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Abbas: Jerusalem is the 'eternal capital of the state of Palestine'


RT
Wed, 06 Dec 2017 18:20 UTC
Palestinians protest
© Ibraheem Abu Mustafa / ReutersPalestinians in protest against Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
Mahmoud Abbas has condemned Washington's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. He said it negates the US' right to be a mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while stating that Jerusalem remains the "eternal capital" of Palestine.

Abbas firmly rejected Donald Trump's declaration and said Jerusalem is the "eternal capital of the state of Palestine." Washington's hostile move effectively nullifies its right to be a peace broker in the Arab-Israeli conflict, Abbas underlined.

"These deplorable and unacceptable measures deliberately undermine all peace efforts, and proclaim that the US are abandoning the role of sponsor of [the] peace process that they have played over the past decade," Abbas said in a televised speech.

The US move not only jeopardizes the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, but would also lead to "endless wars of international scale," Abbas warned. The recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital would also play into the hands of terrorist organizations who are seeking excuses to wage religious wars, the Palestinian leader further cautioned.

Hamas, which controls the Gaza strip, also condemned Trump's decision, warning that it "opens the gates of hell on US interests in the region." The Islamist movement added that the US declaration would not change the status of the Holy City.

Comment: The keys to the kingdom 'just unlocked the gates of hell'. Now there's progress. Good luck getting the Palestinians to come to the negotiation table after this knife to their hearts and heritage. Masterful manipulation by Israel and Trump fell for it.

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Snakes in Suits

Russia probe: Donald Trump Jr. questioned in Congress behind closed doors


Times of India
Thu, 07 Dec 2017 06:08 UTC
Trumpjrquestioned
© Gage Skidmore/Wikipedia
Donald Trump Jr was grilled behind closed doors in Congress Wednesday about his contacts with Russia as pressure builds on his father over alleged collusion with Moscow in last year's election.

His June 2016 meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya at the height of the presidential campaign has made him a key figure in investigations into the Trump campaign's possible ties to the Kremlin. A separate 2016 meeting with Alexander Torshin, a senior Russian politician and central banker close to President Vladimir Putin, has added to the scrutiny of President Trump's eldest son.

He entered and exited the House Intelligence Committee hearing from a back door, avoiding the media, and nothing was immediately released about the discussions.

Comment: The investigation that keeps on not giving.

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Target

Senate panel rolls back Dodd-Frank Act, targets bank rules


RT
Thu, 07 Dec 2017 04:32 UTC
Moneymaze
© Pinterest
Banks and credit unions may soon be relieved of regulations added after the 2007-2008 financial crisis, as the Senate Banking Committee repealed provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act.

The senate panel approved bill S.2155 in a 16-7 vote Tuesday, to raise the threshold at which bank holding companies are considered "too big to fail," removing the financial stress test and capital-planning review. The threshold would be raised from $50 bill to $250 billion.

"This package of common-sense reforms recognizes that is important to tailor regulation appropriately," said Idaho Senator Mike Crespo, the Republican chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, according to AP.

Under the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act, representatives from both parties said the measures would make it easier for credit unions, community banks and many regional, mid-sized banks to lend money and stimulate economic growth.

Comment: And the common people - the big bank victims 'too small to recover, too poor to succeed' - what's in the reforms for them?

See also:

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Umbrella

Congress seems determined to avert weekend government shutdown

Alan Fram, Andrew Taylor
Sun Times
Wed, 06 Dec 2017 10:11 UTC
GOPred
© shutterstock
Despite incendiary words from President Donald Trump, Congress seemed on track Wednesday to approving legislation that would avert a partial government shutdown over the weekend as all sides seemed ready to avert a confrontation - for now.

Increasingly confident House leaders planned a Thursday vote on a bill that would keep federal agencies functioning through Dec. 22, and Senate approval was expected to follow. Even the head of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, whose members have been threatening to oppose the measure, predicted passage. "No one wants a shutdown, including Freedom Caucus members," Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., told reporters.

The moderated tone reflected a sense within both parties that though major differences remain over spending, immigration, health care and other issues, this was no time for a headline-grabbing government closure.
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Nuke

'Not if, but when' - retaliatory provocation by N. Korea to US drills and warmongering


RT
Thu, 07 Dec 2017 04:49 UTC
NKcomputer key
© the diplomatA fingerprint on the future?
North Korea views the endless military drills on its borders and repeated "bellicose remarks" by top US officials as means to "provoke" a nuclear war in the region, in which the US itself will be "burnt to death by the fire."

"The large-scale nuclear war exercises conducted by the US in succession are creating touch-and-go situation on the Korean peninsula and series of violent war remarks coming from the US high-level politicians amid such circumstances have made an outbreak of war on the Korean peninsula an established fact. The remaining question now is: when will the war break out," a spokesperson for North Korea's foreign ministry said Wednesday in commentary provided by state news agency KCNA.

The US and its regional allies are in the midst of a massive and unprecedented five-day joint air force Vigilant Ace exercise which kicked off Monday. In the latest provocative show of force, the US Air Force dispatched B-1B aircraft, F-22 Raptor fighter jets, as well as several F-35 stealth jets and F-16 fighter planes over the Korean peninsula Wednesday. While the drills are allegedly 'defensive' in nature, top American and South Korean pilots are polishing their skills to carry out attacks on North Korean nuclear and missile installations in different war scenarios. A total of 12,000 personnel and over 230 military aircraft are engaged in the drills that will run until December 8.

Comment: Though there are different degrees of risk intrinsic to levels and variations of 'threat-based' posturing, this particular bully choice has the potential to foster rash thinking and brash reactions on either side. It is the antithesis of negotiation and compromise.

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Info

189 members of European Parliament urge Israel to abandon 'Jewish nation-state' bill


Middle East Monitor
Mon, 04 Dec 2017 20:25 UTC
Building of the European Union Parliament
Building of the European Union Parliament
Dozens of Members of European Parliament (MEPs) have urged the Israeli government to abandon a draft "Jewish nation state" bill, reports the Jerusalem Post.

A statement by the 189-member Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) in the European Parliament reads:
We express our deep concern over the nation-state bill currently under debate in the Knesset, which can be interpreted as an attempt to deepen and legalise systemic discrimination against the Palestinian Arab minority in the country.
The letter comes two weeks after a delegation of Joint List MKs visited Brussels, and according to MK Yousef Jabareen, the statement "is certainly a result of our visit", adding: "The topic of the nation-state bill was one of the main topics we brought up in our meetings at the EU."
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Eye 1

Saudi war on Yemen: Bullets, bombs, mercenaries, media, blackmail

Randi Nord
Mint Press News
Thu, 07 Dec 2017 19:32 UTC
Sudanese soldiers
© AP/Wael QubadySudanese soldiers on a military vehicle gesture as they arrive to the port city of Aden, Yemen, Nov. 9, 2015
The Saudi war against Yemen would not be possible without military support from the United States and other Western allies. It also would not be possible without the political and financial clout to control the narrative surrounding one of the most repressive regimes in existence.

Saudi Arabia - one of the wealthiest countries in the Middle East - has spent nearly the last three years bombing its southern neighbor Yemen, the poorest nation in the region, with U.S.- and U.K.-supplied weapons, refueling, and training.

Over 10,000 civilians have lost their lives in Yemen, according to official numbers. The siege has triggered a cholera outbreak and put millions at risk of famine. It is also estimated that over 50,000 Yemeni children are expected to die by the end of 2017 as a result of hunger and Saudi bombing.

This war against Yemen would not be possible without military support from the United States and other Western allies. It also would not be possible without political and financial power to control the media while exploiting every organization and country imaginable to control the official narrative of the war. Fortunately for Riyadh, they have these factors covered.
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Rocket

IDF says 2 rockets launched from Gaza but failed to reach the targets, amid violent protests over Trump's Jerusalem decision


RT
Thu, 07 Dec 2017 19:13 UTC
Palestinian protesters
© Abbas Momani / AFPPalestinian protesters take cover from tear gas during clashes with Israeli troops near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah, on December 7, 2017
At least two rockets have been launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israeli territory, but failed to reach its targets, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said. The incident comes amid ongoing violent mass protests over the US decision on Jerusalem.

News of the rocket launches first popped up on Israeli smartphone apps asking for those in cities near the Gaza strip to stay alert. The IDF later confirmed at least two missiles were fired from the Gaza Strip "towards the State of Israel," but failed to strike its intended targets.

The attack comes amid ongoing mass protests against the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, which engulfed some regions of the occupied West Bank as well as the Gaza Strip. More than thirty Palestinians were injured by gunfire and rubber bullets from the IDF in the protests Thursday, medical sources told Reuters.

Comment: See also:

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Gold Seal

Jerusalem and the Olympics should shatter anyone's wishful thinking about the Trump Admin's policies towards Israel and Russia

Andrew Korybko
The Duran
Thu, 07 Dec 2017 18:14 UTC
israel olympics
Trump doesn't like being compared to Obama, but this time it's impossible not to see the similarities.

Both candidates represented a promising break from the past and swore to reverse the failed policies of their predecessors, and each were elected out of the desperation that most Americans were feeling at the time, whether real or imagined. They "talked the talk" and said all the "right" things, but once they got into office, they didn't exactly "walk the walk" that they were supposed to. Obama promised a new era of relations with the Muslim World, while Trump said that he'd do the same vis-à-vis Russia.

Neither of them, however, ended up fulfilling their campaign promises in this regard due to the heavy and intrusive pressure exerted on them by the permanent military, intelligence, and diplomatic bureaucracies, or "deep state". The Obama Administration will infamously go down in history for orchestrating the theater-wide Color Revolutions popularly known as the "Arab Spring", while Trump's team is already on target to be the most anti-Russian one that the US has ever seen.

At the same time, though, the writing was on the wall the entire time about what was poised to be their most controversial actions, with candidate Obama proclaiming on many occasions that he was open to negotiating with Iran and ultimately concluding a nuclear deal with it, while candidate Trump never lost the opportunity to tell the world just how much he loves Israel and would do anything in support of its interests. It's with this overall backdrop in mind that one should interpret the two headline-grabbing events that took place earlier this week.
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Light Sabers

Republicans fighting against conflicts of interest in Russiagate probe, claim FBI gave Killary a free pass

Robert Bridge
RT
Thu, 07 Dec 2017 18:02 UTC
Robert Mueller
© Aaron P. Bernstein / ReutersSpecial Counsel Robert Mueller (C)
As Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe moves closer to Trump's inner circle, Republicans are discovering a number of conflicts of interest related to the case, some going back to the investigation against Hillary Clinton.

Like a heated tennis match, Republicans and Democrats are engaged in a long string of back-and-forth volleys in an effort to score a point in the Washington debacle known as 'Russiagate.'

This week, the ball is in the Democrats' court after the Republicans scored some wicked backhand shots.

Following up on a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, revealed the political inclinations of at least one member of Mueller's team. The findings could compromise the Trump probe, which is exactly what many Republicans are aiming for.

The story goes back to January, when President Donald Trump attempted to enforce a temporary travel ban on seven majority-Muslim countries. Acting US Attorney General Sally Yates, an Obama-era holdover, called the idea "indefensible" and defied the executive order. Trump fired Yates, accusing her of failing to uphold a lawful order that was "designed to protect the citizens of the United States."
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