In this issue: 1) Markey Initiates Letter to Bush Against Weakening War Crimes Act 2) Retroactive War Crime Protection Proposed 3) Israeli Ambassador Grilled on Targeting of Civilians, Use of Cluster Bombs 4) Terror Arrests Play in Political Arena 5) Lieberman, on the Offensive, Links Terror Threat and Iraq 6) Ambassadors at U.N. Predict Mideast Vote Today 7) Israel Expands Offensive in Lebanon 8) Israel Asks U.S. to Ship Rockets With Wide Blast 9) Veteran Policy-Makers Fear Disaster in U.S. Course 10) The Fighting: Israel Holds Off on Drive to the North 11) Lebanon Sees "Major Progress" in Talks with U.S 12) Lebanon ceasefire plan in the balance 13) Opponents of 'U.S.-Israeli War' Set to Rally in D.C. 14) Antiwar Camp in Israel Comes Out of Bunker 15) The War Bush Isn't Fighting 16) Israel Hits Tower, Warns Of More Bombing 17) As Casualties Mount, Israeli Reservists Voice Concern Over Inadequate Equipment, Training 18) New Iraq Books Paint Dismal Picture for Americans 19) Leftist Protesters Block Mexico's Main Tax Office
Contents: 1) Rep. Markey Initiates Letter to Bush Against Weakening War Crimes Act Representative Markey's office has initiated a Congressional letter to President Bush opposing the Administration's efforts to weaken the War Crimes Act so that it would not cover abuses such as the sexual humiliation practiced at Abu Ghraib. To ask your representative in Congress to sign this letter, use this link: http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/justforeignpolicy.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=4981
2) Retroactive War Crime Protection Proposed Pete Yost Associated Press August 10, 2006 http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0810-04.htm The Bush administration drafted amendments to the War Crimes Act that would retroactively protect policymakers from possible criminal charges for authorizing any humiliating and degrading treatment of detainees, according to lawyers who have seen the proposal. At issue are interrogations carried out by the CIA, and the degree to which harsh tactics such as water-boarding were authorized by administration officials. A separate law, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, applies to the military. The Washington Post first reported on the War Crimes Act amendments Wednesday.
3) Israeli Ambassador Grilled on Targeting of Civilians, Use of Cluster Bombs Democracy Now Thursday, August 10th, 2006 http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/10/1339247 Israel's ambassador to the United States, Daniel Ayalon, was questioned last Sunday in Washington DC as part of a press stakeout. Sam Husseini of the Institute for Public Accuracy was there to ask the tough questions. He grilled Ayalon on Israel's targeting of civilians and use of cluster bombs in Lebanon, Israel's nuclear arsenal and its lack of adherence to United Nations Security Council resolutions.
4) Terror Arrests Play in Political Arena Adam Nagourney Arrests Bolster G.O.P. Bid To Claim Security as Issue August 11, 2006 http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/11/washington/11politics.html Republicans seized on the arrests of terrorism suspects in Britain yesterday to bolster a White House campaign to turn national security issues to their advantage this fall, arguing that the nation needs tough Republican policies to protect Americans from threats from abroad. The developments played neatly into the White House-led effort, after Joe Lieberman lost on Tuesday to an antiwar primary challenger, to remind voters of the threats facing the nation and to cast Democrats as timid on national defense. The arrests were announced less than 24 hours after Vice President Dick Cheney suggested that Lieberman's defeat reflected the world view of a Democratic Party that was not prepared to lead the nation in such dangerous times. Cheney suggested in his remarks Wednesday that the outcome of the Democratic primary in Connecticut could embolden "Al Qaeda types."
5) Lieberman, on the Offensive, Links Terror Threat and Iraq Patrick Healy And Jennifer Medina New York Times August 11, 2006 http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/11/nyregion/11conn.html Joe Lieberman seized on the reports of a terror plot yesterday to attack Ned Lamont, his Democratic opponent for re-election, saying that Lamont's goal of withdrawing American troops from Iraq by a fixed date would constitute a "victory" for extremists. "If we just pick up like Ned Lamont wants us to do, get out by a date certain, it will be taken as a tremendous victory by the same people who wanted to blow up these planes in this plot hatched in England," Lieberman said. "It will strengthen them, and they will strike again." Lamont has called for removing frontline American troops from Iraq as early as next July. Lieberman, running as an independent, opposes setting a deadline. Lamont denounced Lieberman's remarks, and some other Democrats and political analysts questioned the senator's use of a national security hazard to buttress a political attack. In a telephone interview yesterday, Lamont said he was disappointed by Lieberman's tone, and he questioned whether the war in Iraq had any bearing on terrorists' designs on Western nations. Lamont also hit back by again connecting Mr. Lieberman to President Bush. "Wow," Lamont said, after twice asking a reporter to read Lieberman's remark about him. "That comment sounds an awful lot like Vice President Cheney's comment on Wednesday. Both of them believe our invasion of Iraq has a lot to do with 9/11. That's a false premise."
6) Ambassadors at U.N. Predict Mideast Vote Today Warren Hoge New York Times August 11, 2006 http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/11/world/middleeast/11cnd-nations.html Ambassadors negotiating a resolution to halt the fighting in Lebanon reported agreement on a final text today and predicted a vote on it by evening. Ambassadors had been upbeat Thursday about settling the disputes over the text, but Thursday evening the accord was set back by objections from Lebanon over the nature of the international force that is to be sent into South Lebanon once the truce is declared. Lebanon opposed the invocation in the text of Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which gives peacekeepers the right to use broad military firepower. The US and Israel believe that the international force that goes into south Lebanon must be strong enough to prevent Hezbollah from reoccupying the area. Nassir Al-Nasser, the ambassador of Qatar, the Arab representative on the Council, said that revised language shifts the emphasis to Chapter VI. That chapter sets up procedures for peaceful settlement of conflict before the kind of military enforcement envisioned in Chapter VII is resorted to. Al-Nasser indicated that the Lebanese were now supportive and a vote would occur later today.
7) Israel Expands Offensive in Lebanon Associated Press August 11, 2006 Filed at 1:38 p.m. ET http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Lebanon-Israel.html Israel launched an expanded ground offensive into southern Lebanon Friday after expressing dissatisfaction over an emerging cease-fire deal in the United Nations, government officials said. Prime Minister Olmert and Defense Minister Peretz decided on the massive new ground campaign after meeting for several hours, and Olmert's spokesman told AP it had begun. A cease-fire deal being worked out by the U.N. Security Council failed to meet Israel's basic requirements, such as stationing robust international combat troops in southern Lebanon once Israel withdraws, said the spokesman. It was not immediately clear whether Israel was trying to pressure the U.N. Security Council, which was expected to vote soon on a cease-fire resolution, or whether it was really determined to send troops deeper into Lebanon. Israeli defense officials said Israel was upset about apparent last-minute changes that seemed to weaken the mandate of a multinational force.
8) Israel Asks U.S. to Ship Rockets With Wide Blast David S. Cloud New York Times August 11, 2006 http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/11/world/middleeast/11military.html Israel has asked the Bush administration to speed delivery of short-range antipersonnel rockets armed with cluster munitions, which it could use to strike Hezbollah missile sites in Lebanon, officials said. The request for M-26 artillery rockets, which are fired in barrages and carry hundreds of grenade-like bomblets that scatter and explode over a broad area, is likely to be approved shortly, along with other arms. Some State Department officials have sought to delay the approval because of concerns over the likelihood of civilian casualties, and the diplomatic repercussions. The rockets, while they would be very effective against hidden missile launchers, are fired by the dozen and could be expected to cause civilian casualties if used against targets in populated areas. Israel is asking for the rockets now because it has been unable to suppress Hezbollah's Katyusha rocket attacks in the month-old conflict by using bombs dropped from aircraft and other types of artillery. The US had approved the sale of M-26's to Israel some time ago, but the weapons had not yet been delivered when the crisis in Lebanon erupted. If the shipment is approved, Israel may be told that it must be especially careful about firing the rockets into populated areas.
9) Veteran Policy-Makers Fear Disaster in U.S. Course Jim Lobe Inter Press Service Friday, August 11, 2006 http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0811-05.htm Alarms are definitely on the rise here. And it's not just because the British police arrested 21 people who were allegedly plotting to bomb up to 10 jetliners between London and the United States. It's more the sense that the growing number of crises in the "new Middle East", proudly midwifed by the administration of President Bush, is rapidly spinning out of control with potentially catastrophic consequences for the entire region and beyond. The ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah -- not to imminent expansion of Israel's invasion of southern Lebanon if it does not get a U.N. Security Council resolution to its liking -- has, by virtually all accounts, inflamed and radicalised the Islamic world and rendered a larger regional conflagration much more likely.
10) The Fighting: Israel Holds Off on Drive to the North Steven Erlanger And Warren Hoge New York Times August 11, 2006 http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/11/world/middleeast/11mideast.html JERUSALEM, Aug. 10 — Israel warned residents of southern Beirut on Thursday to evacuate their homes even as it held off expanding its military operation while diplomats sought to complete negotiations on a United Nations resolution to halt the fighting.
11) Lebanon Sees "Major Progress" in Talks with U.S Reuters August 11, 2006 Filed at 9:58 a.m. ET http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-mideast-lebanon-progress.html Lebanese leaders made "major progress'' in talks with a top U.S. official on Friday on a U.N. resolution to end Israel's war with Hizbollah, a senior Lebanese political source said. "We are discussing the details. There is serious and major progress that could lead to an understanding in the next few hours,'' the source said. "There are no more basic sticking points.''
12) US and France agree on UN Lebanon vote Jonathan Birchall, Ferry Biedermann, and Harvey Morris Financial Times Published: August 10 2006 18:42 | Last updated: August 11 2006 20:11 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/8c1988aa-2895-11db-a2c1-0000779e2340.html The US and France reached agreement yesterday on proposals to halt the fighting in Lebanon even as Israel ordered a big new push against Hizbollah guerrillas to begin. A new draft UN resolution – which was expected to be voted on by the Security Council Friday night - called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, and for a "progressive" withdrawal of Israeli forces, linked to the gradual deployment of the Lebanese army and a UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon.
13) Opponents of 'U.S.-Israeli War' Set to Rally in D.C. Protest to Encircle White House Opponents of 'U.S.-Israeli War' Plan Large Rally Tomorrow Petula Dvorak Washington Post Friday, August 11, 2006; B03 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/10/AR2006081001611.html A protest of the "U.S.-Israeli war" is expected to draw "tens of thousands" of people who plan to surround the White House tomorrow, said Tony Kutayli, communications coordinator for the American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee, one of the groups helping coordinate participants arriving from across the country. "Somehow, the story of what is really going on is being lost," said Misha Galperin, executive vice president and chief executive of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. "We need to try and counter that to the extent possible, to demonstrate our support." The group is not planning a counter-protest tomorrow, and Galperin said he believes the event was purposely scheduled on the Jewish Sabbath to thwart any response on its part. But protest organizers said that most of their massive mobilizations, such as the antiwar gathering in September last year, are held on Saturdays to accommodate travel schedules for out-of-town participants.
14) Antiwar Camp in Israel Comes Out of Bunker The decision to expand the ground offensive galvanizes a dormant, wary peace movement. Laura King Los Angeles Times Friday, August 11, 2006 http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0811-07.htm A month into the war in Lebanon, Israel's long-quiescent peace movement is suddenly issuing a ringing call to arms. Isolated and beset by infighting in the first weeks of the conflict, the still-small peace camp was spurred into action by the Israeli government's authorization this week of a broader ground invasion in Lebanon. Faced with the prospect of a bloody, drawn-out conflict, mainstream peace groups that had refrained from criticizing the war effort are urging a diplomatic resolution to what has already proven to be a costly and complicated battle with the Shiite Muslim militia Hezbollah. On Thursday, organizers of an antiwar rally in Tel Aviv for the first time brought in what are regarded in this bookish country as big guns: a trio of Israel's best-known authors. Amos Oz, David Grossman and A.B. Yehoshua have all spoken out strongly against past conflicts and wield considerable moral authority here. "The use of more force now is not in Israel's best interests," Oz told reporters before the rally. "The time has come to resolve this through diplomatic means." Though it drew only several thousand people, the rally had a much different tone than protests organized previously by far-left groups. Absent this time were strident denunciations of the government and the army. Instead, the protesters waved blue-and-white Israeli flags as they shouted, "Negotiate now!" According to polls, the war retains the broad backing of the Israeli public despite, or perhaps because of, growing sentiment that the battle against Hezbollah has thus far been a losing one.
15) The War Bush Isn't Fighting Eugene Robinson Washington Post Friday, August 11, 2006; Page A19 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/10/AR2006081001312.html When unsmiling agents at the airport take away your contact lens solution, your toothpaste, and your cologne or after-shave, remember Osama bin Laden. Remember the real war on terrorism that the Bush administration and its allies decided not to fight, preferring cowboy-style military adventures.
16) Israel Hits Tower In Beirut, Warns Of More Bombing Hezbollah Rockets Kill 2 in Arab Village Edward Cody and Molly Moore Washington Post Friday, August 11, 2006; Page A08 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/10/AR2006081000868.html BEIRUT, Aug. 10 -- Israeli aircraft fired missiles at a radio tower in downtown Beirut on Thursday and dropped leaflets warning residents of the Lebanese capital that more extensive bombing, whose "painful and severe results will not be limited" to Hezbollah fighters, is on the way. The warning of more bombing of the city and the missile strike generated a swell of panic among Beirut residents. Although some speculated that Israel may be waging psychological warfare to gain advantage in negotiations at the United Nations, many people here took the warning seriously, recalling the weeks of Israeli bombing here in 1982. In the 30 days since this conflict erupted, Israel's bombing of Beirut has been limited largely to the southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has its base, while the downtown has been spared.
17) 'It's Hard to Have the Same Confidence' As Casualties Mount, Israeli Reservists Voice Concern Over Inadequate Equipment, Training Jonathan Finer and Molly Moore Washington Post Foreign Service Friday, August 11, 2006; Page A10 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/10/AR2006081001537.html As increasing numbers of Israel's reserve soldiers are ordered out of their civilian jobs and to the front lines of combat, they are voicing growing alarm over inadequate equipment and training in the face of large-scale casualties in their ranks.
18) New Iraq Books Paint Dismal Picture for Americans Claudia Parsons Reuters Friday, August 11, 2006 http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0811-04.htm "Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq" by Thomas Ricks debuted at the top of the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list last week. It argues there was no post-invasion plan and documents serious errors in U.S. military strategy. Equally disturbing is "The End of Iraq: How American Incompetence Created a War Without End," by Peter W. Galbraith, a former ambassador to Croatia and an adviser to Washington's Kurdish allies in Iraq. He argues the U.S. invasion destroyed hopes for a unified country of Sunnis, Shi'ites and Kurds and calls for a partitioned Iraq. Calling America's grand ambitions for the Middle East a failure, he argues Iraq is "in a catastrophic civil war."
19) Leftist Protesters Block Mexico Tax Headquarters Reuters August 11, 2006 Filed at 10:26 a.m. ET http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-mexico-election-protest.html Two thousand leftist demonstrators blocked access to Mexico's main tax office in the center of the capital on Friday in a fresh protest over alleged fraud in the July 2 presidential election. Protesters waving banners in support of leftist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador surrounded the building, run by the Finance Ministry, and prevented employees from entering. Leftists have targeted banks and highway toll booths this week in protests to demand a vote-for-vote recount of the election. Lopez Obrador's Party of the Democratic Revolution said the ministry was in league with business groups that financed Calderon's campaign. "The Finance Ministry is one of the key points in the financing of the electoral fraud,'' said Marti Batres, head of the party in the capital. Protests were stepped up after a court last weekend ordered a recount of votes from only 9 percent of polling stations, rather than the full recount sought by Lopez Obrador. Electoral officials began the partial recount on Wednesday and are due to finish by the weekend.
-------- Robert Naiman Just Foreign Policy www.justforeignpolicy.org