25 December 2012

By Stephen Lendman

America's longstanding policy is permanent war. It's the only nation ever to wage them ever year in its history abroad and/or at home.

Multiple direct and proxy wars rage now. Obama plans more. He's a war criminal multiple times over.

He violates fundamental human and civil rights. He mocks rule of law principles and democratic values. He should be in prison, not high office.

He serves wealth, power and privilege. He spurns peace, equity, justice, and basic human needs.

He and George Bush made America a police state. It's a hair's breadth from full-blown tyranny. He plans four more years of harsher than ever lawless governance.

Another day, another outrage. Headlines announced the latest. The New York Times said "US Will Grant Recognition to Syrian Rebels."

The Washington Post headlined "Obama administration formally recognizes Syrian opposition group." The Wall Street Journal said "US Recognizes Syria's Main Rebel Group."

Other headlines said much the same thing. No provision in international, US statute, or constitutional law permits this. What reports omitted matters more than what they said.

Washington recognized an illegitimate opposition terrorist coalition as "the legitimate representative" of the Syrian people. It can't be "legitimate" if it's illegitimate.

Its members are death squad killers. They're imported from other countries. They commit daily atrocities. They're war criminals. Supporting them reveals America's moral bankruptcy. Doing so adds more war crimes to Obama's resume.

Human Rights Watch accused them of targeted killings, summary executions, kidnappings for ransom, torture, hostage taking, and other atrocities.

They include beheadings, murdering bound prisoners, slaughtering women and children, and shooting infants while they sleep. Pro-Assad loyalists are targeted.

Der Spiegel reported "Homs burial brigade" atrocities. An insurgent "executioner" said he and comrades "kill in the name of the Syrian revolution. They leave torture (to) the so-called interrogation brigade...."

"They do the ugly work." He believes in violence, he explained. He "cut the throats of four men." He machine-gunned many more.

Homs fighters commit "regular executions." It continues daily throughout the country. Assad loyalists are targeted, brutalized and murdered.

Women and children aren't spared. Der Spiegel's "executioner" article explained. Independent journalists risk their lives on the ground to report similar accounts of ghastly crimes of war and against humanity.

Washington recruits, funds, arms, trains, directs these killers. Obama now recognizes them as Syria's government.

"We've made a decision that the Syrian opposition coalition is now inclusive enough, is reflective and representative enough of the Syrian population, that we consider them the legitimate representative of the Syrian people in opposition to the Assad regime," he said.

It's shocking that anyone would make this outrageous claim, let alone a world leader. It's appalling that media scoundrels don't denounce him. It reflects their illegitimacy. They regurgitate official propaganda instead of doing their job.

On November 11, the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (SNCROF or SNC 2.0) was established in Doha, Qatar.

Russia denounced their December 11 recognition. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said "America's recognition of the National Coalition as Syria's legitimate authority violates the (June) Geneva (agreement). It is an unexpected turn."

The Geneva Agreement Text "agreed on guidelines and principles for a political transition that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people."

It agreed to adhere fully with international law provisions.

It called for "a Syrian-led political process, avoiding further bloodshed and violence, and ensuring safety, stability and calm."

It said, ending conflict depends on establishing "a transitional governing body" with "full executive powers. It could include members of the present government and the opposition and other groups and shall be formed on the basis of mutual consent."

Syrians (alone) must "determine the future of the country." All groups and segments of society must be able "to participate in a National Dialogue." Outcomes achieved "must be implemented."

"The result of the constitutional drafting would be subject to popular approval."

Once established, "free and fair multi-party elections" must be held. Women must be "represented in all aspects of the transition."

All sides must comply. Vulnerable groups must be protected. Humanitarian issues must be addressed. Order must be restored. Efforts must commit to "Accountability and National Reconciliation."

Syrians must "come to a political agreement."

"The sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria must be respected."

Conflict resolution must be achieved through peaceful dialogue and negotiation.

Washington, key NATO partners, and regional allies spurned the agreement straightaway. War on Syria continued. It rages out-of-control. America bears full responsibility. Longstanding plans call for ousting Assad violently.

Agreements Washington makes aren't worth the paper they're written on. US supported death squads celebrated being named Syria's representative.

Reports said they killed or injured up to 200 Syrian Alawite pro-Assad villagers. These type attacks happen regularly. Assad is blamed for US-backed death squad crimes. Obama's now arming them more heavily to increase their kill rate.

Conditions are no better for beleaguered Palestinians. Israel waged war on them for decades. Daily crimes of war, against humanity, and slow-motion genocide continue.

Reports show the agony of an occupied people. World leaders able to help spurn them. Israel freely commits daily atrocities. It's hard imagining how Palestinians endured so long. They're a role model for other persecuted people to emulate.

After eight Gazan terror-bombing days, Israel agreed to memorandum of understanding ceasefire terms. It spurned them straightaway.

On December 6, Al Haq said Palestinians are under "continuous fire" in the buffer zone separating Gaza from Israel. Israeli soldiers accost, shoot, kill or injure nonviolent Palestinian civilians.

Children are deliberately targeted. So are women, farmers and fishermen. On December 10, Gazan witnesses said Israeli military vehicles breached Gaza's border near Khan Younis.

An Israeli army spokeswoman said forces conducted "routine activity." There's nothing "routine" about invading Gaza belligerently. Soldiers sometimes enter guns blazing.

On December 11 pre-dawn, Israeli soldiers invaded Ni'lin village near Ramallah. Two residents were shot. It followed statements made by Interior Minister Elie Yishai, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, and Kadima party head Shaul Mofaz.

They want Israeli soldiers to use live ammunition against anti-Separation Wall peaceful Palestinian protesters. Lieberman is an ultranationalist fascist. He's an embarrassment to legitimate governance. He matches the worst of Netanyahu.

On December 11, he challenged Palestinian leaders outrageously. He threatened them with war if they sue Israel at the ICC.

He contemptuously calls Palestinians "demographic threats." He wants them exiled to Jordan and other Arab countries. He endorses doing it forcibly.

On December 11, Israel's Channel 7 reported a senior Israeli military commander saying the following:

Soldiers "operating in the field (have) the option to make the appropriate decision after evaluating the situation and the amount of danger (they) and (their) colleagues are facing, and that based on (their) personal evaluation, (they) can resort to the use of live ammunition."

Virtually all Palestinian protests are nonviolent. The unnamed commander authorized shooting them in cold blood preemptively.

Soldiers already accost peaceful Palestinians violently. They use tear gas, rubber bullets, gas bombs, concussion grenades, and other weapons against men, women and children. Deaths, injuries and arrests follow.

On December 11 pre-dawn, Israeli soldiers raided three West Bank human rights organizations. Affected groups included the Union of Palestinian Women's Committees, the Palestinian NGO Network, and the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association.

Addameer reported the following:

At 3AM December 11, Israeli forces stormed their office. Property seized included four laptops, a desktop, one hard disk, a video camera, legal files, photos, and other materials.

The office was ransacked and destroyed. Files and other materials were trashed and scattered. At the time of its report, Addameer wasn't sure about other property possibly confiscated or destroyed.

Israel trashed the offices of the other NGOs raided the same way. Numerous other Palestinian organizations were treated this way previously.

"Addameer condemns this attack on human rights and civil society organizations, and sees it as an attempt to cripple solidarity with the prisoners movement."

Ironically, it happened hours after the conclusion of the 64th Human Rights Day anniversary. Annually it's commemorated on December 10.

Addameer said it's been subjected to numerous raids, attacks, and staff arrests in previous years. On October 15, 2012, its researcher, Ayman Nasser, was violently arrested and detained.

He's outrageously charged with supporting Palestinian prisoners and calling for their freedom.

During a September 17 - October 13, 2011 prisoner hunger strike, Addameer's chairperson, Abdullatif Ghaith, was barred from entering the West Bank. The ban remains in effect.

Israel repeatedly prohibits Addameer lawyers from visiting Palestinian prisoners. Virtually everyone in Israel's gulag is there for political reasons.

Their crime is wanting to live free on their own land in their own country. Israel denies all Palestinians that right.

Addameer "reiterates its firm commitment to support the Palestinian detainees and prisoners' rights at any cost."

In Israeli military court, Nasser spoke for himself and other Addameer staffers, saying he'll "support the prisoners' issue even if the cost is my freedom."

Other Palestinian activists and supporters feel the same way. Israel targets them ruthlessly.

These practices reflect its longstanding war on humanity.

All fascist police states operate the same way.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.  His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War" http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening. http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour

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