Justin Raimondo ■ Now that Hillary the hawk has been fully un-caged, thanks to her interview with former Israeli prison guard Jeffrey Goldberg, the flak is flying. Moveon.org is trying to clip her wings and the Obama fan club is outraged. Of course, if she were running for Prime Minister of Israel – Peter Beinart dubbed her "the Israeli government’s best spokesman" for sounding even more hardline than Bibi on Gaza – her path to power might be a bit easier: but, alas, America is an entirely different country, one capable of war-weariness, and anti-interventionist sentiments are at an all-time high. In the course of her interview with Goldberg she went on about how we should’ve armed the Syrian rebels – the same rebels who are now wreaking devastation in Iraq – because we might have "vetted" them and somehow transformed them into Jeffersonian democrats. And she went on to blast the President’s relative aversion to military intervention – relative, that is, to her own proclivity for armed "humanitarianism": "’Don’t do stupid stuff’ is not an organizing principle," Hillary scolded. You could almost hear interviewer Goldberg’s gasp of pure delight at this little bon mot, but Hillary’s presumed constituency wasn’t exactly thrilled.

On August 9th in Hebron, Israeli soldiers celebrated shooting an 18-year-old Palestinian youth in the leg with live ammunition. ● The Canadian volunteer, Vern, who witnessed the soldier firing, stated, “After the soldiers left the roof, I went to confront them about why they had fired. One of them said to me that he was the one who fired and that he was proud of his actions. He then asked me to take his picture.”

The hospital released a document to the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) stating that the injury of the young man was a gunshot wound to the right calf, and that the injury required surgery under general anaesthetic. “This is not the first time protesters have been seriously injured or killed while not being a threat to the Israeli military. On Friday (8th August) in Hebron, 40-year-old Nader Mohammad Edrees was shot in the heart by an Israeli sniper. He died several hours later. This murder was caught on video, and it is clear that Nader was no threat whatsoever when he was killed, in clear contradiction of Israeli military policy and international law.” Stated Issa Amro, Human Rights Defender with Youth Against Settlements (YAS), based in Hebron.

Thousands of people marched from the BBC headquarters in London, at Broadcasting House to Hyde Park, on Saturday, August 9. ● Once again, as with the other recent demonstrations in solidarity with the Palestinians, the media has failed in reporting the numbers accurately. Interestingly, a piece in the Guardian which at least covered what must have been one of the largest public displays of support for Gaza, and opposition to the state of Israel since millions marched against the illegal war waged on Iraq in 2003, noted that "According to police, more than 20,000 people marched". Which technically is true. More than 20,000 people did march, but by all accounts the true figure was more likely closer to 150,000. But of course, rather than acknowledge the level of support and sympathy that is growing for the Palestinians, in part due to the fact that social media circulating the stories which fail to reach the public's eyes and ears, most in the media would rather willfully bury their heads in the sand.

Other sources have not confirmed the report so far. ● Defense minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) Igor Strelkov has been badly wounded and is in serious condition, the Donetsk-based news agency Novorossiya said on Wednesday. “Igor Strelkov is badly wounded. We were told so by a source in the Novorossiya [common reference to the Donetsk and Luhansk self-proclaimed republics] leadership. He is in grave condition,” the agency said. DNR Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Purgin could not confirm or deny this information. He told ITAR-TASS that Strelkov had been in the area of intensive fighting lately. “I have no precise information, but this is likely to be true. As far as I know, he was not in Donetsk but in the area of Shakhtersk, Torez and Snezhnoye where intensive fighting is going on,” Purgin told ITAR-TASS by telephone.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has received a note from the Ukrainian government expressing its readiness to accept the Russian humanitarian aid. The news came as Moscow agreed on the Ukrainian presence in the humanitarian convoy.
The arrangements for the humanitarian aid convoy have been completely agreed upon, with all of Kiev’s wishes taken into account, including the route, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters at a press conference in Sochi. “We have agreed on a route convenient for the Kiev authorities. We agreed that our trucks would have Ukrainian number plates during their way through Ukrainian territory. We also agreed to take on board not only the representatives of the Red Cross and the OSCE, but also representatives of the Ukrainian authorities,” Lavrov said. “The convoy has set off,” he added. “We have received a note with the confirmation of the Ukrainian side’s readiness to receive the aid.” The trucks are carrying food, medication and drinking water.

Itar-Tass: Ukraine can accept relief aid only from Red Cross — Yatsenyuk
Itar-Tass: Ukraine to bar border passage for Russian relief convoy — [fascist] minister
RT.com: Death toll in Ukraine conflict doubles in 2 weeks, reaches 2,086 - UN

Cintayati ■ “Israel” have been used to unconditional support, thanks to the Jewish-owned and dominated media, the numerous Jewish lobbies and of course access to all raw data collected by the American NSA which gave it plenty of blackmail material with which to use in order to ensure that support by members of governments worldwide. But though it still receives the spying data, political discourse and media coverage have changed. And outside of the protection of its patron, America, a commission of inquiry has been initiated by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to investigate war crimes in Gaza. But also unlike in the past, “Israel’s” application of pressure wasn’t able to skew the odds in its favour in the selection of persons on that commission. And heavy pressure and wheedling was exerted by both “Israel” and its patron, the US, though both failed.

Ottawa is refusing to bring injured children from Gaza to Canada for treatment, despite pleas from hospitals, health-care workers and the Ontario government. ● It’s too risky to transport injured children and keep them away from family, Foreign Affairs spokesperson Adam Hodge via email. He said Ottawa’s “exploring” other kinds of aid but wouldn’t say what that would entail or when it would materialize. ● In the meantime, Izzeldine Abuelaish can’t believe anyone would refuse to help a hurt child. “It’s an ethical responsibility to jump and to give help in times of need,” he said, urging the federal Tories to imagine Gaza’s children as their own. “What do they expect… people to do for them? For someone to say ‘No, I’m not treating your son or your daughter?’” Abuelaish, a Palestinian-Canadian doctor now at Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health, asked Ontario Health a week ago to make resources available in the province for children injured in the conflict. Abuelaish’s three daughters were killed in 2009 when his home in Gaza was struck by an Israeli shell. He established Daughters for Life in their memory.

Globe & Mail: Harper confirms Canada’s support for Israel in conversation with Netanyahu
Motherboard: Canada Has Sold Millions in Military-Grade Hardware to Israel

Robert Fisk ■ Four million Canadians carrying the anti-Semitic ‘disease’? We’ve heard this kind of despicable propaganda before. || Not long ago, I was handed the most outrageous, vile, dishonest and slanderous calumny uttered against the people of Canada. It was contained in a full-page advertisement in the National Post (founder, Conrad Black), a newspaper handed out – free, I’m happy to say – on my Air France flight out of Toronto. Here is the headline: “Almost 4 million Canadians are afflicted by this disease.” Beneath this title is a half-page, very blurred and uncaptioned colour photo of a large crowd – they could be football supporters, rush-hour commuters in Vancouver, you name it; they are mostly white males but include women and with at least one dark-skinned man close to the camera. Beneath the picture, this incredible ad continues: “Left unchecked, it [the disease] can result in violence tendencies. Many times, those infected haven’t been diagnosed and may pass it on to their children, grandchildren, colleagues or friends. Please help stop the spread of this disease before it contaminates your community.” This is frightening stuff, of course.