Middle East mega thread (WARNING CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES.)

Syria conflict anniversary: My friends stayed in Syria, now most of them are dead

These Syrian Refugee Photos Tell An Unlikely Story Of Human Resiliency

Syria: Human Rights Watch — Regime Air Attacks Terrorize Aleppo & Kill 2,400 Civilians Since November

Syria Is Now Facing A Drought As Well As Food Shortages

Pair of car bombs explode in Syrian city of Homs

Syria: Bashar al-Assad 'launching chemical weapons attacks with chlorine'

Despair of the Syrian beggar boy

‘Vote for the blood Ba’ath’: Tweeps mock Syria poll

I am simply against the drugs and smugglers. What a waste of time, money and life.

U.N. official asks if 1 million Syrians must die before world acts

Syria chemical attacks: Deformities and deaths are the consequence of Assad's attacks

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...hs-are-the-consequence-of-Assads-attacks.html

Teenage Syrian Girls Are Being Sold Into Forced Marriages To Save Their Families

Palestinian children are not just statistics

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: iTunes, Assad, and Right Said Fred



Published by Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on June 8, 2014

Right Said Fred appears on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver to tell Syrian president Bashar al-Assad what a dick he is. It's going to be especially disappointing to Assad, as they are one of his favorite bands.

Lyrics:

YOU'RE TOO AWFUL FOR THIS EARTH
TOO AWFUL FOR THIS EARTH
SO AWFUL IT HURTS
YOUR FACE BARELY HAS A CHIN
IT BARELY HAS A CHIN
YOU LOOK JUST LIKE HIM...

PLEASE, STOP DOWNLOADING OUR TRACKS
STOP DOWNLOADING OUR TRACKS
HERE'S YOUR MONEY BACK

YOU'RE A MONSTER
WE HATE YOUR REGIME
AND WE THINK YOU SHOULD BE TRIED FOR WAR CRIMES
YEAH, FOR WAR CRIMES
FOR WAR CRIMES
YOU SHOULD PROBABLY BE ON TRIAL FOR WAR CRIMES

YOU'RE AN OPTHAMOLOGIST
AN OPTHAMOLOGIST
HEY, CAN YOU READ THIS?

YOU ARE JUST A WALKING TAINT
THE OPPOSITE OF A SAINT
AT LEAST HITLER COULD PAINT

YOU'RE A MONSTER
AND A VOLLEYBALL FAN

BUT MORE THAN THAT, YOU'RE AN ASSHOLE
YOU'RE AN ASSHOLE
WHO'S AFRAID OF HIS MOM
YOU'RE A MURDEROUS MOM-FEARING ASSHOLE
YOU'RE AN ASSHOLE!
YOU'RE AN ASSHOLE, YEAH!
EVERYONE THINKS YOU'RE AN ASSHOLE!

YOU'RE AN ASSHOLE!
YOU'RE AN ASSHOLE, YEAH!
EVERYONE THINKS YOU'RE AN ASSHOLE!
PLEASE STOP LISTENING TO OUR SONGS.

Gruesome Footage Of ISIS Atrocities Reveals Al Qaeda Jihadists "Will Stop At Nothing"

Howard Jacobson: Let's see the 'criticism' of Israel for what it really is

Well, there will always be people claiming criticism of Israel is anti-semitism.
Nothing new, this is part of the strategy, i.e. of the Reut Institute and other hasbaraists.

Current strategy seems to mix fighting against the corrupt and insane palestinian leadership (Hamas and PA) with negating the rights of palestinian people for their land and lives.
Good thing this comes from a corrupt and insane israeli government and not from the people of Israel. In their heart the people know there is only one solution: One democratic and truely laizistic state. The voices realizing this should shout loader every day. If Israel could give up it's zionist and terrorist roots (lookup "zionist congresses", "Haganah" and "Irgun"), instant possibilities of peace and cooperation will arise.

This is interesting. The antisemitism charge confused and angered me, it seemed like a way to stifle debate. All criticism of Israel could be denied as it was "all antisemitic". There is a basis for that thinking- Israel was founded as the Jewish state. Therefore in Israeli eyes all criticism is antisemitic by definition. Americans see Israel as a country founded by Judism, not that the 2 things things are identical.
Here the antisemitism charge is used to end debate and Americans don't like that.
I don't see Israel and Judism as identical but at least I understand where they are coming from now.
To me Israel is a foreign country, I don't feel any special fondness for it. It's like the Cubans that moved here in the 50s, they feel we should support all Cuban American plans about Cuba. Not sure why they assume that, I don't understand why some of my friends won't hear anything against Israel. Pretty much I don't talk foreign politics with American Jews or American Cubans. They don't think it's foreign politics.

Fatah leader: US position on Gaza 'shameful'

Tragic Photos Of The Destruction In Gaza

Kurds seize Iraq oilfields, ministers pull out of government | Reuters

Kurdish forces seized two oilfields in northern Iraq and took over operations from a state-run oil company on Friday, while Kurdish politicians formally suspended their participation in Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government.

The moves escalated a feud between the Shi'ite-led central government and the autonomous Kurdish region driven by a Sunni insurgency which threatens to fragment Iraq along sectarian and ethnic lines three years after the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

The Kurdish forces took over production facilities at the Bai Hassan and Kirkuk oilfields near the city of Kirkuk, the oil ministry in Baghdad said. It called on the Kurds to withdraw immediately to avoid "dire consequences".

Kurdish forces took control of nearby Kirkuk a month ago after Iraqi troops withdrew in the face of a lightning assault by Islamic State militants, who have seized large parts of northern and western Iraq.

The two oilfields have a combined production capacity of 450,000 barrels per day but have not been producing significant volumes since March when Baghdad's Kirkuk-Ceyhan export pipeline was sabotaged.

An oil ministry spokesman in Baghdad described the takeover as dangerous and irresponsible.

"We ask the people responsible for this disorderly behaviour to withdraw immediately from these sites in order to avoid dire consequences," the spokesman, Asim Jihad, said.

Continued at http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/11/us-iraq-security-politics-idUSKBN0FG0R520140711

Hackers target Israeli Govt, claim leaking login details in support of Palestine

Palestinian factions to accept new 72-hour truce: Hamas official

Iraq conflict: Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki steps aside for successortep aside | CBC News

Facing enormous pressure at home and abroad to step aside, Nuri al-Maliki dropped his bid for a third term as prime minister of Iraq on Thursday and pledged support for his replacement, moderate Shia Haider al-Abadi.

Appearing on state television flanked by Abadi and other Shia politicians, Maliki spoke of the grave "terrorist" threat from Islamic State Sunni militants before giving up on his fight to stay on.

Continued at http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/iraq-c...-steps-aside-for-successortep-aside-1.2736091

Agence France-Presse ‏@AFP 23m
#BREAKING Gunmen attack Saudi prince's motorcade outside Paris, rob 250,000 euros: police

Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters: Why moral perversity of U.S. position in Gaza is stunning

No water soon in Camp Liberty
http://www.ncr-iran.org/en/news/ash...delivery-to-iranians-refugees-in-camp-liberty

Where the f is camp liberty

We demand that Intl. Criminal Court & UN charge Benjamin Netanyahu & Israel for War Crimes against Humanity

Assad War Crimes in Syria

http://syrianfight.com/
SYRIANFIGHT
Documenting war crimes in Syria

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Liberty

Iranian Executed for “Insulting the Prophet Jonas”

The killings do not stop.
http://freethoughtblogs.com/marginoferr/2014/09/24/iranian-executed-for-insulting-the-prophet-jonas/

Got him! Jihadi John is 'wounded in US airstrike on secret bunker meeting of ISIS high command'

By Abul Taher, Daily Mail Online

• Jihadi John was in a bunker in northern Iraq with the leader of ISIS
• A US airstrike destroyed the bunker, killing an estimated 10 ISIS leaders
• Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was believed to have been injured in the airstrike
• The Foreign Office confirmed they are investigating reports the injuries
• A nurse claimed one of the men was the man who 'slaughtered journalists'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...Office-confirms-MOS-aware-reports-injury.html

Sydney cafe under siege - what we know so far

• We are almost three hours into the siege and there is a lot of conflicting reports and speculation. Here is a brief rundown of what we actually do know:
• Customers and staff at Lindt Cafe in Martin Place, Sydney, were taken hostage about 9.45am. There are varying reports on the number of hostages but four have been sighted in camera footage. They were made to stand up against the windows with their hands raised.
• There is at least one gunman.
• A black flag with white writing was put in the window of the cafe. It is not an Islamic State flag. The flag appears to bear the Shahada, an Islamic creed which reads: “There is no god but the God, Muhammad is the messenger of God.” It’s can be a benign symbol and appears across the Islamic world, including on the Saudi Arabian flag. But it has also been embraced by jihadi groups such as Jabhat Al-Nusra, an Al-Qaeda affiliate currently fighting in Syria.
• The prime minister, Tony Abbott, confirmed the national security committee of cabinet has convened for briefings.
• Buildings in the area have been evacuated, as has the Sydney Opera House though it has not been confirmed why the Opera House has been evacuated.
• The prime minister will address media soon.

Source, and updates on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/live/u2pwph99rvy6

BBC live coverage: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-30474089

Updates on Twitter: https://twitter.com/search?f=realtime&q=Sydney

https://twitter.com/9NewsSyd

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahada

Sydney siege: Man behind siege named as Iranian cleric Man Haron Monis

Iranian cleric Man Haron Monis is the man police believe is behind the siege at the Lindt Chocolat Cafe in Sydney's Martin Place.

Monis, who was granted political asylum in Australia, is currently on bail for a string of violent offences, including being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife.

He is also facing more than 40 sexual and indecent assault charges and has a conviction for sending offensive letters to the families of deceased Australian soldiers.

<snipped>

His former lawyer, Manny Conditsis, said Monis was an isolated figure who was acting alone. "His ideology is just so strong and so powerful that it clouds his vision for common sense and objectiveness," he said.

Mr Conditsis represented Monis last year when he was charged with being accessory to the murder of ex-wife Noleen Hayson Pal, who was stabbed and set alight outside a western Sydney unit.

"Knowing he was on bail for very serious offences, knowing that while he was in custody some terrible things happened to him, I thought he may consider that he's got nothing to lose," he said. "Hence participating in something as desperate and outrageous as this."

Mr Conditsis said the public could be assured that the siege was not the work of an organised terrorist group. This is a one-off random individual," he said. "It's not a concerted terrorism event or act. It's a damaged-goods individual who's done something outrageous."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-...onis-named-as-man-behind-sydney-siege/5969246

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheikh_Haron

I condemn this criminal act by Man Haron Monis unequivocally. This idiot adds to anti-Muslim propaganda, putting all the Muslims in one sack. I hope the cops will find a way to shoot him dead without hurting the hostages. It is the people like him that creates hate towards millions of good people around the world.
Stay safe.
BK

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Iran's regime has zero to do with Sydney siege. This man ( Mohammad Hassan Boroojerdi ) is a lone actor unless he is Sunni, he is not an ISIS suporter either.

From Shargh newspaper in Tehran

Siege is over: police

NSW Police have confirmed the siege is over.

Shots have been fired, but police will not confirm details of injuries or casualties.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/lindt-caf...tin-place-sydney-day-two-20141215-127suz.html