Henry Makow Ph.D.: Facebook is a CIA Databank !!

On November 4, the Associated Press reported that the CIA has an entire center dedicated to monitoring Facebook and Twitter. They also monitor TV stations and print newspapers. "The Open Source Center," established in 2005 by the office of the Director of National Intelligence, has been operating since the 9/11 Commission's call for foreign counterintelligence. Though the CIA claims it only monitors foreign activity, I am skeptical. Not only has the CIA been using proxies, but it has devoted an entire center for that operation. Remember when Mark Zuckerberg called his users "dumb fucks"? If that is not a clear sign of the disdain for Facebook users, consider these new disturbing facts: Nik Cubrilovic, an entrepreneur, hacker and writer, revealed that Facebook tracked and stored the Internet browsing of its 750 million users, even after they had left the site. Facebook conceded that certain events had happened, but denied they were intentional and used for tracking. It was discovered recently, that when you click on any trivial buttons on Facebook, for example the "Likes", it could be assumed that there is something shady about it. Also, you are opening yourself to being tracked by Facebook!

Wayne Madsen: War Clouds Over Iran

Israel's all-powerful lobby in Washington, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), an organization composed of Israeli collaborators, infiltrators, and outright traitors to the United States, is steamrolling through the House of Representatives HR 1905, which would prohibit the President of the United States, the Secretary of State, members of the US Foreign Service, or any special envoy from engaging in any sort of conduct, official or unofficial, with any member or agent of the government of Iran. Only when the President informs the requisite committees may he proceed with engaging on diplomatic contact with Iran. Israel has de-facto control over the foreign affairs committees of Congress, so any White House notification of the need to contact Iranian officials would be instantly transmitted to Binyamin Netanyahu's office in Jerusalem, and Israel would then circumvent any US-Iranian contact. AIPAC, with its resolution, is further making the United States a vassal of the Jewish state. Israel's strategy is to make certain that its plans to attack Iran's nuclear facilities and, perhaps other targets, meet no opposition from diplomatic circles in the United States. As always, Israel has placed its own interests well beyond, and in contravention of those of the United States. Faced with the prospect of of an Israeli attack on Iran, backed by Saudi Arabia, Israel's secret ally in the region the threat has had ripple effects across the Middle East and Asia.

Devvy Kidd: Iran, Bush, and Communist China

Has anyone seen or heard a direct threat from Iran to launch a nuclear weapon at America? Invade America? Has there been any credible threat from Iran to do the United States any harm? Media sources continue to report with a certainty that Iran is going to attack the United States with a nuclear weapon, based on "intelligence sources." Do the American people believe Iran would be so foolish as to lob a nuclear weapon at the United States? There's no question our military capability is superior. We could wipe out Iran with a snap of the fingers. They know it, we know it. Iran maintains they have the sovereign right to develop nuclear power, just like Britain, France, China, India, Israel, Pakistan, Russia and the United States have already developed deploy-able nuclear weapons under their sovereign status. North Korea is also being accused of building up a nuclear capability, allegedly based on the constant threats of military action by Bush. Since the 1960's, both the Russians and Communist Chinese have provided substantial support to North Korea's efforts. As recent as 2003, Pakistan began playing a substantial role in making North Korea's nuclear program a success. Communist China, Russia and Pakistan, all supposed friends of the United States, helping an enemy of America build their nuclear program. Few Americans realize Communist China and Russia are the two biggest host nations for terrorists on this globe.

Eric W. Dolan: Michigan Supreme Court Upholds Foreclosure!

The Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday reversed an appeals court ruling that held the Mortgage Electronic Registration System (MERS) had illegally foreclosed on thousands of homes last spring, according to Bloomberg. The Michigan Court of Appeals had ruled that MERS, a national system to assist in the sale of mortgage debt, didn't have the legal right to foreclose by advertisement when it didn't lend the money. The decision had been used in multiple lawsuits seeking to prevent or void foreclosures, but the state Supreme Court held that Michigan law allowed foreclosure by parties acting as servicing agents. Democrats blasted the ruling, noting that the Michigan Association of Realtors spent $450,000 to help elect Republican justices in 2010. "This is just another pro-special interest, pro-big bank decision by the Michigan Supreme Court," Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer said. "These Republican Justices repeatedly side with the special interests who fill their campaign coffers during election season. Siding with big banks over the victims of illegal foreclosure is inexcusable, and the voters will hold this Court accountable in 2012." "We need a Court that is fair and unbiased," added Brewer. "If you are an insurance company, oil company, big bank, or polluter, this is the Court for you."

Lisa Karpova: CIA Admits to Monitoring Social Network Worldwide!!

The Central Intelligence Agency of the United States employs hundreds of analysts for clues about the 'mood' of the local population and reactions to the country. They operate in monitoring social networks around the world in search of threats to national security. Relationships are also checked to probe local opinion. Installed in an industrial shed at a secret location, the agency team, dubbed "vengeful librarians," follows five million tweets per day, plus Facebook, newspapers, TV news channels, radio stations worldwide, Internet chat-rooms, etc. According to AP, from Arabic to Mandarin, from an incensed tweet from a reflective blog, analysts gather information and cross them with local newspapers or even illegally intercepted telephone conversations. With these data, they draw a picture about how many perceive the US in a given country or the degree of satisfaction of the population. A report said the team also managed to predict the events of the so-called "Arab Spring" in Egypt. "We have seen that social networks in places like Egypt could become a threat to the regime," said Doug Naqim, named director of the CIA Open Source Center. The actions of the team began work on the recommen -dation of Congress after the attacks of 11/09. Today there are hundreds of analysts who study web access in China, to the ebb and flow of social groups on the streets in Pakistan.

AboveTopSecret: ATS- T

The real reason behind the overthrow of Moammar Gadaffi's government are exposed: Under orders from a cabal of international bankers, the CIA trained and equipped al-Qaeda terrorists and set them on the path of revolution that ended with a new Libyan Central Bank and the black flag of al-Qaeda flying over the Benghazi courthouse. Assisted by NATO forces and Qatari Army soldiers, and supplied with weapons by the Qataris, these al-Qaeda terrorists succeeded in removing the Libyan leader from power before brutally murdering him. Now, as the "legitimate" government of Libya, the NTC is waging a genocide against black Libyans, African guest workers, members of Gadaffi's tribe, and his supporters. You'll never see this in the Mainstream Media! In other news, Bobby speaks with Nate Wessler, Senior Fellow of the ACLU's National Security Project. Mr. Wessler's field of expertise is the practice of "Targeted Assassinations," which are being used against those individuals whom President Obama has deemed a threat to national security. In this interview, Wessler states the ACLU's position that the President has unlawfully assumed the mantle of "Judge, Jury, and Executioner," and the civil rights organization is "deeply troubled" about US citizens being targeted for assassination without any type of judicial review or Congressional oversight. In this latest version of Street View, our team heads back to the streets of New York to see if people are aware of "Chemtrails" and the related conspiracies. While the idea of chemically infused contrails spark a lot of debate, very few people have actually heard of them.

Stephanie Condon: Ron Paul Moves to Top Tier!!

The Iowa caucuses are just seven weeks away, but Republican voters in the nation's first presiden -tial nominating state seem as torn as ever over the GOP field. A new Bloomberg poll of likely caucus participants shows a four-way tie in Iowa, with Rep. Ron Paul joining Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain in the top tier of candidates. Underscoring the uncertainty in the race, 60 percent of respondents said they could be persuaded to back someone other than their first choice for the nomination. The poll, conducted November 10-12 by the West Des Moines- based firm Selzer & Co, shows Cain in the lead with 20 percent, while Paul comes in at 19 percent. The margin of error is 4.4 percent. While Christian conservatives have more influence in Iowa than they do in the rest of the nation, only a quarter of likely caucus-goers say social issues are more important than economic issues. As many as 71 percent say they're voting on issues like jobs and taxes. The focus on economic issues has likely advantaged Paul, who is known for his strong libertarian views. The Texas congressman wins the most support, 32 percent, from likely caucus-goers who say they've made up their minds.

The Silver Bear Cafe: Federal Reserve Reveals $16 Trillion in Secret Bailouts

The first ever GAO (Government Accountability Office) audit of the Federal Reserve was carried out in the past few months, due to the Ron Paul, Alan Grayson Amendment to the Dodd-Frank bill, which passed last year. Jim DeMint, a Republican Senator, and Bernie Sanders, an independent Senator, led the charge for a Federal Reserve audit in the Senate, but watered down the original language of the house bill (HR1207), so that a complete audit would not be carried out. Ben Bernanke, Alan Greenspan, and various other bankers vehemently opposed the audit and lied to Congress about the effects an audit would have on markets. Nevertheless, the results of the first audit in the Federal Reserve's nearly 100 year history were posted on Senator Sander's webpage earlier this morning. What was revealed in the audit was startling: $16,000,000,000,000.00 had been secretly given out to US banks and corporations, and foreign banks everywhere from France to Scotland.From the period between December 2007 and June 2010, the Federal Reserve had secretly bailed out many of the world's banks, corporations, and governments. The Federal Reserve likes to refer to these 'secret' bailouts as an all-inclusive loan program, but virtually none of the money has been returned, and it was loaned at 0% interest. The American Public would have been outraged to find out that the Federal Reserve bailed out foreign banks while Americans were struggling to find jobs!

Chris Isidore: Fannie, Freddie Execs Score $100 Million Payday

Mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac received the biggest federal bailout of the financial crisis. Nearly $100 million of those tax dollars went to lucrative pay packages for top executives, as filings show. The top five executives at Fannie Mae received $28.1 million, and each company has set pay targets of as much as $28.1 million. Each company also set pay targets of as much as $17 million for its top managers for 2011. That's a total of $95.4 million for its top managers for 2011. That's a total of $95.4 million, which will essentially be coming from tax- payers, who have been keeping the mortgage finance giants alive with regular quarterly cash infusions since the Federal Home Finance Agency (FHFA) took control of the companies in Sept- ember 2008. Fannie CEO Michael Williams and Freddie CEO Charles Halderman each received about $5.5 million in pay for the last year, and they could receive more when their final deferred compensation for 2010 is set. All the executives receive a significant portion of their pay in the year or years "after they earn it". The CEO's pay targets for 2011 are about $6 million a piece, though Halderman might not get that money since he's announced plans to leave Freddie sometime in 2012.

Aya Batrawy: Arab League Votes to Suspend Syria Over Killings

In a surprisingly sharp move, the Arab League voted Saturday to suspend Syria over the country's bloody crackdown on an eight-month uprising, and stepped up calls on the army to stop killing civilians. The decision was a humiliating blow to a regime that prides itself as a bastion of Arab nationalism, but it was unlikely to immediately end a wave of violence that the UN estimates has killed more than 3,500 people since mid-March. "Syria is a dear country for all of us, and it pains us to make this decision, Qatar's Foreign Minister Hamid bin Jassim told reporters. "We hope there will be a brave move from Syria to stop the violence and begin a real dialogue toward real reform." In Damascus, pro-regime demonstrators threw eggs and tomatoes at the Qatari Embassy to protest the vote. The 22-member Arab League will monitor the situation, and revisit the decision in a meeting Wednesday in the Moroccan capital, Rabat, bin Jassim said, a move that appeared to give Syrian President Bashar Assad time to avert the suspension, but Syria has been unwilling to heed previous calls to end the violence. Saturday's vote came after Damascus failed to carry out a November 2 peace deal brokered by the Arab League, that called on Syria to halt the attacks, and pull the tanks out of cities.

Ron Paul: Cain, Bachman, Have 'Un-American' Beliefs on Torture!

Texas Rep. Ron Paul on Saturday called supporting torture "un-American" after two of his rivals for the GOP presidential nomination said that if they were elected, they would allow waterboarding to be used on detainees captured by the United States. At Saturday night's CBS/National Journal Republican presidential debate in South Carolina, businessman Herman Cain said of waterboard -ing, a technique where water is poured over the face of a detainee to simulate drowning: "I don't see it as torture, I see it as an enhanced interrogation technique." Likewise, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann said to applause: "If I were president, I would be willing to use water-boarding." Paul made it clear that he couldn't disagree more with Cain and Bachmann. "Torture is illegal, and water-boarding is torture," Paul said. "It's illegal under international law, and under our law. It's also immoral and it's also very impractical. There is no evidence that you really get reliable evidence." Paul added: "I think it's uncivilized. It would have no practical advantages and is really un-American to accept on principle that we would torture people we will capture." His campaign also immediately emailed reporters after the exchange in the debate: "In the '80's the Reagan Department of Justice defined water-boarding as torture. Ron Paul is a Reagan Republican, his views are in line with that definition. Most of the other candidates on stage believe otherwise," Paul press secretary Gary Howard said. One other candidate, former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, agreed with Paul.

Franklin Lamb: Libya's La Terreur Metastisizes

France's early September 1793 to late July 1794 Reign of Terror, the period of violence following the initial "success" of the French Revolution was incited by conflict between rival political factions and was marked by mass executions including "disappearances" of perceived enemies of the revolution. Libya has entered its own La Terreur, which is spreading inexorably, and is aided by NATO member states, including American, French and British SAS units, known locally as "disappearance squads". This is one of the rapidly developing consequences of the UN's rush to "protect Libya's civilian population" last spring. And it is why human rights investigators are arriving in Benghazi Libya this week. "Approximately 1,085.92082238 kilometers, or roughly 600 miles from Cairo to Benghazi" is what the lovely travel agent who works a couple of doors down from the Swedish Cafe off Tahir Sq reported as she wanted this observer to take a fancy high rise double decker luxury bus to Benghazi where I was headed from Cairo. In the end, I settled for sharing a dump truck at one-third the cost across the Egyptian and Libyan desert to the Courthouse in Benghazi. It didn't seem such a bad idea following meetings in nearby countries, especially considering alternative routes, which would have involved flying to Tunis, then another flight to Jerba, and then the six hours jammed service ride to Tripoli. I had been there, and done that more than once, and needed to leave right away to meet some people who were being held in one of Benghazi's teeming jails.

Richard Spencer: Iran Missile Development Commander Killed

An explosion at a Revolutionary Guard base in Iran killed a senior commander in charge of the country's missile development program. Authorities have indicated that Mossad, the Israeli intelligence was involved. Brigadier General Hassan Moghaddam was said to be "responsible for industrial research aimed at ensuring self-sufficiency of the Revolutionary Guards' armaments", a coded way of confirming reports that he was responsible for its missile inventory. The authorities claimed the explosion was caused by an accident, which happened as ammunition was being moved, but the high-profile status of its main victim will add to the speculation that it was an act of sabotage aimed at the country's nuclear weapons program. One US-based commentator known to have good sources in Israel's military community said he had been told it was carried out by Mossad, co-operating with an exile group, the People's Mojaheddin of Iran (MEK). He drew comparisons with an explosion at a base housing Shahab-3 long-range missiles just over a year ago, which killed 18 people, and which was also put down by authorities to a fire in an ammunition depot. Neither Mossad nor Israel ever claims responsibility for such acts, but Israeli media began speculating immediately as to the nature of the blast, which sent shock- waves from the base as far away as Tehran, 25 miles to the east. Seventeen people were killed, according to the Revolutionary Guard spokesman, General Ramazan Sharif.

Daily Mail Reporter: Oklahoma Earthquake Caused by Energy-Drilling Process

The reason behind last week's earthquake in Oklahoma is still eluding scientists, though they think it might have been connected to the growing use of hydraulic "fracturing." The process, commonly called 'fracking', pumps water into the earth, in an effort to release natural gas and oil. Scientists first noticed that small earthquakes in Oklahoma, with magnitudes between 1 and 2.8 near a fracking site in August, though they did nothing to stop its usage: Researchers said there was not enough evidence to say with 'a high degree of certainty' that the small earthquakes were caused by fracking. The small tremors were felt by residents, but were nothing compared to the 5.6 magni -tude earthquake that struck the Sooner State last Saturday evening. Scientists are puzzled by the recent seismic activity. It appeared the latest quake occurred on the Wilzetta fault, but researchers may never know for sure. Earthquakes that hit east of the Rocky Mountains are harder to pinpoint because the fault systems are not as well studied as major faults like the San Andreas in California. Arkansas also has seen a big increase in earthquake activity, which residents have blamed on injection wells. Natural gas companies engaged in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, use fluid to break apart shale and rock to release natural gas. Injection wells then dispose of the fluid by injecting it back into the ground. There are 181 injection wells in Oklahoma.

Stephen Lendman: America's New World Order Agenda

Our new world order strategy dictates major global economic, political, and military policies. Nothing happens accidentally. Events are manipulated. At issue is world dominance. America, Israel, and key NATO nations are partnered to achieve it. Wars, economic disruption, financial terrorism, and other upheavals play out in real time. Grand schemes lie behind them. Today's economic crisis wasn't happenstance. It was well planned, willful policy to transfer unprecedented wealth into private hands. Super-rich crooks got richer. Social inequalities deepened. Unmanage -able debt levels skyrocketed. "Bailouts" metaphorically mean grand theft. Unknown trillions of dollars, euros and pounds vanished to secret accounts and offshore tax havens. Currencies are being debased. Crisis conditions worsen. At issue is subverting democracy, ending social justice, and consolidating global power in private hands. Political analyst Peter Eyre calls it "a well orchestrated master plan to swindle trillions of taxpayer dollars from so many countries." Pumping them into banks and financial institutions lets them game the system advantageously. "Are you starting to get the picture?" "In a nutshell, the elite 'New World Order' (rulers) got into bed with the banking and financial sectors, who then got into bed with the governments of the world, who then got into bed with senior political figures, who then told us, the taxpayers, that all your money will now have to be used to bail them out, or face economic collapse." It's a con, a scam to loot wealth from nations and households. Anyone facing default gets in trouble. Individual borrowers have their assets seized by creditors. Governments have to deal with the loan shark of last resort, the IMF. In sum, its financial terrorism, New World Order tyranny, waging war on nations and humanity for profit and power.

Paul Craig Roberts: Western Democracy-A Farce And Sham

Every day which passes adds to the fraudulent image of what is called "Western Democracy". Consider that the entire Western world is outraged that the Greek prime minister announced that he is going to permit the Greek people to decide their own fate, instead of having it decided for them by a handful of banksters, politicians, and bureaucrats living it up at taxpayer expense at "talks" in the French resort of Cannes on the Mediterranean. The Greek economy is facing its fourth year of decline, and lacks the revenues to service its national debt held by private European banks. The banks don't want to lose any money, so a handful of power brokers reached an agreement with representatives of the Greek government to write off some of the debt in exchange for EU capital subsidies to be financed by inflicting severe austerity on the Greek population. Wages, salaries, pensions and medical care are being cut, while the rate of unemployment rises to depression levels. Government employees are laid off. Valuable public properties are to be sold to private parties for pennies on the dollar. In short, Greece is to be looted. Large numbers of Greeks have been in the streets, protesting the austerity policy, and have reached the point of anger of throwing Molotov cocktails at the police. Greece is disintegrating politically.

PRAVDA: IAEA Report on Iran is a big FRAUD!!

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his country does not need nuclear weapons to "cut the hands" of the United States, and can achieve their goals by peaceful means, thus repudiating claims about its nuclear program. "Our nation can achieve success through reflection, its rich culture and prudence," Ahmadinejad said, in criticizing Washington and its allies, who use an assembly of unfounded allegations against the Islamic Republic. The president spoke before the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reports accusing Tehran of having nuclear weapons, something the country's government vehemently denies. "The US administration looks for prosperity by driving other countries to poverty, plundering their riches," Ahmadinejad accused. The Persian President warned that Washington "will certainly regret any firm response" to the country if the United States and Israel go ahead with any type of military action against Tehran, as has been announced recently in the media. Ahmadinejad also used the occasion to rebuke the IAEA director general, Japanese Yukiya Amano, for being "a puppet" of the White House, challenging him to bring accurate and reliable information about the nuclear activities of Iran, a signatory to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The report was classified by the government of the Asian country as "ridiculous and contrived," considering it more as a "repetition of unfounded accusations by the United States and the Zionists." The president also affirmed that the administration of Barack Obama "arrogantly accuses Iran of producing nuclear bombs, while it has more than five thousand atomic products, which demonstrates the lack of US commitment to nuclear disarmament." "This year, the United States has earmarked $81 billion to modernize its nuclear weapons, while the annual budget for nuclear research in Iran is 250 million dollars," said Ahmadinejad.

Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey: Why is There a Media Blackout on Libya?

Has anyone noticed the virtual silence on Libya among western news agencies? If Libya were quiet and without any conflict, we could believe the lies that a dictator has been toppled and his tortured people freed, to live in peace and democracy, but this is not the case! Colonel Gaddafi warned NATO about the enormous mistake which was being made, before the invasion began. Unfortun -ately, NATO would not to learn in time. Our story begins with lies about a 'bloodthirsty' dictator, who posed a threat to the US or its allies. Soon, UNO is bullied into making NATO the world police -man, after which NATO bombs destroy Libya, murdering men, women and children using cluster bombs, and breaching every rule in the book. Soon, the 'kangaroo' courts clear up the mess. The country's funds have been stolen, and its infrastructure destroyed with NATO hardware. Then, rebuilding contracts are handed out to bolster the economies of the invading forces. Kangaroo courts are set up to clear the mess, and they notice that Libya's funds have been stolen. The 'RATS' continue their horrendous human rights abuses, torching buildings, raping women and young girls, destroying public and private property, murdering, torturing, stealing and looting, and sowing chaos among the beleaguered citizens. What do Obama, Cameron and Sarkozy have to say to that? NOTHING !!!

Damien McElroy: Iran Slams 'Unprofessional' IAEA Chief

Iran's fury at the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) report accusing Tehran of building a nuclear bomb was yesterday directed against the agency's Japanese leader and his Western backers. Ali Ashgar Soltanieh said Iran would retaliate for the sweeping nature of the report by suspending access to parts of its nuclear program that it regards as a voluntary gesture to allay international concern. "The UN atomic watchdog should not become a subsidiary of the Security Council, publishing false accusations dictated from New York and Washington," he said. "We will ensure that some steps we are taking beyond what we are obliged to do will not be continued, such as opening up or research and development and the heavy water program. We are under no obligation to do this." Speaking as he drove from the spacious villa that houses his delegation in central Vienna to the IAEA headquarters across the river, Mr Soltanieh pulled an invitation letter to Tehran, addressed to the IAEA director general Yukiya Amano last month. On a grey day in the Austrian capital, he built a broad case that Mr Amano had acted in bad faith by pursuing an agenda to smear Iran with discredited accusations. "Whatever is in the report is old accusations that we dealt with," he said.

Saman Mhammadi: 9 Ways The Hijacked Government is Waging War Against Americans

"The minute we fell for 9/11, we signed our doom," said Paul Craig Roberts on the Alex Jones Show on November 9, 2011. Alex responded, "9/11 is America's death warrant." In the ten years since 9/11, America has been turned into a third world police state, with a large underclass, a rapidly declining middle class, and a plutocracy that has broken its economic, political and emotional ties with America. America's traitorous political establishment has abandoned ship. They are treating America like a dump. Instead of building new bridges and creating jobs at home, they are shipping jobs overseas and forcing millions of Americans to beg for a piece of meat. Even the body parts of American war heroes are discarded in landfill sites. That act is symbolic of the fact that the new world order traitors in Washington think of the American people as garbage and dirt. On 9/11, the new world order traitors declared war on America and humanity. So far, they have carried out the war from behind the scenes, in the shadows, in the heart of government, while posing as America's protectors. But that could change any day, because the police state infrastructure that they have constructed the last three decades, in the guise of 'fighting terrorism' and 'stopping the flow of drugs into America' has given them the ability to wage their war against America out in the open. They have the resources and the will to completely destroy America. All that is missing is 'the perfect storm'. After the snakes of the new world order cause the perfect storm, the wolves of the new world order will be unleashed on America. At that point, the war against America and humanity will enter a new stage.

Harriet Sherwood: Palestinians May Push for UN Vote They Expect to Lose!

Palestinians may demand a vote on UN membership to force other countries to justify their refusal of support. The Palestinians are resigned to losing their battle for majority backing within the United Nations security council for their application for full UN membership, but may still press for a vote next week in an attempt to discomfort countries who abstain or vote against. The security council is to meet in New York on Friday to consider a report on the Palestinian bid. However, the Palestinians have failed to muster the required two-thirds majority among its 15 members, thus sparing the US the need to use its veto to prevent the application being approved. The Palestinians will also officially receive the report on Friday, and the leadership will meet to decide future steps, according to a Palestinian official. "There will definitely be a no vote at the security council tomorrow," he said. One of the options for the Palestinians to consider is to demand a vote next week, knowing they will lose. "Let these countries publicly justify why they will not support a Palestinian state," said the official. The British foreign secretary, William Hague, looked "deeply uncomfortable" in the House of Commons this week when explaining Britain's decision to abstain in any vote, he added. Another option is to take their case to the UN general assembly without a security council vote. The Palestinians are expected to win the support of more than two-thirds of the UN's 193 countries, but the general assembly can only approve upgraded observer status rather than full membership. However, enhanced "non- member state" status may allow the Palestinians access to international bodies such as the international criminal court. "The most important thing is who is going to win in the final round," the Palestinian foreign minister, Riad al-Malki, told Associated Press. "There will be other rounds, and we will never despair." He blamed the US for "huge intervention" to dissuade members of the security council from supporting the Palestinian bid. Eight security council members, Russia, China, South Africa, India, Brazil, Lebanon, Nigeria and Gabon are expected to vote in favor of Palestinian membership.