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Archive for March, 2011

Israel to Charge Abusisi ‘Within Days,’ Ukraine Denies Involvement in Kidnapping, Summons Israeli Ambassador

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011

AbuSisi children's Gaza protest against father's kidnapping, rendition to Israel, and detention (AP/Adel Hana)

Perhaps in reaction to the damaging report from the Palestine Center for Human Rights that revealed previously unknown facts about his kidnapping, Israeli authorities have leaked to the press that they expect to charge Dirar Abusisi “within days.” If you’re a student of the ways of Israel’s security establishment, it’s very much a tit for tat routine. If the detainee manages to strike a blow for himself in the public domain, they are ready to cut him down to size and consider it their sacred duty as part of their eternal war against sedition and Arab hatred.

I also think the Israelis realize that the longer the case is in the news, the worse it will look for them and the more explaining they will have to do. They believe that by putting forward a narrative that portrays Abusisi as a spy, terrorist or general bad seed, that they will be able to blunt the bad press.

And bad press there is. Yossi Melman reports in today’s Haaretz that Ukraine has finally released a public statement by its intelligence services and Interior Ministry that it had nothing to do with the kidnapping. They rather pathetically denied that they had any knowledge of how he was kidnapped and had “more questions than answers.” Can you imagine the top intelligence and police officials of a country claiming after a foreign national is kidnapped on their own soil that they know nothing, hear nothing, see nothing. What are they? Monkeys or men?

Their claim of course is very likely to be a lie. Can they explain how two men in Ukrainian military uniforms boarded a train, kidnapped Abusisi, took him to an apartment in Kiev, then to the airport, boarded a plane and took off from Ukrainian soil? Did Israel do all this without even a whisper of knowledge or suspicion on the part of the Ukrainians? If so, some heads should roll. Ukraine’s security is in the hands of men even more incompetent than anyone would’ve thought possible.

Melman explains that the Ukrainians have released the statement in an attempt to take the heat off them generated by the strong statements of Ukrainian human rights organizations and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees representative in the country. The reporter also notes that the explanations of responsible government agencies doesn’t seem to be satisfying anyone, which is to be expected.

Melman does however get one major fact wrong. In saying that Ukraine has not explained what it intended to do to get to the bottom of the incident, he says that country has not yet said whether it will approach Israel for an explanation. In fact, AFP says it has done precisely that, demanding a meeting with the Israeli ambassador to Ukraine. This of course is laughable and reminds me of one of those Marx Brothers movies in which Groucho, Lord High Mucky Muck of Fredonia, meets with his opposite number and in solemn tones says something like this: “Mr. Ambassador, what could you have been thinking?” To which the ambassador would reply: “My dear Lord High Mucky-Muck, what could YOU have been thinking??”

They either said something like that, or more likely they met simply to get their stories straight. Like co-conspirators they no doubt have much to hide and need to coordinate so they do as little damage to their own reputations as possible in this affair–or at least don’t do even greater violence to their already poor reputations for upholding human rights.

Melman also mischaracterizes the visit of Ukrainian Prime Minister Azarov to Israel, claiming he never addressed the incident while in the country and refused to take questions about it. In fact, an interview with him published I believe in Haaretz asked that question to which he replied in rather mealy-mouthed fashion that it would be inconceivable for any nation to have done what was claimed on Ukrainian soil. But he did reply.

Melman also misses an important detail in his report, in which Abusisi claimed in his PCHR interview, that the Mossad plane that rendered him to Israel touched down in a third country before it reached there, thus potentially making this case even more problematic for Israel than it would otherwise be.

Tags: dirar abusisi, human-rights, kidnapping, mossad, Ukraine
Posted in Mideast Peace | 7 Comments »

Sarah Palin: Meet the Occupation

Monday, March 21st, 2011

Sarah Palin 'reading Torah' (an inside joke) at the Wall with Rabbi Rabinovitz and MK Danny Danon

Going back a few decades there used to be a hilarious parody of the Maine downeaster culture offered by a character named Bert (properly pronounced “Buht”), whose chief response to outliers lost in Maine was: “Ya can’t get there from heya.” Well, when Sarah Palin asked how to get to Bethlehem, that’s apparently something like what she heard from the IDF.

The once and future candidate is making the requisite Holy Land pilgrimage apparently demanded of all right-wing evangelical presidential candidates. But today, she brought up short and learned a lesson in both Israeli geography and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict today when she came within yards of an IDF military checkpoint before entering the city of Bethlehem on her tour of Christian holy places. Perhaps her dimwitted staff didn’t realize that Bethlehem isn’t inside Israel proper and that they’d have to cross into the Occupied West Bank to visit the birthplace of Jesus. I’m a little unclear why they did an abrupt u-turn when they came to the military checkpoint. Did they think Jewish voters might think worse of her for visiting Occupied Territory without also visiting settlements?

Ah, this picture with young far-right Likud MK Danny Danon warms the cockles of my pro-Israel heart, doesn’t it yours? Did you notice in the picture Sarah’s not wearing a shytel? You’d think she would. It would make her fit in perfectly.

Posted in Mideast Peace | 13 Comments »

Abusisi’s Arrest in Own Words

Monday, March 21st, 2011

A lawyer for the Palestine Center for Human Rights visited Dirar Abu Sisi in his cell in Shikma Prison outside Ashkelon and received the most detailed account yet of his kidnapping in Ukraine and rendition to Israel. The particulars as he recounts them are almost precisely as I portrayed them here in this blog. What’s remarkable to me was that even though I didn’t know some of them, I was able to surmise and infer what is likely to have happened based on information I already knew or hints that had been offered by other sources.

The Israeli press is now reporting the story widely (no one crediting my work in breaking the story of course). The gag will fall in a matter of time. What we still don’t know though is why Israel wanted Dirar in the first place and why he was so important they went to all that trouble knowing that eventually their rendition crime would be exposed. I suppose they believe that since Cheney and Bush got away with it that they could too. But perhaps we’ll be able to make them pay a small price for their egregious violations of international law.

Here is the press release of PCHR. Though the statement makes a blanket claim that the Mossad was the sole actor in his rendition, it becomes clear in the course of this account that it is likely the Ukrainian military or security agencies colluded as well:

…Abu Sisi told the PCHR lawyer that on 19 February 2011 he was travelling by train from Kharkov to Kiev to meet with his brother Yousef who was coming from the Netherlands. Abu Sisi stated that three persons, two in military uniforms, entered his room on the train. They asked him to show his passport but he refused. Then they threatened him and forcefully took his passport. They forced him to get off the train at the nearby station of Poltava. At this time he was handcuffed and hooded. He was transported in a car to Kiev. Once in Kiev he was held in an apartment where there were another six persons who introduced themselves to be members of the Mossad. Abu Sisi said that the Mossad members immediately questioned him and then flew him by plane. The flight lasted between four and five hours before landing in a place unknown to him. Approximately thirty minutes later, they took off again and the flight lasted for approximately one hour. Upon landing Abu Sisi found himself in Israel. Abu Sisi told the PCHR lawyer that he was denied contact with a lawyer for fourteen days. This denial was extended for another eleven days. He said that he was placed under intensive interrogations and that he was denied his legal rights.

It should be noted that the Israeli security authorities imposed a media blackout regarding the kidnapping of Abu Sisi and prevented lawyers from visiting him to check on his health and provide legal assistance during the second period.

After knowing the details from Abu Sisi, PCHR has doubts about whether there was collusion from international parties in the kidnapping. Especially as Abu Sisi was not legally arrested by Ukrainian authorities and he did not have any appearances in domestic courts. PCHR has concerns over the deterioration of Abu Sisi’s health and notes that he has cholelithiasis and he takes blood thinning medicines. He is experiencing serious psychological problems after going into long and continued investigation sessions. PCHR calls for the immediate release of Abu Sisi.

All of which means the following: in addition to Israel and the Ukraine colluding in this major violation of international law, the territory of a third country was also involved as the rendition flight landed in a country approximately a one hour flight from Israel. Readers may have additional ideas, but the countries I can think of that might be likely to have participated and are in that one hour zone would be Turkey (if the military cooperated without the knownledge of the political echelon), Cyprus or Bulgaria (possibly). I doubt it could be a former Soviet Republic like Georgia, Armenia or Azerbijian as it would’ve had to have overflown enemy nations like Syria or Iraq.

In addition, this means that the Mossad either brought their own plane flown into a Ukrainian airport or leased one in Ukraine. It’s more likely the former than the latter, which would mean an extraordinary level either of direct cooperation with Ukrainian authorities or secrecy hiding the identity of the plane.

Abusisi was denied contact with an attorney for a total of 24 days, a clear violation of his rights.

Though Veronika Abusisi, Dirar’s wife makes no direct claims of torture, this statement published four days ago at the Facebook group, Free Dirar, which I created and invite you to join, does give one grounds for concern:

Mikhal Dansiger [Dirar's former lawyer] told me in a telephone conversation today that Dirar saw a doctor today and that his health condition is better. Dirar would never go to a doctor on his own to “make …sure” that he is in good condition. Before we lost our sense of equanimity [before the arrest], my husband never complained about anything at all, all his tests were normal. He always paid close attention to his health. But now after the “adventure” and “warm” conversation with “mild-mannered” Israeli secret service [interrogators], my spouse has heart problems, increased arterial heart pressure, stomach and gall bladder problems, kidney stone illness.

My love for my kids’ homeland [Gaza], my spouse, is unconditional.

Tags: dirar abusisi, gaza, human-rights, international law, kidnapping, mossad, Ukraine
Posted in Mideast Peace | 7 Comments »

Israeli NGO Wins Partial Lifting of Abusisi Gag

Sunday, March 20th, 2011

A few days ago the Association for Civil Rights in Israel appealed the gag order on the Dirar Abusisi case and the Petah Tikvah judge ruled in their favor partially. But it’s a very small victory since the main part of the gag stays in place. Israeli media cannot report on those aspects of the case most critical to reporters, the Israel public and the victim. It says “the details of the investigation and the circumstances of the arrest” may not be reported for another 30 days.

The most that can be said is that this arouses an enfeebled Israeli press which has mostly steered clear of the story as it’s developed as if is had a case of AIDS. Haaretz’s security correspondent, Yossi Melman and others reported it today, of course entirely omitting the original reporting of this blog. Melman didn’t add anything new in his report in today’s Haaretz. Though he did introduce an error by saying that Veronika Abusisi is in Gaza with her six children. She is not, but in rather in Ukraine, where I presume she needed to be as part of her husband’s application for Ukrainian citizenship.

Israel’s Channel 10 security correspondent Alon Ben David reports the totally unsubstantiated claim that Abusisi is a “senior Hamas operative.” But well-placed sources within Gaza report to me that this is false. This is what was reported to me:

Abusisi is not politically aligned or active and he’s not really well-known in Gaza. One person there believes that Israel wants information and when it gets it they will release him.

Another source told me that Abusisi has held his position since the days of PA rule of Gaza. So in other words, he is not a political appointee, but a technocrat who was held over by Hamas because he is good at his profession and a critical worker for the power plant.

According to a source knowledgable about the issue of fuel oil for the plant, the success in Gaza has been to mix solar industrial gasoline from Israel, which costs about 6 shekels with non-industrial Egyptian solar which is smuggled in and which costs 1.7 shekels. This increases Egypt’s profit and reduces Israel’s. It has also reduced the cost to the consumer by 40%.

If you add to this that Abusisi and his colleagues have succeeded in bringing two turbines destroyed by Israel back online, now three of the four original ones are working. If you add to this the steep decline in the price of fuel, it’s possible this might be some motivation for Israeli intelligence, which wishes to disrupt everyday life in the ghetto, throw a spanner in the works.

There are other sources within Israel I respect who, while they do not know precisely what happened to Abusisi, do not believe that his apprehension was connected to his professional work. So since the security services wish to maintain the shroud of secrecy over this case, the best we can do at present is present educated guesses.

Yousef Abusisi, Dirar’s brother tells me that his grandfather came from the Negev village of Houj, within the 1948 boundaries of Israel. Before the war, the townspeople were supportive of the Haganah and even hid operatives from arrest by Egyptian and British forces. But after the war began, the residents were driven out and not allowed to return. Though Ben Gurion objected to their expulsion, he pointedly refused to allow them to return.

From Houj, the Abusisi family fled to Gaza. Eventually, Dirar’s father brought the family to Jordan where he was raised.

This is the recompense Palestinians receive who befriended the pre-State Jewish forces. They are expelled during the Nakba, and then one of their sons is kidnapped by Israeli intelligence with the collusion of a dirty Ukrainian intelligence apparatus. Let it not be said that Israel doesn’t repay the loyalty of its Palestinian citizens, nay by a hundred fold.

Tags: dirar abusisi, Gag order, hamas, israel, mossad, nakba
Posted in Mideast Peace | 9 Comments »

Ukraine: Not Ready for Prime Time or 2012 Euro Cup

Friday, March 18th, 2011

euro2012 logo Ukraine will be co-hosting the next European Cup soccer championship in 2012. As part of the build-up to this momentous event, it is organizing a mega-million advertising campaign promoting Ukrainian tourism throughout the world. I’ve even heard of “Ukraine–All About U” promotions as far aways as India. Ukraine also sees tourism with Israel as a major opportunity because there are many former Ukrainian Jews living in Israel, and Ukraine, as the cradle of Hasidism, includes major pilgrimage sites for Orthodox Jews to the graves of such luminaries as the Berditchever and Bratslaver rebbes and the Baal Shem Tov, founder of the movement. I myself visited these sites and saw how many Orthodox Jews from Israel and the Diaspora were drawn there.

This is why Ukraine still has interest in joining NATO and just signed a protocol with Israel ending the need for visas for mutual travel. On his current visit to Israel, Prime Minister Azarov emphasized his country’s interest in signing a Free Trade agreement with Israel that would create a duty-free zone for products and services between the nations. As part of this expansion of trade, there would also be an expansion of security and military cooperation of the sort that characterized Ukraine’s presumed participation in the abduction of Palestinian civil engineer Dirar Abusisi on a train in Poltava on the night of February 18th. Abusisi was later transferred to Mossad custody, flown out of Ukraine to Israel, and imprisoned in a Shin Bet interrogation chamber within hours of being spiriting off that train.

One might also presume that Ukraine would love to get its hands on some of that advanced weaponry, missile systems, and high-tech security applications developed by Israel’s weapons industry. A free trade agreement would go a long way toward satisfying Ukraine’s appetites for these new toys for its military.

In fact, I’d lay money on the fact that there was either a tacit or explicit quid pro quo between Israel and Ukraine for securing the FTA and that the rendition of Abusisi was part or all of the latter’s payment for the transaction to be completed.

Unfortunately for Ukraine, and even more for those it is attempting to draw to the championship games, the nation is not ready for prime time. First, Ukraine is a country now in the grip of a pro-Russian strongman style government more in the Soviet/Putin style than that of the Orange Revolution. Second, is a country where trade and security come before human rights. Where indeed human rights exists only as a concept honored in the breach if at all. Third, there is a huge trade in illicit weapons, drugs and even human trafficking. The European Union pays Ukraine hundreds of millions to wage a fight against the latter major crimes.

I’ve had a in-depth conversation with an American in Ukraine who specializes in immigration, human rights, and refugee issues there. He gave me quite an education. There really is no such thing as refugee protection in Ukraine. If you are fleeing from persecution suffered in a former Soviet Republic like Uzbekistan or Russia, you have no protections inside Ukraine. Upon entering that country, you may be beaten by immigration authorities. You may be arrested even as you enter a government ministry where you are about to apply for residency and refugee status. Take a look at this website established by Ukrainian human rights lawyers to see evidence of what I’m saying.

This is why Dirar Abusisi’s case is so important in the context of Ukraine’s push for international recognition. Why should the world welcome Ukraine on the world stage and allow it to exit the orbit of Russia as a former Soviet satellite, when it can’t respect the norms honored by other western democracies? Dirar Abusisi followed the rules as laid out by Ukraine. He went to the ministry to proffer his papers to apply for citizenship, since he wished to bring his country from Gaza to a place where he hoped they might have a better life (he is also married to a Ukranian national). And how was he repaid for following the rules as laid out by Ukrainian authorities themselves? He was kidnapped either directly or indirectly by a third nation whose agents were operating in Ukraine with the apparent tacit or explicit assent of Ukrainian security agents. Then he was flown into captivity by those Israeli Mossad operatives.

What message does this send to the thousands of refugees fleeing war, conflict, or persecution in other countries who find themselves in Ukraine? It tells them that this place is a free-fire zone for political refugees or dissidents. It tells them that if the Ukrainian secret police don’t get you first, your native security services will. And they might even do it inside Ukraine.

An Israeli TV news reporter recently broadcast an unsubstantiated rumor offered to him no doubt by the IDF that the ship recently seized by Israel allegedly containing Iranian arms allegedly destined for Gaza was organized by a company in Odessa. He also hinted that Abusisi may’ve been connected to this venture. What would be especially wild about this story if any of it was accurate (and keep in mind very well none of it may turn out true) is that Ukraine is the kind of place where a company can plot the transfer of tens of millions in advanced weapons systems to so-called terrorist states, while Ukraine also collaborates with the nation that would allegedly be victimized by these weapons in illegally seizing a citizen of a third state who might’ve been organizing the weapons deal. ”What a country,” as Yaakov Smirnoff used to say.

Does this sound like a country that’s ready to play soccer or anything else upon the world stage? Ukraine has a LONG way to go. It might start by making a full accounting of what happened to Dirar Abusisi. Who snatched him? Why? Who did they give him to? What happened to him? Why didn’t Ukraine do anything to protect him? What did Ukraine get in return for its cooperation?

Tags: dirar abusisi, european-union, gaza, immigration, shin-bet, Ukraine
Posted in Mideast Peace | 4 Comments »

Eden Abergil: ‘I’m B-A-C-K’

Friday, March 18th, 2011

Eden Abergil's homicidal Facebook rants: 'Fuck you, stinking Arabs'

Just like a bad penny or Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator, Eden Abergil is back to wreak havoc once more. Several months ago she found notoriety by proudly uploading to her Facebook account pictures of her simpering as an IDF soldier next to blindfolded Palestinian prisoners. She clearly was primping for the cameras and using the prisoners as her own personal props over which she could lord herself and gloat.

She mortally embarrassed the IDF for about 5 nanoseconds and was made to issue a faux-sincere apology:

I apologize if anyone was hurt [by what I did]. I actually took pains to look after prisoners.

Now she’s back, but in much bloodier form. Once again, she’s using Facebook, and once again she’s uploaded the formerly embarrassing pictures of abused Palestinian prisoners. But now she’s expressing downright homicidal views. Ido Kenan reports (Hebrew) that she come out swinging against not only the killers of the Fogel family of Itamar, but all Arabs. In the first posting she writes:

DDDEATHHH to ARABSSSSSS

In the second, she writes:

Fuck you, stinking Arabs!!!

In the third she writes:

C’MON LET’S MAKE AN ARAB SHOAH NOWWWWW!!!!!!!!

One of his Facebook Friends jokingly warned her that the new images might end up on TV. To which she replied:

Death to Arabs. Let ‘em!

This is the true face of Israeli youth. At least a large slice who harbor barely concealed homicidal rage against all Palestinians that needs only the spark of a terror act to rear its ugly head. No recognition, of course, on the part of Ms. Abergil that her own actions as an IDF soldier in abusing prisoners under her “care” did their share to fuel fires of hatred.

It shouldn’t be any wonder that one of the “lucky” Palestinians to have himself degraded before the world in these pictures, was sentenced this week to 7 1/2 years in prison for allegedly arranging for the preparation of suicide vests. It didn’t assist the convicted man that he claimed he’s actually persuaded a would-be suicide bomber not to carry out an act of terror. Such claims are automatically discounted in the face of Shabak “evidence.”

H/t to Dena Shunra.

Tags: arab, facebook, holocaust, Israel Defense Forces, Itamar, palestinians, racism
Posted in Mideast Peace | 90 Comments »

Tikkun Magazine Celebrates 25th Anniversary, Honors Judge Goldstone

Thursday, March 17th, 2011

Tikkun Magazine 25th anniversary awardees

Rabbi Michael Lerner’s Tikkun Magazine held a gala celebration of its 25th anniversary and honored Judge Richard Goldstone, author of the UN’s Gaza human rights report, on March 14th at UC Berkeley. Tikkun bestowed the the award on Goldstone and other distinguished Muslim, Hispanic and Jewish human rights activists. Among them were Naomi Newman, founder of the Traveling Jewish Theater and Hon. Raul Grijalva.

Tikkun has played an extraordinary role during its lifetime in the cultural, political and intellectual life of American Jewry. I join in celebrating its important achievements.

I apologize for not getting word of this important event to my readers before it happened. I’m certain it was well-attended and I would’ve love to have been there. Unfortunately, I’ve been a bit distracted by the Rachel Neuwirth libel trial which gets underway in a few days.

Tags: rabbi, tikkun magazine
Posted in Jews & Judaism, Mideast Peace, Politics & Society | 8 Comments »

Ukraine-Israel Quid Pro Quo: Abusisi Extraordinary Rendition in Return for Free Trade Agreement

Thursday, March 17th, 2011

Avigdor Lieberman and Azarov meet to finalize quid pro quo free trade agreement after Abusisi's kidnapping

The Ukrainian government has tipped its hand regarding what may’ve bought its cooperation in the extraordinary rendition of Dirar Abusisi from its territory last month to a Shabak dungeon inside Israel. During a meeting with Avigdor Lieberman, Nicolai Azarov, Ukraine’s prime minister said:

The Prime Minister of Ukraine noted that he urged the Israel to speed up development of all necessary documents in order to introduce the FTA by year-end between Ukraine and Israel.

“I urge Israel to take the next step after the abolition of visa regime between our countries that we try together and could complete the negotiations on a Free Trade Area by the end of year” – stressed Mykola [Nicolai] Azarov. He noted that it would intensify the economic relations between Ukraine and Israel.

In turn, Avigdor Lieberman said that bilateral relations between Ukraine and Israel have developed a very high level. “We hope that this year will be done significant breakthrough not onlyin our political, but also in economic relations “ - he said.

Azarov during his Israel visit: expressing more sympathy for victims of Holocaust and cancer than Palestinian victims of his own security services

Of course, the one element that was left out of this statement was the intensification of security cooperation between the two nations, a factor that was emphasized in Yossi Melman’s report which I quoted in a post a few days ago.

We will watch with great interest for Israel’s agreement and ratification of the FTA. That would tell us a lot about the quid pro quo for this egregious violation of international law. It would also indicate how little value Ukraine places on human rights, especially of non-citizens; and that it places a far higher value on commerce.

Dirar now has a new private lawyer. She is Smadar Ben Natan, a veteran Israeli human rights attorney who has defended some of the most prominent Israeli Jewish and Palestinian security detainees. She has been refused contact by prison authorities with her client currently, but is hoping to have her first meeting with him on March 22nd. In a comment in the threads yesterday, Veronika Abusisi, Dirar’s wife wrote that his remand was likely to be extended. This is common in security cases, which gives the Shabak longer time to interrogate the victim and extract information often while denying him access to his attorney.