Twelfth Bough

  Bethlehem One hundred seven members of UNESCO voted to admit Palestine to the body, which was enough. You can watch a short video of the rather suspenseful vote here . Reaction has been swift. White House condemns Palestinian vote on UNESCO, calls it "premature," "REGRETTABLE" and "deeply damaging" ....and the US checkbook has closed. That didn't take long! Some people will say these things are only symbolic, and it doesn't matter, but if that were true we wouldn't see all this huffing and puffing. It matters because it changes the facts on the ground. It changes the narrative. And it puts the US and Israel on the back foot. Palestine can now apply for some sites to be World Heritage Sites. Some of these sites may have Israeli settlers around. That brings a different authority to the settler problem. Suddenly there's a teacher in the room. There are about 20 sites that Palestine may submit to UNESCO for World Heritage statu...

"In fact, my own personal experiences with the pro-Israel Lobby inside the United States demonstrate Israel's intense interest in Africa....From land reform to blood diamonds to various warnings I sent to certain African oil-producing countries to support for African self-determination and against artificial efforts to create divisions in Cote d'Ivoire, Zaire/Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Sudan, I found an incredible interest in all things African on the part of the pro-Israel Lobby." ~ Cynthia McKinney, in preface to Israel and Libya: Preparing Africa for the "Clash of Civilizations" by Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya HERE is the Yinon Plan. Note that it has been around for about 30 years. This is an important document. You should read it. The plan operates on two essential premises. To survive, Israel must 1) become an imperial regional power, and 2) must effect the division of the whole area into small ...

Changing the subject.... Obama sending already sent US troops to Central Africa He’s not calling it a war, but President Obama will be sending American troops into Central Africa to offer military assistance. In order to aid with the takedown of Joseph Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army in Central Africa, President Barack Obama told Congress today that he has authorized upwards of 100 American soldiers into the region to “remove from the battlefield” LRA leader Kony and other high-ranking officials of his army. In a letter address to House Speaker John Boehner today, President Obama says that American troops "will only be providing information, advice and assistance to partner nation forces,” but that they could engage in battle if necessary for self defense. Obama says that his decision to send troops into Central Africa comes as a response to two decades’ worth of aggression perpetrated by Kony and the LRA, whom the president says is responsible for havin...

"In the new world we are entering,  the Palestinians are acting, and Washington is reacting." ~ Rami G. Khouri, The Daily Star  ...The Palestinian quest for U.N. recognition is now being widely debated across the U.S., with the common denominator being total uncertainty about its direction and implications. Even Palestinian officials close to President Mahmoud Abbas are not certain of what happens next, because the three primary dimensions of the move remain unknown: the Palestinian strategy, its impact on the ground, and American-Israeli retributive reactions. An image.  Most interesting to watch the American-Israeli retributive reactions. We've got people like John Bolton threatening that the US will defund the UN of the other countries of the world vote for Palestinian statehood, and people like Ileana Ros-Lehtinen pushing the legislation to back him up. Meanwhile the big wonks in foreign policy world bemoan the fact that some of these retribut...

UNESCO protects various sites around the world, World Heritage Sites. wooden church in Krakow, Poland Krakow UNESCO sites trulli-style cottages in Italy, under UNESCO protection, nonetheless purchased by wealthy Russians   Italy: Land of the Rich Russian also see: above reproach UNESCO stands for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. "Building peace in the minds of men and women."* *Some restrictions may apply? The Palestinian Authority has won a first diplomatic victory after the country gained initial approval of a bid for full membership in UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, a move deemed "inexplicable" by the United States.... Membership would allow Palestinian officials to seek the protection of Palestinian historical sites by the cultural organization which is in turn set to create further tensions with Tel Aviv given some of them are in territories annexed...

Important decisions are often made in the margins. The math is complicated with the Palestinians so far only assured of public support from six countries: Brazil, China, India, Lebanon, Russia and South Africa. The European powers say they have not yet decided how to vote but diplomats say Britain, Colombia, France, Germany, Portugal and United States will abstain or oppose the resolution. That leaves Bosnia, Gabon and Nigeria in the diplomatic firing line. Bosnia, Gabon and Nigeria. Malki is to go to Bosnia, where the country’s ethnically divided three-man presidency is split on backing the Palestinians. Other high-level delegations are to visit Gabon and Nigeria, Palestinian officials said, even though Malki said he has assurances from the two that they will back membership. The three kingmakers already recognize the Palestinian state, but also see the US diplomatic shadow hanging over them. "The United States has political and economic le...