Tuesday, 13 January 2009

 Middle East Strategic Information (MESI) Analysis
No. 10  January 12, 2009
  
 MESIIssue of the Week
 
 
 Atma Singh 
 
 

This article highlights the involvement of two key controlling revolutionary organisations involved in these London protests through their "front"organisations or politicians (the list includes STWC; British Muslim Initiative and Ken Livingstone as a political personality through his advisers), through an examination of the key objectives and political methods of these modern revolutionary socialist and Islamist UK actors.  Specifically, attention will be given to analyzing how the organisations manipulate and infiltrate state agencies and mobilise public opinion. By doing so they influence public policy on the questions of terrorist non-state actors in the Middle East, such as Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement), which has been declared a terrorist organisation by the European Union and the United States of America, and their positions of opposition to legitimate nation-states like Israel.

Protests such as this one, which mobilise the Islamic and peace constituencies in the UK ,  put the British Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary under pressure regarding their policy towards Gaza . The primary aim is to shift UK policy away from supporting Israel 's sovereign right to defend itself against Hamas attacks, whilst a secondary aim is to legitimise Hamas. Furthermore, these constituencies seek to rally the forces opposed to the two-state solution and build an anti-Zionist (i.e., not recognising the right of the state of Israel to exist) position amongst Islamic, peace and left wing groups in the UK . A distinction should be made between these acts and the legitimate democratic right of any member of the UK 's general public to protest, criticise and oppose state policy. 
The national demonstrations on the current events in Gaza, held in the UK, are a product of the work of MAB and Socialist Action, two entryist organisations, through their roles in STWC, the BMI, as advisers to Ken Livingstone and in other organisations. The role of revolutionary entryist actors in the UK in supporting Hamas and opposing Israel has been significant. The UK government has taken significant steps to contain the advocacy of terrorism. The media is also helping in exposing terrorist sympathisers in the UK . Both need to be aware of the use, by these two revolutionary movements, of entryist tactics in order to influence public policy on the Middle East . They must be vigilant in challenging the legitimacy of these organisations, as their policies are directly opposed to a diplomatic peace settlement on the Israeli-Palestinian question. It is necessary for all political, media and government bodies in the UK to articulate a strategic two-state solution in order to achieve a full and urgent settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian question and avoid being manipulated by entryist revolutionary socialist and revolutionary Islamicist actors, their front organisations and political personalities. To read the full article, click here
 
 
 MESI Weekly News Digest
  
Strategic Context
 
  
 
 
 
Regional Affairs
 
 
 
 
Commentary
 
 
  
 
 
 
Paradigms and Anomalies
 
ParadigmAs the primary news outlet for the pan-Arab world, Al-Jazeera is a fair and impartial source of information.
 
Anomalies:
  • Al-Jazeera Beirut bureau coordinated and aired a birthday party for Samir Kuntar, one of the most brutal terrorists to commit acts of murder against a young family.  Samir Kuntar, a member of the Palestinian Liberation Front, was convicted for killing a policeman, another man, and his daughter, with his bare hands, in the Israeli town of Nahariya in 1979. He was released from a lifetime sentence in Israeli prison as part of a prisoner exchange between Israel and Lebanon that occurred this past summer. A birthday party was held on July 19, 2008, which included orchestral music, a cake, and a great deal of praise. Al-Jazeera's master of ceremonies lauded Kuntar for his supposed heroism: "Brother Samir, we would like to celebrate your birthday with you. You deserve even more than this.... Happy birthday, brother Samir."
  • Al-Jazeera has presented a slanted view of the War in Iraq , often showing brutality and propaganda that are part, but not representative, of the situation. Al-Jazeera has broadcast to the Arab world a war that appears dramatically different than that conveyed to the Western world. The station portrays violent imagery that cannot be found on television in the United States and Britain in order to portray the war as one of aggression and violence. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, has expressed outright "horror" at Al-Jazeera's willingness to show pictures of two dead British soldiers.
  • Al-Jazeera, though known for its free and often critical broadcasts, is often still used as a political tool of Middle East autocracy. Backed by the government of Qatar , Al-Jazeera has been openly critical of Saudi Arabia since the network's inception in 1996. Within the last year, however, the organization has limited its criticism of the Saudi government - but only because the rulers of Qatar no longer seek to isolate a fellow Sunni Arab nation.  
Quote of the Week

"Hamas deploys suicide attackers including women and children, and rigs up schools and houses with booby-trap explosives. Its leaders knew as a matter of certainty this would lead to civilian casualties if there was a ground battle. Virtually every aspect of its operations is illegal under international humanitarian law  'war crimes' in the emotive language usually reserved for the Israelis.

-Colonel Richard Kemp, Commander of the British Army campaigns in Afghanistan and Northern Ireland, and recently senior military adviser to the Cabinet Office

  
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