Diminished US President Lectures to the World at UN - By Ghulam Muhammed

Thursday, September 24, 2009

A LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Diminished US President Lectures to the World at UN

Another fine piece of rousing oratory and US President had done his bit for the day. He rushed out of the UN premises as if his tail was on fire. In fact, his oratorical high notes were drowned by behind the scene guffaws he earned for trying to tame Israel and falling on his face. Weeks his special envoy has spent in Israel, feeding media with daily photo ops shaking hands with Israel’s indomitable hard-line Prime Minister but there was no news if the Mount Sinai moved even a measly centimeter. And still Barack Obama soldiered on. Though Obama has much tougher challenges testing his mettle, Israel stands out as the barometer to the world of US President’s limits of credibility. If he cannot tackle America’s most lauded ‘ally’, to fall in line with his worldview, the stark gossamer fragility of his presidency could only generate derision among his detractors and pity in his admirers.

Time is flying and given the past record of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, delays and procrastination favour only one side that has dragged on the peace process of any kind for the last forty years. The drama starts with the every new US President taking office and ends with the end of his presidency, with Israel using the interregnum to dug in more and more in ways that would leave hardly any thing left to negotiate. Obama has come with a bold new commitment to change the US and the world with it. But half a way in his first 4-year presidency, he has barely touch the contours of war in Afghanistan, a monumental economic recession, his pet project of universal health care, and the way his cards are played out, he seems to be playing more of a bluff game than a winning hand.

Israel has cleverly positioned Iran as the most pressing issue for the world to come to terms with while it merrily whips up its assembly line in West Bank creating facts on the ground. The UN sponsored Goldstone report on war crimes in Gaza is snowed under by Jewish dominated world press’s cabalist propaganda of bias, even though the South African judge, Richard Goldstone is himself a Jew and a self-confessed Israel supporter. The dire train of event that may land Israel in International Court of Justice at The Hague is so alarming to Israel that it has mounted a concerted attempt to discredit the Human Rights report.

The worst part is that even the Muslim governments around the world are so insensitive to the plight of their brethrens in Gaza; there is no world-wide move to get Israel into the docks for its most horrendous crimes on Palestinian civilians including children, women and old people.

President Obama is seized of the fact that war on Al Qaeda could not get any support from even the well meaning masses in the Muslim world, unless US makes Israel-Palestine settlements its number one priority. Israel will use every trick in the trade to turn world focus away from its rape of Palestinian entity, in any shape it tries to survive. It is up to Barack Obama not to be taken in by Israeli ruses to postpone the inevitable as far into the future as possible. It is for the US, to realize how its acts of commission and omission are encouraging Israel to lead a life of an outlaw nation that thrives in defying international laws and committing genocidal attacks on hapless Muslims of Palestine.

Ghulam Muhammed, Mumbai
ghulammuhammed3@gmail.com
www.GhulamMuhammed.Blogspot.com

BRITISH WAR CRIMES IN IRAQ - Gaurdian.co.uk

BRITISH WAR CRIMES IN IRAQ

Baha Mousa inquiry: father alleges 'revenge' by UK troops

Daoud Mousa says son's death in military custody came after claim British soldiers had looted hotel where Baha worked

• Buzz up!
• Digg it

• Adam Gabbatt and agencies
• guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 23 September 2009 14.28 BST
• Article history

A family photograph of Baha Mousa with his wife and two children. Photograph: Reuters

The father of an Iraqi hotel receptionist who died in British militarycustody has told a public inquiry his son may have been killed in a "revenge" attack.

Daoud Mousa is giving evidence at the inquiry into the killing of his son,Baha Mousa, six years ago. Baha, 26, died in September 2003 while being held by British soldiers on suspicion of being an insurgent.

Daoud said he had reported British soldiers for alleged looting after they raided the Ab al-Haitham hotel, where Baha worked, and feared this had caused his son to be "treated worse" than other detainees.

Daoud, who today rejected the apology of the only man convicted in connection with his son's killing, told the hearing he had driven to the Basra hotel on 14 September to collect Baha.

When he arrived, he found British military vehicles parked outside and a soldier standing guard.

Daoud said he had seen three or four British soldiers breaking into a safe at the hotel and removing money, which they stuffed into the pockets of their uniform and inside their shirts.

"I thought that it was a violation of English dignity and honour, and the honour of English troops," he told the inquiry.

Daoud reported the alleged thefts to a British officer. He told the inquiry he believed it was after this that British soldiers identified Baha as his son. He said Baha was lying face down on the floor of the hotel with a number of Iraqi men.

"I pointed to my son. The soldiers were standing by," said Daoud.

"I think they knew the one I was pointing to was my son. Therefore, they wanted revenge against me."

He added in his statement to the inquiry: "I believe that my son may have been treated worse than other people because I had made a complaint … that money was being stolen from the hotel safe.

"That is certainly the view that was reached by other men who were detained with Baha."

Daoud earlier told the hearing his son had hated Saddam Hussein and had been pleased when British troops arrived in Basra. He told the inquiry Saddam had forced him out of his job as a police major in the southern city of Basra.

"[Baha] hated Saddam because he was hearing that Saddam removed me from my employment," Daoud said.

"He was happy when the British troops came in."

Soldiers from the former Queen's Lancashire Regiment arrested Baha and the other detainees at Basra's Ibn al-Haitham hotel in the early hours of 14 September 2003 and took them to Battle Group Main camp, known as BG Main.

Once there, they were subjected to "conditioning techniques", including being forced to maintain painful "stress positions", hooding and deprivation of sleep and food, the inquiry has heard.

Baha died in the camp on 15 September 2003. He had sustained 93 separate injuries, including fractured ribs and a broken nose.

In July, at the start of the hearing, a video was played showing a British soldier forcing detainees, with their hands bound and wearing hoods, to maintain "stress positions".

On Monday, the inquiry was told British troops in Iraq used interrogation methods banned by the government in 1972.

In July last year, the MoD agreed to pay £2.83m in compensation to the families of Baha and nine other Iraqi men whom British troops had mistreated.

Giving his evidence to the public inquiry, Daoud dismissed the apology of Corporal David Payne, who in 2007 pleaded guilty at a court marshal to treating civilians inhumanely in relation to Baha Mousa's death. Four other soldiers accused of involvement were acquitted.

Michael Topolski QC addressed Daoud Mousa on Payne's behalf.

"I want you to understand very clearly, sir, that [Corporal Payne] regrets what he did. He apologises to you and your family for the death of your son. I hope that you will accept that from me," the lawyer said.

The dead man's father replied curtly, "I will not accept the apology of a criminal."