's apparently the law in New Zealand. They might want to fix that.

Over 300,000 US citizens have signed petitions for their states to withdraw from the United States of America. ● They make references to the Declaration of Independence, whereby a situation may emerge when it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, to ensure security and happiness, the federal media report. The 300,000 Americans represent a total of 29 states. They want to be granted the right to peacefully secede from the United States or allowed the holding of a referendum on such secession. Those who have signed the petition feel that President Obama's economic reforms have proved ineffective. They claim the government has violated the rights and freedoms of Americans in the past two years.