The 11th episode is out at this link: http://www.sonarbangladesh.com/article.php?ID=2907. Those who missed the earlier episodes, the links can be found at the left on the website once the current episode is accessed at the above link. Thanks for your continuous feedback. Regards. Wohid
| The Mossad's secret wars | ||||||
|
For more than half a century, the Mossad has been blamed for numerous killings around the world, and is often at the centre of conspiracy theories, including those surrounding the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the 1998 Lockerbie bombing and the 911 attacks in the US. While some of its actions have been celebrated within Israel, the organisation has at times come under criticism for disrespecting the sovereignty of other nations and has been accused of violating international law. The Mossad was established in 1951 by David Ben-Gurion, the then prime minister of newly-formed Israel, who set out that the intelligence apparatus would provide the "first line of defence" at a time when Israel, he said, was "under siege by its enemies". It eventually adopted a verse from the Book of Proverbs: "Without guidance do a people fall, and deliverance is in a multitude of counsellors" as both a motto and a warning to its enemies. While the secretive organisation forms one of three intelligence entities - Shin Bet (internal security) and military intelligence are the other two - its director reports directly to the prime minister. Sovereignty violations
The first notable victory came in 1960, when its agents kidnapped Adolf Eichmann, a Nazi war criminal living in Argentina, who was then smuggled into Israel where he was tried and executed two years later. While Eichmann's capture propelled Ben-Gurion to receive a standing ovation in Israel's Knesset, Argentina complained to the United Nations that its sovereignty had been violated. Subsequently the UN Security Council passed a resolution saying that such acts, if repeated, could endanger international peace and security. But such acts were repeated and the UN Security Council's resolution could not prevent Israeli intelligence agents from operating on foreign soil again. Operation Wrath of God During the 1970s, Mossad agents assassinated a number of people said to be connected with the Black September group, which had killed 11 Israeli athletes and a coach at the 1972 Munich Olympic games. The so-called Operation Wrath of God, which aimed to hunt down those responsible for the attacks, began with the killing of Wael Zwaiter, a Palestinian translator living in Rome, whom Israel accused of being a Black September commander. Although his supporters say he was an intellectual with no conclusive links to the Black September group, Zwaiter was shot dead by agents as he walked home late on the evening of October 16, 1972. Mahmoud Hamshari, who Israel said was the head of Black September in France, was killed by a bomb that was detonated after he picked up the phone in his Paris apartment in December 1972. Nearly one year later Israeli agents targeted Ahmed Bouchiki, a Moroccan waiter working in Lillehammer, Norway, who Mossad had confused with Ali Hassan Salameh, one of the Black September leaders. He was shot dead in front of his pregnant wife as they emerged from a cinema on July 21, 1973. When the Mossad agents tried to leave the country, six of them were arrested and sentenced to prison terms in Norway. Ali Hassan Salameh was eventually tracked down by the organisation and killed by a car bomb in Beirut, Lebanon in January 1979, which reportedly killed eight other people. Palestinians have always claimed, however, that many of those assassinated in Operation Wrath of God were not involved with Black September and were instead advocates of dialogue with Israel. 'Ambiguity' Nevertheless, the Mossad continued to carry out high-profile assassinations, including the killing of Abu Jihad, the PLO military chief in Tunisia in 1988, and Fathi Shaqaqi, an Islamic Jihad leader in Malta in 1995. Due to its secretive nature and policy of "ambiguity", it has not admitted to a number of operations believed by many to have been carried out by its agents. Gerald Bull, a Canadian scientist who developed the "Super Gun" for Iraq, is commonly believed to have been killed by the Mossad at his Brussels apartment in March 1990. In 1996, Yahya Ayyash, a Hamas bomb-maker known as "The Engineer", was killed in the Gaza Strip by a booby-trapped mobile phone in an operation also attributed to the spy agency. In September 2004, Syria blamed Mossad for the death of Izz El-Deen Sheikh Khalil, a member of Hamas, who was killed in a booby-trapped car in Damascus. Failures
In 1954, Israeli agents in Egypt planted bombs in cinemas, trendy cafés, and US-owned installation where foreigners were known to frequent. The hope had been that the violence would undermine the government of Gamal Abdel Nasser and stall the withdrawal of British troops from the Sinai. But the Egyptians got wind of the plot and arrested many Israeli agents, leading to the eventual resignation of Pinhas Lavon, the then Israeli defence minister. The operation - and debacle - came to be called the Lavon Affair. On September 24, 1997, two Mossad operatives carrying Canadian passports entered Jordan under orders from Binyamin Netanyahu, the then Israeli prime minister, to assassinate Khaled Meshaal, the Hamas political leader. The two agents were caught after injecting poison into Meshaal's ear the next day. A furious King Hussein at the time demanded that Israel hand over the antidote and the three-year peace treaty with Jordan looked set to unravel. After US intervention, Netanyahu apologised to the Jordanian king, handed over the antidote and released Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, another key Hamas leader, in exchange for the two Mossad agents in Jordanian custody. The botched attempt became the Mossad's most high-profile failure: Relations with Canada were strained once it was learned its passports were used in the operation; the US was displeased with the apparent setback in peace talks, and Israel was forced to release a wanted Hamas leader it would later assassinate in 2004. In a 2008 interview with Al JazeeraDanny Yatom, the head of the Mossad in 1997, defended his decision to assassinate Meshaal. Meshaal continues to lead Hamas from Damascus, Syria. The Mossad is now again under scrutiny over its alleged role in the killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a senior Hamas figure found dead in a Dubai hotel in January this year. Its alleged use of British and other European passports has strained ties with London, Paris, Dublin and Berlin. Smuggling Jews The Mossad is involved in non-military operations as well. In 1938, a precursor to the modern organisation began smuggling Jews into Palestine, in violation of the British mandate there. According to the Mossad website, the organisation "brings Jews home from countries were official Aliya agencies are not allowed to operate". In 1992, the Mossad evacuated hundreds of Bosnian Jews from besieged Sarajevo. The current head of the Mossad is Meir Dagan, a former commander of a commando unit, who served in the Israeli army during the 1967 and 1973 wars, and in the invasion of Lebanon in 1982. |
| Israel condemned at Turkey summit | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
 The Israeli attack on the aid flotilla has drawn condemnation around the world [Reuters]
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jamaat: Discontent over Mir Kasem | |
| Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is the only cadre-based political party of the country. It has zero tolerance for any activities within the organization that goes against the party's ideology and principles. It follows a strict..... by Anwar Parvez Halim | |
| more ... |
Jamaat: Discontent over Mir Kasem
by Anwar Parvez Halim
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is the only cadre-based political party of the country. It has zero tolerance for any activities within the organization that goes against the party's ideology and principles. It follows a strict chain of command for which it has a solid base and strong unity. In the 30 years since its inception it has not faced any split. This is the assessment of the party's top leaders.
However, speaking to several policy makers of the party and monitoring its activities closely, it seems that cracks are showing in the confidence and trust among the present leadership. Seeds of dissension have been sown. This has been further influenced by powers from within and outside of the country. A split in Jamaat can no longer be ruled out.
In the case of other political parties, it is not too difficult to filch out information from the leaders about inner splits and conflicts. With Jamaat it is not so easy. Whatever discord may exist within, they maintain a stoic front to the outside world. Following stern instructions, the leaders avoid discussing such issues, especially with the media.
The main point of concern within Jamaat at the moment, where all the controversy, debate and differences are focused, is none other than Mir Kasem Ali. He is an influential member of the party's central executive committee and working committee. A successful businessman, Mir Kasem Ali is the Chairman of Diganta Media Corporation, Director of Keari Limied and Country Director of Rabitat Al Alam Al Islami. In 1971 he had ben the General Secretary of Islami Chhatra Sangha.
How it all began
In March this year, news broke out that the names of those enlisted as war criminals had been sent to the various immigration points of the country so that they cold not leave. Mir Kasem Ali is a CIP. According to the rules, he issued a request to the authorities to use the VIP lounge at the airport and on March 24 he went through the VIP lounge, boarded the Qatar Airways flight and flew off to Saudi Arabia.
Mir Kasem Ali's son Barrister Arman was at the airport to see him off. On the same day, Barrister Taposh MP returned from abroad. He knew Barrister Arman, but was not aware who's son he was. Arman and Taposh shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. While talking, Taposh found out that Arman's father was Mir Kasem Ali and that he had left the country through the VIP lounge.
Immediately Taposh questioned the immigration authorities at the airport as to how Mir Kasem Ali had left the country. He also informed the higher level of government about the matter. The matter created hue and cry and the very next day the news in this regard was splashed in all the media. The immigration authorities hurriedly defended themselves saying that till then they hadn't received any list of war criminals. The Diganta authorities stated that Mir Kasem Ali had gone abroad on business and would return in due time.
The government, though, had its suspicions and NBR issued orders to suspend the bank account transactions of Mir Kasem Ali and his family members.
At the same time, suspicions also grew among his opponents within Jamaat. They suspected that Mir Kasem Ali perhaps had come to an understanding with the government and thus could travel abroad to save himself from being tried as a war criminal.
Returning home
Sources report that at the time, Diganta Corporation's Board of Directors dropped him as the signing authority on their bank transactions without consulting him about the matter. Then when Mir Kasem Ali returned, the State Minister for Law suddenly announced that his name was not on the list of war criminals. This created a stir in the party and the suspicions of the conservative section of leaders grew further. In fact, a couple of the leaders even commented to the media negatively about Kasem Ali. This created a rift which still exists.
Jamaat's Assistant Secretary General Muhammed Qamaruzzaman tells PROBE that all this is false publicity and that Mir Kasem Ali called upon the party's Amir upon his return to the country. There is no misunderstanding, he maintains.
Assistant Secretary General Qader Mollah says that he had been misquoted in a report of the daily Kaler Kantha and had cleared up the matter with Mir Kasem Ali.
Assistant Secretary General of Jamaat, Barrister Abdur Razzak, says, "He did the right thing by returning to the country. I advised him to return to the country. I believe that if there were allegations against him, he should face these in court."
Jamaat unhappy with DTV coverage
In order to strictly control the media, the government has put pressure on the Diganta TV channel, just as it has with the other channels. The authorities issued a 'red letter' to DTV with a list of directives and conditions. The channel has closed down its regular talk shows and practiced self censorship where the other programmes were concerned. As for whether Jamaat's public rally at Paltan would be aired live or not, Diganta decided to do whatever the other TV channels did. This displeased the Jamaat high command. In any case, the public rally itself was postponed.
A section among Jamaat's leadership feels that Mir Kasem Ali may have come to a compromise with the government in order to save Diganta TV. The government too feels that if they can use DTV for their own propaganda, this will be all the more convincing to the public.
Jamaat leader Qamaruzzaman denies any such understanding. He tells PROBE, "Jamaat owns DTV from the outset, but we don't want to make this into a party channel. Jamaat believes that DTV should be neutral in its newscasts and programmes." He claims the government is extremely critical concerning DTV.
Quest for a new platform
On June 27 last year, Mir Kasem Ali organized a multimedia presentation at the Diganta TV office. Present at the meeting were Qamaruzzaman, Maqbul Ahmed, Sayeedi, Barrister Abdur Razzak and other senior Jamaat leaders. At this programme, former Secretary Miah Muhammed Ayub presented an analysis paper on 'Quest for a New Platform'.
Miah Ayub is a staunch supporter of Jamaat and was Maulana Nizami's PS when the latter was Minister. In his paper, Miah Ayub pointed to the failure and weakness of the leadership of Islamic parties in Muslim countries the world over. He even criticized the leadership of Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladesh. He mentioned 1971 and also pointed out that the party's leadership lacked charisma. He said that Jamaat should be more liberal concerning Sharia. At that very meeting, several Jamaat leaders criticized Ayub's paper and demanded an explanation. Later the entire blame fell upon Mir Kasem Ali.
Since then a distance grew between Jamaat and Mir Kasem Ali. He is no longer given much importance in the decision making process. Other than being in the executive committee and the working committee, he had also been a member of the party's foreign affairs committee. But the central committee did not include him in the foreign affairs committee this time.
Mir Kasem Ali had several other responsibilities within the party, but he has been removed from such responsibilities at present.
Several top leaders of the party admitted that such an incident did take place on June 27. They said that Miah Ayub had been a Jamaat supporter even as a Secretary, but he was not a member or a rokon of the party. Therefore, they say, it really makes no difference what he says. And if Jamaat adopted the changes and reforms that he proposed, it would no longer be an Islamic party.
Qader Mollah says, "Even though Mir Kasem Ali had organized the programme, he had no idea what Ayub sahib was going to say."
Another leader says, "The way Mir Kasem Ali or Miah Ayub want to see Jamaat has little difference with parties like Awami League or BNP. This is not possible. Jamaat is a religion-based party. The ideology of the Quran, Sharia and Islam is Jamaat's ideology.
Certain high profile leaders of Jamaat have admitted to PROBE that Jamaat is going through times rougher than ever before. They were under pressure because of the war criminal issue, they were prevented from holding public meetings all over the country, there was the Rajshahi University incident, there leaders and workers were being harassed, they were facing cases and arrest. However, they maintain, there is no conflict within the party. The government was only spreading such propaganda. "A section of the media was also spreading fabricated reports about Jamaat to create a rift within the party and finish it off," says Qader Mollah.
Barrister Abdur Razzak tells PROBE, "Jamaat is a purely democratic party. There are no differences whatsoever about the party's ideology or principles. If there is any misunderstanding concerning any person, this is discussed openly at the party forum. The problem is resolved. So there really is no scope for conflicts or splits." He says, "The things being said about Mir Kasem are not true."
On the other hand, several sources say that there has been long-standing ideological differences between the hardcore leaders of Jamaat and the party's more liberal and modern leaders.This has risen up again in recent times.
Matiur Rahman Nizami, Mujahid, Sayeedi, Qamaruzzaman, Qader Mollah, Abdus Sobhan, Maqbul Ahmed and some others are considered the conservatives in the party. Barrister Abdur Razzak and Mir Kasem Ali are said to be of the modern group within Jamaat.
The conservative group is considered too oriented towards the Middle East. Then again, some even consider Mujahid to be of the Indian lobby. A certain conservative leader, on condition of anonymity, says, "We are not given visas to visit India, but Mir Kasem gets Indian visas. A lot of Diganta TV's equipment has been imported from India too. So he to can be accused of being of the Indian lobby."
In the meantime, cashing in on this distance between the two groups, the government's intelligence agencies are contacting various quarters within the party.
Observers feel that due to global circumstances, Jamaat's trusted ally Saudi Arabia no longer holds that much importance. In fact, Saudi Arabia is rather bent on looking after US interests. But then, the US also views Jamaat as a moderate democratic party. They are also very clear about the war criminal trial. They have said that they will only support this if it is carried out on international standards. The question is what stand the US will adopt if the trial is not held on international standards.
It is also clear that the US is in favour of allowing Jamaat to exist because banning it may give rise to Islamic militancy. On the other hand, the neighbouring country is all for the trial of the war criminals and suppression of terrorism. They are pleased with the steps the government is taking in this regard.
Analysts feel that local and foreign quarters are likely to work actively at creating a rift within Jamaat. If Jamaat walks into the trap, a split is inevitable.
http://www.probenewsmagazine.com/index.php?index=2&contentId=6093
It seems all Police stations in Bangladesh are turned into new Guantanamo Bay Camps under BAL regime. Dhaka Cantonment thana is champion in the race! The netri of BAL may not let brave son of Bangladesh, well educated, Mr. Rahman out of Police custody with life. Please read how he was brutally tortured, undressed by many satans. For English readers: For Bangla version, from Mahmudur Rahman's own speech in court: Down BKSAL, Down Satan! Long live Mahmudur Rahman. Regards, NK ' ' , 'Awami League' is not a name of a political party, it's a name of disease of Bangladesh. |
Saudi Arabia made preparations to allow the over-flight of the Israeli air force in the case of an eventual bombing raid on Iran's nuclear facilities. According to media reports, just days after the UN Security Council imposed new sanctions on the Islamic Republic, the oil kingdom of Saudi Arabia has agreed to allow Israel to utilize an essential corridor in its air space and thereby shorten the route for a raid on Iran.
In order to allow the Israeli raid, Riyadh has carried out tests to make certain its own jets are not scrambled and missile defense systems not activated. Once the Israelis are through, the kingdom's air defenses will return to full alert.
"The Saudis have given their permission for the Israelis to pass over and they will look the other way, according to US Defense Department sources, which averred that Saudi jets will not be scrambled and Israel's will not be shot down. The US State Department is apparently in agreement.
Saudi Arabian sources say it is common knowledge in the Oil Kingdom that an arrangement is in place if Israel decides to launch the raid. Despite the tension between the two governments, they share a mutual loathing of Iran and a common fear of Iran's nuclear ambitions.
The four main targets in Iran would be the uranium enrichment facilities at Natanz and Qom, the gas storage development at Isfahan. and the heavy-water reactor at Arak. Other targets would be the lightwater reactor at Bushehr, which could produce weapons-grade plutonium when complete.
The targets lie as far as 1,400 miles (2,250km) from Israel, which is at the outer limits of their bombers' range, even with aerial refueling. An open corridor across northern Saudi Arabia would significantly shorten the distance. An airstrike would involve multiple waves of bombers, possibly crossing Jordan, northern Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Aircraft attacking Bushehr, on the Gulf coast, could swing beneath Kuwait to strike from the southwest.
Passing over Iraq would require at least tacit agreement to the raid from the United States.
So far, the Obama Administration has refused to give its approval as it pursues a diplomatic solution to curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions. Military analysts say Israel has held back only because of this failure to secure consensus from the United States and Arab states. Military analysts doubt that an airstrike alone would be sufficient to knock out the key nuclear facilities, which are heavily fortified and deep underground or within mountains.
If the UN sanctions prove ineffective, Israeli pressure on Washington to approve military action will intensify. Iran vowed to continue enriching uranium after the UN Security Council imposed its toughest sanctions yet in an effort to halt the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, which Iran claims is intended for civilian energy purposes only. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has described the UN resolution as "a used handkerchief, which should be thrown in the dustbin."
Israeli officials have refused to comment on any planned raid on Iran, even while Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has refused to one rule out. Aharaon Zeevi Farkash, who headed Israeli military intelligence until 2006 and has been involved in war games simulating a strike on Iran, said that he knows that Saudi Arabia is even more afraid than Israel of an Iranian nuclear capacity."
In 2007 Israel was reported to have used Turkish air space to attack a suspected nuclear reactor being built by Iran's main regional ally, Syria. Although Turkey publicly protested against the "violation" of its air space, it is thought to have turned a blind eye in what many saw as a dry run for a strike on better-defended nuclear sites.
Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan are at least as worried as the West about an Iranian nuclear arsenal. Israel has sent missile-class warships and at least one submarine capable of launching a nuclear warhead through the Suez Canal for deployment in the Red Sea within the past year, as both a warning to Iran and in anticipation of a possible strike. Israeli newspapers reported in 2009 that high-ranking officials, including the former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, have met their Saudi Arabian counterparts to discuss the Iranian issue. It was also reported that Meir Dagan, the head of Mossad, met Saudi intelligence officials in 2009 to gain assurances that Saudi Arabia would turn a blind eye to Israeli jets violating Saudi airspace during the bombing run. Both governments have denied the reports.
Israel has conducted significant preparations for an eventual attack on Iran, while even preparing its civilian population for war. In 2009, the Israeli air force conducted exercises over the skies of Greece, which has a Russian-built air defense system resembling Iran's. A raid by Israeli air forces could be risky and would require very accurate bombing runs intended to cripple Iranian nuclear facilities and defenses, such as its Russian-made S-300 radar-guided missile systems--not yet operational. The operational status of the S-300 was first reported as pivotal to Israeli military planners in The Cutting Edge News. Israel will probably rely on its three Airborne Warning and Control (AWAC) aircraft for the actual attack.
 | Saudis test clearing skies for Israel to bomb Iran: reportAFP - 1 hour ago LONDON — Saudi Arabia has conducted tests to stand down its air defences to ... had agreed to allow Israel to use a narrow corridor of its airspace in the ... Saudi Arabia gives green light to Israeli raid on Iran - Spero NewsSaudis air corridor is open, US, Israel self-immobilized on Iran - DEBKA file Saudis may allow Israeli fighters to overfly to strike Iran - Hindustan Times Before It's News - Daily Mail - Charleston (blog) all 63 news articles » |
