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 status.
The inventory consists of twenty sites, including seventeen cultural and three natural heritage sites, which reflect the cultural and natural diversity of Palestine. The list includes the historical cities (Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus), major archaeological sites (Tell es-Sultan, Qumran, Sebastia, Mount Gerzim, Anthedon, and TellUm Amer), cultural and religious routes, natural (Wadi Gaza, Umm er-Rihan) and cultural landscape sites (Palestine, Land of Olives, El-Bariyah), as well as potential trans-boundary sites (Dead Sea). It is important to mention that “The Old City of Jerusalem and Its Walls” was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1981.You can see if you click through that link, that this process has been ongoing for many years, meaning the process of recognizing and identifying sites in Palestine of "outstanding universal value" to humanity. To call it premature, regrettable, deeply damaging, etc., and to withdraw funding from UNESCO, simply reveals the pathetic whinging of the US and Israel.
Whatever will they do if Palestinian cultural and religious routes are declared UNESCO World Heritage sites? How are all those checkpoints going to feel to the tourists on their Palestine Holy Land vacations, as they retrace Palestinian World Heritage religious routes of pilgrimage? What about the Palestinian Land of Olives olive groves? We guess the IOF and settlers can't be burning up and tearing out Palestinian Land of Olive World Heritage olive groves, hmm? And maybe some of those settlers won't be allowed to throw their garbage out their windows onto the Palestinian World Heritage streets of Hebron?
You know how it is... fucking UNESCO... Ruining Everything.
Also see: shopping around
^^^^^^^
Meanwhile, Bosnia: no longer on the hot seat.
The three Bosnian leaders had to agree on a position vis a vis Palestinian statehood, otherwise, they could have no position. And guess what happened? That's right, they could not agree. So this likely puts the end to the nine votes in the UN Security Council that Abbas was hoping to gather.
The three presidents had to agree in order for Bosnia to vote. So far the Muslim Bosniak leader supports the bid, the Serb member is pro-Israeli and the Croat member has not yet not clearly stated his position. The three members have to agree on a common policy or abstain.Again, we touched on this aspect of Bosnia and the organized crime dimension here.
...Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman additionally visited the Bosnian Serb stronghold of Banja Luka where decisions are made on how the Serbs will vote in joint state institutions.
The leader of the Bosnian Serbs and president of their mini-state, Milorad Dodik, said after the meeting that the Serb representatives in the central institutions are against the possibility of Bosnia voting at the Security Council for the Palestinian bid.
He added that he now expects Bosnian Serbs and Israel to strengthen economic ties and work on tourism and agriculture.Lieberman, a Russian speaker who was born in Moldova, was on his second visit to the Bosnian Serbs this year, and spent several days of his vacation in the Bosnian Serb part of the country.
However, we also note that Bosnian foreign minister Sven Alkalaj, one of about 600 Jews in all of Bosnia who luckily happens to have the very influential job of foreign minister which of course is sheer coincidence and means nothing, visited Oman the past week to discuss trade ties.
The guest also spoke about the possible areas of cooperation in the trade between the Sultanate and Bosnia and Herzegovina and the products that could be exported to the Sultanate as this cooperation might be considered as the gate for European countries, in addition to the available advantages for investment there.
Oman, location location location...
Interesting because the latest US plan for "security architecture" involves making a little "mini-NATO" out of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Oman, in order for these countries to push back against Iran. And these arrangements will allow an expanded US military presence all around Iran, which makes Israel happy. Also, coincidentally, Bosnia's got a great trade deal on the line with Oman, and a few days later Bosnia managed to abstain from the vote on Palestinian statehood at the UN Security Council, which makes Israel happy. Win win win win.
Oman Upgrading its Air Defenses, 10/20/11
Oman is located on the eastern Arabian peninsula, controlling the Strait of Hormuz’s western bank, and providing an overwatch position for both the entrance to the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean near Africa.
...This is not a sale, yet, just an announcement that will allow negotiations to begin, if Congress does not move to block the sale. Oman’s Foreign Military Sale request includes:
The prime contractors will be Raytheon Missile Systems of Tucson, AZ (SLAMRAAM prime contractor), and Boeing of Huntsville, AL (Avenger prime, though Stinger is a Raytheon product). Implementation of this proposed sale will require multiple trips to Oman involving many U.S. Government or contractor representatives over a period of up to or over 15 years for program and technical support, equipment checkout, and training.
- 18 Avenger Fire Units
- 18 AN/VRC-92E exportable Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio Systems (SINCGARS)
- 266 FIM-92 Stinger Reprogrammable Micro-Processor (RMP) Block 1 Anti-Aircraft missiles
- 6 FIM-92 Stinger Block 1 Production Verification Flight Test missiles
- 24 Captive Flight Trainers. Sensors and electronics, but missile can’t fire.
- 20 S250 Shelters
- 20 High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs)
- 1 lot AN/MPQ-64F1 Improved SENTINEL Radar software
- 290 AIM-120C7 Surface-Launched AMRAAM missiles
- 6 Guidance Sections
- Surface-Launched Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (SL-AMRAAM) software to support Oman’s Ground Based Air defense System
- Plus training missiles, missile components, warranties, containers, weapon support equipment, repair and return, spare and repair parts, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, and various forms of U.S. Government and contractor support services.
http://sleeplessandtired.com/?p=2428
"American Cowboys Ride with Emirates to Quell Rebel and Iranian Attacks"
woo hoo
5/17/11
Comments
As if they are just obeying the law and its all 'regrettable' and 'not our fault'.
Don't you just wish some umpire would step in and remove them from the game?
Speaking of '(Great) games', i notice from the map at the foot of the post that the Gulf of Oman just outside the Straits of Hormuz is 1000m deep. Great spot to hide a nuclear submarine or two.
good eye on the depth chart James. and i was just looking at pics of subs this morning.
But clearly the eye of horus doesn't see everything and somewhere in UNESCO the uncorrupt were beavering away. Meanwhile back in the pointy end of the pyramid - "Oh shit! That's not meant to happen!"
Chaos theory strikes again, ha ha.
http://twelfthbough.blogspot.com/2010/03/corruption-spreads-out-in-every.html
it was UNICEF though, and the Zandvoort network of child porn. but no matter because it brings up the point of all these agencies. i've read some arguments along the lines of it doesn't matter what the UN does because it's corrupt and useless. well of course it is. but it's still out there and lots of people continue to pay attention to what it does, therefore in the land of narratives it matters. all of this is happening in the land of narratives. and if anyone wants to talk about reality, we can do that too. in either space, the truth has the advantage.
As usual, a knock outta the ballpark Ma`am. (hat tip)
I wrote on another spat between the USA and UNESCO last year, here;
http://marknesop.wordpress.com/2010/08/24/la-russophobe-and-paul-goble-unlikely-unesco-crusaders/
In that instance, only 2 years after coming out of a 19-year-long sulk at UNESCO (they weren't kidding when they said they had learned to manage without U.S. support), America was fed up with UNESCO's meddling already. The issue was a cultural diversity initiative that the USA perceived would limit the worldwide spread of American culture through movies and television. Yes, seriously.
Small surprise that UNESCO frequently gets confused with the UN proper, because the USA would love to have a veto at UNESCO, too. Sadly, all it can do is take all its money and go home. But, like the parent who won't accept child support in a divorce, if there's no pay you don't get any say in how things are run.
The only thing he will get out of this is free or reduced entrance to Yad washem and the Wailing wall, the former Moldovian bouncer will see to that. Bon voyage!
Great news though, symbolic or not, and symbols are powerful things anyway, as the diabolists know full well, they use them everywhere.
The tide is starting to change, which is why the world is getting ever more violent. Cornered rats and all that.
Mark that is very interesting about the 19 year sulk, i had no idea. i think you nail it here:
the USA would love to have a veto at UNESCO, too. Sadly, all it can do is take all its money and go home. But, like the parent who won't accept child support in a divorce, if there's no pay you don't get any say in how things are run.
maybe we will get to see this play out in real time. i would love to see UNESCO carry on without the money that Ileana and friends of israel in congress have snatched away with high dudgeon. oh the drama.
btw this link is amazing, photos, from your comment thread:
http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2009/10/21/color-photography-from-russian-in-the-early-1900s/
Gavrilo, well the hard lesson couldn't happen to a nicer mobster. when i was looking up pics of Dodik, he just oozes skeevy contempt. in *every* picture.
suraci, i agree completely about the symbolism. they use it all the time to their advantage, but the second it gets away from them they will shout that something is "only symbolic." yeah. sure.
http://news.ca.msn.com/world/netanyahu-defends-israeli-construction-move
Typically conservative governments (such as the present one) favour closer ties with the U.S. and are knee-jerk supporters of Israel, as that is in many ways a condition of friendship. It's difficult to imagine what sort of behaviour would make the Canadian government withdraw national support for a comparable Israeli agency or entity with such alacrity. I'm sure the hypocrisy is clear.
In that context, it's unsurprising. But it's disappointing nonetheless.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/november_december_2011/on_political_books/they_shall_reap_the_whirlwind032999.php
Note about two-thirds of the way down the first page; "A spreading phenomenon in religious settlements, the hesders have helped forge a new generation of Orthodox Zionist soldiers. A 1990 IDF study revealed that just 2.5 percent of Israeli officers were graduates of Orthodox schools; in 2007, close to one-third of the new officers were. Many have inculcated their troops with the message that the West Bank is part of a Greater Israel, to be defended at all costs. Meanwhile, powerful ultra-Orthodox parties in the Knesset have ramped up subsidies for haredi scholars, creating a growing supply of religious ideologues. "
The recent modest advances by the Palestinians (which I confess I never thought to see associated with Abbas - regardless of his actual part in it - since I always considered him a spineless ultramoderate) make it clear that a showdown in the Middle East is accelerating. World support for Israel's position - while not necessarily anti-Jewish at all - is bleeding away rapidly, and only North America and the UK remain staunch defenders of the continued plundering by occupation.
Lobaczewski wrote something like the germ doesn't know that it will burn up and die in the the fever it causes in the body.
meanwhile, 41% of israelis approve of striking iran, and letting loose hell on earth. 39% opposed. 20% undecided.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2011-11-03/israel-iran-attack-poll/51063310/1
bibi tries to convince everyone it's a great idea.
meanwhile meanwhile, lots of europeans consider israel the biggest security threat to the world.
http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/?p=36895
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busy busy busy!!!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/sep/25/iran-secret-nuclear-plant-inspections
The IAEA has been unequivocal that it is constantly monitoring - without interference - Iran's nuclear stockpiles and that it has found absolutely no evidence that Iran is attempting to make a nuclear weapon. But while we're on that subject, Israel is known to have a nuclear arsenal - has the IAEA ever inspected or verified it? Of course not; they're not allowed. India's not under the IAEA either, and the USA sells them reactors.
War advocates often speak of Iran "enriching uranium" as if it's tantamount to a confession that they're making a weapon. Uranium enriched to about 20% is suitable for reactor fuel, and that's all Iran has, as verified by the IAEA. YOU CANNOT USE URANIUM ENRICHED TO 20% TO MAKE A WEAPON. Uranium enriched to weapons grade is well above 80%. Nobody has ever found anything like that in Iran.
Prize twat Paul Wolfowitz once asked rhetorically, "What does Iran need nuclear power for - it floats on a sea of oil". True, Mr. Wolfowitz - and it's also just about the only thing they have worth selling. I imagine they'd like to sell as much of it as possible, rather than using it themselves and being warm and poor. By using nuclear power to generate electricity, they maximize their saleable assets.
Just linked you 0ver to my place, thanks for this awesome post, and apologies for such a short comment and being late to the party here, but just wanting to pop in and say hi.
Cheers A13
hi Mark,
i linked to this science blogger once about this:
The IAEA has found no evidence (Download Iran 0902) that any higher enrichment is being produced. 3.49% is not enough to make a bomb. Iran is not in a position to make a bomb, unless there is a bunch of hidden stuff that nobody has found, involving big buildings that can be seen by satellite surveillance.
in this post:
http://twelfthbough.blogspot.com/2010/08/up-to-litani.html
which argued that the whole Iran thing is just cover for seizing southern lebanon up to the litani, which then allows the international boundary line to be extended very conveniently out into international waters in such a way as to secure some of those big gas fields for israel.
I saw the clip last week, where the newscaster complained "Really, why do we give her airtime?" She's my hero of the week :-)
Wouldn't it be something if a couple thousand teachers decided to take a crash course on what she's talking about, and back her up? Heh..
One can dream...
http://americanfreepress.net/?p=1238
--switters
you know the truth is anti-semitic. i will listen to the whole interview this weekend. good for her.
This is another reason that I think it's just as important to go after the positions held, as it is to point out the "club" that many of the scoundrels belong to.
I'll save ya some legwork :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIZZDUTbhNk
-swits
http://original.antiwar.com/prather/2009/08/21/iaea-legal-expert-stifles-neocrazies/
Note the author bio: in addition to serving in a policy capacity for national security-related technical matters and a fruit salad of appointments to energy entities as well as defense agencies, Dr. Prather was a nuclear weapons physicist at Lawrence Livermore and Sandia. He knows what he's talking about, and when he says Iran isn't making a nuclear weapon, they're not. More importantly, the IAEA consistently says they're not. It's the IAEA Board of Governors that is willing to hedge a little if they get enough political pressure, just squishy enough that the right spin can make a possibility sound like a dead certainty.
On the plus side for what's right, Iran has had years of this sabre-rattling to get its defence ducks in a row. If Israel decides on a unilateral attack, it won't be cheap - Iran isn't Libya. Once upon a time, Iran was the USA's Great White Hope in the Middle East; the USA furnished most of their Air Force in the mid-70's (only foreign nation to ever fly the F-14 Tomcat), Iranian pilots trained in the USA, and Iran knows the value of air power and anti-air defences.
Do you really want another embarrassment like Lebanon, Bibi? Think it over very carefully.
and if this all goes down, or whatever attack goes down because i think they would need a false flag on the US population to swing public opinion of their baby huey goon behind them first, it is not going to end well.
Looks like your analysis was on the money again AP. Keep up the great work.
http://poorrichards-blog.blogspot.com/2011/11/neo-marxist-globalist-engineers-of.html
I call it "How to control a society"
http://youtu.be/GME5nq_oSR4
-swits (above poor richards article as well)
the Delphi technique deserves a post, it really does. i think most people have barely a clue how sophisticated the social engineers are.
I suspect they reincarnate and carry on the agenda across generations (grin).
(Love the "staff at the think tank" picture BTW)