Palestinians get Unesco seat as 107 vote in favour

Great news as reported by the BBC:
Article referenced on: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15518173.


The UN cultural organisation has voted strongly in favour of membership for the Palestinians - a move opposed by Israel and the United States.

Of 173 countries voting, 107 were in favour, 14 opposed and 52 abstained.

Under US law, Washington can now withdraw funding to Unesco. This would deprive the agency of some $70m (£43.7m) - more than 20% of its budget.

The UN Security Council will vote next month on whether to grant the Palestinians full UN membership.

Membership of Unesco - perhaps best known for its World Heritage Sites - may seem a strange step towards statehood, says the BBC's Jon Donnison, in Ramallah, but Palestinian leaders see it as part of a broader push to get international recognition and put pressure on Israel.

This is the first UN agency the Palestinians have sought to join since submitting their bid for recognition to the Security Council in September.

"This vote will erase a tiny part of the injustice done to the Palestinian people," Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki told the Unesco meeting in Paris, after the result was announced.

Widespread applause greeted the result of Monday's vote in the chamber, where a two-thirds majority is enough to pass the decision and no country has the right of veto.

The BBC's David Chazan in Paris says Arab states were instrumental in getting the vote passed despite intense opposition from the US. He says that in an emotional session, China, Russia, India, Brazil and South Africa voted in favour of Palestinian membership, while the US, Canada and Germany voted against and the UK abstained.
'No shortcuts'
The outcome was swiftly denounced by the US and Israel.

US ambassador to Unesco David Killion called the move "premature" and "counterproductive", and said it could affect relations.

"We recognise that this action today will complicate our ability to support Unesco's programmes," he told journalists.

"The only path to the Palestinian state that we all seek is through direct negotiations. There are no shortcuts."

A US law passed in the 1990s allows Washington to cut funding to any UN body that admits Palestine as a full member.

The US currently funds more than 20% of Unesco's entire budget.

An Israeli foreign ministry statement called the vote a "unilateral Palestinian manoeuvre which will bring no change on the ground but further removes the possibility for a peace agreement".

"The Palestinian move at Unesco, as with similar such steps with other UN bodies, is tantamount to a rejection of the international community's efforts to advance the peace process," it said.

The statement added that Israel would be considering further steps regarding its co-operation with Unesco.

Correspondents say Monday's vote is a symbolic breakthrough but that on its own it will not create a Palestinian state.

A vote is expected in November at the UN Security Council on granting full membership of the UN to the Palestinians. The US has said it will exercise its veto.

Gadhafi's Inevitable Fate

Another Arab dictator bites the dust... Of course some say Gadhafi had a choice between "walking away" with Billions or "dying"... Did he really? I tend to think not. He chose the latter not because he was an irrational idiot (although he appeared to be one at times), nor because of a supreme belief in a cause (there was none); and certainly not because of any suicidal wish (for himself and members of his family).

Rather, it seems to have been a rational decision because deep down he knew that the day he would step out of power- no matter how much money he had- would be the day his 42 years' worth of atrocities would catch up with him. His rational choice simply tried to postpone the inevitable to the last minute ... his dying words reportedly were "Don't shoot" ... They did shoot to kill as he had done to thousands before him.

His inevitable fate had finally caught up with him.

For more info on Gadhafi's death, access this report: http://news.yahoo.com/gadhafi-libyas-leader-42-years-killed-143212662.html

Open Letter Against Bigotry in Virginia

While I may not be a resident of the 87th Virginia district, I am writing this letter because of the indignation I feel towards the treatment that Virginia delegate candidate David Ramadan has been receiving from some of his political opponents in that district. As a fellow Virginian concerned about the overall wellbeing of this great Commonwealth, I have been utterly shocked by the bigotry being hurled at David- some of it by members of his own party- targeting his background and his religious beliefs.

So let’s get straight into it. Is David a Lebanese American? Yes, he was born in Lebanon, and has been a naturalized American for almost two decades. Is he of the Muslim faith? Yes, he is a Muslim, but in all of the 30 years I have known him, he has never shown religious extremism nor zeal. Does he have a hidden Islamic Shari’a Law agenda? Of course not; had he any particular religious design on the Commonwealth, one would think he would start closer to home. And yet he is happily married to Christie, who continues to practice her Christian beliefs a decade into their marriage. And the list of ridiculously bigoted suggestions goes on …

As a fellow American and Virginian from a Lebanese background, I am the first to admit that I am not in agreement with many of David’s deeply conservative political ideas. As a result, I respectfully declined to participate in his campaign notwithstanding our close friendship. But in this, I made a cognizant political choice not one based on the candidate’s origin nor his faith- both of which we actually share. And yet while we may be politically polar opposites, I have no doubt whatsoever of his love and loyalty to this country. What qualifies me to say this? Aside from knowing him for almost three decades, I was literally there at the airport to pick him up in 1989 upon his first arrival to this country. Proud and happy, he looked forward to a new beginning in the land of opportunity. In the ensuing years, he would prove it. David worked hard in business while finishing his education. He proved to be a family man, helping bring his brothers to share his American dream. He even found time to get involved in extra-curricular political campaigns and would become a dedicated republican and supporter of a conservative agenda, organizing several events. A memorable occasion was one in which he helped bring to light the ordeal of kidnapped Americans released in his native Lebanon. David eventually gave back to the community, lecturing at his alma mater, George Mason University, providing students different points of view on politics and the conflict in the Middle East. Throughout, his support for the US was unwavering- even when it put him squarely at odds with many others in the Arab American community- me included.

As diverging as our politics may be, in all fairness, neither I nor any fellow Virginian should oppose David’s campaign for some bigoted charges about his background and certainly not his religious affiliation. Anyone who does so implicitly threatens our constitution much more than what is being falsely alleged David’s candidacy does. I am reminded by Virginia’s Statute for Religious Freedom, written by one of its greatest sons, Thomas Jefferson:

"... no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinion in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities."

 

If some may disagree with David Ramadan, then let it be over his politics not where he comes from or his religious beliefs. It is not the Virginian or American way; and I must say David Ramadan has earned both of these colors as much as the next guy.

An Interesting Viewpoint of Syrians Toward Steve Jobs

As the Syrian crackdown continues and reaches almost 3000 victims, the death of Apple's Steve Jobs, whose biological father is a Syrian from Homs, caused a stir and an interesting reaction. Here's a Reuters article:


http://news.yahoo.com/arabs-embrace-steve-jobs-syrian-connection-125707077.html

Gadhafi: A Shame for the whole World to Bear

A mere few months ago Gadhafi and his family could boast of Billions (with a capital B) and outright ownership of Libya. He is now a worthless fugitive running for his life, two of his sons having reportedly lost theirs, and many members of his family having fled a burning nation. The question that begs itself is whether or not it had to be this way?

Gadhafi could have negotiated a settlement and walked away with Billions, but didn't. Instead he chose to stay put and fight against the most powerful of global military coalitions- NATO- with fledgling mercenaries from poor neighboring African countries. The reasons for this seemingly irrational behaviour are not for certain. One could contemplate a complete detachment from the factual- with those around him preferring not to state the obvious to him. His ludicrous and vociferous sons claiming inevitable victory tend to support this theory. Perhaps over the years, the regime's upper echelons had begun believing their own web of lies and parabole.

Then again his choice may shed light on the theory that he is indeed a madman- a Neroesque sort of character who preferred to watch Libya burn and laugh at the spectacle even if he himself inevitably forgoes all the riches and gets killed in the process. After all faced with the choice of walking away with Billions or almost certain death for himself and members of his family, who in their right state of mind would choose the later? Better yet, who would choose it after seeing what had happened to Saddam and his sons, Mubarak and his sons, Ben Ali and his family ... And yet as irrational as it may seem, to men like Gadhafi, the rationality of preferring to live in obscurity to them would be the irrational choice- that is over dying in the limelight, even if it means taking their whole family down with them.

Regardless of the reasons, a choice Gadhafi made, and his family and him will pay for it. The world should not feel sorry for the whole lot. What the civilized world should feel sorry for are the lives of all those innocent civilians that have been lost as a result of his actions, and for having allowed such a man to rule his nation unopposed for so long. As mass graves resulting from his regime begin to be unearthed, it will be a shame not only for Libya to bear, but the world at large- especially those nations, which were affected by his violence and yet continued to deal with him. That perhaps was the greatest shame of all.

US 'wasted $30bn on Afghanistan and Iraq' over decade (BBC Article)

Here is an interesting article on waste in the Middle East in the Afghan and Iraqi wars written by Kim Ghattas from the BBC. What a shame for the US and what a shame for the region. Not the proper first step to take after years of abuse by the autocrats. Hopefully, there will be lessons learnt going forward:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14712172

Egypt Trial of Mubarak Begins: A BBC Video

The following BBC article and video of Mubarak on a stretcher inside of a caged courthouse being tried for his misdeeds is surreal and points to the inevitable fruits of the Egyptian revolution's labor. Anyone thinking that the temporrary Egyptian military junta will dare attempt to create a post-Mubarak neo-dictatorship should think again. These scenes are earily similar to those of Saddam a handful years ago (who together with most of his clique were summarily executed) but with one major difference. The trial was not brought about by a foreign power and an imposed democracy but rather by an organic and home-grown revolution- one whose potential recurrence is bound to continue sending shivers down the spine of any overly ambitious dictatorial Egyptian or Arab leader.

Fearful of the same fate, and as ultimately futile as it may prove, we should expect incumbent Arab dictators to want to attempt to hold on even more to their power- and that inlcudes Yemen's Saleh, Libya's Qadhafi, and Syria's Assad.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14382997