Saturday, March 22, 2008
Iraq Detention Case Heads to High Court (Washington Post)
In a jail guarded by U.S. military police on the outskirts of Baghdad, at a base where U.S. interrogators do the questioning, Iraqi American Mohammad Munaf and Jordanian American Shawqi Ahmad Omar are stuck in a peculiar legal limbo.
Munaf and Omar say that, because their jailers at Camp Cropper are under U.S. Army command, they are entitled to challenge their detention under U.S. law. But the Bush administration has argued in court that the prison belongs to the international military coalition called Multi-National Force-Iraq and that Munaf and Omar are therefore beyond the reach of U.S. courts.
The dispute is scheduled to be taken up by the Supreme Court on Tuesday, and the outcome could have broad implications for the rights of U.S. citizens held on international battlefields. Until the court rules, the extent of U.S. constitutional protections overseas remains unclear. (Link)
Stalwart Service for U.S. in Iraq Is Not Enough to Gain Green Card (Washington Post)
During his nearly four years as a translator for U.S. forces in Iraq, Saman Kareem Ahmad was known for his bravery and hard work. "Sam put his life on the line with, and for, Coalition Forces on a daily basis," wrote Marine Capt. Trent A. Gibson.
Gibson's letter was part of a thick file of support -- including commendations from the secretary of the Navy and from then-Maj. Gen. David H. Petraeus -- that helped Ahmad migrate to the United States in 2006, among an initial group of 50 Iraqi and Afghan translators admitted under a special visa program.
Last month, however, the U.S. government turned down Ahmad's application for permanent residence, known as a green card. His offense: Ahmad had once been part of the Kurdish Democratic Party, which U.S. immigration officials deemed an "undesignated terrorist organization" for having sought to overthrow former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. (Link)
Palestinian sources: No breakthrough in Hamas-Fatah reconciliation bid (Haaretz)
Senior Palestinian sources on Saturday denied reports of a breakthrough in reconciliation talks between Hamas and Fatah in Yemen's capital Sanaa.
On Saturday, Yemeni Foreign Minister Abubakr al-Qirbi told reporters that Fatah had already agreed to the final version of a draft accord, and that Hamas had asked for time to consult their leadership. However, Hamas now seems to be delaying its response to the Yemeni demand that Hamas give up control of Gaza.
Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said Satruday that Hamas had agreed only that the initiative could serve as a basis for talks and not as a precondition for immediate implementation. =
On Thursday, amid mutual recriminations, Fatah announced its people were
leaving Yemen. However, both sides subsequently acceded to a request of
Yemen's president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to continue the talks through
Saturday. (Link)
Labels: Fatah, Hamas, Palestine
Architect of Israel's birth faces extinction (Guardian)
One of the pillars on which the state of Israel was born, it encouraged successive waves of immigration, raised funds and acted as a powerful advocate for international Zionism.
Now, however, the Jewish Agency - founded in 1929 by the World Zionist Organisation - is facing the greatest crisis of its existence, amid proposals that it should no longer be involved in its traditional business of encouraging immigration, but function only as an educational body.
The agency, which raises most of its donations in dollars, is facing an acute financial crisis. The drop in the value of the US dollar has led it to consider closing down its operation organising aliyah - the return of Jews to Israel - regarded as one of Zionism's overriding historic priorities. At present almost half the agency's $320m budget goes on encouraging aliyah. The agency has also been struck by a drop in funds from its largely American pool of donors concerned that it is over-politicised. (Link)
Labels: Israel
Cheney backs Israel over security (BBC)
US Vice-President Dick Cheney has given strong backing to Israel at the start of a weekend of talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
Mr Cheney said the US would never put any pressure on Israel over issues he said would threaten its security.
From Jerusalem, he will visit the West Bank town of Ramallah on Sunday for talks with Palestinian leaders.
It is the latest leg of a tour which has included Iraq, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia.
"The United States will never pressure Israel to take steps to threaten its security," Mr Cheney said at a news conference in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. (Link)
Labels: Israel, Palestine, U.S.
Dubai-China trade jumps to 19.4 bln dlrs (AFP)
Trade between China and the Gulf emirate of Dubai jumped to 19.4 billion dollars in 2007, almost all of it in imports from Beijing, according to figures released in Dubai Saturday.
The figures compiled by government conglomerate Dubai World showed that exchanges rose from 13.18 billion dollars in 2006 to 19.4 billion dollars last year, a statement said.
China topped the list of countries from which Dubai imports goods, with imports valued at 19 billion dollars. Trade in the other direction, including re-exports, amounted to 0.4 billion.
Dubai, a member of the oil-rich United Arab Emirates, is a regional trade and tourism hub. UAE Prime Minister and Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed al-Maktoum will visit China starting March 31 to boost economic links. (Link)
Hundreds lay siege to NATO HQ on Iraq war anniversary (AFP)
Hundreds of demonstrators from member countries of NATO laid siege to the alliance's headquarters on the outskirts of Brussels Saturday to mark the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war.
Belgian police said they had briefly detained about 450 demonstrators in and around the headquarters located in the suburb of Evere.
Demonstrators were removed from the premises, identified and later released, Belga news agency quoted police as saying.
Minor damage was reported near the NATO building, police said but added that no charges had been filed.
"The police force was huge and they didn't hesitate to use dogs, horses, pepper spray, clubs and water cannon," Belga quoted one demonstrator as saying.
Belgian television showed police using powerful water jets to dislodge people trying to scale the high fencing around the NATO buildings. (Link)
Labels: European Union, Free Speech, Iraq, NATO
UAE to spend 4.4 bln dlrs on infrastructure (AFP)
UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan has allocated 4.4 billion dollars for infrastructure projects in parts of the oil-rich seven-emirate federation, the official WAM news agency said on Saturday.
The funds will go towards setting up new towns and intercity highways as well as stormwater and sewage systems in the northern emirates, WAM said without identifying which emirates will benefit from the projects.
The United Arab Emirates comprise the wealthy emirate of Abu Dhabi, the country's capital, as well as the booming state of Dubai -- both of which are spending billions of dollars on their infrastructure.
Northern emirates, where the economy is growing at a much slower pace, include Ajman, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Qaiwain.
Sheikh Khalifa is the ruler of Abu Dhabi. (Link)
Labels: U.A.E.
Yemen FM: Hamas-Fatah talks reach breakthrough (Haaretz)
Yemeni Foreign Minister Abubakr al-Qirbi said Saturday that there had been a breakthrough in reconciliation talks between Hamas and Fatah negotiators in Yemen's capital Sanaa.
Al-Qirbi told reporters following a meeting between the sides that a draft agreement on an agenda and a timetable for the proposed dialogue had been agreed on by the two factions, but had yet to be approved by Hamas top leaders.
"A final formula was reached and Fatah agreed to it ... Our brothers in the Hamas movement asked for an opportunity to consult their (leadership)," Al-Qirbi said.
Under the draft agreement from the Yemen-sponsored talks, Hamas and Fatah would agree to hold direct talks in early April about a Yemeni plan calling for the situation in the Gaza Strip to return to the way it was before Hamas took it over.
The issue has been a main point of contention, with Fatah demanding that Hamas Islamists give up control of the territory, which the group seized in June after routing Fatah forces.
The Yemeni proposal also envisages the creation of another unity government and rebuilding of Palestinian security forces along national rather than factional lines. (Link)
Labels: Fatah, Hamas, Palestine, Yemen
US Deaths in Iraq Approach 4,000 (AP)
A roadside bomb killed three American soldiers north of Baghdad on Saturday, pushing the U.S. death toll in the five-year conflict to nearly 4,000.
Also Saturday, Iraqi authorities reported that a U.S. airstrike north of the capital killed six members of a U.S.-backed Sunni group - straining relations with America's new allies in the fight against al-Qaida.
Two Iraqi civilians also died in the roadside bombing, which occurred as the Americans were patrolling an area northwest of the capital, the U.S. military said in a statement.
Two of the soldiers were killed in the blast and the third died of wounds, the statement said. The soldiers were assigned to Multinational Division-Baghdad, the statement said, but gave no further details.
The latest deaths brought to 3,996 the number of U.S. service members and Pentagon civilians who have died since the war began on March 20, 2003, according to an Associated Press count. (Link)
Egypt holds talks with Gaza Islamists on truce (Reuters)
Egypt held talks on Saturday with representatives of Hamas and Islamic Jihad from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, part of a push for a truce between the militant groups and Israel, officials said.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum in Gaza said Khaled al-Batsh of Islamic Jihad was present as was Hamas official Jamal Abu Hashem. The talks were held in government offices on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza.
With U.S. backing, Egypt has been trying to negotiate a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Gaza militants who fire rockets across the border into the Jewish state. (Link)
Labels: Egypt, Hamas, Palestine
Fuel station fire in Yemen capital (Al Jazeera)
A fire in a fuel station has set a nearby hotel ablaze in the Yemeni capital without any casualties being reported, according to the interior ministry.
Residents near the hotel reported hearing a loud explosion on Saturday morning, but the ministry said that an aeroplane breaking the sound barrier had also caused the boom.
Ambulances and police vehicles were seen attending the site at the Sydney Hotel next to Sittin Street, but a police cordon prevented reporters from gathering further details.
Some witnesses told Al Jazeera that a second explosion took place inside the hotel, setting a furniture shop on the ground floor of the building on fire.
There are no reports of fatalities and the reason behind the explosion is still unknown. (Link)
Labels: Yemen
Saudi king urges U.S. to press Israel over peace with Palestinians (Haaretz)
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on Friday urged U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney to pressure Israel to seal a peace deal with the Palestinians before President George W. Bush leaves office in January 2009, official Saudi sources said. Cheney, on a 10-day regional tour, arrived Friday in Saudi Arabia where he met Abdullah at the king's al-Janadriya horse farm near Riyadh.
Sources said Saudi Arabia is not happy with the "slow" pace of US efforts to push the Middle East peace process by putting pressure on Israel to reach a peace agreement and end the building of settlements and excavations around Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.
Cheney was due to travel to Israel on Saturday for a meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. On Easter Sunday, after attending a church service, Cheney will head to the West Bank for talks in Ramallah with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (Link)
Labels: Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia
Four US soldiers killed in Iraq (BBC)
Four more US soldiers have been killed in Iraq, bringing the death toll since the invasion in 2003 close to 4,000.
The US military said that in the latest incident on Saturday, three soldiers died when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb north-west of Baghdad.
Another soldier died from injuries sustained in an attack south on Friday.
The latest deaths would bring the total of US fatalities to 3,996, according to a count kept by the independent website icasualties.org.
Two Iraqis were also killed in the bomb attack on Saturday but the US gave no further details.
On Friday, the US soldier sustained fatal injuries in an "indirect" rocket or mortar attack and four other troops were wounded. (Link)
al-Qaida Blamed in Failed US Site Attack (AP)
An Al-Qaida terror cell was behind a mortar strike against the U.S. embassy in Yemen that missed its target but killed a security guard and wounded 13 students at a nearby school, an Interior Ministry official said Saturday.
The official, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, said al-Qaida militant Hamza al-Dayan launched three mortars at the embassy Tuesday before fleeing the scene in a vehicle with three accomplices. The mortar shells crashed into the school in the downtown Sawan district of San'a, killing the security guard and wounding 13 schoolgirls, three grievously. (Link)
Fighting ends in Lebanon camp (Al Jazeera)
Calm has returned to a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon after heavy clashes between fighters of the Jund al-Sham and the Fatah faction killed one man and injured at least four others.
The rival fighters exchanged rocket fire for four hours in the densely populated Ein al-Hilweh camp outside the city of Sidon on Friday night.
The victim and the four wounded belonged to Fatah, a Lebanese security official said. There was no immediate word on casualties among Jund al-Sham fighters.
The echo of gunfire reverberated in Sidon and prompted hundreds of civilians in the teeming camp to flee to safer areas.
An AFP correspondent said more than 100 Palestinian families fled the camp to take refuge in nearby Sidon.
The correspondent added that entire families took refuge in a neighbouring mosque, while others hid in cars which they had managed to take out of the camp, home to about 45,000 people. (Link)
Pentagon Urges Delay in U.S. Troop Reductions in Iraq (NY Times)
Senior military commanders have presented the Bush administration with proposals to put off any plans for further reductions of troops in Iraq at least until the end of summer. At the same time, the proposals would limit new deployments to 12 months, instead of 15 months now, military and administration officials said Friday.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates met for a second day in closed sessions with the Pentagon’s top officers to outline recommendations to be presented to President Bush on Wednesday.
Mr. Bush is to discuss the proposals with the senior commander in Iraq, Gen. David H. Petraeus, in a videoconference on Monday and is expected to make a decision about any additional withdrawals before he leaves on April 1 for a five-day trip to Ukraine, Romania and Croatia, the officials said. (Link)
Conservative wins in Iran poll show sanctions are failing, say analysts (Guardian)
The conservative consolidation of power in Iran's parliamentary elections has shown that international sanctions are backfiring, according to liberal analysts in Tehran.
Religious conservatives have won 70% of the seats decided so far and are likely to maintain their grip after an imminent run-off vote for about 90 undecided seats.
The election has strengthened the hand of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, a militantly conservative force with growing control over the economy. At least 120 of the 290 members of the new parliament will be former guardsmen like President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Reformists, barred from standing across the country, have only won 40 seats. They expected to do well in Tehran, where they were allowed to compete, but are yet to win a seat there, and demanded a recount. (Link)
Young Afghans defy extremists to crown an 'Idol' at music marathon (Independent)
More than 300,000 people voted in the final of Afghanistan's version of Pop Idol and hundreds more crowded into a hotel in Kabul yesterday, shrugging off angry religious protests.
Music fans from across the country voted by text message as two male finalists battled it out on stage, just a few hundred yards from a massive demonstration by Muslim extremists.
Hundreds of young Afghans queued for hours to see the final held at the Intercontinental Hotel, which was once a favourite stomping ground of the Taliban. The building was protected by armed police with machine guns mounted on pick-up trucks, while just beyond the gate crowds waved placards protesting against European cartoons and a film which they say insults Islam. (Link)
Labels: Afghanistan, Free Media
Boy hurt in Hebron Hills bomb attack (JPost)
A 13-year-old boy was seriously wounded on Thursday night when terrorists detonated a bomb next to a car he was traveling in near Pnei Hever, in the southern Hebron Hills.
A group affiliated with the Aksa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack and IDF troops were sweeping the area in search of the perpetrators.
IDF sources said that remnants from an explosive device were found at the scene of the bomb attack. (Link)
Friday, March 21, 2008
Berri brushes off demand to resume House sessions (Daily Star)
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Friday reiterated that he would not call the House to convene in regular session as long as Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's government remained in office. "The absence of any legitimate executive authority prevents the convening of Parliament in a lawmaking capacity," a statement issued by Berri's media office said.
The statement came in responses to charges made by the ruling March 14 coalition one day before alleging that Berri was rejecting efforts to convene Parliament in a legislative capacity, thus preventing the House and its members from fulfilling their responsibilities.
Berri's statement called on March 14 to "implement the Arab initiative [to resolve Lebanon's 15-month-old power struggle], promote partnership and agree on an election law."
On Thursday, the March 14 Forces described the continued closure of Parliament as "a clear and explicit violation of the Constitution" (Link)
Labels: Lebanon
Hundreds flee as Ain al-Hilweh factions clash (Daily Star)
Fighting flared for the second night in a row in and around the tense Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in Sidon on Friday. Few details on Friday's clashes were immediately available, but the began Thursday when armed members from Islamist factions Osbat al-Ansar and Jund al-Sham reportedly opened fire on some Fatah members following the arrest of senior Jund al-Sham commander Houssam Salim Maarouf by Fatah, which directly handed him over to the Lebanese authorities.
Heavy gunfire was heard in the poverty-stricken refugee camp until midnight as a reaction to Maarouf's arrest.
Armed with assault rifles, masked men from Osbat al-Ansar and Jund al-Sham walked around the camp, causing many residents to flee.
Around daybreak Friday a grenade was thrown at the home of a senior Fatah official, causing severe damage.
Rumors spread that Maarouf had been arrested for robbing a jewelry shop in Sidon, but Palestinian sources said he was taken in for questioning because he was suspected of having carried "questionable and dangerous security activities such as communicating with Israel." (Link)
Labels: Lebanon
Press watchdog condemns fatwa by Saudi cleric
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has expressed concern over the religious edict issued last week by a Saudi cleric who called for the trial and death of two writers for their "heretical articles" and their death if they do not repent. Sheikh Abdel-Rahman al-Barrak's fatwa came in response to recent articles in Al-Riyadh newspaper by two reform-minded writers who challenged a common Sunni view in Saudi Arabia that adherents of other faiths are unbelievers. "Anyone who claims this has refuted Islam and should be tried in order to take it back. If not, he should be killed as an apostate from the religion of Islam," Sheikh Barrak was quoted by Reuters as saying in his March 14 edict. "We are extremely worried about the safety of our colleagues and ask the Saudi government to ensure their safety," CPJ executive director Joel Simon said in a statement. "It is ironic that writers advocating tolerance and reform are subject to incitement and death threats." "Religious edicts by radical Islamic clerics or groups led to the assassination in 1992 of Egyptian writer Farag Foda and to a serious attempt in 1994 in Cairo to murder Egyptian Nobel Prize-winner Naguib Mahfouz," the statement noted. (Link)
Labels: Free Media, Free Speech, Saudi Arabia
Haniyeh to expand gov't in bid to strengthen Hamas hold on Gaza (Haaretz)
Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip Ismail Haniyeh will expand his government in an effort to strengthen his hold on the coastal territory, an official close to the Hamas government in Gaza said on Friday.
Haniyeh's decision to cement Hamas's grip on Gaza opposes Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's demand that the Islamist group hand over control of the enclave as delegations from the rival factions meet in Yemen for reconciliation talks.
Hamas Islamists took over Gaza after routing more secular Fatah forces loyal to Abbas in June.
"There are consultations to enlarge the government lead by Ismail Haniyeh," the official told Reuters. "The prime minister in Gaza offered some Palestinian figures to participate in the government and they have expressed an initial readiness to participate." (Link)
Shiite Clashes Fray Truce (AP)
Iraqi security forces battled Shiite gunmen south of Baghdad on Friday, raising tensions among rival factions of the country's majority religious community and straining a seven-month cease-fire proclaimed by the biggest Shiite militia.
The fighting in Kut, 100 miles southeast of Baghdad, broke out Thursday night when factions of the Mahdi Army, led by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, attacked checkpoints throughout the city, officials and witnesses said.
Two policemen and two gunmen were killed during the clashes in Kut, which ended Friday, according to Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf.
Also Friday, U.S. and Iraqi forces raided neighborhoods of southern Baghdad and Diwaniyah, 80 miles south of the capital, detaining suspected members of the Mahdi Army, Iraqi police said. (Link)
Labels: Iraq
Israel, Russia finalize deal on supply of armored vehicles to PA (Haaretz)
Israel has agreed to allow Russia to supply the Palestinian Authority security services in the West Bank with Russian-made armored vehicles, Haaretz has learned.
Late last year, a political brouhaha erupted over reports of a deal in principle between Israel and Russia whereby Jerusalem agreed to the transfer of armored vehicles to the Palestinian Authority. Right-wing lawmakers bitterly criticized Olmert for the decision.
The deal was also held up due to Israel's objections to Palestinian intentions to affix automatic machine guns to the vehicles.
During Thursday's meeting between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Russia accepted the Israeli demand that the vehicles not be mounted with machine guns as was originally planned. Palestinian police officers will be permitted to carry small arms only. (Link)
Labels: Israel, Palestine, Russia
Kurds shot dead in northern Syria (BBC)
Reports from Syria say the security forces have shot dead three Kurds celebrating the Kurdish new year.
At least four others were injured in the incident in the city of Qameshli, near the Turkish border about 700km (420 miles) north of Damascus.
Kurdish witnesses say Syrian riot police opened fire after torches were lit as part of the celebrations.
Another report said Kurds had burned tyres and thrown stones at the police during celebrations on Thursday.
Reports say the dead, aged between 20 and 25, were buried on Friday under a heavy security presence.
Correspondents say the estimated one million Kurds living among Syria's overwhelming Arab population of about 20 million have longstanding grievances and are kept under tight control. (Link)
Labels: Syria
As Tensions Rise in Lebanon, Residents Again Fear the Worst (Wash Post)
Posters slapped up on the walls of Beirut's Shiite Muslim southern suburbs show the face of a slain Hezbollah leader and declare that his death is a "sign of the coming victory."
Just out of sight from Beirut's shores, U.S. warships ply the waters. Their presence, the Bush administration says, is the United States' own warning, directed at Syria, Iran and their local ally, the Shiite armed movement Hezbollah: The Americans are watching troubled Lebanon.
Lebanon's people, survivors of a 1975-90 civil war and persistent sectarian strife thereafter, are used to rumors of war sweeping the country. Now tensions are rising again among many Lebanese, as well as the regional and international powers that claim a strategic interest in the country's internal affairs. (Link)
Labels: Hezbollah, Israel, Lebanon
Iran a Nuclear Threat, Bush Insists
President Bush said Thursday that Iran has declared that it wants to be a nuclear power with a weapon to "destroy people," including others in the Middle East, contradicting the judgments of a recent U.S. intelligence estimate.
The president spoke in an interview intended to reach out to the Iranian public on the Persian new year and to express "moral support" for struggling freedom movements, particularly among youth and women. It was designed to stress U.S. support for Iran's quest for nuclear energy and the prospects that Washington and Tehran can "reconcile their differences" if Iran cooperates with the international community to ensure that the effort is not converted into a weapons program.
But most striking was Bush's accusation that Iran has openly declared its nuclear weapons intentions, even though a National Intelligence Estimate concluded in December that Iran had stopped its weapons program in 2003, a major reversal in the long-standing U.S. assessment. (Link)
Arab education 'falling behind' (BBC)
It's the start of the school day and hundreds of small children squeeze into the dusty playground.
Shrill orders pour out of a rusty loudspeaker screwed onto the wall. The children dutifully shuffle into line, open up their lungs and bellow their allegiance to God and Egypt.
The school day at Othman Bin-Affan Primary School has begun.
First there is a prayer from the Koran and then there is the National Anthem.
The children shout and clap and turn on the spot as the loudspeaker crackles and spits, exhorting the pupils to listen, repeat and obey.
The last few stragglers are let in to a school that's so full that it is forced to operate two shifts a day.
Two thousand children start the day at eight in the morning and another 2,000 begin shortly after lunch.
The average class size is more than 60 and the facilities are poor. (Link)
Labels: Education, World Bank
Russian FM in West Bank: Gaza blockade unacceptable (AP)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday during a visit to the West Bank city of Ramallah that Israel should end the blockade of the Gaza Strip and halt all settlement activity.
After meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Lavrov told a press conference that the blockade, imposed by Israel and Egypt after Hamas seized control of Gaza in June, is unacceptable.
Lavrov added that Russia was very much concerned about Israeli construction on land the Palestinians claim for a future state. "We call for an immediate halt to settlement activity," he said. (Haaretz)
Labels: Israel, Palestine, Russia
UN's Assessment of Human Rights Violations in Occupied Palestine (ZNet)
John Dugard is The UN Human Rights Council's Special Rapporteur on Palestine and a rare public official. In January 2008, he assessed the situation in Occupied Palestine (OPT). It was detailed, inclusive and honest. This article discusses his findings in-depth. Most of them have been widely reported, but they bear repeating nonetheless. It's because, in this instance, they're from an agency of the 192 member states world body. It's hoped that source highlights their importance and adds to their credibility.
From September 25 to October 1, 2007, Dugard visited Gaza, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jericho, Nablus, Qalqiliya and the Jordan valley and held extensive meetings with: Palestinian and Israeli NGOs, UN agencies, Palestinian and Jordanian officials, academics, businessmen, and independent interlocutors. He also went to Gazan factories and West Bank checkpoints and settlements and saw firsthand the situation on the ground.
For his efforts, Dugard is both praised and criticized. Extremists even condemn him. It's the price he and others pay for assessing conditions honestly. He addressed his critics and what they cite:
-- that his reports are repetitious; he agrees because Israel repeats the same human rights and humanitarian law violations and has done it for over 40 years of occupation. They feature: "(Illegal) settlements, checkpoints, demolition of houses, torture, closure of crossings and military incursions...." More recently, add the separation wall (since 2003), "sonic booms, (stepped up) targeted killings, (using) Palestinians as human shields, and the humanitarian crisis" in Gaza since Hamas was democratically elected in January 2006. (Link)
Labels: Israel, Palestine, U.N.
Abbas says Palestinian reconciliation talks in Yemen extended through Saturday (AP)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says reconciliation talks in Yemen between his Fatah Party and the Gaza Strip's Islamic Hamas rulers have been extended through Saturday.
Each side has accused the other of causing the talks to fail. But Abbas said Friday that Fatah and Hamas have agreed to keep the talks going through Saturday, at the request of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
"We don't want to say the talks have failed," Abbas said. "We hope for a positive outcome." (Link)
Labels: Israel, Palestine, Yemen
Fresh violence frays militia truce in Iraq (Reuters)
Mehdi Army fighters attacked police patrols in southern Baghdad overnight, police said on Friday, further fraying a seven-month-old ceasefire called by Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to rein in his militia.
The clashes in Baghdad's Shurta district follow outbreaks of violence in the southern Iraqi city of Kut in which Mehdi Army fighters have battled U.S. and Iraqi security forces. Three people were killed in fresh fighting in Kut late on Thursday.
The fighting took place on the same day that Iraq marked the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein.
Sadr, whose militia fought two uprisings against U.S. forces in 2004, first called a ceasefire last August and extended it last month. But two weeks ago he issued a statement telling his followers they could defend themselves if attacked. (Link)
Labels: Iraq
Cheney seeks Saudi oil increase (BBC)
US Vice-President Dick Cheney is in Saudi Arabia for talks with King Abdullah which will focus on security and the global energy market.
Mr Cheney's national security adviser said they would discuss "a co-operative way forward" to stabilise oil prices, which have hit record highs.
Oil prices have risen about 16% this year, but the oil producers' cartel, Opec, has declined to raise output.
On Thursday, Mr Cheney held talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul.
Afterwards, Mr Cheney called on other Nato member states to increase their commitment to Afghanistan's security in the face of a growing threat from the Taleban. (Link)
Labels: OPEC, Saudi Arabia, U.S.
Peace talks on Cyprus to restart (BBC)
The Cypriot president and the Turkish Cypriot leader have agreed to resume talks on reunifying the island.
The deal was struck at a meeting between Demetris Christofias and Mehmet Ali Talat in Nicosia - the first such high-profile talks since 2006.
The two men also agreed to reopen a key crossing in the divided capital.
Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been divided since 1974, when Turkey deployed troops after a coup by Greek Cypriots who wanted union with Greece.
"This is a new era we are starting for the solution of the Cyprus problem," Mr Talat said after the meeting in a UN buffer zone near the abandoned Nicosia airport. (Link)
Investing in Fayyad (Haaretz)
"I had a wonderful day," Salam Fayyad says with a big smile, in his spacious office. A few hours earlier, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority had received $150 million from the U.S. consul general in Jerusalem. This is far from the largest amount ever handled by Fayyad, a veteran official at the International Monetary Fund, who holds a Ph.D. in economics. What moved him was the American government's readiness to deposit its rapidly thinning dollars into the PA's bank account. And not in controlled infrastructure or a specific project, but as aid to finance the activities, and even the salaries, of his civil servants. At a time of economic distress in the United States, generous financing like this can truly be considered a certificate of appreciation and trust.
Fayyad worked hard to earn that certificate, and is paying for it in hard political currency. Last Friday, when Fayyad learned that Defense Minister Ehud Barak had decided to send his aide Amos Gilad to the first meeting of the tripartite monitoring team (U.S., Israel, PA) in Jerusalem, his staff drew up a sharply worded declaration, castigating the disdain being shown by the Israeli defense minister for the forum designated at Annapolis to implement the first stage of the "road map," and cautioning their boss that if he took the affront lying down, the Palestinian public would not forgive him. They said (rightly, as it turned out) that Fayyad's political rivals from Fatah, not to mention Hamas, would make a laughingstock over the meeting of a Palestinian prime minister with an Israeli civil servant. (Link)
Labels: Israel, Palestine, U.S.
Son of Ariel pastor injured in blast (JPost)
The 16-year-old son of a prominent Christian pastor, David Ortiz, was seriously wounded in Ariel on Thursday by a powerful explosion in his home.
The youth was alone at the time and suffered shrapnel injures and burns to his neck and chest.
The bomb, which was apparently in a Purim gift basket, also caused extensive damage to the family's apartment.
Judea and Samaria Police spokesman Ch.-Supt. Dani Poleg said police had not ruled out any motive - including that radical Jews or Muslims may have targeted the family.
The boy was rushed to the Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson Campus in Petah Tikva in serious condition.
Before he was sedated, one paramedic said, he managed to say that the explosion took place when he tried to open a package that had arrived at the apartment. The initial police investigation indicated that the family's maid had found the package outside and brought it in. (Link)
Egypt denies Gaza power agreement (JPost)
Egypt denied Israeli reports that it has agreed to supply the Gaza Strip with electricity, Israel Radio reported Thursday.
Earlier, Israeli defense officials said they've worked out a tentative deal for Egypt to become the main electricity supplier to the Gaza Strip.
The officials said the agreement stems from Israel's desire to cut off all ties with the Gaza Strip. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, but remains the area's main power supplier.
The deal must still be finalized. But when it's complete, Egypt is expected to build a power line to supply 150 megawatts to Gaza. (Link)
Labels: Egypt, Israel, Palestine
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Hans Blix: A war of utter folly (Guardian)
The invasion of Iraq in 2003 was a tragedy - for Iraq, for the US, for the UN, for truth and human dignity. I can only see one gain: the end of Saddam Hussein, a murderous tyrant. Had the war not finished him he would, in all likelihood, have become another Gadafy or Castro; an oppressor of his own people but no longer a threat to the world. Iraq was on its knees after a decade of sanctions.
The elimination of weapons of mass destruction was the declared main aim of the war. It is improbable that the governments of the alliance could have sold the war to their parliaments on any other grounds. That they believed in the weapons' existence in the autumn of 2002 is understandable. Why had the Iraqis stopped UN inspectors during the 90s if they had nothing to hide? Responsibility for the war must rest, though, on what those launching it knew by March 2003.
By then, Unmovic inspectors had carried out some 700 inspections at 500 sites without finding prohibited weapons. The contract that George Bush held up before Congress to show that Iraq was purchasing uranium oxide was proved to be a forgery. The allied powers were on thin ice, but they preferred to replace question marks with exclamation marks. (Link)
PA to launch welfare network in hopes of countering Hamas (Haaretz)
The Palestinian Authority is launching a new socioeconomic network meant to counter the Hamas welfare system, the Dawa, which has been successful in assisting poor Palestinians for two decades.
The program is being backed by both Israel and the Quartet - the U.S., UN, EU and Russia - including its Middle East envoy Tony Blair. On the Israeli side, the officials coordinating activities in the territories - under Major General Yosef Mishlav and Social Affairs Minister Isaac Herzog - are involved in supporting the PA.
The program calls for setting up an organization similar to the National Security Institute in Israel, which will grant monthly stipends to families living in poverty. The stipends will also include unemployment and disability benefits.
During the first phase of implementation, the estimated cost to countries contributing funds to the Palestinian Authority stands at $120 million. The program is expected to provide stipends for about 60,000 people. (Link)
Rabbinic fatwas (Haaretz)
The massacre at the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva seems to have shocked the religious community more than previous terrorist attacks, and they have responded accordingly. In recent days a number of halakhic instructions have been issued seeking to widen the division between Jews and Arabs. Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, among the most important rabbis in the ultra-Orthodox community, ordered a complete stop to employing Arabs in yeshivas; the head of the Council of Rabbis of Judea and Samaria, Rabbi Dov Lior, ruled that employing Arabs must stop in general, and that even renting them homes should stop. \
The two rabbis justify their rulings on the need to safeguard lives in view of the massacre, and not on hatred of Arabs. But there is a difference between the two: Kanievsky limits his ruling to employing Arabs in yeshivas, and he may genuinely hope this will narrow the threat to lives. But Lior broadens it to the general employment of Arabs and even to renting them apartments, which raises concerns that this is a way of taking advantage of the massacre and fear of Arabs to spread a view aiming to expel the Arabs from the country by creating conditions that encourage such a flight. Lior's rulings also appear to incite racism. (Link)
Building peace in Iraq harder than expected, says Miliband (Guardian)
David Miliband, the foreign secretary, said yesterday that building peace in Iraq had been "much more difficult" than expected, but he did not blame the US for mistakes now widely accepted as allowing the insurgency to flourish.
Speaking on the fifth anniversary of the invasion, Miliband said: "I think the war itself was a remarkable victory. It went better than most people expected. But the truth is that building the peace after the war has been much more difficult than people expected."
As anti-war campaigners demanded the immediate withdrawal of British troops, the foreign secretary added: "The truth is, it's been very tough to help build a more stable society in Iraq but I think the indications over the last year or two have been more encouraging about the changes."
He told GMTV: "The amount of trade that is going on is up, the economic situation has improved, and that, in a way, is a function of the security improvement." (Link)
Sunni militia strike could derail US strategy against al-Qaida (Guardian)
The success of the US "surge" strategy in Iraq may be under threat as Sunni militia employed by the US to fight al-Qaida are warning of a national strike because they are not being paid regularly.
Leading members of the 80,000-strong Sahwa, or awakening, councils have said they will stop fighting unless payment of their $10 a day (£5) wage is resumed. The fighters are accusing the US military of using them to clear al-Qaida militants from dangerous areas and then abandoning them.
A telephone survey by GuardianFilms for Channel 4 News reveals that out of 49 Sahwa councils four with more than 1,400 men have already quit, 38 are threatening to go on strike and two already have. (Link)
Mobile calls on Emirates flights (BBC)
Dubai-based airline Emirates has become the first commercial airline to allow passengers to make mobile phone calls during flights.
Emirates said the first permitted mobile phone call was made on a flight between Dubai and Casablanca.
The aircraft, an Airbus A340, is fitted with a system which stops mobiles from interfering with a plane's electronics.
Emirates plans to extend the system to more aircraft and later this year add BlackBerry and other data services.
According to the airline, the mobile service will only be activated when the aircraft is at cruising altitude and the cabin crew will be able to monitor and control the use of the system.
Passengers will be able to receive and send text messages, but the crew will be able to prevent voice calls at certain times, such as during night flights.
Passengers will also be requested to keep their phones on "silent" mode, said the airline. (Link)
Labels: U.A.E.
Saudis to retrain 40,000 clerics (BBC)
Saudi Arabia is to retrain its 40,000 prayer leaders - also known as imams - in an effort to counter militant Islam.
Details of the plan were revealed in the influential Saudi newspaper Al- Sharq al-Awsat.
The plan is part of a wider programme launched by the Saudi monarch a few years ago to encourage moderation and tolerance in Saudi society.
The ministry of religious affairs and new centre for national dialogue will carry out the training, the paper said.
The centre was created five years ago to disseminate a moderate interpretation of Islamic tradition.
There is growing awareness in Saudi society that security measures alone are not enough to counter the threat of Islamic militancy. (Link)
Labels: Islam, Saudi Arabia
2,400 refugees reportedly crossed into Israel this year (JPost)
Around 2,400 African refuge-seekers have crossed into Israel from Sinai in the past three months, despite an increased use of force by Egyptian soldiers guarding the border.
In the past two weeks, Egyptian soldiers shot and killed four refugees who were trying to enter Israel, according to human rights organizations in northern Egypt.
Refugees currently in Israel said the Egyptians had long used
"brute force" against the Africans, but that they had stepped up the use of that force due to "pressure from Israel."
"Israel does not want to dirty its hands, using its own soldiers to kill refugees on the border - and they know the Egyptians have no problem doing this," said Dal, an Eritrean refugee who helps run a shelter near the Tel Aviv central bus station. (